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Cheated on by her husband. Betrayed by her sister. Stabbed in the back by her best friend. Alexis's world crashes down in a single heartbreaking week. With nowhere to turn, she makes a devil's bargain-a six-month marriage contract with her impossibly handsome, stone-cold boss, Nathan Cole. What she doesn't know? Nathan has secretly wanted her for years. As Alexis plots her revenge, something unexpected happens. The ice between them melts, revealing a burning passion neither expected. But just as she begins to trust again, the secrets start piling up: A pregnancy she never planned. Her sister's suspicious suicide. The shocking truth behind her parents' murder. And then there's Mira-Nathan's possessive friend who's determined to tear them apart at any cost. When their fragile relationship shatters and Nathan walks away, Alexis is left with a choice: surrender to the darkness or fight for the love that might just save them both. Some wounds cut too deep to heal... or do they?
ALEXIS
"Be my pretend partner for six months, divorce your husband, and I'll compensate you generously."
Nathan Cole's words echoed through my mind like thunder as I gripped the leather steering wheel of my Toyota Corolla, my knuckles turning white. The morning sun glinted off the dashboard, momentarily blinding me – much like his outrageous proposal had done to my sensibilities.
"How disgusting!" I spat, my voice bouncing off the leather interior of my car as I pressed harder on the accelerator. The purr of the engine did nothing to calm my racing thoughts.
The absolute audacity of that man. Nathan Cole, billionaire CEO of Cole Industries, my boss of three years, had just propositioned me as if I were some commodity to be bought and sold. The worst part? He'd done it with that infuriatingly composed expression of his, those steel-gray eyes watching me as if he already knew my answer. As if my marriage meant nothing.
The same marriage I'd been forced into.
I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror – Alexis Pierce, twenty-seven, perfectly coiffed brown hair, designer suit, and eyes that held more secrets than I cared to admit. Including one that not even my husband knew about yet: the tiny life growing inside me.
My hand instinctively moved to my still-flat stomach. "What would the world say?" I whispered to myself, easing off the accelerator as I approached a red light. "That I'm just another gold-digger? That I divorced my husband for a better offer?" The thought made me sick.
But Nathan's offer tugged at something deep inside me. Was it desperation? Curiosity? Or perhaps it was the way he'd looked at me when he made the proposal – not with lust or greed, but with something else entirely. Something that reminded me of how he used to look at me before my marriage to Logan, when I was just his secretary with dreams bigger than my paycheck.
"He could have spoken up then," I muttered, accelerating as the light turned green. "Before my parents..." My throat tightened at the thought of them. Gone now, but their final act had been to ensure my marriage to Logan Pierce. "May their souls rest in peace," I whispered, even as bitterness coated my tongue.
A horn blared, shocking me back to reality. I'd drifted into the wrong lane, lost in my thoughts.
"Oh my goodness!" I jerked the wheel, heart pounding as I swerved back into my lane. "Focus, Alexis. Focus!"
The rest of the drive home was a blur of self-recrimination. How could I have forgotten such an important document? What was wrong with me today? First Nathan's proposal, now this near-accident – the universe seemed determined to throw me off balance.
I pulled up to my house – a modern mansion in the city's most exclusive neighborhood, all glass and steel and hollow luxury. The security guard bowed slightly as he opened the gates. "Welcome home, ma'am."
I barely acknowledged him, my mind already racing ahead to the documents I needed. But something felt off as I entered the house. Logan's Italian wool coat hung carelessly over our imported leather sofa, his signature cologne lingering in the air like an accusation.
My steps faltered. He was supposed to be on a business trip – I'd dropped him at the airport myself last night, watching as he'd boarded his private jet wearing that exact suit.
"Let me just grab what I need and go," I muttered, heading for the stairs. "I'm already running late."
As I approached our bedroom – our matrimonial bedroom, as Logan liked to call it – I heard it. The sound was unmistakable, but my brain refused to process it.
"Ah fck! You're fcking tight." Logan's voice, rough with pleasure.
"Easy daddy. It's my first time, I haven't..." A familiar female voice, cut off by Logan's shushing.
My blood turned to ice in my veins. That voice – it couldn't be. Not her. Not Abigail.
My feet carried me downstairs to my sister's room, even as my mind screamed at me to run, to pretend I'd heard nothing. The empty room confirmed my worst fears.
