Everything But Love
Jilted Girlfriend? I Am The Tycoon's Wife
Cara Lewis sat quietly as her boyfriend of three years pushed a plate of dessert across the table, wearing a rehearsed mask of sorrow. He claimed he had to break up with her for her own good, blaming his lack of connections on Wall Street and insisting he couldn't give her the life she deserved. He acted like a martyr making a tragic sacrifice, waiting for her desperate tears and trembling denial. Instead, Cara calmly pulled out a stack of glossy photos and an elegant engagement invitation. She exposed his secret affair with the wealthy Hailie Lewis, completely dismantling his hypocritical social climb. Leaving the cheating narcissist pale and humiliated, Cara paid the bill and walked out, thinking the trash had finally been taken out. But her newly single evening took a chaotic turn when a teenage gaming partner called in a panic. He begged her to crash his elite prep school and pose as his aunt to save him from expulsion. Cara agreed, flawlessly playing the role of the secret new wife to his uncle, a notoriously ruthless Wall Street titan. She was thoroughly dominating the snobby school board when the office doors suddenly swung open. The real billionaire uncle, Beck Greer, walked into the room. Cara's heart dropped into her stomach as his glacial eyes locked onto her, knowing her social existence in New York was about to end. Caught in a terrifying, inescapable lie, Cara made an insane calculation. She stepped forward, firmly hooked her arm through the billionaire's, and smiled sweetly. "Honey, what took you so long? Julian and I were being bullied." She waited for the executioner's axe to fall, but the untouchable tycoon simply covered her hand with his and played along.
Chapter 1 No.1
Across the white tablecloth of Serafina, Bradyn Hubbard—Cara Lewis's boyfriend of three years—set his wine down and leaned forward. He pulled a thick, cream-colored envelope from his jacket and slid it across the table until it rested in front of her.
Cara looked down. The gold foil lettering was fresh from the press.
Engagement Gala
Groom: Bradyn Hubbard
Bride: Hailie Lewis
Venue: The Lewis Estate, Long Island. Next Saturday.
"Cara, let's be realistic," Bradyn said, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "Hailie is my ticket to the top. Marrying her is the only shortcut for a guy like me to get a seat on the board. I don't love her—she's just the ladder I have to climb for my career."
Cara stared at the card, then lifted her cold amber eyes to meet his. "So you're proposing what, exactly?"
Bradyn gave a smug, self-satisfied smile.
"We break up publicly. But in private? Nothing has to change. You funded my MBA and paid my rent for three years—I haven't forgotten that. Stay quiet, be my little secret on the side, and once I secure the Lewis assets, I'll make sure you're taken care of in luxury."
Cara stared at his shameless face, her voice dropping into a dangerous, silky calm. "You sold yourself as a kept man to my stepsister, and you expect me to be your dirty little secret?"
"Don't make it sound so ugly, Cara," Bradyn scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "That's how men get ahead in Manhattan. Be realistic, Cara. You're broke and you have no one. Who else is going to take care of you? Don't be stupid. Just take the deal."
Cara looked at him for one quiet second, her lips curving into a razor-sharp smile.
"In your wildest dreams, Bradyn."
Without a second's hesitation, Cara picked up her crystal tumbler and threw the cold bourbon and ice straight into his face.
The freezing liquor drenched his styled hair and soaked the collar of his designer shirt. Bradyn gasped, shooting up from the velvet booth in sheer shock, frantically wiping his stinging eyes.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he snarled, glaring at her as neighboring tables turned to stare.
Cara set the empty glass down with a quiet, deliberate tap.
Without breaking eye contact, she reached into her Saint Laurent bag, pulled out a thick manila folder, and dropped it heavily onto his soaked lap.
"Open it, parasite," Cara said calmly.
Bradyn's hands shook as he ripped the folder open.
A thick stack of forensic-grade photographs spilled across the table. His breath caught in his throat—the photos showed him and Hailie completely naked, tangled in the satin sheets of a suite at the Baccarat Hotel.
Taped right behind the prints was a notarized invoice.
Columbia MBA Tuition & Fees: $186,000.00
Tribeca Penthouse Lease Subsidies: $94,000.00
Bespoke Wardrobe & Networking Tabs: $62,000.00
TOTAL REIMBURSEMENT DUE: $342,000.00
Bradyn's face turned an ashen, sickly gray. "You... you tracked me?"
"Three hundred and forty-two grand," Cara said, tapping the total with a manicured nail. "Wire it back to my account by Monday morning. If you don't, these photos go directly to Hailie's father and the Lewis board."
The shock on Bradyn's face instantly curdled into ugly fury. He slammed both hands on the table, leaning in with a desperate hiss. "You crazy bitch! You gave me that money willingly—that was trust money! You can't sue me for gifts!"
"I invested in a partner, Bradyn, not a freeloader," Cara said coldly. "You lived off my money for three years just to become my stepsister's leashed lapdog. Pay back every cent by Monday, or wear the collar in public."
