webnovel

The billionaire's secret crush

Author: NDUKWE
Urban
Completed · 163.7K Views
  • 100 Chs
    Content
  • 4.8
    17 ratings
  • NO.200+
    SUPPORT
Synopsis

"In a world of family traditions and billionaire expectations, Jerry Bernard finds himself at a crossroads. With the weight of his father's legacy bearing down on him, he concocts a daring plan – a fake marriage with Catherine, a loyal employee. As their charade unfolds, love unexpectedly enters the equation, complicating Jerry's already precarious situation. But as Jerry and Catherine's hearts entwine, dark forces conspire against their union. Cynthia, the cunning stepmother, and Daniel, the scheming stepbrother, will stop at nothing to thwart their love and deny Jerry his birthright. In this high-stakes tale of love, loyalty, and family feuds, the question lingers: Will Jerry and Catherine's love conquer all, or will the sinister plots of Cynthia and Daniel prevail?"

Tags
4 tags
Chapter 1Chapter 1

It was a Monday morning, the beginning of a new week. Catherine was inside her office, her eyes fixed on the computer as she kept going through the documents sent to her by the senior manager.

 

 

 

As she was going through it, she heard a knock on the door.

 

 

 

"Come in," she ordered, and immediately the door burst open and Jerry, the CEO of the company, came in.

 

 

 

Once she saw him, she stood up and greeted him, and he responded.

 

 

 

She was surprised to see him in her office because, since the first day he came to her office to inform her about her appointment with Jackson, he had never come to her office again. Anytime he wants to see her, he simply puts a call across to her, and she comes to his office.

 

 

 

"How are you, Catherine?" he asked, sitting on the chair opposite her.

 

 

 

"I'm fine, sir," she responded, sitting down too.

 

 

 

"Catherine I must admit that your coming to this company has yielded a very good result, "he said to her while smiling.

 

 

 

"Thank you, sir," Catherine replied with a warm smile.

 

 

 

"And if you continue in this way, you are going to get promoted even before some employees that have been here for a very long time," he said to her.

 

 

 

"Wow, I'm happy to hear that, sir, and I promise to work harder to attain it," Catherine replied with determination, and Jerry smiled at her.

 

 

 

"By the way, Catherine, there's a serious issue I would like to discuss with you," he announced, peering directly at Catherine's eyeballs.

 

 

 

"OK, sir, I'm listening," Catherine replied, wondering what the serious issue is.

 

 

 

"Well, before I became the CEO of this company, my father was the one taking care of it. But as he started getting older, his health started deteriorating, and because of that, he handed everything to me." He explained to Catherine, and she nodded, wondering why he was telling her all that.

 

 

 

"As the days go on, his health keeps getting worse, and as the firstborn, all my father wishes is to will the family's properties to me before his death because he knows that they are in safe hands with me, but before he does that, he wants me to get married first."

 

 

 

"I'm not ready to get married," Catherine chipped in, knowing where he was heading, and immediately Jerry smiled at her ability to easily guess things.

 

 

 

"Neither am I, and that's why I need your help," Jerry informed her.

 

 

 

"And how am I supposed to help you?" Catherine inquired, wondering what he had in mind.

 

 

 

"Well, I want the both of us to get married, but not for real; it's a fake marriage," Jerry informed her, his eyes peering directly into her eyeballs.

 

 

 

"What!" Catherine exclaimed surprisedly, and Jerry furrowed his brows at her.

 

 

 

"I'm sorry," she replied. But what you are asking for is too complicated. What about if your father finds out about it?" She asked, peering directly into Jerry's eyes.

 

 

 

"That's not going to happen, and secondly, we aren't going to be married legally. It's a fake marriage; we pretend to be married, and after my father gives the properties to me, we break up and go our different ways," Jerry explained.

 

 

 

Catherine stared silently at him without uttering a word.

 

 

 

They both stayed silent for some seconds before Jerry broke the silence after heaving a sigh.

 

 

 

"You see, Catherine, don't think I'm doing this because of the properties; I don't need it; I can do without it. I only want to accomplish my father's last will before he dies, and that's all," he explained dejectedly.

 

 

 

Catherine peered directly into his eyeballs for some seconds as if she were trying to find the truth in his eyes, and then she heaved a sigh before replying.

 

 

 

"OK, Mr. CEO, if I decide to help you, what will I gain inside?" she asked, peering into his eyes.

 

 

 

"Twenty percent of the properties," Jerry replied.

 

 

 

"Well, I'm not a greedy woman, so I'm OK with that." Catherine replied, smiling.

