Gilded Hearts
Sophia Rivera couldn't possibly be further away from his universe. Coming from a middle-class family and after the death of her father, Sophia built herself up brick by brick. She doesn't want or need saving and certainly didn't need any spoiled billionaire to validate her worth. Success for Sophia, is earned, not handed down.
Damian Hayes has it all; money, charm, and scandals. As the golden grandson of a formidable business mogul, Damian is renowned for hosting wild parties, charming beautiful women, and an utter disinterest in taking anything seriously. To him, love is just a game; loyalty is a joke, and reputation is just one more weapon in his glittered world.
Their worlds collide when Damian's grandfather enacts an ultimatum to Damien, marry Sophia or lose the empire. What was to be a quick solution to tame Damian's recklessness erupts into an all out war under one roof.
Where Damian sees Sophia as an ugly burden, ordinary, obstinate, and "Beneath His Standards," Sophia sees him as an entitle brat, arrogant, and reckless. Their marriage isn't constructed on love but is developed on defiance.
Every glance is a challenge, every conversation a battle, every touch is uncomfortable sparks neither wants to acknowledge is there.
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Chapter: Chapter 51Sophia POVWednesday-, 10:07 a.m,.I was sitting on the couch with a book balanced on my knees-, halfway through reading and pretending not to think about how strangely quiet the penthouse had been these last two days,.Damien had barely spoken to me,.Not that I minded,.Actually,, I preferred it,.Silence was easier than his words,.My phone suddenly buzzed against the coffee table,.Unknown number.I frowned and picked it up.“Hello?”“Good morning-, Madam,.”I blinked,."This is Ethan., Mr Hayes's assistant,.Immediately-, confusion settled in my chest,.“Ethan?”“Yes.” His usual calm professional tone came through the line. “Mr. Damien Hayes has asked me to inform you that he needs you at Hayes Global within the next hour.”I stared at the phone.“…Me?”“He requested your presence at the office.”I sat up straighter.“No.” I frowned. “No, I think you’re mistaken.”“No, Madam.”“Ethan-,” I said slowly-, “Damien specifically asked me not to come back to the office a few days before
Last Updated: 2026-05-18
Chapter: Chapter 50Damien POVI never wanted this marriage.That was the truth beneath every family dinner, every staged appearance, every signature on every legal document tied to Sophia Bennett’s name.It was never about love.It was obligation.Control.Damage management.At present-, I am the CEO of Hayes Global, and right now I am sitting with my trusted lawyer on a random mid-week afternoon discussing my freedom,.The lawyer adjusted his glasses as he slid the folder across the conference table,.“It won’t happen immediately-, Mr. Hayes,.”I leaned back slightly in my chair-, expression unreadable,.“How long?”“A few days to prepare the formal paperwork.” He opened the file carefully. “Given the nature of the marriage agreement and your family’s visibility, we need discretion.”Discretion.Of course.Everything around the Hayes name required discretion.I glanced toward the glass wall of my office overlooking the city.“And once the papers are ready?” I asked calmly.“We can proceed immediately,
Last Updated: 2026-05-14
Chapter: Chapter 49Sophia POVMy hands were shaking.Not enough to stop working.Just enough for the broken porcelain pieces to click softly against each other as I dropped them into the trash bin one by one,.The kitchen felt too bright after the terrace,.Too quiet.But not quiet enough to drown out the humiliation replaying inside my head.I shut my eyes briefly.God.I gripped the edge of the counter and inhaled slowly-, forcing myself to focus,.I bent to throw the broken shard when the kitchen door slammed open hard enough to make me flinch,.Damien walked in as the air shifted instantly,.His expression was terrifyingly calm,.His jacket was gone now, sleeves rolled up slightly-, jaw tight enough to cut glass,. He stepped into the kitchen slowly-, shutting the door behind him,.The click of the lock echoed,.I straightened immediately.“I didn’t know she had an allergy-,” I said before he could speak,. “You never told me—”“You think this is about mushrooms?”His voice was low.Deadly quiet.I fr
Last Updated: 2026-05-10
Chapter: Chapter 48Sophia’s POVIt's already been a week, since I started living like this.Like a puppet A week doesn’t sound like much until you live through it like this.By Friday, I didn’t wait for instructions anymore. I anticipated them.That evening, I was in the kitchen-, slicing vegetables with precise-, mechanical movements when I heard his footsteps behind me,. I didn’t turn immediately,. I waited, because that’s what he preferred,.“Tomorrow.” Damien's voice cut through the quiet.I glanced over my shoulder. “Tomorrow… what?”“There’s a party.”I turned fully this time, setting the knife down. “Here?”“Yes.”“How many people?”“Five. Maybe ten.”“Friends?” I asked“Some friends and some business.” Damien replied.“What exactly do you want me to handle?” I wiped my hands on a towel,. He leaned against the doorway-, his posture relaxed-, but his gaze steady and sharp,. “Everything,.” “Be specific.” I held his eyes.A faint pause. Then, “The terrace. Set it up.”“Seating arrangement?”“Yes.