"You fucking bitch—" Bradyn lunged forward, grabbing for her wrist.
Cara smoothly stepped back, out of his reach. She stood tall, smoothing the front of her tailored coat, looking down at him with absolute disgust.
Slowly, deliberately, she raised her hand and flipped him a clean, effortless middle finger.
"Congratulations on the engagement, Bradyn," Cara said softly. "You and Hailie deserve each other."
She turned on her three-inch heels and walked away.
Cara headed swiftly toward the exit, adrenaline still humming through her veins. As she rounded the private staircase leading down from the mezzanine, she didn't see the tall silhouette stepping into the foyer.
Her shoulder collided hard against a solid wall of broad, tailored muscle.
The impact pushed Cara back half a step, but the man didn't move an inch.
For an instant, Beck Greer's jaw tightened. For ten years, any physical contact with a woman—even an accidental bump in a crowd—triggered violent nausea and psychosomatic revulsion.
Yet as this woman collided against his chest, the expected revulsion never came.
There were no hives. No suffocating panic. Only the clean scent of rain and subtle vanilla, and the fierce, crackling heat radiating from her skin.
Beck looked down in arrested, quiet shock.
Cara caught her balance, her amber eyes flashing with irritation as she looked up.
"Excuse me, sir. Do you mind watching where you're walking?"
Beck looked down at her, genuine amusement flashing in his eyes. For the first time in a decade, physical contact hadn't made him sick.
"You're the one who ran into me," he said calmly.
Cara had zero patience to argue. "Then move."
A subtle smirk touched Beck's lips. Instead of taking offense, he stepped smoothly aside.
"After you."
Cara brushed past his towering frame without another word and pushed out into the crisp night air.
Behind him, Korbin Mckee rushed down the stairs, looking alarmed as he pulled a sanitizing wipe from his pocket. "Mr. Greer! Are you alright? Did she make contact? Do you need your medication—"
Beck held up a hand, stopping his chief of staff. He looked down at the lapel where Cara's fingers had grazed him, his eyes gleaming with dark, electric fascination.
"I'm fine, Korbin," Beck murmured, his voice low and raspy. "In fact... I've never felt better."
Korbin stared at him, bewildered. Clearing his throat, the assistant quickly brought up his tablet. "Sir... that was Cara Lewis, the disinherited daughter of Lewis International. Also, Dean Peterson from Auden Academy just called. Julian got into a fight on campus and injured a trustee's son. The board is demanding family representation immediately."
Beck didn't look at the tablet, his eyes still fixed on the glass doors as Cara disappeared under the rainy streetlights.
"Tell Peterson I'm on my way to the academy now," Beck commanded smoothly, a rare, thrilling hunger entering his tone. "And Korbin—pull Cara Lewis's full file. I want everything on my tablet before we arrive."
Outside on the sidewalk, the cold wind whipped across Cara's face.
She pulled out her phone to block Bradyn's number when a text message from Hailie slashed violently across the top of her screen.
"Bradyn just called me in a panic. Did you really think some cheap hotel photos and a pathetic invoice would scare us? Dad officially froze your mother's trust account ten minutes ago. You're completely broke, Cara. You don't have a single dollar left to pay rent, let alone hire a lawyer. Hand over those negatives tonight. If you beg nicely, maybe I'll let you attend our Long Island engagement gala next Saturday as a catering maid so you can actually eat."
Cara's fingers tightened on the titanium frame until her knuckles turned bone-white. A cold, lethal fury settled in her chest.
They thought stripping her of her mother's trust would leave her defenseless and force her to surrender.
Before Cara could hit reply, the entire display suddenly glitched with static and went pitch-black.
A glowing crimson icon began pulsing frantically over an encrypted backdoor protocol.
"Incoming Encrypted Call: Joker"
Cara blinked, the anger momentarily derailed.
Joker. Her anonymous gaming partner and top-tier hacker contact for the past two years. The kid had backdoor exploits into half the private mainframe networks in the country, but they had strictly maintained an encrypted, voice-only connection.
Cara tapped the screen and brought the phone to her ear.
"Nemesis, thank God—do not hang up on me," Julian Kensington gasped from the other end, his voice tight with raw, unadulterated panic.
Everything But Love
One contract. Two worlds. Zero room for the heart. Elena "Ellie" Morrison is a master of the mask. By night, she's the witty, guarded bartender at the city's most exclusive lounge. By day, she's a woman drowning in debt, fighting a losing battle against her brother's mounting medical bills and a p
When You Have Everything But Love
"Just so you know, I don't like you." Said Tessy and Mason smiled. "The feeling is mutual." He replied before pulling her in for a kiss. ****** Growing up alone with a curse that deprived her happiness, love and family, Tessy meets Mason and the way she sees the world changes completely. This han
EVERYTHING COMES FROM LOVE
My name is Jennah (see multimedia), I'm 18 years old and I'm from... I don't know, I don't know anything about me just my date of birth I was born on the 12th of December #TeamDecember my first name, of course my age too huh. Physically ? I'm 5'6", I have dark eyes, long wavy hair when I wear it do
LOVE: EVERYTHING OR NOTHING
Keith went to Brownstead Brewery to disappear, just another lonely face in the Saturday-night blur. Love had left him hollow, and he wanted nothing more than to feel nothing at all. But fate had other plans. One unexpected smile. One simple "Hi." And suddenly, disappearing wasn't so easy anymore.
