MasukAlexis thought she had it all: a thriving career, a charming husband, and a Pinterest-worthy life. That was before she walked in on Kevin and Stephanie, her cousin sleeping together. Without an ounce of shame, Kevin files for divorce from her and takes her company as his draining all her accounts. Left with nothing but a broken heart and empty savings, she’s forced to start from scratch. Desperate to pay a loan shark and too broke , she lands a cleaning job at the Carter Penthouse. It’s not ideal—but it’s a paycheck. And the perfect place to plot her revenge. There she meets Pierce Carter a cold billionaire and devilishly handsome—and unfortunately, her new boss. He’s arrogant. She’s petty. He’s got issues. She’s got bills. When Pierce makes a ridiculous bet with his best friend that he can last a week without firing her, Alexis sees an opportunity: get fired, walk away with a small fortune. But just when they think they’ve rid themselves of each other, fate has other plans. Pierce needs a wife to claim his inheritance from his late father, and Alexis needs the ultimate revenge: showing up married to a billionaire hotter than Kevin could ever dream of. It’s the perfect solution… until real feelings start to get in the way. A fake marriage is born. The rule is simple: You can look but you can't touch. No love. But who will break it first?
Lihat lebih banyakAlexis.
I swiped the keycard through the lock, the green light flashing with an obedient click. The hotel door swung open, and I stepped inside. The room was dim, but not empty.
My heart sank.
There he was—my husband and his secretary on the bed, naked and having sex. They didn't even notice I was standing there.Idiots!
My mouth went dry. For a moment, all I could do was stare. My vision blurred with fury, betrayal clamping down on my chest. I reached into my bag, hands shaking, and yanked out the envelope the private investigator had sent me.
“You think I wouldn’t find out?” I snapped, my voice echoing too loud in the silent room. I threw the photos at him. They fluttered to the floor like ash. Proof of the lies, the cheating, the hours he claimed to be in meetings when he was really here.
He looked shocked, then angry. “Alexis—”
“Don’t,” I hissed, turning on my heel before he could touch me, before or lie again. I didn’t want his explanations or his voice in my head. I just wanted to be away from him.
I drove home in silence, all those promises— were nothing but a bed of lies.
As soon as I stepped inside the house we once called ours, the sobs tore out of me. I collapsed to the floor, my fists clenched, makeup staining my sleeves. But then, something in me snapped.
And I found myself laughing.
At how blind I’d been and at the irony of building an empire with someone who was already planning to take it away.
The front door opened behind me. I turned around.
“You had me followed!” his voice rang out, annoyed. Not an ounce of guilt
“You had me betrayed. Kevin, Stephanie?! Really?,” I bit back.
“ You know what, we're done, Alexis. I already filed for divorce. A month ago,” he added, walking over and throwing the paperwork onto the table like it was some final trump card.
My heart stilled. A month ago?
I picked up the papers with trembling hands and gasped.
What the hell! He was claiming the company!
“You can’t do this,” I said, stunned.
“I can. I invested in it. Just like I invested in this house. You wouldn't have had it without me.”
It felt like a hot slap. The way he said it—as if everything we’d built had only ever been his to begin with.
I didn’t scream or cry. Not in front of that stupid man.
~~~~~~
Apparently, getting your heart broken wasn’t dramatic enough for Kevin.
No, he had to kick me out too. And not in a subtle, “maybe you should pack a bag” kind of way.
My suitcase landed on the front steps away from the door. Then came the second bag. Then my shoes—one by one, like a sad parade of rejection.
I stood there, frozen, as Stephanie walked up the driveway.
That homewrecker barbie!
Waltzing in with her Louis Vuitton like she hadn’t just wrecked a marriage and a life. She stepped on my clothes—my favorite silk blouse, no less—and cackled like a witch.
“Oh no,” she said mockingly, not even looking at me, “didn’t know this came with a sidewalk fashion show.”
My husband, who once cried because I forgot to reply to his text was now laughing with the woman he cheated on me with—while I picked my underwear off the pavement.
