"Our marriage is nothing but something based on a sheet of paper, no more than a deal to help me grow my company." He said cold-heartedly as he stared into her eyes. Denise had been forced into marriage with an arrogant billionaire CEO, and he made it clear to her that, to him, the marriage was only a deal to fetch him money. Since it would help her family too, but little did they expect that love would intervene and make a change to their story.
DENISE POV,
A single droplet of tears rolled down my face as I stood in front of a floor-length mirror.
Some people believe one's wedding day to be the happiest day of their life, but I never imagined mine to ever be like this.
There was nothing I could do as I watched in silence while my mother prepared me for the man they believed was the perfect husband for me.
They all acted like it was nothing strange and the calm expression on my parents' faces whenever we talked about it sickened me. How could they just give me away like that?
It didn't matter how I felt about such a marriage as long as it was what they wanted, and they tried to convince me that he was the perfect man for me.
"Is that a tear I see?" Her brows arched as she questioned and I looked away. I heard her sigh in disappointment. "Denise, how many times do I have to tell you that he is the perfect man for you? And not only for you but any woman out there! Do you know the gravity of what he has done? He has chosen to help our family without us paying him back a penny!"
I scoffed a laugh, unable to hold it back even if I wanted to. Her words were the funniest thing I had heard all day.
He wasn't asking for a penny? It would have been better off if he requested his money back, but what he was taking was more than money. He was taking me!
"Mother, does he even have to ask for a penny? He is going to marry me, your only daughter, aren't you feeling concerned at all?" My voice almost wavered as I spoke, but I managed to keep myself from bursting into tears.
She shook her head as if disappointed at my words. "Do you see it as paying the price of what he did by marrying him? No, you are not paying any price here, but instead, you are even taking more from him!"
"You should be the happiest one here today because, if anything, you are going from a bankrupt family like us into a prestigious family like the Benjamin's." She said with a proud smile in her eyes.
Silence took over me once again, and I just watched her tighten my silver white wedding dress around my back.
Why argue? I said to myself, when is it all you have been doing since the day you found out about this forced marriage but still no luck in breaking it apart?
I had been profusely against it but neither she nor my dad cared, nobody gave a damn about my own feelings and I eventually stopped trying when I realized I had no say in the matter. In my own marriage.
The man I was meant to marry didn't know, but my family had lied to him about our wealth. He knew, of course, since he wasn't stupid that we were not rich, but he didn't know that we were bankrupt.
Just so they could get what they wanted, they lied to him to win a partnership and gave me away as well.
I felt a hand cup my face and I snapped out of my thoughts. Turning to the side, my eyes met with my mother's set of deep blue, and she bore into me. "I don't know the kind of thoughts that are running around in that little head of yours, but you are going to get through with this marriage and be a wonderful wife to him."
"You may try to make us believe that we are wrongfully giving you away, but I know that you also know the lot of benefits that come to you directly by just being his wife, so you might as well drop the act and put an end to this pity party. I, your father, will never let you destroy what we worked so hard to get."
Her eyes darkened as she spat out the rest of her mind. "A woman's duty to her husband is to please him properly in bed and I want you to have it at the back of your mind that whenever he calls for you, you must run to him and climb into his bed on his order."
Her words made my stomach churn and I felt as if I was about to hurl. The thoughts alone had haunted me, and now she had coldly thrown the words directly at my face.
There was a deep message in the way she gripped my face, the way her eyes bore into mine, the sternness in her gaze and voice and the confidence in her stance.
A message that read out loudly that she didn't care about what I had to say about the topic and there was nothing I could do to stop the marriage.
She would only do what she saw fit for herself and my father, irrelevant of what I thought about it.
But I would still speak my mind even though her gaze held a knife to my throat. "I will not be a bed warmer to him, mother. I am a woman, and he should show me respect as fit. What? A woman's duty to her husband is to please him properly in bed? No, that's a sex slave's job. And I will only treat him as a husband if he treats me as a wife."
Tears pricked at my eyes as I spoke, but I managed to keep them from pouring down my face.
