contractmarriage

"So naive, Melanie. So stupid." Those were the last words I heard before a bullet ended my life. Betrayed by my best friend and murdered by the man she loved, I thought the darkness of death was final. Instead, I woke up inside a web novel. Not as the beloved heroine. Not even as a lucky side character. I opened my eyes as **Seraphina Helene Valemont**—the spoiled, doomed villainess destined to be brutally executed for treason by her own husband, the notoriously cold and terrifying Duke Draven Everfrost. Armed with complete knowledge of the original plot, my survival strategy was simple: 1. Avoid making fatal mistakes. 2. Avoid the high-society enemies. 3. Above all else, **AVOID THE DUKE.** Except, the story refuses to follow the script. The monstrous Duke who was supposed to despise me is suddenly dragging me out of blood wars, tossing me swords to fight my own battles, and lazily controlling my limbs with dark magic just to mock my executioners. The events I memorized by heart are fracturing. Deeply buried political secrets are clawing their way to the surface, and the future I relied on changes with every passing sunrise. As deadly conspiracies threaten the empire and old legends refuse to stay buried, I am caught between a fate I desperately need to escape… and a demon masquerading as a man whom I was never supposed to trust. But the deeper I dig into the dark history of the North, the more terrifying one question becomes: *What if the most dangerous thing in this story was never the villainess?* Because some monsters are not born. Some monsters choose to chain themselves. And some names should have remained forgotten. **[MISSION UPDATE: SURVIVE.]** **[WARNING: ORIGINAL STORYLINE HAS DEVIATED.]** **[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.]** **[CURRENT RISK LEVEL: CRITICAL.]** --- **~Author's Note:~** *First time writing a long, serialized story! Thank you so much for your patience, support, and love while I learn, improve, and build this world!* **THE READER'S PACT ** * **35 FREE CHAPTERS.** 0 excuses. Jump straight into the chaos! * **Kindly add this book to your Library** and Draven will personally protect you from Stephen's schemes. * Refuse... and Malaki wins. The choice is yours. ** THE VOTE REWARDS ** * **Power Stones** = Extra bonus chapters unlocked! * **Golden Tickets** = Mass chapter drops to satisfy your binge-reading! This is my official **WSA 2026** entry. Vote for the Everfrosts today... or watch Stephen try his luck again. **[Daily Chapter Releases — Never Miss a Beat]** **Connect with the Lore:** Instagram: **@merah_writes** TikTok: **@merah_writes**

"Desperation made him marry his cold boss!" --- By day, Adrian Cole is nothing more than a quiet shadow in the glittering empire of Alexander Devereux—the billionaire CEO whose power stretches across cities. As his secretary, Adrian fetches coffee, files documents, and hides his forbidden desire behind lowered lashes, knowing that attraction is dangerous when survival is his only priority. But by night, Adrian becomes Adrienne—the mysterious, breathtaking escort whispered about in elite circles. Draped in silk and secrets, Adrienne enchants the city’s most powerful men, earning what Adrian desperately needs to keep his mother alive. Until one night, everything shatters. The client waiting for Adrienne… is none other than Alexander Devereux. What Adrian doesn’t know is that Alexander carries secrets of his own. With his powerful mother demanding he marry to secure the Devereux legacy, Alexander needs a wife—a perfect society bride to silence scandal and fulfill duty. Love is a weakness. A plague. All he needs is a wife. But instead, Alexander finds himself captivated by the one woman who doesn’t exist. To protect his empire, he makes a ruthless offer: Adrienne will become his wife, his public mask, his possession. Now Adrian is caught in a dangerous masquerade. By day, he is the overlooked secretary Alexander barely notices. By night, he is the obsession Alexander cannot release—the false bride Alexander plans to parade before the world. How long can Adrian balance the fragile lies before desire burns through the mask—and Alexander discovers the truth? As deception twists into longing and duty ignites forbidden passion, Adrian may have started this game to survive… but Alexander plays to win.

Three years of devotion. Three years of loving Julian with everything she had. Only to be framed for a divorce and personally sent to prison by him. "I didn't kill her," Evelyn begged. "I didn't kill the woman you love." "I don't believe you." Facing a death sentence with no one to turn to, Evelyn made the most desperate choice of her life — she threw herself at the one person Julian would never forgive. His younger brother. "Get me pregnant. Please. It's the only way I survive." Because pregnant women are not subject to the death penalty. By the time the truth surfaced and Julian realized the woman he destroyed was innocent, it was already too late. He dropped to his knees. "Eve, I was wrong. Give me one more chance." A hand caught his wrist before he could touch her. "She's already my wife, brother."

