Share

Chapter 11: The Photoshoot

last update Last Updated: 2025-05-01 22:45:42

Ava

~~~

I can't stop thinking about the car that almost hit me.

There's a familiarity to it that reminds me of the past. But what?

My thoughts are silenced by a thick cloud of hairspray my stylist, Brianna, seems to be using to try and kill me.

As I cough she tsks, “Get used to it, Miss Allard. You’ll be in my dressing room more often from now on.”

Oliver drove me straight to the luxury studio, one owned by Sinclair’s family. It looks more like a hotel than a studio with high ceilings and chandeliers dropping down from them.

Brianna looks like the sort of person who belongs in the styling chair, not the person who should be doing the styling; with flawless Carmel skin and a sleek auburn bob that frames her heart-shaped face and suits her warm brown eyes.

But as the cloud of hairspray clears, I look in the mirror and realize I might belong in this chair just as much as her.

“Is that… me?”

Her reflection grins, “ Yes ma'am. You're looking at the new and improved Ava
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Related chapters

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 12: The Car

    Ava~~~Sinclair goes to the mansion without me.I stand outside the studio, a jacket draped over my shoulders, trying hard not to scream.Does he just expect I’d find my way?“Fucking Sinclair,” I mutter under my breath. But just before I mumble another curse, something parked in the corner catches my eye.With a gasp, I realize it’s the car.It’s a blue Jeep with odd tyres, so distinct I know I’ve seen it before.I peer over my shoulder, wondering if Sinclair had come back for me.Nope.With nothing else to do, I walk over, my heels clicking against the pavement.When I get to the car, it’s empty. The only thing inside is a mess: snack bags, plastic bottles, and a dollar-sign air freshener hanging from the mirror.I stumble back.No.It can’t be.There’s only one person I know who had that exact air freshener dangling from their blue car.Could it be… him?The sun is suddenly too hot, the air too thick. I feel like I might pass out if I don’t find shade.No. No. No. No. No.A hand g

    Last Updated : 2025-05-02
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 13: The Mansion

    Ava ~~~ I want to lean on the wall next to me to catch my breath, but when I stretch out my hand to rest on the surface, I realise it's not there. It's only when I turn to my left that I see the four walls of this house are so far apart that I can run to the other side. Only the expensive marble floors would make me slip as I moved. In the middle of the huge living room, there's a marble Greek-like statue surrounded by the softest-looking white couches I've ever seen. This is all overlooked by huge windows that show the expansive garden, which may as well be a field. It’s so beautiful, yet I can’t truly appreciate that with this fear that's still rattling in me. The only thing I fully feel is shock that Sinclair did this house by himself. Sinclair. The reminder of him knocks the sense back into me. I wouldn't have seen that car if not for him. If he had just done the right thing and brought me home himself. Fuming, I stomp towards the large winding staircase. As I go

    Last Updated : 2025-05-04
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Prologue: The Incident

    Ava - 4 years ago~~~ I smile into our frantic kiss as he deepens it, his tongue tracing the bottom of my lip like he’s begging for permission. I grant him his wish, allowing our tongues to intertwine as he lets out a deep groan. He’s not the best kisser, but I love him, and that’s enough to make my skin flush under his touch. I'm desperate to feel all of him, for him to take my virginity and push into my pulsing core. In the background, the TV blares annoyingly. It’s some news story about a billionaire named Leonel something, who owns a massive tech company, and is in the middle of a divorce. I feel sorry for him, I really do, but it’s hard to care when I’m grinding on the love of my life and I feel his cock writhe under me. I can't believe this is happening. He breaks the kiss, and even as I try and look him in the eye, he evades me, pulling off my shirt in one swift motion to expose the red lacy bra I bought just for him. It was expensive, probably the nicest thing I own, bu

    Last Updated : 2025-03-31
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 1: The Buyer

