LOGINFor five years, Jessie Moore suppressed her personality, wore clothes she hated, and hid her staggering wealth. She did it all for one reason: to prove to her mother that true love could exist without a billion-dollar price tag. But on the day they were supposed to register their marriage, her boyfriend, Allen Walker, didn't show up. When Jessie went to find him, she didn't find an apology. She found a celebration. Allen was toasted by his friends for finally escaping "the fat girl" to get engaged to a "proper" socialite. “Take this million-dollar cheque and get out of my sight," Allen sneered, tossing the paper at her feet. Jessie didn't cry. She threw wine in his face, tore the cheque to pieces, and walked out—straight into the arms of the city’s most powerful, icy, and untouchable man: Stephen Harrington. Stephen is her best friend’s brother and a CEO who has never spared a second glance for any woman. He needs a wife to stop his family’s meddling; Jessie needs a husband to satisfy her mother’s inheritance demands. It was supposed to be a cold business deal. No feelings. No mess. But as Jessie returns to the Moore Empire to reclaim her throne, she realises the "Icy CEO" is anything but cold behind closed doors. And when Allen discovers the "penniless" girl he dumped is the very heiress he’s desperate to sign a contract with, he comes crawling back on his knees. He’s too late. “You had your chance, Allen.” Jessie smiles, leaning into Stephen's possessive embrace. “Now, I’m the one calling the shots.” Now Jessie is reclaiming everything that belonged to her…including the heart of the icy CEO.
View MoreJESSIE
“Congratulations, man; you are finally free.” I knew that voice; it was one of Allen’s friends.
Today was supposed to be the day I registered my marriage to my boyfriend, but he was nowhere to be found. All of my calls and messages felt like they were hitting a dead end. I had to go to his apartment to see him.
When I stood outside his door, this is what I had heard. Free? From whom?
“I was getting worried for you, man; I thought you had fallen for her,” another one said, and they all erupted in pretentious loud laughter.
They were talking about me. In that moment, it suddenly dawned on me that I was the subject of their mocking.
My legs grew heavier; I wanted to barge in and demand answers. At the same time, my woman's intuition told me that this wasn’t all; there was more information waiting for me.
“Fall for her? I would be out of my mind to fall for a fat girl like her,” Allen scoffed. “I am finally free,” he cheered loudly, and they all clapped like he had finished a marathon.
“I am glad you let us throw you a party,” a female said. Slutty and too high-pitched. I racked my brain, but I had never heard it before. “To celebrate your freedom”
“I wonder if she has taken the hint already,” the first voice I had heard came again. “It would be quite embarrassing if she hadn’t.”
Their voices mixed in laughter pushed and twisted a blunt knife through my heart. Allen had been with me for five years. His words only carried so much warmth and love that I was convinced he had given up his Playboy ways to be with me.
But what he said in the room proved me terribly wrong.
He let his friends laugh at me.
He let his friends insult me.
And the way he talked about me was as if he were getting rid of a piece of trash, an annoying chewing gum. My heart shattered in my chest as my stomach tightened. This was not just heartbreak; it was a chilling realisation that I had spent five years as an ornament in a life I never belonged to.
I can't believe how much I gave up just to be with this man.
“She has to,” Allen spoke again. “She would not believe I was ever going to marry her. I am engaged to Freya, and I have to go back home to take over the family business,” he declared.
“That fucking bastard.” My hand clenched to my side.
He betrayed me. He's already involved with another woman. I was never the woman he wanted to marry. So why did he propose? Just to humiliate me? Why? I still can't wrap my mind around it.
Tears blurred my vision; my heart felt like it was being torn apart. I was such a fool, letting him deceive me for five years.
I took a deep breath and entered; their eyes trailed until they landed on me, and a sinister smile crept across all of their lips.
“The fatty came to play,” one of the men jested. Their eyes on me left me feeling exposed.
“The fat girl is here to embarrass herself,” Freya snarled, and the laughter continued. They seemed to be having a field day.
