A masquerade ball. One night. Behind the mask. Anything can happen. Diana Thorton decided to have one night to herself, away from being Alexander Stone's Assistant. The whole point of a masquerade-themed ball is to conceal one's identity but what happens when the face behind the phantom of the opera mask turns out to be her boss? She recognized him and that didn't stop her from sharing an intense night in a bid to rebound over a recent heartbreak. Turns out that one night isn't enough and wanting more is being greedy. Will she reveal her identity to the one man who made her feel like a woman and is now looking for her or throw caution in the wind as she prepares to resign even after falling pregnant? Only a forced marriage can cover up her shame as well as also salvage that which the media has ruined for her boss's reputation. With a two-year contract and an annulment after, will love find its way back to the couple just as it did on the night of the ball?
Chapter 1
DIANA THORTON
"Fuck, fuck fuck!" I cursed as I raced through the crowd in my trusty sneakers with a handful of items in different shopping bags and coffee in the other- to get my boss's watch from the repair shop. I'd almost forgotten about Mr stick up his butt's overly expensive wristwatch. Hell hath no fury as a livid Alexander Stone should in case I show up without that watch.
"I am so sorry" I apologized after nearly colliding my coffee with a tourist. How did I know? Hat, shorts, sunglasses, a sling bag, and a map in hand- typical attributes of a tourist.
Pushing my glasses up by its bridge; a bad habit, I needed to get that stupid yet pricy enough to pay my salary for nearly a year wristwatch and then high tail it back to the office to finish up other looming tasks.
With my thighs rubbing against each other much to my chagrin as I raced on, beads of sweat forming a small pool and were now dripping down my face, damp armpits, and even my grey-rimmed glasses fogging up as a result of the heat emitting from my body, I knew without seeing my reflection that I looked a mess.
I silently cursed Alexander for making me go through this. I'd taken the job not entirely knowing what it entailed.
Amanda, the previous assistant didn't mention that the role required being at the beck and call of the CEO- maybe she did but it definitely did not include this.
She did list a few errands but did not include, gift shopping for his numerous easy lay arm candies, picking up laundry, treading up and down steep hills just to get his favorite coffee, and the ridiculous likes- or maybe she did, and I wasn't listening. The whole orientation process was a blur because I couldn't pinch myself out of what I thought was still a dream:La Belle freaking hiring me!
What a hidden epiphany I've come to unravel. They needed somebody to clean up his dirty laundry and who better than a girl who didn't go to the university?
Over time, I had concluded that Executive assistants are just as much as slaves and all that I could do was rant and curse to myself, not forgetting to hail my shitty luck.
I'd accepted the job even though I knew next to nothing about being a secretary or Assistant and had to binge the entire season of What's wrong with Assistant Nicki to know the basics. And no, in my case, I won't be working as an assistant for 9 years.
I also hoped that with time, they will come to realize my potential and allow me to work in the product development department- one I had applied for a few times and got rejected. The reason was 'underqualified', which was true. I'd ditched college to go to a vocational beauty school instead, and while I thought it should be enough to kick-start my career in the beauty industry, it looks like society's standard of obtaining a degree will never go extinct.
I needed to show my skills and working directly under the nose of the CEO didn't seem like a bad idea at that time for someone as desperate as I was but, out of all the bosses in the world, it had to be a stuck-up one.
Six months working in La Belle Beauty and now, I know him to the tooth. He is stuck up, intimidating, cold, self-absorbed, lacked self-awareness, and most importantly, didn't care how his actions impacted others. It's his way or the highway.
I joined the short queue of people waiting to get on the bus and finally sunk on a chair to collect myself, wipe the sweat off my face and enjoy the twenty minutes ride.
I quickly scanned through WhatsApp and my text messages while mentally praying that Alexander didn't leave me another errand. I heaved a sigh of relief when I found no outstanding message from him, and one from my boyfriend. I made a mental note to check his message later.
Finally, I felt like I could breathe even if it was only for twenty minutes.
People passed in my peripheral vision as the bus slipped into the light traffic. It took seeing a boy downing a drink to make me remember that I'd not had breakfast and that my coffee was not with me. A quick trip back in time made me realize that I must have dropped it at the repair shop.
Great! Can this day get any worse?
As if that was the cue mother earth was waiting for, my phone chimed loudly. I hurriedly picked up the call after seeing Alex's name - saved as Mr. Narcissist- stare vividly at me.
