Hide Behind A Smile

"My life was ash. Burned to the ground. Razed with no chance of rebuilding.Empty.Alone.Just as I had to be.No one else was going to get hurt because of me. No more deaths.For years I’ve secluded myself, stayed in the darkness, and tried to melt into the background. Hiding in plain sight.Taking a new job, working in close confines with a new partner, is risky, and I thought I was up to the task. So I hide behind a mask of my own making, a façade for the world.The problem is, I can’t stop thinking about my new partner. I hate her, but I crave her like she’s the most intoxicating thing I’ve ever encountered.It’s maddening, but I need to stay away. I have to stay away.I can’t love anyone ever again."

When 22-year-old Aria, an art student struggling to keep her life afloat, signs a surrogacy contract for the powerful and notoriously private billionaire Luca De Rossi, she expects a simple transaction not a story that will change everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself. But what begins as an arrangement soon blurs into something deeper. Luca isn’t the cold man the headlines describe; behind his control and empire lies a heart scarred by loss and trust built on careful walls. And Aria…gentle, stubborn, disarmingly honest starts breaking those walls without meaning to. When a single photograph exposes their secret to the world, the contract becomes a scandal, and Aria becomes the headline: The Mistress, the Billionaire, and the Baby. With the media frenzy threatening everything Luca built and Aria’s pregnancy advancing under relentless pressure, both must decide whether to hide behind duty or fight for a love neither expected. As betrayals surface in the boardroom and Luca’s empire trembles under corporate fire, Aria finds herself caught between the life she left behind and the dangerous world she’s come to belong to. Every choice she makes echoes louder for her child, for her heart, and for the man who swore to protect both. Set against the breathtaking Italian Riviera, this is a story of forbidden love, fierce loyalty, and the courage to stand tall when the world wants you to fall. A romance that begins with a contract… and ends with a fight for forever.

The day two students got into a dispute, I ran into Morris Freeman, my ex from ten years ago. The boy who had been fighting wiped his tears and called him "Dad". Morris froze when he saw me, then finally remembered what was going on and apologized. "Ms. Langstaff, I'm sorry for causing you trouble." I handled the compensation by the book and wrapped everything up. When it was over, he lagged behind, clearly wanting to say something. "Back then, I remember you didn't want to be a teacher." I gave a faint smile and walked him to the office door. "People change. So do their ideas." Just like my feelings for him. That chapter had been closed a long time ago.

I never expected my boss to blackmail me into marriage. Ethan Sinclair the cold, calculating billionaire who never cracks a smile holds a secret over my head, forcing me into a fake marriage to secure his family’s inheritance. I hate him for it, but I need the money to save my brother’s life. The rules are simple: play the devoted wife for a year, follow his lead in public, and stay out of his way behind closed doors. But as sparks fly and buried secrets unravel, I realize Ethan isn’t just ruthless, he’s hiding something even more dangerous. The closer I get, the harder it becomes to remember this is all just a contract. Because falling for the devil was never part of the deal.

On the surface, Aurora Steele lived every woman’s dream, married to the powerful Xavier Steele, mother to a beautiful daughter, her life seemed perfect. But behind closed doors, warmth turned to cold distance, and shadows crept into her home. Her twin sister, Lilith, returned with a son who carried Xavier’s eyes, weaving herself into their lives until Aurora’s world shattered. Poison claimed her daughter. Betrayal silenced her pleas. And just when Aurora thought she had found the cure, death struck her down. But fate was not done with her. Reborn one year earlier before everything went to hell, Aurora steels her heart. No longer the loving wife waiting for scraps of affection, she vows to protect her daughter and expose the lies that once destroyed her. Bound by a contract marriage for one final year, she hides her pain behind a calm smile, even as Xavier grows unsettled by the woman he thought he knew. This time, the betrayed wife will not beg. This time, the forsaken mother will not forgive. And this time, the sister who stole everything… will pay it all back in blood.

In a world of lies and betrayal, revenge becomes the only currency worth trading. Evelyn Miller, an only child born into wealth and privilege, inheriting her family fortune and prestigious lineage, she was groomed to fit into high society from a tender age and attending lavish social events, What she ever truly seek was a true connection and love. Putting on a new identity as Isabella Hearst and leaving behind her identity as an heiress to follow what her heart truly desire - True love. Alexander Montague was everything she ever wanted in a man, walking down the aisle with him eight month into the relationship was like a dream come true, but dreams could also become nightmares. In a world where deceit and betrayal lurk behind every smile, Evelyn finds herself at the center of a web of lies spun by the very man she trusted with her heart. Seven years of marriage as a submissive, caring and understanding wife to a seemingly loving husband, only to discover that her life has been nothing but a charade orchestrated by his selfish desires. With fire in her eyes and steel in her soul, she embarked on a journey of revenge, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

I fell in love with the nanny's son. After boldly pursuing him, he reluctantly agreed to marry me. But I never expected his young lover to storm into my home like a madwoman, prying my mouth open to pour scalding water down my throat, pressing me into a sink full of dirty water, and finally pushing me down the stairs. My husband stood by my hospital bed, looking at my broken body with disdain. "Irene, every moment with you makes me sick," he spat, barely able to hide his impatience for my death. Yet, when I finally died, he sobbed uncontrollably in public, playing the role of the devoted, heartbroken husband. "Irene, don't leave me! You have no idea how much I wanted to die with you!" At that, I spoke softly from behind him. "Is that so?"

The day CARL BRADFORD offered me the contract: "These are the laid-down rules; Rule Number One: You are not allowed to fall in love with me. Rule Number Two: You are not allowed to kiss or hug me, except if I want to, just to convince my father, which I wish will never happen." He didn't bother to hide the disgust on his face when he made the last statement. "Rule Number Three: No one is allowed to know about this contract, not even my brother. This is strictly between I, you, and my P.A. Is that clear?" I nodded nervously, wondering if it was the right decision as I clutched my stomach. This guy was unbelievable, and so full of himself, like he rules the world, and could destroy it with the snap of his finger. "You will get paid monthly as long as we don't get caught, for a year. If you want to ever opt out from this, get ready to pay me back." He said firmly. How on earth am I going to survive with this menace for 365 days? I inhaled deeply, and forced a smile at him. "I should get back to my boss, Daniel". His face twisted into a frown when I mentioned his brother's name. No one needed to tell me, that they were sworn enemies who will forever hate each other until one step downs, or preferable, dies.

Because to fulfill her mother's will, Maddy Howard was forced to marry the leading man in the financial world - Lukas Jacobs. Behind the dream that makes the world jealous is pain and humiliation that never ends. He deeply loves another girl that he can't have, but he monopolizes her overpoweringly. As soon as any other man approached her, jealousy and anger in him began to rise. She left heartbroken, seven years later returned to the country, next to her was another smart and intelligent child that made everyone who met him love him. He blocked the way: "Kid, I'm your father!" She helplessly hugged her son's head: "He isn't!" He flashed an evil smile: “He is my son! And you're mine!"

"I'll haunt your every step, Lia.” His whispers send shivers down her spine. He would stop at nothing to claim her. ~ No one cares about her, not even her father who pushed her into the devil's den with a smile on his face because he wanted an alliance. The Devil; She drugged him to get his signature on a divorce paper, and now they are done. Ophelia Laurent thought it was over, not until…he had her back in his dungeon, but this time not behind bars, but in front of him, on her knees in chains that drove her to dark pleasures. The devil would do all it takes to show her that he loves her, and wants to protect her, but not in a gentlemanly way. “I would own you without buying you red roses nor feeding you with empty promises….