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 7

"Eve, listen to me," Silas tried again, desperate. "Do you remember Andre? Andre Wilcox?"

Eve blinked, her expression blank. "Andre? The guy who delivers the paintings to the gallery? The one with the greasy hair?"

Silas gasped. "Greasy hair? You used to say he had the soul of a poet! You were in love with him yesterday!"

"Ew," Eve wrinkled her nose. "Silas, stop joking. He's not my type. He looks... cheap."

She looked past Silas, locking eyes with Charls again. "My type is standing right there."

Huldah walked in at that moment, followed by Franklin, Eve's father. They stopped, sensing the strange energy in the room.

"What is going on?" Huldah demanded.

"Mother," Eve said happily. "Charls is here. I was just telling Silas that we don't need to hide it anymore. The crash... it made me realize life is too short."

Huldah looked from Eve to Charls. Her eyes narrowed. She saw the confusion on Charls's face, the panic on Silas's, and the absolute conviction on Eve's.

She was a shark. She smelled blood in the water. And opportunity.

"Is that so?" Huldah said slowly.

"Mrs. Franks," Charls stepped forward, panic rising in his chest. "I need to speak with you outside. Now."

"Charls?" Eve asked, her voice faltering. "Why are you leaving?"

Charls looked at her. He felt a strange tightening in his chest. "I... I have to ask your mother for her blessing. Officially."

Eve gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh! Go! Go now!"

Charls grabbed Huldah's arm with his good hand and practically dragged her into the hallway. Franklin followed, looking confused.

"She has amnesia," Charls hissed the moment the door closed. "She thinks we're engaged. You have to tell her the truth."

"Why?" Huldah asked calmly, smoothing her jacket.

"Because it's insane! We are competitors! I despise her!"

"Do you?" Huldah raised an eyebrow. "You saved her life last night. You've been pacing this hallway for six hours."

"That's basic human decency," Charls argued, though his ears turned red. "Look, tell her the truth. Or I will."

"If you tell her the truth now," Huldah said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "the shock could cause a setback. The doctor said no stress. And besides... think about the optics. I've already leaked the engagement rumors to the Journal. Wiley stock is up 4% this morning because people think a merger is coming. If you announce it was just a drunken mistake and dump her while she's in a hospital bed with brain damage... you will be the most hated man in America. The villain who broke the amnesiac heiress's heart."

Charls opened his mouth, then closed it. She was right. The PR would be a bloodbath.

"And," Huldah added, stepping closer, "if you play along... just until she recovers... Franks Enterprises might be willing to reconsider our position on the Midtown zoning dispute."

Charls went still. That was a fifty-million-dollar concession.

"You want me to lie to your daughter for profit?" Charls asked, disgusted.

"I want you to help her heal," Huldah corrected. "And if it helps us both... why not? Plus, it keeps her away from that artist loser."

Charls looked through the glass window of the door. Eve was sitting up, telling her father something with a bright, animated smile. She looked happy. Happier than he had ever seen her.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Fine," Charls growled. "But only until she gets her memory back. Then I'm out."

"Deal." Huldah smiled.

They walked back in. Eve looked up expectantly.

"Well?" she asked.

Charls forced a smile. It felt tight and unnatural on his face. He walked to the bedside.

"She said yes," Charls lied.

Eve squealed. She reached out and grabbed his hand-the one connected to his broken arm.

"Careful," Charls hissed in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Eve kissed his knuckles. "I'm just so happy, Hubby."

Charls choked on his own saliva. "Don't... don't call me that."

"Why not?" Eve teased.

"It's... unprofessional," Charls managed.

"We're getting married, silly. We don't have to be professional." She pulled his hand against her cheek.

Charls stood there, trapped by his own lie, feeling the warmth of her skin against his hand. He should pull away. He should hate this.

But as he looked down at her, he realized with a jolt that for the first time in years, he wasn't thinking about business. He was thinking about how soft her skin was.

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 7

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