A deal with the ceo
The night before my wedding, my life shattered in the most brutal way. I came home earlier than expected and found the man I was about to marry in bed with my own cousin. Betrayed, humiliated, and heartbroken, I ran-without knowing where to go.
That same night, fate led me to a powerful, untouchable man with a cold demeanor and a dangerous gaze: his boss, a feared and highly respected CEO. What was meant to be a single mistake became a turning point I could never undo.
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Chapter 3
Me: "Liliana, what do you think I should do now?"
I stood there, staring blankly out the window. For years, Perry had been my entire world. Everything I did revolved around him. Now that he was gone, I felt like I had lost all purpose. I didn't even know why I woke up in the morning anymore.
Liliana: "Irène, he's just trash. Thank God you realized it before it was too late. Imagine finding out after the wedding."
Sitting next to me, Liliana wrapped her arms around me to comfort me. I could see the worry in her eyes, but my heart... it hurt even more.
I had cried every tear I had these past few days, but the heartbreak refused to disappear.
Liliana: "Irène, you'll forget him eventually. And you'll find a man a million times better than him."
I was really lucky to have her by my side at that moment. Without her, I wasn't sure I would've survived this far.
Liliana: "Get up, get dressed and put on some makeup. We're going shopping today. It'll do you good. You'll see-after this, Perry will be nothing but a bad memory."
She literally dragged me out of bed, forced me to change clothes and put on makeup. Then we headed to the nearest mall.
I knew this mall belonged to the company Perry worked for. Just thinking about it made me want to leave, but Liliana pulled me straight inside without hesitation. I knew she was only trying to help me move forward, so I stayed even though I really didn't want to.
We walked around, picking things out, and soon Liliana's hands were full of shopping bags. As for me, I hadn't bought anything-I just wasn't in the mood.
Suddenly, I spotted a couple not far away. It was Perry and Courtney. My heart twisted painfully and I immediately turned around, panicked. I just wanted to disappear.
Liliana: "Irène, why are you pulling me? I'm not done shopping."
Me: "Liliana, let's go somewhere else. I don't want to stay here."
I turned my back toward Perry and Courtney who were approaching, desperate not to be seen by them. Liliana frowned, puzzled by my sudden change-but she didn't have time to say anything before they reached us.
Courtney: "Irène, what a coincidence. I didn't think you'd get over the breakup so quickly. Only a few days, and you're already in the mood to go shopping."
Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, especially hearing her mock me like that. But I refused to show even a trace of sadness or weakness. They weren't worth it.
After seeing them together, Liliana finally understood why I wanted to leave. She immediately stepped in front of me to shield me.
Liliana: "Well, look who it is... The mistress. The boyfriend thief. Figures."
Courtney's face darkened instantly under Liliana's contemptuous stare.
Courtney: "Liliana, watch your mouth! Perry and I truly love each other. If it weren't for Irène, we would've been together long ago!"
Liliana rolled her eyes in disgust.
Liliana: "Every mistress says the same thing since the dawn of time. 'We truly love each other'... Please. You're just a slut who dared seduce her cousin's fiancé. It's disgusting."
Courtney glared furiously at her.
Courtney: "Who are you calling a slut, Liliana? You'd better take that back. Who's the slut here?"
Liliana: "You, obviously. You're a shameless slut."
Liliana shot her a defiant look.
I quickly grabbed Liliana's arm as their argument began attracting stares from people around us.
Perry: "There's no need to argue with her. Let's go."
Courtney: "Perry! They insulted me! Do you even care?!"
Perry: "Irène, your friend..."
He looked at me with an annoyed expression, as if Courtney were the victim.
A sharp pain stabbed my chest when he said my name. I turned toward him with indifference, holding back the tears.
Perry: "Your friend, Liliana? Shouldn't she apologize for those abusive insults?"
His voice was cold. Distant.
The man who once loved me, protected me, reassured me... was now defending another woman against me.
So to him, I mattered less than a mistress.
Me: "Liliana didn't say anything wrong. You're the one who cheated on me. You betrayed me for seven years. And now you want my friend to apologize to... that? How dare you, Perry? How dare you ask for an apology?"
In that moment, I didn't care who was watching. I answered loudly and stepped closer to him. I had tolerated his betrayal, but asking for apologies? Did I look that easy to intimidate?
People around us began whispering quickly, almost all of them accusing Perry of cheating. I had always been so gentle... I had never raised my voice at him. But today was different. Today, I was furious. And Perry never expected me to call him out so openly, so loudly.
Courtney: "Irène, why are you doing this? Perry and I love each other! If you hadn't been in the way, we'd be married by now! How dare you play the victim? You're the one who forced Perry to stay with you!"
Me: "I forced him to stay? Ha... A scumbag like him- even if he begged me now, I wouldn't take him back. He disgusts me."
A sarcastic smile curled at my lips as I stared coldly at the pathetic couple. I could never tolerate betrayal. No matter how much I once loved Perry... everything ended the moment I saw them in bed together.
Me: "I would never forgive a man who cheated on me!"
Courtney: "You're saying that because no one wants you. Look at yourself-what man would even be interested in someone like you?"
Her arrogant, disdainful tone almost made me laugh.
Liliana: "Oh, there will be men who want Irène, trust me. But you? Aside from Perry... no one. A guy would have to be blind to fall for a slut like you."
Liliana snapped back instantly. She couldn't stand Courtney's arrogance toward me.
