The Billion-Dollar Intern

My hands methodically folded a sweater, placing it into an open suitcase on the bed, sharp creases betraying the inner turmoil I tried to hide. Outside, New York City glittered, oblivious, my life' s soundtrack of distant sirens and traffic hum now signaling its end. An email confirmed it: one-way ticket, New York to Rome. Then the elevator dinged. He was home, and he wasn' t alone. Liam O' Connell, my partner of eight years for whom I' d put my own promising career on hold, walked in with his protégé, Chloe Davis, draped over his arm, their laughter about a private joke stopping short at the sight of my packed bags. Chloe' s sharp eyes surveyed the scene, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips before she feigned concern, asking if I was redecorating. Liam' s charming smile faltered, replaced by annoyance, and he accused me of being dramatic, as if my leaving was just a tantrum. I had built his tech empire with my architectural eye, crafted presentations that won investors, only for him to shatter our partnership and give me a front-row seat to his betrayal. The man who once promised me everything on a Brooklyn fire escape, now stood before me, offering a new car key-a desperate, material bribe-for the wound that cut straight to my soul. He fundamentally misunderstood; he thought my love was a negotiation, a problem to be managed. "You were sleeping with your protégé, Liam," I stated, my voice steady, cutting through his classic, cowardly excuse that "it just happened." He dismissed eight years of my life, of my love, as meaningless, claiming Chloe was young, confused, and looked up to him. But I saw his profound, unshakable disrespect. I had given him everything, only to be replaced by a newer, shinier model, a cruel commodity in his world. "No, it' s not complicated," I said, ringing with clarity. "You made a choice. And now, I' m making mine." As the car sped towards the airport, I pulled out my phone and turned it off, leaving him on the sidewalk with his useless car key. This wasn' t an escape; it was a homecoming. I was flying towards a future I would build for myself, free from a man who knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.

"Mark, we're over." The words, simple and clean, were the hardest I' d ever spoken, yet they carried the sweet taste of freedom. After a lifetime of his smooth, confident voice, it was over. My hands trembled as I hung up, staring at my reflection in the cheap motel window-pale and thin, but with a light in my eyes I hadn' t seen in a decade. Because this wasn' t the first time I' d lived this nightmare. In another life, just days after my brother David' s tragic death, Mark had delivered the second crushing blow: my university admission, my future, was gone. He' d proposed amidst my grief, a manipulative anchor to a broken woman. For ten years, he' d used children and false promises to keep me trapped, extinguishing my spirit until I withered and died at 32, a ghost haunting my own life. Then, I witnessed him standing over my grave, a strange relief on his face, boasting that he' d traded my life and my brother's legacy for Emily White. Emily, who got my university slot, Emily, who built an empire on David' s invention. He never loved me; I was just a transaction. Now, I was back, reborn in this dingy motel room, the memory of that cold grave clinging to me. Mark's frantic calls and aggressive banging shook the door. He was no longer smooth, but raw, demanding. He thought I was his grieving, pliable fiancée, to be managed. But I crushed that old fear. I locked him out, confronting him through the chain with a truth that stunned him. My brother was dead, and I was finally thinking clearly. He' d given Emily what was mine? It was time for him to pay. This wasn' t an act of petulance; it was a promise. This time, I would save myself.

For five years, I poured my life into Apex Holdings, into Mr. Harrison, my mentor, my confidant, the man everyone assumed I' d marry. I walked into the company meeting expecting a promotion, maybe even a proposal, only to watch my world shatter as he beamed, announcing his engagement to a doe-eyed intern half my age. The room applauded, their polite smiles hiding victorious smirks, and the intern, Bethany, held up her massive diamond, looking at me with triumphant pity. Humiliated, I announced my own whirlwind marriage, but my supposed husband was a stranger, hired on the spot. He refused my resignation, sabotaged my projects, and when I finally forced him to sign, his new fiancée, Bethany, deliberately opened my parrot' s cage, and Mr. Harrison, in a fit of rage, kicked my beloved Sky, the last gift from him. He accused me of faking my pain, while everyone whispered about my jealousy, leaving me isolated, just like after my parents died, leaving me to question if my five years of loyalty meant nothing. Desperate for a clean break, I accepted a marriage proposal from Mr. Davies' s son, a man I hadn' t seen since childhood, hoping this drastic step would finally erase Mr. Harrison from my life.