 

 

 

Jerry stared at her and heaved a sigh of victory, but immediately Catherine cut him in.

 

 

 

"But I will first think about it," she replied with a straight face, and immediately Jerry's countenance changed.

 

 

 

"No problem, and when will you give me your final decision?" he inquired.

 

 

 

"Before the end of the week," she replied.

 

 

 

"OK, I'll be taking my leave now, Catherine," he replied, standing up from the chair.

 

 

 

"Ok, have a nice day, sir," she replied to Jerry, who was already heading towards the door.

 

 

 

"Thanks, and have a nice day too," he replied before exiting the office.

 

 

 

* * * * * *

 

 

 

The evening darkness was slowly engulfing the whole of New York City as the sunshine had gone back to its resting place, making way for moonlight.

 

 

 

As Catherine got down from the yellow taxi, she opened her handbag, brought out some dollars, and handed them to the taxi driver, who waved at her before zooming off.

 

 

 

Once she got into the apartment, the aroma of the delicious meal being cooked by her mother filled her nostrils, and immediately she smiled and started heading towards the kitchen.

 

 

 

"Good evening, mom," Catherine greeted her mom, who was dishing out the Irish potato and sausage she cooked for dinner.

 

 

 

"Good evening, my baby girl. How was your day?" Her mother inquired, still dishing the food.

 

 

 

"Fine, mom, and yours?" she inquired.

 

 

 

"Fine too, my dear. Please help me out with the food," she said to Catherine, who helped her take the meal to the dining table, after which she went to the bathroom and freshened up before joining her mom, who was waiting for her on the dining table.

 

 

 

After saying a little prayer, they started enjoying the meal.

 

 

 

Mrs. Joyce Edmond had been the one taking care of Catherine after the demise of her husband.

 

 

 

She did all she could to play both the roles of a mother and a father in Catherine's life.

 

 

 

She was working as an accountant in one of the famous banks in New York, and she did all she could to make sure Catherine finished with her studies.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, when Catherine was in her final year, Mrs. Joyce started having health issues, and due to that, she could no longer work in the bank.

 

 

 

She used her savings to sponsor Catherine's studies until she finished, and to avoid staying at home, she used the remaining amount and also the monthly allowance she received from the bank to rent a little supermarket where she sells some provisions.

 

 

 

"Mum, do you know that you are the best cook in the world?" Catherine informed her mom while munching the Irish potato.

 

 

 

"Come on, Catherine, stop teasing me," her mother replied, smiling.

 

 

 

"Mum, that's the truth; I haven't seen anyone who cooks as well as you do," Catherine said to her mother, who smiled while enjoying her meal.

 

 

 

"By the way, mom, how was your meeting with Mr. Jonathan?" Catherine inquired, and immediately her mother's countenance changed.

 

 

 

"Well, my daughter, he has made up his mind; he said he needed to sell the supermarket because he will soon be relocating from New York, and you know I can't afford to rent a new supermarket with my present financial situation." Catherine's mom spoke to her with a sad tone.

 

 

 

"Don't worry, mom, we will find a way out," Catherine said to her mother reassuringly, and she smiled before continuing with her meal.

 

 

 

After dinner, Catherine cleared the dining table, after which she joined her mom, who was watching her favorite movie in the sitting room.

 

 

 

She kept her company for a few moments before retiring to her room because she was already feeling drowsy.

 

 

 

As she was lying on her bed facing the ceiling, she remembered Jerry's proposition to her, and immediately sleep dispersed away from her.

 

 

 

She kept turning on her bed while pondering it. She wanted to accept the proposition, but on the other hand, she knew she would be in serious trouble if Jerry's parents discovered it.

 

 

 

At least she knew that if she accepted Jerry's offer, she would gain enough money to open a new boutique for her mother, but at the same time, she knew what could occur if anyone discovered it.

 

 

 

As she started drifting into slumber, the ringing tone of her phone jerked her back to reality.

 

 

 

Without hesitating, she took the phone and saw that it was Jerry calling her, and immediately she frowned.

 

 

 

"Don't he know it's already late?" She mumbled to herself before picking up the call.

 

 

 

"Hello," Catherine replied grumpily after picking up the call.

 

 

 

"Hello, Catherine, I hope I wasn't disturbing your sleep," Jerry inquired from the other end.

 

 

 

"No, sir," Catherine lied.

 

 

 

"OK, I wanted to ask you if you would mind if I come and pick you up tomorrow at your house." Jerry asked.

 

 

 

"No, sir, I don't mind, but you don't need to," Catherine replied with a frown on her face.

