What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger...

Maya:

"What kind of nonsense is this? You must be out of your mind."

"Miss Maya, you need a fiance to get your revenge on your ex, and I need a bride."

"But you're the richest man in the country. You could have any woman you want."

"Gold diggers who only want my money. I need a wife who will stand by my side and face a difficult moment I'm going through -- someone who'll be a true companion, not someone after my fortune. Let's do this: we get married and stay together until I get through my time of grief and you've had your revenge. After that, we go our separate ways. I'll help you crush your enemies. They'll be licking the ground you walk on, and you'll help me make the person I love most in this world happy. I need your help desperately. I have a grandmother who's terminally ill with cancer, and her final wish was for me to find a wife. I wasn't ready to get married anytime soon, but to grant her wish, I need your help. You come with me to the hospital, pretend to be a woman who's madly in love with me, and tell her we're getting married because we're in love. After she passes and after your revenge, we each go our own way."

"I don't sleep with anyone for money or for anything in the world."

He gave me a smile and continued.

"Of course not. I would never force you to consummate the marriage. We'll live as friends. Each of us will have our own bedroom, and we'll tell our staff that we prefer privacy -- that's why we sleep in separate rooms. We'll only keep up appearances in front of other people. In public, we'll act like we're madly in love."

"You're the owner of Moore Corporation?"

"One of the owners. I hold eighty percent of the company. My aunt and her family hold the other twenty. But this company is just one of many. We'll draw up a prenuptial agreement that's favorable to you -- don't worry, you'll be fully protected by law."

"I'm not interested in money, Mr. Nathan. I just want to know -- are you above Josh?"

"Josh Carter is nothing more than a director at the company. He's an ant compared to me. Trust me -- when I say you'll crush your enemies, that's exactly what's going to happen."

"And when would our wedding be?"

"As soon as you're discharged from the hospital, we fly to Las Vegas. My lawyers will draft the prenup on the way. We get married there and come back to my house -- which will be our house. You take care of the business you need to handle, I throw a party to introduce my wife to society, and the whole world will know you've become my wife. And the guests of honor will be Josh and his new fiancee."

"And on that guest list, you can include my dear father, who kicked me out of my house for refusing to marry a cheating fiance. Not to mention that he's only managing my inheritance because the house he lives in and the company he runs are mine. My mother left them to me. Since I didn't want to get involved, I let him manage everything through a power of attorney. I was on my way to a lawyer to deal with this when I ran into that bastard in front of your building."

"Give me those documents. I'll have my lawyers review them. The first gift we'll give your dear father after our wedding will be the revocation of that power of attorney and an order for him to hand over all your assets. He'll be the first target of your revenge."

"All right, Nathan Ford Moore. I accept this deal. I'll marry you."

He broke into a wide smile and started making phone calls while I searched for my phone and called my godmother, telling her I'd have help from a friend to sort out my problems and would need to take a short trip -- I'd tell her everything when I got back. He finished his calls, and the doctor came to discharge me. He had his driver pick us up and take us to his house, which was enormous. He even sent one of his assistants to buy clothes for me for the trip and an elegant dress for the wedding. Then he showed me the room that would be mine.

I threw myself onto that enormous bed and cried with rage because I couldn't fulfill my dream the way I'd always wanted. But you know what? Forget it -- I'm going to make the most of this revenge. On top of everything I'll ask for, besides being the boss's wife and Josh's superior, I want to work at the same company. I want to rub my success in his face and use the time I spend at Nathan Ford's side to gain the experience and knowledge I need so that one day I can take over my own business and make it grow. I want to make my mother proud, wherever she is. She'd be proud of me. I have to grow and learn a lesson from all this -- no more sitting back and letting my company and assets be bled dry by my father's greed. He took advantage of my vulnerability to try to seize what's mine. I have to talk to Mr. Ford and get that power of attorney revoked immediately. I can't afford to lose everything -- if my father realizes I can take it all back, he might try to sell my assets and pocket the money. It's not a fortune, but it's what will give me the means to move forward and become a new woman. I didn't spend six years studying business administration just to throw my inheritance away. I need to put my degree to work. I think it was fate -- or God -- that gave me this opportunity to grow. And what doesn't kill me makes me stronger.

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