Stay With Me
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THREE-YEARS CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE HOT BILLIONAIRE
"Sign the contract, or lose everything." I stared at the papers that would seal my fate-a three-year marriage to Julian Blackwood, the ruthless billionaire they call the Ice King. My family didn't ask. They demanded. My father's company was drowning, my stepsister's engagement had exploded, and I was the replacement bride they could sacrifice. Just another transaction. Julian made it clear on our wedding day: "Don't expect affection. Don't expect companionship. Certainly don't expect love." He refused to kiss me at the altar. He gave me a bedroom down the hall and told me to stay out of his way. I was Mrs. Blackwood in name only-a contract, a convenience, a means to an end. I accepted it. I had survived twelve years of abuse in my own home. I could survive three years of indifference in his. But then Nate, Julian's best friend, showed me kindness, and suddenly my cold husband became possessive. When my sister attacked me, he became protective. Now the man who promised me nothing is fighting his own father to keep me. The marriage that was supposed to be fake is becoming terrifyingly real and the secrets about my mother's death are threatening to destroy everything. They said Julian Blackwood destroys everything he touches. What they didn't tell me... is that sometimes destruction is exactly what you need to be reborn. With a pregnancy involved, how was I going to end this three-year marriage peacefully?
Chapter 1 The Invisible Daughter
Lena.
I refilled the champagne glasses carefully, weaving through clusters of glittering guests who looked through me rather than at me. The black dress I wore, the same one I'd worn to every family event for the past three years had a small tear at the hem that no one had noticed. No one ever noticed.
"More champagne here," a woman in diamonds called out, snapping her fingers without bothering to look at my face.
I moved to her, my footsteps silent on the marble floor of the Carter mansion's ballroom. Cassie's engagement party was in full swing, two hundred guests celebrating my stepsister's upcoming marriage to Liam Whitley, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. A string quartet played in the corner. The air smelled of expensive perfume and imported flowers.
I belonged to none of it.
But in exactly seven days, none of this would matter anymore.
Seven days until I had enough money saved. Seven days until my interview at the marketing firm in Boston. Seven days until I could disappear from this house and never look back.
I touched the envelope hidden in my bra-my mother's death certificate, the one document I would need to access the small trust fund she had left me. The lawyer's appointment was scheduled for Monday morning. After three years of hiding money in my mattress, working secret jobs Bridget didn't know about, I finally had enough for a security deposit and first month's rent on a tiny studio apartment five hours away.
Freedom was seven days away.
"The hors d'oeuvres are running low on the west table." Bridget's sharp voice cut through my thoughts. My stepmother appeared at my elbow, her perfectly painted lips pressed into a thin line. "Were you planning to let our guests starve?"
"I'll refill them now," I said quietly.
"You should have done it ten minutes ago." Her manicured nails dug into my arm. "Must I do everything myself? Go. And try not to look so pathetic. You're embarrassing us."
Just seven more days, I reminded myself. Seven more days of this, then I'd never have to hear her voice again.
I hurried toward the kitchen, my cheeks burning. Behind me, I heard Bridget's laugh as she greeted another guest. The transformation was instant, like flipping a switch.
In the kitchen, I loaded canapés onto a silver tray, my hands moving automatically. The catering staff gave me sympathetic looks but said nothing. They knew better than to interfere in family matters.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I checked it quickly, it as a text from Landon, my manager at the coffee shop where I worked early mornings before anyone in this house woke up.
"Your last paycheck is ready. $340. That puts you at your goal, right?"
My heart soared. I didn't need to wait seven more days. I had enough now. I could leave tomorrow if I wanted to.
I typed back quickly: "Yes. Thank you for everything."
"Good luck in Boston. You deserve better than this."
I deleted the conversation and pocketed my phone, my hands shaking with suppressed excitement. Tomorrow. I could leave tomorrow, right after the lawyer's appointment. I had already packed a small bag and hidden it in the garden shed. I had bus tickets purchased under a fake name. I had...
"Lena!" Cassie's voice shattered my planning. "Come here for a second."