Last Updated: 2026-05-07
Chapter: Chapter 47Sophia POVI don’t think I actually slept,.Not properly.It was the kind of night where your body gives up before your mind does,. Every time I drifted-, something dragged me back—the cold floor beneath me-, the stiffness in my spine, or worse,.His voice.It didn’t echo loudly.It lingered.Morning came quietly,.A thin strip of light slipped through the curtains and stretched across the room—stopping just short of where I lay on the floor,.Of course it did,.I stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before forcing myself to move,. My muscles protested immediately-, a dull ache settling deep into my back and shoulders,.I sat up slowly-, inhaling through it,.I stood, adjusting my clothes, smoothing out creases that didn’t really matter,. The room still carried the silence of last night,.Damien was on the bed,.Asleep.Unbothered.For a moment, I watched him.Not with anger.With distance.Then I looked away.I picked up the pillow he had thrown at me,. It felt heavier now—not phy
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Chapter: Chapter 46Sophia POVBy the time the dishes were washed and the kitchen was finally quiet again-, the apartment had settled into a heavy silence,.The city lights outside the glass walls flickered against the dark marble floors-, stretching long reflections across the living room,.I dried my hands slowly-, hanging the towel back in its place,.My body felt exhausted-, but my mind refused to quiet down,.Dinner.The table.His words.You’re staff in this house now.The sentence replayed in my head like something stuck on repeat.I inhaled slowly.Fine.If that was the role he had decided to force on me, then I would survive it. Just long enough to find something else,. Just long enough to walk away from this place without needing anything from him,.I turned off the kitchen lights and walked toward the hallway,.The bedroom door stood slightly open,.For two months, that room had been ours.Not perfect. Not easy.But… real.Apparently I had imagined most of it.I pushed the door open,.The room
Last Updated: 2026-03-09
Wedcuffed
This is not your regular arranged marriage love story.
It is layered, intense, and rooted in an emotional journey. This story contains mature themes and complex characters. The female lead is not weak, nor is she waiting to be saved—she is on her own journey, growing through pain, survival, and strength. If you’re looking for a light-hearted love story with cliché romance and guaranteed happy endings, this one might not be for you.
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Sarah Darrell always longed for a simple life. But life never played fair. Scarred by an abusive childhood and teenage years marked by cruelty from her stepmother and stepsister, Sarah made a choice—to leave behind her city, her home, and her so-called family. Five years later, at 26, she returns to New York City as a strong, independent woman to take over her late mother’s company and fulfil her last wish.
Adrian Parker, is the magnetic CEO of the world’s leading tech empire. He’s sharp, composed, and devastatingly handsome. Unlike other billionaires, Adrian believes in loyalty, and his heart is set on marrying Jessica, the woman he’s built a life with.
But fate has other plans.
When Sarah and Adrian cross paths, their worlds shift in ways neither of them expected.
