THE CEO's REVENGE BRIDE
When event planner Sophia Martinez crashes billionaire Ethan Cross's exclusive charity gala, she's just trying to steal enough food to feed her dying mother. She never expects to catch the attention of New York's most ruthless CEO or to accept his shocking proposal.
Ethan offers Sophia five million dollars for six months of her life: pose as his devoted fiancée to make his ex jealous and secure the biggest business deal of his career. The rules are simple no real feelings, no physical contact, just perfect public performances as the ideal couple.
But Sophia harbors a devastating secret. She's the daughter of the man who destroyed Ethan's family empire five years ago, and she's been living with the guilt ever since. As she falls deeper into the charade, the lines between pretense and reality blur. Every stolen glance, every fake smile, every staged kiss pulls her further from her mission and closer to the man she's supposed to hate.
Ethan finds himself breaking his own rules. The woman he hired to heal his wounded pride is awakening feelings he thought were dead. But when business rival Marcus Reid begins circling like a vulture, threatening to expose their arrangement, Ethan realizes the game has become far more dangerous than either of them anticipated.
As corporate espionage collides with family secrets, Sophia must choose between protecting the man she loves and saving herself from a past that refuses to stay buried. When Ethan discovers her true identity, their contract becomes worthless but their hearts have already signed a deal that could destroy them both.
In a world where billion-dollar empires rise and fall on trust, can love survive the ultimate betrayal? Or will the truth shatter more than just their fake engagement?
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Chapter: Chapter 25The call came on a Tuesday morning in March, interrupting Sophia's review of quarterly reports. Maria Santos, their program director in São Paulo, was calling from a hospital. "Dr. Martinez, we have a situation. The community center in Cidade Tiradentes was attacked last night. Three people were hospitalized, including Carlos, our local coordinator." Sophia's hand tightened on the phone. "What kind of attack?" "We think it was related to the housing advocacy work. Carlos has been organizing residents to challenge illegal evictions, and there have been threats." "Is he going to be okay?" "The doctors think so, but he's unconscious. The community is scared, and some are saying they want to stop the program." Sophia closed her eyes. After eighteen months of successful international expansion, this was the call she'd been dreading. "I'll be on a plane tonight." "You don't need to come. We can handle" "Maria, three people are in the hospital because of work we're supporting. I need
Last Updated: 2025-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 24 Two years after the Phoenix crisis, Sophia stood before the United Nations General Assembly, addressing the Global Forum on Community Development. The invitation had come six months earlier, recognizing the Martinez Foundation's model as a framework for international community based advocacy. "Sustainable development begins with sustainable communities," she told the assembly. "Our work in the United States has shown that when communities control their own resources and set their own priorities, they create solutions that last." The audience included representatives from forty seven countries, all grappling with similar challenges poverty, housing instability, unemployment, social fragmentation. The Martinez Foundation's model had been adapted in twelve countries, from urban housing programs in Brazil to rural development initiatives in Kenya. "The key principle is simple," Sophia continued. "Communities know their own problems better than outsiders do. Our role is to provide reso
Last Updated: 2025-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 23 The call came at 6 AM on a Tuesday morning. Sophia was reviewing grant applications over coffee when her phone rang with Janet's number. "Sophia, I need to tell you something before you see it in the news." "What's wrong?" "There's been an investigation. Into the Phoenix foundation office. Allegations of fund misuse." Sophia's coffee cup stopped halfway to her lips. "What kind of allegations?" "Diverting rapid response funds to personal accounts. Falsifying family eligibility records. The local director, Karen Matthews, has been arrested." "That's impossible. Karen's been with us since the beginning." "The FBI has documentation. Bank records, forged documents, testimony from families who never received the assistance they were supposedly given." "How much money?" "Nearly four hundred thousand dollars over eighteen months." Sophia felt the world tilt. Four hundred thousand dollars. Eighteen months of systematic fraud. Under her oversight, carrying the Martinez Foundation nam
Last Updated: 2025-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 22 Washington, D.C. was a different world. Six months into their new life, Sophia stood in the Hart Senate Office Building, waiting to testify before the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. The hearing room was intimidating high ceilings, formal portraits, senators seated at an elevated dais but she'd learned to navigate these spaces with the same confidence she'd once brought to community meetings in Queens. "Dr. Martinez," said Senator Patricia Williams, the subcommittee chair, "thank you for joining us today. Your foundation's work has attracted national attention, and we're eager to hear your recommendations for federal community development policy." "Thank you, Senator Williams. I'm honored to be here." Sophia's testimony drew on three years of foundation data, but she opened with a story Maria Santos, now running housing programs across three states, whose family had been saved from eviction by their first rapid response grant. "Federal policy w
Last Updated: 2025-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 21 One year later, Sophia stood in the White House East Room, accepting the Presidential Award for Excellence in Community Service. The room was filled with dignitaries, fellow award recipients, and a small delegation from the Martinez Foundation including Ethan, Janet, and Maria Santos, whose own organization had been recognized for its innovative housing programs. "The Martinez Foundation," the President said, reading from the citation, "has revolutionized community based advocacy by proving that local organizations can achieve systemic change through strategic partnerships and evidence based programming." Sophia felt the weight of the moment. Two years ago, she'd been writing grant proposals in her studio apartment. Now she was being recognized at the highest levels of government for work that had touched thousands of lives across four cities. "Dr. Martinez," the President continued, "your integration of academic research with grassroots advocacy has created a model that communiti
Last Updated: 2025-07-12
Chapter: Chapter 20 The house was perfect a 1920s Colonial in Park Slope with high ceilings, original hardwood floors, and a garden that promised springtime blooms. Sophia stood in the empty living room, envisioning foundation board meetings around a large table, students gathering for study groups, dinner parties with colleagues and friends. "The office upstairs has amazing light," Ethan called from the second floor. "And the master bedroom overlooks the garden." "It's expensive," Sophia said when he rejoined her. "It's an investment. In our future, in the foundation's future." "In our future," she repeated, trying the words on for size. Six months ago, she'd been living in a studio apartment, focused entirely on work. Now she was considering a mortgage, a garden, a life that extended beyond the next grant cycle. "Having second thoughts?" "Just adjusting to the idea of roots." "Good roots or scary roots?" "Good roots. Definitely good roots." Two weeks later, they were homeowners. The closing w
Last Updated: 2025-07-11
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