Lily Daniels, an intelligent, ambitious but struggling artist struggling to make a living and drowning in debt, agrees to an outrageous proposal—a two-year contract marriage to a powerful and arrogant billionaire business Magnate, Lucas Hawke. Lucas needs a wife to secure his inheritance, and Lily needs a lifeline. The terms are clear: no love, no strings attached. But from the moment they sign the deal, sparks fly. Lily challenges Lucas’s cold and ruthless world, while he awakens feelings she swore she’d buried forever after the heartbreak of her broken engagement.
View MoreLily’s POVThe rest of the day went by in a blur of emails, meetings, and trying to ignore the lingering looks from employees who were still processing the fact that Lucas Hawke was married. I could hear the whispers, the murmured conversations just out of earshot. It was clear that I was the anomaly in their well-structured world, an unexpected piece in their carefully crafted puzzle. By the time Lucas finally wrapped up his last meeting, I was exhausted. I had barely done anything, yet the sheer tension in the office left me drained. Sitting in his office, pretending to be productive while keeping up appearances, had been more taxing than I expected. The weight of every glance, every hushed conversation, pressed against my shoulders like an invisible burden.Lucas stepped out of his office, rolling his sleeves up as he walked toward me. The sight of him, slightly undone after a long day, was surprisingly humanizing. It was a stark contrast to the composed, untouchable version of hi
Lily’s POVThe car ride to Lucas’s office was silent, except for the faint hum of the engine and the occasional beeping of his phone. I kept my eyes on the passing skyscrapers, trying to shake the strange nervousness settling in my stomach.Why was I nervous? I had no reason to be. This was a business transaction, nothing more. But as we pulled up to the massive glass building with "Hawke Enterprises" displayed in bold letters, I couldn’t ignore the way my heart pounded.“Stay close to me,” Lucas instructed, stepping out first. I rolled my eyes but followed him, smoothing down my outfit. The moment we entered the lobby, all eyes turned to us. Employees whispered among themselves, stealing glances. Some looked surprised, others curious. I heard snippets of murmured conversations.“She’s real?”“So, the rumors were true?”“She’s actually kind of pretty.”I clenched my fists, forcing myself to ignore them.Lucas, on the other hand, walked with his usual unbothered confidence. He led me
Lily’s POVThe next morning, the weight of my conversation with Lucas still lingered in my mind. He had let his guard down—if only for a moment. And it left me unsettled.I knew better than to assume it meant anything. Lucas Hawke was a man of walls, built high and reinforced with steel. He carried himself with an air of untouchability, his every move calculated, his every word precise. But that fleeting vulnerability… it made me wonder what lay beneath the surface. Was there more to him than the cold, composed businessman he presented to the world? Or was I simply grasping at something that had never truly existed?Shaking the thought away, I forced myself out of bed. I couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not now.I made my way to the bathroom, my bare feet padding against the cool marble floor. The mirror reflected a face that wasn’t quite mine yet—at least, not the version of me I was used to seeing. There was something different in my eyes, something wary. Perhaps it was the exhaust
Lily’s POVSleep had decided to play hide and seek with me. I stared at the ceiling, mentally pulling down on a couple of clouds in the sky with the heaviness of a thousand thoughts. Marriage by contract, my father's hospital bill, Ava's unwanted presence. It was all too heavy to carry. How did my life ever come to this?A year back, I had small dreams—dreams of painting, of having my own gallery, of living a quiet life with my father. But then fate stepped in, and here I was, dragged into the midst of the rich and ruthless with a marriage to a man who did not acknowledge me except when it was needed for his own gain.I turned on my side and hugged the pillow fiercely. Lucas Hawke.A man who was some great unkindness. Cold. Calculating. Infuriatingly unreadable. One minute he would ignore me as if I were invisible, and the next, he would be on national television mildly defending my honor. Why did that moment linger in my mind?That moment should not matter. This was nothing more t
Lily’s POVMy body is glued against my mind for it could not accept the reality that lay before me. Ava had curly herself around Lucas like a snake, manicured nails tightening into the expensive fabric of his suit. My stomach sourly vomited something bitter and raised towards my throat.I want to believe that this was some mix-up maybe I was seeing things but how she pressed herself against him and the smirk that flared on her lips told otherwise. He is just standing there, stiff as a statue from discomfort, and holding her arms as if trying to shove her off. "Ava," said he coldly, with irritation dripping from his voice, "Get off me."Instead, he chosed to laugh and lean close to whisper something to the ear of the man. He caught his stare through that muscle in his jaw, starting to tick, dangling like he was about to snap at an instant. The grip on either of her arms grappled hard, and then he pulled away to set her back on her feet, as though she were a clipped annoying child.Ava
