LOGINVincent Isabella was offered a contract marriage worth 5 million dollars by a cold and ruthless billionaire given 30 days to marry or lose his Empire to his corrupt brother. She agreed only for her sick sister and her parents’ debt. “One year of contract marriage. No attachment. No feelings. No sex. Just public appearances.” But when Alexander Lucas demanded a child, she refused, and said “It wasn’t part of the deal”. Yet, she later agreed to help him secure the Empire. During childbirth, the baby died, and Mr. Alexander, the real owner of the Empire, rewarded Isabella by bequeathing the entire Empire to her. The Empire meant for Lucas or William now belonged to Isabella. Will the Alexander family watch as Isabella controls them?
View MoreI’m Vincent Isabella, currently approaching my 30s. Looking at the mirror, I’m a tall and beautiful girl with long hair. I had just dropped out of college five years ago when my parents died in a terrible car accident, and the same accident left my only sister, Vincent Amelia, in a coma since then.
I was the only one left. The heavy and huge amount of Amelia’s medical bills rested on my shoulders, along with the debt my parents left behind. Since then, my life hasn’t been balanced or near stability. Literally, I was living a very poor life. I worked double shifts at a restaurant downtown just to sort the endless pile of bills waiting for me, and also to take good care of myself. At the restaurant where I worked double shifts day and night, I was always mocked by Lura, Earnshaw, and other co-workers, laughing and joking about me. Despite my working double shifts, I could not even afford to eat well or wear better clothes, but I was less concerned about that. I move on. In the evening, as I returned home, the house landlord where I resided approached me and gave me a quick notice of one week to pay the house rent or leave the house. That same night, the bank also sent a message to clear my parents’ debt as soon as possible; otherwise, the debt would start to increase every day. Tired, I was totally confused and drained of fatigue. My thoughts weren’t balanced anymore. “What a terrible life I’m living,” I said to myself. I was on the verge of collapsing when my phone rang with a sudden call. “Hello, Miss Isabella,” the voice came sharply. It was the doctor speaking. Eagerly, I answered, “Hello, doctor.” “Miss Isabella, we urgently need your attention here right now. Amelia’s situation is getting worse.” The doctor hung up immediately after he spoke. Instantly, I stood up, dressed in a black gown, and rushed to the hospital hurriedly. I went straight to Ward 7 where she was receiving her treatment, but one of the nurses told me she had been transferred to Ward 11 for urgent treatment. My heart ached at the statement. I prayed that nothing happened to her. Without hesitation, I hurried toward Ward 11. I saw Amelia lying helplessly on a hospital bed. The machine attached to her nose pumped frequently, and her face looked so fragile, like she didn’t belong in this world. Emotionally, I grabbed her soft hand, almost crying. I noticed her breathing wasn’t normal again; it was faster than usual. At that very moment, I wanted to cry. I wanted to shout for help, but that wouldn’t have helped in this situation. Immediately, I reached the doctor, but he said it was okay. “Miss Isabella, we really need money to continue her treatment right now, or her situation will worsen further.” I desperately moved closer to him, almost crying. “Okay doctor, I will be back in a short time with the money,” I said, moving out. While I was leaving, I heard the faint voice of the doctor saying, “Miss Isabella, make it very snappy.” I had just promised to be back with money I didn’t have or expect. Desperately, I thought of my next move, and the next move was to borrow money from the bank. After a short process, the bank instantly declined my application, claiming that my parents had unpaid debts. I was totally confused and left with no option again, but I couldn’t watch Amelia die not now, not in the future, not forever. She was the only family I had. Yes, I could do anything to save her from dying. Tired, I got back to my apartment, thinking of how to get the money and pay the bills. Unconsciously, I fell asleep. Morning arrived so quickly. I barely slept for an hour all night. The morning light shone through the window. Looking at the time, I was already almost late for work. Immediately, I stood up, took my bath, and dressed casually. The streets of New York showed no mercy. No one could offer a free ride, so I continued walking fast toward the restaurant where I worked. The smell of roasted chicken and morning coffee filled the street air. People gathered for business, some laughing and some discussing business. That morning, the street was very crowded. I minded my business and walked hurriedly toward my workplace. It was exactly 8:20 when I got there. I was 20 minutes late. The manager accused me of