Woke Up Engaged To My Rival

I spent seven years as the secret benefactor of the man I loved, waiting for the day he would finally acknowledge our relationship. I traded my sharp business suits for a soft silk dress, ready to tell the world that the brilliant artist Andre Wilcox was finally mine. But at our anniversary dinner, the truth hit harder than any corporate betrayal. I sat inches away, hidden by a partition, as Andre laughed with his ex-girlfriend. He called me a "suffocating burden" and a "checkbook with legs" that he only tolerated until he became famous. Devastated and drowning in vodka, I stumbled into a nightclub and ran straight into Charls Wiley, my most hated business rival. In a haze of pain and alcohol, I clung to his expensive suit while paparazzi cameras flashed, sobbing that I loved him and begging him not to leave me. He swept me into his arms to escape the scandal, but our getaway ended in a horrific car crash that left us both buried in shattered glass. When I woke up in a hospital suite, the trauma had wiped my memory clean. My brain, unable to process Andre’s cruelty, filled the gaps with the only man who was there when the world went dark. "Charls, darling, you're hurt," I whispered, looking at my sworn enemy with pure, unfiltered adoration. I truly believe the man who tried to destroy my company is my devoted fiancé. My mother and Charls quickly realized that a fake engagement could save our stock prices and seal a fifty-million-dollar merger, so they decided to let the lie live. Now, I’m recovering in the arms of a shark, calling my nemesis "Hubby" while he waits for my memory to return so he can finish the war he started.

Chapters

Chapter 3

The bass at The Apex Club was a physical force, vibrating through the floorboards and rattling Eve's teeth. The air was thick with smoke, expensive cologne, and bad decisions.

Eve sat at the VIP bar, three empty martini glasses lined up in front of her like soldiers who had died in battle. She stared at the amber liquid in her fourth glass. Her vision was starting to tunnel, the edges of the world blurring into a soft, fuzzy gray.

"Ma'am, maybe you should slow down," the bartender said, eyeing her black card nervously.

"Shut up," Eve slurred. She slapped the card on the counter. "Pour."

The alcohol was burning through her system, stripping away her inhibitions, melting the icy composure she had worn for twenty-six years. She wanted to numb the voice in her head that kept repeating Andre's words. Placeholder. Stand-in. Burden.

To her right, the heavy velvet ropes of the ultra-VIP section parted. A group of men in bespoke suits walked out, radiating power and arrogance.

Leading them was Charls Wiley.

He looked irritated. He had just spent three hours negotiating a hostile takeover of a tech startup, and the celebratory drinks were giving him a headache. He adjusted his cufflinks, his expression one of bored disdain as he scanned the chaotic club. He wanted to go home, drink a glass of water, and sleep in his soundproof penthouse.

His gaze swept over the bar and stopped.

He frowned. That woman... slumped over the counter in a dress that looked like liquid gold... was that Eve Franks?

It couldn't be. Eve Franks didn't get drunk in public. Eve Franks didn't have a hair out of place. This woman looked like a beautiful shipwreck.

He took a step closer, curiosity overriding his instinct to leave.

Eve felt eyes on her. She turned her head slowly, the movement making the room spin. Through the haze of vodka and tears, the figure standing there was tall, broad-shouldered, and dark-haired.

Her brain, desperate for comfort, misfired. The sharp lines of Charls's face softened in her vision. The cold grey eyes looked warmer, deeper.

He came, her mind whispered. He came to apologize.

"You..." Eve whispered. She slid off the high stool. Her heels wobbled, and her ankle twisted.

Charls saw her stumble. His body reacted before his brain did. He stepped forward, reaching out to steady her just as she pitched forward.

Eve collided with his chest. It was hard, solid, warm.

She grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket, her fingers digging into the expensive wool. She buried her face in his shirt, inhaling deeply. He smelled of sandalwood and cold winter air. It wasn't Andre's scent, but her drunk brain didn't care. It was the scent of a man who was here.

"Eve?" Charls's voice was stiff. He tried to peel her off. "What the hell are you doing? Let go."

Eve looked up. Tears were streaming down her face, ruining her makeup. Her eyes were wide, glassy, and filled with a devastating amount of adoration.

She reached up, her palm cupping his jaw. Her thumb brushed over his lip.

The crowd around them went silent. Phones were raised. The flash of a camera went off.

