THE COLD CEO'S WRONG BRIDE
Monica Knowles never imagined she would be married in minutes, especially not to a man she'd never met before . She was only the wedding planner when the real bride, heiress Celeste Blackwood, vanished before the ceremony.
Before Monica can understand what is happening, she is forced to walk down the aisle in Celeste's place and marry Adrian Thorne, the ruthless billionaire CEO. Adrian discovers he just married the wrong woman. But with his family's merger and billions of dollars at stake, the public doesn't have to know.
His solution is simple. A six-month contract marriage with rules of no intimacy. But living under the same roof changes everything.
The kisses meant for the cameras becomes real. The man who trusts no woman begins to crave his fake wife's touch. And Monica, who has spent her whole life feeling like someone's second choice, starts believing Adrian might actually choose her.
Then the runaway bride returns and one lie is enough to destroy the fragile trust between them. Heartbroken and pregnant, Monica disappears without telling Adrian. Four years later, Adrian sees Monica again and discovers her secret.
Now the man who once treated their marriage like a business deal will have to win back the woman he finally understands he cannot live without.
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Chapter: Chapter FiveMONICAAdrian crossed the room in three strides, positioning himself beside my chair. "Monica is my wife. If either of you speaks to her like that again, I'll have your monthly allowances cut to zero, starting today.""Adrian, we were only…" Ana started, but he cut her off with a single raised hand."I don't care what you were only doing. I heard enough walking in." He glanced between them, his jaw tight. "You will be civil with her. That's it."Isa's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing further. Ana just stared at her plate, cheeks flushed pink. I sat there frozen, fork still resting where I'd set it down, genuinely stunned. I hadn't expected him to say a single word in my defense. From the look on Isa's face, and even Ana's, neither of them had expected it either.Adrian took my hand and helped me up from the chair, leading me out of the dining room."Thank you so much," I said once we’d left their presence."For what?" He looked down at me, something unreadable flickering behind his
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Chapter FourMONICAThe limousine pulled to a stop before iron gates that looked heavy enough to keep out an army. Beyond them, the estate rose in pale stone and glass, surrounded by lawns so green they looked painted.Inside, Adrian started barking out rules before I'd even set my purse down."Listen carefully, because I won't repeat myself." He didn't look at me while he said it, already shrugging out of his jacket and tossing it toward a waiting staff member."One of the maids will show you to your room. You and I keep separate bedrooms. You do not enter my room, under any circumstance, for any reason. We are business partners. Nothing more." He finally turned to face me. "Don't let the maids and their nice welcome confuse you into thinking you belong here. The second the six months is over, you're gone.""I think you keep forgetting I also never wanted to be here in the first place." I crossed my arms and held his stare, refusing to be the first one to look away. "You don't have to remind me
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Chapter ThreeMONICAI flipped through the pages of the contract and I still couldn't wrap my head around any of this. Wedding planner to bride in minutes. Now I sat here with a pen in my hand, being pushed into a contract marriage I never imagined, not even in my wildest dreams.I didn't have a choice, though. Mr. Blackwood had made that clear with his threats, and Adrian had simply picked up where he left off. The one thing keeping my hands from shaking too badly to hold the pen was the number sitting at the top of the page. Ten million dollars in six months! I could finally open my own bridal house with that kind of money. All my life, I had never once cleared a million in a single year."So what happens if you break the agreement." I looked up at him, at that face carved out of arrogance. "What happens then?""Sign it, and the transfer goes through in the next five minutes." He didn't even glance at the contract when he said it, like the money was an afterthought he'd already forgotten about.
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Chapter TwoADRIANI never wanted to get married. I had already decided on a surrogate for the day I wanted a child. Then Father decided I was marrying Celeste Blackwood. He said the merger would make Thorne group the strongest. I refused. Grandfather made a phone call after that, and I couldn't say no. Either I married Celeste, or I could hand my seat at the head of Thorne Group to my cousin and go find something else to do with my life. That was the only reason I stood at that altar today.At least they hadn't handed me a total stranger. I'd seen Celeste enough times over the years to know her face, her voice, the particular way she laughed too loud whenever she came around the estate to see my sisters. Except the woman seating at the far edge of the room tonight didn't laugh at all. She pressed into the corner,her back flat against the wall, like she was trying to fold herself into the wallpaper and vanish.Good, I thought. Let her sit with what she'd signed herself into. If she'd finally un
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Chapter OneMONICA"This can't be happening," I gasped, as I pulled the expensive lace custom wedding gown out from the garment bag. Celeste would be putting this on in thirty minutes and the gown was now torn clean along the seam. There was no way a spoiled girl like her would set foot down that aisle in this. This wedding was the biggest to happen in Palm City in years. Every camera would be pointed at that gown.I grabbed my tiny hand sewing machine and got to work. I needed this fixed before Celeste walked in, or she would scream the whole house down. Just as I tied off the last stitch, the door slammed open. Madame Margaret staggered in, mascara running in two black rivers down her face, sobbing heavily. "She's gone. My baby’s gone…" The words came out in pieces. She held up a cracked little phone with both hands, staring at it as if it might just ring again. "She said… She said she couldn't do this…Couldn't spend her life with that… that monster." Her hands started to shake. "Where di
Dernière mise à jour: 2026-08-25
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