Courtney: "Oh yeah? You're sure? Then show me! Show me what kind of man would want her!"
Courtney knew how much I had loved Perry. Back then, when we were close, I used to talk about him all the time. I thought she cared about me. I trusted her entirely, told her everything.
Thinking back now... I had been so stupid. She wasn't listening because she cared-she was gathering information to seduce him.
What an idiot I had been...
Me: "You want to know what kind of man would be interested in me? Fine. I'll show you."
Without thinking twice, I marched straight toward Nathan, who was standing a bit farther away. I had no idea why he was there, but it didn't matter. I was fueled by anger, pain, and wounded pride. I grabbed his arm and looked up at him with a smile.
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8.0
My father gave me an ultimatum: marry a man I despise or lose my entire inheritance. I chose to run, boarding a private jet with no intention of looking back.
But his reach is absolute. The phone buzzed before we even left New York airspace.
"Send me a picture with Sterling now," his voice barked, "or I'm calling your pilot to turn that jet around."
I faked the photo and fled to Las Vegas, my last resort. My mission was simple: find my father's illegitimate son, the one secret that could break his hold over me.
My only lead was a grainy picture of a ruthless fixer, a man who cleaned up my father's messes. I found him in a desolate diner, a giant of a man surrounded by a wall of guards.
I gambled everything on a single coin toss for the information I needed. He saw right through my desperate bluff.
He leaned in close, his voice a low, gravelly rasp.
"In my city, the house always wins."
I was left standing there, humiliated and defeated. But as he turned to leave, he glanced over his shoulder.
"But you're lucky. Today, I'm just curious what Howard Bright's daughter is doing so far from home."
He had seen me not as a threat, but as a curiosity. I had lost the battle, but I wasn't done yet. I was no longer running. I was hunting.
8.5
Elara spent three years invisible in her marriage to billionaire Damien Cross. When he hands her divorce papers, she disappears without a fight.
Six months later, an accident steals Damien's memory of the past five years. He doesn't remember his ex-wife, but he can't stop searching for the woman with sad eyes who haunts his dreams.
When he finds Elara thriving in Seattle, she refuses to let him back in. But this Damien is nothing like the cold husband she remembers, and as he uncovers their past, devastating secrets emerge.
Can you forgive someone who doesn't remember breaking you?
9.3
Mark & Alex
9.3
Mark Windsor, Australia's most feared and respected CEO, has built walls as high as his empire. After losing his parents, the only warmth left in his life comes from Mary Smith, the woman who cooks his meals and feels more like home than family ever did.
When Mary's son Alex visits the estate, Mark doesn't expect the sharp-tongued, smiling graduate to unsettle him. Alex doesn't expect to fall for the man who owns the house he lives in or the company he refuses to work for.
Forced proximity, secret glances, late-night conversations, and quiet meals slowly turn into something dangerous. When Alex finally joins Mark's company on his own merit, love becomes a risk neither of them can afford.
In a world where reputation matters more than truth, Mark and Alex must decide if love is worth the fall.
9.7
Elena Whitmore always knew falling for her brother's best friend was a mistake. But one stolen night with Grayson Hale changed everything, and cost her more than she ever imagined.
When he vanished without a word, she buried the past and built a life no one could touch. A life that included a daughter Grayson has never known.
Five years later, he's back. Wealthier. Colder. Determined to uncover why she disappeared, and why she's engaged to a man she doesn't love.
As old sparks ignite and buried truths begin to surface, Elena must decide if protecting her secrets is worth sacrificing the only man she ever loved.
9.2
He became crippled because of me,but I ran away from the man I loved...and fell into the arms of his father.
One reckless night with a stranger should have ended there, until I learned the stranger was Lucien Sinclair, the self-made billionaire CEO of the Sinclair Empire.
My ex-boyfriend's father.
Now I'm trapped in a contract marriage with a devil, who forces me to watch my past and present collide under the same roof.
And betrayal? It's my daily dose...especially when my best friend steals my husband right before my eyes.
Then the nightmare turns fatal.
I'm pregnant... with twins.
One child belongs to the father.
The other belongs to the son.
No matter who I choose......someone I love will burn.
7.9
I woke up in a burning warehouse, twelve years after my supposed death. My body had been reset to its physical prime, the deep burn scar on my wrist completely gone.
Through the smoke, my eldest son, Kennard, rushed blindly into the flames. He was screaming the name of the very woman who had orchestrated this trap—Brittnie.
When I tackled him out of the way of a falling steel beam, he didn't recognize my youthful face. Instead, he pinned me to the concrete and nearly crushed my windpipe.
"How much did she pay you to carve up your face to look like a dead woman?"
He hissed the words at me, treating me like a sick corporate spy. For a decade, a bizarre narrative "script" had brainwashed my son, forcing him into pathetic devotion to Brittnie. She had drained his wealth, turned my daughter against him, and hollowed out our family empire.
Whenever Kennard tried to resist her, the mind control punished him with agonizing migraines, driving him to smash his own hands against the wall just to cope with the pain.
Hearing him quietly sobbing outside my locked door, my heart shattered. How could this invisible force torture my brilliant son and turn my family into puppets for a D-list actress?
I dragged him to the hospital for a DNA test.
When the results confirmed my maternity at 99.999%, the cold billionaire collapsed to the floor, weeping in my arms like a lost child.
I wiped his tears and smiled ruthlessly. It was time to take back my empire and burn Brittnie's life to the ground.