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Invisible and timid bookstore clerk Eleanor Hayes who is drowning in debts discovers she's the illegitimate heir to a scandalous, indebted Multi-billion tech empire. On trying to learn about her new found identity, Eleanor faces Julian Blackwood, a calculating rival CEO who tries to ruin her father's legacy by offering a devil's bargain: a fake engagement to legitimize her and bury the secrets that threatens them both. What starts as strategy-staged kisses and shared revenge-ignites an unexpected fire. But as their alliance blurs into obsession, old enemies resurface, trying to expose Eleanor's family secret and bring her down. Will Eleanor accept the gilded cage offered to her, or will she burn it all down and forge her own path?.
The familiar scent of aging paper and cheap coffee at Page & Co. was a constant in my precarious life. Twelve dollars and seventy-five cents an hour was a tightrope walk.
At twenty-five, my life was a careful equation: $12.75per hour plus tips minus $200 per month on student loan payment, minus $153.41 on insulin copay equals just enough to survive. My hands trembled as i arranged a display of self-help books, their titles mocking me; -Lean In , Girl, Stop Apologizing , The Secret . If only she could manifest her way out of this.
"Ellie, can you give me a hand with this shipment?" Marco called, his voice echoing from the front of the bookstore.
"Sure," I replied, forcing a smile as I approached the towering boxes near the entrance.
"More self-help gurus promising untold riches?" he chuckled, wrestling a particularly heavy carton onto a trolley. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "Nah, this looks like the summer romance wave. Lots of beach scenes on the covers. Prepare for inquiries about 'something light and fluffy'."
"Light and fluffy," I muttered, grabbing a smaller box labeled 'Staff Picks'. "Maybe I should write one. Title it 'How to Manifest Rent Money While Living on Instant Noodles'."
Marco grinned, slicing open his carton with a practiced hand. "I'd buy it. Seriously though, you okay? You seem a bit... elsewhere today."
I offered a weak smile. "Just the usual. Calculating the exact number of paperback sales needed to justify buying brand-name pasta." It was easier to deflect with humor than explain the constant gnawing fear of my dwindling finances.
"Tell me about it," Marco sighed, though I knew his financial woes involved saving for a new gaming console, not life-saving medication. Still, the attempt at solidarity was something. "Hey, Mrs. Henderson just called, by the way. Wants to know if her special order of 'Finding Your Inner Zen Warrior' came in."
I suppressed a groan. Mrs. Henderson, our most persistent and spiritually inquisitive customer, was convinced enlightenment could be purchased in hardcover. "Did it?"
"Yep. It's in this box somewhere, probably radiating calming energy." Marco pointed to a stack of unopened cartons.
"Great. I'll go hunt the Zen Warrior," I said, hoisting my own box. I retreated towards the back, needing a moment away from the shop floor's forced pleasantries. The narrow corridor leading to the cramped breakroom smelled faintly of stale microwave popcorn. I dropped the box onto the small, sticky table, noticing a small pile of mail Marco must have brought in earlier.
Mostly junk – flyers, catalogues addressed to 'Current Resident', bills... My stomach gave a familiar clench. Were any of them mine? Please, not another unexpected medical charge. I pushed the box aside and mechanically sorted through the envelopes. Bill, junk, flyer, bill... and then, one stopped me.
It was different. Cream-colored, heavy cardstock. My name and the bookstore's address typed with an unnerving formality: Ms. Eleanor Hayes, c/o Page & Co. Bookstore, 14 Chapman Street, New york city. No return address, just an embossed logo in the top left corner I didn't recognize – a stylized 'W' intertwined with something that looked like a circuitry pattern.
"Curious," I murmured to myself.
It felt official, important even. Definitely not a bill collector; they usually favored flimsy paper and aggressive red lettering. Maybe a jury summons? Or some bizarre alumni donation request? I picked it up, turning it over in my hands. It was properly sealed.
Using my thumbnail, I slit the envelope carefully along the top edge. Inside, a single sheet of matching heavy paper, folded in thirds. The same enigmatic logo sat at the top. I unfolded it, my eyes scanning the typed lines.
WHITMORE INDUSTRIES, Office of the General Counsel, March 7, 2018. Dear Ms. Hayes, This correspondence concerns a matter of significant personal and legal importance. Following extensive investigation and conclusive genetic testing protocols initiated pursuant to inquiries regarding the estate of the late Charles Whitmore, we can confirm a verified biological familial relation...
The words seemed to swim before my eyes. "Genetic testing?" I whispered, the sound barely audible in the quiet breakroom. Charles Whitmore? The name snagged in my brain, vaguely familiar but utterly disconnected from my reality. Whitmore... wasn't that the tech guy? The one from the magazines years ago? My mother's voice echoed dimly in my
memory – Your father was nobody, Eleanor. A ghost. Gone before you arrived.
Never a name, never a detail beyond 'deadbeat'. My heart started a frantic rhythm against my ribs, a panicked bird trapped in a cage. "Biological relation?" I muttered, shaking my head. "It made no sense." This had to be a mistake. Some elaborate prank, or maybe the letter was meant for someone else entirely?
But my name, my workplace address... it was all chillingly correct. My eyes dropped back to the page, drawn by a terrible, magnetic pull, needing to see the rest, needing to understand what cosmic error had landed this impossible piece of paper in my trembling hands. ...biological familial relation to the late Charles Whitmore...
Lila was devastated when Seth King, her husband, broke the news of his affair to her on their anniversary. The night she was going to tell him she was expecting his child, he did not only humiliate her in front of the entire guests and family, but also handed to her the divorce papers. He was in love with her best friend and cousin. Lila runs away and had a horrific car accident that was planned by a loved one, leaving her devastated and enraged. Five years later a changed Lila reappears stronger than ever and with a lethal revenge plot. She had married his filthy rich cousin for revenge. But Seth makes a valiant effort to win her back, will she accept him back just to have her revenge or give him another chance at love?
Selene Thompson refused to give her virginity to her toxic ex, which left her heartbroken. In her pain, she swore never to let any man touch her again, but she still wanted children of her own. With the support of her manager, she decided to go through artificial insemination. Years later, Selene and Andre had an unexpected encounter at the airport while she was with her twins. Recognizing their resemblance, the billionaire discovered the twins she was raising were his. A custody battle ensues, and Andre demands custody of the boys, setting off a series of events that will test the limits of family, love, parenthood, and justice. Will Selene fight for her children or succumb to Andre's demands as it unfolds?
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Julia and Evan were the perfect couple-or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She's fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn't deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn't listen. Now, it's time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? "We should break up," he'd said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it's Evan's turn to hear the truth-and to face his deepest regret.
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.
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"