All Emma Ocean wanted was to unlock her inheritance without falling in love. What she got instead was a cold billionaire husband who once hated her. When a party dare traps them together, Emma turns the game around. Marry me, or pay a heavy price. Ace agrees. One year. No contact. No feelings. No exposure. But Ace isn’t used to losing control. And Emma isn’t the girl who once ignored him. As business wars heat up, secrets unravel, and rivals close in, one truth becomes unavoidable: She may not have wanted a husband. But she just became the only woman who could break one.
View MoreEmma
I didn’t want to attend this party at all. I was not in a party mood presently. But there I was in the backseat of Lola’s black car, staring out of the window as Lola fixed her lipstick in the mirror. "Emma," she said, pouting her lips, "you need this. Just one night out, please. You have nothing to lose.” I do have a lot to lose if I don't act fast. Today was the third time I had read my parents’ will, which was handed to me by their lawyer. My parents left me their entire empire, Oceanic Group, the empire they built with their bare hands. But they added a condition. I had to get married before I turned 25 years old or forfeit my entire inheritance to my cousin Nath Reed. I will be 25 years old in two months. So I need to act fast. “Cheer up, girl; this is the party of the year. Maybe fate’s waiting inside." She laughed, stepping into the lights without waiting for me. I doubted it. But I followed her anyway. The place was filled with people. I walked towards the back of the hall, holding a glass of sparkling water. I wore a mid-light black dress. No jewelry. Hair in a soft bun. I looked nice enough to blend in, not enough to stand out. That was my plan. Lola had vanished into the crowd, of course. She was good at that. I was halfway through planning my quiet escape when I heard it. "Alright, Ace," someone said, laughing loudly, "here's the deal: The next girl who walks into the lounge, you will have to spend the night with her. After the night, her wish will be your command. No backing out of this dare. You have to go through with it," he said, slamming his drink down like it sealed the deal. “Come on, Ace, it’s just a game.” His friend said, nudging him with a playful smile. There was a pause. Then a different voice. Low, and flat.“One night, then whatever she wants by morning.” He murmured, eyes locked on the door like he was waiting. I don’t know what made me move; maybe it was curiosity that led me in or mere stupidity. I can't say precisely, but as I walked through the door of the lounge. All eyes turned toward me. I looked up and froze. Ace Blacke! He has this tired expression that says he didn’t like people or parties or anything about this moment.He was taller than I remembered. More handsome and colder. I saw him last at the university. Back then, he never liked me, and I didn't care. And now, our eyes met again. It feels like the past is in repeat mode. He just looked at me as if I had gone and ruined his entire night just by being there. The glare was very sharp. "Emma Ocean," he said quietly, taking a step closer. "Ace," I said with a calm voice, but deep down I was feeling lots of different things. "What are you doing here?” he asked, frowning. "Partying, what else?" I whispered under my breath, already regretting opening the door. “You’re not dressed for this party,” he stated, his voice calm but not flat. More like he was trying to figure me out. “I am aware of that; I didn’t plan to be here,” I said with a smile. “Didn’t plan to come,” he echoed, “but here we are.” “Yeah, I said in a quiet voice, plans changed.” He moved closer. Neither fast nor slow. Just enough to make sure I noticed. When I looked up briefly, the room seemed to go completely silent. He just stood there looking at me. “Don’t you want to escape?” He murmured, still looking at me like he was searching for something. I shook my head. “Should I?” I watched his face, waiting for a reason. His eyes narrowed a little. He was trying to figure me out. Like I’d walked into the wrong game but somehow brought the rulebook. “You heard the terms?” he asked. “I heard enough.” I replied, “One night. One request. No take-backs,” I added. He nodded. “Then let’s go.” His hand brushed mine for just a second. His friends laughed as we left, but I barely heard them. It felt like everything had slowed down a bit. I wasn’t scared. Just aware. His penthouse was at the very top floor of the building. The elevator ride there was silent. He held the door open, and I stepped inside. He followed me in, closing the door behind him. We didn’t speak. I sat on the couch. He kept standing, then he took off his jacket and placed it on the armchair, then walked over to the table and prepared a mug of tea and lemon, and handed it to me. “You remembered?” I asked. "I remember a lot of things." His voice was quiet, almost like he was saying it more to himself than to me. I looked at him closely. "Like what?" I asked. He didn’t answer my question. His jaw tensed. "You don’t have to accept this dare." He said sharply, like the idea of me doing it bothered him. The silence stretched. We didn’t touch. We just sat in that room together like two strangers with too much history. After a while, he threw a soft blanket at me. "You take the couch. I’ll take the other end." "Don’t snore," I said softly. He didn’t laugh. The night passed slowly. And by morning, I knew exactly what I was going to ask for. He made a bet. I will have to seize the opportunity this game presents. When he handed me a mug of coffee, I looked him in the eyes. "Let’s get this game over with." I said. He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" "Marry me." I said quietly. He looked at me like I had just spoken an alien language."You must be joking." He gave out a short, cold laugh. His shoulders were tense. “No, I am not joking. One year. That’s all.” My fingers tightened around the mug I was holding. “I’m not asking for forever.” "Why would I do that?" He asked, looking very angry. "Because if you say no", I said, standing, "I’ll call the press and tell them all about your little dare. Or you can pay me ten percent of Blacke Tech for breaking the deal." His face turned to stone. "You’re not serious." "Dead serious," I replied. "You want to blackmail me into marrying you?" He asked coldly. "No," I said. "I’m offering you a clean solution. We both get what we want. You avoid scandal. I get my inheritance. And that's all.” He stared at me. I didn’t blink. Then, finally, he spoke. "You really haven’t changed." "Neither have you." I simply said not raising my voice. I didn’t have to. The silence after hung heavier than anything I could’ve said. The deal was struck. And the game had just begun.