Contractually Married
/1/127406/coverbig.jpg?v=74e49c84759f325c94463fffb6d1360d)
Mated To My Ex's Dead Brother
My engagement to Kile, the heir of House Golden, was witnessed by the Duke himself. I thought my days as a helpless orphan were over. But right before our wedding, he coldly informed me that my status was being revoked. I was to enter his family as a lesser consort. The title of primary wife was being given to his lover, Journey. She hid behind Kile, wearing a spotless white dress and trembling like a fragile lotus. "Cassie, please don't blame him, I can live without a title," she cried, playing the perfect victim. Kile shielded her, glaring at me with pure disgust, shouting that I was being completely unreasonable. The next day, the entire Elder Council cornered me in their grand hall. They told me that as a "Dragonless" nobody, I should be immensely grateful for any scrap they threw my way. They all stared at me, waiting for me to swallow my pride and accept a lifetime of humiliation. They thought I was entirely broken. They thought I had no backing and no choice but to bow down to their cruelty. Instead, I looked straight at the Chief Elder and smiled. "I refuse to be a lesser consort," I announced clearly, watching Kile's smug expression freeze. "But to preserve our families' dignity, I will fulfill the contract." I looked right into Kile's shocked eyes. "I will marry your dead older brother, Lord Ayden."
Chapter 1
Cassie POV:
"Cassie, my decision is final. The wedding will proceed, but you will enter the family as my junior wife."
Kile's voice hit me from behind, sharp and cold like a blade just pulled from ice.
I stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window in the reception hall of House Golden. The frigid glass reflected my pale face. Outside, the setting sun cast a blood-gold glow over the statue of the Flame-scale Drake in the courtyard, a towering monument to the family's power and status.
I thought I had misheard him. I turned around slowly.
Kile stood in the center of the room, dressed in the extravagant formal wear of a Half-Blood noble. The red-gold dragonfire patterns woven into the fabric across his chest seemed to mock me.
He was a Dragon-born, the heir to this house, and I was nothing but a Dragonless orphan.
"A junior wife?" I forced the words out, fighting to keep my voice steady. Then a cold, sharp laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "Kile, you stand there puffing out your chest like the master of this house, but we both know the truth.You're not the heir—you're just the spare they tucked away under a different crest.Because the family had to protect Ayden's birthright as the firstborn. The second son takes the mother's name so the eldest keeps everything. "
Kile's face flushed a furious red. His hands clenched into fists, and for a moment I thought he would strike me. "How dare you—" he started.
I cut him off. "Kile, our engagement was witnessed by Duke Richmond himself. You are humiliating me. You are going against your own father's wishes."
He waved his hand in a burst of irritation. His fingers went straight to the gold stud in his left ear, twisting it—a nervous habit he always fell back on when he knew he was in the wrong.
"I will handle my father," Kile snapped. "The woman I love is Journey. I have to give her the position of senior wife."
My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms that the skin threatened to break. The pain was the only thing keeping me anchored to the floor. I stared at the man I once thought I would spend my life with. His handsome face was twisted with impatience and pure selfishness.
Before I could speak, the heavy oak doors of the reception hall creaked open. A fragile figure slipped inside. Journey Montgomery. She wore a pristine white dress, looking like a spotless lotus flower untouched by the dirt of the world.
The moment she saw me, her eyes widened in a perfect mask of shock and guilt. She hurried to Kile's side, her voice trembling. "Kile, are you pressuring Cassie again? I told you, I do not need a title. I can live without it."
Kile immediately pulled her into his arms, shielding her as if I were about to attack. He glared at me. "Look at yourself, Cassie! Journey is thinking only of you, and you are being completely unreasonable!"
A bitter laugh clawed at my throat. I looked coldly at Journey. This woman always managed to deliver the most vicious strikes while wearing the most innocent face.
Journey peeked out from Kile's embrace, offering me a timid, apologetic smile. "Cassie, please do not blame Kile. It is all my fault. If you truly cannot accept this, I... I am willing to go to the Dragon Healer convent. I will never marry..."
Kile's face turned dark with panic. He tightened his grip on Journey, holding her like a fragile treasure he was terrified of losing.
I took a slow, deep breath, forcing the boiling hatred down into the pit of my heart.
My mind cleared, leaving only one sharp thought. The blood debt of House Stein—my massacred family, burned ten years ago—required a platform much stronger than House Golden.
The Great Purge, the slaughter led by Baron Konrad Sharpe twenty years ago, was a separate crime, but both debts were carved into my bones. This humiliation was not an end. It was my opening.
I closed my eyes. When I opened them, the anger was gone, replaced by a numb, hollow calm. I put on the gentle, submissive smile I had perfected over the years.
"Kile," I said quietly. "What do you need me to do?"
Kile froze. He clearly had not expected me to surrender so quickly. A flicker of contempt crossed his eyes, quickly swallowed by overwhelming relief and joy.
Journey smiled too. She leaned into Kile, looking at me with the triumphant, pitying gaze of a victor.
I lowered my head, avoiding their stinging eyes, playing the part of the utterly defeated girl.
Kile cleared his throat, his tone dripping with charity. "Good, Cassie. Do not worry. As a junior wife, you will still have the honor you deserve. Tomorrow, the Elder Council will officially announce the decision."
I did not answer. I just turned around and walked toward the heavy doors. Every step felt like walking on broken glass.
Just as my hand touched the brass handle, Kile spoke again. "Also, Ayden's old quarters, the Azurewood Wing, have been empty. After you marry in, you can move in there for now."
The Azurewood Wing. The residence of the late Dragon Lord Ayden Richmond, Kile's older brother who died in the northern wars. Kile wanted to toss me into a dead man's courtyard so he would not have to look at me.
A cold, sharp smile touched my lips, hidden from their view.
I opened the door and walked out, letting it click shut behind me, trapping their satisfied whispers inside.
The corridor was empty. The tapestries of ancient Dragon-born heroes hanging on the stone walls seemed to stare down at me. I leaned against the cold stone, letting out a shaky breath, allowing myself one brief moment of physical weakness.
Then, I straightened my spine. I was not a lamb waiting for the slaughter.
I walked back to my assigned guest room. My loyal maid, Helena Donovan, rushed forward the moment I entered.
"Miss, you look..." Helena said, her eyes filled with worry.
I shook my head, signaling her to stop. I walked straight to the vanity mirror and sat down.
The girl in the glass was pale, but her eyes were burning bright. It was not despair. It was the thrill of a hunter who had just spotted her prey.
I whispered to myself, "Cassie Stein, your first step begins now."
A junior wife? No. I had a much bigger surprise prepared for them.
I sat at the vanity while Helena gently brushed my long hair. Through the mirror, I watched the deep concern etched into her face.
"Helena," I said softly, "prepare the chest of dowry my mother left for me."
Helena's hand stopped mid-stroke. She stared at my reflection, her voice tight. "Miss, are you truly going to... accept this humiliation?"
I shook my head. The eyes looking back at me in the glass were entirely devoid of warmth. "No. We are just changing tactics. We are going to marry into a place that is actually worth it."
/0/18395/coverbig.jpg?v=3f661114451a51366737e8f892f18be0)
Contractually Married
As they openly say, 'life isn't fair'! Well for me, that's exactly the definition of my own life. Not until i reached the age of 18, where i signed the most stupid arrangement and contract in my life. Do you know what consist of that so called arrangement? Well, let me tell you... it's just me and
/1/112669/coverbig.jpg?v=5f1c589fae88643e58746f5ba0628fe9)
Contractually married my ex-mate's Father
Warning!!! Dearest gentle reader, this book is highly rated 18+..... It contains mature content, explicit words, conventional, BDSM, and hardcore sex. If you like soft romance, reader's discretion is adivsied. "You are mine now, Aria. Look at him like that again, and I will not only disown him as
/1/107475/coverbig.jpg?v=e4ad6b8cc0446874b54f7cce5bbab301)
THE CEOS FAKE BRIDE: CONTRACTUALLY BOND TO MY EX
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
/0/19671/coverbig.jpg?v=31094e7d5d7ea07670c1bbaf041ec2a1)
Secretly Married
Zanaya Devon, the main vocalist of one of the world's most famous girl groups - WHISTLE, has a secret. She is secretly married. And not just to someone, but to one of the most famous boy band in the world, Seth Devon of SHADOW.
