Five years ago, Eleanor Sterling lost everything: her family, fortune and dignity all because of the man she was engaged to. Framed for a crime she knew nothing about, she was cast out of high society, abandoned and left to fend for herself while carrying his child. Now, she is back. Not as the weak and naive girl she once was, but as Elle Davenport, a woman of power and secrets. Her first move? Accepting the marriage proposal of the very man who destroyed her. Theon Blackwell needs a wife to secure his inheritance so when the mysterious Elle Davenport accepts his proposal, he doesn’t realize he has just welcomed his biggest enemy into his home. Elle’s plan is simple: make him fall and then crush him. But as passion ignites and the truth is revealed, she must face a question she never thought about: What if he was never her real enemy?
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The soft rustling of silk and lace filled the air as I twirled softly for the second time to admire the wedding dress I had on in front of the mirror. The dress clung to me in all the right places, accentuating my slender frame before cascading to the floor. I was currently in the private show room of Bridal Dreams, a shop owned by the renowned Lisabelle Jones, the most sought-after bridal dress designer in the country and this was my fourth fitting so far. My wedding was going to be happening in less than a week and I couldn’t wait. Every move I made was filled with nerves as though something would go wrong but it’s so close now and I couldn’t wait any more. It still felt like a dream even though I knew it wasn’t. I was finally going to be the bride I always dreamed of. I turned to my best friend, Isla who was sitting on the couch behind me. “So, what do you think?” I asked, my voice edged with excitement and nervousness. Isla Crawford, my best friend since childhood, leaned back against the couch, a glass of champagne in her manicured fingers with a smile on her lips. “You look perfect, Elle. Just like everything else in your life” I titled my head, confused about her reaction. She didn’t seem to share the same excitement as I did. “What do you mean?” Isla let out a soft laugh and rolled her eyes playfully “Come on, Elle. Don’t play dumb.” she took a sip of her champagne before she set it down on the table beside her and got up. She walked until she stopped in front of me “You are getting married to Theon Blackwell. The Theon Blackwell. Women would kill to be in your shoes. The heir to the Blackwell group, filthy rich, drop-dead handsome...” “And the love of my life” I cut her before she could say more “He is not just a billionaire with a limitless pocket but the love of my life” Isla rolled her eyes again and something flickered in them, but it was unreadable. “If you say so” I wanted to push but Miss Violet, the consultant came running with a smile “Miss Sterling, is there anything you’ll like to change?” “No, Miss Violet. It’s perfect” I replied with a small smile and gave her my attention instead. We fixed a few other things before Isla, and I went to the nearest cafe to take a break. We had been shopping for my wedding, and it was a not so easy task to run around multiple shops in a day. I took a deep breath, allowing the warm and comforting aroma of the freshly brewed coffee and pastries around us to soothe my nerves. I leaned back and watched Isla. She had not said a word since we left the bridal shop, and it was making me worry because this was not the Isla I knew. She was startled when she lifted her head and saw me watching her. “So,” she began, plastering a teasing smile on her face “How does it feel to be marrying into the wealthiest family in the country?” “Isla” I sighed “You’ve got to stop bringing up the Blackwell’s wealth every time we are in the room together. It’s almost as if I won a lottery when I’m just marrying a man I fell in love with” Isla smirked “Oh come on” she scoffed “You can’t ignore the fact that this wedding is what the media has tagged the wedding of the year. People are talking. They want to know what you are wearing and how stunning you’ll look. Not even A-list actors and actresses get talked about this much” "It’s all because of Theon. They wouldn’t pay me any attention on a normal day” I brushed her words off. “But they are talking more than just the wedding and how lucky you are” I frowned “What do you mean?” Isla leaned in slightly, her voice dropping low “Some say it’s a business marriage” I scoffed “That’s ridiculous and I’m mad that you even believe those gossip” “But is it ridiculous?” She pressed, her tone casual but sharp “Everyone knows that Theon is ruthless in business, and he only makes moves that he stands to gain. Your family has a fair share of influence” I frowned, getting irritated with the direction the discussion was heading. “Theon has more wealth and power than my parents. He doesn’t need me for that. He loves me” Isla raised a delicate brow, her lips curving slightly “Of course, Elle. If you say so” I eyed her with distaste, wondering why she was acting this way “I don’t like the way you’ve been acting. Are you mad at me or something?” Her eyes widened with surprise, and she chuckled nervously “Elle, what are you saying? I was just telling you what people are saying” “Why today of all days? I thought you would be happy for me, but you’ve been acting like I forced you to come with me. If you didn’t feel like it, you should have told me” “You are the one not acting fair and treating me like I am some villain” she chuckled nervously. “I don’t think so. I’m going home” I told her and paid for the coffee. “Maybe you can call me when you stop being a bitch” “Eleanor” She gasped “Why are you overreacting?” I turned to her with a sharp look “Am I really overreacting? If you think so, then I'm sorry but my mood is bad so I don’t think I will be able to get anything done today. I’m leaving” “Eleanor” Isla called after me as I walked out but I didn’t bother to turn back. She had spoilt my mood, and I needed to leave else I would say thing I regret to her. I stepped out of the cafe and the cool afternoon breeze lifted the strands of my golden-brown hair. Just as I reached for my car keys, my phone vibrated with a text message. I suspected it was either a text from my mother asking about the shopping or Theon wanting to know where I was, so I quickly pulled my phone out with a grin, already feeling better while hoping the text was from Theon. But as soon as I unlocked the phone, my breath caught when I saw the message. It was from an unknown number, and it was just a single text message. “Do you really think he loves you? You won’t be making it down that isle”AUTHOR’S POVElle shivered as the car rolled into the abandoned factory's compound. The sight of the place screamed danger.