All Chapters of One Year With Mr.Kingland: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

63 Chapters

The Last Straw

The smell of disinfectant and despair clung to everything in the hospital corridor. Selena Jesus sat on the cold plastic chair, elbows digging into her thighs, staring at the faded white floor tiles like they held answers. “The cancer has spread to her liver,” Dr. Patel said gently. “Without surgery, your mother has maybe three weeks. The procedure and hospitalization will cost one hundred and eighty thousand dollars.” Selena nearly laughed at the number. She didn’t even have one hundred and eighty dollars. “I’m sorry, Miss Jesus,” the doctor continued. “But at this point… you should consider every possible option.” Dr. Patel cleared his throat softly while standing. “Selena…” His voice lost some of its professional distance. “I’ve been treating your mother for almost eight months now. Your family has become very dear to the staff here.” Selena lowered her eyes, gripping her hands tightly together. The doctor sighed. “I normally would never involve myself in something

Signed Away

Selena stepped out of Kingland Tower feeling strangely numb. The city moved around her with the sound of horns blaring, people laughing, traffic crawling while her own life had quietly changed forever thirty floors above her. All she could think about was her mother waking up alive after surgery. Her phone rang before she could find a taxi. “Miss Jesus, this is Richard Thompson again. Mr. Kingland has instructed me to inform you that the first payment for your mother’s treatment has been transferred. She is being moved to Royal Crest Hospital as we speak. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.” Selena stopped walking in the middle of the busy sidewalk, tears flooding her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Thank you so much.” She rushed back to the old hospital, heart pounding. When she burst into her mother’s room, two well-dressed medical staff were already preparing to transfer her. “Selena?” Her mother’s weak voice was full of confusion. “What is h

The Unwelcome Guest

Selena stood near the massive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, smoothing invisible wrinkles from the emerald green dress Margaret had laid out for her earlier that evening. The fabric was soft against her skin, expensive enough to make her nervous about touching it. Everything in this mansion still felt carefully staged, including her. Matthew had barely spoken two words to her since she moved in. He had spent the entire day in his home office, and now he was standing near the fireplace, looking devastating in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, checking his watch impatiently. He hadn’t looked at her once since coming downstairs. Selena hated that she noticed. The doorbell rang. Margaret opened the door, and a wave of expensive perfume filled the room. Selena’s stomach dropped. Victoria walked in like she owned the mansion — tall, stunning, with long silky black hair. Victoria moved with the kind of effortless confidence Selena immediately distrusted like so

Lights, Lies, and Leopard

The Grand Kingsland Hotel ballroom glittered like a den of wolves wearing diamonds. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over hundreds of the city’s elite — businessmen, politicians, socialites — all circling each other with fake smiles and real knives. Selena stayed close to Matthew’s side, painfully aware of how many eyes kept drifting toward them. The deep burgundy gown fit her almost too perfectly, elegant enough for the ballroom but impossible to completely disappear in. Her curly hair was styled in an elegant updo, and the massive diamond ring on her finger caught every light. Matthew looked unfairly composed in a black tuxedo, the kind of man people instinctively moved around with, without realizing it. Tall, commanding, and dangerously handsome. His hand settled on her lower back, firm enough to guide her through the crowd without ever asking where she wanted to go. “Smile,” he murmured near her ear. “People are watching us too closely tonight.” "I'm smiling," she s

A Glimpse Of Hope

Selena didn't sleep. She lay in the dark listening to the mansion settle—pipes shifting, the hum of the AC, the distant sound of what might have been Matthew's shower around 3 AM. She'd replayed the terrace conversation at least a hundred times, analyzing his tone, his proximity, trying to figure out what he wanted from her beyond what the contract demanded. By dawn, she gave up pretending sleep was possible. She went downstairs to the kitchen still in yesterday's dress, hair a mess, and found Margaret making coffee. "Early rise, Mrs. Kingland?" Margaret said, her tone carefully neutral. "I couldn't sleep," Selena replied, not bothering to lie. "Is there coffee?" "Fresh pot. Mr. Kingland asked me to tell you he's expecting you at breakfast in thirty minutes. There's a dress laid out in your room." Of course there was. Matthew was at the dining table when she came down, showered and changed into an understated cream blouse and tailored navy pants that probably cost more th

