Kiara Reynolds' life was shattered at sixteen when her mother tragically passed away, leaving her looking for answers from her father's cold silence. As she blossomed into a young woman, her father's new wife, Lucy, turned her world upside down. Rescued by Enzo from a forced marriage, Kiara decided to secretly marry him, which quickly turned sour when she realized his true motive was revenge for her mother's part in ruining his parents' marriage. Enduring Enzo's torment alone, Kiara accidentally gets pregnant, but Enzo demands she abort the child. She fled away, but Enzo tracked her down, and their child's arrival softened his heart shortly. Yet, their happiness was short-lived as Enzo's past entanglements, including an obsessive childhood friend and a scheming stepmother, threatened their weak peace. Thrown out of Enzo's life once again, Kiara has become a successful actress and singer, returning years later to take back her child and confront her past. At Enzo's engagement party, she stuns everyone with her presence and makes Enzo break up his engagement with Audrey.
Chapter 1: You Dare To Refuse Me?
At Centennial Medical Hospital
A young woman with an ashen face stood by the ultrasound room door, holding a report.
She wasn't happy like most expecting moms. Instead, fear surrounded her.
The report said she was eight weeks pregnant with one healthy baby. She'd been pregnant for two months.
Just then, her phone rang, and she saw the caller's name before answering with a deep breath, "Hello?"
"Come to the office," said a cold, scary voice on the other end.
"Y-yeah..."
The call ended suddenly, leaving her no choice.
Kiara Reynolds quickly packed away the ultrasound report, left the hospital in a rush, and headed to the biggest building downtown.
Whenever she came here, her only job was to make her husband happy and do whatever he wanted.
She had to be available whenever he called, no matter when or where, or else face serious consequences.
When she arrived at the suite on the 32nd floor of the company, Kiara was about to sit down when she heard the fingerprint scanner beep outside the door.
A tall, good-looking man in a fancy black suit walked in.
It was Enzo Davis, her husband.
Kiara quickly smiled and stood up. "Did your trip go well, honey?"
It was still afternoon, and the sun made Enzo's sharp features look even colder and meaner.
Without saying anything, he tossed a bag at her.
"Go shower and put it on," he ordered firmly.
Kiara glanced at the lingerie bag and understood what he meant. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she stammered, "I... I have a stomach ache today. I don't feel good. Can we-"
He saw through her lie right away and snapped, "Stop making excuses."
"It's true," she insisted, blushing as she lied.
After all, she was two months pregnant!
Kiara knew she couldn't handle what was coming next.
Summoning courage, she asked, "Can I take today off and rest?" She couldn't go through with what he wanted, not with a baby on the way.
With his hands in his pockets, Enzo loomed over her. He looked at her with disdain and asked, "Do you think you deserve a break?"
Kiara's eyes welled with tears. She felt bitter as she looked at the cold, heartless man.
A year ago, her stepmother had betrayed her, forcing her into a marriage with an old man. She was hopeless until Enzo came along like a savior, rescuing her from that nightmare.
When Kiara tried to tell her father about what happened, her stepmother twisted the story. She accused Kiara of taking her daughter to a dangerous club, almost putting her in danger.
Without hesitation, her father slapped her and kicked her out of the house, leaving her alone to figure things out.
One stormy night, a drunk man grabbed her. She panicked and fell, but then, somehow, Enzo appeared once more.
From that moment, he became her savior. He gave her a place to stay and comforted her.
Enzo was tall, handsome, and carried himself with an air of nobility. Everything about him screamed class and elegance.
Moreover, Enzo was not just any man; he was the head of the country's top financial conglomerate, Davis Group. He was incredibly wealthy and influential.
A month later, Kiara gave In to his advances, and secretly, she took her household registration book from home without her father knowing. She married Enzo in secret, without anyone's approval.
She believed that marriage would bring her happiness.
But on the night they got married, Enzo whispered a dark truth in her ear: marrying her was just the beginning of his revenge.
Now, back in the present, Kiara came out of the bathroom, her arms wrapped around herself, blushing as she walked to the bed.
It seemed like tormenting her was Enzo's idea of fun. Whenever he went on a business trip, he'd bring back erotic items that pushed her boundaries and made her wear them for his entertainment.
Now, he was lying back on a pillow, looking sophisticated and decadent in his crisp white shirt and tailored trousers.
Kiara timidly pleaded once more. "I'm really not feeling well. Can't we...."
"You don't get to say no," he shot back with his cold, piercing gaze.
His stare made Kiara want to run away.
"When will you stop hurting me? When will you let me go?" Kiara finally questioned him, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Kiara was a person, a living being, not just a toy for Enzo to control however he pleased.
Enzo got up from the bed, finding a hint of rebellion in Kiara's expression somewhat amusing. He didn't enjoy women who were too obedient; they were no fun.
With a sneer, he said, "You want me to let you go? That'll never happen. You're stuck with me whether I'm tired of you or not."
"You..." Kiara couldn't hold back her tears. She felt utterly embarrassed.
He walked over to her, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look at him. He found her mixture of fierceness and purity intriguing.
As he moved in to kiss her, Kiara angrily turned her head away to avoid his lips.
"You dare refuse me?" he smirked.
In the next moment, he lifted her up and tossed her onto the soft bed nearby.
Two hours later, the exhausted woman gasped, clutching her lower abdomen, when she noticed faint red marks on the bed sheets.
'My baby! Please be okay!' she pleaded silently.
With trembling legs, Kiara made her way back to the hospital once again.
As she lay in the ultrasound room, the sound of the small train nearby filled her with panic.
Tears streamed down Kiara's face, surprising the nurse who rushed to comfort her. "Don't worry, Miss. Your baby is healthy. The baby's heartbeat is strong."
When Kiara went into the doctor's office, she was surprised that the doctor remembered her. The doctor asked immediately, "Why did you suddenly start bleeding? You were fine this morning. Do you want your child or not?"
Hearing the question, Kiara almost blurted out, "Yes, I do!"
A strong eagerness to protect her baby flooded through Kiara. She felt like a mother the moment she heard her baby's heartbeat just moments ago.
The doctor glanced at her. "You're not even 20. Isn't your husband here?"
"H-He's busy," she stuttered.
"Well, you need to make sure he takes care of you and prioritizes the baby for the next three months. Otherwise, the risk of miscarriage is high, even for someone as young as you," the doctor hinted, noticing the kiss mark on her neck.
"I understand. Thank you, doctor," Kiara said, her face turning beet red.
As she breathed a sigh of relief, Kiara's chest tightened. How was she supposed to tell Enzo about the baby?
If she didn't say anything, the baby could be in danger at any moment. But if she did tell him, the baby would be at even more risk because Enzo would likely insist on her getting rid of it.
She stood before the mirror, her hands trembling as she ran a brush through her hair. Her eyes were wide and fearful, a far cry from the confident and self-assured woman she had been just a few hours before. This was no ordinary betrothal – she was being forced into marriage with a man of immense wealth and power, a man she knew nothing about. She felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter. Olivia Archer woke up one morning to discover that she had been betrothed to a ruthless billionaire. She felt a mix of emotions: shock, fear, and confusion. She knew that saying no to the betrothal would have dire consequences, but saying yes seemed even more dangerous. What was she to do? The options before her seemed impossible, and yet she had to make a choice. Which path would she take?
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
"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?"
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."
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.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.