One Reckless Night With Mr. CEO
One reckless night. One stranger's bed.
One marriage certificate she never meant to sign.
Tessa Hayes only wanted to forget her cheating ex for a few hours. Instead, she wakes up hungover, sore, and tied by law to Owen Carter - the cold, infuriatingly gorgeous billionaire CEO every woman wants but none can tame.
Owen doesn't want an annulment. He wants a wife.
For one year, Tessa will play the role: smile for the cameras, survive his controlling family, and help him secure the biggest deal of his career. In return, he'll give her more than she ever dreamed of.
But fake kisses spark real flames.
And when jealous exes, a ruthless rival, and a leaked marriage contract threaten to expose their secret, Tessa realizes she's in, deeper than she ever planned.
Because falling for her accidental husband? That was never part of the deal.
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Chapter 4
I paced my room with the card in one hand and my phone in the other. This was a bad idea.
Why did I have to succumb to pressure so quickly?
Sucking up air, I picked up my phone and called him.
"Ms Hayes," his voice reached my ears. My heart stuttered for a bit.
"I'll do it."
"You'll do what?" He asked.
"I'll be your wife for a year."
"Smart choice." He said smoothly.
"But I have a condition,"
"And what might that be?"
"I want a wedding ceremony."
He went silent for a bit. "Is that necessary?"
"Yes. I know we're already married technically but I have my reasons for wanting a proper wedding ceremony."
"Hmm," he hummed. I believed he was contemplating my condition.
"Is that all?"
I thought about my company's deal. Would it seem like I was being a gold digger if I wanted to make him give us the contract?
I immediately decided against it. Him funding a wedding was enough trouble.
"Yes that's all."
"Good. Hire a wedding planner. Do what you need to and send me the bill." He stated.
"Thank you." I smiled in relief.
"One more thing. Tessa?"
I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue. It was almost endearing.
Focus. I reminded myself.
"Yeah?"
"We're having dinner tonight. See you at seven."
He hung up before I could respond.
That was when it dawned on me that I had just agreed to be fake married to a stranger I had a one night stand with.
My life had to be the prelude of a cliche romcom. Only thing is this was real life and there was no way this would work out.
I thought about calling Sana to let her know about my decision but then I eventually decided that it was best to let it wait until after dinner with Owen. It wasn't finalized just yet.
I went about the rest of my Sunday, rounding up some work that came with me for the weekend.
Catching a break, I scrolled through social media and felt air knock out of my lungs when I saw pictures of Clarissa and Austin on my news feed.
She was announcing their engagement and she had the audacity to tag me! I was seething.
I definitely should have blocked them on all my socials.
I saw that she had locked the comments. Apparently, people who knew about Austin and I commented on their confusion and to save face, she stopped the comments from rolling in.
The downside is that most of these people were sending dms to ask what was going on.
I didn't have it in me to respond so I closed the app immediately.
Sana's call came through just then.
"You saw it?" She went straight to the point as always.
"Yup." I said, popping the 'p.'
"That girl is such a bitch. I can't believe you were friends with her for that long."
"She was there for me at a time nobody else was." I muttered.
"But you should have known when to end the friendship. I saw through her fake ass, as soon as I met her."
Sana has been my friend for two years. Clarissa has been my best friend for eight years at the time. They never really got along and I never understood why. I guess I saw it now but it was too late anyways.
"I'm having dinner with Owen tonight," I said, changing the topic.
"Ooooh!" She squealed so loud I had to take the phone away from my ear.
"Jeez calm down." I chuckled.
"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I'm telling you now."
"See you in twenty." She said and hung up.
What was it with everyone hanging up on me today?
Exactly twenty five minutes later, my doorbell rang.
"You drove down here to get deets because I said I was having dinner with Owen Carter?" I was amused.
She snapped her fingers and pointed her long nails at me. "That name right there, that's more than enough reason to fly across the country just for deets. However, that's not why I'm here."
"What then are you here for?" I asked in confusion.
"To get you prepared. Duh."
"I don't need to-"
"Shhhh!" She hushed me quickly. I clamped my mouth shut. "Fairy godmother Sana, is here to save the day,"
"Don't tell me you brought the toolbox." I sighed.