Eight years of marriage, white tablecloths, and soft candlelit dinners. My husband, Liam, the man who once promised forever, took my hand across an expensive restaurant table. But the perfection shattered when he pulled his hand back, revealing his family' s relentless demand for an heir. Then Chloe, a "good, healthy girl" from the countryside, appeared in our living room, brought by his iron-willed grandmother. Soon, I overheard the whispers: Chloe was pregnant. Liam' s baby. When I confronted him with divorce papers, he begged, "I thought it was you." I believed his pleas for one more chance, for him to "handle" Chloe. But the real test came in a dusty warehouse: his business rivals, a choice to be made. "You can only have one," a cold voice stated. "Your wife, Ava, or your other woman, Chloe, carrying your heir." I held my breath, knowing he should choose me. "Let Chloe go. Protect the child. I need the child," Liam' s voice echoed, cold and distant. Then came a frantic whisper, "Ava, I promise. I' ll come back for you." The last thing I saw before the metal pipe struck was his empty promise, his true betrayal. I woke in a hospital, three days later, battered and abandoned. He didn' t come. He never called. He arrived later, no remorse, only self-pity, declaring, "I had to protect the heir. It was the only choice." His grandmother dismissed me as a barren failure, while Chloe, playing the innocent martyr, cried, "I told Liam to choose you… but he insisted on saving the baby… our baby." Watching him fuss over her, over their baby, something clicked. I was pregnant. Seven weeks. And he had just sacrificed our child, draining me for her, for a lie. My father's factory burned, his heart giving out from the shock, and Chloe, playing the sympathetic helper, framed me for arson. Then Liam had me committed to a psychiatric facility, where I barely survived a head injury. I finally understood: this wasn't about love, or even an heir. It was a calculated, ruthless game of power and betrayal. A cold, clear rage settled in. I would not just leave. I would make them pay. I would burn his kingdom to the ground.

For ten years, my life was a dedication, a detailed blueprint for his Broadway dreams, meticulously built with every dollar from my three jobs, every hour as his unpaid assistant. Our tenth anniversary was approaching, but a strange dizziness sent me to a clinic where I received a devastating diagnosis: a rare, aggressive illness, with only a month left to live. I rushed home to tell the man I sacrificed everything for, only to find a pair of unfamiliar red stilettos discarded by the door and a woman' s bright laughter echoing from our bedroom. He emerged, annoyed by my early arrival, while his starlet mistress, Scarlett, wrapped in our bedsheet, smirked triumphantly, reducing me to a forgotten piece of furniture in my own home. His cold dismissal, "It's not a good time. We need to talk later," shattered something inside me, confirming I was nothing more than a tool, malfunctioning at the most inconvenient moment for his career. Later, from a borrowed couch, I heard him on the phone, his voice tender for her, then contemptuous for me: "She's just being difficult… terrible timing. Don't worry about her. I' ll handle it." The foundation of my entire world, built on his promises and my sacrifices, crumbled into a bitter lie. But then, a twisted irony: the experimental treatment that could save me was fully funded by a grant awarded to his new Broadway production with Scarlett, essentially using my life's hope to fuel his infidelity. As I walked away, clutching my old art portfolio, leaving the key behind, I heard him celebrating his "miracle," utterly unaware it was built on my death sentence. My world ended, only to reveal the deeper, darker truth: the illness, the betrayal, his ultimate downfall – it was all part of a loop. A loop that began when a shattered man, drowning in grief and regret, was given an impossible second chance, returned to the very moment we first met, desperate to rewrite our tragic ending.

The glossy magazine cover screamed it: "Chloe Van Der Bilt to Wed Titan of Industry Richard Sterling." My heart, which I' d poured into every stainless-steel surface and Michelin-starred dish of "Ember" -the restaurant I built for her-shattered. For five years, I' d sacrificed everything, clawing my way from a greasy spoon to a critically acclaimed chef, all because she whispered a dream in my ear, a promise of acceptance from her elite world. But now, a "courtesy copy" of her wedding announcement, delivered by her family' s publicist, felt like a public dismissal, a warning shot. The humiliation intensified: a fake health inspection, then a calculated smear campaign in the press painting me as an "obsessed stalker," all orchestrated by her and her new husband. Even after Richard Sterling, her new husband, casually dismissed my love as a "youthful infatuation" to my face, dismissing my entire struggle, the final blow came when Chloe's own brother, Julian, and his thugs brutally beat me in an alleyway, all while Chloe herself called to ensure I got the message, coldly confirming she had set me up. Lying battered on the pavement, I realized the woman I adored was a stranger, and the dream I chased was a meticulously crafted lie, leaving me with nothing but ashes and dust. But lying there, something shifted. The broken man she left behind wouldn't stay broken.

After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."

"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?"

She spent ten years chasing after the right brother, only to fall for the wrong one in one weekend. ~~~ Sloane Mercer has been hopelessly in love with her best friend, Finn Hartley, since college. For ten long years, she's stood by him, stitching him back together every time Delilah Crestfield-his toxic on-and-off girlfriend-shattered his heart. But when Delilah gets engaged to another man, Sloane thinks this might finally be her chance to have Finn for herself. She couldn't be more wrong. Heartbroken and desperate, Finn decides to crash Delilah's wedding and fight for her one last time. And he wants Sloane by his side. Reluctantly, Sloane follows him to Asheville, hoping that being close to Finn will somehow make him see her the way she's always seen him. Everything changes when she meets Knox Hartley, Finn's older brother-a man who couldn't be more different from Finn. He's dangerously magnetic. Knox sees right through Sloane and makes it his mission to pull her into his world. What starts as a game-a twisted bet between them-soon turns into something deeper. Sloane is trapped between two brothers: one who's always broken her heart and another who seems hell-bent on claiming it... no matter the cost. CONTENT WARNING: This story is strongly 18+. It delves into dark romance themes such as obsession and lust with morally complex characters. While this is a love story, reader discretion is advised.  

After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.

"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.]

Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...