What would you do if your husband had an affair with a younger woman? In Riley Allen's case, she tried to salvage her marriage, but she quickly realized it was not worth fighting for. She gave up on her marriage and the career she carefully built. Riley figured that moving on was her sweet revenge. What better way to move on than to marry her ex-husband's past rival, Adrian King? With Adrian's help, Riley got her well-deserved vengeance. She felt she found a genuine ally in her new husband. Later, she uncovered Adrian's secrets—and they revolved around Riley. Will the secrets drive them apart, or will they seal the missing piece of their contract marriage? *** "Why did you marry me, Adrian? Answer me!" Riley demanded with tears in her eyes. Adrian looked at Riley and answered, "Because it was meant to be."
View MoreRiley was in a dream. She saw her young self sinking deep into the water, struggling to swim to the surface. Her dream quickly shifted to her body, lying on the beach with a handsome Adrian King above her. Adrian was leaning closer and was about to kiss her!***Riley jerked awake with her hand on her chest. She panted, and her heart was galloping wildly! She muttered, "That dream again."Two days had gone by since Riley discovered who truly was her mysterious savior seven years ago, and since then, she had dreamed about how it would have looked like if she was awake when Adrian performed CPR. "Dammit, Riley, it was CPR, not a kiss!" She scolded herself. Riley checked the time and was surprised to find herself awake at six a.m. She figured she could visit her mother early, so she bathed and changed quickly. Walking out of her room, she noticed Adrian's room was slightly open. She paused, thinking, 'Is he back?'Adrian had been away for two days. He said he would return today but m
Riley wasn't acting like herself after discovering that Adrian had saved her seven years ago. As they ate dinner, she kept stealing glances at Adrian but would avert her gaze when he looked up at her. Sadly for Riley, Adrian met her eyes towards the end of their late-night dinner. Riley swore she became restless. "Riley, I'll be out of town tomorrow for two days. There is a business deal that I need to attend to," Adrian revealed. "But when I return, I promise to spend more time with you.""We need to get to know each other," Adrian reminded her. "By the time I return, we will only have three weeks before my grandfather arrives.""I'm sorry that I have been busy lately, but this business deal is very important to me," Adrian revealed. "Is it at the hospital? I haven't seen you at the King's Medical Center either," Riley softly inquired. "No, it's something else. I'll tell you about it later," Adrian said. The two drank chamomile tea before Adrian suggested, "When I return, I want
Riley was stunned by Adrian's reply. She asked, "What?" "You see, two weeks after my surgery, my grandfather informed me of a package from Japan that had arrived in Halliport. I remembered you," Adrian recounted. His voice was calm, and he spoke unhurriedly. "So, when Brian called me next, I told him to give you one box of chocolate.""I told him the truth, that I rescued you from drowning," Adrian revealed. "But I forbade Brian from telling you it was me. I wanted to tell you personally.""However." Adrian sighed and explained, "Days later, I fully understood the gravity of my situation. I could no longer play basketball. I can't join marathons and that - that I might be stuck in a wheelchair all my life.""I lost interest in everything, Riley. So, when Brian and I next talked to each other, I told him to stop giving you chocolates and never tell you how I saved you. I told him I did not know when I could return to Halliport," Adrian informed. "Perhaps his actions were meant to cover
### FLASHBACK ###More than six years ago. Over the past few months, Riley's secret rescuer had given her four boxes of chocolate. After the first instance, she received her requested Matcha flavor a month later. From her marketing class, the following two chocolates were taped to her school locker.Each chocolate box had a friendly note. 2nd chocolate box: [Matcha. Your special request. Stay away from danger, Riley.]3rd chocolate box: [Just checking in on you, Riley.]4th chocolate box: [Glad you are not trying to kill yourself these days, Riley.]Sometimes, Riley thought her secret savior was acting like the big brother she never had. Nonetheless, she happily ate her treat each time she received one. Of course, she did not get any chocolates in each semester break. In the third semester of her second year in college, Riley walked into the university with people gossiping around. "Adrian King won't be back to school. He met an accident. They say he is going to be paralyzed.""No!
