Serena agrees to marry her boss on contract to save her sick Father and give elevation to her poor family. She has no choice but to remain a maid in secret and a housewife in public to the rude CEO of Eclat Finance. Things get complicated for Serena when the CEO's best friend blackmails her about her past and threatens her into doing the unspeakable to enable him to swindle his best friend. Serena is stranded as she falls in love with the CEO but cannot go back on her agreement to betray him as that could cost her life and her family. Find out in the chapters what would go on, and how it would end for Serena.
Serena's POV:
"I do," I muttered, my face expressionless. I found it difficult to look at the face of my boss who was now my husband.
The request for the impromptu wedding came to me as a shock, but I loved the benefits that came with it.
I had made up my mind to do anything to save my sick father who had sacrificed so much for me. He was my only family and the only parent I knew as my mum left us after we lost our only property in a fire accident when I was five.
I also needed an upgrade in my life, my income could barely sustain myself, and my father neither could it bring me out of debt. Things had been very rough for me as an adult and I often wondered what good opportunities could come my way as a college dropout.
Soon I would be referred to as Serena Hayes and would have to pretend to be happy and in love until this contract expired. This is not the kind of life I planned for myself, but they say desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
I only hoped to be able to find love after the expiration of the contract, at least by then I would no longer be tagged poor, and my dad would be in better health.
Adrian's height covered my whole length. No doubt he was the tall, handsome, and very wealthy CEO every woman dreamt of having by their side. His grey oceanic eyes shone as he raised my veil and planted a soft kiss on my lips. Strangely, that sent shivers down my spine.
Could that be love?
Well, not the kind of love I dreamt of as a teenager. True love I believe is more than beautiful looks and appearances and is not built on contracts and lies.
Having worked for Mr. Adrian Hayes for a while now, I was certain he wasn't the kind of man I could fall in love with. He was the rudest man I had ever met, with zero regard for anyone. He was very stubborn and had a mind of his own. I wondered how he related with his staff at the office because he brought hell on me every day I was present to work at his mansion.
I quickly broke out of my thoughts and gazed at the men and women seated on the chairs in the gathering. Smiles were plastered on their faces, but not mine.
Soon enough, we were at the entrance of the church with our friends and well-wishers who struggled for a spot and picture with the latest couple in town. Adrian's family and colleagues from his workplace were present to support him, and Laura my best friend was also present to support me.
My beloved father, who had been battling with Coronary Heart Disease could not attend as he was already receiving treatment in one of the best hospitals. The very moment the contract was signed, Adrian transferred a huge sum of money to cater for my Dad's treatment. The thought of that made me wear a little smile.
We headed to the reception venue which was not far from the church, and a few hours later the event came to an end. Nathan, Adrian's driver pulled up in the large compound and we hopped in the backseat as he drove out, guests and well-wishers waved happily at us.
After a while of driving, he pulled up at the front of the big, beautiful compound. The gate was locked, but the honk of the car's horn caused the gardener who worked from inside to open up.
Nathan parked in the lot and headed to the back door to help the CEO out like he always did. Somehow, I expected him to also assist me with the door but he didn't. Well, what was I even thinking, he still saw me as the maid of the house, but soon he would realize I was now his boss's wife.
Adrian walked ahead of me, while I followed him behind. Before I could get inside the living room, the door was shut in my face.
"What?" I exclaimed quietly. Was it not too early for him to resume this crazy attitude of his?
I opened the door and quietly walked in, hiding the dissatisfaction I felt. As I headed to my room, I heard my name.
"Serena !"
"Get your stuff out of my room," Adrian commanded and I nodded as I rushed into the master bedroom to retrieve a few of my clothes. It was his idea that I got dressed in his room earlier that day, while the photographer took pictures of me in my wedding attire.
"Pack your bags from the room you occupy and meet me here."
I didn't know his plans but I dared not question him. I quickly changed into my maid uniform, packed my bags, and met him in the living room.
He was already in his nightwear. With the water dripping from his head, I knew he had taken a bath.
"Sir, I have done as you asked me to," I said, with my hands behind me.
"Good, I see you're back in your uniform. It shows you understand your position whenever we're in this house. "Come with me." He instructed, headed to the door of one of the rooms in the house.
"This will be your new room."
"Okay Sir, thank you, I don't take this for granted," I said to him as he turned to walk away.
