Who knew "I DO" came with a price tag? *** Charlene, or Charlie, was an orphan. She had lived jumping from one foster home to another, where people told her what to do, what she could be and not, and what she deserved, which was not much. At 18, she said enough. She pursued a career as a model, taking her life into her own hands. At 20, she met Collin, a wealthy CEO who promised to marry her. She thought her dreams were finally coming true. But like everything else in her life, her fiancée ended up being a disappointment as she caught him cheating, leaving her with a broken heart and a career in shambles. Desperate to get her life back on track, she accepted an unusual job proposal. She agreed to marry the son of the man she saved by accident. In exchange, she would receive substantial compensation. Yeah! Why not? Right? It was not as if she had to fall in love with him. It was a mere business transaction where she had to act as his wife. Besides, love was overrated anyway. Money was what made the world go round. It was the immediate solution to her problems. That was where Isaac Saunders came into the picture. He was her unwilling groom, forced by his father to marry her. He was the sole heir of his family's billion-dollar company. But he had to marry the woman of his father's choosing to inherit his father's legacy. So, how would this arrangement even work when he only saw her as another gold digger? On the other hand, she only looked at this marriage as a contractual transaction. What then? How would these two deal with their new living arrangement, staying in the same house and playing husband and wife?
Lihat lebih banyak"Ok, here we go..."
"Beautiful... Beautiful!"
"Turn around and then twist your head toward your right..."
Flashes of light flickered continuously, following her every move.
"It's fantastic. I love it. Just a few more..." He rapidly clicked the button in succession.
"That's it." The man behind the lens announced, finally resting his camera on the nearby table. "That's a wrap, everyone."
"Oh, great." She silently sighed, dropping her shoulders and relaxing her stance while wiping the tiny beads of sweat that broke on her forehead from the heat and exhaustion.
"You did amazing, Sweetheart." He finally patted her arms as she stepped out of the spotlight.
"Thanks, Jack." She appreciated the opportunity to work for one of the best and most respected photographers in the entertainment industry.
She had modeled for him several times in his previous projects, admiring his skill and creativity. She believed she was lucky he had picked her from the hundreds of other women who had auditioned for him for this shoot.
"What about a drink later?" Jack suggested as he walked her back to the makeup area, where she collected her things. "We are hitting the clubs tonight. Maybe you'd like to join us."
She thought it sounded like fun. She would have loved to join them. After all, she had become close to Jack and the rest of the staff.
However, she could not make it tonight since she already had something else planned.
"Thanks, Jack, but maybe some other time." She regrettably had to decline.
She quickly removed her excessive makeup, retied her hair into a neat ponytail, and changed into her clothes. Then, she rushed out of there.
"Are you already heading out?" Her friend, Anna, asked when she bumped into her on her way out. "Aren't you coming with us?"
She met Anna two years ago in another modeling photoshoot for an advertising campaign. Since then, they had considered each other as best friends.
"I'm sorry, but I can't. You know." She gave her friend a knowing look, reminding her about her special date. "I need to prepare for our anniversary."
She thought of giving her fiancée a surprise for their second year of being together. She believed it was the least she could do for him for everything he had done for her.
"Oh, yeah! Is that today?" She quizzically questioned. "But I thought Mr. Nice-guy was still out of town." Her friend raised her eyebrows, suddenly looking confused.
She amusingly smiled, hearing her friend referring to her fiancée with her made-up nickname. But with all the nice things he had done for her, she could not blame her friend for calling him that.
"It is today. And yeah! He hasn't returned yet. But I want to prepare something before he comes home." She explained to her friend.
Well, she knew he was still on his trip. But she heard from his assistant that he would be back early the next day. So, she planned to celebrate their anniversary with him by then.
"I promise I'll make it up to you next time." Her friend looked disappointed that she could not go with them.
"That's what you said the last time," Anna shouted behind her. But she only smiled and shook her head, knowing her friend understood her situation.
