"You have to be my wife in every way possible until a child is sired" he said. "do you agree to those terms?" she thought long and hard before letting out the words. "yes, I do" what she had done would seal her fate forever. What happens when a desperate to survive Alina meets her boss and is offered a choice,Signing over her soul to him or letting her mother die? Will the contract marriage be more than she bargained for?or will it end at the first sign of trouble? Or will a big secret give her a way out?
As she stared up at the blazing hot sky, she wondered what her life was going to look like. The clouds floated around happily in humor to her predicament. Being fired from the only place she had worked so hard to get into after graduation was quite a comic story indeed.
As she crossed the pathway leading up to her rundown apartment close by, a few blocks away from the building that had held all her dashed hopes and dreams, her heel got stuck in the broken cemented sidewalk. Thrusting out with all her might, the heel of her favorite suede stiletto broke. She stumbled backwards and landed on her butt, grazing her hands onto the ground. It hurt. She knew that right at this moment, the universe was mocking her.
Working endlessly and tirelessly for years, only to come out with the best degree and getting admitted into the workplace she had applied for, seemed so far away now. She looked down at her stubbed heel and wept for her bleak life.
"What's a beautiful girl like you doing on her ass on the sidewalk?"
Her head whipped around so fast she was afraid her neck would snap. She raised her head up to look at the stranger who had his hand outstretched with a huge smile on his face.
"Am sorry, who are you?" she spoke before her body could register what she had said.
The said man was gorgeous, with chestnut brown hair and blue eyes; he looked so handsome it took her breath away.
"Why don't I help you up?" he offered, gesturing to his outstretched hand.
She nodded because words had seemed to fail her. "Yes, thank you," she stammered.
He pulled her up; stumbling due to her wobbly legs, she collided with his chest. "Sorry," she said abruptly, straightening up.
"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" he asked politely.
Nodding, her lips widened in a shy smile as she felt her cheeks redden.
"There's a great coffee shop just two blocks away if we can just make it," he took the lead.
Being careful not to lose him, she walked as fast as her legs could carry her to match his long strides. She noticed that he slowed down a few times to give her time to catch up, which was very thoughtful of him.
"Come on in," he said, ushering her in through the double glass doors that held the coffee sign.
The place had an aesthetically pleasing mahogany feel to it. There wasn't much of a crowd for the lunch hour, but it wasn't completely empty. There were customers scattered around the shop, chatting away and sipping away at their coffees, worry-free.
She let out a defeated sigh.
"What's wrong? Don't you like coffee?" he asked.
She shook her head vehemently. "No, no, I do. I was just... thinking about something else," she reassured him.
He nodded and walked over to the counter to place their orders. Busing herself, she picked a table at the far end of the coffee place and slid into the curved seats overlooking the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She watched as the people breezed by, some tired, some happy, but most of all she noticed the satisfied looks they all had as they passed by, probably on their way back to work.
Clearing his throat, she jerked back away from her internal musings.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Concern etched on the creases at the base of his forehead.
She gave him a wan smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine. Just work," she summarized.
She didn't need to bore a total stranger she had just met with her life problems when she was a total mess. She just had to relax and savor this moment.
"Sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Michael. Michael Wheeler," he said, giving her his outstretched hand once again, this time for a handshake, and she obliged.
"My name is Alina. Alina Sanders," she replied.
He nodded, taking the information in, a wistful smile etched onto his lips.
"That's a really nice name," he added.
She felt her cheek go pink. "Thank you. But thank my parents. They're the ones who gave me the name."
He chuckled at her awkward attempt to lighten the mood, feeling his laughter was contagious, she followed suit.
They were so wrapped up in the invisible bubble that they didn't fully notice when the waiter placed their drinks in front of them.
She stared at the leaf design of the sweetened coffee. She wasn't a fan of sweetened coffee.
"Am sorry I went ahead to order your coffee. I figured you would prefer to drink yours sweetened," he explained, as he watched her stare at her coffee, her expression unreadable.
Her eyebrow arched upwards.
"And what gave you that idea?" she asked, a little annoyed now.
"That's the impression you gave off. I might be wrong though," he interjected, raising his hands up in surrender.
"That's much better," satisfied with his answer, she returned to the cup of coffee staring back at her, she stirred before finally taking a big gulp.
"So, about your parents, what should I know about them?" he asked.
She raised her head up from her cup of coffee to collide with his amused gaze smiling back at her. She looked at him over the rim of her coffee and wondered why he was interested in knowing about her parents. What kind of stranger gets into such details? she wondered, and suddenly felt unsafe. Secluded in the corner with him, in a room full of people, was supposed to reassure her, but she felt goosebumps crawl up her skin.
Who was this stranger? And what the heck was she doing with him? The questions kept bugging her. She eyed him skeptically as he sipped his coffee, waiting for her response.
"Am sorry, but as nice as you are, I don't feel comfortable telling you about such details of my life," she responded, almost apologetically.
He chuckled. Settling back in his seat, he leaned back and looked at her for a while.
"Look, like I said, I'm Michael Wheeler. Doesn't that seem to ring a bell for you?" he spoke.
Shaking her head vehemently in confusion, she tried to grasp where this conversation was going until...
"Wheeler of Wheeler Enterprises?" she asked hesitantly.
He blinked in confirmation.
She gasped as she suddenly realized who and where he was. He was her boss.
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
On their wedding night, Rogelio wrapped his fingers around Marian's neck and spat at her, "Congratulations! From now on, you live in hell!" The reason for his wrath was that he believed she was responsible for the death of his elder brother. So, he married her but refused to touch her, determined to make her suffer for the rest of her pitiful life! However, due to an unforeseen accident, Marian was forced to sleep with Rogelio in order to save him, and she ended up getting pregnant. Concealing her pregnancy, Marian lived cautiously under Rogelio's watchful eyes. He hated her and relentlessly humiliated her, yet he would never allow anyone else to lay a finger on her— "Mr. Bailey, your wife got into a fight with someone!" Rogelio secretly took action, eliminating that person completely. "Sir, your wife claimed that all of your family's wealth belongs to her!" Rogelio quietly transferred all the shares to her. Unaware of all this, Marian only wanted to escape, but Rogelio pulled her into his warm embrace, whispering, "Mrs. Bailey, where do you intend to go with our unborn child?"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!