    Ava - 4 Years Later ~~~ “Up next, please put your hands together for Ava Allard!” I startle at the sound of my name and the polite applause that follows it. I didn’t expect I'd have to go on stage anytime soon, but I guess that’s part of the curse of having a last name that starts with the letter A. I walk up to the stage, and my head immediately begins to swim with how many people are present. Jesus Christ. There must be at least a hundred people sitting in this room, all of them pining over the different paintings from all the incredible painters around New York. And now it's my turn to face them. Fuck. I adjust my curly red hair with a steady hand as the smiling presenter hands me a microphone to address the crowd. Even in my 6-inch stilettos, I don’t reach the presenter’s neck. When I hesitate at the curtain, his smile twitches in agitation, and he pushes me out to face the crowd head-on. I was wrong before, there must be thousands of people here, not hundreds. M

    Last Updated : 2025-03-31
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 2: The Presenter

    Ava ~~~I’ll pay you $100,000. Each.The words ring in my head as I make my way through the crowd, feeling weightless. I still can’t believe they were said for my work. I’ve never sold a single painting over a few hundred dollars, and even then, most of that money goes to my rent, the rest I spend on TV dinners that barely help me through the month. This was meant to be my big break, but I never thought it’d be this incredible.After the presenter collects his finder’s fee of 10% for each artwork, I’ll still be left with a whopping $270,000. I nearly drop my phone, staring at the calculator app like it’s going to save my life, and technically it is.That kind of money will change the trajectory of my life. Not only is it enough to get me out of that terrible apartment with a leaking roof and a horrible landlord who forces us to refer to her as The Madame, but I can finally afford to escape America entirely, and start my life somewhere the man from ”the incident” will never find me.

    Last Updated : 2025-03-31
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 3: The Slap

    Ava~~~I back away on my hands and knees till I hit the wall, trying to steady my breathing as flashbacks of "the incident" threaten to take over.Mr Riggs backs away too, his breath becoming heavier as beads of sweat roll down his floppy cheeks.“This isn’t … I didn.’t…” He stutters pathetically, looking at me as if I’m going to help him. He turns back to the man, “Mr Sinclair, please.”Sinclair. I swear I know that name from somewhere, almost like he’s famous, but I can’t put my finger on who he is, and the tension in the room makes it harder to focus on him.Sinclair crosses the room in two strides, and before I can react, he twists Mr Riggs's hand to his back, his eyes off me entirely, now narrowed at the man I believe he wholeheartedly intends to kill.“You think it's funny to prey on weak girls?” My head snaps up at him as I hear him call me weak, and just like that, "the incident" leaves my head, replaced with a familiar but safe anger.“Even worse, you want to attack a woman

    Last Updated : 2025-03-31
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 4: The CEO

    Ava~~~ Silence Pin-drop silence. If I thought people were focusing on me before, the whole world was doing it now. To Mr Sinclair’s credit, he doesn’t move, almost as if he’s completely unfazed that I’ve touched him. But I’ve dealt with men who mask their emotions in the past, and there’s no denying the glimmer of rage in his eye. If I should be scared, I don’t feel it. Seeing him barely react only makes my itch to harm him grow. To my left, a lady who was carrying glasses of champagne around the room has now frozen. I take a glass off the tray and throw the drink in Mr Sinclair’s face, causing the audience to gasp. This shocks him a bit more, and he takes a graceful step back with his jaw clenched. Good. “Listen,” I say, “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you don’t impress me. If you think you can throw a few thousand dollars at me and then treat me however you want, you’re greatly mistaken. Why don’t you find some other poor helpless girl to fuck wit

    Last Updated : 2025-04-01
  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 5: The Madame

    Ava ~~~ Evelyn hurriedly stuffs my little box to its limit, clothes spilling out in a way that tells me the cheap contraption isn’t going to be able to shut well. “Leonel Sinclair?” She demands for the fifth time, “You slapped, splashed and kissed the Leonel Sinclair?” Even through my worry, I glance up from the cardboard box I was throwing my kitchen appliances into, “Splashed?” She waves it off, “it’s a word I use for throwing drinks in people’s faces.” “And you need this word regularly why?” Evelyn huffs out, “Ava! That’s not the point. You assaulted a billionaire. No, scratch that. You assaulted the billionaire who makes other billionaire’s look like… like us!” “You mean pretty?” I joke innocently, even though I feel my hands shake from fear. I clench them into fists. “Broke!” She throws her hands up, “He makes them look poor cause he’s that damn rich.” I know she’s taking this seriously, and I want to as well, but I need to get out of this apartment first, bef

