LOGINShare
Joy Ride
Last Updated:
2024-10-23 08:24:08Related chapters
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Doom Day?
DOOM’S DAY?She stiffened, or rather, her body did.The coppery stench of blood hit her next, it made her want to gag. Her stomach roiled as though it was going to expel all its contents right there on the ground, and Gianna had to sink her fingers deep in a clench onto her skirt just to keep herself from collapsing.Her eyes, traitors that they were, couldn't look away from the blood that oozed from a slash across the driver's throat, down to his shirt. His head fell limply to the side. The car door was wide open so a hand of his dangled out lifelessly. His eyes stared sightlessly ahead, clouded over.A keening sound filled the air, and it took Gianna several heartbeats to realize it was coming from her own throat. Her gaze dropped to the ground and she watched in mute horror, how a small rivulet of blood was seeping from under the car door, snaking towards her shoes.She made another sound. It wasn’t a scream, neither was it a whimper. It was the vocalization of her innocence shatte
Last Updated : 2024-10-24A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Doom’s Day
The intruder moved around the room with purpose, then crossed to the bathroom door, where he stopped for a moment. He cocked his head slightly as if listening for something and Gianna pursed her lips tighter. Then, he let go of the bathroom door and walked inside.Immediately seeing this as an opportunity, Gianna’s instincts pushed her to move away from the door. She bolted out from her hiding place, feet barely touching the ground as she fled the room. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm, drowning out everything else but the desperate need to escape.She could now hear a muffled curse behind her, and the thunder of pursuing footsteps. The further lent wings to her feet as she raced down the hallway. But in her panic, she misjudged the distance to the stairs. Her foot met empty air where she expected solid ground. For a sickening second, she was airborne. Next came a series of bruising thuds when she tumbled down the short flight of stairs. The final collision came with her head crack
Last Updated : 2024-10-25A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract A Maelstrom
Earlier that day, Mason was contacted regarding an emergency he needed to fly back to the city for. He knew Gianna had stepped out, although he had no idea where.So he cornered the lodge-keeper on his way out, telling her he was going to be back by evening; she should take good care of his wife. “...it was on the news,” said someone in the meeting. Mason reached for his jacket, which was draped carelessly over the back of his chair, taking out his phone to check the said news. The first thing he saw on the screen were several missed calls from Gianna. This immediately sent him a feeling of unease. She never called; she never had to. ‘Are you home? If no, call me,’ was her text.Something was definitely up.He excused himself from the room, all eyes following his progress to the door. Mason returned her calls, but she wasn’t answering. He tried the lodge next, then the driver, there was no response either. Each unanswered call ratcheted up the tension coiling in his gut.Mason turn
Last Updated : 2024-10-28A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Culprit
David Harrison. This was the name on the report Mason read keenly on this particular Tuesday afternoon some weeks back. Apparently, he was Gianna’s brother, who he’d never heard about nor seen in her file when he previously ran a background check on her. But recently, when she mentioned having reconnected with her sibling, Mason had to do a bit of digging into who he was.He was orphaned at a tender age (like Gianna) and eventually got adopted as David White from an orphanage, by a couple. Obviously, his last name had to change from White to Harrison. David reportedly worked as a contractor at a big warehouse and recently reunited with his long-lost sister— Gianna.Mason got to find out through Gianna’s frequent calls with her brother that his actual name was Finn.David. White. Harrison. Finn.Turns out these were all lies. The bloodied man Mason gaped at was none of these.According to the cops, he was an assassin and his real name was Bernie Gad—also known to himself as the guy who
Last Updated : 2024-10-28A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Alive & Well
ALIVE & WELL“You just can't do anything right, can you?” Liam hissed dangerously into the phone.“You said it was going to be perfect. What, then, is this mess?”He paused, listening to the voice on the other end. Whatever they were saying only seemed to fuel his anger further. “Do I sound like I’ve got time for your excuses? This was supposed to be clean!” He snapped. Another pause, shorter this time. Liam's eyes darted to the stairway for a bit and when he spoke again, his voice had dropped low.“Listen to me very carefully, I’ll make sure you pay dearly for this. I don't care what it takes, you clean up this mess. And if I so much as catch a whiff of you trying to run or back out, I'll make sure you wish you'd never been born.”He ended the call as was nearly throwing his phone across the room in frustration Tara glided in from one of the rooms downstairs with their twin boys in tow, both impeccably dressed in school uniforms.“Daddy!” The boys chorused, and their mother watche
Last Updated : 2024-10-30A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Denial
DENIALReluctantly, Sonia got up from the chair while darting gazes between Gianna and the impassive-looking woman."I'll be back in no time, sweetie," she said, kissing Gianna on the forehead.After Sonia and Darrell had left, she was alone with Tara, Liam's wife, of all people. 'Why was she here?' Gianna thought, not knowing where exactly to place her emotions. A good sign or a bad sign?To begin with, she had no trust for Mason's family, ever since the first time she met them; she had no reason to. This was why Gianna eyed Tara warily, thinking about the possibility of her husband being involved in her plight even though there was no evidence of it...yet.Tara settled into the same chair Sonia had been sitting in earlier. She looked composed, and a bit too unbothered for someone who had come to visit a sick person."I'm guessing you don't want to be here. So why did you come?" Giana made a rasp that scraped against her throat.Tara's lips curved into a brittle smile, which l
