LOGINTrapped in a cold, neglected marriage to Julian Sterling, Sarah was nothing more than a trophy, until she survived a brutal attempt on her life. Her old life died that night. Desperate for protection and revenge, she flees straight into the arms of Julian’s ultimate corporate rival: Marcus Kane, a ruthless billionaire To survive, Sarah signs a contract for a fake engagement to help Marcus secure his will and company in exchange for total protection. But the moment they are behind closed doors, the professional boundaries instantly dissolve. Julian is back and trying to win her back and Marcus is a terrifying force at work, but in private, his fierce, possessive touch makes Sarah forget they are playing a part. She is on borrowed time, constantly forcing her heart to remember that this is just a business arrangement. Sarah has hidden her pregnancy and son from Julian, Meanwhile Marcus is not a man to let his prize walk away, how far will he go to keep Sarah?
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Sarah Sterling stood on the sidewalk outside the clinic with the late-morning sun warming her face, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. Her fingers trembled around the folded medical report in her hand. She had read the words at least ten times already, each pass making them feel less real, not more. Positive. Approximately two weeks. Two weeks. It didn’t sound like much. Barely anything at all. But to Sarah, it felt enormous—heavy with three years of quiet disappointment, of careful hope, of learning how to smile through questions she didn’t know how to answer. She pressed a hand to her stomach, half expecting to feel something different. There was nothing. No flutter. No ache. Just her heartbeat, loud in her ears. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, the words cracking as they left her mouth. She let out a shaky laugh, blinking rapidly as tears gathered. She hadn’t cried in the doctor’s office. She hadn’t cried when the nurse smiled at her with that knowing, gentle look. She’d held it together until now. Three years. Three years of trying without ever letting herself sound desperate. Julian had never pressured her—never once made her feel like she was failing him—but that didn’t stop the guilt from settling in her chest anyway. The quiet fear that she wasn’t enough. That she was taking something from him she couldn’t give back. A man like Julian Sterling deserved an heir. A legacy. A family. And for a long time, Sarah had felt like a fraud standing beside him, smiling politely at dinners while family whispered about their childlessness She wiped her cheeks quickly and headed for her car, the excitement buzzing beneath her skin. Julian would be happy. He had to be. Whatever distance had crept into their marriage lately—his late nights at work, the distracted way he listened sometimes, the way his phone never seemed far from his hand—this would change things. This would bring him back to her. She slid into the driver’s seat and sat there for a second, just breathing, imagining his reaction. The rare softness in his eyes. The way his hand would rest on her lower back, protective and manly. Maybe he would laugh. Maybe he would just hold her like he used to do. She smiled to herself as she pulled out of the parking lot. She decided she’d tell him tonight. Wait until he came home from work. Make it special. Maybe cook his favorite meal. Light candles. She reached for her phone at a red light and called him, unable to resist hearing his voice. It rang. Once. Twice. Then went unanswered. Her smile faltered, just slightly. He was probably in a meeting. He’d mentioned something about a big deal earlier in the week. She tried again when she got closer to home. This time, it went straight to voicemail. Sarah stared at the road ahead, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel. An uneasy thought nudged at the back of her mind. On impulse, she flicked on her indicator and turned the car around. She had never been to Julian’s office before. He liked keeping his work and personal life separate. He’d said it kindly, without malice, but she’d always understood the unspoken part: she didn’t belong there. Still… today felt different. She parked across the street from the sleek glass building that bore his company’s name in understated lettering. As she stepped out of the car, her eyes caught on a small gift shop wedged between a café and a florist. In the window sat a white ceramic mug, bold black letters stamped across the front. World’s Best Dad. Sarah’s breath caught. She laughed softly under her breath, the sound half disbelief, half wonder. It felt like a sign, silly as that was. She went inside and bought the mug without hesitating. When the cashier told her the price, Sarah handed over the cash and waved off the change, her hands still shaking too much to wait for it. Clutching the bag to her chest, she crossed the street and entered the building. The lobby was all marble and steel, polished to a shine that reflected her back at her in fragments. For a second, she hesitated, suddenly acutely aware of herself. Of her simple dress. Of the fact that she didn’t quite fit. Who would have thought, she mused, that the daughter of a maid would become the wife of a man like Julian Sterling? A man with power that filled rooms without him needing to raise his voice. A man she loved with her whole heart. She approached the reception desk. The woman behind it didn’t look up from her phone. “Excuse me,” Sarah said politely. “I’m here to see Julian Sterling.” “I’m sorry,” the receptionist replied flatly, eyes still on the screen. “He’s in a closed-door meeting.” Sarah waited for something more—an offer to take her name, a polite smile—but it didn’t come. “It’s important,” she said, her fingers tightening around the gift bag. “I’m his wife.” That finally earned her attention. The receptionist looked up slowly, her gaze sweeping over Sarah from head to toe before she let out a small, humorless laugh. “Nice try,” she said. “Mr. Sterling is already inside with his wife.” Sarah’s breath hitched. “What?” The