LOGINHe walked into her life. Looked at the baby in her arms. And said three words that shattered everything: “That’s my son” Ava Hayes made a promise on her twin sister’s deathbed: never tell the baby's father. But when billionaire Damon Ashford walks into her café and recognizes his own eyes staring back at him... The secret is out. Now he wants answers. He wants custody. And worst of all—he wants her. The solution? A contract marriage that solves everything… and ruins everything as playing his wife was never part of her plan. And falling for the man she swore to avoid? That’s a secret she never meant to keep.
View MoreAva's POV“Do you mind coming with me? I don't trust myself not to act out.”“Nah, I'd never skip an opportunity to spend someone else's money.” Maya chuckles.I shake my head, a smile lighting my lips as I apply mascara while Maya skips to her room to get changed. Leo has gone to school and I'm waiting for Damon's driver to come pick me up. While it's been only two days since I talked to Damon, I've noticed how silent it's been on his end. He barely calls, texts or shows up randomly and it's just… weird."You know, at some point you'll have to stop staring at your phone," a yelp leaves my lips as I throw my phone as far as possible, "if I didn't know better I'd say you miss him." I didn't even know I was staring at my phone.“Are you kidding me? I was just checking something.” “Yeah, I can see that.” she replies, her tone flat.Her eyes drill holes into my head and I do everything in my power to avoid her eyes. Suddenly, the celine looks pretty interesting and I notice a speck of d
Damon’s POVAva hasn’t called back.She never does when I want her to.She waits, stubbornly and deliberately as if silence can rewrite the power dynamic between us.But it doesn’t.I’ve built empires on waiting.But she’s the first person who has ever made me check my phone twice for something that doesn’t come.Pathetic.I hate that it feels like losing.Marcus knocks once, then steps in. He’s the only one who does that, everyone else just hovers until I acknowledge their existence.“The board is waiting,” he says.“They can wait a little longer,” I reply, not looking up from my screen.He gives me that look– half disapproval, half resignation. “You’re trending again. The press won’t stop calling.”I sigh, already tired of this conversation. “Of course I am.”He hesitates. “They’re calling her the mystery woman.”“Good. Let them.”“They’re also saying she’s your secret wife.”I glance up, expression flat. “Marcus, if I reacted to every headline, I’d be dead by now.”He snorts. “You
Ava’s POVThe receptionist’s whispering and the sharp glow of the breaking-news banner follow me all the way out of the building like a shadow hungry to cling. Outside, the cold air hits my face and it’s exactly what I need. Something real. Something not shaped by Damon Ashford’s gravity.My phone buzzes again in my coat pocket.I don’t look at it. Not yet.I keep walking, boots pounding against the pavement, replaying the headline burned into my vision:> Mystery Woman Spotted at Ashford Enterprises — Damon Ashford’s Secret Fiancée?Mystery woman?It's funny how quickly the world assigns names to things it doesn’t understand.I go to hail down a cab but decide to walk home even if I give up halfway… cause that is inevitable.I need something to keep my mind busy. Something to conquer. Something that doesn’t have dark eyes and an irritatingly beautiful baritone voice haunting me at every turn.Inside the apartment, Maya is on the couch with a bowl of popcorn she definitely didn’t pay
Ava's POV His last message sits in my chest like a stone as the city wakes around me. I move through the morning with the calm of someone who’s already made a plan—only the plan keeps changing because Damon Ashford doesn’t play small and I refuse to let him think he’s rewritten the rules. “You look like you might combust,” Maya says, handing me coffee like a peace treaty. “I don’t combust,” I tell her, the words flat. “I detonate when necessary.” She snorts. “Murderous and fashionable. My girl.” She eyes the bag on the counter—the velvet box peeks out like it owns the kitchen. “How do you feel about that?” she nods towards it. “Cold,” I say. “Like everything he does; it’s calculated, expensive, and designed to unsettle.” Maya’s brow tightens. “And the gala?” I shrug, keeping my face neutral. “He’ll send a driver at ten. On Friday. He thinks he can schedule me like an extra. I think he has another thing coming.” She studies me. “Go to his office. Tell him that.” That
Ava's POV “Hello?” I speak into the phone.“Ava, I'm so sorry, I just looked away from Leo for a second and when I looked back, he was gone.”My heart drops.“What do you mean Gabby?” My voice shakes.“I can't find Leo in the school building.” She's sobbing.My body shakes as a sob leaves my lips.
Damon's POV A tired sigh leaves my lips as my fingers move quickly to sign some contracts I have gone through a million times.I'm on my merry way back from Spain where I just concluded a large business meeting that lasted a couple of days. As much as I love traveling on my plane, it never gets a
Ava's POV I sway my hips left and right to the rhythm of the song blasting from my speakers.I'm in a bath robe, a curler in hand as I prepare for the big night. Yup I decided to curl my waist length hair cause I don't need it to be too close to the hem of my dress. It's already short as it is wal
Ava's POV “Mummy, I miss Uncle.” I pause, shocked.Leo is on my lap while I peel him an apple. Dicing it into tiny bits so it can fit into his tiny mouth.“Uncle? What uncle are you missing Leo?” Confusion laces my tone.“The man that took me to aunty Maya's office, he said he is my Uncle. And I m
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