Lucas' POV:She didn’t utter a single word.Throughout the entire flight from Mexico to California she just sat motionless, staring out of the window. I didn’t bother to break the silence—what was the point?When we finally landed in California and stepped onto the tarmac, she turned to me. "I will not be going to any hospital."She looked like she was still in shock, so I didn’t argue. Not yet."Fine." I said simply, gesturing to the car waiting for us. I instructed the driver to take us straight home.The moment we arrived at the house, Lily stepped out of the car and slammed the door with such force I thought it might come off its hinges. She stormed toward the house,m."Lily!" I called, but she didn’t stop.I rushed out of the car as well. And before she could get into the house, I grabbed her wrist, turning her to face me. "Acting like a spoiled child won’t help you, Lily." I said, coldly. "Did you really think you’d be paid $25 million just to play pretend wife?"Her eyes blaz
Lily’s POV:Two weeks ago, I married The Lucas Hawke.Well, not exactly “married.” We didn’t have some grand wedding, no white-draped ballroom, no aisle to walk down. Instead, we legally joined. Just the two of us and the civil registry. But we did take pictures, in Rome.I’ll never forget the dress I wore—Yumi Katsura’s White Gold Dress. It cost $8.5 million, an absolute masterpiece. Crafted from the finest silk and satin, with hand-stitched zari embroidery that sparkled in the sunlight, 1,000 pearls woven into the fabric, and a rare 5-carat white gold diamond at the center. The centerpiece though—the 8.8-carat green diamond glowed like the sun.Lucas looked the part too, in his black tuxedo from Kiton, a luxury clothing brand known for its tailor-made suits. His tuxedo alone was worth $85,000.After taking pictures, we boarded his private jet to Tokyo for our “honeymoon.” I couldn’t quite get over the irony of it all. Our honeymoon wasn’t about connecting emotionally or starting a
Lily's POV:My breath hitched as I stared at the car, my heart hammering in my chest. Slowly, my wide eyes traveled up to the driver’s seat.“What the hell!” I muttered under my breath before slamming my palms against the car’s hood.The driver didn’t respond. Instead, the car reversed a few feet, then sped past me as if nothing had happened.Without thinking, I bent down, grabbed a stone from the pavement, and hurled it at the car’s rear window. The car came to a stop.My pulse quickened as the back door opened. A man stepped out, tall and handsomely dressed in all black.As he walked toward me, he pulled out a business card and held it out to me. “Contact me about the payment.” He said, devoid of emotion.My jaws dropped. “You almost killed me, and this is your response?”“You ran in front of my car.” He replied curtly, unfazed.“Are you kidding me?” I snapped, my anger boiling over.His gaze didn’t waver. “I could sue you for defamation of character.” He said coldly. “It’s obvious
Lily's POV:The buzz of my alarm jolted me awake, but I didn’t need it. My eyes were already open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sleeping has become impossible since yesterday. How could I possibly rest when the strange man’s words kept playing on a loop in my head?After our bizarre conversation in the hospital lobby, I tried to return to the restaurant, but Jasmine insisted I go home to gather my thoughts and rest. "You look like a ghost." She said, shooing me off with her apron in hand.Rest? How was that possible?“Would you like to marry Lucas Hawke?” He asked.I scoffed out loud, even now, chuckling bitterly at the memory. Was this some kind of joke? Some weird social experiment? Or was I a protagonist in a web novel where the scandal-ridden CEO needs a fake wife to redeem his name?At the time, I waited for him to laugh and admit it was a prank. But no. His face remained stern, his gaze piercing. He meant every word.“Wait, you’re serious?” I asked him.Dead silence.I clasp
Lily's POV:It was a typical day at the restaurant—busy, loud, and full of clinking plates and people chatting. My feet barely touched the floor as I dashed from table to table, balancing trays of food while trying to keep a smile on my face. My phone buzzed for the third time in my pocket. I groaned. Probably another scam call or my alarm reminding me to take my break. Not that I had time for one. Without looking, I pulled the phone out and tossed it into the basket of clothes we used to clean up spills in the kitchen."Order up for table six!" The chef shouted."I'm on it!" I grabbed the plates and hurried back into the dining area. The restaurant's TV, mounted in the corner of the room caught my eye, as a reporter's voice rang out.“Breaking news: Lucas Hawke, CEO of Hills Inc., accused of sexually harassing male employees. An anonymous source has come forward, claiming the billionaire threatened to ruin his career if he refused his advances.”I nearly stumbled. Lucas Hawke? The ...
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