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Nothing to celebrate
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2024-02-04 22:39:53Related chapters
A Marriage of Convenience Inferno(James POV)
The hospital had cleared Marina to come home, but I was torn. Rosa had heard me say that I would divorce her. The look in her eyes will haunt me forever. Once she’d stitched up her wound and it had stopped bleeding, I’d slowly been able to pull myself from whatever trance she’d had me wrapped in. Marina was my mate. Not only that, but she was the last remaining link to my past life. And the key to my future. I couldn’t explain why Onyx had awoken at the scent of Rosa’s blood. I couldn’t make sense of any of it. “Fuck,” I growled, slamming my fist against my desk. I don’t beg for anything. I’m James fucking Wood. I don’t need to beg. But today, I was reduced to a blubbering mess trying to hold onto a marriage that I never even wanted. Marina hasn’t spoken to me since we’ve been home. She heard me beg Rosa to stay. She heard the desperation in my voice, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. I couldn’t explain to her something that I didn’t even understand myself. Surely Ros
Last Updated : 2024-02-06A Marriage of Convenience Lawyer
My eyelashes tickled the tops of my cheekbones as I tried to open my eyes, but the sunlight streaming in from the windows had me snapping them shut instantly. Reaching up, I massaged my temples, feeling a steady throbbing behind my eyes. Rolling to my right, I rolled right off the bed, groaning as I hit plush carpet. Carpet? My eyes shot open as I glanced around the room. This isn’t my room. Or even in my house. The door swung open, and Shawn sleepily stumbled inside, “Did you fall?” Oh, God... No. No. Nooooo. I drank too much last night and the last thing I remember was getting into Shawn’s car. He must have seen the panic in my eyes because he shook his head, “This is my hotel room. I slept out on the couch,” he massaged the back of his neck, offering me a smile. I breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m so sorry,” I started, but he cut me off, “Don’t be sorry. You can use my bed any time you need it,” he winked, “Want some coffee?” “Please,” I pushed myself up from the flo
Last Updated : 2024-02-07A Marriage of Convenience Goodbye
I calmly walked around the side of the table, taking a seat and waiting for James to do the same, but he remained standing. His posture was rigid, and each breath came out as if he was forcing himself to remember to breathe. “Why are you wearing his clothes, Rosa?” James finally turned around, glancing down at my attire. “Are we really going to discuss the clothing that I am wearing?” “You are wearing another man’s clothing,” he spat, “That’s where we are going to start.” “It’s been three years and you’ve not bothered to pay me attention until I’m wearing another man’s clothing. Do you realize how awful that is?” “You are my wife!” James growled, throwing his arms in the air. “And you are in love with another woman,” I whispered, feeling the tears that I’d been successfully keeping at bay sting my eyes. “You don’t understand,” he whispered, running his fingers through his hair. “Then tell me, James. Explain it to me so that I can understand.” He walked over to the edge of
Last Updated : 2024-02-08A Marriage of Convenience A favor
“Dr. Wood, there is another delivery in your office,” Sandra, one of my nurses wagged her brows. It’s been three days since I’d given James back his ring. I’ve not dared go back to the house. I can’t fathom the thought of seeing James or Marina. Not yet at least. After the meeting, Shawn drove me to my condo in the city. My mother and father protested when I’d put my foot down about keeping it after James and I got married, but I’m thankful I refused now. It was my home before I shared one with James. Everything was a bit dusty, but otherwise, it felt peaceful. The entire first night I spent crying and shoveling ice cream into my face. I’d held my tears so much over the last three years, that I cried for hours. I feel as if I’m mourning a loss. It’s tragic knowing that no matter how hard you tried, it was never going to be good enough. When I entered my marriage with James, I had hope. So much of it. I studied him from the shadows. Learned everything that I could learn. I
Last Updated : 2024-02-09A Marriage of Convenience "Home"
Falling backwards onto my bed, I groan. My closet at my condo was still stocked full of clothing, but nothing that would fit my mother’s idea of ‘prestigious’. Everything that I owned that would still fit my body was in the closet back at James and I’s home. That was if Marina hadn’t gone in there and shredded everything I own already. There wasn’t a proper amount of time to go shopping to find something, which meant I had to go home. The last thing that I wanted to do was face Marina before I whisked James away for another evening of pretending, though I was shocked to my core when he’d readily agreed to join me at this dinner party. I don’t understand him or his new desire to remain married to me. He still won’t tell me anything. I feel like I’m a stranger in my own marriage. Everything I’ve learned about James has been from watching, not because he’s willingly given me an ‘in’ to his life. After getting ready, I ordered an Uber from my phone, missing my access to Mr. Gre
Last Updated : 2024-02-12A Marriage of Convenience Act like a Red
“What is this dinner party for again?” James leaned down, whispering in my ear as photos were snapped of us climbing out of the car. Mr. Green stood tall, shielding us with his body, despite James being almost a head taller. “Shawn is stepping in for my father as CEO while he and my mother travel the world,” I faked a smile, pretending we were a couple in love. James’ mood shifted and his grip on my arm tightened, “What does a football player have to offer a pharmaceutical company?” The words left his lips with a snarl. James and Shawn didn’t know each other, which meant after our meeting with the lawyer, he researched who Shawn was. “He’s also a business major,” I smiled. Shawn deserved this as much as anyone, “He’s been a part of our family for as long as I can remember. My father couldn’t have picked someone better.” James made a sour face as we walked through the doors of my parents' mansion. Bodies filled the large space, and the sound of chatter surrounded us. Soft mu
