With a father who is compulsive gambler and stinking drunk, Reine is constantly stuck trying to correct his mistakes. So when debt threatens to drag them in, she has no other choice than to leave the town she has known her whole life to the city, hoping to find a job.Her search is unsuccessful, but then she meets Jax, who offers her an insane sum of money to pretend to be his fiancée. It is with little hesitation that she accepts, hoping to guard her heart. Jax has been given an ultimatum by the board of directors; settle down or lose all he has worked for. When he overhears Reine’s conversation, he pins her as a golddigger, a thought further solidified when she accepts his offer to be his pretend fiancée.Both thought they would come out of the experience totally unscathed, but the more it goes on, the more attached they become to each other and the harder it is to let go.
Lihat lebih banyakOlivia Grace never imagined that tonight would become the most devastating night of her life.
She stood frozen behind the glass doors of the lavish nightclub, her body refusing to move as her eyes locked onto her husband—Hunter Jackson—laughing and touching the arm of his ex-girlfriend, Sophia Joy. Purple and blue neon lights danced through the air, the music thundered, and the guests' laughter filled the room—but Olivia's world had gone completely silent. No sound, only the racing beat of her heart battling the crashing waves of emotion inside her. "Why would he cheat on me with Sophia Joy? What did I lack that made him turn away?" her mind screamed. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them back with everything she had. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of everyone silently laughing at her misery. She had trusted Hunter completely. He came home late every night, claiming overtime. She never checked his phone—because she believed love shouldn't be built on suspicion. But everything crumbled the moment she stumbled upon a video posted on Sophia Joy’s I*******m account. The short clip showcased an extravagant party—diamond-encrusted dance floor, gold-layered cake, and a bold backdrop that read “Happy Birthday Sophia Joy.” Yet it wasn’t the luxury that shattered Olivia’s heart—it was the man giving the toast on stage. Her own husband. “Hunter Jackson, the best man that’s ever been in my life,” Sophia’s voice rang out in the video, her smile playful and seductive. Without hesitation, Olivia had thrown on a jacket and driven straight to the club mentioned in the post. Her heart felt like it was being crushed under a boulder, but she had to see the truth for herself. And now she had. Hunter leaned in and whispered something in Sophia’s ear, then laughed with her. His hand landed possessively on her waist. That hand is supposed to only touch me, Olivia thought, choking on the bitter betrayal. Other guests looked all too familiar—some were Hunter’s business associates, others were their former college friends. “Come on, Jackson, just divorce that wife of yours, Olivia Grace! She’s not worthy of you,” said a broad-shouldered man in an expensive suit—William, Hunter’s arrogant college buddy. Laughter erupted around them. “Yeah, Sophia Joy is a much better match. Beautiful, classy, successful. Olivia? Just a poor girl who doesn’t even know how to dress herself!” sneered a woman in a fiery red dress. Olivia felt like she was being stomped into the ground. They spoke as if she were invisible. As if she wasn’t Hunter Jackson’s lawful wife. She clenched her fists. How dare they insult me like this? But the final blow came when Hunter himself—the man who once promised to love her through thick and thin—agreed with them all. “You’re absolutely right. Olivia was never fit to stand beside me.” Olivia’s heart stopped. She stared at her husband, tears spilling freely now, praying this was just a nightmare she would soon wake from. But reality was far more brutal. Sophia laughed loudly, then turned to Hunter with a wicked grin. “Or maybe we should just make your wife our maid, hmm? Let her serve us instead.” Hunter furrowed his brows for a second, then chuckled, “A maid? Now that’s actually a good idea. At least she’d be useful instead of just dead weight.” Laughter exploded again. Champagne glasses clinked, the music roared back to life—but Olivia heard nothing except the sound of her own heart breaking. “Hunter!” Olivia’s voice cut through the room like lightning in a storm. Everyone turned to her. Eyes widened. Silence fell. Her eyes were red, her lips trembling, and her whole body shook with a mix of rage and agony. Hunter froze. Their eyes met. Olivia stepped forward, the crowd parting like curtains for the real show. “So this is why you’ve been working late every night?” Her voice was low but razor-sharp. “To throw a luxury party for your ex and publicly humiliate your wife?” “Olivia…” Hunter tried to speak, but no words followed. “You're a coward, Hunter.” Her voice was cold. “I’m not poor. I just don’t waste money on foolish parties and overpriced dresses. But now I see… you never deserved my love.” Sophia scoffed. “This is hilarious. What a cheap drama.” Olivia stepped right up to her, inches apart. “And you—proudly accepting a party from a married man? That’s beyond pathetic.” Sophia smirked. “You really think you can compete with me?” “I don’t need to compete. Because as of tonight, I’m done.” Without hesitation, Olivia took off her wedding ring and threw it right at Hunter’s chest. “Happy birthday, Sophia. You’ve won. But remember one thing, Hunter…” She locked eyes with him, her voice a chilling whisper. “You just lost the only woman who ever truly loved you.” She turned and walked away, her steps steady despite the tremble in her limbs. Every pair of eyes followed her, but she didn’t care. But just as Olivia reached the exit, a voice stopped her in her tracks. “Olivia, wait!” Her steps faltered. She knew that voice. A voice she hadn’t heard in years. She turned slowly, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Ethan?” she whispered. Ethan—her former fiancé who vanished without a trace years ago, the man she once believed had died in a tragic accident—now stood at the door, very much alive. Dressed in a sleek black suit, with eyes that still held that same familiar intensity… warmth… and secrets. The entire room stood still. “What are you doing here?” Olivia asked, her voice barely audible.Jax stared at Reine with a fascinated look on his face. There was no more pretending that he was not completely obsessed with this woman. And the more the days went, the more he felt like she was made for him. It was a few weeks after their truce and after a dinner home, they had ended up in the bedroom. Reine was standing naked in front of him and he had apologized beforehand because he didn’t think there was going to be anything gentle about the sex they were about to have. Jax placed his cold fingers on Reine’s aching nipples. Reine gasped and looked up at him. "Jax?" she let out breathlessly. "Shhh," Jax said, then bent his dark head and slipped one nipple into his mouth. Reine arched her back involuntarily and clutched at Jax so she wouldn't stumble and fall.
