The Fake Marriage: My Billionaire Vengeance

her hands felt solid, a perfect anchor

, its rose gold case gleaming, a quiet testament to five years of marriage. A smile

te dinner, this watch, and a custom-made p

l. A certified copy of their marriage certificate. It felt symbolic, a r

she left the boutique. The doorman hailed a cab, and

st left. It was all beige walls and the low hum of bureaucracy. Chloe

ounter, her movement

t a certified copy of a

name tag that read 'Brenda', slid a form

Chloe Sterling. She wrote the date, her heart giving a

r. The rhythmic clacking of the keys was the

e stre

n concentration. She typed again, s

rickle at the back of Chloe'

screen. She clicked her mouse a few more times, her lips

ion was a strange mix of confusion and

of a marriage between a Chloe St

stake. It was five years ago. October twelfth."

e." She turned the monitor slightly towards Chloe. The screen was stark, the search fields emp

her like a

arr

eath caught in her throat, a sharp, painful gasp. Her fing

le," she whispered, her vo

tensified. "I'm sorry, m

nce of her mind. She walked out of the municipal building and into the cacophony of New Yor

o call Francisco. It went straight to voicemail

ut direction, the city lights smearing into a meaningless blur of color. Her mind was a

be a rational

from The Olympian Club, Francisco's preferred private

ized them. Mark, Robert. Francisco's closest friends. His business partn

ced through her confusion. It was a pr

ually reserved for staff, was slightly ajar. Driven by an instinct she didn't und

hammering against her ribs. They led her to a private V

lf against the co

rancisco! The man is a genius. Five years, and he's still got that girl fr

pted. A raw,

n a kid to show for it. If it were me, I'd have been bored ages ago. B

s voice slurring slightly. "Chloe probably thinks she's Mrs. S

xpertly carving away the

, uncontrollable shudder. She clamped a hand over her mouth, biting down har

oddaughter. Eleanor Sterling

such pride: "My dear goddaughter, her mother was my dearest fri

s about the prenuptial agreement. The way she was kept away from the core financials of Sterling Corp. The condescending smiles of F

e. Her love

meticulously crafted,

ng behind an unnerving calm. A chilling, absolute cold spread

to the room. She di

wall. She wiped at the corner of her eyes, though they were dry. Her re

something sharp and dangerous. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corner

ed away, her steps

Philippe box on the passenger seat. The elegant packaging, once

ted the

e began to bloom, its roots nourished by five years of lie