Elise Stanton has one dream: to study medicine. When she earns a coveted spot in medical school, her future seems bright—until her parents present her with an ultimatum. The only way they’ll pay her tuition is if she marries Alejandro Mendoza, the disabled heir to a powerful family. “Marry a stranger for money? Is that the price of my freedom?” Elise protests, her voice trembling with frustration. “Clara gets her luxuries handed to her, but I have to sell my life to pursue my dream?” In her family’s eyes, she is always second-best, a shadow to her younger sister, Clara. Left with no other choice, Elise agrees to her parents’ condition. Then she meets Alejandro Mendoza. Confined to a wheelchair, Alejandro is bitter and guarded, his piercing gaze a wall against the world. But when Elise examines his condition, her sharp medical instincts kick in. “The doctors had a wrong diagnosis,” she insists. “Your condition is reversible.” Alejandro narrows his eyes. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?” Her answer is simple: “I’ll help you recover, and when you can walk again, this marriage ends.”
View MoreSeeing the food initially, she had thought that she would take just three spoons and bring up an attitude about why she didn’t want to eat. Instead, she cleared every single thing on the plate, and the only thing that kept her from asking for more was the fear of seeming like a glutton.Alejandro must have noticed because a knowing smirk tugged at his lips as she cleared everything. “I’ll take that as a thank you for making me eat,” he murmured, setting the empty dish aside.Elise stiffened. “I wasn’t that hungry, I just did not want to waste food” she muttered, turning her face away.“Sure you weren’t.” His deep chuckle made her feel uneasy and she almost began regretting why she had not kept up with the not wanting to eat act.Before she could muster a comeback, Alejandro shifted, guiding her to lean back against the headrest. She blinked in confusion as he reached for her foot, pulling it gently onto his lap.“What are you doing?” Elise probed, blinking as she tried to raise hersel
As soon as Alejandro scooped Elise into his arms, sweat beads began to form on her face. There was no way Alejandro was supposed to know that she was not sick, and had only faked it. If he did, then she was scared of the issue that could come out of it. But as the warmth of his body pressed against her, a strange weakness settled in her limbs, her head feeling heavier than before.Putting her shame aside, and left with no other option, she burst out in tears, surprising Alejandro and Diane.Thankfully, the rest of Alejandro’s men had gone away. A frown formed on his forehead as he looked at her. “What is the problem?” He probed as he dropped her down.Elise was still faking tears, and to her luck, her body cooperated as it began to color red. By this time, Alejandro was really worried. “Lily, please tell me what the issue is. You are making me scared.”She finally wiped her face after being convinced that she had gotten his attention enough. Even that small movement made her fingers
Back at the store, Diane twirled the shopping bag in her hand as she waited for Elise to return. She had picked a couple of clothes that she liked, and what was left was for Elise to pay as she promised. Undeniably, Elise had spent some time and it was already beginning to worry Diane. But she stayed put, lightly tapping the bag against her legs. A few more minutes and she would check for her. But before she counted to 10, the door of the dressing room opened and Elise stepped out. Contrasting how she had walked in, she looked dull. But Diane ignored it anyway and rushed to her. “Do you like the dress?” Immediately she reached her, she probed. Her lips were still curved in excitement as she waited for a response. Elise blinked, raising her face to her. “Huh?”“I mean, the one you went to try on.” “Right! The dress.” Her mind took a second to process the question and it was only then that she realized that she had not even come out of the room with it. “Umm…” she stuttered slowl
Elise felt her breath hitch. Her mind scrambled to process Lena’s words, but they settled like ice in her veins, causing her to feel numb.Murder? Clara had committed murder?Her fingers tightened against the fabric of her dress as her stomach twisted painfully. “What… what are you saying?” Lena watched her, unsure if she had done the right thing by informing her. “Clara committed murder,” she replied. “I saw it happen.”Elise shook her head, willing herself to think. Her memories of Clara were many things. Yes, it was bitter, frustrating, and even painful. She was always the daughter their parents prioritized and revered but murder? “It’s not possible. You are lying to me.” She forced out. “Clara… she can’t… you are lying.”“I would gain nothing if I lie about this to you. Your sister was young, and I know she did not understand the consequences of what she had done. But your parents understood it perfectly.”“I don’t understand. Tell me, how did everything happen?”“I’m not clear