She could not blame her friend since she had stood her up many times before. She did not mean to, but her priorities had changed, and her friends had to take the backseat.
Quickly, she drove her old but reliable car, hoping to get everything she needed for her party for two. She knew it was nothing compared to her fiancé's gifts, but she believed it was the thought that counted.
"Mmm?" Her eyes moved from one display cabinet to another. She wanted to pick the perfect gift for this special occasion.
But what could she give a man who seemed to have everything?
Collin Harper, her fiancé, belonged to a wealthy family that came from old money. On the other hand, she was a nobody, an orphan who could barely afford to survive with her meager salary.
"Excuse me, can I look at this?" She called the attention of the woman behind the counter, pointing to the item that had caught her interest.
The woman moved toward her, but the sour expression on her face told her that she did not appreciate her interruption.
Still, the sales attendant complied and showed her the object she wanted. But upon seeing the price, her eyes widened, pondering if she could even afford it.
"Mmm!" She disheartenedly sighed as she returned the item.
She truly wanted to buy it for her fiancé. But it was too expensive. She could withdraw all her savings from her bank account, but it would still not be enough.
"Can I see this one instead?" She pointed again to the item next to her first choice.
Again, the woman obliged, but not without showing her displeasure at attending to her. She immediately checked the price, afraid it might cost more than her pocket could afford.
"Excuse me, if you are not buying anything, you should leave." The woman finally lost her patience with her as she confronted her.
The saleswoman stared at her from head to toe, sizing her up and concluding that she was unworthy of her service.
"Besides, I don't think someone like you could afford to buy anything from this store." The mean woman waved her hand to the door, indicating that she should go.
Honestly, as much as she wanted to argue with her, the other woman might be right. After seeing the price of the watch she initially liked, she knew she could never afford it.
She might have to use almost all the money she had saved to buy a gift from this store. But she guessed it was worth it since she meant to give it to the man she loved. And he deserved every penny.
"You know what." She stood tall against the other woman. "You don't need to be mean. I'm still a paying customer."
She hated it when people thought they could bully someone just because they felt superior to the other.
"You are just wasting my time." The woman contradicted. "You better leave before our security drags you out of our store." She said threateningly.
"Who said I can't afford it?" She disputed, hating how the woman unfairly judged and treated her.
"Security..." The woman shouted. "Please, escort this woman out of the premises." She instructed when the man in his black uniform stood behind her.
"What are you doing?" She fought back when the man grabbed her arm. "Let me go."
She pulled and pushed against the burly man, struggling to get herself free from his tight hold.
"Hey, what's going on in here?" Then, another voice disrupted the commotion as a man in an impeccable gray suit strode into the showroom.
"Mr. Saunders... I..." The woman stammered, appearing shocked as she faced the newcomer. "Sir, it is this woman..." She continued, blaming her for the ruckus.
However, the man cut her short when he waved his hand before her, effectively silencing her. Then, the man turned to face her.
"Wait!" The unknown gentleman stood before her and stared at her, appearing to study her face.
"It's you." Then, the man brilliantly smiled and appeared to recognize her. "Don't you remember me?"
Ha! Was he talking to her?
