บททั้งหมดของ A Million Dollar Secret : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

If anyone had told me that I’d be signing a marriage contract worth fifty million dollars, I would’ve laughed. I wasn’t the kind of girl who wanted to marry for power or money, but circumstances have dragged me far beyond my moralityAnd then Frey came back, and for a moment, I basked in the nostalgia of what we once shared, but he wasn’t the same, not anymore.He laid out the offer in cold, perfect words, and in that moment I realised just how small I was in the kind of world he lived in now. I remembered sitting across from him in that quiet restaurant, not one we could ever afford, the kind with waiters who spoke softly and menus were without prices. It wasn’t a date. It didn’t even feel like a conversation, it felt like a chess board, only that I was a pawn.“Five years,” he said, his voice as smooth as the glass of scotch in his hand. “No children, no romantic expectations. A clean and mutually beneficial arrangement.”I had blinked at him. “You’re serious?” He nodded once.I’d k

The dinner ended on a celebratory note but the ride home was uncomfortably quiet. One of the Johnsons' drivers had been assigned to take us back, and the only sounds filling the car were the soft hum of the engine and the occasional turn signal.My mother sat beside me, her posture tense, hands clasped tightly in her lap as she stared blankly out the window. I glanced at her a few times, hoping she’d say something, but she didn’t. Not even when the driver politely announced that we’d arrived. “Thank you,” I murmured to him as I stepped out. I walked around to help my mother out of the car, and she gave a stiff nod before heading toward the house without a word.Inside, the familiar scent of old pine wood and lemon polish welcomed us. The hallway lamp cast a warm, golden hue across the furniture. I slipped off my shoes and moved quietly into the living room where my father was resting on the couch, reading his old leather-bound Bible. His glasses sat low on his nose, his brows raised a

I didn’t blink, certainly not when my father slid the iPad across the table like a blade dressed in data. Not even when I saw the exact line of numbers he wanted me to notice – $50,000,000. Transferred to: WestPoint Holdings. It sat there on the glowing screen like a loaded confession, daring me to flinch but I didn’t. Instead I leaned back slowly and took a sip of the bitter coffee in front of me hoping the heat would burn down the lump forming in my throat.But it didn’t last long before my father’s voice cut through the silence like steel against glass. “Leslie, I’m talking to you!” he yelled authoritatively, calling my last name which usually meant I was in trouble. I lowered the cup, setting it down gently. “Dad, it’s a calculated expansion,” I said, keeping my tone even like the obedient son I’ve always been. “It was for a logistics project offshore, we’re sourcing potential game-changing resources. It’s something I’ve been exploring with my regional team.”He didn’t respond, h

Catherine’s POV | Rhodes Residence, ChicagoThe rain had started just before noon, light at first, a misty drizzle veiling the windows like breath on glass. By the time I reached home, it had thickened into a steady curtain, the kind that blurred the streets and soaked through to the soul.I stepped out of the car and into the chill, the hem of my dress clinging to my legs as I hurried up the porch steps. One of the Johnson drivers gave a curt nod before pulling away, leaving me in the fading drone of rainfall and the tight ache in my chest that hadn’t left since Frey’s call.The door creaked as I pushed it open. The scent of jasmine tea and furniture polish met me like a familiar memory as I stepped inside. My mother sat in the living room, carefully folding laundry with tired fingers. Dad was in his recliner, covered in a light blanket, his face pale but peaceful in sleep.Vanessa looked up immediately, concern tightening the corners of her mouth. “You’re home early. Is everything ok

Frey’s POV | Chicago, EveningLater that evening, after the meeting with the board I called Catherine to meet me. It rained all day, although it had subsided, the streets still shimmered like wet glass, mirroring the glow of streetlights and the weight I carried behind the wheel. The city hummed around me, honks, passing sirens, voices swallowed by distance, but inside the car, everything was still.Catherine sat in the passenger seat beside me, arms folded tightly over her coat, the tip of her nose red from the cold. She hadn’t said much since she stepped in. Just looked ahead like she was bracing for bad news.I tapped the steering wheel, trying to find the right words. “The board meeting happened this afternoon.”She glanced at me. “And?”I exhaled. “They want me to take over. They practically handed me the seat”“Then what?” she asked hurriedly“Then my father decided to drop the hammer,” I answered.“He refused?” she asked again with vested curiosity.“Absolutely. He said I haven