THE BILLIONAIRE'S BEAUTIFUL MARIONETTE
“Be my wife.”
Lucia looked at him, questioning his sanity.
“You're out of your mind.I don't even know you ”.
Lucas Mariano's voice was icy, his gaze unreadable.
“You need help.Your sister requires care.I can help you both.You have quite the image so I'm sure you'll need it.
It's transactional-nothing more.”He finished.
Once the rising star in the ballet world, Lucia Moretti's life is shaken after a brutal divorce and a terrible fire that leaves her and her sister homeless.
Now, with her dreams buried,her heart is guarded and her main focus is keeping both herself and her sister alive.
Enter Lucas-Merciless, cold and sinfully compelling.He offers a contract marriage which comes with everything Lucia needs but at a cost she doesn't understand…yet.
What started as a formality quickly grows into something far more twisted when her ex-husband,Matt-lucas’s best friend-returns, determined to have her again.
“You got married to Lucas?” Matt snarled,fury dripping from his voice.
“Is this your revenge?” He continued icily.
No, Lucia said without emotion.
“This is survival.”
As sparks fly and secrets come to light, Lucia Finds herself torn between a past that nearly broke her and a man who might shatter her in a brand new way.
In a world of socialites, betrayal and fake love, Lucia must ask herself: Is she the puppet or the one holding the strings?
Read
Chapter: Thawing the ice Lucia's pov I decided against seeing Lucas in person for now…sending him a text instead was safer to me.Was it a little cowardly of me? Maybe.Did I really care? No.My mind was racing so I would send him a damn text…maybe it was his cheesy note or the way the flowers looked and smelled so good in here or the voice in my head telling me that Lucas wasn't the villain I thought he was but whatever the reason,I picked up my phone,my fingers ghosting over the keypad for a moment.Sure,I was going to text him but I didn't want to seem like an all too easy to please girl…a lady had to be a bit unpredictable sometimes.And besides this was the first time I was actually texting Lucas…my husband. I got his number from Adrian a while back and now I was finally going to use it.“I think you owe me a little explanation about that note you wrote,no?”.I sent it before I could overanalyze the message. Then I picked up a book and pretended to read it although I kept trying to picture Lucas's face
Last Updated: 2025-12-14
Chapter: Roses and tulips Lucia's pov.Receiving early morning apology gifts was quite nice if I do say so myself.A light pink bouquet of roses and tulips,a poshly tied beige box with another pink ribbon and a neatly folded note made of expensive paper tucked in the bouquet to tie it all together.I'll admit, I was caught off guard for a moment. Everything I was looking at was sweet but I couldn't shake the feeling of suspicion because I could guess who it was from.I crouched down to touch the flowers…suspicion or not, they were lovely and lush against my fingertips. He must have stepped a bit out of his comfort zone to do this. That realization alone made me feel a mix of complex emotions I didn't want to unpack right now.I decided to carry everything inside because as angry as I was…this was too beautiful to throw away.My room suddenly felt warmer than before, maybe it was the flowers. They looked so pretty as I set them on my nightstand and the cake box went on my bed as I plopped softly onto my mattres
Last Updated: 2025-11-28
Chapter: GesturesChapter 38 - Gestures Lucas's povAs I predicted,I didn't get much sleep so I went for the next best thing…work.So here I was at my study trying to sort out files and deals with some bourbon in my hand while overlooking the city. Everything would have felt peaceful if not for the fact that my mind kept wandering back to Lucia. Hell,at this point it was clear that work was just a poor distraction and I groaned.Lucia's words were floating around in my head especially when she said couldn't trust me anymore. It hurt more than it should have…almost as much as a flesh wound.I drank the rest of my bourbon and poured myself another glass. I finally put away my work and faced my problems.She had every right to be angry with me. I omitted the truth, quite literally threw her into a battle ground disguised as a party and didn't even fight for her when I needed to. She probably lost the little faith she had in me and it was well deserved but I would fix this.I had to. Not with empty words,
Last Updated: 2025-11-25
Chapter: The biggest Mistake Lucas's pov The second she left me standing there, regretting all my stupid choices…I knew i had royally fucked up.Now,here I was.. alone and motionless, still feeling the weight of her words as if they were buried in my chest.My mind replayed a particular threat of hers that shook me..“If you pull a stunt like that again, I'll be gone from your life, consequences be damned.”And then I chuckled bitterly because honestly,threats weren't new to me at all.In fact, I've spent a good portion of my life giving and receiving threats, turning situations in my favor and the likes.But Lucia's threats weren't empty.They weren't the ramblings of a broken ballerina.They were real and scary as hell.I'd hurt her..I'd driven her to the point of scary threats.I tussled my hair in frustration, the black mass now falling over my eyes.I should chase her… go after her or something.Explain and try to right my wrongs.Mend what's left of any bond we had.But the truth made me stop in my tracks,
Last Updated: 2025-11-23
Chapter: Fury unleashed Lucia's pov My anger still hadn't disappeared in the car with Lucas. Sure, I felt sorry for him a bit but that lasted only for a moment.In fact the more I thought about everything the more anger bubbled from within me.Lucas knew…he knew about everything all along.My pulse was still not settled from seeing Matt again. The whole evening,I was doing mental gymnastics,hands trembling in my lap, trying to distract myself and counting hours until it was over.His wretched face, voice and arrogance.. the memory of it all reopening old wounds.But the fury I felt was the highlight of my evening.I should have slapped Matt again and as for Lucas…Oh, Lucas.. really how could he?He knew this gala was a giant trap but he still let me walk into it. He didn't even give me a warning,a heads up.. nothing.No warning.Not an ounce of transparency or sincerity.We finally got to the house and I watched him push open the penthouse door as I followed him from behind.I waited till we both got into
Last Updated: 2025-11-20
Chapter: Richards tower Lucia's pov I had no idea where me and Lucas were headed until he stopped the car. Sure,I agreed to go with him to this dinner but it would be nice if he said more.Lucas seemed relaxed,he was quiet the whole drive but his clenched knuckles made me think that he might not be as relaxed as he wished.The awkwardness between us still hadn't stopped but it now felt somewhat familiar, like a second language we both respected.But something in his eyes and tense posture made me really suspicious of this dinner…it seemed like it was going to be far different from the gala.He finally stopped the car and I unlocked the door at my side, stepping into the cool evening air. The structure towering over us was decorated with sparkly glass and media banners..the Richards tower.A name that haunted me..one which I wished I could desperately erase from my life.My breath hitched but Lucas was beside me instantly,his hand resting at the small of my back as if holding me steady.His touch felt like a
Last Updated: 2025-11-19
LOGIN