Last Updated : 2024-02-14A Marriage of Convenience Surprises
That. Bitch. I rounded the edge of the crowd, my eyes never moving from the dress that I knew so well. My favorite emerald green velvet dress was stretched over her body. Black hair cascaded down the open back and as I stood next to my mother, icy blue eyes pinned me with playfulness. She’d come here to taunt me. “Tonight, we are welcoming a new member to our Red Pharmaceutical team. Shawn Pierce, otherwise known as number sixty-two,” my mother turned, winking at Shawn, “Will be stepping in as CEO so that Jeremiah and I can travel the world.” Marina stood with a smirk plastered on her stupidly beautiful face. She held her flute of champagne up as if she were toasting to Shawn, but her eyes remained on mine. Taking a deep, leveling breath, I turned away from her. Pretending as if her presence wasn’t affecting me. Shawn’s eyes met mine and he gave me a lopsided grin. That grin captured so many hearts during high school and has only gotten better with age. My father walk
Last Updated : 2024-02-15A Marriage of Convenience Changed
My heart thumped rapidly within my chest. While Shawn and I weren’t doing anything that would go against my marriage; I didn’t want James to think that. He may be the type of man who desecrates his vows; but not me. Just as I began to crawl towards the door, I heard her. “James, I wanted to see what your life was like now,” Marina sniffled, but her voice sounded anything but sincere. I heard James sigh as I scooted back to sit next to Shawn, who lifted his index finger to his lips, “Tonight was not the night for that, and you know it. I explicitly explained that I have to keep up appearances.” “But why does it have to involve her?” Marina spat the word ‘her’ as if it burned her to say. “We are married!” James shouted, “To everyone here, she is my wife. And I have already explained to you why I married her.” “Everyone here doesn’t matter,” Marina whispered, sounding hurt, “What happened to the man I knew before the accident?” James released a heavy breath that even I could
Last Updated : 2024-02-18
Latest chapter
A Marriage of Convenience Guilt
“I’ve increased security and will be checking in hourly. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” James held my annoyed stare, knowing that nothing was getting in or out of these walls without him knowing.He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Fine. FINE. I get it,” he stepped towards me, his large frame crowding my space. My butt hit the counter and my crutches fell to the ground. James lifted me with ease and placing me atop the cool, granite countertop. A shiver rolled through my body as the chill seeped into my skin, “I’m allowed to worry about you, you know?”“Worry all you want, but don’t stop letting me live. Please. I’ll be fine and I trust that all of the additional security measures you’ve put in place will keep me extra safe,” I pecked his lips, attempting to pull away quickly, but he grabbed my face, crashing our lips together in a searing kiss.James held me there until we were both breathless, and my chest ached from the lack of oxygen.“The office can wait,” he growled
A Marriage of Convenience The Perfect Mate
James assisted me into a house, where the smell of bleach assaulted me the moment I walked through the threshold. A crew of cleaners froze as we walked inside, but a single look from James had them scurrying back to their jobs.The glass had been removed and the blood no longer stained the white porcelain. A new pane of glass shimmered beneath the midday sun, and I found myself frozen as I stared at the picture-perfect home.“It feels weird to see looking how it was before,” I whispered, still feeling the fear of that night swim through my veins. The large floor to ceiling window overlooked the forest in the backyard, and I silently wondered if that fear would multiply once the sun went down and the shadows of the night came out to play.James pressed his lips to my temple, “I replaced the glass from before with something graded to be bullet proof. Nothing will get through those windows again.”A shiver rolled down my spine. Either James replaced the window with bulletproof glass to m
A Marriage of Convenience Something is off
I was finally cleared to go home from the hospital, but I’m not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I missed my bed and the comfort of my own home. On the other, I didn’t know how to feel about being there after the attack.Not to mention my mind has been running in circles since Marina showed up here yesterday.James came shortly after she left, but something seemed off, and I wanted to dissect everything that Marina had said before confronting James about it. But even more confusing was the fact that she’d specifically said a wolf bite, when she shouldn’t have known that small fact.She couldn’t have known that unless she orchestrated it or James had told her about it, but I was leaning towards her orchestrating the attack.“How’s Ahmed?” I glanced up at James as he wheeled me out to the awaiting car.“He’s awake and recovering. I’ve placed him on paid leave and instructed his wife to come to me if they need anything at all,” James’ voice held an edge to it, but I didn’t c
A Marriage of Convenience Cops(James POV)