Last Updated : 2024-10-30A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Denial
Mason immediately regretted his outburst. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to take a deep breath. Yelling at her wasn't going to fix a damn thing."I'm.sorry," he said.Sighing at her silence, he gently took her hand again."Listen to me, your real brother... he would never do this to you, and that criminal is not him."Gianna's lips began to tremble again as she locked eyes on his face."And regarding that transplant," Mason continued,"He did have leukemia, but the whole thing about you donating your bone marrow was bullshit.Those doctors, if you can even call them that, kept you doped up on drugs to make you believe you were going through the donation process. It was all so he wouldn't blow his cover after you already found out he was sick. He got his transplant from his little sister. So you've got no relation to him, Gianna. None."Gianna recalled the photo of the little girl she'd seen in his room that day. So that was his actual sister? More tears coursed down he
Last Updated : 2024-10-31A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract The Promise
Sloan grunted in agreement, then turned to the young officer hovering nearby. "Pull everything we've got on victim number four. I want it on my desk in an hour."When the officer scurried off to comply, Sloan started to turn back towards the main room, where he now saw Mason. There were several other eyes that recognized Mason also glancing in his direction."You were just here this morning," the detective noted as he swept his hand in the direction of his office, taking the lead while Mason followed behind him.When they were in the privacy of the office, he gestured for Mason to take a seat in one of the chairs facing his desk."She told me something new today, Mason started, causing Sloan's interest to sharpen."She said she received a text that foretold the attack. I had my team recover it from her phone."He then pulled out the phone from his jacket, tapped the screen a few times, and then held it out for Sloan to see.He read the message displayed there."It could mean t
Last Updated : 2024-10-31
Latest chapter
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Day’s Surprise
Cufflinks clicked; wristwatch secured firmly around his wrist. He turned from the mirror, grabbed his office bag, and headed out of the door. Downstairs. The scent of coffee welcomed him before reaching the door of the staircase, as well as the sound of Gianna humming from the kitchen. She stood at the counter, hair swept into a messy bun, wearing one of his t-shirts that drowned her small frame. Her hips swayed slightly as she moved between the coffee maker and stove, where something sizzled in a pan. “Don't burn whatever that is,” he teased, making her turn around.“Morning?” She sang.Gianna raised the spatula she was holding like a weapon.“I'm making that egg white omelet thing you like. Though I might have killed it.”Mason walked over to where she was, smiling warmly.“Save it for some other morning,” he said, then reached past her to turn off the burner. “I'll grab something at the office.”Gianna pouted playfully at the nearly burnt egg, then shifted her face into a grin j
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Friends In Need
Glass shattered. In Gianna's chest. It wasn’t from pain, but from joy pulsing in her body. She called Mason, and watched the phone ring, all the while thinking she was going to spill the beans too soon. A secret this big felt like trying to hold sunshine in her palms.“Hey, beautiful. Called you earlier.”Her heart did another odd little skip. “I must have missed it when I was helping Sonia at the store.”“Just called to tell you I won't be home tonight.”“No?”“Sonia's got this massive project deadline. She needs an extra pair of hands, maybe extra eyes too. So we might pull an all-nighter.”“At the store?” Mason asked.“No, we're heading to her place. She's got all the materials there.”“I could stop by on my way home. Maybe bring you both dinner?”“Aww, thank you love.”“Alright. See you soon,” he said, “I love you.”“I love you too.” Those words, at least, were pure truth.The call ended, and Gianna let out a breath that felt like she'd been holding it since the doctor first sai
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Unexpected News
Colin flicked through the portfolio on his tablet. "So, Mr. Caldwell, what are your thoughts on our talent pool?”Colin's mouth quirked a bit as he zoomed in on one particular headshot. “Let's be honest here, Morton. Half of these profiles read like badly written dating app bios.” He turned the tablet around, displaying a black-and-white photo. “This one, for instance. ‘Born to command the stage’, yet his only credited role is as Tree Number Three in a community theater production of Macbeth.”The man's smile flickered but held still. “Ah, yes, well, Marcus is still developing his portfolio, but his raw talent—“Colin slid the tablet back to himself. “It’s about as raw as sushi that's been blowtorched. Listen, I'm not here to invest in potential. I'm here to invest in proven marketability. Though I have to admit that your photography team does excellent work.”“Perhaps we could focus on some of our more established talents? Page twelve has—““Already there,” Colin interrupted Morto
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Back in the day
“Are you lost?” Gianna asked, and when the boy nodded slowly, she pursed her lips slightly.She reached out slowly, telegraphing her movement before gently patting his shoulder. “Hey, it's going to be okay. Would you like to come with me? We can go to the police station, and they'll help us find your parents.”Tommy took a half-step back with uncertainty.“Mom says not to go with strangers.”Gianna smiled, nodding approvingly. “And she's absolutely right. But right now, you're out here alone, and it's not safe.”She then pulled out her phone to show it to him. “Look, I can call the police right now, and you can talk to them yourself. Would that make you feel better?”He considered this with his small face scrunched in thought. “Can...you show me your badge first?”“My badge?”“Like the police have. To prove you're good.”Gianna stifled a chuckle. “I'm not a police officer, but I have my driver's license. That's like a badge that says I'm allowed to drive. Would you like to see it?”