“Ace. You need to sit down.”“I can’t,” Ace said, pacing the private lounge at the London airport. “I need to get back. Now.”Brian stood near the window, watching his friend unravel. He had traveled to London to see him when the whole news broke out. “The next flight leaves in thirty minutes. You’re already booked. There’s nothing more we can do until then.”Ace didn’t respond. He just stared at his phone. Another text sent. No reply.It was the seventeenth time he had tried to reach Emma since sunrise. Each call went to voicemail. His last message was simple:Emma, please answer. I can explain everything.He tried again:The photos are fake. Patricia set me up.Still nothing:I love you. Only you. Please believe me.Brian walked over. “You look like hell.”“I don’t care how I look,” Ace muttered. “I care about my wife.”Brian lowered his voice. “She’s not responding because she’s hurt. This... scandal is everywhere. Even the airport lounge has your face on the TV.”Ace’s eyes moved
“Did you see what’s happening?” Rafael asked, voice low over the line.“I just saw it,” Nathan replied. “The media’s all over Ace. His name in lights, scandal everywhere.”“Perfect,” Rafael said, leaning back in his chair. The news was flashing across his monitor, photos, headlines, and gossip shows repeating the story. He allowed himself a small smile.“How’s Emma taking all this?” Rafael asked.“She’s locked herself up. She won’t see anyone,” Nathan answered quietly.“Excellent,” Rafael murmured. “Now we move on the board.”“What do you want me to do?” Nathan asked, uncertainty creeping in.“Nothing. Stay hidden. I’ll handle the board directly,” Rafael said firmly, hanging up.Rafael stared at his laptop, fingers poised over the keyboard. He had been preparing for this moment for weeks. The scandal was the trigger he’d needed. He opened a new email and began to type.Within the hour, Rafael had called five key Oceanic board members. He paced in his office as he dialed.“Mrs. Cole, t
“Emma, you there? Please, just open the door,” Lola said softly, voice shaking a little.Emma sat on the floor by her office door, head leaning against the cold wood. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.“I’m not leaving until you talk to me,” Lola said.Emma took a deep breath. She wiped her eyes, then slowly got up and unlocked the door. Lola stepped inside without waiting.Emma didn’t say anything at first. She just let the tears come.Lola wrapped her arms around her. “I’m here.”Emma sobbed. “I trusted him. We spoke countless times, but he never told me that he was still seeing Patricia,” she said, her voice breaking. “I really thought he loved me.”Lola pulled back a little and looked into Emma’s eyes. “Maybe he does. Or maybe he doesn’t. But right now, you need to think about you.”Emma shook her head. “He slept with Patricia. She’s pregnant with his baby. I saw the pictures, Lola. I saw the test.”Lola sat down beside her. “Photos can be faked, Emma. Tests can be forged. You know
Patricia sat in the hotel’s business center with her computer. She opened her phone and called the number she had saved under “Media Contact.”“Hello?” the woman answered.“This is Patricia Weston. I have something for you.”“What kind of something?” the voice asked.“A story. Ace Blacke. Exclusive.”The line was quiet for a moment.“I’m listening.”“It’s about his private life. He’s been having an affair.”“Do you have proof?”“Yes.”“With whom?”“ With Me,” Patricia said.There was silence again.“You were involved with Ace Blacke?”“I was. Recently. And I’m pregnant.”“Are you willing to go public?”“Yes. But only if you use the photos and the test results. I want it all out. Nothing left out.”“Can you prove the pregnancy?”“I took another test this morning,” Patricia said. “It’s dated. I can send a photo of it.”“And the affair?”“I have photos. From the London hotel. Clear and personal.”“How long ago?”“Two weeks plus.”The woman paused.“If this checks out, it’ll run tomorrow
“Emma?”She stopped and turned slowly.It was him.Louis Durand!He stood there with his hands in his coat pockets, looking right at her.Memories of their Law school days rushed in. She hasn't seen Louis since he left for Canada after their law school graduation.Emma blinked. “Louis?”He took a step toward her, a small smile on his face. “Hey, Em.”Lola looked from Louis to Emma, eyebrows raised. “Okay… I’ll go start the car.”Emma barely heard her. Her heart was racing.“What… what are you doing here?” she asked quietly.Louis held her gaze. There was something in his expression she couldn’t quite read.“I came back,” he said. “I missed you.”“Wow, it's been long, Louis,” Emma said“I know,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. About you. About our friendship.”She laughed under her breath. “You left so suddenly for Canada. How have you been?”I have been well, and I regret leaving the way I left.” He saidBehind her, Lola moved. “Okay... I’ll give you two a min
Julian knocked on the door before stepping in. “Emma, do you want me to run through the contracts one more time?”“Yes. Highlight the ones with deadlines this week.” She said.Julian placed a marked copy in front of her. “These three need your signature by tomorrow. The others can wait until next week.”Emma nodded. “Good. Draft the replies for these, but don’t send them until I review.”“Got it,” Julian said. He hesitated. “You’ve been here since morning. Do you want me to order food?”“I already ate something small,” Emma said. “But thank you.”Julian gave a short nod. “Alright. I’ll finish the draft notes then.”Just then, Emma’s phone rang. She glanced at it. It was Lola.Emma picked up at once. “Hey.”“Emma,” Lola’s voice came bright. “Tell me you’re not stuck in that office all night.”Emma sighs. “I might be.”“You won’t,” Lola said firmly. “I’m dragging you out tonight. Girls’ night. I don't want any excuses.”Emma looked over at Julian, who was pretending not to listen while
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments