Novel-novel oleh M. Crown

Cara’s POVThe registry office smelled faintly of old files and polished wood. Everything about it felt cold and official, like no love story had ever lived inside those walls. It felt more like a place where love stories come to die instead of live. They could have at least decorated a place where people get married to look more cheerful.I could feel my stomach tightening and I had to remind myself of the popular saying "Fake it till you make it". I was going to fake it till the end.Mark stood behind us as the only witness. He kept looking at his phone and seemed like he was more interested in checking his emails or whatever it was he was doing with his phone, than being a part of this strange wedding. I couldn't even find it in me to be angry with him considering the fact that he was the one who introduced me to this marriage in the first place. If I could disappear from here, I would most certainly take my chances.Damien looked sha

CARA'S POVThe message came when I was on my way back from one of my shifts. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, I saw an unfamiliar number.“Use the card. Change your wardrobe. I don't need my future wife looking like she got her clothes from a thrift store. You need to be presentable when going out with me. The pin is 0000 —Damien.”I blinked at the screen, reading the words again, astounded at his level of audacity.So, he had gotten my number somehow. Probably from Mark. I gripped the phone, my steps slowing. Just who does this man think he is?He didn’t even bother with a hello. No “how are you.” Just an order, like I was one of his employees or those blond bimbos that hang around him on magazines. And the thrift store? I knew my clothes weren’t great, but did he have to put it like that?I wanted to throw the phone into the nearest drain and never see him again.But then I remembere

Cara sat on the edge of the hospital bed, her hands pressed together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The room was quiet except for the sound of the fan hanging from the ceiling. She had finished her shift at the diner just about an hour ago and her feet hurts, but that pain was nothing compared to the thoughts swirling in her mind.Her brother, Caleb, lay asleep on the hospital bed, looking so frail and fragile. His breathing was shallow and sometimes it paused for just a second too long, making Cara’s heart race in fear. She had promised him she would find a way but how long could her promises feed them? How long could promises keep him alive?Three jobs, endless shifts and countless sleepless nights yet, the money wasn’t quite enough. Caleb’s doctor had been quite clear: the surgery was urgent, and it wasn’t cheap. If she didn’t raise the money soon, her brother’s chances would slip away by the minute.She though about the dealMarry Damien for a year, pretend to be his w

CARA’S POVCara pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she hurried down the street. The evening wind bit through the thin fabric, but she didn’t care. Her feet hurt from standing on it all day and her hands were raw from washing dishes at the diner. After that shift, she had rushed straight to her second job as a bag girl at a convenience store and tomorrow morning she would clean offices before the sun came up.She worked three jobs and still, the money wasn’t enough.Her twin brother Caleb’s hospital bills kept piling up. His brain tumor wasn’t waiting for her to catch up on payments. Some days she felt like the world was closing in on her, pressing down until there was nothing left of herself but she had no choice. Caleb was her only family.They had grown up together in a small Orphanage home after losing their parents when they were young. She remembered the way Caleb used to sneak snacks from the kitchen and share them with her, smiling even when he got in trouble. “It’s ju

Damien sat in his penthouse, a glass of whiskey in his hand, staring out at the city lights. For the first time in a long while, his mind wasn’t on women, parties, or cars. It was on his grandfather’s words.Get married or lose the company.It sounded simple, but it wasn’t. He wasn’t ready to settle down. Marriage meant responsibility, and responsibility was the last thing he wanted. He had spent years avoiding it, and living a carefree and luxurious life.Now he was stuck.He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair wondering what to do? If I marry the wrong woman, she’ll want to stay. She’ll cling to the money, the status, and never leave. And if I don’t marry at all, Grandfather will cut me off. Damn it.He sipped his drink again, the burn in his throat no match racing thoughts in his mind. He had to find someone different. Not a social climber and not a gold-digger as well. Someone who needed money, but someone who could walk away after a year with no drama.He kn

Damien was not the kind of man who thought about marriage. Women, Yes. Commitment, no. Marriage was for people who believed in forever. Damien only believed in today and nothing more than that.Still, his grandfather’s words stayed in his chest like a heavy weight. No wife, no company. No empire. For once, Damien couldn’t just laugh and move on. He needed a plan, and quickly.He picked up his phone and scrolled to a name he knew well. Miranda Chase. Supermodel. Legs for days. She was the kind of woman who turned heads every time she walked into a room. Damien had taken her to more than a few events, and they had shared plenty of hot and steamy nights together. They weren’t in a real relationship but she was beautiful, fun, very used to his lifestyle and most of all, a fiercesome sexy demon in bed.He hit call button.“Damien,” Miranda said, her voice sexy and seductive when she picked up, He could already feel himself hardening just imagining her in bed but he had to remind himself to