Julian Winslow, the leader of the Winslow Conglomerate, appears gentle and refined on the outside, but is in fact scheming and cold-blooded. Sam Hughes, an orphan abandoned by her family, is a social butterfly in high society, flitting among numerous men, yet never giving her heart away. His encounter with her was a twist of fate, an inescapable destiny. He married her, pampered her, and spoiled her. He meticulously plotted every step against her, exhausting all schemes and vowing to lock her by his side, even going so far as to use their child as bait to trap her. Then came the night his first love and Sam were taken by the same kidnappers, and Julian had to choose. He chose his first love. Sam and her captors went over the edge of a cliff. When he heard the news of her death, his gentle and refined face remained calm and composed, and he only said 2 words: "I know." But did he? Did he really know what he had just lost — or what was coming next?

Before marrying Silas, Joyce had only met him three times. A marriage of convenience, a secret agreement, for a term of three years. She's fresh off a heartbreak — the man she chased for years told her they "weren't a good match." Silas has his own baggage: rumor says he's still hung up on a white moonlight who happens to look just like Joyce. So that's all she is. A substitute. ** In the second year of their marriage, on Joyce's birthday, she drank too much and, in front of everyone, tugged on his tie, pinning him underneath her: "You look... a lot like my husband." The Thorne family's second master, known for being rational and unfeeling, was flustered by her that night. He leaned in close to her ear and coaxed in a low voice, "Be good." The next day Joyce woke up to find her lips were swollen. This… Who did this! When she went to question him, she discovered Silas's lip was bitten. He stared at her and said slowly, "You crossed the line first." ** The scandal leaked. At a party, her ex-boyfriend stepped in: "She's mine. Who dares talk?" Then Silas walked in. The room went silent. "Yours? Since when?" "Joyce, tell me. Whose are you?" So much for the secret marriage. So much for being a substitute. This was supposed to be fake… wasn't it?

"And now for our final auction item!" Inside the underground auction house, the host's impassioned voice rang out, the entire venue suddenly went dark, a moment later...

On the first day Eve Sherman was taken back by her biological parents, she was forced to marry a man she had never met. After marriage, the two lived separately and didn't interfere with each other. Two years later, Eve Sherman got a promotion and heard that her company's CEO married young and spoiled his wife excessively. However, little did she know, the often-envied CEO's wife turned out to be none other than herself…

On the day she went to get her marriage certificate, she got dumped! Her love rival pompously gloated about their live with lewd photos. In a fit of anger, she dragged an unmarried middle-aged man into the civil affairs bureau. “Mister, they said I have a flat chest?” “It’s alright as long as I like it.” “...” “Mister, they all said you like fair-skinned curvy and long-legged beautiful women?” “I like flat-chested short-legged women.” “...” He was Jin City’s ruthless and resolute business tycoon. He was cold-blooded and emotionless, yet he doted on his coquettish wife that was ten years his junior! People asked, what is your secret method to doting on your wife?” “Lover her, love her, passionately love her!” “...”

At twenty, she had a child in secret. At twenty-two, she was discreetly married into a wealthy family. Qin Mu lost her mother at the age of seven and was sent abroad by her unscrupulous father when she was only eight. Little did she expect her future to be so bright, she decided to climb up on Mu General's shoulders with great strides. Mu Yichen went from being Rongcheng's top heartthrob to its youngest tycoon—arrogant and wise, unfathomable, yet he somehow fell into the hands of a little lass. —— About marriage. "Mu Yichen, we are just—friends!" "That can't be the reason you reject me!" Qin Mu was scared stiff, as Mu General rudely carried her off to the marriage registration office, to sign, to stamp, to get the certificate! —— Hidden marriage for too long. "If you say our daughter is adopted from the orphanage, I won't argue with you, but when will you make me public?" In broad daylight, Mu General pinned Mrs. Mu against the corner wall, threatening her with a devilish charm. "Depends on your performance!" Mrs. Mu smirked, and the next moment, she counterattacked Mu General. "Quick, cover your eyes!" Mu Baby, who had been ignored on the side, immediately covered her eyes.