"You're late" His voice is as usual, cold
Telling my boss that I had to go back for the wristwatch I forgot which in return cost me an extra twenty minutes isn't exactly the way out. Alexander hates excuses, as well as expects you to own up to your shit with your full chest and then deal with the consequence which of course is his go-to catchphrase "You're fired"
In my six months of working for him, he'd have fired nearly fifteen people over something trivial.
Did somebody tell him being mean was the new cool?
"I will be there in fifteen. There's a lot of traffic and you know tomorrow is Christmas so there's a lot of hustle and bustle."
"Make it five, Ms. Thorton. I don't care if you have to walk, or fly, just be here in five."
The line went dead abruptly before I could say another word.
How am I supposed to get to the office in five?
How the hell did Amanda live through this? No wonder the poor lady had to go only after three months. Honestly, it took the light at the end of the tunnel- which is the big picture, which is my dream to work in La Belle, to stay this long... I would have called it quits after twenty-four hours, six months ago.
It's Christmas Eve and nothing is Christmassy for me, which is a bummer because Christmas is usually my favorite holiday of the year.
It's Alexander's way or the highway and in this case, the highway meant not giving a shit and calling it quits. I didn't want to do that. La Belle would be an eye-opener and a great reference for me in the industry.
In summary, I needed the job for my portfolio and enough money to start my own company which I plan on making when I win the annual La Belle Beauty Entrepreneur competition.
An initiative to fund entrepreneurs with excellent business ideas with one million dollars as the grand prize, I am sure that I am going to win with my killer facial mask for older people idea. There's nothing like it in the beauty world. That part of the industry is too invested in the younger generation to realize that older people need confidence building too and that things like wrinkles and the likes shouldn't limit them from feeling beautiful.
After a brief back-and-forth discussion with myself, I decided it was Alexander's way which meant, running thirty blocks to get to the office building.
"You look like you just got hit by a tornado" Caroline, the receptionist and possibly one of my two work friends in the office couldn't help but point out the obvious.
"Tell me about it." I gave her a tired eye roll as I walked past.
"Break a leg! I heard Mr. Hot Pants is feisty at the moment. He probably has zero endorphins" She added.
Oh no! Here we go again.
Olivia Donovan is almost Forty while Jason Ice is younger -- a lot younger than her. Divorced because her former best friend had an affair and is now pregnant with her former husband while they were still married, Olivia moved to the city and single handedly raised her two kids. Single, gorgeous and bad boy billionaire, Jason Ice succeeds in life despite an apalling childhood. Falling in love with Olivia was love at first sight on New Year's Eve and this twenty-something-year old guy is not ready to take no for an answer.
April Denver's Erotic message to a constant one night stand was mistakenly sent to someone else after siri chose scum instead of sean as the receiver on her contact list. Alpha male billionaire Jordan Cross sees a message from April indicating her sexual need for him. He sets out to her apartment and from that night onward, his virginity taken by her, he knew he was done for. She doesn't feel the same and for this to happen, there's one thing Jordan Cross must do to own all of her. Fulfil her request.
"Brian I am your Godmother!" Jayda reminded him in case he forgot she is ten years older than him. A whole decade. "Age is just a number, I don't care," Brian said as he continued to walk closer to her until her back hit the wall of his office and his arms secured on each side. "Adeline would flip in her grave to find out her best friend and son are romantically involved" She added "She would be happy for me" "What about society?" "Enough Jayda!" His eyes appeared bloodshot as he stared into the eyes of the woman that dominated his thoughts since his childhood. "I have waited long enough to have you. I. Can't. Wait. Any more. You are mine and I will kill anyone that tries to steal my happiness away from me. Get that into your thick skull" She was supposed to feel mad for being reprimanded like a toddler but instead, her core craved for him most sinfully. A night of passion turned her God-son into her lover but how long will this fairytale last?
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!
Blinded in a crash, Cary was rejected by every socialite—except Evelina, who married him without hesitation. Three years later, he regained his sight and ended their marriage. "We’ve already lost so many years. I won’t let her waste another one on me." Evelina signed the divorce papers without a word. Everyone mocked her fall—until they discovered that the miracle doctor, jewelry mogul, stock genius, top hacker, and the President's true daughter… were all her. When Cary came crawling back, a ruthless tycoon had him kicked out. "She's my wife now. Get lost."