I returned to the ballroom, a tray balanced in my hands. Cassie stood at the center of a group of her friends, her engagement ring catching the light with every dramatic gesture. She looked beautiful in her rose-gold gown, her blonde hair swept into an elegant updo, her laugh was musical and confident.
Everything I wasn't. Everything I had stopped trying to be.
"I just wanted to introduce you to everyone," Cassie said sweetly as I approached. "This is my stepsister, Lena. She's been so helpful tonight, playing servant." She leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. "She really commits to the role, doesn't she?"
Her friends tittered. I stood frozen, the familiar burn of humiliation spreading through my chest.
Tomorrow, I reminded myself. Just get through tonight.
"Actually, I think she enjoys it," one of them said. "Some people just know their place."
Cassie reached for a glass of wine from a passing waiter. She turned back to me, smiling. "Oh, how clumsy of me!"
The red wine hit my dress in a splash of burgundy, soaking through the fabric. The wine was cold against my skin, and for a moment, I felt the envelope in my bra getting damp. Panic shot through me, if the death certificate was ruined, I would have to order another one, which would take weeks.
I set down the tray with shaking hands and hurried toward the bathroom, Cassie's laughter following me down the hall. In the bathroom, I carefully extracted the envelope. The certificate was fine, protected by the envelope's thick paper. Relief flooded through me.
I looked at my reflection: wine-stained, exhausted, invisible. Tomorrow, this version of Lena Carter would cease to exist.
I slipped out the side door into the garden, needing air, needing to see the one place in this house that still felt like home. My mother had planted these roses herself, back when she was alive, back when this house held warmth and laughter. I had hidden my escape bag behind the largest rose bush, wrapped in plastic.
I knelt beside it now, checking to make sure it was still there. Everything was intact-clothes, documents, the small amount of jewelry my mother had left me that Bridget didn't know about.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, Mom," I whispered to the roses. "I'm finally getting out."
A crash from inside the house shattered the moment. Then shouting, loud enough to carry through the walls.
My escape would have to wait a few more hours. I stood, brushing dirt from my ruined dress, and returned to find chaos.
A crash from inside the house shattered the quiet. Then shouting, loud enough to carry through the walls. I stood, brushing dirt from my ruined dress.
When I returned to the ballroom, it was chaotic. Cassie stood in the center of the room, her face blotchy with tears, while Liam Whitley faced her with crossed arms.
"I'm done," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I can't marry someone so spoiled, so entitled. My family won't allow it anyway, your father's company is hemorrhaging money. This engagement is over."
He pulled the ring from his pocket...Cassie must have thrown it at him and set it on a nearby table. Then he walked out.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Cassie's scream pierced the air. She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it at the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "How dare he! How dare he embarrass me like this!"
Guests began making hurried exits, murmuring apologies and excuses. Within minutes, the ballroom had emptied except for family and staff.
Bridget's hand connected with my cheek before I saw it coming. The slap echoed through the nearly empty room.
"This is your fault," she hissed. "Looking like trash in front of our guests, bringing bad luck to this family. You've embarrassed us for the last time."
I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek but said nothing. My father stood in the corner, avoiding my eyes.
"Get out of my sight," Bridget said. "And clean up this mess before you go to bed."
I spent the next two hours picking up broken glass and discarded napkins while the caterers packed up around me. My father and Bridget had disappeared into his study. I could hear their voices, through the heavy door.
By the time I finished cleaning, it was past midnight. I was heading toward the stairs when my father's voice stopped me cold.
"The company is failing. We'll be bankrupt within six months."
I froze outside his study door, my heart pounding.
"Then we need the Blackwood deal," Bridget said. "It's our only option."
"Julian Blackwood wants a marriage alliance. His father insisted on it."
"Then we give them a bride."
No. No, no, no.
"Cassie's engagement just ended publicly," my father said. "The Blackwoods won't want damaged goods."
"They've never met Cassie in person. They've only seen photos. We'll give them Lena instead."
The trash bag slipped from my hands.
