The Billionaire’s Contract Bride
Valentine Stephens never believed in fairy tales, but during times as dire as these, one takes what he can. With her brother's life hanging by a thread and medical bills she could never, ever afford to pay, she makes an impulsive decision to marry Adrian Sebastian, the ruthless CEO and business tycoon, who needs a wife for only one purpose: to inherit his grandfather's billion-dollar fortune.
The arrangement is simple. One year, no feelings or complications. Hard, cold Adrian makes his intentions clear from the start. He doesn't have faith in love, and Val is merely a pawn used in his game.
Val's college experience is transformed into a nightmare when her billionaire husband is exposed, and she becomes the target of gossip, jealousy, and scandal. she's betrayed by her best friend, and stalked by an unknown enemy hell-bent on destroying her.
His half-brother, Damian, is eager to get his hands on his inheritance and will do whatever it takes to destroy the marriage. And just as Val is beginning to believe she knows Adrian, she finds out a secret that shattered all she knew about him.
Adrian hadn't chosen her at random. He had known her the whole time. And the real reason he married her? It is a secret so dangerous it was capable of killing them both.
Trapped in a lie, Val is presented with an ultimatum: walk away and forfeit everything, or fight fire with fire against the man who holds her heart and liberty in his hands.
But what if the biggest enemy she will have to fight against is the man she is starting to fall in love with? Find out in the book.
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Chapter: Chapter 13I lingered in the hall longer than necessary. The air outside her door was too still, like the eye of the storm. My fingers fluttered just inches from the doorframe, as it clenched and unclenched in slow tempo. I hated this feeling, this tight, coiled anxiety crawling through my gut. I was a man who planned well, and when those plans failed, I improvised. I always had it together. But I wasn't holding it together tonight, I was breaking down.She looked so small in that bed; too frail yet too brave. Even when her eyes were wide and pleading, she hadn't screamed. She had looked at me as if I was the villain of her story. Well, maybe I was.I moved away from the door, forcing myself to walk slowly down the hall, but every goddam instinct was screaming at me to break into a sprint and disappear into the night. Not that I was afraid of her. No, I was afraid of what I had seen in her eyes.Fear. Distrust.. and something else. She looked at me as if I had betrayed her. That was the part
Last Updated: 2025-05-05
Chapter: Chapter 12I returned to my room in a fog, my duffel clutched against my chest, Margaret's words echoing in my head like a warning bell: “Watch. Listen. Be smart.”The hall behind me felt like it loomed as a silent threat, every shadow now under suspicion. I slipped in and shut the door softly behind me, the click of the lock echoing way too loudly in the quiet.The bed was exactly as I had left it, the pillows still shaped beneath the blanket to take the form of a sleeping body. The illusion of safety. I hesitated, straining to hear any footsteps that might be heading in my direction, then carefully hid the bag behind the closet door and crawled back over to the bed, attempting not to disturb the setup too much. Every move was now calculated — deliberate. I climbed beneath the blankets and drew the blanket up to my chin, arranging the pillows just so that it looked exactly the same.My heart was still racing from the encounter in the hall. I wasn't certain what scared me more — Adrian, Margare
Last Updated: 2025-05-02
Chapter: Chapter 11I looked at the cup in Adrian's hand, the rich scent of coffee mingling with something else I couldn't detect — something with a slightly chemical flavor.My fingers tightened around the blanket, nails digging into the soft fabric."I told you, drink up," Adrian repeated, voice gentle but with an unmistakable undercurrent of steel.My head spun. I had two options: drink and risk whatever he had put in there, or not drink and give away that I didn't trust him.But just as I was about to give up and take it, a scene for Moana which I had just watched a few days ago flashed through my mind. Who would have thought a cartoon could help me out?“There's always a way.” The voice echoed in my mind.A third possibility flashed through my mind, one that took courage.Gradually, I took the cup away from him. His gaze never faltered. I brought it to my lips, letting the steam waft over my face. Then, holding the cup at a mere angle, I let the liquid just graze my mouth without drinking. I licked
Last Updated: 2025-04-30
Chapter: Chapter 10A chill prickle ran up my spine as I looked at my own face, frozen in place. I could see myself sitting across from Damian, the dancing candlelight casting shadows on my face. My face was tense, suspicious.Who took this? And why did they want me to look at it?I spun around and glanced over my shoulder as if half-hoping to see someone there, but I was alone in the hallway.The quiet of the Sebastian home hung in all directions of me, heavy and suffocating.I retreated into my own room and closed the door, turning the lock behind me.My head spun. Tell Adrian? Would he even care? What if he was the sender?I knew I couldn't talk to Adrian about this, not when I was yet to know of this weird war that Damian had been vaguely talking about.I sat on my bed, the envelope clutched in my hand. The message had been clear.This is only the beginning. But the beginning of what? And the picture? What was it's significance?Sleep had not been easy to find. Every creak of the house, every blow of
Last Updated: 2025-04-28
Chapter: Chapter 9While I was trying to process the first message, another came through.I swallowed hard. Now I was quite sure it was the same person sending these messages and there was only one person who could send a message like that. Damian.I locked my phone and put it on the bedside table, allowing myself to catch a breath. The day had worn me out.Oliver's surgery, waiting, the shuddering relief of realizing his new heart was healthy. All of it.But we weren't done yet,there was Damian to contend with.There was a knock on the door and it startled me."Valentine." Adrian's voice was gentle yet commanding. I huddled the blanket closer around me."Come in."The door creaked open, and he entered.Even at this late hour, he was perfectly dressed, his tie loosened a notch, his sleeves rolled up. And he looked as exhausted as I was.He showed me his phone. "Damian texted me a time and place."I braced myself. "When?""Tomorrow night. Seven o'clock. His penthouse."The idea of being alone with Damian
Last Updated: 2025-04-26
Chapter: Chapter 8"Mrs Valentine!"I groaned, rubbing my temples as I sat up. My entire body hurt with exhaustion, my mind cloudy from a night of restless sleep.The door opened before I could respond, and Margaret came in, her face tense like I'd never witnessed."It's Oliver," she said. "The hospital phoned. He collapsed."My stomach dropped. "What?" I sat up with a start, nearly toppling over as I grabbed my robe. "Collapsed? How? He was fine yesterday!"Margaret hesitated. "Dr. Patel said it's an emergency. They need you there immediately."I didn't hear anything else. I hurried down the stairs, my heart pounding harder than my hurrying feet. Adrian was standing by the front door, already dressed in his impeccable suit, his jaw set in granite."I'll drive you," he said curtly.I nodded, too worried to muse on how handsome he looked even under tension.The ride to the hospital took forever and I barely held myself together throughout the ride.When we arrived, chaos was waiting. Doctors dashed aroun
Last Updated: 2025-04-25
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