THE CEOS UNEXPECTED BRIDE SHORT STORY

Modern

I stood at my mother’s open grave in the freezing rain, my heels sinking into the mud. The space beside me was empty. My husband, Hilliard Holloway, had promised to cherish me in bad times, but apparently, burying my mother didn't fit into his busy schedule. While the priest’s voice droned on, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a livestream of the Metropolitan Charity Gala. There was Hilliard, looking impeccable in a custom tuxedo, with his ex-girlfriend Charla English draped over his arm. The headline read: "Holloway & English: A Power Couple Reunited?" When he finally returned to our penthouse at 2 AM, he didn't come alone—he brought Charla with him. He claimed she’d had a "medical emergency" at the gala and couldn't be left alone. I found a Tiffany diamond necklace on our coffee table meant for her birthday, and a smudge of her signature red lipstick on his collar. When I confronted him, he simply told me to stop being "hysterical" and "acting like a child." He had no idea I was seven months pregnant with his child. He thought so little of my grief that he didn't even bother to craft a convincing lie, laughing with his mistress in our home while I sat in the dark with a shattered heart and a secret life growing inside me. "He doesn't deserve us," I whispered to the darkness. I didn't scream or beg. I simply left a folder on his desk containing signed divorce papers and a forged medical report for a terminated pregnancy. I disappeared into the night, letting him believe he had successfully killed his own legacy through his neglect. Five years later, Hilliard walked into "The Vault," the city's most exclusive underground auction, looking for a broker to manage his estate. He didn't recognize me behind my Venetian mask, but he couldn't ignore the neon pink graffiti on his armored Maybach that read "DEADBEAT." He had no clue that the three brilliant triplets currently hacking his security system were the very children he thought had been erased years ago. This time, I wasn't just a wife in the way; I was the one holding all the cards.

Romance

Alexander Grant, the 27-year-old CEO of Grant Enterprises, believed his life was perfect-an empire at his feet and a stunning fiancée by his side. But just 24 hours before their lavish wedding, his fiancée walked away, leaving him heartbroken and humiliated. With no other options, Alexander turned

Billionaires

Hera, a mother of one, started a new life after an overwhelming past. Her past wasn't just called a past for nothing and despite how far she tried to hide it or not let it show her in her day-to-day work, it still found a way to broadcast itself. Despite all the pressure she faced, she remained str

Billionaires

His soft lips pressed and nibbled down on her neck. His breathe rugged and hot against her soft skin which seems to make her melt and shudder under him. " You're mine Ruby. I don't care how long it will take for you to realise it, but you're mine...and mine alone" he said the words to her...the wor

Werewolf

Rumor is circulating that the fiancée of **Mr. Darcy** is a young woman from the countryside, without much education and with an ordinary physique. However, during the big banquet, Clara appears and surprises everyone. "Trinity? Not at all!" "It is said that the most prominent celebrity in the cou

Romance

My wedding day. Hundreds of guests, media vans outside. The Sterling family chapel, hushed, expectant. I was finally marrying Jackson Sterling, scion of a powerful political dynasty, the man I’d loved since childhood. It was meant to be my perfect happily ever after. Then he walked in. Not alone. A

Romance

It was my 30th birthday, and I was all set to propose to Sarah, my girlfriend of five years, at the fanciest restaurant in the city. I had the ring, the perfect table, and a future all planned out. But as I waited, she walked in, not alone, but with another man – her colleague. And then, in a devas

Romance

Emma Livingston never thought she would end up in an arranged union. The twenty-four-year-old fashion and event planner, who just finished her master's programme, is heartbroken to learn that her father has signed her up to wed 30-year-old billionaire barrister Liam Henderson in order to pay off his

Romance

There's a story behind every person. There's a reason why they're the way they are. They aren't just like that because they want to. Something in the past created them, and sometimes it's impossible to fix them. Everly Adams has a different story than most teenagers would like to admit. She's stepp

Romance

Ariana Mason lives with her Uncle and Aunt. She is a 21-year-old student who knows nothing about her actual parents. Her day starts like any other day except for one thing. Her aunt Helen sold her to a 40 years old businessman. His goons were chasing her for their boss as she was running in an aband

Romance

My wedding day was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, but I found myself tied to a chair in a dark, moldy basement, a burlap sack ripped from my head. The kidnapper held my phone, reading my fiancé Ethan Riley' s name, demanding a thirty-million-dollar ransom. Desperate, I called Ethan, bu

Romance

Astral finds herself given in marriage to a very wealthy billionaire, despite her protest. Not only that, her true and real identity was hidden. Why? She was given to just an ordinary billionaire, but to her family's greatest enemy who despised her mere existence. How come? Finding herself in a cage

Werewolf

Alpha Atticus is impersonating his late friend Duke Paul Alexander as they promised each other to take care of their beloved in case something bad happened to one of them. But the alpha didn't expect to find his fated mate to the woman betrothed to Prince Philip, the real duke's nephew. Alpha Attic

Romance

Tonight was supposed to be the happiest night of my life, my engagement party to Alex Turner at the grand St. Regis ballroom. He was handsome, the heir to a fortune, and I had loved him for three years. As he reached for the ring, a woman stumbled in, disheveled and crying. "Alex!" she wailed,

Billionaires

"Marry me, or face the consequences," he growled. Megan's nails dug into her palms, fury simmering beneath her fear. How dare he? How dare this arrogant billionaire claim a child he never wanted? "My family is bloodthirsty, Megan. They'll take the baby-with or without you." Her heart slammed agai

Literature

Short Story Classics (American) Vol. 2 by Various

Literature

The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story by Various

Billionaires

At the peak of her career, A-list actress Nancy George announced her withdrawal from the entertainment industry for love, shocking the nation. Everyone thought that she must have found her ideal home. That was why she was so determined. At first, Nancy thought so too. For the rest of her life, s

Romance

Nova and Theodore's intense relationship was one that was filled with love and ended in pain when she watched him get married to another woman a day after she gave him her virginity. However, life seems to be directing Nova back to Theodore when he unknowingly hires her to be the nanny of his sw

Billionaires

I woke up in a hospital bed after a brutal car crash. I had a powerful fiancé, Crawford Pierce, and a revolutionary project that was my life's work, set to merge our two family empires. The first words I heard were from my stepsister, Brittany, telling me she was pregnant with his child. "I'm so s

Billionaires

Reece Kay has thirty days to save her family's dying boutique. Thirty days to find millions she doesn't have. Thirty days before the bank takes everything. Her only option is a trust fund her late father left behind. The catch? She must marry. Not just any man. Rhys Lawson. The billionaire CEO who