I didn't say a word. I just picked up my things like a woman who refused to be broken in front of people who didn’t deserve the privilege.
I hailed a cab, holding back tears through the entire ride to a hotel. But the second I shut the door to that tiny room with the weird floral curtains and air conditioner that hummed louder than my self-esteem? I collapsed on the bed.
I finally let out an ugly, hiccuping snot cry.
Where did I go wrong?
I was the perfect wife. I cooked, cleaned, supported his stupid dream of turning our guest room into a cigar lounge. I even pretended to care about his crypto obsession.
I gave everything—my time, my love, my ideas. I built a business from scratch while he strutted around pretending he was the brains behind it all. And now, he gets to keep the house and the secretary too?!
Was it because I didn’t want to have kids yet? Or the fact that I wasn’t ready to give up my career to play needy wife?
I stared at the cracked hotel ceiling.
Turns out betrayal doesn’t just break your heart—it empties your bank account, too.
Kevin, in his infinite pettiness, had wiped my accounts clean. Every cent and savings gone.
Luckily, I had a secret stash—a dusty little private account I hadn’t touched in years. Just enough for few month’s rent on a shoebox apartment that came with haunted house vibes.
~~~~
Six months later on new years eve, I went out to the river.
I stripped naked and walked into the water like some naked forest nymph having a mental breakdown. It was cold, dark and quiet. The kind that makes you ask hard questions—Do I want to die? Or do I just want to feel something real?
The water didn’t answer. But it didn’t drown me either. Which I took as a sign.
I stood there, letting the river wash off the pain, the anger, the sticky guilt of wondering if this was all my fault. Then walked out of the river.
Crack!
A twig snapped somewhere in the woods.
I froze.
“Damn,” I whispered to myself. “Now I’m about to get murdered naked. Perfect storyline to a tragic murder docu-series. ”
But no one is on sight. Just the wind and my reading heart.
I walked out, dried off, and promised myself one thing: If I was going to rebuild my life, it wasn’t going to be with tears.
~~~~~
The next morning, I landed a job.
A cleaning gig in a penthouse.
I didn’t care that it was a fall from grace. It was a job and a chance for new start. And honestly, I was kinda ready to scrub someone else’s toilet if it meant eating something better than instant noodles. I'm two months late on rent, I've been playing cat and mouse with my landlord.
I got up early, dressed in my nicest “not so depressed” outfit, and hit the road. Coffee in hand, music blaring, I even caught myself singing.
Then Swoosh! A blood-red Ferrari nearly sideswiped me into oblivion.
“What the actual—?!” I screamed, swerving back into my lane like a pro.
As fate would have it, there was a red light ahead. I pulled up next to the idiot, rolled down my window—ready to deliver a lecture on reckless driving.
The driver rolled his down too.
And my words caught.
Because this man was hot enough to make bad decisions for. Like Greek god in a suit kind hot. Hair tousled just right. Jawline sharp enough to slice bread, he donned a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
He looked at me like I was the problem. “Maybe stick to riding a bus if you can’t handle the road little girl.”
I blinked. Then narrowed my eyes. “Fuck you. Douchebag!”
He smirked.
And with that, he sped off, his stupid sexy car growling like a dragon.
I sat there gritting my teeth. “Why are rich, handsome men so allergic to humility?”
The light turned green. I exhaled and drove off. Not today satan!
Today, I was going to my first decent job in Manhattan.
Who knows.
I might end up married to a billionaire.
