The Billionaire’s Unwanted Bride Novels & Stories

She asked genuinely curious. Blair let out an exasperated sigh. "She's pretty, Mom, we can't keep denying that fact. If he marries her, she'll manipulate him into giving her all his wealth, and I'll just be forgotten," she explained, her voice rising with frustration. "If she should marry anyone, it has to be someone of a much lower status." Raven's heart pounded in her chest as she absorbed the shocking admission from her sister. Lenora’s expression softened as she reached out to touch Blair’s arm. "That's not a problem, darling," she said soothingly. "You'll have the Barrett family's wealth, so you have nothing to worry about."

"I knew that man was nothing but worthless trash. How dare he keep us waiting? If he didn't want to get married, he should have said so. What a coward!" Isabelle closed her eyes momentarily, wishing her sister would shut up. Naomi was the reason she was in this predicament, to begin with. Now, she had to pretend to be the eldest daughter of her family to save their face. A murmur rose around her as the guests reacted to Naomi's accusation. "Poor girl. I heard he's jobless. Who wants such a husband?" "She could do better." "He is a useless drunk." "So shameless. Who keeps the bride waiting?"

“Owns multiple companies in LA and abroad. Real estate, tech, you name it. He’s got his fingers in a lot of pies. But here’s the kicker, he’s not married. No kids, no family to speak of. Just this one woman he meets up with on weekends. Keeps her under wraps, but I managed to dig up a few photos.” My stomach dropped as I flipped through the photos. There she was, Bridget. Her face stared back at me from the glossy prints, her smile as radiant as I remembered. But she wasn’t smiling at me anymore. She was smiling at him. Smith. The man who had taken her from me, who was standing as a roadblock to my happiness and progress. A surge of anger boiled inside me, hot and uncontrollable. My hands tr

“Wouldn’t what? Get caught up in something over his head? Because that is exactly what has occurred from where I am standing. Leila swallowed hard. Tunde had always been smart, but he was also young, ambitious, and sometimes reckless. If he had gotten mixed up with the wrong people… No. She wouldn’t let him go down for this. She forced herself to meet Adrian’s gaze. “What do you want?” Adrian leaned back against the bar, considering her. Then he said, casually—too casually— “Marry me.” Leila looked up. “What?” His smirk didn’t waver. "Wedding me." Laughter bubbled up in her chest, sharp and incredulous. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

Half an hour later, I was in the backseat of a black sedan, clutching my bouquet so hard some petals had bent beneath my fingers. The city blurred outside the window. This was really happening. I was really being taken to marry Adrian Lancaster. The Adrian Lancaster. The billionaire heir with the ruthless reputation, the cold face in business magazines, the man Sienna had once called too dangerous to love. The courthouse ceremony passed like a fever dream. Just a private room with a single civil official. My father's voice did most of the talking while my mother just stood one side, staring at her nails like this was none of her concern.

I gave him a single nod. "Accepted," Dominic said. "As presented." Sandra made a note. Mara didn't visibly react but I saw her shoulders drop slightly, just a fraction, the way they did when she released tension she had been holding for too long. I had forgotten I knew her body language that well. The remembering was uncomfortable. We signed the preliminary agreement. The wedding was scheduled for four days later. Civil ceremony, no guests, a courthouse on the quieter side of the city. Mara's conditions had included keeping it small and I had no objection to that.

“It was big. Over-the-top. Exactly what you’d expect when rich people pretend they care about charity.” “Mhm,” Naomi hummed. “And?” “And Tristan played the charming billionaire perfectly,” I continued. “Media everywhere. Investors everywhere. Violetta Castille everywhere.” “Oh God,” Naomi groaned. “That woman?” “Yes, that woman,” I said. “and she wore the freaking Red dress.” I let out a slight hiss just thinking about it, “She was absolutely gorgeous.” “Okay,” Naomi said carefully. “You’re listing details. That means something happened.” I opened my mouth to deflect like I always did, but instead, the truth slipped out.

“And this has to do with me?” “I want you to marry me.” The café seemed to tilt. She laughed. Loudly. “That’s insane.” He reached into his coat and placed a folded document on the table. A check. Her laughter died. The amount made her dizzy. Half a million dollars. “I’ll cover your mother’s medical bills,” he said. “All of them. Immediately. The rest is yours.” Her hands trembled. “You don’t even know me.” “I don’t need to.” “That’s supposed to convince me?”

Even though I’d lied about the bribery, I’d pulled it off somehow. My phone beeped. I grabbed it from my bag and saw a text from an unknown number. I opened it and read: “I will give you $200 million if you refuse to marry Anderson. $100 million now if you text back saying yes, the remaining $100 million if you refuse to show up on the wedding day.” My heart stopped. I stared at the screen, too shocked to move.

"Decided against it." "Why?" "Because I didn't want to." A faint smirk pulled at his mouth. "Turns out being a billionaire means you occasionally get to make questionable decisions purely because you feel like it. It's one of the better perks." "That's a terrible excuse." "It's the only one I've got. Take it or leave it." I didn't have a comeback for that, mostly because some traitorous part of me had already decided I didn't want to leave it at all. He leaned in, forehead against mine. "Did you sleep okay?"