"Why did you say those things?" Eve sobbed, her voice cracking. "Why did you want to leave me? I love you so much."

The silence in the club was deafening. Even the DJ seemed to have lowered the volume.

Charls froze. His eyes widened in genuine shock. He looked around, seeing the faces of half of New York's social elite staring at them. He saw the phones recording.

I love you so much.

She was talking to him. Eve Franks, his sworn enemy, the woman who had sued him three times last year, was confessing her undying love in the middle of a nightclub.

"Eve," Charls hissed, grabbing her wrists. "You are drunk. Look at me. I am Charls Wiley."

"I know who you are," Eve cried, clinging tighter. "You're mine. You're my star."

Charls's face went dark. He felt a vein in his temple throb.

This was a disaster. This was a PR nuclear bomb. If he pushed her away now, the headlines would read Wiley Assaults Drunk Franks Heiress. If he left her here, she'd be eaten alive by the press, and her mother, Huldah, would blame him for not intervening.

He looked down at her. She was a mess. She was vulnerable. And for some godforsaken reason, she was looking at him like he was the only person in the world who mattered.

"Damn it," Charls muttered.

Continue to next part

Two minutes before midnight on the eve of my wedding, my phone buzzed. I expected a sweet text from my groom, Liam. Instead, I received a photo of him with his lips inches from another woman's neck. The caption read: "He's celebrating his last night of freedom. Are you sure you want to be the jailer?" I didn't scream. I didn't cancel the wedding. I walked down the aisle the next morning and looked at his handsome face. I saw the scratch on his wrist—a souvenir from his mistress, Ava. Later, I overheard him tell his best man that I was just the "safe bet," a boring broodmare to provide an heir while he had fun with her. He thought I was a naive girl who believed in fairy tales. He thought he had secured his perfect life when I said, "I do." But he was wrong. When I discovered I was pregnant a few days later, I didn't celebrate. I realized this baby wasn't a blessing; it was a lock on my cage. Liam wanted a dynasty? He wanted a legacy? I looked at the positive test in my hand and made a cold, hard choice. I wasn't going to just leave him. I was going to destroy him. I wiped my tears, packed my documents, and prepared to burn his entire world to ash. The war had just begun.

Action Modern Romance

7.1

From Lies to Love: My Rival Husband

7.1

She needed a husband. He needed a wife. Neither expected to find each other at the end of the aisle. Mia Cross is a rising CEO with everything under control except her traditional family, who demands she marry before the year is out. Out of desperation, she invents the perfect boyfriend. But when her family insists on meeting him, her lie threatens to explode. Liam Wolfe, her infuriating rival from a competing firm. He's ruthless, arrogant, and entirely too handsome for his own good. But he needs a "wife" to secure the business deal of his life. Their solution? A marriage of convenience. The rules are simple: no love, no real intimacy, and an expiration date set in stone. But when family drama, boardroom battles, and scandalous rumors put their fragile arrangement under fire, Mia and Liam discover that pretending to be in love might be the most dangerous game of all. Because somewhere between fake kisses and staged smiles, the lines are blurring. And the hardest rule of all to keep might be the one that forbids falling in love. Will their marriage remain a lie... or become the truest thing they've ever known?

Action Modern Romance

9.1

Mr. Mafia's Obsession: His Darkest Desire

9.1

His hand tightened around my waist, steady and unyielding. His mouth brushed the side of my neck, and the warmth of his body between my legs made my thoughts blur into nothing but sensation. “Niccolò…” I whispered, breathless, overwhelmed by him. He did not respond with words. Instead, he entered me slowly, deeply, with a control that made me cry out against his shoulder. My fingers dug into his back as I tried to hold on to something solid. I was already shaking, already losing myself in him, and he understood it completely. “You feel that?” he murmured against my skin. “That’s what happens when you belong to a fucking monster.” I moaned. I didn’t care if he was the devil. I wanted him anyway. He grabbed my throat, not tight, just enough to make me gasp. “Say it.” “I’m yours,” I breathed. “Only yours.” NICCOLÒ FALCONE The name that made grown men stutter. The face that haunted cartel nightmares. The man who’d burned empires just to stay warm. He didn’t run a criminal empire. He was the empire, carved in blood and wired with bombs. A walking, breathing weapon wrapped in a designer suit. The kind of man who didn’t flinch when you screamed — only leaned closer to hear the pitch. His enemies called him The Reaper.  His men called him Boss.  The world called him untouchable. And me? I called him mine. But here’s the truth no one tells you: when the devil gives you his heart, he doesn't hand it over — he chains it to yours, drags you into the dark, and dares the world to take you from him. But this wasn’t just sex. This was pain dressed as pleasure. And… I wasn’t just fucking a monster. I was falling in love with one. And that’s the problem. Because I’m the one thing Niccolò Falcone was never supposed to want. I’m the daughter of the man who tried to destroy him. I’m the secret that could get him killed. He said he’d marry me to protect me.  He said he’d kill for me.  And God help me… I believed him. But what happens when the truth rips through our world like a bullet? What happens when the past comes back, not just to haunt us — but to finish what it started? What happens when loving me turns Niccolò Falcone into something even he can’t control? Read to find out ...

