Celeste was married to a Mafia Don, Xenois Kingston on a contract marriage, that would last 6 years. The deal was that Celeste would give him children during that period and after the end of the 6 year contract, he would offer her $100,000,000,000, divorce her and keep the children as his. Celeste, an orphan, abandoned by the orphanage she grew up in at the age of 18 had nothing to lose and agreed to the deal. 6 years later, Celeste is now 24 years and mother to triplets boys; Lake, Troy and Soren. The contract is coming to an end this month and rumors has it that Xenois true love Claudia Hale is returning back to the city after 6 years of absence. Xenois handed her the divorce papers that morning only for him to get into a car accident on the way to the hospital and suffers from amnesia. To Xenois, he's in love with his wife and kids and a very attentive father and husband and is surprised to find out that Celeste planned on divorcing him. He is determined to make his wife fall for him and be a better father to their children. Things seem like a fairytale for Celeste who is desperate to hold on to this illusion after she had fallen for her husband in their third year of their marriage and stayed with an unrequited love. She knows what she's doing is cruel but she wants to enjoy it while it lasts. But Claudia Hale won't rest until she gets rid of the obstacle named Celeste and marries her heartthrob Xenois. Will Xenois recover his memory and better yet, once he does, does Celeste still stand a chance at winning the heart of her husband or would she be accused of having a hand in his amnesia.
View MoreChapter 1: The Contract
The rain was falling heavily as I stood outside the orphanage, two garbage bags containing everything I owned at my feet.
Sister Margaret's face was cruel as she handed me my final check, a mere $200 that wouldn't last a week.
"Eighteen means you're an adult now, Celeste. The state no longer pays for your care," she said coldly shaking her head.
"We need the bed for the younger children."
I nodded my head already numb to it all.
Eighteen years in this place have taught me one thing: and that was to never expect compassion from anyone.
The orphanage door closed and there was a click, and just like that, I was left alone in this world.
My job working as a waitress at Riley's Diner was all I had left. The pay was small and terrible, but it would keep me from sleeping on park benches for a while at least until I could figure something out.
Three hours later, I was unemployed.
"You can't just assault customers!" Mr. Riley shouted, his face filled with rage as he yelled at me.
"I don't care what he did!"
"He grabbed my ass!" I fired back at him, my body shaking with anger as I stood my ground. "And then tried to pull me onto his lap!"
"He's a paying customer!"
"He's a pig!" The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"And if you think I should just smile and take it, you're no better!"
Riley's face darkened with fury as he pointed at the exit door. "Get out. Now."
And that was it. There were no last payment checks, no apologies. Just booted me out into a rainy street.
I made my way aimlessly downtown, soaked to the bone, my garbage bags growing heavier with each step.
The universe seemed to be having a good laugh at my expense today.
Eighteen years, waiting for the chance to be finally free, only to discover that freedom meant having absolutely nothing and nobody.
The crosswalk light turned green and I stepped into the street, too lost in my own head to see the approaching black car that was heading towards me until the horn was loud enough to startle me as I scrambled back, barely avoiding the collision but not able to miss the dirty water the car splashed on me.
And just like that, something inside me snapped.
"You son of a bitch!" I screamed, dropping my bags and running after the car as it stopped at the next light. I didn't think about what I was doing next and just acted. My fist made contact with the tinted passenger window with a surprising crack. I hadn't expected to actually damage it.
The window lowered slowly showing a face that I'd seen only in newspapers and on TV.
Xenois Kingston. The billionaire. The rumored Mafia Don. The most dangerous man in the city.
I was dead.
His dark eyes seemed to scan me with a chill as I shuddered taking a step back wondering if I was going to be able to outrun him if it came down to it.
"You broke my window."
"You tried to run me over," I retorted, adrenaline taking control instead of my survival instinct..
He chuckled as he beckoned with a nod of his head.. "Get in."
"What?"
"Get in the car, or I'll have my driver put you in the trunk." He said it so casually, like he was offering someone a piece of chewing gum.
I looked around. We were on a busy street, but I knew no one would help me at all. They all seemed to be minding their own business but then again no one ever had. Still, getting into a car with Xenois Kingston seemed like suicide.
"My...my things," I stammered.
He nodded to his driver, who silently collected my garbage bags and placed them in the trunk. I slid into the backseat, trying to look like I wasn't afraid despite the fear that was settling in my guts like a familiar visitor.