“Allen,” I said when our eyes met. He looked away too quickly.
Freya wore a sexy red dress. She got up, champagne flute in one hand, as her other hand suspended in the air like something was in it. She walked to me like this was a runway and stopped right in front of me.
Her eyes ran all over my body in a mocking glare before she turned to the men littered around the room.
“Allen,” she purred like a cat. “I am disappointed in your taste in women.” She leaned in and took a fistful of my hair, twirling it in her hand, eyes looking down at me with a sardonic glance. “Why would you like someone like her?”
“I never liked her; she was just a way to pass the time,” Allen was quick to throw in the air.
“Come on, Jessie, you don't believe that I ever liked you, do you?”
His words hurt deeper than they should have.
“How hypocritical of you,” I scoffed and pulled away from Freya’s touch and shot her a glare.
“Don't be too mad.” Her finger recoiled like she had been burnt. “If you want a man to like you, work on your figure first,” she added, as if it were some kind of thoughtful advice.
“I am not fat,” I retorted. I hated how they were all superficial. It was surprising that the reason his friends had avoided me was that I was oversized.
“If you think a hundred and forty pounds is fat, then you all need a reality check.” My voice was louder as I crossed my hand over my chest. I smirked, leaning closer. “At least I don’t look like an overstarved chicken.”
“Allen, so you stood me up because of my size?” I hadn't wanted to ask that, but I couldn't help myself.
Allen finally got out of his chair as if my question was his invitation. He took out a cheque from his breast pocket and waved it in the air. Each step toward me felt like torture, but it was a spectacle to everyone in the room.
“Here is a million-dollar cheque.” He stopped close enough for me to take in his cologne. The smell I had always loved felt like poison down my throat.
He leaned in and used the cheque to trace the outline of my face, the sharp edge leaving a painful trace against my face. “I think this is enough for someone like you from an ordinary family.”
I felt my blood surge through my body; I picked the nearest glass and emptied its contents on his face. The entire room erupted in a loud gasp. From their faces, it was obvious that they hadn't expected me to fight back.
I snatched the cheque from him and tore it up, throwing the pieces into his face.
“Have you thought this through? After today, even if you come back begging, I won’t give you a single penny.” He looked at me with contempt and coldness, expecting me to pick up the torn cheque.
“Don’t worry, keep your filthy money. I will never come back begging.” I turned to leave.
A strong hand grabbed my arm. “You think you can just walk away after insulting me? Hmm?” Allen sneered, about to say something more.
I slapped him across the face!
That bastard! My hand trembled slightly from the force of the blow.
People around gasped; they seemed to be enjoying the show a little too much.
“Jesse!” Allen reacted, issuing a dangerous threat.
I didn’t wait. I rushed out of his apartment. Each step felt like a drag as my chest rose rapidly. My hands clenched to my side as my nails dug too painfully into my palm. Tears dropped from my eyes involuntarily.
I wasn't supposed to be crying over that bastard, but I couldn't help it. Five years I had spent wasting! Five years I could never get back!
I had intended to reveal my identity to him as the Moore heiress after we were legally married, but he had fumbled this.
When I first started dating Allen, my mother disapproved of our relationship. She decreed that I couldn't tell him I was the heiress to the Moore family; she would only approve if our love blossomed.
We were so close, almost getting married. Ultimately, he proved he wasn't worth my trust. I wiped away my last tears.
It was time to go home; stalling any further was only going to make my mother angrier. Before I could dial her number, a call came through.
‘You lost the bet; it is time you returned.’
“I did lose,” I murmured, not bothering to try to figure out how my mother knew. Allen wasn't worth crying over; I will rejoice instead.