Action Mafia Romance

9.2

My Alpha Made Me Rescue His Mistress Instead

9.2

The shrill ring of my phone pierced the darkness at 3:00 AM, jolting me from a fitful sleep. I fumbled for the device on my nightstand, my heart already racing. Only one call comes at this hour. "Olivia Spencer," I answered, my voice steady despite the adrenaline flooding my system. "Beta Olivia, we've got a reported drowning victim in Puget Sound," came the urgent voice of one of our pack's sentries. "Witnesses say someone went under near the north pier about twenty minutes ago." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, already mentally calculating the critical window. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Alert Ty to meet me at the equipment room." "Already done, Beta." I moved with practiced efficiency in the darkness, pulling on thermals and layering them with my diving gear. The clock on my wall ticked mercilessly as I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. The equipment room was my sanctuary—a place where I held authority and purpose.

Action Romance Werewolf

9.7

Rising From Ruin to Build a Trillion-Dollar Empire

9.7

story outline Winston Qiu, a privileged heir born with a golden key, was universally dismissed as a worthless failure. He was ousted from the board, mocked by the business community as a wastrel, and even his father's billion-dollar empire was about to fall into others' hands. Yet few realize that beneath this seemingly spoiled youth lies a bloodline that refuses to yield. Wake up and fight back! He toppled corrupt executives and reclaimed control of the company; he pioneered solid-state batteries, revolutionizing the new energy sector; he battled the Big Four conglomerates and crushed underground forces; he ventured into Wall Street and struck the bell of victory at NASDAQ! From the brink of bankruptcy to a trillion-dollar market cap, from being universally despised to becoming the world's richest man, Winston Chiu crafted the most audacious business legend in history within a single year. But that's not enough – The hidden 'Apocalypse Corporation' is after his life. The truth behind his father's death is finally revealed, and a life-or-death showdown is about to erupt! Never surrender, never give up! Just as his name pays tribute to the legendary Prime Minister, Winston Churchill interpreted it in his own way: A true hero is not one who never fails, but one who never gives in! A modern Churchill saga packed with business warfare, suspenseful twists, and heart-pounding action!

Action Billionaire Modern

9.8

Sold for $1 To The Hawthorne Brothers

9.8

Three women, three brothers, a single, crumpled dollar bill. Alina's world shatters the moment she's auctioned off-and claimed by the powerful Hawthorne brothers. Thrown into Adrian Hawthorne's cold, dangerous world, she becomes his to control... his to protect... and, terrifyingly, his to desire. He's ruthless, possessive, and hiding secrets that could destroy them both. But the deeper she falls into his world, the harder it becomes to tell if she's his prisoner-or something far more dangerous. Because the Hawthorne brothers don't just take. They keep. Viviane has spent her life surviving, so when Julian Hawthorne "buys" her freedom, she knows better than to trust it. Men like him don't save people-they collect them. But Julian isn't as simple as he pretends to be, and the deeper she's pulled into his world, the more dangerous it becomes to walk away. Especially when she realizes she might be the only thing he's ever been willing to fight for. Lena doesn't belong to anyone-and she intends to keep it that way. Brilliant, guarded, and hiding more than anyone suspects, she enters Lucien Hawthorne's world on her own terms. But Lucien doesn't play fair, and he doesn't let go. When her past comes crashing back, Lena is forced to face the one thing she's been running from: trusting someone who could destroy her... or save her. Three women. Three choices.Stay. Fight. Or burn it all down. Because being sold was only the beginning.

Action Mafia

Woke Up Engaged To My Rival

Chapter 3

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