Instead of taking me to some abandoned warehouse to hide my body after killing me, Kingston directed his driver to Café Élysée, the most expensive restaurant in the city.
People were watching with surprise and curiosity as he escorted me—a dirty wet penniless beggar in her waitress uniform—to a private booth in the back.
"Coffee," he told the waiter, who practically bowed his head in greetings before hurrying away.
Kingston watched me for a while without saying anything.
He was older than me—late twenties, I guessed—and he looked very handsome in a dangerous way.
He had fine features that made people drawn to his face like a moth to light and I was one of them.
"You're not begging for your life," he finally said.
I shrugged my shoulders looking around the place. "Would it help?"
. "No."
The coffee arrived and to my surprise, I was offered one. I wrapped my cold hands around the cup, grateful that I had something to warm my hands with.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Celeste Parker."
"You're homeless."
"As of three hours ago."
"And unemployed," he added, eyeing my uniform.
"How did you—"
"The bruise on your knuckles is from punching someone. Your uniform is a bit rumpled but dry under your coat, suggesting you worked earlier today. And given your current situation, I'm guessing whatever happened cost you your job."
I stared at him, shocked and confused about how accurate he was.
"Are you some kind of psychic?"
"I'm observant," he replied. "And I recognize desperate people when I see them."
I slowly sipped my coffee as a reason to avoid his eyes. "Are you going to kill me for denting your car?"
"I'm going to offer you a deal."
My teeth clenched as I gritted them in anger. "I'm not a prostitute."
Kingston actually laughed. It was short but genuine which surprised me. I didn't even think the cruel heartless CEO knew how to smile.
"I'm not looking for a whore, Ms. Parker. I'm looking for a wife."
I nearly choked on my coffee as I covered my mouth coughing, my eyes widening as I realized he was being serious with this. "Excuse me?"
"A contract marriage," he clarified. "Six years, not a day more. During that time, you will live in my home and bear my children."
My mind seemed to be racing as I tried to process what he was saying. It seemed like I was being taken for a spin and I wasn't able to find the ground.. "Children? Plural?"
"At least two, preferably more. I need heirs."
"And what do I get out of this deal?" I asked, although a part of me couldn't believe that I was actually listening to him instead of walking away.
"One hundred billion dollars on the last day of the contract," he said, as casually as if discussing the weather.
"Plus you get to have comfortable living arrangements, clothing, education if you desire it, and anything else you might need during our marriage."
The number was so much that I couldn't even believe it.
"That's...that's ridiculous."
"I assure you, I can afford it."
"Why me? Why not find some rich and elite socialite who'd jump at the chance?"
He frowned briefly as he replied.
"Because you have nothing and no one. No family to complicate matters. No connections to exploit to your advantage. . And you've demonstrated that you're both stubborn and resilient no matter what bullshit comes your way. Those are qualities I would like my children to inherit."
My hands shook a bit as I thought about this. "And after six years?"
"We divorce. I keep the children. You take your money and disappear."
"You want me to abandon my own children?"
"They will not lack anything," he said firmly. "They will be raised as Kingstons, sole heir to my wealth and legacy."
"And I'm not supposed to care about them. You think children should be made for a reason."
"Yes." He was blunt and brutal but at least he was honest. "I need heirs, not a love story.
I looked down at my coffee cup, that was now empty as I mulled over his words. What choice did I really have?
But children...my own flesh and blood.. giving them up was unbearable to think.
"They would be safe?" I asked quietly. "Happy?"
"I protect what's mine," he answered. "Always."
"I accept," I said, the words falling from my lips before I could reconsider it. It was six years of my life that I could give him. And that was what I needed. By then I would be independent and standing on my own two feet. It was better than saying no and dying on the streets. This was my opportunity..
Xenois Kingston brought out his hand
for a handshake.
"Then we have a deal, Ms. Parker."
As I shook his hand, I couldn't help but feel I'd just made a deal with the devil himself.