"Ri, is this hospital safe?" Renee asked while Riley was sketching another jewelry design.Riley raised a brow and asked, "Of course, Mom. Why did you ask?"Renee frowned and said, "I - I." She leaned back in her hospital bed and resumed, "Don't want another heart attack."Riley's mother spoke better now, but her voice was still weak. Hearing her mother's concern, she sat on the bed next to Renee and reassured, "We are in a new hospital, Mom. It's a safe and secure environment. No one from Brian's mistress will disturb us. And you have Miranda and Loraine, who are always here for you."Miranda and Loraine were Renee's caregivers. They took turns tending to Renee, especially when Riley was not around. "No one can enter?" Renee asked. "Yes, mom. Adr - I mean, I had given them specific instructions not to let anyone else enter your room," Riley revealed. "Rest assured, the hospital has stringent security measures in place. Only the necessary medical staff are allowed to see you."Renee
[Miss Allen, you must pick up your belongings, or Mr. Martin will throw them away.]On a Wednesday morning, Riley read the text from the Human Resource Department of Brey Jewelry & Apparel Co. She checked the wall clock and groaned, "Again. It's this room. It's making me oversleep."It was 10 AM. Ever since Riley moved into Adrian's home, she had been waking up late. "How could Brian be so heartless? Did he forget that I was his wife for four years? He cheated on me, divorced me, and now, he wants to throw away my things?" Riley muttered.She replied: [I'll pick up my things later today].Her dismissal was never formalized, so Riley never got to collect her belongings from the office. Riley hurriedly bathed and got changed. When she descended the stairs, she noticed Linda going over some photos on an old album from the living room. "Oh, Riley, good morning!" Linda greeted. "Good Morning, Aunt Linda." Riley looked around and asked, "Has Adrian left?"Riley hadn't seen Adrian for two
Back to the present. At King's Enterprises Headquarters. Adrian held his chin high as he moved his wheelchair into the conference room. There was an ongoing commotion, and he knew why. "This is the third project the ACE Construction Firm has taken from us.""Well, the same company owns a metal factory. It's understandable how they could offer a lower bid." "It isn't just the bid!" Adrian's father, Anthony King, said. "From what I have gathered, the ACE Construction Firm offered to redesign the Megaworld Entertainment Plaza. They found a fault in the initial design!""They gained favor because they went above and beyond their service!" Anthony added. "Why didn't we see that? Huh? Didn't we hire the best engineers? That is a hundred-billion-dollar project we lost!""Fredrick, Brett? Answer me!" Anthony questioned.Just then, Adrian appeared before them. His calm expression silenced everyone. He found his place, and Clint sat beside him. Then he asked, "I thought the meeting was at ei
###FLASHBACK ###Seven years ago, Halliport University participated in a clean-up drive by the beach. Many students signed up for it because it earned them extra credit. Riley and her friend Krista had just finished picking up trash by the shores when Riley said, "I could use a refreshing drink. Let's go to the bar!""Yeah, me too," Krista said. "Let's go!"Krista was an art student, just like Riley. They had many classes together, so Riley could say that Krista was one of her good friends in school. They had surrendered their collected trash to another school representative before going to the floating restaurant and bar. The bar was at the end of a long jetty, and many students made their way there, some walking while some riding their bikes. When Riley and her friend made it to the bar and restaurant, she bumped into two famous, celebrity-like men who were in their college: Adrian King and his friend, Brian Martin. By that time, Riley had already understood how famous they were.
### FLASHBACK CONTINUATION ###"In jewelry, one must make an impression," Adrian said during his presentation. "Stores must be located strategically at prime locations. Sales reps must be trained to know the quality of jewelry pieces. They must be presentable and know what best to recommend to clients..."When Adrian presented his marketing plan to the class, he received praise. It was great! However, his methods were traditional and only applicable to big companies, but what if you are still a start-up company?'Shops? sales reps?' Riley rolled her eyes while listening. 'I guess he is that rich.'Riley already knew that Adrian had spoken to the professor about working solo. Thus, she was off the hook for what she was about to do. She was determined to beat him at his own game. Adrian might be a business major student, but jewelry was her forte. When it was Riley's turn, she dressed in style and wore fashion jewelry. To encourage participation, she distributed fake paper money to the
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