I controlled my voice from shaking and also kept it at a neutral tune to avoid stirring up trouble with my mother, because the last thing I needed on such a devastating day was her getting angry at me and becoming aggressive, as she always did.
She sneered. "You can run your mouth all day about this topic, but I care less about that. No, I don't care at all. You must do whatever it takes to keep this marriage from falling apart, you must please him in every way.
"I don't care about what you think of it, call it whatever you want, sex slave, bed warmer, anything at all, but you must do every and anything he asks for. If he comes to us with the slightest complaint about you or your attitude towards him, you should already know what will come next, and you are not going to like it."
I felt her gaze burn me as I looked into her eyes, bound by the fire, unable to break away.
She released her grip from my face. "Fix your make-up and cover every single trace of tears." She said as she started towards the door.
As much as I tried, my tears still broke free and trailed down my face. I fought back the urge to reply, every time she became like this, I always found it hard to believe that she was my own mother.
Her words stabbed my chest so painful that I thought I would bleed out.
"I don't want my own daughter walking down the aisle looking like a depressed woman." She said sharply before slamming the door behind her.
I closed my eyes to regain my thoughts before adjusting my make-up. The thought of absconding came to me, but running away was no issue. If they found me, I would be in big trouble.
But could I really survive such a marriage? Why should I have my own fate decided for me?
A gentle knock called me out of my thoughts as I redid my makeup and I already knew who it was.
I applied the last layer of powder on my face and dropped the brush back on the table. So that was it. No going back now.
Walking towards the door, I took the handle in my hand and opened the door. My own father stared at me with emptiness in his gaze, but I knew my mother must have filled him in on our not-so friendly discussion.
He fixed my veil on my head without saying a word, then stretched his hand for me to take. "It's time to walk you down the aisle." He uttered sternly.
I fidgeted next to him as I took his hand and he tightened his grip, making me bite down on my lower lip.
"I heard about your shenanigans from your mother. Do you want me to handle the situation?" His voice was cold and caused chills to run down my spine.
I immediately shook my head, my hand subconsciously wrapped around myself, the images of the scars on me depicted on my head.
"Good, you had better be at your best, or you will weep your way into his home. Put on a big smile, bigger than the entire hall, brighter than the sun itself or else."
The only important thing to him here was the benefit he would gain from selling me off to another man, and he didn't care about what fate lay ahead for me in the hands of this man.
I swallowed hard, trying to hide my fear. "Yes father..."
"It is time."
"Our marriage is nothing but something based on a sheet of paper, no more than a deal to help me grow my company." He said cold-heartedly as he stared into her eyes. Denise had been forced into marriage with an arrogant billionaire CEO, and he made it clear to her that, to him, the marriage was only a deal to fetch him money. Since it would help her family too, she married him, but little did they expect that love would intervene and make a change to their story.
Nicklaus Channing was the last heir of the Chan empire, which happened to be the best design company in the world and the second child of the most powerful family in Bettavile city. People didn't know a second son ever existed as he was overshadowed by his elder brother, Myles. After the death of his parents, Myles took over the Chan empire but ended up squandering the company's funds and disappearing. Now the company was about to take its last breath and only Nicklaus could revive it, but he refused to return after being cast out by them. He is now living with a worthless son-in-law, and he isn't bothered by it. He is willing to live the way he is as long as his wife is by his side and all he is waiting for is for her to reach out a hand to him, and he would raise her to the very top of the world. When a golden opportunity comes, after his wife told him she never wanted to be looked down upon ever again, Nicklaus is ready and more than willing to do all in his power to give her all she wants from the world, even if it is the very world itself.Â
Meet Katherine Lunar, a brave and strong omega. Bullied by her pack due to her parents' sins. She dreams of a better future. However, when she discovers her mate is Alpha Xavier, her hopes are shattered as he rejects her and imposes punishment on her. Determined to escape her torment, Katherine finds help from a new pack and is given a second chance at love with Alpha Derek. As their hind grows, a rival pack threatens their newfound happiness. Captured and facing her past, Katherine discovers a shocking truth and seeks justice. With Derek's support, they embark on a journey of revenge and redemption.
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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!
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?”
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?