Chapter 50XENOIS "Don't bother," Celeste said quickly, moving between me and Alina as if she could physically block the conversation from happening. She shook her head as she looked at me with resolve in her eyes as she added."I'm fine, really. It's nothing."She turned to Alina, and I caught the meaningful look that passed between them, as Alina seemed to concede and I pretended not to see it.She continued speaking to Alina giving her, her last orders for the day."You can go now. Get back to what we discussed. We'll meet tomorrow as planned."Alina hesitated, clearly wanting to say more about this but she glanced at me and back at her before she nodded curtly and headed toward the door. "I'll have those files ready for you in the morning," she said, and something in her tone made me pay attention to her words as 9 tried to make sense of what was happening here.. Files? What files?After Alina left, the boys came running from the living room, their earlier drowsiness already for
Chapter 49XENOISThe silence in the study room was broken from the sound of the pencil on paper and the frustrated sighs of the boys as they worked through their assignments. I sat at the large mahogany desk, helping Troy with his mathematics problems while Lake and Soren worked independently on their homework."Dad, you're really good at this," Troy said, looking up at me with eyes that reminded me of Celeste. "How come you know all the answers?"I smiled, ruffling his hair gently as I replied to him. "Because I went to school once too, buddy. A very long time ago.""Were you as smart then as you are now?" Lake asked from across the room, not looking up from his science worksheet."Probably not," I admitted. "I had to study hard and practice, just like you're doing now."It was strange in a way to be seated here with my sons, feeling so familiar with this role, especially when everything else about my life felt like I was constantly trying to catch up. The boys had been genuinely
Chapter 48CELESTE I could see them slowly processing this information, looking both doubtful yet hopeful at the same time if that was possible. My workers began gently guiding them toward the dormitories I'd had built. They were clean, big and meant to be used for comfortable stay. It was nothing like the cages they were made to endure.When the victims were all gone and out of sight, I finally allowed myself to sag slightly, no longer needing to keep a strong facade up."Another successful rescue," Alina said quietly, coming to stand beside me."Fifty more lives saved," I agreed with her nodding my head but still feeling useless and helpless because I knew I could be doing more. "But how many more are still out there? How many more shipments will there be before we can shut this down permanently?""We're making a difference," Alina reminded me gently, placing a hand on my shoulder as she added confidently. "Every person we save is a victory."She was right, but some days the vict
Chapter 47CELESTEThe warehouse smelled of salt air and rot, it was a combination that I had been used to, over the years. I stood in the shadows near the loading dock, watching as Sandro's men pushed off their latest "merchandise" off the truck like cattle. My stomach churned with nausea at the sight, but I forced myself to remain composed and unaffected. This was the part of my work that never got easier, no matter how many times I'd done it.Fifty souls. That's what Sandro called them – merchandise, inventory, assets. But I saw them for what they really were: children and young adults who'd been torn from their lives, their families, their futures, and reduced to nothing more than money in someone's ledger.."Mrs. Kingston," Sandro's voice carried that false happiness and respect that made my skin crawl. He was a thin man with sunken black greedy eyes and hands that moved too much when he talked, as if he couldn't contain his excitement over the deal we were about to make. "Yo
Chapter 46XENOIS"Respect yourself, Sophia," I said, my voice harder and filled with disgust than I'd intended in the first place but grateful for otherwise as I added. "And respect me. This isn't happening."Her eyes were filled with something dangerous before it was quickly gone, and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the woman beneath the acting facade that she got on the exterior. "You don't mean that, Xenois. You are joking right? You can't mean that. Not after everything we've shared.""I don't remember sharing anything with you beyond a professional relationship," I said, standing up and putting distance between us, to further cement the fact that I didn't want this, neither was I giving her any secret signals that I was enabling her."And even if I did, it's over now and I am never keeping you around me..what we had in the past is over. I'm married, Sophia. I have children. That means something to me, more than you will ever know and I hope that for our sake of old friendshi
Chapter 45XENOISThe morning light made its way through my office windows casting shadows and light across the stacks of reports and documents that had compiled during my two day absence. I had been loathing this return to normalcy and I hated the idea of leaving my family even for the fact that I had to go in to the company and work. But Celeste had been right about this– the boys needed to return to their regular routine, such as school, homework and classes, they needed to feel like the world hadn't completely changed because of what had happened to them.Still, agreeing to let them go back to school had been one of the hardest decisions I'd made in recent memory. Every instinct I had screamed against it, against letting them out of my sight when someone was still out there, someone dangerous enough to plan profession hits on my family and also take out their agents to avoid anything being linked back to them.But I'd compromised on this issue. Dmitri had placed a full security
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