“Pretend to be my fiancée.” Those words were the last thing Ava Moreno expected to hear from Raymond William—the man who shattered her heart and vanished without a trace. Now a successful businessman, Raymond needs her help to secure his inheritance, while Ava, struggling to provide for her daughter, reluctantly agrees to the deal. But she vows to keep their relationship strictly business. “I will never allow Raymond to stand as a father to my daughter,” Ava declares bitterly, her pain and resentment still raw. Raymond, however, has his own regrets. If only she knew how much I searched for her… Ava, please give me a chance to explain, a chance for us to start over. As old feelings resurface and buried secrets threaten to unravel, their fragile agreement becomes increasingly complicated.
View MoreAT THE OFFICE RAYMOND POVI sat in my office, barely paying attention to the papers in front of me. My mind was somewhere else, just instructed Daniel to make arrangements for the valentines date with Vivian.Daniel still stood nearby, looking like he was about to lose it.“Valentine….Really…Raymond… the ancient company… we need to focus now,” he said, his voice laced with frustration.I didn’t respond. My eyes drifted to Ava’s desk, the chair she used to sit in.“Just this last time,” I muttered under my breath.Daniel sighed, probably realizing I wasn’t listening. Without another word, he bowed slightly and walked out.As soon as the door shut, I got up and walked to Ava’s desk, running my fingers over the surface.I could still picture her sitting there, and staring at my direction secretly.I could still hear Bella’s laughter echoing in my head, dragging us into her little games. Ava pretends to be annoyed but always gives in.A small smile tugged at my lips.But Then—a suddenly
RAYMOND POVI sat in the hospital room, my leg bouncing as I stared blankly at the white walls. The needle in my arm barely registered—I didn’t even flinch when the doctor drew my blood. My mind was too far gone to care.Ava.How was she going to react when she found out Bella was in the ICU?I could already picture it—the panic in her eyes, the way she’d demand answers no one could give. Bella was everything to her. And now, she was lying in a hospital bed, fighting to stay alive.A deep sigh snapped me back to reality.“All done,” the doctor said in a flat, professional tone. He pulled the needle out and pressed a cotton swab to my arm.I barely acknowledged him.He stared at me for a beat before clicking his tongue. “Wow. No ‘thank you, doctor’? Then He sighed dramatically. “Man, tough crowd.”I looked up at him sharply, frowning. Was this guy serious? That serious Doctor just dropped street slang..He smirked, shaking his head. “Fine, fine. I gotta you now, let's pray it’s a match
RAYMOND POV“Looking at myself in the mirror as I tie my wristwatch, I know Vivian is too emotional to play this kind of game with, but I need the good side of her.”I adjust my white shirt, leaving the top button undone, the silver necklace resting against my skin. I don’t usually care about details like this, but tonight, I need everything to be right. As I step out of the closet, I have no plans to say anything to Ava. She’s been keeping to herself lately, and that works for me most tonight. If she’s minding her business, I’ll mind mine.I reach for the door, ready to leave, when I hear soft footsteps behind me. Turning back, I see Ava standing there in oversized pajamas and big fluffy slippers, lazily eating Pringles. She looks at me, chewing slowly, then tilts her head.“Where are you going?” Her voice is casual, but the question catches me off guard.I wasn’t expecting her to ask. She doesn’t always care, so why now? I swallow, trying to come up with an answer. Lying isn’t an op
“Just make sure everything is ready before I move in,” Samuel said into the phone, his voice steady.The person on the other end - An interior designer spoke for a moment, and he nodded. “Yeah, I want it exactly how I told you. No surprises.”He ended the call and tossed his phone on the table. Leaning back into the couch, he let out a deep breath. His eyes flickered to his bag.After a pause, he reached for it, his fingers brushing over the zipper before pulling it open. He dug around for a second before his hand wrapped around an envelope.The DNA test he carried out secretly…Samuel pulled it out and stared at the paper inside. He already knew what it said. 99.9% match. Bella was Raymond’s daughter.He scoffed, shaking his head. “So all these years… and she kept this from him?”He ran a hand through his hair, he sat there for a moment, staring at nothing. His fingers twitched. His thoughts were thinking about the whole stuff Without thinking, he pulled a cigarette pack from his po
Ava’s POV“I will get every one of you arrested!” the woman yelled again, her voice loud and angry.“Check,” Samuel said calmly.She paused, looked at her phone, and suddenly… smiled. Just like that, all the shouting was gone.Then, to my shock, she walked up to Samuel and ran her hand down his chest. “Thank you, handsome,” she said, her voice soft now.Samuel immediately pushed her hand away.I stared at her, speechless. Was this the same woman who had been screaming like a crazy person a minute ago?I sighed. I never wanted to call Samuel. I told myself I wouldn’t. But that woman refused to let me leave, and Bella’s school kept calling. I had no choice, and Raymond is even not an option, I’m sure that little witch called Vivian might still be with him.The cab driver, on the other hand, was acting like Samuel had just saved his life, thanking him over and over. I couldn’t help but admire how calm Samuel was through it all.Just as I was about to say something, my phone rang again.“