Love Over Everything
Naomi knew it was wrong to spend the night with a stranger in another city. But something in her told her she could trust him. She ended up having a passionate one night stand with him only to discover he lied about his Identity and Status.
Fake but Passionate Love
Ryan was a handsome guy in high school. He was very popular in his school. Lala, who was Ryan's high school friend, was fascinated and declare love to Ryan. But when college as time went on, Ryan's face developed acne until his face was not as handsome as before. Making Lala change her attitude tow
When True Love Costs Everything
My studio was a monument to dust and dreams, haunted by stack of canvases and a growing pile of final notices. Then I saw it: a news notification celebrating Mark Johnson, the tech mogul, philanthropist, and the man I' d saved four years ago when he was dying in a hospital bed. When I called for h
Fated Mates: Love Over Everything
Liara Haysbert's whole world revolved around her books and her family. She didn't want to find her mate just after turning eighteen because she wanted to become a doctor first. A part of her didn't wish to find her mate because she was scared that her mate would reject her. Because she used to strug
Love Over Everything (Zanara's Story)
After learning her husband's dark secret and running away, Zanara meets Jayme, a man who loves her with all his heart. However, a dark past and betrayal make Zanara build a high wall and not give the man a chance. As time goes on, she finds herself trapped in a complicated love story, especially
Magic Love: Dangerous But Addictive
This love was poisonous, but he couldn’t stop himself from indulging in it. She was the beauty every man wanted in the city. He was the man who took the city under control. The three years she had been with him, she gave him everything except love. He thought he would win her heart as time went by.
But Daddy I Love Him
"Unfortunately for you, there is no going home. You're mine now, to do with as I please." Fate seems to be throwing problem after problem at nineteen year old Makayla Delgado. Her own parents are not who she thinks they are, and now on top of that, they want to send her away. As if that's not enoug
Love Killer: Tricky But Seductive
They were both like black roses, blooming in the dark, and wafting a unique fragrance across anyone that crossed their paths. Bloodthirsty, ruthless, heartless. But she gradually lost herself, all because of the thing called love. She turned around, taking off her mask and shocking everyone presen
No Choice But To Love
For twenty six year old Harley Richmond, Edward Crane was just the rich kind godfather who sponsored her at the orphanage after the death of her parents when she was only ten. Now celebrating her daughter's fifth birthday, Hailey and Edward were confronted by Edward's son Casper who had followed hi
No Love But A Contract
With a contract, she gave herself to a man in a mask. "Good girl, just relax and leave the rest to me." The man's hand touched Sophie Lopez's lips, and his low voice made her tremble, but she couldn't escape. A year later, she gave birth to twins, trying to avoid the man to keep a child, and then se
Imaginary marriage but real love
Kelly Frank was a college student. In the evening, she went to sing at the New Century bar to earn money to cover her life. Kelly was chased by a rapist and she fell from the roof of a bar, instantly dying. Her soul was reincarnated into the body of a famous female star: Tea Brown. Tea Brown was an
When Love Costs Everything: An Heiress's Revenge
My life was supposed to be a dream, a bright future with my husband Andrew, leaving my wealthy Napa Valley life behind for love. But our condo fell through, leaving me, a six-month pregnant woman, stuck in my in-laws' cramped, stale house. That Black Friday, my mother-in-law Maria, obsessed with a
Forbidden Love: Want Nothing But You
To pay for her mother and sister’s medical bills, Daphne Laurel was forced to accept an offer to become the pretend wife of a sickly old tycoon in her care. She also suddenly had to perform the role of the stepmother to a hot young man who had a million charms, who unfortunately hated her very much.
I shouldn't love you but I do
Have you ever been in love with someone that you shouldn't be? I have tried to fight my feelings but it's getting harder and harder. I hated to admit it but I was in love with my sister's boyfriend. I know I am a horrible person but I was in love with him way before she got with him. Sometimes I thi
Love Crumbled, But Her Brilliance Shone
Years ago, Cathy's husband threw himself into danger to save her. Then fate cut the cord-after the accident, he remembered everyone but the woman he'd once died for. On their third anniversary, he betrayed her, and that night she signed the divorce. Freed, she dusted off her hidden brilliance:
Choice Of Love: Nobody But You
Despite being the daughter of the head of a multinational group, Zoe was a fool everyone laughed at. After an accident, however, she was charmed enough to regain her consciousness. Later, she witnessed her husband cheating on her with another woman. Zoe thought she could get rid of that nightmare by