/1/129685/coverbig.jpg?v=33b5d78ba8776b4bfd20d5f82f57b81c)
Accidentally Married
June Brooks, a 22-year old, spent the last year searching for one thing that could change her life- a job. After her mother abandoned them and her father passed, her brother, Ryan, sacrificed everything to raise her. Now an interior designer, June wants to repay him. But life has other plans. On t
/0/44161/coverbig.jpg?v=8b74825513b2dd91a1cf1ece15fa3909)
Accidentally Married
She was Dumped. He needed a bride. Jessica was to be married to her high school sweetheart and heartthrob Burke They decided to only go to the courthouse and do something small. Jessica gets dumped on her wedding day as Burke confesses to cheating on her. She is devastated. On the other hand, X
/0/71213/coverbig.jpg?v=1eaa1531f0d1ab67890ef8849a4ccde2)
MARRIED ACCIDENTALLY
Annette Vasquez is broken and desperate to talk to Ryan, her ex-boyfriend who broke up with her a month ago. When an intimidating man appears on her door dressed in all blacks, she runs for cover and sends Ryan a text for help. Vicente Di Alberto is the Don of the Italian Mafia, cold, ruthless and
/0/14180/coverbig.jpg?v=adc6437a5990cef385d51345d625e393)
/1/100485/coverbig.jpg?v=3b261724b9c5ca103c20281c863b5561)
Married to my Suspect
Whimpering, my eyes followed the click sound of the pen in his hand, and he laughed and pocketed it when he saw the direction my eyes had gone. "There's no need to be scared, little girl. I'll make sure you don't remember anything." I shuddered and fingered the pen, the same one I'd just seen in my
/0/48239/coverbig.jpg?v=9cb0fcf3e07240d8bdff22fd890d7f79)
Married With The Engineer
"What the hell Frame!can you please go out! you're annoying!" I yelled in disgust as Unan beat him. "Khind stop it" he said softly. I continued to beat him when he suddenly pulled me and locked me in his big arms.
/0/61548/coverbig.jpg?v=18a9814b0f8ce76e384310a9e1424f01)
The Mafia's Married Mistress
He's a ruthless mafia kingpin. She's a married woman with a secret. Jason Dawson, a man who thrives on power and control, finds himself unexpectedly drawn to Sarah, a woman he meets at a hotel bar. Their one-night stand turns into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as Jason, fueled by a thirst for r
/0/78736/coverbig.jpg?v=4add6be03cfa1168d022f6f05a53ae12)
Married For Revenge
Crushed, betrayed, abandoned by the one person she had given her heart to. All he did was smash it and blow the crumbs in her face. His betrayal, his abandonment, led to the loss of her only child, Claire. After meeting up with Kia Vaughn, a cold business tycoon who could crush the world with a snap
/0/70432/coverbig.jpg?v=bf25a176b00c418376355bc8252f0915)
Married to a misogynist
Edward married Sophia to fulfill all righteousness and look good in the eyes of the public. But deep down he hates women and their prejudice.
/0/74956/coverbig.jpg?v=15e883502ffbb53e6d56b42347b1326e)
Married, Divorced, Desired Again
Three years of marriage couldn't melt Theo's frozen heart. When an art gallery collapsed on Lena, he was off romancing another woman-lavishing her with a private jet. Three steel pins held Lena's shoulder together, but her heart remained broken. She filed for divorce and told everyone that he was im
/0/59025/coverbig.jpg?v=db68eee1e04cddf54b5eff7643684255)
Married My Secretary
Wildan Kusuma, commonly known as Mr. Wil, is a wealthy entrepreneur. With his handsome looks, well-proportioned body, and top-notch health, Mr. Wil, now in his early forties, is not particularly worried about finding a life partner. However, the elders have other plans. They incessantly attempt to
/0/62950/coverbig.jpg?v=988cb910804388384f2dc9ca7ce75f1c)
Married For 30 Days
"Aren't you a bit curious as to what will happen if you refuse to adhere to the terms of the contract?" Ben asked from the window. But she didn't care at that point. She was done with whatever the hell this was. She got to the door and grabbed the handle, about to open it. "You..will..go..to..jail
/0/24613/coverbig.jpg?v=0517e9250f35c2b63e2de3eff61927d0)
Married To Mr Boyfriend
Jiang Xiuying, a famous anonymous singer returned to China along with a little boy that looked exactly like the mini version of the President of Caomei Entertainment. Her main aim is to get married to Zheng Tianyi,the cold and domineering President of Caomei Entertainment who is also the father of
/0/28171/coverbig.jpg?v=696a8924251ea6c929a88337246b7876)
Suddenly Married (ENGLISH)
Beth was quiet and had no friends at their university. Reasons why she's being bullied. And her number one bully, is no other than his oh-so-hot neighbor, Kian. One day, she found herself in a dreadful situation. She had to choose between being Kian's woman or her scandal will be exposed. The ne
/0/29774/coverbig.jpg?v=e35b87e5282184394975632a1e7faba0)
While we were married
Marriage arrangements between two Elite families for their children. Jason Stuart,who is seen as an un serious Playboy and Annabelle a spoilt brat. They both go through their journey of love, deceit and hatred. Coupled with their close friends. Who had their different life
/0/24722/coverbig.jpg?v=57c79d71348779d80be216e972bcd6d8)
Married to a jinn
A paranormal story about dark Jinns and mermaids, these creatures were enemies after the bloody wars of their forefathers. They are unknown to the human world, there were tales about mermaids but not about Jinns. Jinns are unknown and no living human knows about them. The fourth war led to th
