Claire’s heart is broken by her cheating boyfriend, and she ends up having a one-night stand with a handsome stranger at the bar, hoping they’ll never see each other again. However, she is shocked to the bone when he turns out to be the CEO of the new company she works at. As if that wasn’t enough, he asks her to marry him - for a three-month contract. She signs the contract because she urgently needs money for her mother’s heart surgery, but things don’t always go as planned. With a cold-hearted husband and his stepmother and children fighting him for inheritance, along with an ex-fiancé who shows up and tries everything to break them up, Claire's married life is harder than it should be. Things become even more complicated when their three-month contract comes to an end, and Claire finds out she’s pregnant!
View MoreThe rest of the week went by in a blur, with Claire and Alex continuing their routine of going to work and returning together without raising any suspicions at the office. Claire's manager didn't make her work life any easier with his constant snarky remarks, often delivered with a smirk that made her blood boil. His passive-aggressive comments about her work ethic and position in the company ate away at her patience daily, but she held her tongue. She didn't want to cause any issues for herself or Alex. The last thing she needed was for him to feel obligated to intervene on her behalf, which could only stir up more drama.It was during one of these tense workdays that the announcement of a new intern was made. Claire was in the middle of proofreading a report when her manager strolled in, barely glancing up from his clipboard."Smith," he said with an indifferent tone."You'll be supervising the new intern. His desk is being set up next to yours."Claire looked up, caught off guard.
Tess was on her way home when her phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number. She hesitated, then answered and she was surprised to hear an older woman’s voice on the other end, asking her to meet at a nearby cafe. The woman claimed she had some information about Claire that Tess "would want to know." Tess wanted to ignore but her curiosity piqued, so she agreed to meet her and made her way over.When she arrived at the cafe, she immediately spotted Mrs. Steele sitting by the window. Tess recognized her instantly, having seen her around the company for years. She walked over cautiously, and Mrs. Steele looked up, her expression cold and direct.“You’re” Mrs Steele said and flashed a smile. She gestured to the seat in front of her “Please have a seat”Tess was totally confused as to what was happening but she took her away slowly with the visible confusion on her face.“Judging from your face, you definitely wasn’t expecting to see me here”“Yes ma’am. I thought I’ve heard the voi
Claire gave a polite bow to Alex. “We’ll continue our conversation later, sir,” she murmured, before quickly stepping out of the elevator.“Why are you on this floor?” Alex asked, turning to Tess, who looked startled.“Uh, yes, I just had some files to drop off for you,” Tess stammered.“You can leave them with my secretary and get back to work,” Alex said curtly.“Yes, sir,” Tess replied, hurrying over to the secretary’s desk to drop the files before scurrying away. Claire turned to follow, but Alex’s voice stopped her in her tracks.“Miss Smith, we’re not done with our conversation.”Claire bit her lip, a hint of irritation crossing her face as she turned to meet his gaze. Alex’s expression was unreadable as he stepped into his office, leaving her no choice but to follow him closely.“What were you thinking?” Claire demanded as she closed the door behind her. “She clearly saw you holding my wrist. And we were together in an elevator only you have access to. Then you went and made it
The rest of the weekend passed in a tense, unspoken truce. Claire kept her distance, terrified that Alex might see through her and realize the feelings she was beginning to develop. She tried to distract herself, but every shared glance or fleeting touch lingered in her mind longer than she wanted.On the other side, Alex wrestled with his own thoughts. He replayed their last conversation, wondering if he’d crossed a line. His growing feelings were getting harder to ignore, and every time he looked at her, he could barely hold himself back from reaching out and pulling her close to kiss her like he had dreamed of doing for days now.By Monday morning, they were both exhausted from holding back. They sat opposite each other at breakfast, a heavy silence filling the room from everything left unsaid. Claire focused on her plate, and Alex occasionally glanced her way, looking for the right words but coming up empty—until he couldn’t stand it any longer.“Claire,” he finally said, breaking
Claire woke up quite late the next day. It was finally the day she would take off her bandage. She walked around the house in her nightgown since she couldn’t feel anyone’s presence. She went to the fridge to get a bottle of water to drink and start her day. On her way back to her room, she noticed that Alex's room door was slightly open. She had always wanted to check his room to see what it was like, so she took this as a chance to have a peek.Claire slowly stepped into Alex's room, the door barely ajar, and took a quiet breath. The room was sleek and minimalist, with dark wood floors and a few carefully selected pieces of furniture. A large bed dominated the center of the room, its sleek gray linens neatly tucked in. The walls were painted in deep shades of blue, giving the space a calming and sophisticated feel. A floor-to-ceiling window on one side allowed natural light to spill in, but the blinds were drawn, keeping the room dim.She walked across the room, her eyes scanning