AlexisI stirred the porridge slowly, the thick mixture bubbling as Sierra leaned on the counter, munching an apple and watching me with a smile.“You seem so happy. Looks like Pierce’s pheromones must’ve done wonders,”she said.I chuckled, shaking my head. “It’s not that. I’m just happy he smiled. Last night, he ate like he hadn’t touched food in days.” I paused, feeling a soft warmth bloom in my chest. “He’s grieving, but to see him slowly coming back to himself it’s special. He’s learning to love himself again.”“You’re an amazing person, Lexi. You know that, right?”She quipped. I added a squeeze of lemon juice into the pot, letting the tart scent lift as the porridge simmered. Stepping back, I wiped my hands and turned to her. “How did it go with Cassie?”I asked. Sierra bit into her apple. “Oh, she freaked. She totally lost it when someone sent her Wayne’s head and his little dick taped on his
Pierce.I stared at the fresh graves. I didn’t care about them. I walked past my mother’s and uncle’s resting places without a glance.Instead, I made my way to my father’s and grandfather’s graves.I didn’t want my men near me. I just wanted to sit here and feel nothing.The marble was cold beneath me as I traced the golden letters. Sir Daniel Carter.The man my uncle murdered by crashing his plane. The same way I took his life by shooting his plane down without blinking. An eye for an eye.I warned him when I told him I wasn’t my father who, was way too forgiving. He thought I was bluffing. The clouds groaned overhead before the rain fell, pounding and drenching me to the bone. But I didn’t feel it.I spoke to the man beneath me or maybe to myself.“I’m the only Carter left, Dad. I did it. I got rid of them. Both of them.” I flicked my eyes toward my mother’s grave.“I don’t know if I shoul
Alexis I wanted to restart my life.Not because I wasn’t grateful for what I’d been given. But I needed something that was mine. Like my own business.Practice law, no thanks. After what happened with my last relationship. I couldn’t stand the thought of stepping back into that world.Maybe something simple that would make me happy.A café with Sierra sounded perfect.We’d been scouting locations all week. A cozy little spot facing a calm, busy neighborhood. The kind of place where people lingered over coffee and gossip.“What about this place? It looks so cozy,” Sierra grinned as we sat at dinner, scrolling through listings.I glanced at the screen. It had big windows, decent foot traffic, and a cute little patio.“I like it. Find out what the rent is. We’ll take it.”I said. “Yay,” she squealed excitedly. While she went to shower, I did the dishes, humming to myself.The doorbell rang, my heart skipped. Every time it went off, I hoped it was him.The house was massive, maybe too b
Alexis.The funeral was too formal.Media cameras clicked everywhere, flashing like this was some goddamn red carpet. Strangers hovered around, whispering and sobbing. Some woman I didn’t recognize bawled harder than anyone.I didn’t care because I wasn’t here to mourn that b!tch. I was here to look fashionably happy she's dead. My black Alexander McQueen dress fit perfectly. It had a high neck and long sleeves. The Christian Louboutins clicked softly as I walked. Sierra went with a simple pencil skirt, fitting dark top and Ray-Bans that gave her that, don’t mess with me edge.Paparazzi lenses flicked toward us. They better get my angles right. Flashes came in one after the other, you'd think it's the MET with Sierra and I as the guests.Inside the chapel, people already settled. At the front, two caskets rested side by side. One black and the other brown, both closed. Photos of Marissa and Luciano framed them. T
Alexis.The door clicked open, right on cue. I casually opened the fridge, trying to look as natural as possible, pretending to search for something. My heart raced as I imagined Pierce’s eyes behind me, undressing me in his mind. Except... my carefully rehearsed plan unraveled quickly.An apple
Alexis. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be sitting at a dinner table with mafia kings in a see-through lace dress, no less. I would’ve laughed, poured another glass of wine, and called them stupid. Yet here I was. The long mahogany dining table stretched out like something out of a c
Alexis.The clink of our wine glasses echoed through the room, followed by our laughter. Sierra clapped her hands, cheeks flushed from the wine. “I still can’t believe you actually flipped him off,” she said, smiling widely.“He deserved it,” I replied with a shrug, feeling the warmth of both the
Alexis.I leaned back in the oversized tub as warm water hugged my skin and rippled gently. Outside the window, pine trees swayed in the wind.The bath salts made everything soft. But there was a sensation curling beneath my tummy. Must be the salts and essential oils kicking in.I closed my eyes a






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