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CHAPTER 38
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-05-07 22:59:46
Bab terkait
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 39
Once again, Maxima wasn’t home. Liam entered the living room and sat on the couch, trying not to get crushed by the silence engulfing the apartment. He had to admit that not seeing her home at his arrival, not hearing her sweet voice greeting him, was hurting his soul. Liam pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it in the room's dim light. It was the engagement ring he had given Maxima. He had found it a couple of days ago, while leaving his keys in the dish, at the entrance. “Why did you take this off, Max? Why are you avoiding me?” She stopped waiting for him… She stopped cooking her delicious meals for him… She kinda disappeared from his life.“I was determined to talk to her tonight… And once again, she’s not here… I wonder where the hell she is? Maybe at the market… again.” He took his cell phone and called Maxima. When she picked up, Liam could tell from the background noise she wasn’t in any market, shopping for
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-05-08PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 1
“Well, you have a party to prepare for, so I’d better go home and finish packing my suitcase. Tomorrow I’m going to leave Scarsdale for good.” Maxima got up from the comfortable armchair and put on her shoes. Billie Right, her best friend, did the same thing.“Are you sure you don’t want to come to our party? We would all love that very much,” Billie asked.“I'm afraid I can’t,” Maxima replied to her best friend.“Oh, come on, hon. This is going to be our last party as college girls. Well, college dropout, in your case.” ‘College dropout…’ The definition was right, but Maxima didn’t feel like a college dropout. She felt more like a survivor. This part of her school education just wasn’t made for Maxima. She tried with all her might for everybody's sake, but college was just a prison. She did her best to be a perfect college student for almost three years, but at one point, Maxima felt trapped. She became the shadow of herself, a perfect ghoul.
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 2
Maxima put the suitcases near the door and then looked around the house. It was way too quiet and way too big for her alone. The night was warm and pleasant, so Maxima decided to stay outside and enjoy the nightly breeze. What better way to say goodbye to the place that has been her home for the last seven years?“Yeah… I’m going to stay here. I’ll doze off on the plane.” She sat on the swinging chair, enjoying the quiet night. The street was empty, no one in sight. The lamplights offered the best light ever so that she could ‘spy’ on her neighbors without getting caught in the act. From her porch, Maxima could see Mrs. Right in the kitchen, cleaning and loading the dishwasher. Billie’s mother was the perfect housewife. The house was always spic and span, the kitchen was always ‘in full mode’. Spending time with Billie’s family has always been a blessing. And not only because of Billie, or her parents, who always made her feel so welcome in their hous
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 3
FLORENCE, ITALY (4 years after)“Chef Davenport, we are all waiting for you in the kitchen,” her sous chef said, from outside the changing room.“Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll be out in a second,” Maxima replied, pulling out her cell phone. She looked at the display, trying to stay calm. Her last text was staring back at her. ‘School is over. It’s time for me to come back to the States. How about we see each other for a few drinks and a long chat, just like the ones we used to have? Max.’ No reply. Maybe Billie had no desire to see her… Maybe Billie forgot all about that last favor. Those words were still very much present in Maxima’s mind. ‘The moment you decide it’s time for you to come back home, promise me I’ll be the first person you'll call… after your mom, of course.’ “Is going back the right answer? Is it? And if so, going back to what? To whom?” Maxima murmured. “I’ve spent these past four year
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 4
The elevator doors opened like welcoming arms as Liam Right crossed the marble floor of the office building in Lower Manhattan. Not having to wait for an elevator during the Monday morning rush was always a good sign. It was going to be one of those great days when everything went his way. When the doors opened again to deposit him on the twenty-fifth floor and the “CareShields Ins. Group” offices, he was already moving. Life has never been better! After four years of hard work for the most prestigious insurance company in Downtown New York City, he’d had a few subtle hints dropped his way about a vice presidency coming vacant when Eric Hall retired. Liam was now more than ready to be the youngest Vice President in the company’s history. As he strode to his office, Liam enthusiastically greeted his private assistant.“Good morning, my dear Robyn.”“Good morning, Liam.” Robyn Loggins was one of the most efficient private assistants
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 5
For Liam, to be invited to a dinner with the members of the board was a huge honor and an extremely important sign. It meant he was being looked over by the board members before he was offered the Vice President position. Yes! It was really happening… He was going to be the youngest Vice President in the history of “CareShields Ins. Group”! And that’s when Liam got it. It wouldn’t be him under scrutiny. Howard and the board members wanted to make sure he was marrying the right kind of woman, the perfect one to become a “CareShields” vice president’s spouse. Liam considered himself a glass-half-full kind of guy, but right now he felt like that glass had fallen off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor, spilling all his hard work and dreams of promotion with it.“An engagement dinner?!” His voice sounded a little higher-pitched than usual as he frantically tried to think of a way out.“Yes, Liam. We’ve never met your