"Girl, dare to run away again, I dare you!" By a stroke of misfortune, she has offended the most respected man in Jin City. From then on, she became the treasure he held in the palm of his hand. The him in the eyes of the world: Arrogant, dominant, cold, apathetic towards women, beyond doubt! The him in her eyes: Evil, sly, and cunning

The first time they meet, she bumps into him. The second time they meet, she agrees to a marriage contract in exchange for his help in her bid for revenge. But... he becomes addicted to loving her. During his first attempt, he flies a helicopter domineeringly; in his second attempt, he arrogantly removes all his love rivals; in his third attempt, he tries to tie her down using a cute child. Youxuan replies with a plain resounding 'no' all three times. In the end, Shan Hanjie takes one look at her, grits his teeth, and plops onto the ground. "Babe, you dropped your prince charming, please bring him home!"

Ousted by her stepmother and overshadowed by her envious stepsister, the fallen heiress embarks on a contract marriage with a tycoon who holds the key to reclaiming her rightful place. As family feuds escalate, she fights back with her reluctant ally, turning the tables on deceit and securing her mother's safety. The plan was a clean break after a fake wedding, but he clung on and refused to let go. Staring at the man beside her, she felt a throbbing headache: "Sir, we really don't match..." "I don't think so!" He raised an eyebrow and backed her into a corner. The next day, she fled with a sore back. He made a call: "The little wild cat has run away again, lock down the airport immediately!"

"Wife! Come here!" "No!" She always thought he was aloof, but after getting the marriage certificate, the aloof military king immediately transformed into a wife-doting maniac. The husband indulges his wife in countless ways, Lily Turner finds it extremely exhausting, her protests go unheard, her pleas are ineffective, she wants to escape, but whenever she tries to climb the wall, it rises higher, leaving her in tears! When asked about the reason for his limitless indulgence, the young master responds astonishingly, "The one who dared to trick me into marriage, it's only her!" The woman beside him rolls her eyes at him: she is the one who got deceived, okay?

Cordelia is overjoyed as her favorite novel comes to a close with a staggering 2000 chapters, but just as she is about to read the last chapter that would unveil the mysterious plot, tragedy strikes and, in a twist of fate, she dies. She opens her eyes in an unfamiliar place but finds her mouth closed by an oxygen mask as her vision turns blurry once again. Before she can comprehend anything, she is thrust down the stairs but is mystically teleported out in the so-called 'Summoning Process'. "What? This is the world of 'The Mary Sue's Secret Lover'!!!!!!" She screamed as soon as she comes to her senses. —————————— Excerpt- Cordelia, after accepting the gripping reality that she has been transmigrated as an extra fated to die into her favorite novel, is determined to stay alive and live her life to the fullest. 'Don't worry, I will make sure that they pay for what they did to you', she promised the original Cordelia. "Sign this," demanded the cold voice of the man in front of her, also bringing her out of her reverie. Heir of the Bayer Clan, Juder Bayer, a billionaire, single, and not interested in having a woman in his life. "A marriage contract?" Cordelia voiced rhetorically as she perused the contract. "Alright," she signs it while inwardly thinking, 'This is my best bet to survive'. Yet right when she talks about divorce, she finds herself unable to continue. "Divorce? Who said you could leave, woman?" He domineeringly mocks her, pushing her to the bed. She finds herself at a crossroads, questioning his actions. Just… Why is this unlucky star of a cold husband trying so hard to chase her? Stop sucking my life force already! Our marriage is only a contract! I want to divorce! —————————— As a newbie author whose first language isn't english, I hope you all can forgive my mistakes and help me improve with your feedback!! PS: The FL will be fierce, not just in front of other but also the ML. She wouldn't blush just coz she got pushed at the wall by a handsome man!! That's a no go!! Nor will she stand for idiots and would much rather find the truth than trust others! And since I hate misunderstanding, angst, and a lot of things, be ready for a roller coster ride if you sign up for reading this novel. It's going to be a fun ride!! ///////////////////////////////////// The cover is AI-generated. I am new to this, so any help and advice is much appreciated. Also, this is my entry to the Cupid Quill contest, so any support is much appreciated!!

Ms. Scott used to have a terrible reputation, and nobody wanted to marry her. She had no choice but to find herself a temporary husband. They agreed this was only an act, but why did this man follow her around all day long? "Honey, it's too cold tonight. I want to hold you while we sleep..." After getting married, Ms. Scott was no longer bullied. In fact, the tables had turned. Those who bullied her had no choice but to apologize to her for what they did in the past. Just as she sighed in relief and was prepared to get a divorce, he pulled her into his arms. "Honey, who else bullied you in the past? I'll deal with them. You can do whatever you want. I'll always support you. Don't worry. "Hmm. I guess the divorce isn't going to work out. There was also a child who wrapped his arms around her legs and called her Mommy. Could anybody tell her when she gave birth to a child?

