Get the APP hot

My lies catch up with me

His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius

His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius

Modern

4.5

I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.

Chapter 1

Aurelia Vance POV:

I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.

Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.

I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.

But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.

The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.

I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.

Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.

In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.

Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.

"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"

Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.

I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.

Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.

Declan and I adopted her together.

I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.

I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.

Now, she did not even glance in my direction.

Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.

He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.

"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"

My throat felt like sandpaper.

"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"

"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."

He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.

"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."

A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.

"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."

I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.

Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.

"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"

Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.

"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."

The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.

I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.

I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.

Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.

I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.

They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.

My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.

It was an email notification.

"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."

My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.

I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.

Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.

At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.

As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."

"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"

"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."

I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.

In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.

Continue Reading
GROWING UP WITH MY LOVE

GROWING UP WITH MY LOVE

Romance

5.0

Nelina and Royce both promised themselves that being in a relationship is not their priority. They met when they were both messed up. An accident that occurred almost two years ago instantly changed the course of Nelina's life. Losing their prominent status was why Nelina was bullied in school and h

FILL ME UP

FILL ME UP

Romance

4.9

Meet Ella Johnson a hard working fashion designer in Paris, who is looking for love and not just love but one that will satisful her sexual fantasies and also reciprocate her feelings Drake park who is a cold hearted CEO who has been hurt by his past and sees women as tool for his sexual release a

Catch You

Catch You

Young Adult

5.0

Moving back home was the plan. Starting fresh was the plan. Fascinating the most stunning guy ever was not. Amelia's life turned upside down when he started pursuing her. He was stubborn, rugged and used to getting what he wanted. From the moment Theo saw the mystery in her eyes, there was somethin

Catch Me If You Can Enego

Catch Me If You Can Enego

Romance

5.0

After getting chased by dogs and getting shot. I was called to the boss's office to give me another mission. Hi, I'm Shinhe Harukio, and if you think my name is too girly then don't talk to me because I don't give a f*ck. And of course, if you guessed that I'm half Japanese and half Filipino then

LIES & BETRAYAL: My Ex Wants Me Back

LIES & BETRAYAL: My Ex Wants Me Back

Billionaires

5.0

Being the only son of a Mafia leader, Francis North lost his parents while he was young. They were murdered and he promised himself to find his parent's killer at all cost and make them pay. Years later, he met with Andrea Salvador. The only woman who captured his heart. At first, it was just a

STITCH ME UP

STITCH ME UP

Romance

5.0

Fashion meets romance in this compelling drama! Meet Amelia Kurt, a young lady who dreams of being a well known fashion designer. Then there's Ryan Oswald, the billionaire CEO who is going to make it all happen. The two meet under unfavorable circumstances. Can they ride it out or are they not meant

Laced with lies

Laced with lies

Short stories

5.0

Juliet leaned against the weathered rail of the boardwalk, the salty breeze tangling her hair as she closed her eyes. Allen's laughter echoed in her mind-quiet, low, the kind that wrapped around her ribs and stayed. They used to sit on this very spot, passing sketches between them, dreaming of gal

My professor Inlove with me

My professor Inlove with me

Adventure

5.0

/N : SPG ALERT, I am CURRENTLY going to the said office of a teacher to pass my requirements for transferring here. There were no students walking in the hallway and other passages so I felt a little relieved. 'Mr. monticello' I read the name above the door. This is it! The door wasn't closed so

MY MESSED UP TEEN

MY MESSED UP TEEN

Young Adult

5.0

Sixteen-year-old Anna's life is a storm of turmoil. Beneath her outward beauty lies a world shattered by major depression, drug addiction, and family neglect. Haunted by traumas she can't escape-including abuse she's too afraid to speak of-she struggles each day just to survive. Desperate to numb th

Shut Up and Fuck Me

Shut Up and Fuck Me

Adventure

5.0

– Yes my baby go ahead, yes I feel you, oh how so sweet, yes fuck me, drive me crazy my darling. Oh push me to the height of pleasure, oh my baby…. – You are so sweet my princess, oh your pussy is so sweet.. – Thank you darling, oh!!! Suck my breasts, they are yours suck them…Oh my God, baby penet

Hooked Up With A Courtesan

Hooked Up With A Courtesan

Romance

3.5

“I want nothing but your love, Isabella. Give it to me and I’ll make sure that no harm will come to you,” he said affirmatively. “But…” he placed his finger on my lips in an attempt to shut me up, his strikingly hazel eyes planted on my lips. He drew me close, our faces inches apart. I could feel h

I Broke up with My Boyfriend Before I Died

I Broke up with My Boyfriend Before I Died

Romance

5.0

I chased after Jake Burton for eight years, only to break up with him when I saw he had saved his ex-girlfriend's contact as "Baby." Her name was Janet Flynn. "Just because I forgot to change the contact name?" I stared at Jake's mocking smile and nodded. His friends said I was narrow-minde

The Lies That Loved Me

The Lies That Loved Me

Billionaires

5.0

Daniella Marc never expected kindness. Not from the world. Not from people. And definitely not from love. She'd learned early on-pain was constant, trust was dangerous, and hope was a lie wrapped in a prettier lie. Until him. He was everything she wasn't-wealthy, wild, untouchable. The charming

My Mate Dug Up My Father's Grave

My Mate Dug Up My Father's Grave

Werewolf

5.0

I guarded my father's grave—a hero who died saving our pack. One night, I found his runestone replaced by cheap pink marble. His ashes dumped in the flooded Under-Crypts. The one who ordered it? Kael. My fated mate. The future Alpha. He did it to bury a dead dog for Selene—an Omega from a foreign

My Boss is Obsessed With Me

My Boss is Obsessed With Me

Billionaires

5.0

Tyra Claude was never lucky when it came to relationships. Her high-school sweetheart dumped her and quickly found comfort in the arms of her best friend-it almost seemed like love was never meant for her, until she got married.Ashton Pierce, soon to be CEO of Roe foods, only had one thing hindering

My Fiancé's Uncle is Obsessed With Me!

My Fiancé's Uncle is Obsessed With Me!

Billionaires

5.0

Emily's life was already planned-obedient daughter, perfect fiancée, quiet future. Then she crossed the wrong line. Adrian Carter is everything she shouldn't want-her fiancé's uncle, a ruthless billionaire, and a man who sees straight through her carefully built facade. One night changes everything.

My Mates Are Obsessed With Me

My Mates Are Obsessed With Me

Werewolf

5.0

FOUR MATED WEREWOLVES! In a werewolf world, it is a very special moment to know your mate. But what if you are mated with three other wolves? Juan, the alpha of the pack, knew that he was mated to Hadeth. But not long enough, they found out that they were mated with Myrtle and Amber, who were the

The boy I grew up with

The boy I grew up with

Billionaires

5.0

When a drunken night at a party leads to a mistaken room and a steamy one-night stand, intern Emily can't believe her luck - or her mistake. The next morning, she discovers her mystery man is none other than her long-lost classmate, and the CEO of the company she desperately wants to work for.

Hooking Up With Her Ex's Alpha Dad

Hooking Up With Her Ex's Alpha Dad

Werewolf

5.0

At her graduation ceremony, Claire White eagerly awaited Adrian to finally make their relationship public. But to her horror, she watched as he got down on one knee and proposed to Nicole, the esteemed daughter of a powerful Alpha. Heartbroken, Claire drowned her sorrows at a bar, where she met a da

MoboReader