Amanda Grayson inherited all of her adoptive father’s millions once he disappeared in his private plane while flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Since then, she has devoted herself to business and expanding her father’s fortune. However, Andrés Grayson's legitimate son arrives to claim what rightfully belongs to him. Amanda won't allow an arrogant man to take away what she has worked hard for over the years, leading to an intense rivalry between them, to the point where the authorities have to intervene and make a deal: both must live together and work equally in Mr. Andrés's businesses, and whoever performs better will take it all. Amanda won't let herself be defeated, even if her enemy is an intelligent, handsome, classy man, and the romantic tension between them grows stronger by the day.
I have always been an independent woman, a hard worker who is used to the good life and wealth. I’ve never opted for marriages of convenience, nor have I sought out a rich man for money if it meant living in someone else's shadow. I was born to be the boss and the protagonist of my own story. Even though my father died ten years ago in a plane crash, I have dedicated myself to working day and night to grow this empire he left me. And yes, I've succeeded, beyond anything I could have achieved by the age of twenty-five. Now I live in Hawaii, where I own several properties and have various businesses in motion.
Life has smiled on me in the best possible way, and I am very satisfied with everything. Andrés, my adoptive father, would be very proud of the woman he created. My father did a good job, but he didn’t have the empire I built myself. I’m a businesswoman, intelligent and shrewd. No man measures up to me, and they certainly can’t win me over with expensive gifts and tired lines. There isn’t a man on this earth for me; I feel great being alone. Besides, love makes you weak, so anything that makes me feel weak and vulnerable is discarded.
I’m sitting in a beach chair in front of the turquoise sea under the warm afternoon sun. I’m drinking a piña colada with a bit of alcohol and listening to the sound of the waves.
“Miss Grayson,” the bartender called out to me. I lowered my sunglasses to give him a questioning look. I don’t like being interrupted when I’m relaxing.
“What do you want, Benjamin?” I asked, letting my annoyance show in my voice.
“There are some people asking for you,” he informed me. “They’re outside. I think it’s important,” he explained.
I took a deep breath, trying not to get stressed.
“Let them in,” I ordered, putting my sunglasses back on and closing my eyes. The sunset was just around the corner.
“Right away, Miss,” Benjamin left, and it took a while before I heard voices. I opened my eyes, took off my sunglasses, and stood up, revealing my spectacular body in a rather provocative bikini. My skin was fair and pale, my hair long and loose, reaching down to the small of my back. I turned to see the people who dared to interrupt my rest. They were three men, dressed in suits, and they seemed nervous.
“Who are you?” I asked, stepping a little closer to them. Two of my bodyguards positioned themselves behind me for protection. Safety first.
The chubby man cleared his throat before speaking.
“I’m Mr. Grayson’s lawyer...” he began to say.
“Excuse me?” I blinked several times because this had to be a joke. My father is dead. “Mr. Andrés Grayson died ten years ago; is this some kind of joke?” I looked at them disapprovingly.
They hesitated.
“No, Miss Amanda...” said another, “...we’re talking about Mr. Andrés Grayson’s son, Mr. Luke Grayson.”
“I don’t understand. As far as I know, my father never had any other children,” I explained. I didn’t understand what was happening, and I hate when something intrigues me.
“Mr. Luke Grayson is the legitimate son of Mr. Andrés, and he requests that the Grayson assets be handed over to him immediately.”
I laughed.
“This is a joke, right?” I snapped. “Give me my phone,” I demanded from one of my guards. They immediately handed me my phone, so I dialed my lawyer’s number because he had to know something— “I’ll call my lawyer,” I informed them.
“We already did, Miss. In fact, he told us we could find you here. We only came to deliver this summons,” one of them handed me a paper, which I quickly took. It stated that I was being summoned tonight at the Plaza Hotel to meet with Luke Grayson and reach an amicable agreement, or else the case would go to court.
“Hello?” the idiot that is my lawyer answered.
“I received a summons, Rivers,” I demanded.
“Amanda, I didn’t have time to warn you, but Andrés’s son is here, and he wants to fight for what’s rightfully his.”
“Who is this upstart? He wants to take what’s mine? Tell me where to find him right now because I’ll let him know that no one messes with Amanda Grayson.”
“Mr. Luke is older than you, Amanda. He’s twenty-eight, and he’s no upstart. I did some research, and he has many businesses in the United States; he’s just as rich as you are.”
“Well, I don’t care... This Mr. Luke is going to hear from me,” I hung up immediately. “Where can I find Mr. Luke?” I asked the three men who couldn’t stop looking at me with desire-filled eyes.