Diane was practically buzzing with excitement as she helped Elise get ready. It was well known that she was always energetic and cheerful, but today there was an extra excitement to it that topped up the whole icing. “Ma’am, when I heard the talk about it, I was so so excited. It even made me jump out of bed.” “Mmm…” Elise smiled. “And the sweetest part, you are going shopping today. I think today is so blessed. Everything began to feel right from the day you sat in that garden.”She suddenly turned her face to Elise as if a realization had hit her. “Wow,” she mouthed. “Is something good happening in your horoscope? It feels like it.”“Okay, that’s enough.” Elise shook her head with a light chuckle. Quickly, Diane placed her hand on her lips. “I am sorry, I know I talk too much. I’m sorry, I will just prepare your bath.”“Yeah, you should.” Elise nodded. She enjoyed it when Diane talked, though it got uncomfortable for her a few times. Yet, she was grateful for Alejandro’s choice
Elise hesitated before speaking, fully aware that asking to leave the mansion would tip the fragile balance she and Alejandro had managed to establish. Still, she wanted to do it. Meeting Lena was important.Alejandro, who had just finished fastening the cuff of his sleeve, stilled. Before Elise woke up, he had already freshened up and dressed, knowing he had to be at the company’s building. His gaze moved toward her, blank.“You want to leave the mansion. Is there a problem?”Elise shook her head. “No.”“Where do you want to go to?”Alejandro had not outrightly refused, but it was as if Elise was expecting him to. Informing him was just a formality, a due process that she was trying to fulfill as she was always under his watch. But if he said no, she was going to switch to plan B, though she knew it would not help the small trust he was beginning to build in her.Her fingers fiddled with the sheets as she tried to cook up a lie. “I just wanted to shop for a bit. And I think I need th
The morning light from the sun’s rising barely entered through the curtains when Alejandro finally stood from his chair. The chair he had stayed on all night.He had not slept well and had not even tried. He had stayed by Elise’s side through the night, watching her and listening to the sound of her soft breathing to make sure she was okay.Now, as he moved his gaze down at her, he felt a strange pull in his chest. Her face was peaceful, and completely unbothered from everything that had happened the previous day.A part of him wished she could stay like that forever, not asleep exactly but without any problems and situations to make her sad. But he knew sadly well that once she woke up, real life would come rushing back. And maybe not in the most amazing way. Letting out a soft exhale, Alejandro quietly left the bedroom. He could not promise Elise the most amazing life or a problem-free life, but he could play the most part to keep her happy. Shaking his head, he confirmed his tho
Elise could not think, as the world narrowed to the warmth of his body. Alejandro pressed kisses along her chest, her stomach, and further down until she cried out beneath him. Just as her world began to spin out of control, Alejandro abruptly pulled back. “Damn it,” he growled, raking a hand through his damp hair. Elise blinked up at him, breathless and relieved as he stood abruptly and backed away from the bed as if he had burned himself. What the hell was he doing? Alejandro stumbled back toward the balcony, shoving a hand into his pocket and pulling out a cigarette and lighter. It had barely taken a puff from it when a voice called his attention. “Sir?” Alejandro stiffened for a moment as Lucas appeared at the doorway, his eyes flicking from Alejandro to the cigarette in his hand and his brow furrowed. “Sir, you want to stay away from that.” His hand tightened around the cigarette as his gaze moved toward the place where Lucas stood, then back at the cigarette before he th
The slam of the front door echoed through the mansion as Alejandro stormed inside, dragging Elise behind him.His grip on her waist was firm, but at this point, she had gotten too exhausted to protest. Plus she partly felt like her actions had stressed him out too much. She had noticed how Alejandro drew in a sharp breath and hissed through his teeth as if he was holding himself back from exploding. And her chest ached so much that somehow she had contributed to it. She should have just followed her instincts and not attended the party. Plus Alejandro should not have pushed it.Everything that had gone wrong that night happened too fast, and knowing who orchestrated it made it even worse. When Elise settled within herself to attend the party, the worst she thought could go wrong was Clara throwing a tantrum. Which already happened, and partly left her unscarred. Fortunately. Somehow, she had relaxed herself too much after it, and then everything spiraled downwards and out of contr
“Mom, Dad… please. The admissions are open, and I passed. Please help me with $20,000 so I can pay my school fees and secure my admission spot,” Elise said, her voice trembling as she knelt on the cold, tiled floor of the living room. Her clasped hands and pleading eyes showed how much she needed their help. Margaret, her mother, barely looked up from her magazine, as she continued flipping a page with a bored expression. Her father’s gaze shifted briefly to her, but the indifference in his eyes felt worse than outrightly saying no. “We’ll give you the money,” her father, Charles, said at last, setting down his coffee cup. Relief washed over Elise, but it was fleeting and only for a moment. “On one condition,” he added, his voice sharp. “You’ll marry Alejandro Mendoza.” The words hit Elise like a slap. She froze, her heart sinking as she processed what he’d said. “What are you saying, Father?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Marry? But I don’t even know him! Father, d...
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