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A ring for a lie

A ring for a lie

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Chapter 1 The beginning of the lie

Word Count: 1056    |    Released on: 13/07/2025

st her chest, her fingers aching from the weight

fficially

tment building. Her landlord hadn't even given her the decency of a final warning. He'd simply sh

nowher

d in months, and the single photo she had left of her mother. Everything else she'd sold or lef

wled, but she i

r head, she turned and walked. Not toward

nights unless they were necessar

o his driver. He hated this neighborhood, hated the noise, the smell, the chaos of it

the building when so

her, s

ray hoodie, dragging a cardboard box along the

pe of her shoulders felt familiar. The

va

lights. Her wide hazel eyes locked wit

ht. She tried to shift the box to her other hip

rward. "Are you..

ragging all my worldly belongings throu

dn't

, slower now.

for seven months, answering his calls, managing his calendar, and generally trying not to breathe too loudly in his presence. Juli

at her differently now.

nally. "Apparently electricity and food

ou tell anyon

ne of your busin

the tone, she a

at too long. Then, to her

with

inked.

I'm not letting one of my em

t your

nd currently on my sidewalk

ure somet

crash on with someone who barely tolerates you, and an application

clenched.

flinch. "Get i

old him to go to hell and walked awa

feet mov

ed-stunning, modern, but cold. All glass

word, and she dried off in awkward silence. He disappe

"You look like you h

it warily.

couch. The silence stretched b

ou to... care," sh

don

t s

ay you mean. But I don't let people who work for me fall

ard. "So this i

r for a long moment.

, confused. "What

htly, his voice quiete

ked. "Ex

heard

need a

es

what?

y married within the next sixty days, control of the company transfers to my cou

.. you're propos

dded

e, but tha

ousing, clothes, expenses. You'll be comfortable. And after th

y m

et. You don't ask questions,

Wow. You really know

m offering you a solution.

ding. "You want me to

ant a contract. Marriag

er head. "I

he

fr

" he repeate

uldn't

g personal. I'm asking for your signature. In exchange, you

rembled. "And

aze. "I get

e fell

o was sleeping on a park bench with no coat. And

think," she

ce. "You have tw

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1 Chapter 1 The beginning of the lie2 Chapter 2 The price of yes3 Chapter 3 The price she has to pay4 Chapter 4 Behind closed doors5 Chapter 5 The game begins6 Chapter 6 The fallout7 Chapter 7 The heat beneath the lies8 Chapter 8 The dinner with daggers9 Chapter 9 Fire between the lies10 Chapter 10 The truth we bury11 Chapter 11 Burning bright12 Chapter 12 Sparks and secrets13 Chapter 13 Lies in bloom14 Chapter 14 The photo and the past15 Chapter 15 Dangerous truths and deeper ties16 Chapter 16 Lies between the line17 Chapter 17 Lines cross, Fire ignited18 Chapter 18 Beneath the surface19 Chapter 19 Ghosts don't knock20 Chapter 20 Something that's just yours21 Chapter 21 Thirty- three days22 Chapter 22 The truth we built23 Chapter 23 The truth won't stay buried24 Chapter 24 Strike first25 Chapter 25 Crimson wine and crimson warnings26 Chapter 26 Emerald shadows27 Chapter 27 When shadows whisper28 Chapter 28 Gelato, Vespas and Questionable italian29 Chapter 29 Vespa rides and bad italian30 Chapter 30 Sun-drenched secrets and stolen sheets31 Chapter 31 Wild strawberries and whispered promises32 Chapter 32 Storms don't knock twice33 Chapter 33 Shadows in sunlight34 Chapter 34 Smoke and silk35 Chapter 35 The Counterstrike36 Chapter 36 Tides and triggers37 Chapter 37 The calm before the siege38 Chapter 38 Velvet aftermath39 Chapter 39 Tangled in smoke and silk40 Chapter 40 The echo that follows41 Chapter 41 Smoke and marble42 Chapter 42 Shadows with names43 Chapter 43 Echoes of the past