Claire glanced at Alex, noticing the faint smile playing at the corner of his lips. She wanted him to play along, but not to this extent. What was she supposed to tell her mum when the ceremony didn’t actually happen? The idea of the whole world knowing about their marriage wasn’t part of the contract, and now, it seemed like she had no way out. She was worried it would count as a breach of contract, but she didn’t even know how her mum had found out about her marriage in the first place. Did it really count as a breach if she wasn’t the one who revealed it? As the conversation between Alex and her mum continued, they shared hearty laughter and stories, getting to know each other better. Claire watched, surprised by how easily they connected. She had never imagined Alex could be so open, especially with her mum, who had shown up at the house unannounced. It was like a completely different side of him, and for the first time, Claire began to question just how well she really knew her
Claire didn’t expect him to be back from work so early, so she was shocked when she heard his voice behind them. Her mum immediately sized him up and down, and Claire could see the silent sigh of relief escape her as she noted that, at least, he wasn’t ugly. Now, she could dismiss the idea that her daughter had married solely for money.“I see you’re the rude husband who didn’t deem it fit to ask for my blessing before marrying my daughter,” her mum said firmly, crossing her arms.Claire quickly stepped forward and placed a hand on her mum’s arm, whispering, “Mum, c’mon, stop.”But her mum didn’t listen. She was determined to make sure this man wasn’t looking down on her daughter, and that was why he hadn’t bothered to ask for her blessing. She wasn’t going to let it slide so easily.Claire, knowing the kind of man she had married, could already anticipate how his reply would throw everyone off in the room. Her hands became sweaty, and her heart began to race. Her mum would probably f
Claire sighed, shaking her head as she tried to push the thoughts aside. She stared at the TV screen but wasn’t really watching. The constant buzzing of the news about Alex and Charlotte made her head spin. It was strange to feel so conflicted about something that wasn’t even real. They weren’t a real couple, yet the thought of them together bothered her more than she’d like to admit.She could feel her heart tighten as she thought about how calm Alex was about it all. Why wasn’t he reacting? Why wasn’t he defending their relationship? Or was it all just a game to him? The sound of the kitchen door opening brought her back to the present. Mrs. Hamptons entered, holding a tray of food. “I made you some soup, dear,” she said gently, setting it down in front of Claire.“Thanks,” Claire replied quietly, giving her a small smile but her mind was elsewhere. She picked up the spoon and stirred the soup but couldn’t bring herself to eat.“Something on your mind?” Mrs. Hamptons asked, notici
Charlotte made sure to find Claire’s mom’s number and reached out to her, inviting her out for a cup of tea. She asked her not to tell Claire about it, mentioning that she had something important to discuss.Claire’s mom got dressed and went to the location Charlotte had specified. She arrived right on time, but nearly thirty minutes passed before Charlotte finally showed up. When she did, she simply said, “Sorry,” with a casual shrug.“I“It’s fine, things like that happen,” Mrs. Smith replied, trying to ease the tension and prevent the situation from becoming awkward.Charlotte took a seat, her tone turning more serious. “I’ll go straight to the point as to why I invited you here today. It’s about your daughter.”Mrs. Smith’s eyes widened. “My daughter?”“Yes. First off, did you know she’s married?”“What do you mean, married? She’s single.”“Ah, I see. You didn’t know. Then, where has she been all this time? Has she told you she’s working overtime?”“Yes,” Mrs. Smith answered, still
Claire was a bit tipsy in the dimly lit bar. Her eyes fell on the handsome stranger sitting in the corner, and she wanted him. She knew it was the alcohol, but she couldn't care less, especially after finding out her boyfriend was cheating on her with her best friend.Staggering over to him, she took the empty seat in front of him. "Hey, handsome," she said.He said nothing and just stared at her."Want to have a fun night with me?" she continued.He said nothing, but he started to consider it. It wouldn't hurt to have a one-night stand with the pretty woman in front of him. It might help him take his mind off his father's death and the inheritance issues going on in his family that he was tired of.“My place?” He finally spoke“Yes” She replied and they left the bar together to his place.As she stirred awake the next morning, the presence of a stranger beside her flooded her with regret and embarrassment. Quietly, she slipped out of bed, dressing swiftly to avoid disturbing him, the
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