Due to her father's illness and mounting debts, Brianna was forced to work at her Uncle John's house as a maid, while her father took on the role of gardener to cover their hospital expenses. When her father suffered a second heart attack and required bypass surgery, she borrowed money from her uncle's wealthy wife, Daphne. However, Daphne demanded a different form of payment: She had to change her appearance and impersonate her cousin. This was because Hailey, Daphne's daughter, wanted to marry the billionaire Blake Miller and needed to maintain a facade of purity before the wedding. Blake had insisted on certain conditions before marriage, and since Hailey had been involved with many men, she feared Blake would refuse to marry her if he discovered she was not as innocent as she claimed. Brianna was helpless when one night, someone ruined her face, forcing her to undergo plastic surgery to look like her cousin, Hailey. Would she agree to sleep with the man her cousin was destined to marry? What if Blake proposed to her instead of his real girlfriend? Driven by thoughts of revenge for the harm done to her father, Brianna accepted Blake's proposal and married her cousin's fiancé.
Chapter 001
"The Millers are coming in a few minutes, and you're still not prepared?" John Parker yelled at his daughter Hailey, who was still painting her face in front of her vanity mirror. She was dressed in a dark blue fitted midi dress, and was exceptionally low cut, and did not leave much to the imagination.
Today, they were anticipating the arrival of Blake Miller, as well as his parents, so that they could discuss the preparations for their upcoming wedding. Hailey was making her best efforts to impress the handsome, wealthy man.
"Just a minute, dad..." Hailey rolled her eyes after the final touch of her lipstick. "I should look more gorgeous in front of Blake and his family."
"Make it quick! I want you to be standing in the doorway when Blake arrives!"He rasped, turning away, and was about to step out of his daughter's bedroom, when he almost bumped with Brianna. "What are you doing here? You should be in the kitchen, helping the maids! Where's your father? Has he replaced the flowers in the vases?"
Brianna was John's niece, and the daughter of his brother, Rob. She was working as a helper in her uncle's house, while her father was the one taking care of the lawn and flowers in the garden.
Their family had formerly resided in a rural community known as Genesee, which was located in the countryside. Their means of subsistence consisted of cultivating grapes and planting crops. On the other hand, when her Uncle John finally tied the knot with a wealthy woman, he relocated to Manhattan with his new wife, Daphne, and left his hometown and family with his daughter, Hailey.
One day, Brianna's father had a mild heart attack. He was able to survive, although he needed medication for maintenance. In the absence of any other options, Brianna was forced to make a request for assistance from her Uncle John.
"I'll pay for your father's medication, but you have to work for it!" That was Daphne's final decision, and Brianna had no choice but to accept it for the sake of her father's health.
"Uncle John..." Brianna's lips trembled as she spoke, brushing away the thought of the past. Tears started to well up in her big sapphire eyes. "Dad was brought to the hospital this morning. He--"
"What?" A tear had just escaped Brianna's eye as she shuddered in response to the stern voice of Daphne coming from the hallway. "Does it mean that you need money again?"
"Oh, honey. Don't worry about other people's problems. We'll talk about this matter later." John met his wife in the hallway, giving her a peck on the forehead. "Brianna, the Millers are coming today. We don't have time for your drama at the moment. Go and help the maids in the kitchen first!"
"But Uncle..."
"No more buts! You heard dad! Just go!" Hailey pushed her out of her room, a hint of disgust was seen on her face when she accidentally touched Brianna's skin.
Instead of getting mad, Brianna stared at her cousin in awe. She looked like a living barbie doll, and her make-up was done to perfection.
They shared the same dark brown locks, but Hailey's hair was swept to one side, looking so lovelier and had a far shinier appearance than hers. A short dress that stopped at her mid-thighs revealed her long, slender legs.
They were the best of friends when they were still living in the countryside. But when she got a taste and socialized with high-class people, she had forgotten about her cousin and best friend, Brianna.
"I said, go!" Hearing Hailey's angry voice again, Brianna's heart was shattered into a million pieces as she walked past them with her head hung low. Following her descent to the lower level, she assisted the maids with setting the dining table.
