‘He was going to reject me.’ My stomach twisted violently. Why had I thought this was a good idea? My palms grew clammy around the ring, my mind screaming at me to retreat, to salvage what little dignity I had left. ‘What kind of person pulls a stunt like this?!’ My own voice taunted me mercilessly. ‘This is it, Claire. Game over.’ But instead of the anticipated rejection, Giancarlo reached out—his hand brushing mine, sending a jolt up my arm as he plucked the ring from my fingers. The motion was fluid, deliberate, like he’d done it before—and then… “I do,” he said simply, his voice steady as he slid the ring onto his finger yh with mad confidence. ~~~ Claire Bennett’s perfect Valentine’s Day proposal ends in a disaster when she catches her boyfriend with another woman. In a fit of rage, she forces an engagement ring onto the finger of the first man she sees—a suave and mysterious passerby who shocks her by playing along. But Claire’s spur-of-the-moment fiancé isn’t just anyone. He’s Giancarlo Fiore Caruso—her ex’s boss and the ruthless CEO of her company. A fake engagement, a trip to the Maldives, and an undeniable connection soon turn her spur-of-the-moment decision into something she can’t control. Sparks of desire fly despite their stark differences, and attraction simmers just beneath the layers of deception. But will Claire’s impulsive decision mark the beginning of something real—or a recipe for heartbreak?
View MoreClaireIt felt like my head was going to split open any moment. I was fighting for my life in the water, chest tightening with every desperate thrusts and eyes dimming as strength seeped away from my muscles.I tried shouting for help, but instead water filled my stomach to the brim, pushing my stomach forward in a giant ball.I could feel my heart beat weaken as I barely had the ability to breathe in the little oxygen available in the water. My lungs felt so compressed that I was beginning to feel pains in them.I tried to lift myself to the surface but it seemed like my hands and feets were bound with some strong string that could never break. I fought for air, struggling to stop myself from plummeting deep into the waters but I met with no progress."Help!" The sound hitched in my brain and no matter how much I tried, could not fixate itself in my lips again.I could feel life drain out of me and a deep melancholy settling in the pit of my stomach. What was I going to do? Was I g
Giancarlo I didn't even know what feeling I should feel. Part of me wanted to get so angry with her to the point that I'd want to push her into the water to go search for Claire.Another part of me felt a wave of panic and helplessness to the point that I couldn't even think.What did she mean by Claire jumped? The question kept repeating itself in my mind as I watched her with disgust. Why was she even sobbing instead of jumping into the water to search for Claire? Was she even to be trusted? Could she had planned everything with her mom? My fist clenched at my sides as her sobs continued in sharp bursts.Lorenzo had already taken to action, making numerous calls while I stayed still trying to claw myself away from the webs of my emotions and into reality.I couldn't accept what she had said. Claire had jumped into the river and had not been seen? I was still in a daze. My head was filled with anger and frustration as I tried to come up with a plan.The little plan that had began
Giancarlo My mind was in a haze. Nothing seemed to be working as planned. The motorboat that had been readied to transport me to stop Claire from leaving, had a problem.Its engine was as dead as a rat’s carcass and a new one had to be brought. All of those contributed to us wasting precious time that we didn't even have.Irritation surged through me as I saw a sailor seat and smoke a cigarette at a dark corner. Did he know how pressing my need was? Rage burned hot and consuming in me that I was tempted to walk to him, and put out the cigarette on his hair that looked very much like a decaying plant.It was 10 pm already and it would take about an hour to meet up with her. Couldn't they at least be more productive?"Can't another be readied?" I shouted in frustration, gasping for breath even as my shirt only had the bottom button fixed. "We're making sure of that," Lorenzo shouted back, moving around to make everything ready. Sweat of frustration trolled down my face and I flipped i
ClaireI opened my eyes, slowly but without ease. My eyelids felt so heavy that I had to lift my fingers to push it open. I felt like I was under a moving object. A moving object that I suspected to be a caterpillar.My chest thawed like a mower and I began to fear for my life.Was I about to die? I thought horrifically, finding the task of opening my eyes the most difficult.After battling with much difficulty to push my lids open, I had to struggle with twice as much energy to clear my vision and make out the figures that were dancing before my eyes, especially the one on red swim bikini, bending too close to my face."Wake up, my sleeping angel," I felt a caress on my face that made my insides turn in disgust. My vision slowly began to get clearer and my head began its own stubbornness from there. I began to feel very dizzy."Thank God, you're awake," the familiar voice cleared my vision quicker than expected. "Elizabeth?" My lips worked out the word swiftly. "How," I began, ignor
