All Chapters of ALMS TO LOVE: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

216 Chapters

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 1

The Grand Aurelio Hotel's lights glowed like gold in the Manila night sky. Glass spires glittered. Smiles cost more than Fiona's whole closet. The red carpet was no metaphor—it existed.Fiona hitched up the hem of her borrowed, too-tight, too-revealing sapphire slip. She got out of the car with shaky legs and borrowed nerve.“I shouldn’t be here,” she murmured, clutching her bag like a lifeline.“Stop that,” Valeria Jayne whispered, looping her arm through Fiona’s. “You look like a goddess and you’re walking into Olympus. Head high, chest out. You’re with me, remember?”“I’m a public school teacher with a dying daughter. These people own helicopters.”Valeria snorted. "Exactly why I brought you. You need air. Hope. A miracle. Who knows—maybe you'll find someone who can write one."Fiona didn't even have time to reply before they were engulfed by blinding lights, champagne giggles, and conversations laced with egos.Inside the ballroom, chandeliers hung dripping with crystals. Waiters

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 2

At the Orchid Room, Grand AurelioThe room was so white it hurt the eyes. Too many roses. Too much glass. Charles sat alone at a long marble table like he’d summoned her to a royal execution.“You’re late,” he said, not looking up.“I have a life,” she replied, dumping her tote bag onto the chair. “You should try having one sometime.”He glanced at her. “And here I thought you'd thank me for the offer.”“What offer?”He slid a single-page document across the table. “A contract. A marriage contract. Three months. Public appearances. A believable love story. Compensation—sixty million pesos.”She stared at it like it had horns. “You’re joking.”“I never joke about money.”“Or marriage, apparently.”He folded his hands. “This is about legacy. My grandmother has made her terms clear. I need a wife.”“And I need a new liver after this conversation.”“Fiona.” He said her name like a negotiation. “I’ve done my research. Your daughter needs treatment. Expensive treatment. I can help.”“You did

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 3

Fiona bit her lip, holding back tears.“Thank you, baby.”“I love you more than yucky soup.”“I love you more than all the stars.”“Even the ugly ones?”“Even the ugly ones.”The call ended, and Fiona sat still, eyes closed.When she finally stood, she wasn’t the same woman who walked into that marble room an hour ago.She was a mother with a mission.And soon… she’d become the wife of a man who didn’t believe in love—but might be about to learn just how dangerous it was to underestimate a woman fighting for her child.Outside, the music throbbed and laughter spilled through velvet curtains, but in this room—this private little war zone—the air was still.Fiona stepped in slowly, phone clutched in her hand like a lifeline, the ghost of her daughter’s voice still echoing in her chest.Charles Billion stood near the tinted window, watching the city lights shimmer below. One hand held a crystal glass of scotch, the other rested on a leather folder placed deliberately on the table between

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 4

"So you're telling me she's frightening?"Charles climbed one eyebrow. "I'm telling you she's the only living being who can reduce me to all I've achieved."She took a deep breath, biting the inside of her cheek. "Great. So I get to marry you and become the star of a horror film."He leaned forward, his face close enough so his breath was a whisper along her ear."Play your part, Fiona. We live. Break character, and both of us burn."A moment.He stepped back, eyes unblinking."I'll call when the time's right. Until then—disappear."Fiona's fists tightened on her hips, pausing to collect herself."You charm a girl real good, don't you."He gave her one last glance—hard, unblinking—and walked out.The door closed softly behind him.She was alone.She grabbed the opened champagne on the side table and drank the entire contents in one swift gulp.Mumbled to herself:"Storm-married."INT. BALLROOM – LATERValeria Jayne was inebriated on her third flute of champagne when Fiona returned to t

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 5

"She'll be okay," Charles told him, coldness in his tone. "She knows the conditions.""Terms?" Jamaica's cackle was cold and lethal. "Sweetheart, this is not a merger. This is your last chance to show me that you're not emotionally constipated. I want fireworks. Passion. Love burning in her eyes. True or false. Because if I get so much as a sniff of pretension, I'm shipping it all to your cousin Daniel. And that kid thinks Excel is a nightclub."Charles closed his eyes. The headache was already there, knocking like a collector.“You’ll meet her,” he said. “Just… not yet.”“Oh,” she purred. “You’re protecting her already. How romantic.”“I’m protecting the arrangement,” he growled."Mhm. Alright." Silence. And then, in a completely matter-of-fact voice, as if ordering coffee. "Brunch with family. Sunday. No exceptions. I want smiling faces and holding hands. And for goodness' sake, Charles, do not look like someone has just blown away your Labrador."CLICK.It was over.Charles glared

