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Chapter 56 - The plot thickens
Last Updated:
2025-04-12 21:10:39
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Contracted to Deceive Chapter 57 - Hawaii
(Gabriel) The saltwater clings to my skin as I step out of the ocean, feeling the waves pull away from me with each step forward and i take a deep breath to enjoy the tropical air. Hawaii’s warm breeze is supposed to wash away the anger, frustration, and chaos of my life, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t do a damn thing to numb the knot in my stomach or the rage simmering just beneath the surface of my skin.I make my way to the beach dragging my board behind me, the sound of the ocean drowned out by the rush in my ears. The soft sand shifts under my feet as I approach the edge of the beach, and that’s when I see them.Two women. Tall, tanned, and wearing almost nothing. They’re eyeing me up like I’m their next meal. I don’t blame them, no doubt the waves have done wonders for my physique.The blonde is the first to speak. “Nice ride out there,” she says with flirtation in her voice.I glance over to them disinterestedly. I’m not in the mood for small talk. But then I notice the brunette.
Last Updated : 2025-04-12Contracted to Deceive Chapter 58 - Done deal
(Gabriel)The moment I step out of the car back home, flashes go off like fireworks from the cameras shoved into my face, with reporters barking questions I have zero interest in answering.“Mr. Montclair, is it true you fired your secretary?”“Was the relationship ever real?”“Did she seduce you for the money?”I keep walking with my sunglasses on. Let them feast on the scraps because I’m here for the queen of manipulation herself.I push open the grand double doors and make my way inside without a word to the housekeepers who bow and scurry out of my way. Up the marble stairs, past the lifeless portraits of smiling men I never cared to resemble, and straight to her favorite room, the tea room.The door’s already open of course. She probably wants this to feel casual and warm. My mother sits by the window elegantly like she’s been waiting for me to arrive. She smiles like I’m her darling boy coming home from war.“Gabriel,” she says softly, patting the velvet cushion beside her. “Co
Last Updated : 2025-04-13Contracted to Deceive Chapter 59 - Wedding bells
(Gloria)Elena sinks into the chair beside me, picking up the halfempty wine bottle on the table. “So… everything’s unraveling fast, huh?”I let the rim of the glass rest on my lips before I answer. “Apocalyptic.”She winces. “Sorry.”I shrug stiffly. “Don’t be. Eleanor Montclair doesn’t back down. I’ll give her that.”There’s a beat of silence, then Elena says quietly, “You admire her?”I scoff. “No. Maybe. Hell, I don’t even know. She’s scary but effective. She sent me this ridiculous form to fill out, and when I hesitated, she hit me with so much legal jargon, I thought I’d be arrested for lying about my blood type.”Elena lets out a low whistle. “She really did her daughter-in-law homework.”“Thoroughly,” I mutter, setting the glass down harder than I mean to. “Shame her son isn’t going along without a fight”Elena shifts. “He was angry…”“He was humiliated,” I cut in. “And now he thinks marrying me is the worst decision of his life.”Elena clears her throat. “Jordan hasn’t called
Last Updated : 2025-04-13Contracted to Deceive Prologue & Chapter 1 - Broke and Bougie
PROLOGUE (Gloria) I move behind him slowly, making sure he hears the click of my heels before I press my fingers into his tense shoulders to massage them. He’s stiff at first like he always is but he doesn’t shrug me off, so I take that as permission. “You know,” I murmured into his ear, “normal people would be out celebrating right now… not still buried in emails and numbers.” I slide my hands down a little, massaging the stress out of his muscles. “Especially after closing a deal like that.” He doesn’t say anything, but his breathing shifts. I can feel it, and I know he feels me too. “Are you staying here because you’re scared you’ll actually have fun if you leave?” I tease, leaning closer until my lips almost graze his ear. “Or are you just glued to this office chair?” “Gloria,” he says in warning. I walked around to face him, tilting my head as I perched on the edge of his desk in front of him. His eyes move to my legs, then my shirt, just for a second. I undo another butto
Last Updated : 2025-03-09Contracted to Deceive Chapter 2 - Into the Lion’s den
(Gloria) The club pulsed with energy, music thumped through the speakers and vibrated in my chest as the flashing neon lights moved across the packed dance floor. Bodies swayed, drinks clinked, and the air smelled of expensive cologne, sweat, and a hint of spilled liquor, just what I needed to forget a certain scummy bastard.For the first time all day, I felt… free.Elena grinned at me, pressing a shot of tequila into my hand. “To new beginnings,” she declared, lifting her glass.Jordan smirked. “To making Ethan regret ever breathing.”I rolled my eyes at that but clinked my glass against theirs anyway. “To moving the hell on!”The tequila burned on the way down my throat, but I welcomed it. I welcomed the heat, the rush, and the way it dulled the sharp edges of my betrayal.And for the next hour, I just let go.Elena and I danced under the flashing lights, laughing as Jordan attempted to show off his terrible dance moves. The music pounded through my veins, drowning out the pain, t
Last Updated : 2025-03-09Contracted to Deceive Chapter 3 - Trials
(Gloria) A pounding headache greeted me the moment I opened my eyes the next morning.I groaned, squeezing my temples as the sunlight coming through the curtains burned my retinas. My mouth felt dry, my limbs heavy, and my stomach churned with the unmistakable regret of one too many drinks.Elena’s guest room was cozy but unfamiliar, white walls, a small dresser, and a floor length mirror that reflected the absolute mess I had become. My hair was tangled, my mascara was smudged, and my dress from last night was twisted in an uncomfortable mess around me.I cursed under my breath.“Alive in there?” Elena’s voice rang from the hallway, far too cheerful for my current condition.“Unfortunately.”The door creaked open, and Elena strolled in, holding a bottle of water and two painkillers like a savior. “Drink, you look like death.”“Thanks,” I mutter, snatching the pills and gulping down the water like a parched sailor. The cool liquid soothed my throat, but it did nothing for the exhaust
Last Updated : 2025-03-09Contracted to Deceive Chapter 4 - The women after my life
(Gabriel) A dull persistent throbbing pounded at the back of my skull.I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling slowly, but the headache doesn’t ease. That last drink at the club was a mistake, hell, going at all was a mistake. I don’t even remember why I agreed in the first place. Roan had been talking about some merger celebration and I’d let him drag me into it, and now I’m paying for it.I rubbed a hand down my face, then reached for my coffee. It’s gone cold, but I drink it anyway, welcoming the bitterness. My laptop screen blurred for a second before coming back into focus, an huge amount of unread emails glaring back at me.I should’ve left the club earlier, i had nothing to gain from being there, Instead I wasted hours tolerating drunk executives and mindless chatter. And then, her.My grip tightened around the coffee cup as I remember the woman who ruined my suit.Sharp green eyes, defiant little glare, and the way she had the audacity to blame me for bumping into her.I sc
Last Updated : 2025-03-09Contracted to Deceive Chapter 5 - The Proposal
(Gloria) The clock on the wall ticks painfully slow as i tap my fingers against the counter, my eyes flicking up every few seconds to check the time. 4:57 PM, almost there.The coffee shop isn’t busy anymore, just a few customers lingering over their drinks, my shift ends at five, and I’m counting down the seconds. Not just because my feet ache from standing all day, but because I have a meeting, one I still can’t wrap my head around.Eleanor Montclair.I swallow, trying to ignore the way my stomach twists at the thought. What could she possibly want from me?4:59 PM.A customer approaches, and I force a polite smile, quickly ringing up their order. The moment I hand them their receipt, I strip off my apron, hurriedly stuff it under the counter, and grab my bag.5:00 PM on the dot.I waste no time pushing through the door, stepping out onto the street. The air is crisp, and streets over, a small café comes into view, the one Eleanor had mentioned earlier.My heart pounds as I gingerl
Last Updated : 2025-03-09
Latest chapter
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 59 - Wedding bells
