My Best Friend's Dad Married Me
When the boy I had loved in silence for five years dropped to one knee and proposed to the very girl who had bullied me, the entire room burst into laughter at my expense.
"That fat, ugly Lydia Prescott actually thinks she has a shot with a mafia boss?"
In a single night, I became the city's favorite punchline. I fled in humiliation.
The next time I appeared, I had transformed. The weight was gone, and so was the ridicule. I stunned everyone into silence.
Miles Calloway begged through tears for another chance, but I simply slipped my arm through the arm of the mafia godfather beside me and smiled.
"Sorry. I'm married."
The man rumored to be cold-blooded and untouchable pulled me closer and declared with chilling certainty, "Lydia is my wife."
The room erupted.
Only my best friend, Annie Sinclair, gasped, "Lydia, you seriously locked down my dad?"
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Chapter 6
The graduation ceremony proceeded exactly as scripted. Speeches from faculty, congratulations from alumni. Everything orderly and ceremonial.
Until the host announced, "Next, please welcome this year's Outstanding Graduate Representative…"
I steadied myself, smoothed my gown, and prepared to stand.
"Tessa Hawthorne."
I froze.
Wasn't I the one chosen to speak as the Outstanding Graduate Representative?
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
Everyone knew exactly what kind of reputation Tessa had in the department.
Tessa acted as though she hadn't heard a thing. She lifted her gown delicately and walked onto the stage, accepting the microphone with practiced grace.
Annie exploded first. She shot to her feet, completely ignoring the formality of the occasion, and pointed straight at the stage.
"Tessa, are you serious? Since when did you qualify as Outstanding Graduate? Everyone knows your record. That position belongs to Lydia!"
Tessa's expression flickered, then smoothed over.
"Annie, I understand you're close to Lydia, but the selection process was fair and transparent. Publicly questioning it shows disrespect to the school and the faculty."
She paused, then smiled maliciously. "And Annie, you should think about Lydia too. I heard a very important guest is attending today. Someone tied to a major future partnership for the university. We represent the school's image. Lydia… might not be the best choice to greet such a guest. Don't you agree?"
The implication was obvious. I wasn't polished enough. I would embarrass the school.
Miles frowned slightly but said nothing.
A soft laugh escaped me.
"Tessa, why don't you explain exactly what's wrong with my image?"
I rose slowly and walked straight toward the stage.
Heads turned. Conversations stopped. Once they saw my face clearly, stunned silence followed.
"Wait… that's Lydia? Isn't she the one who was famous for being fat and ugly? How can she possibly look this good?"
"Who knows, maybe she had work done."
"Plastic surgery or not, she's way prettier than Tessa now. Look at Miles' face. I bet he's regretting it already."
Tessa's face drained of color. When she noticed the admiration in Miles's eyes, jealousy flared visibly.
I ignored the stunned, doubtful, and admiring looks around me and walked toward the stage, one deliberate step at a time.
"Ms. Hawthorne, perhaps you'd like to explain how a plagiarized thesis and failing grades qualified you as Outstanding Graduate."
Tessa went ashen instantly. She looked to Miles for help.
But his gaze hadn't left me since the moment he saw me.
Fury flared across her face. Forgetting where she was, she snapped, "Miles!"
Only then did Miles snap out of it. He stood and walked over to me, speaking as if it were only natural for him to decide. "Lydia, you're already exceptional. Let Tessa take the speech this time."
He reached for my hand.
"Lydia, I didn't realize you'd gone this far for me. You didn't need to change. I never would've looked down on you."
I laughed softly. He wouldn't have looked down on me?
Too bad I was the one who looked down on him. I stepped away from his hand.
"Mr. Calloway, on what authority are you deciding who gets my speaking slot? And everything I've done was for myself. Don't flatter yourself."
His hand froze midair. Embarrassment flickered across his face.
Yet when his gaze fell on my bright, striking face, he showed a rare tolerance.
"Alright, Lydia. I was wrong before. I've reinstated your cards. I even came personally to your graduation."
He pulled out a small gift box and lowered his voice.
"I brought you a graduation gift. You've been upset long enough. Come home with me today."
I glanced at the box. It was the same necklace Tessa had mocked as outdated on her social media just yesterday.
Even when he tried to win me back, he offered leftovers.
I was about to respond when a low, commanding voice sounded behind me.
"Mr. Calloway, where exactly are you taking my wife?"
Every head turned.
A tall, imposing figure stepped in against the backlight from the entrance.
His tailored black suit framed a perfectly proportioned build. Authority radiated from him without effort.
It was Dominic.
He walked straight to my side and slipped an arm around my waist as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
A clear declaration of possession.
Miles stood frozen, eyes reddening.
"You… what did you just call her? No. That's impossible."
He lunged forward as if to tear us apart, but Dominic's guards blocked him instantly.
Dominic did not release him from the moment. His arm tightened slightly, drawing me closer against him in an intimate gesture.
"Lydia Prescott is my wife."
He paused, his gaze settling on Miles's ashen face.
"So tell me—who exactly dared to take my wife's Outstanding Graduate Representative slot?"
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9.3
" I watched you grow from a girl into a woman. I watched men try to approach you at school , men I had too...... discouraged from ever speaking your name again"
_____________
The deal was simple:Two families, one alliance.Salvatore Moretti, the cold-blooded to the east coast , was to marry the eldest daughter to the Russo family to end a decade-long blood feud. Sofia Russo is beautiful, elegant , and the perfect mafia bride. But Salvatore doesn't want Sofia . For five years his camera , his men, and his own eyes have been fixed on Iris, the rebellious younger sister kept in the shadows. He has watched her grow, watched her cry, and destroyed any man who has dared to look at her , all from the darkness. Now, the contract is signed, the wedding is set , and Salvatore is moving into the Russo estate. But as he stands at the altar , he's not looking at his bride . He's looking at the bridesmaid... and he decides he's not leaving without her.