JESSIEI glanced at the clock and back at Stephen. He had been on the phone for thirty minutes now. We barely had fifteen hours left. It didn't feel like enough time to save Timothy Moore anymore, and now I was preparing myself for the worst.Evelyn was in the corner, sipping on a tea that was supposed to calm her nerves after the outburst. She confessed that Isabella had convinced her that if she could convince Stephen to begin the divorce process and come to her, she would pull the plug and stop things with Cole. I just couldn't understand Evelyn. If she had been in my position in the past, was she not supposed to extend more grace to me? Yet it felt like she was the first to bury me deep if anything happened. If Timothy Moore died while kidnapped, then Cole could pin the blame on us. I could only imagine all the tales he was going to fabricate just to prove his stupid point. My phone chimed with a message. 'It's Allen, Jessie.' I was ready to block him again. I couldn't believe
JESSIETime was ticking faster than any of us could keep track, and not quite spryly, Cole was able to cover his tracks. Even though the Rockefeller family were already on the verge of collapsing, they still had the network to cover it up. They had moved Timothy, and tracking their phones seemed useless. While Stephen’s “I am sorry, Mr Harrington; there was nothing we could do," the doctor apologised, with his team looking like they were ready to find a way out of this mess. I don't blame them one bit. Being in such a stuck situation, I would also want a way. “They were armed and moved…” “Can you guarantee that he would still be breathing?" “They came in a high-tech ambulance, and they had a medical practitioner with them. I am sure they would keep him alive," the doctor replied. I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. It had been six hours since we got the message from Cole, and there had not been any significant progress. “Thank you for your service." Stephen dismissed them
JESSIE“Why doesn't Mrs Moore explain to the press why she held such an extravagant burial ceremony for a man in a coma?" Stephen asked. Lauren’s steps faltered. She turned abruptly to run off, but men were already standing in her path, forming a wall before her. “Answer the question, Mrs Moore," the crowd chanted over and over again. She turned to the crowd and slowly took off her sunglasses. I like how everyone thought she was moaning so hard; hence the need for the sunglasses. But underneath the glasses was a fully made-up face. Almost like she was picture-ready. “I had no choice," she gasped, holding her chest like she was about to pass out. “The stock prices were falling, and he was not getting any better…” “So, for the control of the company, you kept your husband in a sedated phase for thirteen years?” I asked. She shot me a death glare. Her hand clenched into a fist. With the way her eyes narrowed, it was obvious that if we weren't in public, she would have been charging
STEPHEN“I let that wife of yours stay because I thought she might have a better impact on our company due to her identity," Grandfather's voice echoed through the phone. “But it's been scandal after scandal." “Grandfath…” “I give you a week; if you can't solve this, then you get a divorce and marry someone better." “Someone better? Someone like Isabella?" I scoffed. “She may have made a few mistakes before, but the truth is she has a better reputation than your current wife." My hand on the phone tightened, my knuckles hurting from the pressure. “You won't have to worry; I will make sure she has the right reputation."“Being a Harrington and the head of the family comes with its own difficulties; you must learn to navigate these issues and resolve them fast." “I wouldn't be having this issue if your son were not trying to sabotage me." I knew very well that Cole was the mastermind behind this. Having his grandfather remove him didn't mean he was just going to give up. “Then
JESSIE“Jessie, I can explain." “You don't need to." I stopped Stephen before he could try. I did want to hear what he had to say; I was curious, but I didn't want to hear the answer at the same time. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to bear it. After listening to Matthew talk yesterday, I knew i
JESSIEEvelyn couldn't risk her position on the Harrington board to save her 'friends,' so after Stephen's warning, she ran out of the room in anger and locked herself in her room. “You will regret this," she screamed over and over again as she ran out of the room. Isabella also sprinted out of t
STEPHEN“Have a good night, Mrs Harrington and Ms Rockefeller." Jessie doesn't even spare me a glance as she pushes between my mother and Isabella, storming off angrily. I caused this; I should have said something or done anything to make sure things didn't end up like this. Instead, I just stood
JESSIEI managed to find an excuse to get them out of my room. Stephen looked like a lost puppy as I pushed them out, but I didn't let it get to me. He could have as much fun with Isabella as he wanted. I didn't care about what he did. I closed my eyes and shook my head. Scratch that. I very much






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