AVA’S POVI kept rolling all over the bed, twisting and turning, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.Raymond’s lips on mine, that particular moment struck in my brain…The way he held my waist. The way his breath felt warm against my skin. The way my heart practically exploded in my chest.I groaned, grabbing a pillow and smacking it over my face. “Why am I like this?!”But, of course, my brain wasn’t done torturing me, another memory hit me—our first kiss back in high school.It was after he won the Olympic Cup. The whole school was cheering, cameras flashing, and before I even realized what I was doing, I had run up to him and kissed him. Right there. In front of everyone.I found myself smiling like an idiot at the memory.Then I sat up straight. “Nope. Absolutely not. Ava, wake up”I smacked my forehead. “Stop. Thinking. About. It!”But No.., my brain just kept replaying today’s kiss. The way he pulled me close. his lipsI let out a loud scream and hit my
Raymond’s POVAva’s face said it all—she was desperate to follow Samuel.I never thought she was serious when she said she liked him. I always assumed it was just one of her games, something she said to get under my skin. But now, watching her—seeing how her whole body leaned toward the door like she couldn’t wait to follow him—it hit me harder than I expected. And I hated it.Samuel had the audacity to act like I was the one overreacting when I questioned why he kept her away from me. As if it wasn’t obvious. Instead of giving me a straight answer, he went on some self-righteous rant about how this was just a contract and how I had no right to be mad. I let him talk, let him say whatever he wanted, but the longer I listened, the more I felt like punching something. Now, seeing the way Ava reacted to his departure, that anger was only getting worse.“Is it really that deep?” My voice was low, but the sharpness was there. “Do you really have feelings for him?”She tried to pull away fr
AVA’S POVThe moment we stepped into the mansion, everything went quiet.Grandma and Ms. William were the only ones in the living room, and the way they were staring at us…I couldn’t even explain it. I shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to do next, but Raymond just stood there like he didn’t even notice the kind of look they were giving us.Then, suddenly, Grandma stretched out her arms.For a second, it wasn’t clear who she was calling to. Raymond actually must have thought it was for him because he started to take a step forward to embrace her.But the sharp look she shot him stopped him in his tracks.Meaning, that hug wasn’t for him.Her gaze shifted back to me, and I quickly walked straight toward her and she pulled me into a warm embrace.I stood there, stiff for a moment. Like I wasn’t expecting that.I glanced briefly at Ms. William. She had a smile on her face, but even from a mile away, you could tell it was fake.“You managed to give the whole city a new topic,” Ms Wi
Samuel stared at the mirror, a quiet laugh slipping out.“So, Ava and Raymond have a past” he muttered looking at the mirror He had gone through all the messages on the phone. It all added up. Then he remembered years ago , when Raymond regained his memory, he always sneaked out ever since he regained his memory back then, always saying he needed to meet someone. Now, it was clear—that someone was Ava.Then, out of nowhere, a name popped into Samuel's head. Bella.His mind started racing, trying to picture the whole thing together. When Bella was born ?The date on those texts? He kept going in circles, trying to figure out if it was even possible.Could Raymond be Bella’s father? Could he? He kept on asking himself But His phone suddenly rang, snapping him back. The engineer boy.“It’s done,” the boy said. “She won’t suspect a thing. Now, my balance?”Samuel transferred the money immediately. “Good work.”Back then, After Raymond successfully dragged Ava away, Samuel was just idly t
AVA POV“Are you nervous?”Mr. Daniel’s voice jolted me from my thoughts as the car cruised down the city street.“No,” I lied, gripping the edge of my seat so tightly my knuckles turned white.He chuckled, glancing at me. “You’re a terrible liar, Ava. Relax. This is just a business meeting.”“A business meeting that requires me to pretend to be someone’s fiancée,” I shot back, my voice edged with disbelief. “Feels like a little more than just business.”“Okay, fair point,” he said with a grin. “But come on, think about it. The money you’re getting for this is life-changing. No more scrubbing coffee machines for minimum wage, no more sleepless nights worrying about Annabel. This is your ticket to a better life for both of you.”I sighed, biting my lip at the mention of my daughter. He wasn’t wrong. That’s the only reason I agreed to this insane plan—to give her the life she deserved. One week ago, I’d sent her to stay with my mother, telling her it was temporary. Telling myself it was...
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