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 6

The next morning charles phoned and he will be driving over to pick up fiona Infront of her place The New york townhouse didn't appear to be a styling studio.It seemed like an embassy for a king—white marble floors, gold-inlaid columns, and tall mirrors with soft lights around them. Fiona stood in the middle of the room feeling out of place and under scrutiny.Which wasn't far from the reality.She was hemmed in by rows of designer gowns, shelves of stilettos, cases of jewelry that were treated like national treasures—and one very keen billionaire sitting in the corner, crossed legs, a glass of scotch resting in his hand.Charles Billion had not uttered a word since she entered.He observed.Quietly. Fiercely. As if he was auditioning someone to play a character in a movie only he could helm.Fiona pulled on the sleeve of her blouse. "This is… too much."A woman of commanding height, with silver-blonde hair, turned to her like a hawk in mid-flight."'A bit much' is for funerals, Miss

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 7

Fiona didn't blink.She turned to him deliberately, lashes low over her eyes, voice as cool as glass."You paid for a wife, Charles. Not a puppet."He smiled. "Same thing.""No," she replied, smile tenuous. "A puppet doesn't bleed when you cut it."Charles's jaw clamped down. The spark in his eyes cooled to something harsher—something that resembled eerily respect. or maybe, fear. Of a woman who couldn't be fully owned.Fiona sat up straighter, crossing her legs intentionally.You want me polished? Good. I'll shine like a diamond and your grandmother will think I breakfast on them. But talk to me like that one more time, and God as my witness, I'll show you what a peddler does to a billionaire in public." Charles's eyebrow shot up. "I'm accustomed to being obeyed.""Then this is going to be a hell of an rude awakening."His jaw clenched. "Do not test me, Fiona.She moved forward now, chin lifted, heels snapping like gunfire on the marble floor."Test you? Sweetie, I endured worse than

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 8

Fiona took a breath. "Because beneath the arrogance, he's… alone. Lonely. A wolf pretending he doesn't require a pack. And because he gave me something I couldn't find anywhere else.""Sixty million pesos," Daniel said, taking a sip of mimosa.Fiona didn't bat an eyelash. "A chance to save someone I love."Jamaica's fork hovered in mid-air."Ah," she breathed. "There it is.""'There' what?" Fiona inquired."The edge. The thing money can't replicate. You're not here for legacy. You're here for life. Good."She addressed Charles. "I like her more than your last two.""I didn't have two—" "I know. I'm counting the ones you ghosted."Charles glowered.Jamaica reclined, gazing at Fiona now as if she was gazing decades ahead. "I was seventeen when I came to Manhattan," she announced abruptly. "Barefoot. Pregnant. Broke. My husband died in a shipping accident three months later. Everyone told me to go home. I said, 'Screw home. I'll make the world mine.'"Fiona listened, heart rate slowing.

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 9

Fiona threw him a side-eye that could curdle cream. "Yes. Thrilling stuff. Eggs and. economics."Jamaica didn't bat an eye. Her eyes flashed between them like a lie detector in stilettos."Oh?" she cooed. "Because from where I was standing, it appeared as though my grandson was being romanced… or intimidated."Fiona smiled innocently, her hands folded. "Can't it be both?"Jamaica released a soft, husky laugh. "Now that's an answer I can admire."Charles placed his glass on the table. "We're just fine, Lola.""Hmm." Jamaica's gaze jumped to Fiona. "You're smart. I like that. But smartness can be perilous if not seasoned with discipline."Fiona did not blink. "So can power if not seasoned with grace."There was a moment of dead silence.Charles blinked. Even the butler hesitated mid-pour.Then—Madam Jamaica let out a slow, pleased clap."Well. Aren't you just full of surprises," she said, voice like the crackle of a vintage record. "Perhaps you can make it through this circus."Fiona s

ALMS TO LOVE CHAPTER 10

"Of course, Lola. Simply debating the genius of your chef's hollandaise." Fiona went still, her mimosa glass poised halfway to her lips. "I wait, what?""I've decided," Jamaica said, smiling. "You're family. Which means if he breaks your heart, I get to break his kneecaps. It's tradition."Someone across the table made a nervous little laugh. Charles remained silent, but the vein in his temple announced itself."Wait," Fiona whispered, voice repressed. "What wedding?""Oh, darling," Jamaica breathed, wistfully. "Make it quick. Life's short, my roses are in bloom, and my tailor is restless." Fiona slowly, ever so slowly, turned her head to Charles."You didn't warn her that it wasn't official yet?"He didn't even blink. "No. And I won't. Unless you want to play Russian roulette with a woman who once iced out three oil tycoons at brunch."She's planning the wedding.""Yes.""I haven't even settled on a color scheme."Charles gave his wine a leisurely sip and growled, "Welcome to my li

1 2 3 4 5 6

...

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP