Novel-novel oleh FMN

Alexander’s phone vibrated again inside his pocket. He glanced around the crowded reception hall, his eyes scanning every corner, but there was still no sign of Elara. Music echoed through the hall, guests laughed, glasses clinked together, but none of it settled the uneasy feeling crawling under his skin. “Where the hell did she go?” he muttered under his breath. Julian walked up beside him and tapped his shoulder lightly. “Alex.” he called. Alexander turned sharply. “Have you seen Elara?” Julian shook his head. “No. Grandma asked me to call both of you upstairs for the family toast.” Alexander exhaled impatiently and pulled out his phone when it rang again. Unknown number. Without saying another word, he walked out of the hall and into the quieter hallway upstairs. The moment he stepped into the empty corridor, he stopped. Vanessa stood there waiting for him. Two bodyguards lingered a few steps behind her while she leaned casually against the wall, a slow smil

The music continued flowing softly through the hall as Alexander held Elara close against him on the dance floor. The atmosphere around them had changed completely. The guests were no longer whispering out of curiosity alone. Now they were staring because of the undeniable chemistry between them. Even Genevieve noticed it. She sat elegantly at her table, watching the way Alexander’s hand remained firmly around Elara’s waist like he couldn’t bear letting her go. Alexander is known to be so cold around women and he's doing this with a woman. Julian leaned closer beside her. “I’ve never seen Alex look at someone like that before.” Genevieve remained quiet for a moment. "Me too." Tiana smirked, she didn’t even know Alexander would love his new wife this much. Desmond smirked, he sip from his wine, his eyes on Elara’s backside all along, anticipating to have his way with her. At the center of the hall, Alexander slowly spun Elara gently beneath the golden lights before pul

The entire hall erupted into applause the moment Alexander and Elara stepped fully inside. The gigantic crystal chandelier above reflected against the marble floor beautifully while the soft melody of A Thousand Years continued playing in the background. Elara suddenly felt overwhelmed. Too many eyes. Too many whispers. Too many powerful people staring at her like she was something to study. Her fingers tightened slightly around Alexander’s hand unconsciously. Alexander noticed immediately. Without looking at her, he slowly intertwined their fingers together firmly. A silent reassurance. “I’m here.” The action alone calmed her racing heart a little. The MC smiled brightly from the center stage. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he announced dramatically. “Please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Harrington officially!” The applause grew louder. Some guests even stood up. Cameras flashed nonstop. Elara blinked rapidly from the brightness. Alexander leaned slightly toward her. “Smi

After getting dressed, Elara slowly stepped out of the dressing room, smoothing her palm over the pink off-shoulder gown hugging her body perfectly. The dress clung to her curves like it had been made specially for her, emphasizing every dangerous line of her figure-eight shape. The soft fabric rested against her skin elegantly, exposing the smoothness of her shoulders and collarbone. Her silver stiletto heels clicked lightly against the marble floor as she walked forward. The sound alone made Alexander lift his head. The moment his eyes landed on her, his lips parted slightly. The cold expression on his face softened almost immediately as his dark gaze slowly travelled down her body before returning to her face. He had been sitting outside the dressing room the entire time, waiting for her to finish dressing so he could also change, but now, staring at her, he suddenly forgot every single thing around him. The mall noise faded. The workers moving around faded. Even

Linda reached her daughter before Clara could even turn fully. The air between them thickened instantly, something unspoken but deeply understood passing in that single glance they shared. Clara’s fingers tightened around the paper, but she was too late. Linda snatched it from her with trembling hands, the crumpled edges crackling loudly in the tense silence. For a brief second, Linda just stared at it hoping the words would rearrange themselves into something less cruel. They didn’t. Her lips parted, breath catching, and then she read it aloud, her voice barely holding together. “Tell your daughter to stay away from Alexander Harrington.” The words fell heavy, like a verdict already passed. A tear slipped down Linda’s cheek before she could stop it. She inhaled sharply, rubbing her lips together as though trying to force herself back into control, but the fear had already seeped too deep. Her fingers shook, clutching the paper like it might burn her if she held it any lon