"I want to know everything you can find about this, Mathew Clayton." He instructed, asking his assistant to get their best investigator on the case.Isaac would admit it was the first time he had heard of the name. Although he had heard of the Clayton family, he never had the chance to meet them or do business with them.On the contrary, it seemed the Clayton family had the nerve to mess with his business. According to his ex, Lauren, they were plotting to infiltrate his company and take them down."Word on the street, he wanted to expand his business in the country, but he is building his headquarters here," Ivan interjected, sharing what he heard from the grapevine.Based on the initial information they gathered, the Clayton family, especially their son, Mathew, focused their business on the European countries.Now that their business had reached its peak in the European market, they were extending their business globally."So, he intends to make an example out of us." He concluded,
"No, no, no!" Not again. That was it. "Why now?" She slumped down on the steering wheel, feeling like the world around her just came crashing down, destroying all her dreams. "This could not be happening to me, not today," Charlie muttered under her breath, completely frustrated. "Why couldn't you wait until I finish my audition?" She pulled herself together, grabbed her keys, and tried again. But the engine just purred fleetingly before it finally choked and died. At that moment, she knew that was the end of their beautiful friendship. But there was no time for a long goodbye as she left her car at the side of the road and tried to catch the next bus. "Please, I can't be late." She silently prayed to whoever would listen. She could not miss this chance to get the modeling job for the LA Fashion Week. If she could pass this audition, it could become her stepping stone to more opportunities in the modeling world or even a career in the other entertainment industry. She never d
"No, fucking hell!" Ivan laughed, finding his story hilarious.He guessed he should have expected such a reaction from his friend. If his father thought he was immature and childish, his friend was worse than him."Let me get this straight, Isaac." His friend paused as he tried to stifle his laughter. "She threatened to hit you with a bat because she thought you were a burglar."Yeah! It sounded funny.He would have laughed, too, if it had not happened to him. His wife had mistaken him for an intruder in his own home. But whose fault was that?"Laugh all you want, but nothing about my situation is for your entertainment." Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered to tell his friend about his life.He ignored his friend, returned to the papers in front of him, and started signing them, closing each folder one at a time. Then, he called his assistant to take the folders away."Sir, your next meeting is in five minutes," Donald told him. Then, his assistant was out the door as quickly a
"He's back."She sensed his closeness as he touched her cheeks. She felt his warmth as his lips brushed against her skin. It was too familiar.Was it a dream?But it felt so real."What the heck, Charlie?" Why was she even dreaming about him?She quickly opened her eyes, wishing to erase the memories that kept playing in her mind. It was the past. It was a dream, nothing more.The man that she met that night was not the same man that she married. She had to accept that. She had to face reality. "Wake up!" She had to live the life she chose when she signed that contract.This union was a loveless marriage. It was a transaction for mutual benefit. It was for money and an inheritance. She should not expect anything more.She opened her eyes to the bright light, reminding her that it was a brand new day. The weekend was through, but her life as Mrs. Saunders was still a long way from being over."Look at the bright side, Charlie." As long as she was married to him, she did not need to wo
"I'm only doing this for the company." That was his excuse as he drove his expensive sports car into his usual parking spot."I can't give the Board any reason to doubt me." Again, with his justifications, he reminded himself of what his father said."Yeah, keep telling yours that." Ivan's words did not help either. Suddenly, he regretted confiding in his friend about his plans.Nonetheless, he could not ignore that his friend held some truth in his words. He doubted if he was fooling himself with all his attempts to defend his actions.But what else could be his reason aside from fulfilling the contract? He could think of several, but one stood out. Now, the question remained."Fuck it, Isaac. Are you fucking serious?" He questioned his levelheadedness. Usually, he could think straight without second-guessing his decisions.But since he had agreed to this marriage, it felt like he had been bending and compromising at every turn to his father's will. He was a man who prided himself on
"Hey, Charlie, what is it with the long face?" His voice penetrated her thoughts, snapping her out of her trance. She immediately looked up from where she knelt while she sealed the box that she had just finished filling with clothes.She had agreed to help pack up Aria's things. She wanted everything arranged before the doctors discharged her foster sister from the hospital. "Care to share what's bothering you. Remember, I'm a good listener." Owen warmly said with a boyish smile that could ease a troubled heart in a heartbeat.She recalled he had been her confidant when they were young. She could share anything and everything with him. They were not just foster siblings, but they were also best friends."It's nothing, Owen. I was just a bit frustrated with my last audition." She told her foster brother, making up some flimsy excuse about being turned down for a job. It was not a complete lie, but it was not exactly the truth either. Owen was right. Something was certainly distracti
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