JaxI stared at the expectant look on Reine’s face. I didn’t know what exactly she was expecting me to say but I knew she thought it was nothing good. For what seemed like the thousandth time, I wondered who exactly had hurt her to the point where she didn’t trust anybody at all. I stared at her in silence for a while, marveling at her beauty.I couldn’t even deny it at this point. I had feelings for this woman, no matter how much I had tried to turn them off. I hated the fact that she was keeping secrets from me and I had wanted to punish her for it by being distant.I didn’t know how to even start asking all the questions I had. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There was a clearly questioning look on her face, and I knew she expected me to speak.
I almost couldn’t believe my ears. After I had spoken out for him, defended him, even though my heart had been racing, he was treating me so coldly. I was beginning to hate the fact that I had growing feelings for this man. I was a little numb. Rejection had never had me feeling this way. If anything, before I had been used to it so it was never something that I particularly dreaded. But with how Jax’s tone switched when we got into his office, I wondered just how much I had attached myself to him, how much importance I had given him. Because the way my heart had shattered in that moment was not healthy. I was definitely going to cry tonight. I had pushed the tears away enough. It wasn’t even healthy at this point. Honestly, I couldn’t explain why exactly I was so hurt by Jax’s rejection if anyone asked. It wasn’
JaxI stared at Reine as she stood next to my desk, my mind racing. I didn’t know what to make of her demands of the previous day. Of course, it was part of the contract that she got whatever sum of money she asked for, so long as it was a reasonable sum.For some reason I couldn’t explain though, yesterday had put things into perspective. No matter how great the relationship between us was, it was still business. She and I were using each other to attain our objectives.I had no idea what she needed the money to do and after the previous night, I had almost given in to the temptation of calling Dylan and getting him to send over what he had found on her. But I had told Reine I wouldn’t pry into her life and I was going to respect that promise.She looke
The next morning was terrible. Sandra had come to check on me and I had muttered something to get her to leave. I wanted to be alone. I had sent the money to my dad as soon as Jax had sent it and there hadn’t been as much as a thank you.I had called him and he had confirmed that he received it.Jax on the other hand, I had texted him and told him I had received the money, with a thank you attached to the text. I don’t know what I expected after his sudden change of attitude but it was not for him to ignore my message so blatantly. I felt so embarrassed.But I asked myself why exactly he had kissed me.I had to admit that my mind had gone to the kiss more times than I wanted to process. It had been very short, with minimal contact. Just his lips and the tip o
ReineI stared at Jax then looked away. I didn’t know how exactly I was going to tell him I needed money. I had thought about it a thousand times and still no damned idea. The best thing was to just ask directly. If the esteem he had for me, if he ever had any at all, dropped, I was going to have to accept it. Just like I had accepted every other terrible thing that had happened to me.“Jax…” I started.He furrowed his brows and leaned towards me. There was worry written all over his face and I felt it was genuine.“What’s wrong? Talk to me,” he said.I resisted the urge to let out a bitter chuckle. In that moment, I could not explain how much I hated my father. I had never imagined t
Silhouette is a romance novel focusing on the theme of finding love when you least expect it. Reine's father is a drunkard and compulsive gambler, so she has to constantly fix his mistakes. When a sudden debt is about to drag them in, Reine leaves the town to find a job. Although her search is unsuccessful, she eventually meets Jax. He offers her a great amount of money in exchange to be his fake fiancée which she accepts. But after he overhears Reine's conversation, Jax immediately regards her as a golddigger. Still, with time, the two start developing feelings for each other. Read the novel to learn how the story continues.
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