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-09PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 6
“I’m going to see Billie… Finally!” she mumbled and took a deep breath. Maxima paid the cab fare and started walking quickly toward one of the most exclusive bars in the Upper East Side. Manhattan was not her favorite spot to have a drink and decompress after a shitty day at work, but having a drink and a chat with her best friend in the whole white world was all she needed. This was their first meeting in four years and the excitement was significant. Since she came back from Italy, all Maxima tried to do was to find some sort of balance between two aspects of her reality: her new job and her new life. But all her attempts were doomed to fail. She hated her boss, a pompous ass who didn’t know the first thing about great food, and she hated her rented apartment. But, most of all, Maxima hated being back in a city so different from Florence. The only thing brightening her return to New York, has been getting in touch with Billie Right, her ‘sister from anoth
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-10PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 7
‘I must find the perfect fake Mrs. Right or kiss my promotion and my job goodbye.’ Liam was pretty good at staying cool under pressure. In his experience, things usually worked out fine. Maybe he needed to work a little longer, push a bit harder, find a way around a blocked path. But, in the end, the solution would come out. Nonetheless, this was different. He’d stretched out the date of the engagement dinner as far as he could, but it was fast approaching, and the main character was still missing. Having to produce a suitable fiancée in a few days… How was he supposed to do that without stumbling across a magic lamp or selling his soul to the devil himself? And not just any girl would do. This one would be under scrutiny from the top brass, the board, and their spouses. Liam had mentally reviewed every woman he could think of, scoured his social media, his personal contact lists, and his old ‘black book’, but none of the women he
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-04-11
Bab terbaru
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 39
Once again, Maxima wasn’t home. Liam entered the living room and sat on the couch, trying not to get crushed by the silence engulfing the apartment. He had to admit that not seeing her home at his arrival, not hearing her sweet voice greeting him, was hurting his soul. Liam pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it in the room's dim light. It was the engagement ring he had given Maxima. He had found it a couple of days ago, while leaving his keys in the dish, at the entrance. “Why did you take this off, Max? Why are you avoiding me?” She stopped waiting for him… She stopped cooking her delicious meals for him… She kinda disappeared from his life.“I was determined to talk to her tonight… And once again, she’s not here… I wonder where the hell she is? Maybe at the market… again.” He took his cell phone and called Maxima. When she picked up, Liam could tell from the background noise she wasn’t in any market, shopping for
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 38
Maxima picked up her tray and followed. Since Georgia was leading the way, she didn’t see the tray until Maxima had placed it in the middle of her desk. To Maxima’s horror, a cry of distress slipped out of the woman’s mouth when she eyed the tray. Georgia threw her hands up.“Oh, no, Max!” She shook her head and took a step back.“No, no, no.” Maxima had no idea what to do. She’d worked so hard, and she thought she’d done such a good job.“But… You haven’t even tasted anything…” A pair of stricken blue eyes met Maxima’s.“I can’t, Max. I’m on a strict diet. Twelve hundred calories a day. It’s killing me.” Nonetheless, Georgia gazed at that tray like a gambling addict at a slot machine.“And I’m so hungry… I’m so damn hungry all the time. I’m thirty-five years old, wouldn’t you think by now I’d have learned willpower?” Georgia took a step forward and then sharply back.“Please, get those things out of here.” A diet?
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 37
Maxima watched Liam while he was entering the bathroom. His excuse for leaving the bed and the apartment was so lame. And that annoying kiss meant to shut her mouth and cancel her words felt like poison on her lips, bitter and almost lethal. ‘I need to go to the office.’ It was Sunday, for goodness sake. Who goes to work on a Sunday? ‘A Vice President must give a good example…’ Oh, come on, give me a break!“I told you I loved you, Liam… It took all the courage I had in me. And you decided to run away in the opposite direction instead of telling me how you really feel. God, I’m so stupid,” Maxima murmured and covered her face with her palms, feeling so ashamed, so dumb, so pathetic. ‘Don’t wait up for me!’“Such a coward…” She closed her eyes, pretending she was asleep. Maxima decided she would repeat it. A last chance for Liam to man up and talk to her. Talk for real. Because no man can satisfy a woman the way he did and
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT EMMA'S NOTE 3
HEY, Y'ALL!!!!TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY, AND MY HUBBY HAS ORGANIZED A SURPRISE DINNER FOR ME, SO I MUST TAKE A DAY OFF FROM GOODNOVEL TO GET PREPARED. I HOPE YOU'LL UNDERSTAND. I WILL GET BACK TOMORROW WITH MY DAILY UPDATES. (IT'S GOING TO BE A DOUBLE UPDATE, I PROMISE). EMMA.