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract On Darkened Streets
Click, clack, went Olivia’s heels as she approached. She was dressed in a peach colored gown whose length was barely past her ass. When she spotted Mason where he sat ahead, she smiled predatorily and twiddled her fingers in a coy wave at him. She slid into the seat opposite Mason.“Cool spot,” she purred as she crossed her legs. Now, her dark eyes swept the conspicuously deserted space which looked like some sort of cafe, but it had been emptied of anyone save them.“Without wasting my time, how much do you want?” Mason asked icily.Her eyes twitched subtly, amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. “For what?”“To shut your mouth."Oh?" She leaned forward and rested elbows on the table.“So we're going to stick to keeping secrets?” She whispered.Mason kept his srare arctic and unmoved. The muscle in his jaw ticked visibly.“Don't do that,” Olivia chided, as if scolding a child. “All cold shell on the outside, but we both know how warm you are underneath.”Her tongue darted
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Shopwork
“A tale of forbidden love and ancient curses,'" Gianna read aloud from the dust jacket as she wrinkled her nose. And then she cleaned the book before wedging it between two equally dramatic-looking tomes on the mahogany shelf:Gianna shifted her weight on the rolling ladder.The next book in her stack had a more promising premise— something about time-traveling archaeologists. “Now this seems interesting,” she murmured, adding it to her mental might-actually-read list before finding it a home in the sci-fi section.Dust motes continued to dance around in the afternoon light streaming through the tall windows, to give the whole scene a dreamy quality. The scent of old paper and leather bindings mixed with the cinnamon-apple candle Sonia had lit earlier.Speaking of Sonia... Gianna shot a glare towards her best friend's office. Sonia had called Gianna on the phone that morning, claiming she wanted to take her on a treat. Gianna was also eager for the date because she thought it woul
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Dilemma
THUD.Mason forcefully slammed his fist into the punching bag. The impact reverberated through his wrapped knuckles like an echo of the chaos in his mind.‘Tell her,’ came a voice in his head.THUD. THUD.‘Keep your mouth shut,’ said another voice.CRACK.The bag swung wildly as he continued jabbing; sweat dripped from his chin, dropping down to the rug under his feet. He could see his own reflection in the wall-length mirror, with chest heaving, muscles coiling tight and face twisting in a grimace.He looked exactly like what he was: a man being eaten alive by his own secrets. The bag took another punishment as he drove his right fist into it. The chain rattled overhead like mocking laughter.‘Don't tell her, and let Olivia hold the sword over both your heads. Let her play puppet master until she gets bored or cruel or both,’ the voice in his head warned again.“Fuck!” Mason bellowed from his lungs as he landed a last hook. The bag swung back at him like a pendulum of judgment, and h
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract A Hit Near Home
“You're Martha Winters, right?”The old woman's fingers stilled on the counter, her eyes tracking Gianna's hand like a cat watching a mouse hole. “Yes…. Is there some problem?”Digging a hand into her handbag, Gianna replied, “Not exactly…”She then took out a piece of paper and placed it in front of the woman. “I received a package recently. The sender used this phone number, which, according to my sources, belongs to you.”Martha regarded Gianna more skeptically now, patting her dress pockets for her reading glasses. She wiped the glasses with her dress before putting them on. As soon as the rims were on her nose, she bent forward to examine the paper.Gianna studied the woman's face intently the whole time. Could this woman be closely related to Finn? And if not Finn, the imposter? Gianna tried grasping onto too many things at the same time.Martha straightened, pushing her glasses up into her silver hair.“I think there must be some kind of mistake. I haven't sent any packages t
A Million-Dollar Marriage: A Story Of Heart Over Contract Crazy Dealings
“You're a crazy woman, Olivia,” Mason answered with disgust. “You need psychiatric help. And this is your last warning to stay away from me.”A soft, malicious laugh trickled through the phone. "“Or what? I'll tell your precious Gianna that her dear husband spent the night at my place. How do you think she'll take that news?”Mason's hand clenched around the phone until his knuckles nearly blanched white. The pressure in his chest built until he thought his ribs might crack from containing it. His jaw worked silently as he stared straight ahead through the windshield, watching a pair of sparrows dart past the morning sky with an almost painful intensity. Seconds stretched like pulled taffy. His left eye twitched—once, twice.The silence must have made Olivia nervous because her voice came again, softer this time and almost conciliatory. “I will keep this a secret on one condition.”“Don't run from me….Don't refuse me. Let me prove my love for you. I’ll prove I'm better. I can show
