CONTRACT LOVE
His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
My Contract Marriage
The day before her wedding, she witnessed her boyfriend, whom she loved for nine years, having an affair with his big brother's fiancée. He was even plotting to marry his future sister-in-law as she's carrying his baby. While this disgusting truth broke her heart, a reserved man stepped into her life. He offered a sophisticated solution. "Marry me instead, so my shameless brother and fiancée will have to call you Sister-in-law for rest of their life. Agree?" It didn't take long, she took his offer. But she could never think that this man is precisely the opposite of what he claimed to have been crippled, impotent and infertility for years instead he wants her, every minute...
The Rise Of The Ugly Luna
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
CONTRACT LOVE.
WARNING!! THIS BOOK CONTAINS STEAMY MATURE CONTENTS, NOT SUITABLE FOR UNDERAGE... His index and middle fingers circling my clit told me there was no way I was going to sleep again. I keep my eyes closed and bite my lip so that I don't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he's got me awake.
The Billionaire's Contract Lover
Ruby and Leo were never meant to fall in love. Their relationship began as a simple contract two strangers with broken pasts agreeing to play the perfect couple for their own reasons. Rules were clear, no emotions, no complications, no crossing the line. And for a while, it worked. Stolen glances w
The CEO's Contract Lover
[New book, "Rebirth of the Heiress: I married my ex-husband's brother," is out now!] At her step-sister's birthday dinner, Nina was drugged by her family and sold to an old pervert. In her desperate attempts to escape, Nina comes across Jayden Luxton, the business tycoon. "Marry me, and I promise t
Billionaire's contract lover
Bina is an aspiring model who works two jobs just to keep herself afloat and her sister in college. When she gets a once in a lifetime offer from Sebastian Bancroft, mysterious and handsome billionaire, her life changes drastically. With more money than she ever imagined and the role of a lifetime t
The Billionnaire's contract lover
Corrina G. Fajardo discovered that she was falling in love with a young Mafia billionaire named Guillermo R. Lacosta since she accepted to be his contract girlfriend and housemaid in the large mansion at Cielo en la Tierra Resort. However, Guillermo has a troubled history that haunts him now and ha
Married by contract love by Fate
Talia Morgan is a broke final-year medical student with one nightmare she cannot escape - her mother is dying, and the hospital bills are impossible to pay. Just when all hope is lost, she receives an unbelievable offer: a one-year contract marriage to billionaire tech CEO Adrian Blackwood... in ex
Contract Love with the Devil Boss
Natalia Everhart, a charming young woman, endures unrelenting anguish when her once-illustrious family, the Everharts, plunges into the depths of bankruptcy. Fate intricately weaves her path with Christopher Sterling, a powerful billionaire. He presents her with a bold proposal: a ten-month contract
Marriage Contract: Love Game With CEO
Outwardly a perfect match, but the story of Mary and William is not as sweet as their relationship seems. Their marriage starts off as nothing more than a contract – her bond in marriage to him, in exchange for her mother’s medical expenses. And yet, things take a dramatic turn. Neither knows who c
The Phantom CEO's Runaway Contract Lover
My father stole my mother's legacy and forced me into an engagement with Arley Simmons to secure a financial lifeline for his company. I became a mere bargaining chip, a tragic heiress sold to the highest bidder. Now, Arley was back from his year-long "business trip." But his mistress, my former be
Husband By Contract, Lover By Heart
After one reckless night, Juliana woke beside Adrian-the husband she had not seen once in three years. Panicked, she ran, leaving behind her late father's keepsake. Society called Adrian a terrifying recluse, but he was elegant, noble, and untouchable. When Juliana kept appearing near him, he had
Scarred by Your Love: A Contract Lover's Heartbreak
Ariella gave Lucian everything - her body, her heart, her freedom. For two years, she lived as his secret lover, believing her silent devotion would melt his cold heart. But when she arrives at her best friend's wedding, she discovers the groom is none other than him - the man who held her nights an
Love Contract.
A young woman struggles to earn her money honestly and leads a settled life with her father and younger sister. But one night, everything changes when her father hands her a mysterious box. When the violent drug gang tries to find the contents of the box, she must flee to find protection. To survive
Love Beyond The Contract.
Hated by her family and cheated on by her fiancé, Evelyn gets drunk on her supposed wedding day and ends up having a one night stand with a hot stranger. She later finds out that he was not just any stranger, but a filthy rich and powerful CEO. The news of their one night escapade was all over the m
Love beyond the contract
Sophia Bennett is a determined woman with a dream-to save her late father's struggling bakery and keep his legacy alive. But when mounting debts threaten to close the doors for good, a mysterious proposal from a powerful stranger offers her a way out. Ethan Carter, a stoic billionaire under his fat
Contract Wife, Real Love
The video was only fifteen seconds long: a male burlesque dancer, all glitter and bravado, tearing off his pants. My finger slipped, and the screen flashed: Video sent to Liam. Panic seized me, cold and immediate. Liam, my workaholic, rarely-home, contract husband, recipient of my perfectly-crafte
Love By Contract
Keisha, an ordinary college school girl was forced to marry Brendan, the heir to the largest mafia group in New York City, in order to pay off her late father's debt, and for her grandfather's surgery. But the Mafia boss offered her freedom, and the cancellation of her debt if she lived with Brendan
A Contract for love
A billionaire playboy, known for his extravagant lifestyle and a series of love scandals, has his world turned upside down when his grandfather, the legendary casino tycoon Omar King Parker, decides to intervene. In his will, he includes a surprising clause that could completely alter the life of hi
From Contract to Love
**DO:** - Attend business events together - Maintain a professional image - Support each other's career goals - Keep up appearances for the public and our investors **DON'T:** - Expect emotional support or intimacy - Try to change each other's habits or beliefs - Bring up past relationships or pers
Love Beyond The Contract
From a spilled tray to a contract marriage. Autumn and Jaxon's lives gets intertwined by fate after a clumsy encounter in the bustling city of New York. As they navigated the fine line between pretense and genuine affection,a sinister plot threatened to expose their secrets, testing the strength of
Contract of Love
"Alex, here are the files ....." "It's Alex now ugh, what happened to Mr.Moore ?" I said in a teasing voice. "Uhmm sorry sir" she said pink tinting her cheeks. "i like the sound of my name coming from you, I love how it rolls on your tongue" I said taking slow strides towards her. Natasha was