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 36
The moment he entered the company building, he took the deserted elevator up to his floor. To his surprise, he wasn’t the only one at work. Eric Hall, the almost retiring Vice President, was typing away at his computer, his gray head bent over his work. Liam thought Eric was probably cleaning up some things before leaving his office and this job. Liam popped his head around Hall’s door to be polite. They weren’t particularly friendly, but he had a great deal of respect for the man who’d been in the business more than forty years.“Hello, Eric.” Hall blinked his eyes and, taking off his glasses, rubbed them.“Oh! Hello, Liam. What brings you here on such a wonderful Sunday? Why aren’t you at home with your lovely fiancée?” Even though he hadn’t prepared an excuse, not dreaming anyone else would be here, Liam told Eric a white lie. “I was, but I have a few things I must take care of before tomorrow. I’m trying to land a record label company. I had a
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 35
Once again, Liam came awake first, right before dawn. Still, he didn’t leave the bed. He lay there, feeling the soft caress of Maxima’s breath against his chest. More than once during that night, they’d fallen asleep tangled in each other’s arms, and that was something of a novelty for him. Not many people knew, but Liam didn’t sleep very well around others, and he hadn’t ever been able to sleep with somebody in the bed next to him. Not once in his entire life. No matter how tired he was. And sex with Maxima was very… demanding, to say the least. By the time they were done the fourth time, every muscle in his body felt like putty and his mind was one sweet, blissful blur. When a man spends close to one hour riding a woman until they both collapse, it would be enough to give even an insomniac like him a little bit of peace. It went deeper than exhaustion, though. Liam could deal with exhaustion. It didn’t matter how tired he was, and it didn’t matter t
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 34
When his eyes drifted open a couple of hours later, silvery moonlight was coming through the window, gilding everything with its gentle glow. Pale white moonlight lit half his face, casting the other half into shadow. Maxima was still sleeping in his arms. There was a light smile on her lips, making her look like a happy, sweet young girl. Liam caressed her slowly, recalling their moments together. Sex with her was intense and passionate, and draining. Yeah… He never thought this could happen, but Liam was feeling drained from the best sex he’d ever had. Their first night at the retreat was exceptional, but this one… What happened in his bedroom with Maxima was the first thing in his life that had truly rocked his world… It was like an earthquake, shaking his foundations. How was it even possible that a woman he liked so much, had liked since she was a kid, who wasn’t particularly mysterious to him, had uncovered a part of him he hadn’t known existed?
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 33
She wanted this. There was no question about it. Maxima’s hands were tracing the contours of his back, his shoulders, his arms. Liam was doing his own exploring, too, touching her hair, the curve of her face, her neck, and tracing patterns up and down her side, coming closer to her breasts but not quite reaching them, building heat within her. Liam kept kissing Maxima, as though now he had possession of her mouth, he would never let it go. He licked, explored, teased, and pleasured her mouth in a way that let her know he would take as much delight in every part of her, and he was in no hurry. She started to tug at his shirt, needing desperately to take it off. He broke the kiss and helped her tug the thing off. Her urgency fired his, so he decided to do the same. Maxima helped him, four hands all pulling at once. A deep growl of satisfaction came from his throat when her blouse went sailing through the air.“You’re so damn sexy, angel…” he said, fol
PRETENDING TO BE MRS. RIGHT CHAPTER 32
“I may not tell you this enough, but… I love you, Mrs. Stove,” Maxima cooed as she removed a tray of absolutely perfect profiteroles from the oven. “People may say that a stove is just a stove, but you, my dear, are a work of art. Thank you!” Maybe the saying “You get what you pay for” wasn’t always true, but in this case, the expansive range was a dream to work with. Her hair was still slightly damp from her shower, and an apron covered the denim shorts and blouse she wore. She’d always taken time to freshen up and dress in her nice clothes when she’d been working in restaurants, but now that she was working from home, Maxima saw no reason to change her ways. If she made sure to shower and change and put on makeup before Liam got home, that was coincidental. Purely coincidental. Maxima heard the key in the door, and her foolish heart fluttered.“Liam…” she said slowly, and pressed a hand over her chest. She was really going to have to do s
