The rich and handsome Kage Crown enters into a contract marriage with his secretary, Andrea Charlton to appease his father and retain his position as head of the family company. Soon, his father demands he provides an heir and he and his secretary-turned-wife are faced with the prospect of parenthood while falling helplessly in love. But will the aching love between them, overcome the hurdles their union will throw at them? Will their love ever overcome their own selves?
CHAPTER ONE
ANDREA'S POV
Mr Crown's eyes bore holes into my skin as I walked over to his desk, almost tripping over my feet. For the past 2 years that I have been working here, he has not looked at me longer than two seconds, and now...
I gulped, trying to push the nerves away as I placed the files on his desk. "These are the files on the..."
"Miss Charlton, would you like to be my wife?" Fits of cough erupted from my throat and I stared at him wide-eyed.
"I'm sorry, what?!" I asked the minute I stopped coughing.
"Will you like to marry me?" He asked again, and I just gaped at him, trying to find the traces of humor in his stoic face and bland eyes, but there was none. Mr Crown never jokes around, at least I've never seen him make a joke.
It was always business.
"Umm..." I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt, standing upright as I did. "Your meeting with the Marketing board is in 30 minutes, sir." I blurted out.
He finally dragged his eyes away from me and nodded. "You can go now." I gulped and nodded, yet my legs refused to move. One of his brows shot up once he noticed I was still standing in the same spot. "Is there something you want to say?"
I flinched at the hint of annoyance in his voice. "N-no sir." I immediately dragged my feet away from his office.
A deep breath escaped my lips the second I made contact with my chair. I forced whatever the hell happened just a few minutes ago into the back of my mind. I have a lot to do and thinking about an absurd marriage proposal is not on the list.
Letting out a shaky breath, I forced myself back into work. The same work and routine I have been subjected to for the past two years. It was boring, tiring... but hey, it paid the bills.
Some days I felt like throwing in the towel and going after my own dreams, but the thought of her kept me shackled to this desk.
I tucked my bottom lip in between my teeth at the thought of her. I thought I had escaped, I thought I could finally live my life for me the day I escaped that shit hole of a town, but seven years later, she found me and...
My trail of thoughts were broken off by my ringing phone. I gritted my teeth in annoyance as I quickly reached out for it; Mr Crown has a policy against ringtones.
I swiped the green button without looking, in the bid to put an end to the ringtone. "Miss Charlton here" I said, trying to keep my voice calm and neutral.
"This is St. Lucy's nursing home..." My mouth immediately ran dry at the introduction. A torrent of emotions swirled in my head and I could swear the building moved for a brief second.
"Yes?" I mumbled, hoping and praying for... I don't know. I never know what I'm praying for when they call.
"We are calling to inform you of a 30% increase in the monthly payment, this is to..." The loud roaring in my head drowned out the rest of whatever the heck she was saying. A 30% increase. A THIRTY PERCENT INCREASE! That would take up my salary, all of it.
Nothing would be left even for groceries. My breath came out in harsher puffs and I immediately ended the call. I gripped the hems of my skirt as I cajoled myself into taking deep breaths.
A thirty percent increase... That's fifteen grand. My entire monthly pay. I could feel the panic curling in the pit of my stomach and blurring my vision.
"Miss Charlton, are you ready for the meeting?" A familiar voice asked and I snapped my head up to see Mr Crown staring down at me, a curious glint lined his eyes instead of the usual boredom that coated it.
I immediately grabbed the next thing I laid my hands on and stood to my feet, knocking the pen cup over as I did.
His brows furrowed and he stared at my hands before his eyes slowly trailed up to my face and I gulped. "Are you sure about that?"
"What?" I raised my brows and his gaze fell to my hands again, or rather, what they held.
"Are you sure you want to go into the meeting holding that?" I immediately looked down at my hands, and I was holding onto the package for the Chinese food I ordered a while ago.
I felt blood rush up my to face as I immediately threw the package into the bin and picked up my tablet. "Uhh..." I cleared my throat and looked up at him, trying to keep my face neutral like my insides weren't a mess and my face and indication of that. "I'm ready now sir."
He gave me a once over and nodded. "Let's go." He turned and strode out. I gave myself a few seconds to collect my thoughts, before I rushed out to catch up with him.
We both fell into a familiar stride and the usual comfortable silence that accompanied our walk had turned into something more... Awkward.
But the thought of the earlier call didn't give me an opportunity to dwell on that. I couldn't take her out of that home, it was the most sensible option, the most relieving, yet... It was the one option I couldn't consider.
"Miss Charlton?" I put an end to my thoughts and looked over to him.
"Yes, sir"
He stopped, and turned to me, tucking his hands into his pocket. "You seem out of it." He stated, rather than asked and I gulped. "If it has anything to do with what I asked earlier..."
"The proposal," I cut in, taking myself and him, from the obvious change in his demeanor, by surprise. "If I say yes, will..." What the heck was I doing!? He raised both brows, urging me to go on, and against my better judgement, I continued rambling. "Will I get an increase in my salary?"
Surprise flickered in his eyes, and what seemed like a ghost of a smile hovered on his lips. "And if I say yes?"
"Then..." I licked my lips, taking a deep breath. This feels like I'm selling my soul to the devil. "I'll say yes."
Abram Astor and Anya King were born enemies due to a long time unexplainable family feud. They hated each other's guts, and competed over everything. But, when their families betroth them to people they deem worse than each other, they are forced to form an alliance, which they sealed with a lie. With a thin line between love and hate, would they find love when forced into an alliance? Or would the secrets discovered in the long run solidify the line that had been drawn already?
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
Caught in a web of betrayal, Nicole's life shatters in a single evening when her mother-in-law, Veronica, sets her up in an elaborate scheme. Blindsided, Nicole faces her husband Taylor's cold rage as he casts her out of his life and home, accusing her of infidelity and theft. As she tries to defend herself, her best friend, Sarah, adds another blow by denying their loyalty. "Please, Taylor, you have to believe me!" Nicole pleads, her voice breaking, but his icy response is a dagger to her heart. "I don't hate you, Nicole," he sneers. "I despise you." When Nicole reveals she's pregnant, she hopes for compassion, but it only fuels Veronica's determination to rid the family of her. After signing the divorce papers, a dejected Nicole wanders alone, where a brutal attack leaves her bleeding, helpless, and desperate to protect her unborn child. Six years later, Nicole returns from the ashes to inflict seven times the pains upon those who humiliated her and left her to die. "I'll make them pay so dearly that they'd regret ever been born!" She declares. This is a story of romance and revenge you don't want to miss!
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Chandler Su who had cheated by her boyfriend then got drunk at a bar. To take revenge, she grabbed a man randomly and took him to the room. After a crazy night, Chandler found the strange man was a super handsome guy the next morning. Shy and shocked Chandler run away after leaving 150 RMB and scorning the man of his poor bed skills. However, she never thought the story would become so dramatic as the next day, she found out that the new coming president of her company was exactly the man she slept the last night! Worse than that, this new boss seemed very narrow-minded as he asked Chandler to come to his office on the first day.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."