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Chapter: Chapter 363Sarah POVThe first thing I remember after the blur of hard work is the sound. Not the chaos of moved quickly footsteps, no longer Alessandro’s steady, grounding voice urging me thru every contraction, no longer even the ragged cries torn from my personal throat, however hers.A small, fragile cry that appeared too sensitive to pierce the air, and yet it did, slicing via the haze of ache and exhaustion with a clarity that rooted itself into my heart. The room, the nurses, the machines, it all fell away till there was handiest that sound, after which the weight of her in opposition to my chest.A daughter.Our daughter.The phrases tumbled through my mind, as if pronouncing them silently might by hook or by crook make them greater actual. I bear in mind the warmth of her tiny frame, damp with start, pressed against my skin, the way her fists clenched and unclenched like she become already accomplishing for the world.My world.Hours later, the frenzy of the transport room is lengthy go
Last Updated: 2025-08-30
Chapter: Chapter 362Sarah POVThe world tilted and blurred in a hurry of mild and movement the instant Alessandro scooped me into his fingers. His grip turned into firm, nearly fierce, as even though he should protect me from the hurricane tearing through my body. I should see the stress in his jaw, the muscle there flexing tight with determination.His lips brushed in opposition to my hairline, and his voice got here low and constant, an anchor cutting through the haze of ache.“Hold on, amore. Just breathe. I’ve got you.”Another contraction ripped through me, sharper and deeper than the last, tightening across my stomach like iron bands. A strangled cry escaped my throat, and instinctively I clutched at his shoulder, my nails biting into the material of his shirt.He didn’t recoil, he did his best and held me nearer, his stride brief and functional as he carried me down the steps.The hallway stretched before us, but all I could consciousness on have been the 2 small figures frozen at the bottom of th
Last Updated: 2025-08-30
Chapter: Chapter 361Sarah POVFew months LaterThe morning light spread across the curtains, warm and gold coloring all it touched with a soft gleam. From the kitchen, the air carried a faint smell of fresh coffee mixing with the clean linen scent of the sheets.I moved against the pillows set behind me, a hand falling upon the round curve of my belly. The baby stirred beneath my touch, a flutter that told me someone was there.Sometimes I could not believe this was my life. For years, I lived in fear. My body held unseen bruises as it held scars no one else saw. Mornings such as this felt impossible, like something for other people. But here, in this house, surrounded by safety, laughter along with love, I felt as if life had been written anew for me, every page inked in second chances.Alessandro had been near all morning fretting over whether I should get out of bed.His protective side.Before he could swoop in, a smaller figure darted forward. With a serious look on his three-year-old face, went to
Last Updated: 2025-08-30
Chapter: Chapter 360Sarah POVTwo yearsIt’s odd how those words feel impossibly long yet painfully short at the same time. It's been two years of our marraige, since Alessandro and I stood together, with our hearts shaking but steady, and promised forever. At that time, forever felt so fragile, Something I dreaded was life breaking apart as it had so many times previously. And now we sit here every day laughing, with our boys turning our lives in a fairy tale. When I woke up that morning, I felt a small but heavy weight of Gabriel on us, and his hand was wrapped around Alesandro's shirt, which he was clutch as he always used to do when he used to enter bed at night. Across the room, Elias slept well in his cradle, her little chest rises and falls completely, with a little sound of breath in the cool.I then looked at Alesandro because he lay there, and my heart melted because he was resting in sleep, holding some morning light with the right masculine dark stubble on his jaw. Even after everything we h
Last Updated: 2025-08-29
Chapter: Chapter 359Sarah POVI was walking into the golden warmth of the afternoon with two sons at my side. Gabriel, tall, strong, his short fingers tightly inserted around Alessandro's hand, although this is his greatest comfort. Elias, round and bright, mumbled happily against my shoulder, his small palm patted my collarbone like a stable drum. I am not alive anymore. I am living, breathing. Laugh. I am surrounded by love that no longer scares me.And today, we are celebrating another miracle: Amelia is turning one today.It seems impossible, almost untrue.In my mind, I can still hear the voice of Ester from that day a year ago, still trembling with tiredness. The moment I saw Amelia's small face, pink and perfect, I knew that it was a thread that would make us all even more keen. I remember Gabriel had leaned carefully over the cot, his expression fierce with determination as he whispered, “My baby.” Elias had only been a few months old then, squealing in his stroller as though announcing his app
Last Updated: 2025-08-28
Chapter: Chapter 358Sarah POVOne year laterIt’s strange how a single year can hold a lifetime of change. Sometimes, once I pause in the quiet of early mornings—before Gabriel’s little feet patter down the hallway, earlier than Elias stirs in his crib, earlier than Alessandro pulls me into his heat, I am surprised at how special existence looks now. In few years in the past, the whole thing still felt fragile, as though happiness may slip through my arms if I dared to preserve it too tightly. But now… now our household breathes with laughter, with the chaos of toys scattered throughout the floor, with the heady scent of Elias’s infant lotion and Gabriel’s crayons, with the mild hum of a family built not just from love but from resilience.I’ve long passed again to paintings, easing into the rhythm of designs and cut-off dates once more, whilst Alessandro insists on coping with the mornings with the boys adore it’s his preferred journey. And within the middle of all of it, I locate myself smiling extra w
Last Updated: 2025-08-27
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