Miles

Long story short. I needed to find a wife.

My mother's final attempt to hold control over me from beyond the grave was temporarily appointing my uncle, her brother, Chairman and CEO of our family company, Bradshaw Capital. She stipulated in her will something I didn't see coming—marry within the year of her passing, remain wed for another, and the company would be mine.

As absurd as that was, I had no choice if I wanted control of the company that was rightfully mine.

While in Vegas, I met a captivating woman, a fellow New Yorker named Stella Harper, who was financially strapped and jobless. After one night with her, I saw an opportunity in a moment of impulsivity. Marry her, maintain separate lives, and dissolve our fake marriage once I secured ownership of Bradshaw Capital. I'd get what I wanted, and she'd walk away a rich woman.

Simple right?

Two months into our sham of a marriage, my uncle fell ill, which led to my taking over the company. The one-year stipulation was no longer in place, and before I could file for the dissolution of our marriage, Stella dropped a bombshell.

She was pregnant.

The prospect of fatherhood was inconceivable to me. The last thing I needed in my life was baby drama. A wife and children were never part of my life's plan. But Stella left her mark on me, and as I grappled with feelings I never intended to feel, something unexpected began to stir within me.

Stella

Long story short. I needed money fast.

I lost my nanny job in a fancy Upper West Side household after the mom flipped out over her husband helping me with a kid-induced glue disaster. She accused me of wanting her husband, fired me on the spot, and spread nasty rumors about me to Manhattan's elite, ensuring I'd never nanny for anyone again.

Meanwhile, I was hustling to finish my child psychology master's at NYU. Without a job, my financial disaster hit its peak with tuition, rent, credit cards, and looming student loans, which had me drowning in stress.

Purely by accident, I met a ruggedly handsome and charming man named Miles Bradshaw in Vegas.

After one wild night together, he dropped a bomb: He offered me one million dollars to marry him and stay wed for one year so he could gain control of his company. I thought he was crazy. But after hearing him out, it was a win-win for both of us.

Then, a mishap with my birth control pills happened, and I accidentally ended up getting pregnant. He made it clear he wasn't father material and didn't need the drama that came with children.

I knew the marriage was temporary, but I fell in love with him and fell hard. He broke my heart and soul, and I had no choice but to leave. I was positive that I could never forgive him until one night, he knocked on my door.