(Gloria)Elena sinks into the chair beside me, picking up the halfempty wine bottle on the table. “So… everything’s unraveling fast, huh?”I let the rim of the glass rest on my lips before I answer. “Apocalyptic.”She winces. “Sorry.”I shrug stiffly. “Don’t be. Eleanor Montclair doesn’t back down. I’ll give her that.”There’s a beat of silence, then Elena says quietly, “You admire her?”I scoff. “No. Maybe. Hell, I don’t even know. She’s scary but effective. She sent me this ridiculous form to fill out, and when I hesitated, she hit me with so much legal jargon, I thought I’d be arrested for lying about my blood type.”Elena lets out a low whistle. “She really did her daughter-in-law homework.”“Thoroughly,” I mutter, setting the glass down harder than I mean to. “Shame her son isn’t going along without a fight”Elena shifts. “He was angry…”“He was humiliated,” I cut in. “And now he thinks marrying me is the worst decision of his life.”Elena clears her throat. “Jordan hasn’t called
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 58 - Done deal
(Gabriel)The moment I step out of the car back home, flashes go off like fireworks from the cameras shoved into my face, with reporters barking questions I have zero interest in answering.“Mr. Montclair, is it true you fired your secretary?”“Was the relationship ever real?”“Did she seduce you for the money?”I keep walking with my sunglasses on. Let them feast on the scraps because I’m here for the queen of manipulation herself.I push open the grand double doors and make my way inside without a word to the housekeepers who bow and scurry out of my way. Up the marble stairs, past the lifeless portraits of smiling men I never cared to resemble, and straight to her favorite room, the tea room.The door’s already open of course. She probably wants this to feel casual and warm. My mother sits by the window elegantly like she’s been waiting for me to arrive. She smiles like I’m her darling boy coming home from war.“Gabriel,” she says softly, patting the velvet cushion beside her. “Co
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 57 - Hawaii
(Gabriel) The saltwater clings to my skin as I step out of the ocean, feeling the waves pull away from me with each step forward and i take a deep breath to enjoy the tropical air. Hawaii’s warm breeze is supposed to wash away the anger, frustration, and chaos of my life, but it doesn’t. It doesn’t do a damn thing to numb the knot in my stomach or the rage simmering just beneath the surface of my skin.I make my way to the beach dragging my board behind me, the sound of the ocean drowned out by the rush in my ears. The soft sand shifts under my feet as I approach the edge of the beach, and that’s when I see them.Two women. Tall, tanned, and wearing almost nothing. They’re eyeing me up like I’m their next meal. I don’t blame them, no doubt the waves have done wonders for my physique.The blonde is the first to speak. “Nice ride out there,” she says with flirtation in her voice.I glance over to them disinterestedly. I’m not in the mood for small talk. But then I notice the brunette.
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 56 - The plot thickens
(Gloria)My phone rings and I almost drop it. Eleanor Montclair.Her name stares back at me like it’s been branded on my screen. I freeze, every one of my muscles tightening. Suddenly, the idea of crying over a documentary feels like a warm up for the real horror show to come .Because if there’s one person who’s probably angrier than Gabriel right now, it’s his mother.I imagine her standing in a designer robe, swirling a glass of wine like a villain from a movie, already drafting the legal papers to sue me into poverty. I picture myself back on Elena’s couch begging for space, struggling to afford groceries, and eating cheap ramen in bulk while I try to pay back…The phone buzzes again in my palm demanding an answer.Shit. Okay.I swipe. “Hello?”No greeting and no hesitation.“I’ll pay it back,” I blurt. “Please. Just give me a payment plan or something. I… I know the contract’s over, but I swear I’ll find a way. You don’t have to take me to court or ruin my life or… ”“Gloria,” El
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 55 - Welp
(Gloria)I stare at the door hoping it might swing back open like Gabriel forgot something, maybe his sanity, maybe his heart. Maybe the part of him that didn’t just threaten me like a mafia boss in a three piece suit.But no. It stays shut.And I’m just standing there, jaw slack and completely, spectacularly, ruined.“Welp,” I whisper, blinking. “I think that went well.”A tiny, pitiful laugh bubbles out of me but it dies as fast as it came.I take a step forward, my knees buckle. Okay. That’s fine. That’s totally okay. I’ve been through worse.…Haven’t I?Then I collapse onto the floor in a heap, one arm flopped over my stomach like I’ve just been fatally wounded in battle. Maybe I have. The battle of the heart. The war of love. The massacre of dignity.And then it happens, the sobs.Real ones, loud and messy. Not those pretty movie tears. Nope. This is the kind of crying that makes your face puff up like a marshmallow and your nose run like a broken faucet.I bury my face in my han