“Why do people like to stay in places like this?” she muttered to herself as the car rolled to a stop in front of the warehouse. The building was tucked deep in the outskirts of the abandoned industrial zone which now served as a slum for homeless people.Elle stepped out of the black SUV, her boots crunching over shards of broken glass and gravel as she eyed the even more creepy building. This was the address Jeremy gave her. Apparently, Kenton wasn’t laid off. He ran away with some important documents.It was the reason he was holed up in this hole, where he believed no one would find him. Mira had tried looking for him with her “cleanup crew” but to no avail. Elle hugged her jacket closer to her before signalling Graham, the guard Theon had insisted she go with after they found out that Kenton also had a history of violence.Theon wanted to go with her but
AUTHOR’S POV“Jeremy, wait! Where are you going this late?” Sophie called after him, hot on his tail, as he ran out of the house.He didn’t listen. Couldn’t. All he knew was that Elle had to see this, no matter how late it was.He shoved everything in the car and ran to the driver’s seat. Sophie got in before he could drive off. Her eyes were wide with fear as he tore out of the compound.“What is it, Jer? You are scaring me like this,” She cried worriedly. She glanced back at his laptop “Did you find something? What is it?” she asked again.Jeremy didn’t answer. All he could see were the numbers, the words, the disgusting secrets Mira had tried to hide behind layers of security codes. It was horrifying. He felt bile rise to his throat. He wanted to throw up.“Is it that bad?” Sophie asked again. She was going crazy with the lack of answers she wasn’t getting from Jeremy.The way he was driving was also reckless. She prayed they got to the Blackwells’ estate in one piece. She didn’t l
AUTHOR’S POVMalone watched his boyfriend worriedly. Jeremy had not left his laptop since he walked into the house, and that was hours ago since he had come early in the morning, and it was now nighttime.He wanted Jeremy to eat and sleep, but the latter didn’t want to as his bloodshot eyes fixed unblinking on the screen as he scrolled through lines of code while his fingers, which would no doubt be hurting now, tapped furiously against the keys.Malone checked the time. It had been over an hour since his last request. Sophie had tried to get the boy off his laptop and failed as well, so she went to bed as she could no longer linger, waiting for something they could use.“Princess,” Malone tried again, his voice softer this time as he inched to the edge of the bed, closer to Jeremy’s chair.As expected, Jeremy didn’t look up or acknowledge Malone’s call as he continued what he was doing.Malone stood up, making his way to the table “You’ve been at this all morning without rest. It’s 3
AUTHOR’S POV“I didn’t expect it to be this bad,” Elle whispered as she looked at the contract. “This kind of contract shouldn’t exist,” she said, looking at Theon with teary eyes.Theon’s investigator was faster than she had expected. They had managed to get the contract a few days later. He said it had been buried under encryptions just like the other files concerning the research the research they had tried to get their hands on.And it was worse than any of them had imagined.Elle had read the document herself in silence that morning, with her stomach turning with every line that she read.By signing, the women had unknowingly relinquished all rights to their children’s bodies. The wording was buried deep, wrapped in layers of legal deceit. The clause even stated that the "minor dependents" could be enrolled in ongoing drug experimentation at the hospital’s discretion, in exchange for promised treatment.They had turned desperate mothers into unknowing accomplices to their childre
AUTHOR’S POV“Do you think they would have settled down?” Elle asked Theon as they drove into the heavily guarded gated compound.“They should. We gave them over a week to get settled in.” Theon told her with a smile. She had been fidgeting since they started this journey and it warmed his heart to see how soft she was despite how hard she fought her enemies.“I know but, this is something big. Asking them to overcome their fear immediately just to fight the same enemy they’ve been hiding from,” she mumbled. “What if they say no?” She turned to Theon with wide, hopeful eyes.“They won’t,” Theon squeezed her hand reassuringly “Leia already said yes, and so did the others. They won’t change their mind again,”The car rolled to a stop at the entrance. Theon stepped out first and held out a hand for Elle to take. They hadn’t seen the place or the women yet. Sophie had been the one to arrange everything while Elle dealt with Elijah and Jackson.That wasn’t the end of that chapter but she
AUTHOR’S POVElijah didn’t know if he was on the verge of tears, angry or just frustrated as he slammed his hand on the table. It wasn’t enough, so he swiped his palms on the table, causing the stack of papers and other accessories to fly off the table, clattering to the floor with a loud noise.All his efforts to fix the mess were useless. Every lead he thought he had, every loophole he thought he had found ended up being useless and a dead end. His plan had wrapped around his neck and was trying to kill him.He ran a hand through his hair. He felt older because of the nerves that were killing him. Rage bubbled under his skin, but anger clawed at his throat even harder. His eyes flickered back to the glowing computer screen on his desk.The video Elle had uploaded had over ten million views. It was growing, bigger than he had anticipated, and the comments were bad, worse than he imagined they would be, and some netizens had already taken it upon themselves to find out the identity of
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