She grinned. "You know I did girl."
"Oh lord," I muttered.
This was going to be one hell of an afternoon.
If there was one thing Sana was known for, it was going all out for beauty purposes.
Over the next few hours, she gave me a whole spa day. Did my nails, styled my hair, picked out my dress, heels and jewelry and of course did my makeup.
Even with the hours of head start, she still managed to make me a few minutes late when Owen's driver came to get me that evening.
I looked down at the car in the building's parking lot. It didn't look like he was in there.
"Now that's a fancy car..." Sana whistled.
"I know right." I sighed.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked.
"I'm nervous. I wish you could come with me."
"Trust me Tessa, you got this. You're looking like a snack and I'm sure he can't wait to rip this dress off you tonight."
My nose scrunched up. "Ewww. That was one night."
Her loud laughter made me feel a little at ease. "Who says it can't happen again? I know you enjoyed it."
"I can barely remember it." I muttered, fighting back my blush.
"You were sore in the morning. That's a good reminder." She winked.
"You're unbelievable." I laughed shaking my head at.
"Go on," she pushed me out the door. "Have fun!"
When I got downstairs, the chauffeur was waiting for me.
"Good evening Ms Hayes." He said as he opened the door to the backseat for me.
"Good evening," I said as I slipped in.
I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. I didn't even think it would ever be possible for me to ride in a chauffeur driven vehicle on my way to a 'date' with a billionaire. It was crazy.
The drive was silent, except for the faint sound of soft music coming from the radio.
I stared out the window, letting the beautiful night pass my sight.
About half an hour later, he parked in front of this fancy restaurant.
I felt nervous all of a sudden as I was led to the rooftop.
When the door opened, I let out a gasp.
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9.2
Rebirth with a Twist.
Fawn Jones doesn't get a chance to resolve the issues with her marriage. No, she gets murdered in her own bathtub. Drowned by the husband she hated after he had moved his mistress into their bed, Fawn's last lucid thought is a promise before death. "I will not stay weak. I will make you pay. If not in this life, then the next." Then she wakes up. Different room. Different body. Different life. Cassandra Huntington – rich, infamous, beautiful in a way Fawn never had been. Cassie had been in a coma for six months after a car crash. Her billionaire husband, Blake, had just signed the paperwork to turn off her life support when she suddenly started breathing on her own. Now everyone thinks Fawn is Cassandra. The media calls it a miracle. Blake calls it complicated. The woman wearing his wife's face is softer, sharper, funnier... and so tempting he hates himself for wanting her. Fawn calls it an opportunity for revenge. Her killers are still out there. Her old body is in the ground under a lie. And the only weapons she has now are Cassandra's money, Cassandra's reputation... and Cassandra's husband. So, she plays the role. Learns to walk in six-inch heels. Smiles for the cameras. Seduces a man who once couldn't stand his wife and now can't seem to stay away from her. While she quietly buys into the company that ruined her old life. While she gets close enough to the man who killed her to watch him crack. They drowned the wrong woman. Now she's awake. And she's not done.
7.1
Princess Aurelia Blackwood has spent her entire life learning how to obey.
As the sole heir to a modern royal dynasty, her future has already been written, strategic alliances, a public marriage, and a crown that allows no room for personal desire. Love is a luxury she was never meant to claim.
Everything changes the day she meets Dr. Elara Voss, the academy's newest senior lecturer.
Calm, brilliant, and devastatingly attractive, Elara represents everything Aurelia should avoid. Their connection is immediate, unsettling, and impossible to ignore. What begins as restrained conversation and stolen glances soon deepens into something far more dangerous, an emotional bond that threatens duty, reputation, and the crown itself.
The age gap, the hierarchy, and the rules of the monarchy stand firmly between them. When their forbidden relationship is exposed, Aurelia is forced to choose between the life she was born to live and the woman she was never meant to love.
Because some hearts are not meant to be ruled.
Some crowns are meant to be rewritten.
And some love stories are worth breaking tradition for.
7.1
I was the top commander of a black-ops military program. After slaughtering my way through a hellish mission, I reached the extraction helicopter, trusting my second-in-command to watch my back.