"Lena?" My father sounded uncertain.
"She's useless here anyway. At least this way she'll finally contribute something to this family."
I pressed myself against the wall, my carefully constructed escape plan crumbling around me.
"Lena!" My father's sharp voice cut through my panic. "Get in here. Now."
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The Alpha King's Hated Slave
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
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My Baby's Daddy Is Mr CEO
It was Valentine`s day; the day of love. Arianna had gone out with for a date with her boyfriend, she was expecting him to pop the question tonight but instead, he did the exact opposite. He announced that the relationship was not working and he couldn't push on anymore. So he walked out of her life and out of the country as well. She was broken, ended up in a bar where she intended to drink away her sorrows. She got tipsy and that's when Mr. handsome stranger showed up. The both ended up in a hotel room and the next morning before she could wake up, he was gone. Only if she knew that the one night stand would lead to an unexpected pregnancy. She was pregnant for someone whose name she didn't even know, a complete stranger. Six months later, she bumps into a magazine with his picture "Oliver Gomez; Business man of the year" That's when she realizes that her Baby`s Daddy Is Mr. CEO!! She confronts him but the billionaire CEO denies it, however she is not going to give up, not without a fight.
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Billionaire's Regret: CEO Wants Mother Of Twin Back
Lily was the wife of the richest and most powerful man in the continent, but because she couldn't conceive an heir for her husband, everyone treated her without respect including her husband. After five years, she finally conceived but her husband, Drake Bell believed her pregnancy was a result of an affair she has because he never had any intimacy with her ever since his childhood sweetheart returned back to his life and that was a year ago. Hence, he took Lily to the hospital and enforce an abortion on her pregnancy eventhough it was against her will. Broken, battered and wasted, Lily dropped a divorce paper on the table and left her husband's villa. The wife of the richest man in the continent ended up being homeless and sleeping on the street but two weeks later, she started experiencing strange symptoms. On visiting the hospital, she was told she was pregnant. Many years later, Drake Bell knelt before Lily and begged her and her twin to come to him but Lily was already a top designer with enough money in her account, she has more than enough to take care of herself and her kids, as for Drake Bell, she told him to rot in hell. But destiny can be tricky, could there a possibility of love between Drake Bell and Lily considering Drake Bell's unforgivable act in the past?
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I Still Hate You
Ethan Miller was the hottest guy in Greenville High School. Girls loved him, guys wanted to be him. He just had one problem, Corey Price. Corey Price was the complete opposite of Ethan. Ethan did not like his lingering looks and admiring glances. It made him furious. Corey was the bane of his existence. Ethan's solution was to beat and torment Corey and make his school days unbearable. Corey's wounds never healed. His fondness of Ethan turned into hatred and he vowed to never forgive him. But, he spent years working on himself and has emerged a stronger, better person, ready to take on new challenges. Finally confident, he's about to take on a new job. Until he discovered who his new boss was. It was none other than the monster himself. Ethan Miller
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Stay with me Diana
Diana is a young,ambitious woman with one dream, which is to build a better life for herself and lift her family out of struggle When she landed a job at Spintech company she couldn't contain her excitement. But she never expected her guarded heart to start beating for her cold-hearted boss Just
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Stay with me CEO
picture it now, a house not so different from this one, its various rooms designed to house a large family: husband, wife and many children. I was supposed to have left the day after my hair dryers were dismantled. The plan was to spend a week setting up my new salon and furnishing the house. I want
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Stay With Me (Our Story)
Amaya Jones is 23 years old and a single mother to Bailey King. She used to live with her family until she became pregnant with Bailey. Her father was furious so he cut her out of their life. Aiden Carter a 28-year-old billionaire playboy and heir to his father's company is surprised when his fathe
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Persistent Ex-husband: Stay With Me
Never in Linsey's wildest dreams did she imagine the first time she met her husband of three years was in bed. She expected that they would begin to live like a real couple afterward, but Bryson didn't recognize her. He mistook her for a prostitute and hated her to the bone. Linsey thought their pa
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Love Order From CEO: Stay With Me
