The billionaire's unwanted bride
Emma Chen's world shatters when her father delivers an impossible ultimatum: marry billionaire Alexander Knight, or watch her mother die from cancer. With experimental treatment in Switzerland as her mother's only hope, Emma has no choice but to agree to a contract marriage with a man she barely knows.
Alexander Knight doesn't want love—he wants to save his CEO position. After a tabloid scandal threatens his company's reputation, his father demands he settle down or lose everything he's built. A marriage of convenience seems like the perfect solution: two years of pretending, then a quiet divorce.
What starts as a cold business arrangement slowly transforms into something neither of them expected. Behind Alexander's icy exterior, Emma discovers a man haunted by loss and trapped by expectations. Behind Emma's defensive walls, Alexander finds a passionate, stubborn woman who challenges him at every turn.
As they navigate charity galas, family dinners, and shared late-night conversations, the line between pretending and reality begins to blur. That kiss at their wedding wasn't supposed to mean anything. Living together wasn't supposed to feel natural. And falling for each other definitely wasn't part of the contract.
But with a two-year expiration date looming over their heads, both Emma and Alexander must decide: do they protect their hearts and walk away when the time comes, or do they fight for something real? Can a marriage built on a lie become a love worth keeping?
Sometimes the best love stories are the ones you never saw coming.
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Chapter: sevenThe jet's cabin was all cream leather and polished wood, luxury I still wasn't used to despite living in Alexander's world for weeks. I sat by the window, watching Seattle disappear beneath us, my phone clutched like a lifeline.No updates from my father yet. The surgery was supposed to take six hours. We were only two hours into the flight."You should eat something." Alexander appeared with a plate of fruit and pastries. When I shook my head, he sat down across from me. "Emma, you need to keep your strength up.""Please don't tell me what to do." The words came out sharper than intended. "I'm sorry. I just... I need her to be okay first."He nodded, setting the plate down. "I understand. But I'm here, okay? Whatever you need."What I needed was to rewind time. To not have kissed him last night. To not have these feelings complicating everything when my mother's life hung in the balance. To not be sitting here with a deleted text message burning a hole in my conscience."Alexander,"
Last Updated: 2026-01-19
Chapter: sixI woke up to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar windows and the immediate, crushing memory of last night's kiss. My fingers went to my lips automatically, like they could still feel the pressure of Alexander's mouth on mine, the way his hands had felt in my hair, the sound he'd made when I'd kissed him back.This was bad. This was so, so bad.I grabbed my phone from the nightstand. 6:47 AM. Alexander would already be awake, the man apparently ran on four hours of sleep and black coffee. Part of me wanted to hide in this room forever, avoid the inevitable awkward conversation about boundaries and mistakes and how we definitely couldn't let that happen again.The other part of me wanted to march upstairs and finish what we'd started.I chose the coward's option, shower, get dressed, and escape to the gallery before he could corner me for another one of those intense conversations that made my brain short-circuit.But when I crept downstairs twenty minutes later, dressed and ready to
Last Updated: 2026-01-19
Chapter: fiveMoving into Alexander's penthouse was surreal. The place was massive three floors of modern luxury with floor-to-ceiling windows, a chef's kitchen I'd probably never use, and more space than one person could ever need. It felt more like a museum than a home."Your room is on the second floor," Alexander said, carrying one of my suitcases up the stairs. He'd insisted on helping despite having staff who could do it. "Master suite is on the third floor, so you'll have plenty of privacy."Privacy. Right. Because we were roommates, not a married couple."Thanks," I said, following him down a hallway lined with abstract art. "This place is... impressive.""It's too big," he admitted, pushing open a door. "I bought it because my publicist said a CEO should have an impressive residence. But honestly, I mostly just sleep here."The room he showed me was beautiful spacious, with its own bathroom and a view of the city that took my breath away. There was even a small sitting area with a couch an
Last Updated: 2026-01-03
Chapter: fourThe day of the wedding arrived with perfect weather, which felt like the universe was mocking me. Shouldn't it be raining? Shouldn't there be storm clouds and thunder to match the chaos I felt inside?Instead, it was beautiful. Sunny, warm, with a gentle breeze that made the flowers in the garden ceremony site sway gently. Everything was perfect, except for the fact that I was marrying someone for all the wrong reasons."Stop fidgeting," Jess said, adjusting my veil for the third time. "You look beautiful."I did look beautiful. The dress we'd finally chosen was simple but elegante ivory silk that hugged my curves before flowing into a subtle train. My hair was swept up with a few loose curls framing my face. I looked like a bride. A real bride, marrying for love.The irony wasn't lost on me."I can't do this," I whispered, staring at my reflection in the mirror. "Jess, I can't""Yes, you can." She took my hands, squeezing tight. "Your mom is on a plane to Switzerland right now becaus
Last Updated: 2026-01-03
Chapter: threeThree weeks turned out to be both too long and not nearly enough time. I spent the first week in a blur of dress fittings, venue bookings, and trying to pretend this was a normal wedding. Jess was with me for most of it, playing the role of maid of honor and reality check."This dress makes you look like a cupcake," she said bluntly as I stood on the pedestal in the bridal boutique, drowning in layers of white tulle."Agreed." I turned to the consultant, who looked personally offended. "Can we see something simpler? More elegant, less... pastry?"The woman sniffed but disappeared to find other options. As soon as she was gone, Jess leaned in. "Have you talked to him since the meeting?""Alexander? No. His assistant emails me updates and coordinates schedules. Very efficient, very impersonal.""That's weird, right? You're marrying the guy in two weeks and you haven't even had a phone conversation?"It was weird. But also kind of fitting for whatever this arrangement was. We weren't a r
Last Updated: 2026-01-03
Chapter: twoThe Knight Industries building was everything I expected”sleek, modern, intimidating. All glass and steel reaching up into the gray Seattle sky like it was trying to prove something. I guess when you're worth billions, you don't have to be subtle."You ready for this?" Jess asked from the driver's seat. I'd begged her to come with me, at least to the lobby. Moral support and all that."Absolutely not," I said, checking my reflection in the mirror one more time. I'd chosen a navy blue dress, professional but not too formal. My dark hair was pulled back in a neat bun, minimal makeup. I wanted to look like I had my life together, even though everything felt like it was falling apart."You know, if he's a total asshole, you can just walk away," Jess said. "Your dad can't actually force you to marry someone."I looked at her, my best friend since college, the only person who knew everything about this mess. "Can't he though? When Mom's life is literally on the line?"She reached over and s
Last Updated: 2026-01-03
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