Belle Madrigal was forced into a contract marriage with the enigmatic and powerful Alistair Kensington, heir to Kensington Enterprises, to save her childhood home. The catch? Alistair was in a deep coma when the contract was signed. His ruthless father, Alexander Kensington, orchestrated the marriage to maintain control over the family empire. But when Alistair unexpectedly wakes up, the nightmare begins. Enraged by the forced marriage, he vows to punish Belle for what he believes is a scheme to trap him. His threats turn cruel when he swears that if they ever had children, he would erase their existence from the world. Four years later, Belle has rebuilt her life in France, raising her genius fraternal twins, Theodore and Rosalie, away from the man who once threatened them. But fate is cruel. A single hacked message from her tech-savvy son to a live TV broadcast sends a challenge to Alistair: "Come and get me, asshole." Now, with the past clawing its way back, Belle must fight to protect her children from the dangerous, brooding billionaire who is determined to reclaim what he unknowingly lost.
Lihat lebih banyakPrologue..
Two years ago...A seventeen-year-old Olivia Rae is half sitting and half lying on the floor in front of Alessandro Volcov, who is ten years older than her. He is the Mafia boss of the Russian outfit. He is looking at the young girl with a blank face. While her terrified gaze is trained on her bleeding father, George Rae, and her stepmother Catherine Rae with shock."Please, leave my husband. We beg you to take her as payment for the trouble my husband caused you. Please, Boss, leave my husband. Please" Catherine Rae begged Alessandro with tears in her eyes. She is on her knees in front of Alessandro, while George is bleeding from various injuries on his body. Alessandro tortured him and would have killed him for his betrayal. That's when his cunning wife came up with an evil plan to barter her stepdaughter for her husband's life.Olivia is the daughter of George with his first wife. He loves his daughter, but clearly not more than his life. When he decided to help Victor, he was convinced by the money Victor offered him. But he should have known that it's not easy to overthrow Alessandro.Czar, who is the underboss of the Russian outfit is looking at his boss with a hint of surprise. He was not expecting his boss to even consider this outrageous offer. Alessandro always liked mature women, and he never forced a woman against her will. He never forced Mia Vitiello, whom he wanted to marry. He never touched Mia, because he knew that she was not ready. So he gave her space and never pushed himself on her.'Miss Vitiello doesn't seem too keen on this marriage proposal' Czar remembered mentioning it in front of his boss.Alessandro laughed at Czar's comment.'I knew Mia almost all her life. Unlike every other man out there, I will give her safety and fidelity in our marriage. No one marries for love in our world. Finding Love is pure luck ' he replied.Czar is shocked by those words.'You don't love her?' he asked Alessandro.Alessandro shook his head.'I thought I did when she kissed me when she was drunk. But the past couple of years made me realize that I don't feel the same sparks for her that Nero feels for Chloe. I wanted to tell Nero and his father about this. But it doesn't matter anyway. Now this is purely convenient for me. We have known each other for so long, that it would be easy for us to get used to each other ' he explained.Czar nodded his head, understanding the logic of why his boss wanted to go through with this marriage.Now Czar can relate as to why Alessandro was not going out of his way to spend time with Mia. He is not in love with her in the first place. He visits her whenever he goes to NY, and that is it. He is snapped out of his head when his boss's voice penetrated the old memories."I accept your offer. From this day forth, this girl belongs to me. If you or anyone else from your family tries anything to harm my property, then you know the repercussions" Alessandro declared before leaving the room. Czar closely followed after him, leaving the Rae family alone.Olivia is terrified. He called her his property. She heard all kinds of bad things about Alessandro Volcov. He is ruthless, cold, and unforgiving. Recently he killed so many people mercilessly. These are the people who betrayed him. Her father is one among them."Dad?" she whispered with the pain of betrayal. Her stepmother never liked to her to begin with. She always gave everything to her own daughter and made Olivia's life miserable. But her dad? He is supposed to love her. He gave birth to her after all. He is not supposed to sell her to a ruthless man who is a known monster.George couldn't meet his daughter's gaze. He doesn't want to die here. Alessandro almost killed him. The pain is unbearable, and he doesn't want to die here. If he doesn't receive medical attention soon. He would die. He is worried that his limbs might not work like usual. Alessandro smashed both of his kneecaps and four of his fingers are missing."I am sorry Livi" he whispered.Olivia is heartbroken. She used to love when he calls her by the nickname her mother gave her. But now, the same nickname is sounding like a joke when he used it."Sorry? You are selling me to a ruthless man to save yourself?" she asked hoarsely. Her throat is feeling raw from all the crying.When Catherine saw the conflict on her husband's face, she sneered. She always wanted to get rid of Olivia. Now when she got a chance to do so, she is not letting it slip from her fingers. George earned millions in his employment with the Russian Mafia. She want all the riches to belong to her and her daughter."Now, let's go before he changes his mind and kills you," she told and helped her husband out of Alessandro's house with difficulty."No, Dad, please don't leave me" Olivia begged and tried to run after them, but Alesso's men stopped her. She was ushered into a room which is right beside their Boss's room. Olivia cried, begged, and did everything, but everyone ignored her.The next day, she became Alessandro's assistant and accompanied him to Reed and Mia's wedding. Alessandro all but ignored her through the entire ceremony. She noticed that He was different when he was with them. He is not cold like he is with everyone else. After the wedding, when they were going back to Russia, he gave her an unexpected offer, why wouldn't he? He was happy with the wedding."I am really happy today. You behaved well. I am pleased. Ask me for anything within reason, and I would grant you that wish. Anything but your freedom " he offered her.The only thing he wanted from him is her freedom. But she knows that he would never let her go. So she asked for the next best thing for which she