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Haven't we all heard this story before? A boy. A girl. A bet. He's too rich. She's too smart. Then what makes it different? The beginning? The middle? The end? No. Not even close. Even now, I don't know. But it's high school, everything's uncertain. A bullet dodged or eternal pining. Let me give you a little warning-- Happy endings rarely happen, On the last year of seventeen.
"Do you wanna make a bet?"
Theo finishes his cigarette. It was his second stick and yet he reached for my pack to start another one. He has been in a sour mood the whole morning. And I can only guess it was that August girl.
"That August girl–"
And I was right.
"–how can she be so infuriating?"
I didn't want to start another conversation about her, but I asked him anyway, "Why? What did she do this time?"
"Didn't you see how she looked at us in the parking lot earlier?"
I didn't.
"She walks around here like she owns the place when technically she never even paid a cent to get in."
"That's what being a scholar is." I huffed the last of my cigarette and felt my pockets for gum. "It's not her fault she's smart."
Theo only rolled his eyes. He's a fucking bully. Always had been. Ever since we were kids, he'd find someone whose life he'd make a living hell. I am his friend yet I know this. That would make me a terrible one I guess. But I don't care enough about anyone here to stop him. And the more time he spends bothering them, the less he spends bothering me.
"It's our parents' money that got her here. She should forfeit the audacity to condescend us."
If anything– I wanted to say, we're the ones condescending her.
For years, Theo mostly spent his school life torturing other students until they crack. Some transferred, some left for another country, others just completely gave up on socialization and opted home-schooling. This is the first time someone really grinded his gears. He has tried to shame August ever since freshman years. Saying she didn't belong here or that she was a trash parasite. But the girl wouldn't budge. She would only look at him with such patronizing eyes, with such pity that the shame rounds back to him.
He has never physically hurt her, but his treatment towards her has gotten worse. He spends days thinking of ways to make it difficult for her. The worst one yet was when he threw her bike at the river. It was her only mode of transportation. She spent hours looking all over for it and Theo laughed so hard she kind of figured out she'll never see that bike again. Still, she paid him zero attention and that really pissed him off. He taunted her about it for days and only stopped when she turned to him just to say,
"No. I'm not angry Mr. Brandiles in contrary to the belief you've been parading the past three days. I just don't think you're worth any of my time. In fact, this is the longest one I'll ever spend with you."
I could have sworn I saw him smile. Sometimes I think he might actually like her for dedicating this much time to make her notice him. Sometimes, it's already bordering obsession.
"So do you wanna make a bet?" He asked again.
"Sure."
I wanted to take it back. But I've gotten so resigned to his every whims that it has become my automatic response.
"I want you to humble that Ice Bitch down."
That got me a bit confused and he read my face easily.
"Are you still with Pam?"
"Which Pam?"
"From Holy Bernadette?"
I laughed, "That ended a while back, didn't I tell you? Maybe you meant Pam from Trinity?"
"Yeah, sure that one."
"That ended too."
"You are a whore. Which is perfect for my plans."
Now I know where this is going. I might do it of course, not for anything but because I've got nothing better to do.
"You make the bitch made of ice fall in love with you. Not impossible, I guess–"
I shrugged. She could be a tough act.
"–then you break her heart. Publicly. I want everyone to see her fall. If you're successful, I will give you a hundred grand. If not, you give me Philip."
What does he think of me?
As if I don't already have that money in my bank. And Philip's a Thoroughbred. Spoilt to the brim. He has his own therapist, own blacksmith and a dedicated Equine Veterinarian tuned to all of his needs. Heck, he drinks the 1907 Heidsieck in a marble trough.
A hundred grand is not even a penny for Philip and Theo knows that.
"I think August is a hard shell to open. You're lowballing me with just a hundred grand. I also won't wager my horse. He's worth more than even you."
"So what do you propose my friend?"
I thought for a while. What do I even want from him? To be honest, I'd probably do this for free because I'm bored. But my father often says never do anything you are good at for free.
"Make it two hundred grand. And I want your yacht."
He looked as if he would say no but then thought better of it. What's two hundred grand for the youngest and only son of a business tycoon who owns lands and properties in every inch of the world? As for the yacht, well he can always buy a new one.
"And what do I get if you fail?"
That was a hard question. He's a spoiled thing who already has everything. Well, maybe not everything.
"I'll be the best wingman you'll ever have. You'll have a girlfriend before the year ends."
The bet is stupid, childish and shallow. I only really said that because I thought we were joking. But Theo took the deal. I didn't care because August is just another girl. And Theo, well, he doesn't care about the money or the yacht or even Philip. Theo really just wants to see the Ice Bitch burn.
Remus, the newly ascended Alpha of the Volkov Pack is eager to prove his worth. Coming from the line of the Original Lycan, his powers and abilities equal to none. Always had been cold and unforgiving, Remus was determined not to get distracted, until he meets Eden. A girl with the most peculiar of eyes and a secret of her own. And with her, Remus found that maybe, he doesn't want to be alone. But when one of the Elder Gates under their protection falls into the hands of their natural sworn enemy-- the Cold Ones, the peace that the Wolves had been protecting for more than two decades is once again put in turmoil. Now their enemies is back with a vengeance and Remus is in full alert. He declares a new order-- burn all Vampires into extinction. As old and new enemies loom in, and darkness threatens to swallow everything, can Remus protect everyone, especially the life of the person he now deems more important than his own?
Anabel found out she was pregnant and dialed her husband's number to share the good news to him. They have been married for two years without a child. Desmond's mother had been accusing her of being barren and unproductive. When the call was picked, she was flabbergasted and broken. She was hearing a loud moan of feminine voice. "Ohh! Yeah! Don't stop fucking me! Fuck me harder baby!" accompanied with sound of skins slapping against the other. She went home to confront her husband and end up receiving a divorce paper. Desmond divorced him for a lady his mother was rooting. Few months later when he found out that his ex-wife is a billionaire heiress and she is pregnant with twins, he went crazy!
A man like Travis Sinclair wants nothing more than a woman who matches his sexual prowess and is used to getting everything he wants. A cold-hearted billionaire ,he lives by one rule - no love, no commitment. Ayanna Davies isn't looking for a relationship. She's focused on her work and the financial security it brings. As a high end escort, her client is full of filthy rich men who are willing to pay handsomely for her services. But when Travis Sinclair becomes one of her clients, she begins twice about mixing work with pleasure. Not knowing that he is an old acquaintance whom she despises.
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
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It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
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