All Chapters of A Marriage of Convenience: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The gentle spring breeze carried a hint of warm floral fragrance, blending with the lingering drizzle as it brushed against the ornate façade of the French-style building.Tonight, at this exclusive high-jewelry auction, the dim lighting and lavish atmosphere set the stage for the evening’s most anticipated highlight—a pair of 18th-century diamond earrings, once owned by a French princess, now donated by an Austrian noble family.In a way, they were finally returning home.Grace had come tonight primarily to witness these legendary earrings in person. She attended the event alone, but that never stopped people from approaching her."Oh, Grace! Your black gown is stunning! Is it from your family's new collection this season?"A group of women quickly gathered around, eyes gleaming as they took in her appearance. Grace Bellavance had always been breathtaking—her amber eyes, sharp and captivating, held a hypnotic depth, while the sleek one-shoulder gown she wore effortlessly highlighted

"Bang."The crisp knock of the gavel echoed through the hall.Final bid: 3.2 million dollars.The pair of earrings—unsurprisingly—fell into Raphael’s hands."Thank you. Tonight wouldn’t have gone so smoothly without you." Lydia smiled as she departed, flanked by her assistant and security detail."Just doing what I was asked."Raphael had merely been fulfilling a request—escorting an important client’s wife and securing the item she desired. Winning a woman’s favor had nothing to do with him.That honor belonged to someone else—Mr. Bellington, Lydia’s husband, a man who held dominion over much of Australia’s mining industry.Raphael had never gone to such lengths for anyone.Not even for his own wife.Their marriage was nothing more than a civil arrangement—polite, distant, mutually indifferent.As Lydia’s silhouette disappeared beyond the grand hall, Raphael turned back toward the room, searching for one particular figure.But the seat where she had been sitting was now empty.Dana h

Back then, when the arranged marriage was first proposed,Grace had already prepared herself for it, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t fought back. She told her father flat out that she refused to marry someone she had no emotional connection with.Surprisingly, the usually cold and pragmatic Mr. Bellavance actually softened his tone and told her,"Among all the young men of marriageable age in our circle, none can compare to Raphael—he's mature, steady, clean in both reputation and background. The Sterlings are an old, well-respected family. If you marry him, at the very least, you won’t suffer."Back then, she was intrigued. Who was this man that even her father, a man with impossibly high standards, could praise so highly?At the time, Raphael was stationed in London. No one in her social circle was particularly close to him. She didn’t know him, and she certainly wasn’t about to agree to anything so easily.But she did know the Sterlings.A 130-year-old private banking dynasty that

Raphael walked into the room and was instantly met with a sight he hadn’t expected—Grace was lying in the bed.Though she was still covered, the thin fabric of her sleepwear clung to her skin, accentuating every delicate curve. Her long, slender legs were bare, swinging ever so slightly in the air.His gaze instinctively followed the movement, throat suddenly feeling dry. He let out a quiet cough, trying to clear it."Didn’t expect you to still be up."His voice was low, almost casual.Grace snapped back to her senses. Her mind raced—given his position and the dim lighting, he probably hadn’t noticed the thing that just fell.Don’t freak yourself out."Not yet." She swallowed, quickly pushing herself up from the bed.As she stood by the bedside, her toes flexed slightly, nudging the small box discreetly under the bed.She had no idea why she was so nervous—like she had just been caught doing something wrong.Completely oblivious to the fact that the sash of her robe had loosened, one

Raphael had been leaving for work earlier than her and coming home later. For Grace, life felt just as it had before—Except now, there was someone else sleeping in her bed.Other than being ridiculously good-looking, her husband had no practical function in her life. Any ripples of emotion she’d felt before had long since stilled.They had agreed to have dinner with the Sterling family on Wednesday. By morning, the kitchen at the estate was already bustling.The head butler, Oscar, had reached out to the estate’s farm manager the day before to ensure fresh ingredients were ready—white asparagus, morel mushrooms, figs, artisanal cheeses, and spring black truffles. The Gariguette strawberries had ripened to a perfect shade of red, just in time to be turned into jam or strawberry tarts.These weren’t particularly rare ingredients, but everything was cultivated in the Sterling family’s private greenhouses, ensuring top-tier quality. The vineyard’s vines had just begun sprouting new buds,