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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?It was late into the night, and the lights inside the Lu family villa shone brightly, a stark contrast amongst the otherwise dark street.
As she stood in front of the windows looking out, Janessa Qiu made her last call to Rayan Lu. After a few rings, the call was abruptly ended, as she expected. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself before flinging the phone aside, unwrapping her bathrobe, and stepping into the steaming bathtub. She closed her eyes to rest.
The warmth of the water calmed her, and her eyelids soon grew heavy.
A few years back, her father passed away, and now, her mother was seriously ill. This made her Uncle Aydin started to cause trouble for them. She had been working a few days in a row and she was exhausted by now.
Before she could fall into a deep sleep, she could vaguely make out dull footsteps from outside the room. It seemed close by, but she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes and step out of the bathtub.
When she heard a muffled 'bang', she woke up completely and was suddenly alert.
"Who is it?" she called. Janessa quickly wrapped herself in her bathrobe and hesitantly opened the door with eyes wide open.
The bright light emanating from the hallway made it difficult to see the man's face, and she was terrified of the sudden noise he caused. When she finally recognized his face, her heart skipped a beat.
"Calm down, it's me!" the man drawled. His voice was low and hoarse, and she could smell alcohol from where she stood.
Janessa's tense body relaxed a fraction at the sound of the familiar voice. Out of instinct, she moved back into the bathroom. She warily looked at Rayan Lu, who was obviously intoxicated.
"I'm having a bath right now. You need to leave!" she ordered in a shaky voice. There was a hint of embarrassment in her words.
Rayan's brows furrowed as he looked back at Janessa with hazy eyes. His sharp features had an indescribable expression in them, different from the brooding and domineering expression he normally wore.
With every step he took towards her, Janessa's body coiled in tension, and her breathing soon grew ragged.
Even after all this time, she still couldn't forget what he had done to her on their wedding night. No one should ever feel that kind of pain in their lives.
Rayan swayed as he pulled off his tie and made his way over to the bathtub. He looked down at Janessa and sneered at her. His eyes traveled from her face onto the white, delicate skin of her neck, all the way down to her slender thighs. The vulgar smile on his mouth pulled wider.
"Is it really you? I could've sworn you moved out. Why did you come back?" He bent down at eye level with Janessa and assessed her with cold and fathomless eyes. He was so close to her that their noses touched, and the alcohol in his breath engulfed her senses.
Janessa's lips thinned and she tightened her hold on the bathrobe that covered her. "What do you want?"
When she looked into his eyes, she could see the panicked look on her face reflected in them.
After all their years together, she was still terrified whenever he initiated intimacy with her.
"Are you curious to see what I'm going to do?" The smirk on Rayan's face instantly fell. He clutched the back of her head tightly and bared his teeth at her. "Mrs. Lu, I believe I should be the one asking questions around here! Where have you been all this time? Answer me!"
Janessa shut her eyes tightly and trembled when he raised his voice at her.
She decided to humor him, and explained in a slow voice, "I had something to take care of in the company. I tried to call you, but you didn't pick up." She managed to sound calmer than she felt.
The malicious look in Rayan's eyes faded, and she could tell that he wasn't as furious as he had been moments ago.
He loosened his grip on her, and her eyes slowly fluttered open.
Rayan straightened himself and tossed his coat on the floor. As he unbuttoned his shirt at painstakingly slow pace, he held her gaze. There was a dangerous look in his eyes.
Janessa's heart pounded in her chest. She brought the bathrobe further around herself, to cover as much skin as possible. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
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Bye, My Ex-husband
The death of her mother not only dragged her into endless sadness but also pushed her down into the abyss of desperation. The company of her family was taken away, and her husband also showed his true color. She was not the one he loved, and he only married her for the sake of his mother. Holding th/0/89213/coverorgin.jpg?v=1375cc4c5197cf51d78622f1ae2dc330&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Five Years, One Devastating Lie
My husband was in the shower, the sound of water a familiar rhythm to our mornings. I was just placing a cup of coffee on his desk, a small ritual in our five years of what I thought was a perfect marriage. Then, an email notification flashed on his laptop: "You're invited to the Christening of Leo/0/25336/coverorgin.jpg?v=3ae5098e0093d4a02dd7937b3bfd577f&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Fated to the Cursed Lycan Prince
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. S/0/18619/coverorgin.jpg?v=8fd25023d94e686b128f5d255c88a0c5&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Marriage Contract: Love Game With CEO
Outwardly a perfect match, but the story of Mary and William is not as sweet as their relationship seems. Their marriage starts off as nothing more than a contract – her bond in marriage to him, in exchange for her mother’s medical expenses. And yet, things take a dramatic turn. Neither knows who c/1/113817/coverorgin.jpg?v=f586bcf7162eda00ef098a5874812ef1&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Revenge Of The Forsaken Pregnant Wife
My marriage ended at a charity gala I organized. One moment, I was the pregnant, happy wife of tech mogul Gabe Sullivan; the next, a reporter' s phone screen announced to the world that he and his childhood sweetheart, Harper, were expecting a child. Across the room, I saw them together, his hand/0/18479/coverorgin.jpg?v=f8e4cbe2c7e852b54e7c18606bc5e6b8&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Right Here Waiting
Cassandra is a wealthy and beautiful girl. Five years ago, she married Martin who she didn’t love at all. Later she left him to be with her best love. Unexpectedly, her best love falls in love with her elder sister and wants to marry her sister. Her parents and her elder sister are always mean to he/0/67610/coverorgin.jpg?v=53dea16b33deaa512b0021f2f82c583e&imageMogr2/format/webp)
The Alpha Of My Heart
I gasp as pain throbs in my lower abdomen, as if I'm being split in half. "First time?" he asks, lowering his hand to my abdomen, his body tensing. I bite my lip to keep from answering, sensing his eyes flash with something dark. He pushes deeper inside me, and I wince. Pain shoots through me, bu/0/18468/coverorgin.jpg?v=84529b4984e13c74b4ba1454b01941f5&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown
Zachary Zi traveled through time and space with the help of his Treasure-hunting Compass, which led him to the Olden World where he took over the body of a young man with the same name. The old Zachary’s clan was slaughtered three years ago and his fiancee had gone missing ever since. Although he ma/0/82937/coverorgin.jpg?v=2907194aa510c647b04f7cba8770d5c5&imageMogr2/format/webp)
I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé. Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now-billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine d/0/18526/coverorgin.jpg?v=e205a807cebf7f7627607d5e1864c8b3&imageMogr2/format/webp)