The inside of the house looked like a massacre. Tiny shards of glass decorated the floor like snow. Some of the larger bits were painted with a deep, blackish crimson from the dried blood, and the smell was nauseating.‘These were definitely rogues,’ Onyx spat through gritted teeth, his anger blending with mine the more we assessed the scene.Through it all, I could smell Rosalind’s blood, and the thought of them hurting her while I was off chasing some ignorant lead on Marina made my blood boil with anger. But the anger was directed at myself.I should have been here. I should have been the one to protect her, and Ahmed did his best, but one man against multiple wolves just didn’t succeed.Rainwater had flooded most of the evidence, causing it to spread before drying. The cops wouldn’t be able to pull anything from this mess. Not anything concrete anyways.I’d learned the hard way how easily evidence can be destroyed. If you’re not on the scene within a tiny window of time, your succ
A Marriage of Convenience Our. Home
“Rosalind,” Chris shouted, shouldering through a group of nurses who were conveniently gossiping about James. They still couldn’t believe he was married to a woman like me. Sure, I was a doctor, but that wasn’t anything special when the most eligible, billionaire bachelor in Georgia was in the running. He was like a God around here. And me? Well, I was simply an average looking woman who also happened to be a doctor. My status as a Red didn’t mean a damn thing, because I wasn’t a hot man who also happened to have enough money to buy the entire United States and not blink an eye. “What the fuck?” Chris muttered; eyes wide as he stared at my elevated leg. Blood had seeped through the bandages because they couldn’t seal the wound and for someone who doesn’t see this kind of thing on a regular basis, it was pretty disgusting. “Close the curtain,” I whispered, and he did quickly, rushing back to my side.“Was that,” he pointed at my injury, “From one of them.”“We are one of them,” I n
A Marriage of Convenience Cross me(James POV)
Pure, unfiltered rage didn’t even begin to describe the poisonous feeling flooding through my veins. The anger feels like a living, breathing thing.Like a Goddamned snake slithering its way beneath my skin, releasing toxic poison in the form of fury that bleeds into every square inch of my body.I want the heads of every single person who stepped foot on my property last night. I don’t give a shit who they were or what they were doing there. If they accidentally stumbled upon the forest at the back of the property…. I’m going to find them and make them pay.Since my driver is now fighting for his life in the hospital with Rosalind, I’m forced to call and wait for a driving service to offer me a temp replacement for Ahmed.A few painstaking minutes pass while I pace a hole in the cement out front of the hospital, sweating from the sweltering, humid Georgia heat before the damn driver finally shows up.‘He is clearly incompetent,’ Onyx spats in my head, ‘Ahmed would never keep us waiti
A Marriage of Convenience No one in or out
“Rosa,” James’ voice filters through the darkness, “Rosalind, baby.”My body shakes softly on my shoulders and my eyelids flutter. The lashes on my left eye are stuck to my face, and after a few attempts, they tear free.Bright lights above my head blind me as I blink away my disorientation.The sound of multiple different voices has my eyes panning around the room. EMS workers move quickly, rushing inside the small space and focusing their attention on Ahmed. I recognize a few of the faces rushing around me, but a relieved sigh falls from my lips as I finally focus on James.“What’s going on?”My voice sounds foreign and gravelly.“Are you injured?” James rushes out, coming back to my side and ignoring the emergency personnel shouting at him to back up.“My…” I start, trying to move the leg that had gotten bit, but it felt numb and stiff, “My leg and my ribs.”“What happened here?” The gold flecks in James’ eyes glitter beneath the harsh lights of the elevator, and his eyes soften as
A Marriage of Convenience Creatures
A loud noise jars me awake and my eyes struggle to focus in my disoriented state. The sky is nearly black and rain pelts against the floor to ceiling windows at the rear of the house.The television remains on, but the show I’d been watching has long ended. Glancing at my phone, I blink away the sleepiness seeing that somehow, I’d managed to nap for the last five hours.Another loud crack startles me as the sky lights up with a flash of lightning. A few seconds later, the power goes out, causing complete darkness to blanket me. The storm raging outside is the only sound I hear, and I quickly grab my phone, illuminating the flashlight as I walk towards the rear windows.The backyard leading into the forest looks eerie blanketed in complete darkness. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and the feeling of being watched envelopes me as I squint my eyes, trying to see anything through the heavy sheets of rain.Another flash of lightning illuminates the sky, and I swear I saw someth
A Marriage of Convenience Liar
James left early this morning for work and forbade me from going into the hospital. I called in with a family emergency, and there was no questioning. They knew if I was taking off, it was necessary, even though it didn't feel that way. Chris remained passed out on the back patio, and I’m not sure if I should force him awake or let him sleep off the shockwave that was yesterday. I still don't even know if I've managed to brush off the reality that I've been a werewolf my entire life and everyone I loved kept it from me..... and I've had weeks to process it.My phone buzzing against the countertop startles me, and I glance over to see that my father is calling.Begrudgingly, I grab the phone, hesitating as my finger hovers over the small green button. I’ve been avoiding talking to either of them. Since my meeting with my father and my mother’s explosion over the scathing interview I did with Mr. Arden; I’m not sure they even consider me a member of the Red family.“Hey dad,” I finally
