LOGINFor Emma Montgomery, life as the pampered daughter of Manhattan's elite carried the weight of impossible expectations. Groomed from birth to lead her family's corporate dynasty, genuine love seemed an elusive dream amid the superficial trappings of wealth. That is, until a shocking proposal opened doors to an unexpected future. When her father arranges for Emma to enter a marriage contract with James Reynolds, the charismatic heir to a powerful political family, she sees it as an escape from her turbulent past. But neither Emma nor James could foresee the firestorm of passion and betrayal that would be sparked by their convenient union. As the one-year countdown on their sham marriage begins, Emma finds herself falling for James's unexpected depths and charm. But James has his own demons - bound by duty to fulfill his father's Machiavellian ambitions while his own heart belongs to another. As cordial pretenses melt into smoldering intimacy, their worlds collide in a maelstrom of corporate greed, political ambition, and star-crossed desire. In this sumptuous tale of love among New York's upper echelons, Emma and James become delicious pawns in a high-stakes game they never imagined playing. With every blistering secret revealed, every heart-wrenching choice posed, they must decide whether to surrender to the inescapable lure of power and privilege, or burn it all to the ground for a love too intoxicating to deny.
View MoreLana Castroff
When I heard the story of Cinderella, all I could think of was stupidity. How can a poor girl like her marry a prince when the prince has a long list of beautiful and rich princesses? Disney stories are nothing but full of bullshit. They should make a realistic story because there's no such thing as a commoner marrying a prince charming or maybe a billionaire.
We have our own circle and there's no way we would be attracted to those types of people. I want to laugh my ass off for people who believe in that.
As much as I hate those bullshits, the man that I love ended up having a girlfriend who is a commoner. He was proudly introducing his girlfriend in the Winter Ball Charity event. His parents completely hated the fact that he decided to date that girl and they wanted me to be his girlfriend instead.
I'm rich, beautiful and smart. I'm the type of woman that every rich parent wants to be their son's wife.
When I found a small chance to talk to that girl, I quickly walked towards her with my glass of champagne. She was awkwardly standing there and everyone could clearly see that she doesn't fit the crowd. She was like an ugly duckling.
"You come here for us to give a charity on you?" I asked arrogantly as I stood next to her. She turned to me and she shook her head. "I'm here with Finn." She said in a small tone.
"I'm surprised that you're so confident about it. You don't belong in our radar." I said as I sipped my champagne.
"I know that clearly but I'm here for Finn so I don't care if you try to judge me." She said bravely and I nodded. I'll give her credit for her on that.
"I wonder.. how long will you last with Finn. In the end of the day, he will end up with me." I said pointed at myself.
"I will not end up with you." I turned to Finn who's already looking at me coldly. I chuckled and raised my champagne glass. He wrapped his arm around his girlfriend and walked away from me.
"You'll see." I mumbled to myself. I turned my body around and bumped into a man so hard that I fell down to the ground. I cursed under my breath and turned to the man clearly ready to get mad but I was speechless as soon as I saw those beautiful blue eyes.
He stood in front of me and gave me his hand out to help me get up. Instead of taking his hand, I decided to get up on my own. I looked at him coldly and he stood up straight.
"Sorry." He said and I looked around to see people laughing and mocking the both of us or maybe just me for falling down. I turned to him again wanting to hear him apologizing for the second time.
"I'm guessing you're Lana Castroff." He said and I raised my eyebrows.
"Who are you?" I asked and I heard people gasping hearing me saying that. I looked at the people around me and glared at them one by one. "That's rare, I guess you lived in a rural area huh?"
"Excuse me?" I looked at him in disbelief.
"I'm Julie and Finn's friend, Phoenix." He introduced himself.
"Oh.. you're friends with commoners too.. how fun!" I said rolling my eyes at him. He let out a small laugh and then he grabbed a glass of champagne from the waiter.
"She's a really nice girl so you should judge people just because they don't have a lot of money." He said and he sipped his champagne without taking his eyes off me.
"I don't like her." I smiled sweetly at him but I'm pretty sure that my eyes showed him how I'm freaking hate his statement. I was about to walk away when he stopped me by saying, "They're getting married, they love each other." I turned to him.
"Phoenix right?" I asked as I grabbed his champagne glass and drank all of it in one shot.
"They both won't get married as long as I'm alive." I said as I gave the empty glass back to him.
"You really want to ruin other people's happiness? If you really love him, you should let him be happy." He said and I chuckled.