coming late. I pleaded quickly and started work immediately. But still, I couldn’t focus on work. I was lost in thought. All my mind was on how to save Amelia. And make her live again. A soft and sudden touch brought me back to reality. “Isabella, why do you look so stressed and drained?” the restaurant manager asked me. Immediately, I forced a fake smile on my face and said, “Nothing, ma’am. I’m okay.” But it looked like she wasn’t okay with that. She asked again, “Isabella, what is really wrong?” I eventually explained everything to her, almost crying. She was so sad about my situation and really felt empathy for me. Immediately, on the spot, she gave me 10 dollars, which could not solve any of my problems. The urgent money requested from the hospital was about 500 dollars to continue her treatment. In the afternoon, the doctor sent me a text message again, short and sharp: “Isabella, do you want Amelia dead?” I viewed the message, almost crying. Right now, I am helpless.The moment Mr. Alexander said it, I felt the shift around us immediately.Not loud, not obvious. But sharp enough to notice.Conversations in the ballroom continued, music still flowing beneath crystal chandeliers, waiters still moving gracefully between guests, yet something invisible had changed.People were watching carefully now. The Lucas family had a way of making even simple moments feel strategic and hard.Beside me, Alexander Lucas remained calm, but I noticed the slight tension in his jaw before he extended his hand toward me.“Come.”That single word again.Controlled and Unemotional.As though he hadn’t spent the entire evening silently unraveling every calm thought in my head.I placed my hand in his anyway.His fingers closed around mine firmly, warm against my skin, and together we crossed the ballroom beneath the weight of too many eyes.I could practically feel the whispers following behind us.“Elena came.”“The grandfather is interfering again.”“The wife…”Always t
For a brief moment, I honestly thought I had heard her wrong.The ballroom noise faded strangely around me, becoming distant beneath the sudden pounding in my chest.“Someone your husband once nearly destroyed himself for” The word came again in my heart.I kept my expression calm somehow, but my eyes returned to the entrance immediately. The woman in red moved through the ballroom as if she belonged there.Not carefully, not nervously, but she walked confidently.People greeted her with respect as she passed, but she barely slowed down for any of them. She continued walking, her attention seemed fixed somewhere ahead of her, sharp and deliberate beneath the elegance she wore so effortlessly.And then I realized exactly where she was looking. It was Alexander Lucas.My stomach tightened unexpectedly. Beside me, Vivian exhaled softly. Like a scene is about to shout.“This should be interesting,” Vivian murmured.“I’m beginning to hate that word.”“Isabella… You’ll hate this situation m
“Ladies and gentlemen…”Mr. Alexander’s voice carried smoothly across the ballroom, calm enough to silence hundreds of conversations without mush effort.The entire room turned toward him immediately.Crystal lights reflected against expensive glass and polished marble, but somehow he remained the center of everything. Age had not weakened his presence. If anything, it had sharpened it. He stood with one hand resting on his cane, his expression unreadable beneath the golden lights.And beside me, Alexander Lucas had gone completely still, somehow waiting for his next speech.I glanced at him briefly. His jaw was tight. But not nervous. But Prepared. Like a man already expecting impact.“I want to thank every one of you for attending tonight,” Mr. Alexander continued calmly. “Business has always been built on relationships, loyalty, and trust.”The word trust seemed to linger strangely in the air.Around us, people listened carefully. Investors. Politicians. Social elites. People with
His hand did not leave mine. That was the first thing I noticed. Not even the cameras. Not the whispers of people. Not even the way the atmosphere shifted the moment we stepped back into the ballroom.It was his hand. Holding me firm, intentional, and Unapologetic.But deep down I knew Alexander Lucas did nothing without reason. And right now, he was making a statement. I didn’t look at him immediately. I couldn’t. Because if I did, I wasn’t sure what I would find in his expression, but that uncertainty unsettled me more than anything else that had happened tonight.Instead, I focused as if I wasn’t bothered. The ballroom had not changed, yet everything felt different.People were watching. Not casually. Not politely but deliberately.“Isabella, don’t react,” Lucas murmured under his breath, his voice low enough that only I could hear.“Yes, I wasn’t planning to.”“Good.” He replied silently.But his grip tightened slightly, as if he didn’t entirely believe me.We walked further into






Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
reviews