But the moment our hands locked, he didn't pull me up. Instead, he plunged a syringe of lethal neurotoxin directly into my neck.
He aimed his gun at my chest, coldly stating that I was too dangerous to live. My lungs stopped, and I died in a pool of my own blood. But the endless blackness suddenly shattered. My consciousness violently forced its way into a new, broken shell. I woke up in a freezing alley, soaked in muddy rain.
This body belonged to seventeen-year-old Eliza Wyatt. A massive wave of foreign memories crashed into my brain. Her own younger sister had just stood at the top of the stairs with a mocking smile, watching street thugs beat Eliza to death.
"Take good care of the Wyatt family's eldest daughter. Tonight is the night she finally disappears."
The endless humiliation, the cold stares of her family, and the brutal betrayal by her own blood flashed before my eyes. Why was this fragile girl treated like garbage and pushed to her death by the very people who should have protected her?
I looked down at my pale, trembling hands. The top commander was dead, but in this bleeding shell, Eliza Wyatt was very much alive. I picked up a switchblade from the bloody puddle and stood up in the storm. It was time to hunt.
7.0
Eleanore thought her fiancé, Johan, was her only salvation after her family went bankrupt.
But at a high-society gala, he handed her a drugged glass of water. As the unnatural heat burned through her veins, the horrific truth hit her. Johan had isolated her and controlled her finances, all while secretly getting engaged to a wealthy heiress. He drugged Eleanore to ruin her completely, planning to lock her away as his helpless, secret mistress.
Desperate and losing her mind to the drug, Eleanore fled down the hallway. With Johan and his bodyguards hunting her, she stumbled into the dark presidential suite.
But she wasn't alone. Sitting on the leather sofa was Alexander Briggs—the most feared corporate raider on Wall Street, and Johan's exiled brother.
Outside the door, Johan was screaming, ready to drag her back to hell.
"I can be your antidote. But it's going to cost you."
The ruthless billionaire looked at her trembling body with cold calculation. He offered her a staggering deal: a three-month fake marriage to destroy Johan's empire, and in return, absolute protection and her father's massive debts paid in full.
She couldn't understand why the most powerful predator in New York would use a ruined girl as his weapon, but she knew she would rather die than let Johan touch her again.
When Johan finally broke down the door to claim his prey, Alexander calmly pulled Eleanore into his arms.
"Watch your mouth. You are speaking to my future wife."
9.4
Ashley gave Nicolas ten years of love and five years of loyalty as his perfect housewife, only to be repaid with betrayal, humiliation, and death at the hands of him and his mistress.
After being reborn, she vowed to make them pay.
She tore apart the mistress, kicked her useless husband aside, and returned as the heiress of a top-tier family.
Surrounded by billions, luxury, and a parade of elite bachelors, Ashley became the woman everyone wanted-including a cold, powerful tycoon.
When Nicolas came begging for forgiveness, she smiled coldly. "Fuck off! My man is worth a hundred of you."
8.3
Five years ago, a silver bullet meant for Alpha Liam shattered my spine. I took the shot to save him, and in exchange, my inner wolf went silent. I became a ghost in my own pack—the barren Luna.
But gratitude has an expiration date. Liam brought Sarah home, claiming she was just a "designated breeder" for the heir I couldn't provide.
It was a lie. When Sarah faked a fall, Liam didn't defend me. To appease the Elders, he ordered me to be whipped with silver lashes.
He watched from the balcony as I bled.
Later, on the day he marked her, he drained my rare blood to save her from a "miscarriage," then handed me a one-way ticket to Paris.
"It's for your safety," he said, exiling me to make room for his new family.
I looked at the man I sacrificed everything for. He didn't see a wife; he saw a resource to be used and discarded. He thought he could break me and send me away quietly.
So, I gave him exactly what he wanted: a dead Luna.
I didn't board the plane to Paris. Instead, I let him watch the news report that Flight 815 had crashed into the Atlantic with no survivors.
While he went mad with grief, realizing Sarah was a fraud, I was in the North, unlocking the White Wolf he thought was gone forever.
When we met again, I wasn't his broken wife. I was holding another Alpha's hand.
"Liam Vance," I smiled, my eyes glowing white. "I reject you."