THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND WIFE

THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND WIFE

riley's pen

5.0
Comment(s)
9
View
19
Chapters

I never imagined I'd marry a billionaire. Especially not him cold, controlled, emotionally unavailable. He needed a wife. I needed a miracle. It was supposed to be a business deal-no feelings, no strings. But then I started to see the cracks in his perfect world. Behind his frozen mask was a man scarred by loss, haunted by secrets. And when the past came knocking... it wasn't his first wife who was the biggest threat to our fragile bond. It was the truth. This is the story of how I became a billionaire's second wife and how it nearly destroyed me.

THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND WIFE Chapter 1 IVY MORGAN'S POV

"You know that rent is to be paid in just two days, right?"

I fixated on the flickering cursor on my laptop, attempting to drown out the sound of my roommate's voice.

"Morgan," she called, her tone climbing like a teenager caught sneaking in after curfew, stretching my last name like a rubber band about to snap.

Inhaled deeply, bracing myself. "Yes. I know."

"Then why are you rewriting the same sentence for the fourth time?"

"Because it sounds like crap," I muttered.

"You're not Hemingway. Hit submit and pray."

I blinked hard and pressed the spacebar a few times. The freelance piece I'd promised an editor two weeks ago still looked like a high school essay. No flow. No soul. No chance of being paid.

"I have thirty-two dollars in my account," I said.

"Twelve," she corrected. "You Venmo'd me for coffee yesterday."

I closed the laptop. "Right."

Ashley tossed herself on the couch across from me. "Ivy, we need to talk options. That rich-people dating site you signed up for? Maybe it's time to use it."

"I will not."

She looked at me, her expression sullen "You said if you hit rock bottom-"

"I'm not dating a millionaire for rent money."

"He's a billionaire, actually."

I groaned. "God. You're the devil."

Ashley smirked. "A broke devil with a good memory. He dropped a message again, didn't he?"

I did not want to dwell on it. The app was meant to be a joke. A game. Swipe, screenshot, laugh. But he hadn't been like the others. No shirtless gym selfies. No yachts. No weird age-gap comments.

His profile just said: Nicholas. 38. CEO. Looking for someone who knows how to keep a secret.

It should have been a red flag. But it intrigued me instead.

"I deleted the app," I said.

"You're lying."

"I archived the app."

Ashley smiled like she won the lottery. "So message him."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to sell myself."

"You wouldn't be selling yourself. You'd be... temporarily leasing your company."

I laughed despite myself. "You're so gross."

She leaned forward, suddenly serious. "Ivy, I know you. You're about to get evicted. You're eating saltines for dinner. You haven't called your mom in two weeks because you're too proud to ask for help. And here you are, being all noble, while the universe is offering you a lifeline in the form of a sexy mysterious billionaire."

"You don't know that he's sexy."

Ashley opened her phone. "Let's check."

"No. Don't-"

Too late. She pulled up his profile like a weapon. And there it was. That same photo I hadn't been able to forget.

Dark suit. Crisp tie. Sharp jawline. Cold gray eyes. No smile.

He looked... expensive.

"Yeah," Ashley said slowly, studying the photo. "That man has definitely committed tax fraud. And maybe a little murder. But in a hot way."

I reached for her phone and scrolled.

There was a message.

Nicholas Thorne: I'd like to meet. Discretion matters. No expectations. Just time.

"That's stalking, right?" I said, even as my thumb hesitated over the reply button.

Ashley shrugged. "Depends on what 'time' means."

I stared at the screen. And then I typed two words.

Where and when?

---

I wore black. Simple dress. No heels. I wasn't the type to wear makeup, it maked me look like I hadn't slept for days.

He sent the location: Glasshouse. I know the place, , a rooftop bar in Midtown that served twelve-dollar water.

I walked in five minutes before and handed the hostess his name.

"This way," she said with a fake smile. I knew better.

He was already there.

Nicholas Thorne.

Exactly like the picture. Only worse. Or better. Depending on how you measure intensity.

He stood as I approached the table.

"Ivy Morgan."

His voice was low. Controlled. Like every statement he said had been rehearsed and edited for effect.

"Wow, you are real," I said before I could stop myself.

He smirked. Not a smile. Not quite. "So are you."

He could take a joke, Thank heavens

We sat. A waiter hovered, then vanished without taking our order.

"I don't usually do this," I said, my fingers locking under the table.

"Neither do I."

"Then what do you usually do?"

"I usually pay people to solve my problems."

"And I'm a problem now?"

"You might be the solution."

I blinked. "Okay. You're going to have to be precise. Because I thought this was a date, and now it sounds like a merger."

He rested back, folding his hands. "I need a wife."

I laughed. Then saw his expression. And stopped. "You're serious."

"Yes."

"You need a wife."

"Correct."

"Like, for paperwork?"

"Like for my daughter."

That shut me up.

