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 5
Nathan: "Take your friend home first. I need to talk to you."
Me: "I don't think we have anything to talk about. If that's all, I'll go."
I didn't understand why just meeting Nathan's dark gaze could unsettle me so much. I grabbed Liliana by the arm to leave. I had drunk way too much that night. I had let myself go, and so had Nathan. But now I was sober, and I no longer had the courage to talk to him.
Liliana: "Well... I'll leave you two. I just remembered I still have some errands to run. Irene, I'm going now," she said.
I had no idea what she was up to. She let go of my arm and slipped away immediately, leaving me alone. Just as I was about to leave, Nathan grabbed my wrist. He pulled me toward a corner near the stairs and pinned me against the wall. We were so close I could almost feel his scent, his masculine aura. I had been completely drunk that night. Aside from the fact that we slept together, I remembered nothing. And now my heart was racing wildly.
Me: "Na... Nathan, what are you doing?"
His gaze on me completely destabilized me. I wanted to run away, but my legs felt paralyzed.
Nathan: "What's your relationship with Perry?" he finally asked, his eyes full of questions.
Just hearing that name made my chest tighten. The breakup had been a nightmare. Even if I was still broken, I had become very good at hiding my pain.
Me: "Nothing. He's a stranger."
Before, Perry had been the most important person in my life, the man I wanted to spend my life with. Now, at best, we were two strangers.
Nathan: "Do you really think I'm going to buy that, Irene?"
His eyes hardened, and there was a hint of anger in his voice.
I froze. How did he know my name? I didn't remember ever saying it in front of him!
Me: "How do you know my name?" I looked up at him, my voice weak.
Nathan: "It's not hard for me to investigate someone. And the woman next to Perry just called you."
He frowned, and the depth of his voice made me feel almost stupid.
Me: "I... I'm leaving. Running into you today was just a coincidence. And... thank you for what you did earlier."
I turned to walk away after saying that. But once again, he trapped me against the wall. He placed his arms on either side of me, closing the distance. At that moment, I could clearly feel my heart pounding uncontrollably. His handsome face was so close to mine. Anyone would react in front of a man that stunning. I wasn't used to being so close to men. During the seven years I had been with Perry, I had gotten used to keeping my distance from others, so being face-to-face with the man I had given my virginity to last night made me incredibly uneasy.
Nathan: "You're leaving just like that?"
He leaned in slowly, his deep, seductive voice sending shivers down my spine. His words stirred something in me, and my heartbeat went wild.
Me: "What do you want?"
I held my breath as he approached me.
Nathan: "Come on... are you trying to play hard to get with me now?"
Suddenly, his eyes darkened as if questioning me. At first, I was still a little flustered, but when I heard what he said, anger rose inside me. What did he mean by that? Was he implying that I was playing hard to get?
Me: "I don't know what you're talking about. Sorry, I have to go."
I pushed his arms away roughly, wanting to leave. He must have been insane. Since when had I ever played hard to get with him? I had no idea what he was talking about! At first, I thought he wouldn't let me go so easily. But surprisingly, he didn't try to stop me again.
I had never felt so shaken while walking alone through the streets. The scene at the shopping mall replayed in my mind. I didn't know how to forget Perry or how to end my heartbreak.
When I returned to Liliana's place, she bombarded me with questions about Nathan.
Liliana: "Come on, tell me. What's your deal with that guy? Is he the man... the man you slept with that night?"
Liliana was a very smart person. Honestly, she would have figured it out even if I hadn't said anything.
Under her endless questions, I eventually admitted that the man I had slept with was Nathan.
Liliana: "Irene, seriously, Nathan is not bad at all. If he became your boyfriend, he'd be a thousand times better than Perry."
Liliana obviously wanted me to get over my breakup, so she started putting "dangerous ideas" in my head.
I weakly shook my head and sighed. She had it all wrong. Other than that one night, there was nothing between me and Nathan-and there never would be. We came from two different worlds.
What kind of man was Nathan Spence? With a flick of his wrist, he could shake the entire Milshire. He owned properties and businesses all over the country. He kept a low profile, but everyone knew he was a billionaire.
Me: "There's no way anything could happen between Nathan and me. Stop imagining things."
With that, I went back to the room to rest.
Liliana: "You know he's Perry's boss, right? Didn't you see how respectful he suddenly was when he saw Nathan? If he found out you were actually his boss's girlfriend, it would hurt him even more."
Her words annoyed me. Yes, I had wanted revenge. Yes, I had been furious when I saw Perry with Courtney. But it had just been a moment of anger. Nathan and I... we were nothing. Just two strangers.
I didn't even know why he had been in that bar that night. Maybe he had his own problems-even billionaires do. But that had nothing to do with me.
What mattered was healing from the breakup and finding a job to support myself. I had left my previous job because it was too far from Perry's place. I wanted something closer to his office once we were married. In the end, not only was the wedding canceled, but I also lost my job. Who could be more unlucky than me? Losing everything for a man...
Two days passed. Thanks to Liliana's support, I slowly pulled myself together. I realized it wasn't worth suffering over an unfaithful man who betrayed me. I returned to a normal life. I thought I was finally ready to start anew.
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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.