Sugar-kissed Affection

Over five years I’ve lived a bittersweet lie as David Hargrove’s kept woman, Maria Bell. David’s shown no interest in me beyond what he wants. Love’s a bitter pill to love when it's not returned. I'm bought and paid for. Kept in a gilded cage. David suspects nothing of the secrets I hold. Tonight, David announced he’s marrying my stepsister. He doesn’t know. The level of betrayal I’ve experienced is unbelievable. Everything becomes complicated as the lies surface. Leaving and facing it alone are my only choices. I’m living in fear as I pick up pieces of a life, I believed lost. Blackmail, sabotage, and intrigue dog my steps. I don’t know who I can trust or how to win. I won’t surrender without a fight this time. They don’t recognize me. They won’t see me coming. My name is David Hargrove, and someone is trying to destroy my family. I must marry my rival’s daughter. His stepdaughter signed the contract. Before we learned, she couldn’t deliver the Belgrave empire to me. She can help me secure my family’s empire as my fiancée. I need the ugly biological daughter, Maria Belgrave, who’s hiding. Things get confusing. Maria Belgrave sent two women to represent her. One is my Maria. My missing woman. The betrayal and conflict of interest still stand. I will say when our contract has ended. How can I work with her? I know nothing about her. She owes me answers and loyalty. Perhaps I’ll use this to my advantage. When David learns of Maria’s past life. Will he help her? Or use her and take over the business himself? It starts with an engagement and the death of a patriarch.

Penny Sullivan had been married for three years but her husband never knew who she was.Penny did not expect that the first time that they met would be in bed.She happily signed the divorce agreement and thought that their lives would never intersect again.Unexpectedly, that was just the beginning…One day, there was a rumor in Imperial City. Caleb Fergerson, the CEO of the Fergerson Corporation, fell in love with an up-and-coming designer! The man was known to have never been involved with any woman. He helped her many times and made sure to punish those who bullied her. Other than that, when men confessed their love for her, he would warn them to stay far away from her.Someone was curious and could not help but ask for confirmation. "May I ask what is the relationship between you and Mr. Fergerson?"Penny smiled and said, "We’re employee and employer, and also...ex-husband and ex-wife."

What are you going to do if you can’t afford all of your bills? You will probably opt for using your body to get what you want, as Rose was a stripper who worked in the Blueborn night bar. She got sacked by her female boss in the bar, but she got her prayer answered as she dated a billionaire sugar daddy whom she married after seven good months of courtship. He proposed while they were in a plane to Ibiza, right in the plane, and her life took another turn before there were twirls and whirls in her marriage and took another surprising twist along the way too.

Caught off guard by the sight of her fiancé and step-sister in bed together, Haley swiftly dumped the scumbag and hastily tied the knot with her fiancé’s uncle. Initially viewing the marriage as a matter of convenience, she soon found herself showered with affection and assistance from her unexpected husband. Yet, as time passed, his behavior took a peculiar turn... With her back almost giving out from exhaustion, Haley exploded with frustration, "We need to divorce. This marriage is intolerable!" To her astonishment, a shameless proposition followed, "Let's divorce then. Everything will be yours, including me!" Shane Ford, rumored to be worth billions, was renowned for his aloof demeanor and disinterest in romance. However, after marriage, he transformed into a devoted partner, showering Haley with overflowing affection and occasionally displaying irresistibly adorable episodes of jealousy.

The purpose of our lives is to be happy. Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people. Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people. There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. When you find that one that's right for you, you feel like they were put there for you, you never want to be apart. — Copyright 2022 © Xyrielle All Rights Reserved No Copy Stories No Plagiarism Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Pukul 12 Ting!!! "Apa kalian lupa? Hari ini adalah peluncuran perdana pejudian baru Zero O'clock. Let's Play With Me." Cora bangkit dari duduknya lalu ikut melangkah masuk ke lift. Ekspresi datarnya sangat susah dibaca. "Kau lihat? Orang yang selama ini lemah, sudah bangkit. Tugasku selesai," sahut Axel sambil bertepuk tangan. Dia kemudian melangkah mendekati ayahnya. "Lihat ayah, aku sudah menguatkan mental adik tersayangku."