7.3
I was going to tell my husband I was finally pregnant. Instead, I found police at my door, arresting me for his murder.
Someone faked Chris's death and framed me with a man I've never met: Von Castellano, whose wife conveniently provided evidence against us both. The proof is flawless. The conspiracy is airtight. And I'm thrown into a men's prison where I lose everything, including my baby.
But Chris isn't dead. He's alive, living in paradise with my high school rival and my company's fortune, after poisoning me for years to ensure I'd never have his child.
Von isn't just any man. He's the secret son of a mafia king, and he's ready to reclaim the throne he abandoned.
Now we're married. Not for love but for survival. For revenge. For power.
They destroyed us once. Together, we'll become the nightmare they never saw coming.
Because I don't forgive. And I never forget.
8.1
I died once. Betrayed, broken, and discarded by the most powerful man in New York.
Now, I'm back. Reborn on the very day my husband, Dante Moretti, handed me an expulsion agreement. But this time, I know his secret. The coldness in his eyes isn't cruelty; it's a slow-acting poison, a betrayal creeping through his veins, fed to him by those closest to him.
This time, I don't cower. I meet his icy command with a slap and an ultimatum: I carry his heir. To cast me out is to sentence his own bloodline to death.
He is the untouchable Don, a king on a poisoned throne, fighting a war within his own mind. I am the ghost of the queen he tried to break, armed with the memories of our enemies' every move.
I won't be a pawn in their game again. I will dismantle them all, from my treacherous sister to the viper he calls a mother. I will be the queen he needs, even if he fights me every step of the way.
It's a vendetta.
9.2
My husband, a ruthless mafia Capo, brought his pregnant mistress to our anniversary party. He then ordered me to give her a blood transfusion, knowing my heart condition could kill me. As my life drained away, I knew my nine-year marriage was finally over.
It was my ninth wedding anniversary, and I stood in an expensive gown, watching Dominick Reyes, a feared mafia Capo, celebrate with our guests. But the celebration wasn't for us; Dominick had brought Chastity, his pregnant mistress, and then publicly ordered me out of our master suite. Chastity, who had faked her pregnancy, then framed me for an attack. Dominick forced me to give a blood transfusion to Chastity, knowing my heart condition made it potentially fatal. As my blood drained from my veins, sustaining the woman who had stolen my life, I felt my consciousness fading, hoping I would not wake up.
When I woke, Dominick had already paraded Chastity to a gala. He had drained me, used me, and then abandoned me in a hospital bed, breaking his promise of a divorce. I was nothing more than a debt payment, a pawn in his brutal game. Knowing he would never truly let me go, I calmly called a trusted contact. I would disappear from his world, become someone new, and this time, Dominick Reyes would pay.
9.4
I spent the night with a stranger...
Who got me pregnant...
And turned out to be my boss...
Whoops, sorry, did I say "boss"? I meant a MOB boss.
To be fair, I didn't know he was my boss when I slept with him.
I thought he was just the kind stranger offering me a place to stay.
But one night in Misha Orlov's hotel room got me way more than I bargained for.
It got me champagne that tasted like starlight.
Satin sheets as soft as a dream.
And a man with silver eyes who showed me how it felt to come undone.
And then, in the morning...
He was gone.
That's I needed to get my life together anyway.
After all, my ex-not-quite-husband (it's a long story) just emptied all our bank accounts and disappeared, taking my home and my money and my job with him.
So I'm starting from a blank slate.
I find myself a new apartment.
A new job.
And I put both Misha and my husband behind me.
At least, I thought I did.
Until Day 1 of orientation.
When I learn that Misha Orlov is my new boss.
That's bad enough.
What's worse is what came next.
A car crash.
A doctor's appointment.
And two pieces of unsettling news.
Congratulations, the doctor says. You're pregnant.
Congratulations, Misha says. You and I are getting married.
7.6
I spent five years as the perfect wife to Easton Harrington, smoothing his midnight-blue ties and fading into the wallpaper of his massive estate. I thought I was the heart of our family, but I was really just a ghost in a sensible beige dress.
The illusion shattered at a charity gala when Easton’s "family friend," Georgina, appeared in a gown that matched his suit perfectly. While they basked in the flashbulbs as a golden couple, I was literally pushed into the velvet ropes by a cameraman. No one noticed.
Then my four-year-old son, Holt, slapped my hand away in front of the city's elite.
"Don't touch me! You're not my mom, you're just the nanny. Daddy said so."
The room went silent, but Easton didn't defend me. He just looked annoyed that I was causing a scene, making a sharp shooing motion for me to take the boy away. Beside him, Georgina feigned shock while her eyes crinkled in pure amusement.
I realized then that I wasn't his partner; I was a placeholder. They had stripped me of my dignity and even my child's love, treating my five years of devotion like a temporary staff position.
I didn't scream. I just slid off the Harrington heirloom ring, tossed it into a fountain, and walked out into the night.
Easton thinks I’m a penniless housewife who won’t last a week without his credit cards. He doesn't know that I’m Dr. Althea Morrison, the "prodigy" researcher his company has been begging to hire.
I'm not asking for alimony, and I'm not begging for a second chance. I’m returning to the lab to build an empire that will bring his to its knees.