    Last Updated : 2025-04-23

Latest chapter

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 13: The Mansion

    Ava ~~~ I want to lean on the wall next to me to catch my breath, but when I stretch out my hand to rest on the surface, I realise it's not there. It's only when I turn to my left that I see the four walls of this house are so far apart that I can run to the other side. Only the expensive marble floors would make me slip as I moved. In the middle of the huge living room, there's a marble Greek-like statue surrounded by the softest-looking white couches I've ever seen. This is all overlooked by huge windows that show the expansive garden, which may as well be a field. It’s so beautiful, yet I can’t truly appreciate that with this fear that's still rattling in me. The only thing I fully feel is shock that Sinclair did this house by himself. Sinclair. The reminder of him knocks the sense back into me. I wouldn't have seen that car if not for him. If he had just done the right thing and brought me home himself. Fuming, I stomp towards the large winding staircase. As I go

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 12: The Car

    Ava~~~Sinclair goes to the mansion without me.I stand outside the studio, a jacket draped over my shoulders, trying hard not to scream.Does he just expect I’d find my way?“Fucking Sinclair,” I mutter under my breath. But just before I mumble another curse, something parked in the corner catches my eye.With a gasp, I realize it’s the car.It’s a blue Jeep with odd tyres, so distinct I know I’ve seen it before.I peer over my shoulder, wondering if Sinclair had come back for me.Nope.With nothing else to do, I walk over, my heels clicking against the pavement.When I get to the car, it’s empty. The only thing inside is a mess: snack bags, plastic bottles, and a dollar-sign air freshener hanging from the mirror.I stumble back.No.It can’t be.There’s only one person I know who had that exact air freshener dangling from their blue car.Could it be… him?The sun is suddenly too hot, the air too thick. I feel like I might pass out if I don’t find shade.No. No. No. No. No.A hand g

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 11: The Photoshoot

    Ava ~~~ I can't stop thinking about the car that almost hit me. There's a familiarity to it that reminds me of the past. But what? My thoughts are silenced by a thick cloud of hairspray my stylist, Brianna, seems to be using to try and kill me. As I cough she tsks, “Get used to it, Miss Allard. You’ll be in my dressing room more often from now on.” Oliver drove me straight to the luxury studio, one owned by Sinclair’s family. It looks more like a hotel than a studio with high ceilings and chandeliers dropping down from them. Brianna looks like the sort of person who belongs in the styling chair, not the person who should be doing the styling; with flawless Carmel skin and a sleek auburn bob that frames her heart-shaped face and suits her warm brown eyes. But as the cloud of hairspray clears, I look in the mirror and realize I might belong in this chair just as much as her. “Is that… me?” Her reflection grins, “ Yes ma'am. You're looking at the new and improved Ava

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 10: The Contract

    Ava ~~~ Evie and I stand outside Axion Towers, two minutes after Sinclair dismissed me, and before we can decide my next move, Oliver ambles out of the building, a new contract in his hand. “Oh great. Sinclair sent him.” Evie sighs at me. Oliver gives her his bright, mischievous smile, “You know, some might say your annoyance with me is really attraction.” Evie turns tomato red, which only makes Oliver’s smile brighter. Seriously, you'd think the guy was working at an ice cream shop with how happy he seemed. “Who are you to Sinclair anyway?” I ask. He turns to me and his golden eyes scan me. “I could ask the same of you, future Mrs Sinclair.” Hearing someone refer to me as Sinclair’s future wife sends a jolt through me. Sinclair must really trust him if he lets Oliver in on the secret. “But to answer your question, Ava, I’m Leonel’s lawyer, PR manager, and organiser, and sometimes I make deliveries.” On that last point, he winks at Evie, who rolls her eyes. Now I

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   HIM

