“Are you sure you want to do this, man?” Isaac asked, staring at Liam with doubtful eyes.Liam and Isaac have been friends for the past 3 years, and Liam has always found a way to surprise him in everything he does.“I know that I am probably the last person you want to hear this from, especially because of how my marriage ended, but marriage is meant to be sacred and taken seriously.” He continued.“I have no choice, man; you know how important this deal with Mr. Ross is to me. Besides, she started the whole mess by creating the scandal, and I am sure that she would be more than glad to become my fake wife.” Liam said he was trying to convince Isaac.Isaac looked at Liam, his best friend since childhood, with a mix of concern and skepticism. He understood the importance of the deal with Mr. Ross, but he couldn't help but worry about Liam's emotional well-being. "I get that this deal is crucial for your career, but are you sure entering into a fake marriage is the right solution? I kn
Ashley is kind of torn about what to do at the moment. Her parents had never asked her to do anything for them; in fact, they have always ignored her and only acknowledged her when they were in public.Ashley's conflicting emotions were pulling her in different directions. On one hand, she felt a sense of duty towards her parents, wanting to prove herself and gain their approval. On the other hand, she couldn't ignore the deep-rooted resentment that had built up over the years due to their neglect.Being the adopted and eldest child of the Valencia family, she had no expectations from her parents, but she burdened herself with trying to be up to their standards.She always tried to be the best at everything. Be kind to others, be prudent, and have good grades. Nothing she did ever made her parents notice her, but she never gave up.That was probably the reason why she danced with Liam that night. She knew her parents liked the idea that
"Hello, is this Ashley Valencia?" Liam asked immediately, and she picked up the call. Of course, he knew that it was her he was calling. He had done a thorough background check on her and was able to get her number through his private investigator. Ashley's mind raced, wondering what Liam could possibly want from her. She tried to maintain her composure and replied, "Yes, this is Ashley Valencia. How can I help you, Mr. Abbot?" Liam was surprised that she knew that it was him calling, but he hid it. He couldn't help but become more wary of her. "What else does she know, and what is she planning with her father?" He thought to himself, but decided to compose himself and go straight to the reason why he called her. "Well, I was wondering if you could stop my office later today to discuss this predicament that we have both found ourselves in," he said, and Ashley could feel her heart jump. "Uhmm, alright, I will be there in an hour or two," she responded without thinking twice. Liam
Ashley couldn't help but feel offended when she went through the contract and saw that Liam had offered to pay her a total of thirty million dollars if she agreed to the contract. She was okay with clauses like they should stay out of each other's personal lives and that they can date someone else but have to be discreet so as to avoid a scandal. What made her not okay was the fact that Liam thought he could buy her with his money. "I am okay with everything here except for the compensation aspect," she said with a frown on her face. "I am not surprised; how much do you want me to add to it?" Liam said bitterly, but Ashley just ignored him. Liam and Isaac were both surprised when she took a pen from her bag and crossed the part out. "I do not need your money," she said. "So, you are telling me that you would just marry me without getting anything out of it?" Liam asked. "Believe what you want, Mr. Abbot, but not everyone is out to get your money, and I surely am not. Besides, I
Ashley exchanged a glance with Liam, her amusement fading slightly at his cocky response. She couldn't help but wonder if he was truly taking advantage of the situation or if there was something more behind his decision. Nonetheless, she remained silent as Isaac entered the room, ready to finalize the contract.As Isaac began explaining the terms of the contract, she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that Liam had some ulterior motive for proposing this arrangement. However, with no other viable options and a deep desire to escape her father's controlling grip, she reluctantly picked up the pen and prepared to sign her name on the dotted line.She couldn't help but feel like she was signing her life away as she stared at her copy of the contract, but she couldn't do anything about it. She knew that her father would have arranged her marriage anyway if the scandal hadn't happened.She would rather enter a contract marriage with Liam than get married to an odd man who would be cons
Ashley had been staring at her phone, waiting for the call that Liam told her that he would make to her through his personal assistant, for the past two days since she left his office.Her mind has been a jumbled mess since then, and she just can't help but want to know what to do next. She has been replaying the whole conversation in his office in her head and just hopes that all this is a joke.She knows it isn't, though, and she is still worried about whatever he was going to say to her. As the days passed, Ashley's anxiety grew. She couldn't shake off the feeling of uncertainty and the fear of what Liam's call might bring.She can't help but think about the potential consequences of her contract with Liam, especially if the media finds out that they got into a contract marriage. Despite her best efforts to distract herself, she couldn't escape the nagging question: What next?"Would she have to move in with him or will she stay with her parents?As much as Ashley was scared at the
Ashley contemplated not going to the meeting, but she decided that she had to. After all, she had signed a contract with Liam stating that she was going to follow him to any necessary meetings.She also knows that this might be quite important for him, so she had to prepare if she wanted to be a good fake partner for him."I think I should call Ethan and ask him who the person Liam was meeting is," she thought to herself. She didn't want to look all clueless like arm candy at the meeting.She doesn't need much time to dress up anyway. She never liked make-up, so all she had to do was just look for proper attire suited to the type of people that she and Liam were going to meet and the location."Hello Ethan, sorry for bothering you, but who is Liam meeting today and where is the meeting? I want to do my research before the meeting so that I won't be totally clueless," she said immediately. He picked up her call."Oh, hello, Miss Valencia. The person Mr. Abbot is meeting is Alexander Ro
Liam knows that cutting Ashley off and springing this on her out of nowhere was an asshole move, but he couldn't seem to be able to stop.He could tell that his words and actions were hurting her, but he also felt like she deserved it. After all, they wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't planned and created the damn scandal.He also couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he had with the strange lady who had been waiting for him outside the door when he got there. She had introduced herself as Mary, and he could tell that Mary genuinely cared about Ashley.He had gotten out of the car and was about to go knock on the door when she approached him.Liam's conflicted emotions were tearing him apart. On one hand, he recognized the pain he was causing Ashley, yet on the other hand, he couldn't shake off the feeling that she somehow deserved it due to her involvement in the scandal.As he replayed his encounter with Mary in his mind, her genuine concern for Ashley puzzled him even m