In my real life, I was happy fawning over Abel Louvremont, the main character of my favorite book ‘Persona.’ But after a fateful car accident, I woke up in ‘Persona,’ but when Abel is still a precious child. Now, as Aisha Heathcliff, I can fangirl adorable Abel up close, squee!! I’ll do anything I can to make sure he is taken care of and gets what he needs! And, somehow, that means I’m engaged to... his dad?!

DARK BARGAIN The Wolf’s Bride Her father sells Rose to a monster. The beast calls her bride—then bows as if she is royalty and whispers, “Found you." At sixteen, Rose is traded to Prince Lucien to save her dying sister, the one person she cannot bear to lose. Hidden in an ancient forest, Lucien’s mansion holds a vanished bride, a locked west wing, and a silver collar restraining something monstrous. By night, Lucien becomes a black wolf. Beautiful, cold, impossibly old, and somehow familiar with Rose’s name, he claims to protect her while watching her like prey. He offers tenderness with one hand and tightens the leash with the other, insisting he wants only what was promised—though every glance suggests he has awaited Rose long before she was born. As their dangerous attraction grows, Rose uncovers a buried bargain, a blood curse, and a ritual planned for the next full moon. Lucien says it will save them both, but refuses to name the price. Her blood may free him, yet kill her—and leave her sister without the cure Rose was promised. Someone is lying. Perhaps Lucien is telling the truth in the most dangerous way possible: giving Rose just enough of it to make surrender feel like her own idea. Before the altar claims her, Rose must learn why she was chosen and decide whether saving her sister is worth surrendering her freedom, her future, and the part of herself Lucien is awakening. He may want her heart, her blood, or both—and the more fiercely he tempts her to trust him, the less certain she becomes that his desire is a weakness she can use. She must choose whom to betray, and whether the monster she fears is the only one who has ever offered her a choice. Some bargains are inherited. The most dangerous are made before you’re born.

This book has two volumes. VOLUME ONE: Derek & Kira's story VOLUME TWO: Kai & Jessica's story Kira has spent her life believing she's cursed - a wolfless embarrassment her father barely tolerates. But when she's forced into a contract marriage with the cold and terrifying Lycan King, she learns the truth is far more deadly. *** Derek Wolfe didn't ask for a wife, just a womb for his heir. Emotionless, merciless, and built entirely from brooding muscle and trauma, the Lycan King intends to use her, then send her back where she came from. But when an assassination attempt exposes the lies surrounding her birth, he realises he's married something far more dangerous than a powerless girl. P.S: This is a slow-burn love story.

Kind Reminder: This is a fanfiction book,it's not written by Lara Flores,this is my own Pov and lastly Thanks for your understanding

(Daily updates for September) ***fixing the files, do not open the priv**** Silas knew that being born as an omega meant his life wouldn't have many choices—unless you came from a privileged family, where your trait didn't matter and you could live comfortably. When a baron adopted him, Silas saw a glimmer of hope and vowed to repay the man he called father. However, though it was better than life in the orphanage, Silas knew he would never truly belong to the family. He was groomed to obey, and his adoptive father planned to use him to expand connections with noble families. As he grew older, his father repeatedly offered him in marriage to the son of a grand duke, an alpha, only to be rejected every single time. Eventually, just before the grand duke's son left for military service, his father received an answer: the grand duke's son agreed to the connection—but only on the condition that Silas would be a consort. It wasn't uncommon for alphas to have multiple consorts, though it wasn't what Silas desired. Still, as an omega, this was the only way he could repay the baron's kindness. * Silas remembered what Alric was like back when they were at the academy. Cold, quiet, and someone who despised omegas. He knew what kind of fate awaited him and gave up on the kind of love he often read about in books. After all, real life wasn't the same as the fantasies penned by writers. Instead, Silas decided to prepare himself for decorating the "cage" he would live in—a life filled with the constant refrain of "at least, at least, at least." He would get used to it. He had to. But something felt different. Why was Alric treating him so differently now compared to the way he had back in school? Alric's eyes were filled with a tenderness and sorrow that Silas couldn't understand. It was the kind of look that made Silas want to hold him close. — (Read the info for more additions)