This morning, she heard about guests coming. It was the Miller family. She had heard about Blake Miller from Hailey and Daphne a few times, but she hadn't met him yet. She had high hopes that Hailey would alter her bad attitude once she married the man of her dreams.
When she told her dad about the visitors, she had already noticed that he wasn't feeling well, but he still had this smile on his face as he engaged in conversation with her.
"Sweetheart, I had a talk last night with your Uncle John about you going to school this year." Rob remarked as he gently stroked his daughter's hair, and tucked a lovely white daisy behind her ear. It had always been his goal for Brianna to complete her education and attend a reputable institution.
Brianna's eyes immediately lit up. "Really? What did Uncle John say, dad?"
Rob didn't want to break his daughter's heart, so he said, "He promised to enroll you and pay for your tuition at Manhattanville University."
"That's Hailey's school!" she squealed in happiness, flinging her arm around her father's waist. "Thank you, dad. At long last, I can continue my studies. Your dreams for me will finally come true!"
"Of course, baby. And I know that's your dream too." he kissed his daughter's hair and hugged her back, but suddenly winced when he felt the squeezing pain in his chest.
When Brianna walked back inside the house, the tremendous thud that she heard coming from behind her caused her to turn around and discover her father lying on the ground with his palm pressed on his chest.
"Dad!"She cried out, rushing back to her father. "Daddy, wake up!"
"Brianna, what happened?" Tom, the Parker's driver, helped her take her father to the hospital.
The doctor told Brianna that her father needed to have coronary artery bypass grafting as soon as possible if she wanted to save him. And the surgery would cost two hundred thousand dollars.
Her Uncle John was unaware of what had happened because they were busy preparing for the lunch that would take place later with the Miller family.
She went upstairs to tell her uncle about what happened to her dad, but it seemed that the meeting with the Millers was more important than his own brother.
John Parker never cared about them anyway. Only Rob was constantly worried about his younger brother. After the passing of John's wife, they provided financial assistance for them, and Rob even sent Hailey to high school. John didn't even bother to express gratitude to his older brother after everything that he had done for them. And now that he had a lot of money, it was so difficult to approach him and ask for assistance.
Reese agreed to marry Troy, thinking their feelings were mutual. It turned out that he only used her to get close to her mother, Mandy. When she went home after taking care of her mother-in-law who pretended to be sick, she caught her mom and husband in their bed. She exacted revenge by having a one-night stand with a stranger, who happened to be the wealthiest man in town, and the business partner of her unknown biological father, Vincent.
It was a big day for Camilla. She looked forward to marrying her handsome groom. Unfortunately, he abandoned her at the altar. He never showed up throughout the wedding. She was made a laughingstock in front of all the guests. In a fit of rage, she went and slept with a strange man on her wedding night. It was supposed to be a one-night stand. To her dismay, the man refused to let her be. He pestered her like she had stolen his heart on that night. Camilla didn't know what to do. Should she give him a chance? Or just stay away from men?
During her three years of marriage with Brendan, Adeline had become as humble as dust itself. However, what she got in return wasn't love and affection, but endless indifference and disdain. Worse yet, when the woman in Brendan's heart suddenly showed up, he further distanced himself from her. Finally, Adeline couldn't stand it anymore and asked for a divorce. After all, why should she stay with such a cold, distant man? The next one would surely be better. Brendan watched as his ex-wife left with her luggage in tow. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he made a bet with his friends. "She'll definitely regret leaving and will come crawling back to me in no time." After hearing about this bet, Adeline sneered. "Dream on!" A few days later, Brendan ran into his ex-wife in a bar. It turned out she was celebrating her divorce. Not long after, he noticed that the damned woman seemed to have a new suitor. Brendan was starting to panic. The woman who had clung to him for three years suddenly didn't seem to give a damn about him. What was he going to do?
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he never gave a damn about rules and laws, as he only liked to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and lan begged her not to leave him?
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."