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 54 - Fool me once
(Gabriel)“Well?” I ask, the word coming out as more of a command than a question. My eyes rake over her coldly but inside, a storm is raging. She looks like a mess, unkept, terrified, and I can barely keep it together.I’m fighting every impulse not to grab her and shake the answers out of her, demanding she tell me what the hell is going on. Instead, I stand there stiffly, my fists clenched at my sides trying to control the rage that’s boiling in my veins.Kate had walked into my office earlier, slamming that tablet down in front of me with an expression that said ‘you need to see this’. The documentary was everywhere, the headline hitting me like a slap across the face: Ex-Drug Dealer’s Secret Contract to Marry Montclair CEO. The words felt like they burned into my skin.Gloria, an ex-drug dealer working with her trash of an ex, Ethan. And then the real kicker, a contract from my mother, Eleanor Montclair, to marry me for money. All over the media. I’m still trying to wrap my head
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 53 - Upheaval
(Gloria) I wake up with a jolt with my phone vibrating against my chest and pressing into me like it’s trying to make sure I’m awake. Groaning, I push it off and onto the couch, the screen lighting up and blinking at me like a warning sign. I rub my eyes, feeling the ache in my head from too much sleep, and I shuffle to the kitchen, craving some water to shake off the grogginess. The cool glass of water hits my lips but it doesn’t stop the gnawing feeling in my gut. I can hear my phone, no, I can feel it vibrating from the other room. Then the beeps start. A flood of notifications, calls. I freeze, water halfway down my throat, and a cold shiver races down my spine. I know what’s happening. I know. It’s over. They’ve done it. Just like they said they would. I’ve been exposed. My heart races as I stare at the water in my hand, as if it could somehow give me the answers I need, some way out. But there isn’t one. It’s too late now. I ignore the phone, my fingers twitching as the n
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 52 - Chinese Takeout
(Gloria)The next day I’m at home. I’d gone home early the previous day after telling Gabriel I’d take the day off, much to his delight. I guess he was happy to get me to relax a bit.Now, I’m on the couch, wrapped in my blanket mindlessly eating Chinese takeout. The TV’s on but I’m not really watching anything. I’m just sort of… there. My thoughts are too tangled, too all over the place, and I can’t seem to shake off this feeling of being stuck.I’m lost in the emptiness of the moment when the doorbell rings, interrupting the silence. I almost ignore it, who the hell is visiting me? I’m not expecting anyone. But the damn thing rings again, louder this time. So, I roll my eyes and reluctantly pull myself up off the couch.When I open the door, I’m hit with the surprise of a delivery guy standing there holding a big hamper. There’s food, fruit, and… flowers? My first thought is, What the hell?He hands me a card after I sign for it. I glance at it, almost as if I don’t want to know who
Contracted to Deceive Chapter 51 - Making an effort
(Gloria)I walk through the office doors with my face set in a grim expression. The air feels thicker and heavier today as the weight of everything is dragging me down. My mind’s a mess, and no matter how hard I try to push it away, the blackmail message keeps circling back and I can’t shake it.I’m almost at my desk when I hear footsteps behind me. Gabriel. I can feel his gaze on me before he even speaks.“Gloria,” he says, his voice low and concerned. “I told you to take the day off. Why are you here?”I try to keep my voice steady, but there’s a tightness in my chest. “I feel better. Besides, I’d just be bored at home.”The words come out before I even think about them. But as I look at him, really look at him, I feel the guilt hit me. He’s genuinely worried and I can see it in the way his brow furrows, in the way his eyes search mine like he’s trying to figure out if I’m lying.I swallow hard. “I’m fine.”He doesn’t seem convinced, but he doesn’t press me. Instead, he gives me a s
