When billionaire Alexander Westfield acquires a quaint small-town bakery as part of a corporate takeover, he's stunned to learn that the previous owner, spirited baker Lily Monroe, fabricated a fake engagement to him in a bid to save her struggling business. As the media catches wind, Alexander insists they continue the charade to preserve his public image. But as they navigate glitzy galas, intense paparazzi scrutiny, and the undeniable chemistry between them, both Lily and Alexander begin to wonder if their "royal ruse" is turning into the real deal.
Lily's POV
The sharp ringing of a bell announced my entry as I stepped inside. Within moments, the warm sweetened air of freshly baked pastries enveloped me. Sweet Crumbs had always been a refuge, which seemed to be a place of peace. The rich aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, and butter in it made everything seem just a little better no matter what was happening without those walls. But today, those alluring smells simply reminded me how much everything hung in the balance.
I glanced at the clock on the wall, and it was almost noon when the bakery would fill up with people. I pulled up my apron tightly and tied the strings behind my back. It was pending scones to be baked, loaded bread from the oven, and almost endless small chores. My mind, though, kept wandering back to the news I heard early this morning.
Sweet Crumbs was no longer there. At least, it felt like it. A small but suddenly monumental part of me would slip through my fingers realizing that the beloved haunt was no longer just mine-it had grown into something larger, a part of an acquisition, an afterthought in a deal that would likely change everything.
I wiped my hands clean on my apron, my chest feeling tighter. It was hard to wrap my mind around it. How had this all happened so quickly? I hadn't even been given the chance to fight for it. I'd spent years growing Sweet Crumbs from a dream into something real, but the thought of it being torn from me in the blink of an eye felt... suffocating.
Firmly I pushed such thoughts aside. Panic wouldn't assist, I reminded myself, gnawingly wiping flour off the counter and gathering ingredients for the next batch of cookies. Everything would go, having no choice but to find a way to protect Sweet Crumbs.
I glanced at the front door, where yet another customer entered: Mrs. Delaney, a regular favorite of mine, with her bright purple scarf wrapped around her neck like a flag. She always looked like she had just stepped out of a magazine. I gave her a smile, attempting to mask the worry creeping up my spine.
"Morning, Mrs. Delaney. What can I get you today?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.
She spent some time examining the pastries before deciding on her favorite, the raspberry tart. As I packed it into a box, she raised her eyebrows and leaned a little closer, lowering her voice.
"Have you heard the news, dear?"
I froze, my hand hovering over the box. I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what she was about to say.
"About what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
Mrs. Delaney lowered her voice further. "About Mr. Westfield. They say he plans to raze the whole bakery to the ground, you know. The whole town is buzzing about it."
I could feel my stomach drop. There it was, the whisper of something I'd feared ever since I'd first heard Alexander Westfield's name in connection with the acquisition of Sweet Crumbs.
"He's planning to replace it with one of those...what do you call them? A corporate coffee chain, I think. Probably going to bulldoze the place. It's only a matter of time, not now.
Her words were heavy, as if someone had lifted a ton of bricks onto my chest, and I felt the sharpness of panic coming up in me as if it was almost uncontrollable. I smiled weakly as I handed her the tart.
"Thanks, Mrs. Delany," I said, a little unsteady in voice as I had wanted. "I'm sure everything will work out,"
But I knew it wasn't going to work unless I did something to make it so.
Mrs. Delaney gave me an understanding look. "I hope you'll do something about it, dear. This town needs Sweet Crumbs. It's the heart of the Dales. Without it, what would we have left?"
I nodded, but her words were in my ears long after she'd gone. Sweet Crumbs was not a bakery, but a part of the fabric of this town. The regulars who stopped by each morning for their coffee, families who picked up pies for their Sunday dinners, and tourists who had stumbled in, lured by the smells of fresh bread were all part of something bigger. Losing Sweet Crumbs would be like losing a piece of Dales itself.
I stood right in the center of the bakery, and the very worrisome situation was pressed down on my head, making me feel more hopeless than before. What can I do now? I can't allow this to happen. But what have I got?
It was just then that the thought occurred to me: wild, absurd, and altogether impulsive, but the only thing that I could think of might work.
I turned quickly as I grabbed my phone from the counter and quickly dialed Emma's number. She was my best friend, my rock, and she would help me figure this out.
After several rings, Emma picked up the phone.
"Lily? What is it?", she asked cheerily, but I could tell she was in the middle of the bustling café sound in the background.
"I want you to do something for me. Something big," I said with a sobering undertone in my voice.
I could hear her drawing a breath on the telephone. "What's going on, anyway? You sound tense."
"Emma," I said quickly, heart thumping madly. "I need you to start a rumor. A big one. Enough to get everyone's attention-from Dales and beyond. Tell them that Alexander Westfield proposed to me."
There was a long silence at the other end of the line.
"What?" asked Emma, at last, her disbelief sounding in her voice.
"I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. I'm going to tell everybody that he proposed to me when he visited this town. That's why he's buying up Sweet Crumbs-to keep it as a romantic gesture for his fiancée." I let out a shaky breath. "I know it's a lie, but I've got to do something, Emma. If this town thinks I'm engaged to him, maybe they will leave the bakery alone."
One moment longer, Emma's silence dragged on before she spoke again, her voice soaked in doubt. "Are you absolutely sure about this? This could backfire, you know."
"No choice," I replied shallowly. "If I don't do something right now, everything slips away."
She sighed, and I could hear the hesitation in her voice. But finally, she spoke again, but more assertively, "Fine. I'll help you. I'll spread the word."
Ana Reed is wallowing in huge debts with no means in sight to pay them, until she meets Asher Howard, the grandson and CFO of the multi-billionaire company, Howard Companies, who offers her more than enough money to pay her debts in exchange for a marriage contract with him. With her creditors threatening her and the mouth-watering offer, Ana is left with no choice than to accept Asher's proposal. Will their fake marriage blossom into something more beautiful or will the various obstacles such as Asher's conniving and overly ambitious cousin who is determined to bring Asher down, his wife, who would support her husband in everything he does, Ana's dirty past as a drug dealer and Asher's inner demons, swallow them whole?
All Lyla remembered was waking up in a pool of blood. She was supposed to get married to Alpha Thorn the following morning but everything was going wrong for her. " I didn't do this. Please believe me." She pleaded with the teary eyes. " Have her locked up!" Thorn shouted seeing the corpses of his father. Lyla had been chosen by the moon goddess to be the next Luna of the Silver moon pack but Georgina had been ever jealous. She was from a prestigious family and a powerful blood line while Lyla was from a lowborn. In fact she didn't know who her biological parents were. She had always believed she was a nobody and she grew up in the orphanage The day Alpha Thorn was to be married to Georgina was the same day Lyla was to be killed but on that day. Lyla was immediately killed but then the. moon goddess gave her a chance to avenge herself. Waking up in the body of the most powerful daughter of the neighbouring Alpha pack. Lyla decided to take revenge on those who lied about her killing Alpha Thorn's parents.
Jason, a hardworking student barely making ends meet, is constantly manipulated by his girlfriend, Linda, who takes advantage of his earnings for her extravagant lifestyle. When Jason discovers that Linda has been secretly involved with Ethan, a wealthy classmate, his world falls apart. Publicly humiliated as Linda denies their relationship and sides with Ethan, Jason resolves to turn his life around and seek revenge on both Linda and Ethan
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
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.
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
"Please trust me, I didn't do anything." "I don't believe you. I am rejecting you as my Queen and giving you the punishment of death." Alina was living outside her pack for five years. Her parents didn't try to contact her and always ignored her. Her best friend convinced her to go back to their pack and she agreed. But she had never imagined what was waiting there for her. She never thought she would meet her mate and had to face betrayal from everywhere. She had to pay for the crime which she never committed. Aaron Robertson is the king of Lycans. He is a very dominant and powerful King who not only rules Lycans but also rules other ranks of werewolves. Everyone is afraid of Lycans and he is the king of them. But who knew that he would get a mate who was just a simple Omega with no powers and strengths? He called her weak all the time but little did he know that his weak Omega would give him the biggest betrayal of his life for which he had to give her the sentence of death.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."