worked hard in her life."Can I go back and finish my education?" she requested softly. She barely speaks with him. She is terrified of him. She doesn't want to push him. To her amazement, he agreed."Alright, you have five years. Finish high school, and then college. After that, you will come back to me. If you try anything to escape or sabotage this understanding between us, then you would see a side of me that you wouldn't like" he warned her.She nodded her head vigorously. She is not as stupid as her father. She knows that she would die if she cross him. She lost hope that she might not get to study again."Czar, arrange someone to drop her back in her hometown. Make sure to warn George and his wife to take good care of my property" Alessandro instructed his underboss.Alistair's breath caught as a sweet voice twisted through the darkness, just above a whisper. Alistair He fluttered open his eyes, his chest rising and falling irregularly, a chilly sweat dripping off his skin. Though the antiseptic medical room looked far away from the delicate sound, it remained hauntingly present. Stretching a quaking hand forward, he fingered the dense void next to him. Belle? His voice broke, almost inaudible. The stillness was dense and unrelenting in response. Sitting up slowly, the acute stinging of memory—or its absence—cutting deeper than the chill. Where are you? His voice was hoarse and frantic, the solitude gnawing through the stillness. His eyes flitted over the white walls, the monitor flicker, the low mechanical hum. Shadows danced, curling into forms that nearly matched her figure, smooth curves, a touch of laughter, warmth caressing his cheek like a sweet breeze. Reaching out, though, it disappeared, leaving only the name's echo on his lips. Be
Alistair's breath caught as a sweet voice twisted through the darkness, just above a whisper. Alistair He fluttered open his eyes, his chest rising and falling irregularly, a chilly sweat dripping off his skin. Though the antiseptic medical room looked far away from the delicate sound, it remained hauntingly present. Stretching a quaking hand forward, he fingered the dense void next to him. Belle? His voice broke, almost inaudible. The stillness was dense and unrelenting in response. Sitting up slowly, the acute stinging of memory—or its absence—cutting deeper than the chill. Where are you? His voice was hoarse and frantic, the solitude gnawing through the stillness. His eyes flitted over the white walls, the monitor flicker, the low mechanical hum. Shadows danced, curling into forms that nearly matched her figure, smooth curves, a touch of laughter, warmth caressing his cheek like a sweet breeze. Reaching out, though, it disappeared, leaving only the name's echo on his lips. Be
"Bernard," she continued, her voice calm yet cautious. Turning, he smiled charmingly. Belle. It's good you arrived. She crossed her arms. What do you want? "Simple," he said, moving closer, the aroma of costly cologne wafting between them. Forget about this chaos. Begin anew, with me. Belle's eyes narrowed as the burden of treachery and despair danced behind them. "Why now?" Bernard's eyes remained fixed. You merit more than all this disorder. Alistair's universe will consume you entirely. She chuckled, bitter. What about you? Why are you providing refuge to a lady caught in peril and secrets? His shrug was a relaxed sign that belied the underlying storm. "I think second chances are important." Is this about rescuing me? Or saving yourself? Her words sliced through the stillness, sharp as a knife. Bernard moved forward to close the gap. Perhaps a little of both. Still, I'm providing a route out. Thoughts racing, Belle stared beyond him over the metropolis. What if I say no?
The glow from the screens flickered against Theodore’s sharp features, casting his face in hues of blue and green. His fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard, eyes narrowing as lines of code unraveled before him. “There’s more going on than we thought,” he muttered, his voice tight with urgency.“More than just memory loss?” asked Maya, sitting close, her concern etched in every wrinkle of her brow.Theodore glanced at her, then back at the screen. “Much more.” He clicked, pulling open a hidden folder labeled Project Forget. “This isn’t accidental. It’s deliberate.”Maya’s breath caught. “You mean someone’s been messing with Alistair’s memories?”“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Theodore’s jaw tightened. “And Lucy’s fingerprints are all over this.”The room grew heavy with the weight of the discovery. Outside, the city’s neon lights hummed, indifferent to the secrets being uncovered in this small apartment.“I knew something felt off,” Maya whispered, reaching to steady Theodore’
Belle sat rigidly across the breakfast table, the morning light filtering weakly through the slats of the blinds. The air felt heavy with unsaid words. Her eyes locked on Alistair’s, desperate and pleading.“Please, Alistair,” she began, voice trembling but steady. “Don’t push me away. I’m still here.”Alistair’s gaze didn’t soften. Instead, it hardened, distant like the surface of a frozen lake. “I don’t know who you are anymore,” he said quietly, almost to himself.Belle’s heart stuttered, a fragile hope crumbling at the edges. “I’m Belle. The one who’s loved you through every nightmare, every silence. You have to remember.”He shook his head, frustration rippling through his broad shoulders. “It’s all a blur. Faces and feelings slip away before I can catch them.”She reached across the table, fingertips brushing his. “Then let me help you hold on. Let me be the one to anchor you.”Alistair’s jaw clenched. “It’s not that simple. I feel like I’m losing myself. Like the man I was is f
"We're not just fighting for Alistair's memory," she stated quietly but firmly. We are battling for his heart. For the truth that has been taken. Jaxon, the strategist, folded his arms. Lucy's impact is more profound than we thought. She has taken root in areas we cannot observe. Belle's jaw tightened. Then we excavate her. Then we excavate her. No more shadows. A younger man, tall and energetic, nodded. I have accessed several of her networks. Her hold is getting tighter. Belle urged, advancing, "We have to move fast." Every hour we wait gives her another opportunity to change his narrative. Alistair's name floated in the air, a thin thread binding them together. Belle's eyes softened momentarily at the mention, fingers clenching around a photo of them, smiling, living, entire. You believe he will recall? A voice from the rear muttered. Always wary but faithful, Belle looked towards the questioner, a close friend and valued comrade. Belle shot back vehemently. "Something insid
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