Elara didn’t pull away. Instead, something shifted in her expression. A slow smile curved her lips as her hand lifted, wrapping lightly around the back of his neck. He was taller than her, his presence naturally dominating, but she tilted her chin just enough to keep their eyes locked, refusing to look away. His hand was still firm on her waist. The air between them tightened. “Why don’t we just strip in front of each other then?” she said softly, her voice laced with challenge more than innocence. Alex’s lips curled into a smirk. “That’s funny,” he replied, his voice low, edged with something dangerous. “We’ve not even stripped, and this is already happening.” Before she could react, he caught her wrist and guided it down to touch his zipper and feel him. Elara froze for a split second. Then her breath hitched. She knew exactly what he was doing. And instead of pulling back she played along. Her fingers moved slightly, brushing against him through the fabric

Jay: I’m happy Betty finally said we should get a divorce. I've always wanted to hear it from her after a long time. I walk inside my room, loosening my tie. The contract says she had to be the one to file for it. That was one of the conditions her father insisted on before signing that deal with my stepfather. Back then, it felt like a trap I willingly walked into. Now it feels like freedom handed to me on a silver platter. Even though I'm excited, the truth is I never treated Betty right. Not even once. I exhale slowly, running a hand through my hair as I walk further into the room. My eyes drift absentmindedly across the space, but my mind isn’t here. It’s stuck somewhere between the past and the present, tangled in memories I don’t want to fully face. Betty didn’t deserve to be treated wrongly. She was kind to me actually. Betty is the kind of woman who would wake up early just to make sure everything in the house ran smoothly, who would wait for me even when I came ho

He could’ve just pretended as if he wasn't happy. That was the part that hurt the most. Not the affair—not even the fact that it was her. Not the humiliation, not the quiet nights spent alone in a marriage that felt emptier with each passing day. He could’ve at least pretended not to be happy. How dare he? I pulled down his hand slowly and he smiled. "Sorry, I was carried by the good news." he said, still smiling like a fool. He knew how much I love him. He wasn’t blind to it, I had never hidden it. I wore it in everything I did, in the way I spoke to him, in the way I stayed even when every part of me screamed to leave. So how could he do this? How could he stand there, smiling like this was the best thing that has ever happened to him? How could he look so relieved? I loved him. And he was happy that I wanted a divorce. The irony of it almost made me laugh. Then again, what did I expect? I shouldn’t forget. He was in love with his best friend. He didn’t lov

“Let’s get a divorce,” I said. For a moment, he didn’t react. Then he chuckled as if I had just told a joke. He wasn't sure I understood myself. “Because you found out Jewel is back, you want to threaten me with a divorce?” he asked, his tone laced with mockery, his lips curling into that familiar smirk that had once made my heart flutter. Now it just made something inside me go cold. I smile at him calmly. He really thinks this lowly of me? If I had wanted to threaten him from the beginning, he wouldn’t have dared to celebrate his birthday with another woman. He wouldn’t have been bold enough to parade his love for someone else right in front of me, like I was invisible or like I was nothing. “I have many ways to threaten you,” I said, my voice too controlled for the storm raging inside me. “But actually, I don’t want to be the villain in my own story.” My fingers curled slightly at my sides, nails pressing into my palm as I held myself together. “I’m done being in

My gaze landed on the pink bracelet wrapped around her wrist. The same one from the picture. And just like that, everything made sense to me. Jewel is the one woman Jayson has always loved.The one I could never replace. The one who existed in his life long before I ever did. I thought he had moved on. I thought he had forgotten her. I was so stupid. She walked past me, didn’t even glance in my direction. My chest tightened painfully as I watched her until she's out of my sight. “Betty, you’re here?”The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned slowly, my jaw dropped in shock. His parents are here too. The popular Thalia Williams and Franklin Blackwood. Thalia owns the hotel but Franklin beside her means she's not here for work. Because Thalia and Franklin are not married to each other anymore, they both have their partners and you'll barely see Franklin beside her. "We're here to celebrate Jay's birthday with his one true love." she say confidently to me,

Betty: One day, I found out my husband, Jayson Blackwood, was having an affair. It wasn’t shocking in the way betrayal is supposed to be. Jayson had never treated me right, not once in the entire year we’d been married. Ours wasn’t a love story that led to marriage. It was a contract marriage. A carefully negotiated alliance between two powerful families, signed with vows neither of us truly meant. Still knowing and seeing are two different things. I have always known there was a part of him I could never reach. A part that didn’t belong to me. A part that was never mine to begin with. But reading that message on his phone made it real in a way I couldn’t ignore anymore. It wasn’t just emotional distance or cold indifference. It was betrayal. And somehow, it hurt more than I ever imagined it would. Today is his birthday. And today I will finally see her. The woman who has what I never could. The woman who made his heart beat. I spent the entire day making preparatio