“He’s staying at the Plaza Hotel,” one replied.
“Honeymoon suite,” said another.
“Perfect,” I responded, “I’m going to make him eat this paper,” I informed them as I quickly moved inside, grabbed my car keys, and left to get in my car. I started it and drove as fast as I could to the Plaza Hotel, where this so-called Luke had no idea what was coming. He’s crazy if he thinks he’s going to take what I worked so hard for. I didn’t even bother to change; I’m still in my bikini and hat. I parked in front of the hotel and stormed out. They already knew and respected me here. They didn’t even stop me at the entrance; they just greeted me. I headed for the elevator and got in, eagerly waiting to reach the top floor. The elevator doors opened, and I walked down the hallway, stopping in front of the suite door. I didn’t bother knocking; I opened it and looked for the idiot who came to ruin my life.
“Luke Grayson!” I snapped, “Where are you?” I walked toward the living room, but something on the floor, maybe paint or something, made me slip and almost fall backward onto the hard floor. But my back never touched the floor; someone grabbed me by the waist in time and prevented my fall.
I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw were ocean-blue eyes and curly blonde hair.
Goodness, he’s handsome.
Is it possible to fall in love at first sight? Because this guy... his gaze, his deep and intense gaze, is making me feel things in my stomach. The guy just gave me a slight smile, which made me swallow hard. I straightened up, aware that I'm still in my bikini.I cleared my throat and stood up straight."Sorry, I didn’t see you," I said nervously."I noticed, no problem," he adjusted his suit and headed towards the elevator, right where I was going. I followed him, hoping he doesn't think I'm following him, even though deep down I want to find out everything about this guy. The elevator doors closed, and we both raised our hands to press the button.We looked at each other.I laughed nervously.I'm pathetic."Go ahead," I told him."Ladies first, please," he said, so chivalrously."Thank you," I pressed the button for the honeymoon suite and waited."How curious," he commented. "We're going to the same place."I half-smiled and didn’t respond because it seemed strange. Who else would
The day of the trial, which I’m obviously going to win. No one in their right mind would give all this money and the businesses to some upstart, someone who stayed in the shadows all his life and then decided to show up and take what my stepfather left me. I don't want to stress about it, so I had my linden tea first to relax and not get worked up. I tend to be very hyperactive and a bit crazy sometimes. But today, so the judge doesn’t see me as crazy, I need to appear sane."Take me to that trial, Leonard," I told my driver as I got into the car.The ride was a bit tense; to be honest, I'm nervous. The worst part is that Luke is incredibly handsome, and sometimes I stumble over that blond hair falling across his forehead and his bad-boy demeanor.Ugh.I already hate him.I hope I never see him again after today.When I arrived at the courthouse, I got out feeling empowered, although deep down, I felt like a defenseless kitten about to cry. I appear strong because of my job and becaus
I got out of the car."What are you doing?" I asked the men who were carrying furniture."Moving, miss. Mr. Grayson said to bring everything here.""And where is Mr. Grayson?" I crossed my arms."Inside," one of them replied.I hurried inside to find him. I heard voices upstairs, so I quickly climbed the stairs and found him in my bedroom, rummaging through the drawers."What the hell are you doing?!" I snapped. "Put that down," I said, snatching my babydoll from his hands."This is the master bedroom, right? It'll be mine."Inhale, exhale."This is MY bedroom," I said through gritted teeth. "So go find the guest room or the janitor's closet, but you're not staying here. Get out! Shoo, shoo!" I pushed him out, but he was strong and didn’t budge."Hey, relax. The judge said we have to share everything. Half and half. So... why not? We could both sleep here."Another mini heart attack was about to strike me."You want to kill me, don't you? Yes, that's why you're here. I die, and you ge
"If I'm doing this, it's for your own good."“Why do you care if it hurts me or not? Give me my things and stay out of my kitchen,” I shot back, giving him my best serial killer stare.I walked past him and went back upstairs, only to see the state of my poor bedroom. I opened the door, and… my bed… my precious bed… was gone. In its place was a bigger one with a blue comforter. Blue! I hate sad colors.I’m hyperventilating.I need air.Air!Where’s my pink comforter? Besides, the blue doesn’t even match the walls.“Do you like it?” I heard his voice.I started crying.“What’s wrong?” His voice sounded concerned. “Amanda, you’re worrying me.”“My mattress… my comforter. You could have at least found a white one or… I don’t know, something that matches the walls, but blue… blue is sad,” I sobbed. “You know what? If you want, you can keep this room. I’m going to find another one.”I walked toward the door, feeling defeated.“Amanda, wait… you’re right. The blue doesn’t match. I’ll have t