"Haruskah aku jadi yang kedua?" Cinta pada pandangan pertama, membuat Kirana atau biasa di sapa Anna menaruh rasa cinta di antara belas kasihan pada rekan bisnis atasannya. Tugas pertama Anna mengantarkan dokumen pada pria bernama Aditya ini menjadikan awal dari sebuah kisah cinta rumit. Aditya mengalami kekecewaan pada sang istri akan pengkhianatan dan lelah untuk terus memahami, membuat Anna menjadi wanita yang hadir di saat dan waktu yang tepat. Anna adalah pelipur lara, penggugah perasaan kepercayaan cinta yang sempat pudar dan juga gairah. Namun bagi Jessica, kehadiran Anna adalah malapetaka. Pencitraan bisnis dengan pernikahan dan juga ketergantungan akan sosok Aditya dalam mengelola bisnis, membuatnya melakukan segala cara untuk menyingkirkan Anna. Keputusan Aditya ingin menjadikan Anna sebagai istri selama masa proses cerai, menjadi titik awal dari dilema Anna yang harus memilih antara cinta dan empati terhadap sakit mental dan kemandulan Jessica di tengah cercaan dirinya sebagai wanita perebut suami orang. Apa yang akan di pilih oleh Anna? Mempertahankan cinta ataukah melepaskannya demi kebahagiaan istri sah Aditya?

Jatuh cinta dengan pasien sendiri? Pernah. Sakit hati dengan pasien sendiri? Pernah juga. Selalu berada di titik terendah pasien? Tentu saja, pernah. Katakan saja jika Dokter Bella, Spesialis Jiwa dan Psikiater di RS Jiwa Provinsi, memiliki sebuah perasaan aneh. Sebab, selama 5 tahun dinas di sana, hatinya telah berlabuh kepada seorang pasien dengan gangguan jiwa halusinasi dan isolasi sosial. Namanya, Kaisar Magenta. Mahasiswa tingkat akhir Teknik Kimia menjadi gangguan jiwa karena sebuah peristiwa besar yang disembunyikan, membuat keluarganya memutuskan untuk memasukkan ke dalam RS Jiwa.

Siapa yang mau nikah kontrak sama pria dingin, arogan, dan nyebelin? Bukan Saira! Tapi nasib berkata lain. Demi menyelamatkan keluarganya dari utang yang menumpuk, dia harus menikah kontrak dengan Dava Arya Pratama—CEO muda yang terkenal kejam dan nggak percaya cinta. Dava bukan pria yang percaya cinta. Dia punya trauma besar yang membuatnya menutup diri dari hubungan serius. Tapi sebagai anak sulung keluarga Pratama, dia terus didesak untuk segera menikah. Demi menenangkan keluarganya, dia memilih pernikahan kontrak sebagai solusi. Sementara Saira? Sebagai anak sulung dari keluarga yang dililit utang, dia nggak punya pilihan. Seharusnya adiknya, Naira, yang dinikahkan, tapi gadis itu menolak mati-matian. Jadi, Saira yang harus mengorbankan diri. Awalnya dia pikir ini cuma nikah kontrak biasa, tinggal bareng, jaga image, terus cerai kalau waktunya udah habis. Tapi ternyata hidup satu rumah sama Dava itu bencana! Saira yang dulu lemah dan selalu mengalah, lama-lama muak juga dengan sifat cueknya. Dan yang lebih ngeselin? Lama-lama justru dia yang dibuat jatuh hati! Tapi Dava? Dia tetap dingin, tetap sulit digapai. Katanya, cinta itu nggak penting. Katanya, Saira cuma istri kontraknya. Terus, kenapa dia mulai cemburu kalau Saira dekat sama orang lain? Kenapa dia mulai peduli tiap dia kesusahan? Katanya nggak percaya cinta, kok sekarang mulai ngejar-ngejar dia? Yang lebih parah? Naira, adiknya sendiri ternyata menyukai Dava. Dan Saira nggak tahu lagi harus menghadapi situasi ini seperti apa. Bencana, kan?

#While returning home from a late-night shift, I was knocked down by a delivery rider. The girl riding it was deaf and mute, looking no older than a teenager. I couldn’t bring myself to make things difficult for her, so I paid for the medical expenses at the hospital on my own. Limping back home, I saw a familiar delivery helmet lying at the doorway. From inside, laughter echoed through the walls. “She’s such a fool. I was just pretending but she believed it anyway.”