"He won't be happy with a commoner, that's not how it works." I said by looking straight to Phoenix's blue eyes. His facial expression turned dark and I decided to get out from the scene.
"Hey! Where are you going?" My best friend, Noelle, stopped me. I sighed and turned to see Phoenix and Finn talking to Julie. It's making me more mad than I already am.
"Who's that guy?"
"Where?" Noelle tried to look at the direction that I'm looking.
"The guy with blue eyes besides Finn." I said as I looked at him and he found my eyes. He smirked at me and I turned to Noelle.
"He's Phoenix Sterling, you don't know him?" Noelle asked me in a confused tone. I raised my eyebrows.
"Why should I know him?" I asked and Noelle gasped.
"Just tell me who he is!" I hissed coldly and Noelle pulled out her phone. She was typing something on it and then she gave her phone to me.
"He's a billionaire from Italy. He owned a lot of graveyards, a shipping company, an airline and a lot more." Noelle said as I was reading his profile on the internet. He happened to come from a not so wealthy family so I guess that's why he hung out with that woman.
"I never thought you don't know him." Noelle whispered.
"Why should I know? He's not that important." I said and Noelle gave me a champagne to calm myself down.
"He's the part of Illicit and maybe that's why you should be aware from now on." Illicit?
"He's a part of Illicit? How do you know? I thought no one knew who's in the Illicit?" I looked at my best friend with my eyes almost popped out from it's socket.
"I mean.. I don't know if it's true or not but some people speculate that he is."
Emma laughed softly as she adjusted the collar of Mark’s suit, her fingers brushing against his chest. They stood in the office conference room, the sunlight streaming through the glass walls, casting a golden hue over them. Mark grinned at her, his eyes filled with warmth, as if they shared an inside joke no one else could understand. “Honestly, Mark,” Emma teased, stepping back to admire her handiwork, “if I didn’t step in to save you, you’d walk into this meeting looking like a wrinkled mess.” Mark chuckled, his voice low and smooth. “That’s why I keep you around, Emma. You’re not just the brains of this operation—you’re also the style police.” Their laughter echoed through the room, a stark contrast to the tension radiating from James, who stood just outside the conference room, watching them through the glass. His jaw clenched as he saw Emma place a hand on Mark’s arm, her touch lingering just a second too long. When the meeting concluded, Emma and Mark
James stood at the doorway of Emma’s office, the weight of his desperation etched into his features. He hesitated for a moment, watching her from afar. Emma sat at her desk, flipping through documents with practiced precision, her demeanor calm and collected.He cleared his throat, stepping inside. “Emma,” he began, his voice softer than usual, almost hesitant.She didn’t look up, keeping her eyes on the document in front of her. “If you’re here about work, leave it on the desk. If it’s personal, I’m not interested.”James sighed, stepping closer. “Emma, please. We need to talk.”At this, she glanced up, her eyes cold and unreadable. “About what, James? More excuses? More promises you won’t keep?”“No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I’m not here to make excuses. I just... I just want us to fix this.”Emma leaned back in her chair, cros
James stood in the kitchen, the faint aroma of rosemary and garlic filling the air. He wiped his hands on a towel, glancing nervously at the clock. Emma would be home soon. He had spent the entire day preparing her favorite meal—grilled salmon with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. It wasn’t just about the food; it was about the message he hoped to send.He wanted her to know he was trying. That he was sorry. That he couldn’t lose her.When the front door opened, James quickly straightened his shirt, running a hand through his hair. He plastered a smile on his face as Emma stepped into the living room, her heels clicking against the wooden floor.“Emma,” he greeted warmly. “You’re home.”She paused, her sharp gaze cutting through him. “I can see that, James. What is it this time?”He gestured toward the dining table, which was set with candles and her favorite white-and-gold china. &ldqu
Sarah leaned back against her couch, a glass of wine in her hand, the room dimly lit by the glow of her TV. Her mind was swirling with frustration and indignation over her earlier conversation with James. His dismissive attitude and hollow promises were beginning to wear on her, but she wasn’t about to let him win. She was determined to remind him that she wasn’t a woman to be ignored.A sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced at her phone, her brow furrowing. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and James certainly wouldn’t show up unannounced. Setting her glass down, she rose to her feet and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole.“Tyler?” she muttered under her breath, a mix of surprise and annoyance flashing across her face. What was he doing here?She opened the door, leaning against the frame with a raised brow. “What do you want?”Tyler stood there, his hands shoved into the pocket


















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