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NO STRINGS ATTACHED

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

MJ Henry

5.0
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5
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Reynaldo Davies, the first and only son of The Davies, finds himself in a constricted situation of choosing a wife, a command made clear by his Father, Mr Davies, on turning sixty, otherwise, young Davies would forfeit his inheritance to his younger sister. He makes a business proposal with Mia, his cook, who has no expectation of any kind, coming from the fling Reynaldo is. In desperation, she agrees but only on the condition that certain lines are drawn and rules are kept. All is fair and clear until Celine, Reynaldo's high school friend, comes into the picture. His mother had arranged an engagement for them against Reynaldo's persistence on dating his cook, "acting as his girlfriend". Would this act bloom into something beautiful? What wold be the fate of Mia? Would Celine succeed in her quest for love? Will he gain his inheritance?

Chapter 1 THE DINNER INVITATION

The electronic door hummed from the porch, followed by the sound of thick footsteps of loafers, thudding against the marble floor. It was Reynaldo. Mr. Davies had invited him over for dinner, but he had arrived earlier than expected.

"Rey, is that you?" His mum's voice echoed warmly from the top floor.

"Hey, Mum!" Reynaldo responded, tilting his head to see his mum's figure descending the stairs.

"Come on in, son." She smiled, heading towards the large brown dining table. He joined her, following suit. They were seated when the cook began serving dinner, neatly arranged for a table of four. Sabrina soon joined them, coming down the stairs.

"Good Evening, family." She said.

"Good evening, Sabrina, how are you doing today? Her mum asked.

"I'm good, Mom. Hmm... dinner looks so yummy!" Sabrina exclaimed, breathing in the savoury aroma.

"How have you been, bro?" she asked, looking at Reynaldo, whose eyes were fixed on the meal in front of him. Although, Rey and Sabrina were siblings, two years apart, they rarely spoke. They spent most of their time apart, from High-school to college days, attending different schools.

"I'm good, Sis." Rey responded, digging into his appetizer.

They all ate silently and slowly, with just the sound of their cutlery clinking, breaking the silence until they were full.

Sabrina was the first to leave the dining table. She received a call about a package she had ordered yesterday.

"Okay, I'd be on way! Yes... yes." She said this into the phone, pushing her seat back and signalling to her parents with one finger.

"I'd be right back!" She whispered before leaving.

Mrs. Davies was the next to leave.

"I have to go take a warm bath." She said, smiling. The comfort of her Jacuzzi, was that one thing she looked forward to at the end of each day. She left, calling the cook to clear the dishes.

Soon enough, Rey realised it was just him and Dad left on the table. His father was staring at him intensely and he knew there had to be more to it. Rey dropped the phone into the pocket of his blue jeans and waited.

He knew there was something behind the dinner invitation which was unusual.

"Reynaldo, son." He called.

"Yes, Mr Davies." Rey responded.

"How've you been, son?"

"I have been well, Mr. Da..."

"I'd prefer Dad, if you don't mind." Mr Davies interrupted.

"Okay, Daaaad." Rey answered, with a hint of sarcasm.

Mr. Davies sighed and continued, "You know, I invited you over for a reason, of which I'm very much certain you do not care to know but I will say it anyway. I'm turning sixty soon. I'm growing old and so are you. Time waits for no one, son. I'm growing too old to manage business projects, and I need to rest. I have built this fortune for you. You and I understand both understand that.

I need to hand over the company to able hands- hands that would be able to handle the value I have placed in time and hard work. I know you have been doing pretty good, son, but there's more to life than just making money. You need a partner through the ups and downs of life, you know."

Mr Davies paused, watching Reynaldo's stern expression.

"Reynaldo, you're my first son. You are my successor and heir. And to be honest I can see you did a good job working yourself into a better man, I'd commend you for that.

But I want just one thing from you before my sixtieth birthday in a few months."

Rey knew where this was headed, and he absolutely hated it when his father brought up the topic of marriage. It made him distant from his father. It angered him and boiled his patience away.

"I want you to get married." Mr. Davies said. "You can only take over the company and its asset if you find yourself an eligible bride before then." He finished, letting his words delve into the tension filling the room.

"What?" Rey's voice thundered.

His nostrils flared as he fumed; his eyes darkened, holding his father's gaze, unblinkingly. He clenched his jaws and gnashed his teeth.

"Is this some kind of black mail? And why do you think you can decide that for my life? What makes you think, Mr Davies, that you can dictate the terms on which I should live?"

"And right now, I think you should mind the manner of your speech, Reynaldo Davies!" Mr Davies's voice grew annoyed and his eyes grew cold.

"Oh please drop that childish longing in the past! I know you loved Vanessa but that doesn't mean you'd remain bachelor. I need a generation that can carry on my legacy." he continued.

"Did you just call it childish?" Rey asked, his eyes narrowing.

"What else is it called when you can't simply move on from a relationship that ended seven years ago?" Mr. Davies's words cut deeply. They were like acid, burning down Rey's throat.

Mrs. Davies, who had been listening from afar, was teary-eyed but refused to intervene.

"Father, there's is no need to bug me like this. Besides, I'm not even thirty-five yet. Your threats won't change my feelings about women. Except for mum, all they care about is money and that is exactly what Vanessa did. So, you won't determine or teach how to live my life, Mr. Davies!" Rey retorted.

"If that is what you want, then, so be it." He paused searchingly.

"But be ready to watch your sister become the next successor."

Rey felt a chill run down his spine at the ultimatum. He looked away fighting the urge to lash out further. "This isn't fair." He muttered under his breath.

"Life isn't fair, Rey," Mr. Davies replied his voice a little softer now.

"But it is the reality we all must face."

Rey's breath laboured with the urge to hit something. In a swift movement, he bumped his fist into the mirror beside the dinning table; Its pieces splattering, sinking into his skin of his tight fist.

"Rey!" Mr. Davies shook in horror and just then, the door bell rang interrupting them. Who could it have been?

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Before the Fall Griffin Vale never wanted the wine business. He respected it, sure. Grew up breathing in the barrel-soaked air of fermenting cellars and shaking hands with tycoons in tailored suits before he could spell Bordeaux. But his real love? Architecture. Spaces. Silence. He had an eye for beauty most billionaires ignored-the crooked beams of old barns, the way light poured through cracked windowpanes. He wanted to restore things, not sell them. But legacy doesn't care about dreams. His father, Thomas Vale, the larger-than-life titan of Vale Vineyards, had always said, "A Vale leads. A Vale does not walk away." So Griffin stayed. Showed up at boardrooms. Designed a few tasting rooms on the side. Smiled for the cameras. Dated women who fit the brand. Laughed at jokes he didn't find funny. And then it all collapsed. Fraud. Embezzlement. Stock manipulation. Words that painted headlines in gold and blood. His father arrested, the company in freefall. Investors turned predators. 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Never late. Never loud. And never asked for more than what she gave. Thalia didn't need another complication. She had enough-an autistic son who spoke with his eyes more than words, a mortgage two months late, and the memory of her father's vineyard dying beneath the weight of unpaid taxes. But Chris wasn't a man looking to be needed. He just needed to be. And somehow, in the way he held silence like a prayer, she found room to breathe. What He Didn't Know Thalia's vineyard sat on land once owned by Reyes Cellars-her father's dream. A vineyard that once competed with the likes of Vale. But twenty years ago, when a brutal drought hit and investors pulled out, her father was forced to sell. To the Vales. The sale broke him. The land was his soul, and when it was gone, so was his joy. Thalia watched him wither, bottle by bottle, until there was nothing left but debts and a bitter name. She swore she'd never trust a Vale again. And now, unknowingly, she was feeding one. Letting him walk her rows. Letting him into her son's world. Into her own. If she knew-if she found out who Chris really was-there would be no forgiveness. No future. But love doesn't wait for the perfect truth. It rises like steam from morning soil, unexpected and slow. And by the time it's visible, it's already soaked through the skin. The Breaking Point When the truth finally cracks open-when Chris becomes Griffin Vale again-it's not the betrayal that cuts deepest. It's the shame in his own voice when he says, "I didn't come here to lie. I came here because this is the first place I've ever felt real." Thalia doesn't scream. Doesn't cry. She just stares, like she's watching something precious rot in her hands. And her son-her quiet, sweet Mateo-who had just started calling Chris "Tío," won't look at him at all. Trust, once broken, doesn't rebuild with apologies. It rebuilds with action. With hands in the dirt. With late harvests and second chances. With showing up. And Griffin? For the first time in his life, he's willing to fight for something that can't be bought. Even if it means walking away from the empire he was born to save. Side Stories & Emotional Layers Mateo Reyes, Thalia's son, doesn't speak much. But he paints. His world is made of color and shadow, of silence and shape. Chris-Griffin-doesn't try to fix him. He just listens. Offers brushes. Buys better paints with the last of his hidden savings. It's through Mateo's art that Thalia sees who Chris really is-not the billionaire heir, but the man willing to sit still long enough for a child to trust him. Then there's Rosa, Thalia's grandmother, who suspects the truth before anyone else. Her eyes are sharp, her tongue sharper, but she holds secrets like vines hold memory. She tells Thalia that love doesn't come clean. It comes messy. Tangled. The way roots grow underground before they bloom. Even Diego, the town's gruff mechanic, has a part to play. He once lost his own family to a corporate buyout. He warns Chris: "If you want redempt

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