I climbed back upstairs, each step feeling like I was walking to my own execution. My hand trembled as I pushed open the bedroom door.
The scene before me burned itself into my retinas like acid: My husband and my sister, tangled in our marriage bed, their naked bodies illuminated by the morning sun streaming through our floor-to-ceiling windows. The same windows I'd spent hours choosing, imagining peaceful mornings watching the sunrise with my husband.
"She's my sister for crying out loud!" The words tore from my throat, hot tears streaming down my face. The betrayal was a physical pain in my chest, squeezing my lungs until I could barely breathe.
They froze like guilty statues. Abigail grabbed at the Egyptian cotton sheets – sheets I'd picked out during our honeymoon in Milan – to cover herself, her face a mask of terror. Logan sat there, head in his hands, not even trying to explain.
With trembling hands, I walked to my walk-in closet, methodically stripping off my corporate suit. I chose a black jumpsuit – funeral appropriate, I thought with bitter humor – and matched it with my highest Louboutins. The hat and dark sunglasses completed my armor.
I retrieved the documents from my desk, my movements mechanical, divorced from the chaos in my mind.
"I'm sorry babe, it's... not... what... you think," Logan stammered, reaching for my hand. His touch felt like a brand on my skin.
I lowered my sunglasses slightly, letting him see the death of every feeling I'd ever had for him in my eyes. "You two can continue with your sin," I said, my voice arctic. "I've got work to do. And don't worry – we'll settle this once and for all when I return. Enjoy!"
The drive back to the office passed in a blur of tears and rage, my mind already formulating plans. By the time I walked into Nathan's office, my decision was made.
"Sir... I've reconsidered, and I'm ready to take your proposal."
Nathan's response was immediate, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. He slid an envelope across his mahogany desk, his signature already bold across the bottom. "Go through them and sign."
I signed without reading, my hand steady now, my purpose clear. When he commented on how beautiful I looked in my hat, I managed a smile that didn't reach my eyes behind my sunglasses.
Back in my office, I called Ava, my lawyer and confidante. Her cheerful "Hello there, Mrs. Pierce" felt like another twist of the knife.
"Spell me that Alexis," I corrected her, my voice hollow.
"Are you not Mrs. Pierce?"
"Let that slide for now," I said, then got straight to the point. "I want a divorce agreement drafted and on my desk by 5 PM sharp. Every last one of Logan Pierce's assets – every property, every share, every last penny – transferred to his unborn child." My hand rested protectively over my stomach. "Make it ironclad, Ava. I want him left with nothing but the clothes on his back and the shame on his face."
"What happened?" Her concern was evident. "Did you have a misunderstanding?"
I laughed, the sound brittle as glass. "Someone told me they caught Logan cheating," I lied, the truth too raw to share even with her.
"Are you sure divorce is the solution?"
"Oh, I'm more than sure." My smile was all teeth. "I want to make sure Logan has nothing left to give his... new friend."
Ava's hesitation was palpable. "Come to my office tomorrow at 3 PM. We should discuss this properly."
"Fine," I agreed, though my mind was made up. Nothing would change my course now.
"Don't overthink it, please. And be safe!" She hung up before I could respond.
I sat back in my chair, one hand still on my stomach, the other clutching Nathan's contract. The morning sun caught the diamond on my wedding ring, throwing rainbow patterns on the wall. Soon, that ring would join the rest of my illusions in the trash.
Let Logan keep Abigail. I would take everything else.
"Marry me. Put on this ring, tomorrow you are going to tell the press that Bella cheated on me and we started dating, when Bella found out she tried to separate us and when she could not, she blackmailed you to upload this photo. This will make me hate you, but we have already reconciled," he explained. What the hell? How did I get myself into this sought of mess? **** Laura finds herself in a great dilemma when her mother is kidnapped. They ask her to post the photo of Eric Sloan the son of a multi-billionaire together with Damien Avery, the son of the prime minister and she should tag them as gay. To keep her mother alive she reluctantly posts it drawing the attention of the arrogant billionaire together with his powerful family and fans. To rectify her mistakes he asks her to marry him, thereby waving off the allegation of him being gay. He promises himself to make it his life mission to destroy her for what she did. As the truth unfolds, what started as a revenge turns into a dangerous obsession and all he wants to do is to protect her, to claim her, own her, and keep her within his dark abyss.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - 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 doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes 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 Ian begged her not to leave him?