The Billionaire's Borrowed Bride

They said money can't buy happiness. But whoever said that clearly never had to choose between eating dinner and saving for rent.It's hard to be poor.While some girls were out there posting latte art and luxury heels, I was here on the sidewalk, hoping someone would buy my handmade accessories so I could afford my Grandma's medicine. The thing is, my client wanted to buy my products for a very cheap price, and when I refused, she didn't buy them at all!I've already lost count of how many cars passed by-until one black car caught my attention. I watched a shiny black car park across the street, chrome rims, tinted windows, engine that purred like a rich man's ego. My mouth dropped open when I saw a man step out of that car. He was holding a phone that cost more than my entire neighborhood's monthly income.I looked down at my worn-out slippers that were still fighting for their life.I sighed and looked at the accessories I made. All fake and all mine, but each piece was something I

"Good luck! I know you can do it. Just don't leave Rafael's side," Trina reminded me.The moment I woke up this morning, I was already nervous because today is the first day I'll pretend to be Rafael's girlfriend. So many things were running through my mind and I was afraid we'd get exposed, but I had to calm myself down."Did you already tell Rafael that you have to go home before twelve o'clock?" she asked me.I quickly nodded. I didn't plan on staying long at that party anyway because I knew I didn't belong there. I'm sure Rafael would understand if I told him I had to go home since no one would be watching over Grandma at home.I hadn't even had the chance to breathe properly yet when Rafael's car arrived, so I hurried out."You take care of grandma, okay? If they ask where I am, just say I have a gig. Bye!" I rattled off instructions to Trina.I walked toward Rafael's car but was a bit surprised when he had to get out just to meet me.Even from a distance, I realized just how dif

The next morning, I could already hear Trina outside the house. "Girl! Open the door if you don't want your fresh bread to get cold!" she yelled while knocking furiously. I let out a heavy sigh as I slowly got out of bed. The sleepiness was catching up to me because I hadn't slept well last night. I must've spent almost the entire night thinking about everything that happened. Still yawning, I opened the door and saw Trina holding a paper bag of fresh bread. "Straight from the bakery!" she said proudly as she headed straight for the table. "I came early because I was afraid you might not be here later. So... what happened at the De Leca party last night?" she asked as she sat down. I gasped and rolled my eyes. I grabbed two cups and poured hot water to make coffee. "What do you think happened? It felt like I dove into gold only to drown in it," I told her. She burst out laughing, so I sat on the plastic chair and leaned back. "Wow! That's deep. So what really happene

I couldn’t get Rafael out of my head, and the thought of him and Leandro fighting wouldn’t leave me alone. All night long, I tossed and turned in bed, clutching my phone like it would somehow ring just because I willed it to. I waited almost the entire night for a text or call from him, but there was nothing. No message. No missed call. Just… silence. By the time the early morning light filtered through my curtains, my chest was heavy with worry. The very first thing I did when I woke up was to grab my phone again, hoping I’d see a notification from him, but there was still nothing. A sigh escaped my lips as I stared at the blank screen. That’s when I decided to swallow my pride and message him first. To Rafael: Good morning. How are you? Do you need me today? I stared at the text for a few seconds before hitting send. After that, I set my phone aside and forced myself out of bed. My body felt heavy, like I hadn’t slept a single minute last night, but I still dragged myself into

I really couldn't do anything anymore. I didn't want to embarrass Mr. Daez again, so even though I hated the idea of working with Leandro, I still accepted it.I stood quietly on the side while waiting for him to finish fixing his things. He was calm while I, on the other hand, was secretly fuming inside. Why does he have to be so composed all the time? Meanwhile, I'm here about to lose my temper.I sighed when he finally finished."Let's go," he said coldly before grabbing his suitcase.I secretly rolled my eyes and stepped closer to take it from him."What are you doing?" there was clear confusion in his voice."I'm your personal assistant, aren't I? So, I'll carry that—""No. I can manage it. Just follow me," he said and walked out first.I didn't stop myself from rolling my eyes again since he wouldn't see it anyway. He walked so fast that I almost got left behind and had to run a bit to catch up."Wait! Where exactly are we going?" I asked him.He didn't answer and just kept walk