The Kingland Heir

The invitation came early that morning through Margaret. “Mrs. Kingland, the family is hosting a charity luncheon at the Aurelia Grand Hall today. Mr. Kingland has requested your presence.” Selena stared at the elegant cream card in her hands. Another public performance so soon. By 11:30 AM, she found herself stepping out of a sleek black Rolls Royce beside Matthew. He looked impeccable in a tailored navy suit, but his expression was cold and distant, as if he’d rather be anywhere else. Camera flashes exploded the moment they stepped onto the marble entrance stairs. Selena froze instinctively. Matthew’s hand immediately settled against her lower back, steady and controlled. “Keep walking,” he murmured without looking at her. The reporters shouted questions from every direction. “Mr. Kingland! Is this your new wife?” “Why was the marriage kept secret?” “Mrs. Kingland, how did you meet?” Selena kept her expression calm even as panic fluttered quietly bene

Unwanted Attention

Selena's phone had been vibrating for the better part of an hour before she actually looked at it. The articles were everywhere, which meant someone had paid to make sure they were everywhere. That was the only way something could spread this fast across many platforms simultaneously like that. **"Who is Matthew Kingland's Mysterious New Wife?"** **"Alexander Kingland and Mrs. Kingland Get Cozy at Charity Luncheon"** **"From Nobody to Kingland: A Fairytale or a Setup?"** The photos were predictable. Her talking to Alexander. Him leaning in, genuinely listening. Matthew's hand on her waist, possessive enough to be noticed, not obvious enough to look insecure. The photographer had caught the exact moment when she was laughing at something Alexander said, and Matthew was watching her instead of the camera. She scrolled past the photos and into the comments section, which was its own special kind of stupid. *"She looks so out of place next to him."* *"Gold digger energy."* *"Hones

Finding Herself

The Aurelia Design Museum smelled like possibility and fresh paint. Selena stood in the entrance hall and felt something in her chest unlock—the part of her that had been holding its breath since she'd signed the contract. The space was exactly what the description promised: floor-to-ceiling glass, natural light pouring in like it was part of the exhibition, and that particular quiet that only happens when people are genuinely focused on something. She'd forgotten what that felt like. Before the hospital bills, before her mother's diagnosis, before survival became the only verb that mattered, architecture had been her language. She used to sketch hotel concepts at midnight, spent hours on design blogs studying how light moved through luxury spaces, imagined herself as the person who created rooms where people could actually breathe. Somewhere between working two jobs and watching her mother deteriorate, that version of Selena had gotten so quiet she almost didn't exist anymore.

The Heart Is Too Strong

Selena didn't sleep. She lay in the dark listening to the mansion settle—pipes shifting, the distant hum of the AC, the weight of what happened on the terrace pressing down on her like something physical. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt it: the heat of his mouth on hers. The way he'd tilted her jaw up with two fingers. The desperate sound he'd made when she'd kissed him back for exactly three seconds before pulling away. Three seconds. That's all it took to destroy whatever equilibrium she'd built. She kept trying to remind herself who he was. The cold man from the first meeting. The one who'd told her on their wedding day that he didn't do affection. The one who spent his nights on calls with Victoria while his wife sat alone. But her body had its own memory. Her lips still felt tender where he'd pressed against them. Her jaw still remembered the exact pressure of his thumb. By 6 AM, she gave up on sleep. She showered, dressed in simple clothes, and went downstairs

Woman Of Elegance

The Grand Aurelia Ballroom was exactly what Kingland wealth looked like: enormous crystal chandeliers catching light like frozen stars, marble floors reflecting the crowd, champagne flowing like water. The city's elite had shown up in full force—politicians, investors, old money families who'd been rich longer than most countries had existed. Selena had gotten better at playing the role. She stood beside Matthew in a black gown that probably cost more than her first apartment, her arm linked through his, aware of every camera flash, every eye tracking their movement through the room. She'd learned to smile without it reaching her eyes. Learned to laugh at jokes that weren't funny. Learned to exist in these spaces without screaming. But nights like this still exhausted her. Every interaction felt like a performance. Every compliment felt barbed. Every glance felt like someone was calculating her net worth and finding it lacking. And standing beside Matthew, close enough to smell his

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