Giancarlo "What do you mean by Claire's nowhere to be found," I stared in perplexion at Lorenzo, brows creasing in confusion and heart racing in fear. "Have you checked the resort's swimming pool?""Yes, we have," he replied, leaning close to the many statues in the resort and looking very downcast.“We?”“Grandpa helped,” he replied wrily.Apparently, Grandpa's security men must have helped in the search.Alex, Sophia and Tory were nowhere to be found for questioning and Grandpa was footing the bill for their search.I began to panic. "What if they had Claire? Or was it Theodore? Did he have a hand in her disappearance?" My mind raced faster, imagining the worst possible things that could happen.It was 8pm already, and no one knew where she could be, not even her mom!The thought of her mom, twisted my intestines and filled me with dread. How could she call herself a mom? She didn't even as much bat an eye by the disappearance, rather she was worried that Claire's wedding to Theod
Claire"He's a cheat and a liar," I said to Penny as we communicated on the phone, sniffing back tears and catarrh of frustration. I couldn't bring myself to return to the bed that had been defiled by his cheating, so I sat at the reclining chair close to the swimming pool, far away from the ears of everyone."Sorry, dear," she sympathised sorrowfully. "How could he do that two days to your marriage?" Her voice was laced with anger, her tone trembling with every word she said. "He's a bastard, a fucking cheating bastard," she raged more and for some unknown reason, I felt my chest tighten in anger.I so much wanted to hate him, but I couldn't. I still loved him. His hurting face still haunted me and I felt a million times unworthy of him even when he had been the one to have cheated.Love is so stupid. I thought angrily. Why should I still love him? Tears dropped down my cheeks and I tried not to sniff so that Penny wouldn't hear.Then a consolation flew in.He could have been framed!
Giancarlo Lorenzo? It can't be. I muttered under my breath, asking to see the footage again. The footage was replayed and indeed, Lorenzo was the person shown. His broad shoulder and tall frame could not be mistaken even in the dark footage.The betrayal sliced through my chest, dicing my heart into two and restricting my lungs from functioning properly.How? Why? The questions pierced each half of my diced heart, filling it with as much peppery sensation as possible.Managing to control my breath and temper, I stepped out to meet Claire pacing up and down with a frown."You could have as well slept inside the room! Why didn't you inform me to bring a mattress?" She spat, looking like she would cut of my head any moment."I'm... I'm sorry," I stuttered the apology, still confused about what had happened and not knowing what to believe.She didn't respond to my apologies and just hissed and turned to leave. I held her back, battling with the decision to tell her, or not to tell her.
GiancarloI felt like I had just been run down by a moving truck. I could not even feel body. All I felt was a constant nag in my chest. The nagging that came with a strong tightening in my throat, making me breathe through my mouth.How was I ever going to right the wrong? I clenched my fist, my jaw tightening as the elevator chimed open. The thought of not being able to do anything, filled my heart with a strong smell of dread as my hands froze while trying to dial Lorenzo's number.I decided against it, and handed the phone back to Claire. It was of no use bothering him. I should learn to face my problem as a man and stop depending too much. I cautioned myself, wishing strength to conquer into my tired soul.How had Sophia even gotten me naked? I wondered, trying to fish out memories from my aching head, but turning out blank. I tightly shut my eyes in frustration, trying to move into my head and pull out those hiding memories.Claire sniffed beside me before walking into the e
ClaireMy heart broke as his face grew ashen and his body trembled in grief. I didn't mean to hurt him but I just couldn't help it. He had hurt me so much that I began to think that he was in a competition with my mom to break my heart into pieces.Did he even realize what that video had done to me mentally, together with my mother's insensitive words? My heart pumped hard, vibrating my lips with the thought. Fury flowed like goosebumps in my skin and I was ready to say more hurtful words to him that would slice through him faster than a helicopter fan.If only he knew how much I had wanted to give up living and commit suicide. Could my heart ever heal from such a trauma? I wondered helplessly, wishing I had never met him."How could you do that to me?" My voice grew raspy as I spoke. His pale face and red eyes were putting my emotions into a great turmoil and I hated myself for reacting to it.Why should I feel for him, when he had been the one enjoying the sex?He looked up with t
ClaireToday had to be perfect—no exceptions, no mistakes. I was about to give my boyfriend the surprise of a lifetime.A marriage proposal. The beginning of our forever and a perfect way to mark our anniversary—he'd never see it coming.Every detail was planned out—from the bouquet of roses in my hands, to the reservations at one of the city's most exclusive restaurants—reservations I'd only managed to secure weeks ago through countless calls and relentless follow-ups; something other people would consider harassment, but to me, it was just simple tenacity. As the saying goes, ‘You want something? You go for it,’ and I wanted this anniversary to be flawless.Clutching the roses in excitement, I approached the receptionist at Alex’s department with a bright smile. “Oh, hi, Laura. Won’t be long—I’m just meeting Alex. He’s still in?”“Sure.” She started to smile as she looked up, but it faltered—just for a second. At the sight of me? The hesitation was fleeting, but it was gone almost...
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