Divorced Besties

Isabella: Five years ago, I thought marrying Damien Reeds would be my fairy tale ending. I was wrong. He never loved me—I was just a pawn in his family's business deals. When the merger fell through, he threw me away like I meant nothing. He divorced me publicly, in front of over 500 people, then kissed another woman while cameras flashed and I fell apart. What he didn't know was that I was pregnant. I disappeared, gave birth alone, and spent years building a life for our daughter—a daughter he knows nothing about. I became stronger, fiercer, and learned to survive without him. I thought I'd never see him again. Then I walked into a job interview... and there he was. Now he's discovered my secret, and the ruthless CEO who destroyed me wants to claim the child I've protected all this time. Damien: I thought divorcing Isabella was the right choice. My mother convinced me she was unworthy, that Sophia was my true match. For years, I buried whatever I felt under business deals and cold ambition. I told myself I didn't care. I told myself I'd moved on. Then she walked back into my life—confident, successful, and completely out of my reach. The shy girl I once knew is gone, replaced by a woman who looks at me like I'm nothing. And then I saw her daughter. My daughter. The child she kept hidden from me for five years. She says I don't deserve to know her. But I'm not the same man anymore, and I'll do whatever it takes to prove it—I never stopped loving her. Now, with a child caught between them and a past full of betrayal, can two broken people find their way back to each other—or will the truth destroy them both?

Leon Vincent, the shark of Warren Street, is the one who raised me. Twelve years ago, a fire tore through the orphanage and took everything from me. He was the one who pulled me out of the flames and gave me a second chance at life. To repay him, we make a weird deal—a 99-debt contract. I have to either obey him or be abandoned 99 times. After that, the debt will be cleared. Every time he goes on a date with some high-society socialite, he'll toss another insanely expensive piece of jewelry into my safe. In just two short years after turning 18, I've accumulated 96 diamonds in my safe, each one marking the 96 times he's cast me aside. One day, his fiancee, Elena Harrington, sends me a provocative email. "Dearest Isabelle, Leon and I are finalizing the wedding invitations. Do you think velvet with gold foil or matte leather would be more elegant? The ceremony's early next month. Can't wait to see you there! Love, Elena." Right after that, Leon calls, asking me to pack his bags for the summit in Parienne tomorrow. I simply send the wedding gift I've prepared in advance—a seven-figure emerald necklace—straight to his darling Elena without any words. That night, Leon returns to the apartment and finds out what I've done. He praises me for being considerate. Late into the night, he pulls me into his arms with rare tenderness. Nothing is left between us; no clothes, no holding back. He whispers that he wants to give me a special kind of reward, one that only I can carry. Somehow, Elena discovers my pregnancy. She stands on the balcony of Vincent Estate, screaming like her life depends on it. "Leon, I'm begging you! Don't let her have that baby! If you do, I'll jump!" The cold and proud Leon begs me, for the first time, to get rid of the baby. Everyone at the party awaits my breakdown, but I just smile softly and nod. "Alright. I will." He whispers in my ear, "Our marriage is just a business arrangement. I don't even like her. Once we're divorced, I'll give you another baby." What he fails to realize is that it was never in my plans to keep this one. There are only three more times left before I pay off this life debt from when he pulled me out of that fire all those years ago. After the 99th time, I board a ship bound for Azara to join a medical research mission. From that moment on, my life will be mine alone to live for.