    HIM ~~~ It has been 4 years, and still, I wake up with Jade on my mind. She runs in my thoughts and makes all my memories feel like bliss. Like hell. Jade. The reason I still want to live. Jade. The very person I want to kill. It has to be me that ends her pretty little life. I wonder what she thinks when she remembers that night. Does her pussy throb with how good I gave it to her? The little “O” I made her mouth form as she threw back her head of red hair for me? How she almost came all over my fingers? Or does she only remember after? The men I brought to take her away? It needed to happen because of what she did. Does she even remember what she did? The things she took from me with the same hands she used to caress me? Likely not. Perfect little Jade who could never remember anything she’s done wrong. I never stopped looking for her. There isn’t an area in Pennsylvania that I don’t know. Her underwear is still in my pocket, the scent of it even 4 years later dri

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 9: The Deal

    Ava ~~~ The moment Evelyn and Oliver are out of the room, the tension in the air thickens. I clench my legs together to stop the throbbing that is now torturing my pussy. It embarrasses me that I would ever crave arrogant Sinclair. He rounds the table, holding the remainder of the contract as he strides slowly towards me. “You think this is funny?” He begins, looking up at me finally. “Do you realise the position you’ve put me in?” I scoff. The most that will happen to Sinclair if I don’t go through with signing the contract is some messy tabloids about his character, a character that is already in question for many. The worst that could happen to me? Being found by one of the people who can ruin me the most. The unfairness of it makes me even angrier at him. “I’m sorry my world doesn’t revolve around you, Sinclair,” I say. “I know you’re used to getting everything you want, but I think you’ve forgotten that I have wants too.” He chuckles. A low, spiteful chuckle. “Of

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 8: The Meeting

    Ava ~~~ “You look so good it might make him forget you’re late.” Evie rationalizes as we stand outside the dark-tinted double doors. They’re so large that no matter how much we crane our necks up we don’t see the top. I glance down at my outfit; a body con dark blue dress accessorized with my butterfly necklace, black stilettos and my fiery hair looped into a bun at the base of my neck. By the time we pulled this outfit out of my limited selection of clothes, there was only enough time for Evie to dust blush on my cheeks and gloss my lips with dark red lipstick. It’s more makeup than I’ve done in years, partly because I can’t afford it, but mostly because, between fearing for my life and trying to hide the truth of my past, getting dolled up slips my mind. “I deserve to be late,” I tell her cooly. No more fucking around. No more letting people fuck around with me. If Mr Sinclair wants a wedding of all things then he must need it more than I do. Besides, it’s only 5:20, how

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 7: The Invitation

    Ava ~~~ “You can go little fool,” The Madame tells me, but I’m too stunned to move, much less feel grateful for evading death once again. “But remember,” she continues, “You have much bigger devils to worry about other than me from now on.” I stand a little taller, even though my heart is threatening to pound out of my chest. “You should watch the way you talk to me from now on,” I say unconvincingly. I’m not even sure what any of this means, and already leveraging my Sinclair status feels unnatural. “Should I?” She questions smugly, her wicked smile fixed firmly on her face. “I’ll take that into consideration when I see this disaster of a marriage play out.” The news story switches to something else, an interview with bestselling author Nicco Moretti on his latest book in his Owl Hunter series, but I can’t muster the emotion needed to feel happy about it. I rush out the door, hearing The Madame’s cruel laugh as I make my way back to Evelyn’s car. I don’t even look

  • These Reckless Vows: The Billionaire's Bride   Chapter 6: The Fiancée

    Ava ~~~ Like I would ever drop my knife. I come out of the room, my hand wrapped around the blade, ignoring her warning entirely. The Madame sits cross-legged on the couch, her large frame taking up most of the space. She’s staring at the blank tv even after I make my appearance. Even though she doesn’t look at me, that evil smile she’d used to warn me about the late payment of my rent sits on her face, ready to take a bite out of me. She switches on the television and for some odd reason flips to the news channel. “So,” she starts, “I heard a rumor about you.” My blood runs cold. How did she know I was already planning to leave? The only person who I told was Evelyn, and she would never snitch. Finally The Madame turns her soulless eyes towards me, “Actually I heard two, but let’s start with the one that directly affects my wallet.” In one swift motion she pulls a gun out of her pocket, and it takes everything in me not to scream. Guns take me back to The Incid

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status