woman slid a tablet across the desk toward her. The digital visitor log glowed softly. At the top of the list was a name written in neat black letters. Genevieve Sterling. Sarah stared at it, her mind struggling to catch up. “That’s—” Her voice came out hoarse. “That’s not possible.” The receptionist’s expression hardened. “I’d advise you to leave before I call security.” For a moment, the world tilted. Genevieve. Julian’s ex-fiancée. The woman who had left him five years ago to chase a glittering modeling career. The woman whose shadow had lingered long after she was gone. This had to be a mistake. The receptionist turned away, already reaching for her phone. A loud clatter sounded from somewhere behind the desk—someone dropping a stack of folders. The woman cursed under her breath and bent to retrieve them. Sarah didn’t think. She moved. Her heels were silent against the tiled floor as she slipped past, her heart pounding so hard it hurt. She followed the hallway instinctively, drawn forward by a sense of dread she couldn’t shake. She stopped just outside Julian’s office. The door was slightly ajar. A woman’s voice drifted out, smooth and familiar. “You’re still as good as I remember.” Julian laughed. It was a real laugh. Warm. Unrestrained. “There’s still plenty more where that came from,” he replied. Silence followed. Sarah’s hand lifted, trembling, ready to push the door open. Then the woman spoke again. “Dom said you and Sarah were trying to have a baby.” Julian answered too quickly. Too cold. “You heard wrong.” Her blood ran cold. “Dominic’s crazy,” he continued. “You shouldn’t listen to shit like that.” A soft, luring laugh followed. “Then you should probably tell him that,” Genevieve said lightly. “Because I can’t exactly be the one to explain that you got a vasectomy for me, can I?” The gift bag slipped from Sarah’s fingers. The mug shattered against the floor, the sound sharp and loud in the quiet hallway. The office door swung open. And Sarah found herself staring straight into the face of the woman who had just destroyed her world.MarcusSarah’s head fell to Marcus’s shoulder as the private elevator glided silently up to his Manhattan penthouse, tired after twenty four hours.“I’m so happy to be home and to see Oliver,” she murmured, breaking the quiet.Marcus swallowed the unexpected lump of emotion tightening his throat. “Me too,” he said quietly.He didn't elaborate on the fact that he had felt more genuinely at home sharing a small bed with her at that snowbound inn than he ever had living alone in this multi-million dollar fortress. Truth be told, he was just grateful to return to the quiet, domestic rhythm they had built over the past month. Nothing in Marcus's life had ever truly felt like a home until her, and the realization that this sterile penthouse was slowly becoming one because of her presence was both exhilarating and terrifying.The elevator chimed, the heavy doors sliding open directly into the penthouse gallery.Before the doors had even fully retracted, "Mommy!"Oliver, his dark curls bounc
Sarah He closed the distance between them, melding his mouth to hers in a way Sarah knew she could never grow tired of. She ran her fingers through the neatly styled tendrils of his hair, using the grip as leverage to pull him even closer. Leaving every lingering question unasked, she decided to simply soak in the intoxicating feeling of his lips pressed to hers.Marcus rose from his knees, crawling onto the mattress and pressing the full weight of his body against hers. Sarah loved the heavy, commanding feel of him over her, sliding her hands underneath his suit jacket and watching his muscles tense beneath her touch. He completely stunned her with the depth of the kiss, making her desperate for anything he was willing to give. It made her forget entirely about the crew waiting on the other side of the thin bedroom door. She hadn't been awake when they boarded the private jet, but if it was the same flight crew from their departure, there were plenty of people just a few feet away.
Marcus The feeling of her warm skin beneath his lips pulled Marcus back to reality as she began to stir. He didn't want to break the peaceful quiet of the private jet's bedroom, but they were nearing the city. Kneeling by the edge of the mattress, he pressed a tender kiss against her palm, watching her eyes lazily drift open.Sarah smiled up at him, her cheeks flushing slightly under the sheer intensity of his stare. “Hi,” she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.Marcus’s chest tightened. His fingers moved instinctively, tracing a soft path over her forehead to brush away a few stray hairs. “Hi, baby.”He had always thought pet names were overused, a cliché reserved for lesser men, until the word *baby* had naturally slipped from his mouth around her. Now, seeing the way she melted at the sound of it, he knew he’d gladly drop her actual name from his vocabulary entirely if it meant keeping that look on her face. It wasn't just something he said in the heat of passion anymore.He held
Christian Genevieve lay on his chest, absently twisting her finger in and out of his chest hair, her thoughts clearly drifting somewhere far away. She kept her calculations to herself, and Christian was far too cautious to push too hard right now, lest he push her away entirely.He supposed he didn’t really need to know if he was anything more to Genevieve than a financial whiz who also happened to be easy on the eyes and spectacular in bed. Gavin was right. All that mattered was the money. He needed to keep his eye on the prize—a prize that was less than a month away now.But the closer it got, the more the tension coiled in his gut. It was like a pitcher throwing a no-hitter who was rolling along doing his thing, only to realize it was the ninth inning. The end goal was right in sight, and suddenly, everything started tightening up.“What was the real story with Julian and Sarah?” Christian asked casually, breaking the silence.The entire situation surrounding Julian Sterling’s ex-
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