"You may take it for granted if you deem it fit," Adrian, with a straight face, declared. "I'm only trying to keep to my part of the contract by making you more comfortable. You have done something to get this in return, haven't you?"
"I have," I said, nodding my head.
I kept my bags inside and rushed out to meet him.
"Would you love to have anything before going to bed Sir?"
"A mug of black tea would do."
I served him for a short while and headed back to my new room.
The space of the room was better than the one I always stayed in whenever I slept over at Adrian's house.
As my eyes scanned the room, I remembered the night I pleaded with Mr. Adrian to pay me my salary upfront as I needed to urgently buy some medications for my sick dad. I had summoned so much courage to make that request even though I wasn't expecting a positive response. He looked very worried a few days before that day, but I couldn't ask him what the problem was as I wasn't expected to know more than he told me when it came to his personal affairs.
He dismissed me angrily, saying he didn't run a charity organization, but to my surprise, he came back from work the next day and offered to take care of my father and pay me a huge sum of money if I could also be of help to him.
He wanted to save his seat in his father's finance company as CEO, and to do that he needed to be married with a child at least within three years of occupying that position.
I wasn't cool with the fact that I had to get pregnant and bear a child for him while married on contract, but he managed to convince me we could get a divorce when the child was three years old and I could go back to being single again. The money he offered was huge, and I sure needed my dad to receive urgent medical attention, as well as save up enough money to go back to college and also change my life completely for good. I quickly accepted the offer before he changed his mind. After all, it was an honour for a poor girl like me to have a child for one of the wealthiest men in the City, or so I thought.
As I lay down to have some rest, I imagined how my life would turn out for the next three years. I had signed the contract and received part of the money I was promised, I had to play my part religiously.
"I helped you, and you offered to pay me. This is the payment I need, and I'm not open to any negotiations." My heart pounded fast when I realised that the little lie I had told had landed me in deeper trouble. After narrowly escaping death, the only thing on my mind was moving on from the betrayal of my family and ex-boyfriend, but my little revenge plan backfired. Now I'm forced to be with a stranger and on his terms. Why must I pay such a steep price for a small favour? Ava had endured so much abuse from the woman who claimed to be her mother. Finding out about her best friend and boyfriend's secret affair just a few days after she let him take her virginity was the straw that broke the camel's back. After surviving an accident, shattered Ava ran into her enemies on the day she was discharged. To level up and make them believe she had moved on with her life, she told a little lie with the aid of a stranger who later asked her to return the favour, but his demands were outrageous for Ava. He threatened to make her disappear from the face of the earth if she refused his payback option, now Ava's trapped with the stranger, in a new environment, very far from home. How long will she be his slave before she gains her freedom again?
"You don't matter to me, and you never will." He pushed me to the ground as I sobbed. "But here my dear, you're meant to please me. If your father had not come begging on his knees, I wouldn't be marrying you. So you better make this worth it or I'll have to kill you with my bare hands." He said, causing me to tremble out of fright as he moved towards me... No... not now please, I wasn't ready to lose my virginity. I fled out of the room but he was quick to catch me. He slammed me to the wall and my head hit hard against it. I wasn't strong enough to take the pain that came with it...my head felt light, and the next thing I knew was that I was consumed by darkness. ****** Kassidy's life became a relentless series of injustices after her mother's death. She was coerced into a marriage she had to endure, bearing witness to her husband's cruelty. She never considered their union genuine, having been raised in an abusive home. She could only hope that one day she would find peace with the world and life. Meanwhile, Melody, her covetous stepsister, desired everything that had ever been offered to Kassidy, including her inheritance, claiming it as her birthright. Melody's father, Steve Jean, who is also Kassidy's stepfather, withheld privileges from Kassidy while he imposed an unfair condition. Kassidy must marry! Perplexed, Kassidy felt chills of terror running down her spine upon hearing the name proposed for her. The rumors circulating about him filled her with dread, but she was left with no choice. She reluctantly surrendered herself and her birthright to her step-sister. How much longer could she endure this injustice? As for Bruno, fate appeared to have different plans in store for them. How could she possibly cope?
Two people - both fiercely independent and unapologetically restless. Bound together by a love that is both beautiful and dangerous. Can they learn to trust and rely on each other, or will their individual natures tear them apart?
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."
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.