He continued. "Her name is Lena. She's five. Her grandparents are suing for custody. They believe I'm emotionally unfit. That I don't provide a stable environment."

"And your solution is to marry a stranger off a dating app?"

"My solution is to make my life appear stable. Traditional. Normal."

"And you think I look like stability?"

"You look honest. You have no ties. No scandal. No interest in my money. You would sign a prenup. You'd be compensated generously. And you'd walk away after one year."

"You're offering me a contract marriage."

"Yes."

"Do I look like someone out of a K-drama to you?"

"I don't watch television."

I stared at him. He wasn't blinking. He wasn't joking.

"And if I said yes?" I asked, my voice low.

He didn't flinch. "You'd move in this weekend. Appear in a few photos. Attend a few events. Speak kindly to reporters. Smile. Occasionally hold my hand in public."

"And in private?"

"Nothing will be expected of you."

"And the money?"

"A hundred thousand now. Another hundred when the divorce is finalized. More if you choose to extend the arrangement."

I tried to keep breathing.

That amount of money would wipe out my debts. Let me start over. Maybe even finish the book I'd been trying to write since college.

"Why me?" I asked. "Why not someone in your circle? Someone richer. Prettier. Easier to control."

He leaned forward then. And for the first time, his expression changed.

"You're not afraid of me."

I swallowed hard. "Should I be?"

Just as he wanted to answer, his phone rang. He glanced at it and went still.

"Problem?" I asked.

He looked up, and something in his face had changes. A tension. A darkness.

"My daughter's gone," he said quietly.

"Gone?"

"She ran away from the nanny. She's missing."

And just like that, I was thrown into another world.

Continue Reading

You'll also like

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

He Thought I Was A Doormat, Until I Ruined Him

SHANA GRAY

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

The Ghost Wife's Billion Dollar Tech Comeback

Huo Wuer

Today is October 14th, my birthday. I returned to New York after months away, dragging my suitcase through the biting wind, but the VIP pickup zone where my husband's Maybach usually idled was empty. When I finally let myself into our Upper East Side penthouse, I didn't find a cake or a "welcome home" banner. Instead, I found my husband, Caden, kneeling on the floor, helping our five-year-old daughter wrap a massive gift for my half-sister, Adalynn. Caden didn't even look up when I walked in; he was too busy laughing with the girl who had already stolen my father's legacy and was now moving in on my family. "Auntie Addie is a million times better than Mommy," my daughter Elara chirped, clutching a plush toy Caden had once forbidden me from buying for her. "Mommy is mean," she whispered loudly, while Caden just smirked, calling me a "drill sergeant" before whisking her off to Adalynn's party without a second glance. Later that night, I saw a video Adalynn posted online where my husband and child laughed while mocking my "sensitive" nature, treating me like an inconvenient ghost in my own home. I had spent five years researching nutrition for Elara's health and managing every detail of Caden's empire, only to be discarded the moment I wasn't in the room. How could the man who set his safe combination to my birthday completely forget I even existed? The realization didn't break me; it turned me into ice. I didn't scream or beg for an explanation. I simply walked into the study, pulled out the divorce papers I'd drafted months ago, and took a black marker to the terms. I crossed out the alimony, the mansion, and even the custody clause-if they wanted a life without me, I would give them exactly what they asked for. I left my four-carat diamond ring on the console table and walked out into the rain with nothing but a heavily encrypted hard drive. The submissive Mrs. Holloway was gone, and "Ghost," the most lethal architect in the tech world, was finally back online to take back everything they thought I'd forgotten.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND WIFE THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECOND WIFE riley's pen Romance
“I never imagined I'd marry a billionaire. Especially not him cold, controlled, emotionally unavailable. He needed a wife. I needed a miracle. It was supposed to be a business deal-no feelings, no strings. But then I started to see the cracks in his perfect world. Behind his frozen mask was a man scarred by loss, haunted by secrets. And when the past came knocking... it wasn't his first wife who was the biggest threat to our fragile bond. It was the truth. This is the story of how I became a billionaire's second wife and how it nearly destroyed me.”
1

Chapter 1 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

2

Chapter 2 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

3

Chapter 3 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

4

Chapter 4 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

5

Chapter 5 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

6

Chapter 6 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

7

Chapter 7 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

8

Chapter 8 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

9

Chapter 9 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

10

Chapter 10 IVY MORGAN'S POV

16/06/2025

11

Chapter 11 LENA'S POV

19/06/2025

12

Chapter 12 Lena's POV

22/06/2025

13

Chapter 13 IVY'S POV

22/06/2025

14

Chapter 14 Lena's POV

22/06/2025

15

Chapter 15 IVY'S POV

22/06/2025

16

Chapter 16 IVY'S POV

22/06/2025

17

Chapter 17 Lena's POV

22/06/2025

18

Chapter 18 IVY'S POV

22/06/2025

19

Chapter 19 Lena's POV

22/06/2025