Shelly had always had a crush on Harry, ever since the third grade. However, their love story started with her as a honey trap. To carry out her aunt’s plan for revenge, Shelly got close to Harry and made him fall in love with her. When he found out the truth, he ruined the engagement party and m
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Love On The Edge: Stay With Me, My Precious Darling
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, Em
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The Lost Heiress Returned: Stay With Me, My Two-Faced Goddess
Following twenty years away from home, Cathleen returned expecting family, but all she received was contempt. Her parents sneered, "You may share our blood, but someone as exceptional as your sister is the only one fit to be our daughter." Her brother scoffed, "Ashley is my only sister. Get ou
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Stay Away From Me
Alice traveled to her best friend Viola's house to prepare for her college entrance exam. However, Viola was not at home, and Alice found herself waiting with Viola's brother, Sam, who had long harbored feelings for her. Sam offered Alice a drink, secretly adding some substances to it to incapacitat
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Mommy please stay with Daddy
Elsa was forced to abandon her kids and her marriage three years ago, when she found out that her husband had been cheating on her. Now she's back to take her kids with her, this time she is Rich, properly educated, independent and no longer the naive young lady she was then. But there was a proble
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LET ME STAY THE NIGHT
A struggling college student, Christina Steele never expected her life to change so drastically when she accepts a job as a personal assistant to billionaire Connor, a man of commanding presence and irresistible charm. While trying to maintain professionalism, the undeniable chemistry between them s
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Cursed Boss: Stay Away From Me!
Valerie's greatest regret was taking up a job to work as Edwin's personal secretary. It turned out that loyalty didn't mean a thing to him. When he got tired of her after everything she had done for him in the past five years, he transferred her to the branch office without batting an eye. It wa
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Stay the Night
Building an empire comes first. Or it did until I met her. My family's billion-dollar hotel chain has been my life for as long as I can remember. Travel. Women. Wealth. That's all I know, until fate grabs me by the throat and decides to not let up. She's a beach body, a beautiful, curvy Califor
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Stay Away
She thought there was no problem but she was fully wrong because at the same time as she neglected to keep the man, she neglected to let her heart fall into it. Now, how will she weigh her mind and heart if she's against himself too? She thought of staying the man away but her heart said otherwise.
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Have sex with me
Have sex with me is a story of a rich man named Paige who would later fall in love with a poor girl This story is educative, romantic and full of suspense
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The Lady Who Stay
"How do you think he survived the fall?" she wondered aloud, looking up at the hole above. "If he did survive the fall, someone must have caught him. Or he fell on a softer ground-or someone looking up at the hole like you are doing now," Meredith, her chaperone and lady companion absently answered
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Dance with Me
Jade and Mark has been partners in dancing competitions since their childhood until now. Will the rhythm of their bodies convey to the rhythm of their hearts? How will Mark confessed his love for her? Will they become partners in dancing alone or will they finally end up being together as lo
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He's inlove with me
It happened inside a well-known campus owned by the Patterson family. A brave young lady in grade 11 faced all the hardship and pain just to protect her friend and classmates in a bullying group led by Edith. And everything she went through blamed it on Lucas who is a son of Patterson and a sociopat
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His obsessed with me
"Kuya where's mom and dad?" The girl asked her older brother as she walked down from her room. "They go to the company." Was the short reply of his older brother who was busy playing on his cell phone. "Ah owwkayyy" The girl said and went straight to the kitchen to eat It's only 6:30 in the morni
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Stick With Me
Mia has just moved into a new town and she is determined to forget her past. She is popular at her new school and she made friends with the elite of her school. Eventually, she meets Leo who was one of the reasons she left her old school. Leo seemed perfect to her and she fell in love with him.
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PLAY WITH ME
"I really don't want your apology, Tim" Chloe said. "I would prefer you didn’t treat me like some unwanted stranger you can’t wait to be rid of." There was a throb of irritation in her voice. "I don't treat you like a stranger. Things are just different now." Timothy replied. "Oh please" replied C