 

 

 

"Only what I heard was, No, sir, I don't mind, but what you said after that, I didn't hear," Jerry informed her from the other end. "Good night, and don't forget to send me your address." Jerry said to her before hanging up the call.

 

 

 

"Seriously?" Catherine asked before realizing that he had hung up the phone.

 

 

 

"He thinks that being kind to me is going to make me accept his proposal," Catherine mumbled to herself before lying down on her bed, and in no time she drifted into slumber.

You May Also Like

Special Agent Rebirth: The Omnipotent Goddess of Quick Transmigration

She is the newly crowned Best Actress of the Entertainment Circle as well as the long-lost second young lady of the Ye Family in the Imperial City, a fact everyone knew. The eldest daughter of the Ye Family was the Chairman of the Fenghai Group; the third son of the Ye family, a big shot in Imperial City; but the found second young lady was merely a decoration in the Entertainment Circle. Her father did not love her, her mother did not cherish her. However, nobody knew, behind the guise of a mere decoration, she was in fact an exceptional agent that international powers found troubling! Unexpectedly, she made a mistake, was tricked, and accidentally bound herself with a system to complete tasks and absorb energy. Since then, she dominated in all parallel universes, rewriting the tragic lives of others. In whichever world she was in, she thrived effortlessly. What she did not anticipate, however, was crossing paths with a big shot from a mysterious power… When she finally recovers her strength to return to her peak form, she could let go of her identity as the second young lady of the Ye Family; she could reject her family's estate. But, if she didn't give a good reckoning to those who plotted against her, how would she do justice to her hard-earned title of Chief Agent? Once her identity is fully revealed, it would be her time to shine! *** One a prodigious mystery youth, the other a world-renowned Chief Agent, this is a showdown between two formidable figures. *** The alternate titles of this novel include "The Heroine Is Really Amazing" and "The Hero Is Really Handsome". —【Refreshing】【Quick Transmigration】【1v1】

Road of Flowers · Urban
Not enough ratings
1219 Chs

Rebirth: The Time-locked Girl

[Sweet, Fiery, Refreshing, powerful couple, Cultural Heritages] Ye Wanlan's body had been possessed; after the transmigrator turned her life into a complete mess and left abruptly, she finally regained control of her own body, only to be trapped in the same day, repeating in an infinite loop for 999 years. No matter what she did, everything would start over, and she was forced to become a madwoman possessing numerous skills. The day she broke free from the loop, facing the disastrous aftermath, everyone laughed at her powerless efforts to restore order, until her past life was unintentionally exposed— Ye Wanlan leapt down from a height of thirty feet with her qinggong, unscathed. Some explained: She must've used wires. Ye Wanlan's rendition of "Battle-Breaking Music" left none injured yet many dead. Some defended: It's all post-production special effects. Ye Wanlan performed the Taiyi Divine Needle anew, miraculously healing others. Some covered up: It was all pre-written in the script. Afterward, long-lost martial arts secret techniques, Kesi silk skills, and operatic arts resurfaced in the world... Big shots making up excuses for her: ... Can you tone it down a bit? They're running out of excuses! · Suddenly, Ye Wanlan found she could hear the conversations of antiques and inadvertently mastered gossip from all ages and nations. 【Absolutely no one knows that beneath the Fengyuan Pagoda lies the Tianqi ceremonial book】 The next day, the Huaxia book of the Tianqi ceremony was brought to light. 【I am Great Ancestor Ning's personal sword, and I won't tell you where the treasure is】 The following day, international news reported the discovery of Great Ancestor Ning's treasure. The antiques who were slow to catch on finally sensed something was amiss: ??? Ye Wanlan reached out her hand: I will take you home · The treasures of Shenzhou shall return to Huaxia In the new era, she is the sole torchbearer He gambled his life on a Shenzhou golden age with her in it

Qing Qian · Urban
Not enough ratings
430 Chs

100 Days to Seduce the Devil

[Warning: R18+] When Hate turns into Love... and Vengeance turns into Passion... Will he choose to start over with her? ======= Phantomflake's soul got separated from her body after committing suicide in front of her enemy, Nathan Sparks, the Supreme Leader of Syphiruz Mafia. She woke up only to find out that her body (which was in a coma state) was being held captive by Nathan 'the Devil!', who was trying to prolong her life. And what was his motive? To kill her by his own hand and torture her to death! Nathan has a deep resentment against Phantomflake as she was the one who assassinated the most precious person in his life. He wanted revenge! And things just got more exciting when a magical creature appeared in front of Phantom's soul, giving her a ridiculous mission in exchange of regaining her body back. "Make him fall in love with you within 100 days!" The flying creature said, pointing his small paws at Nathan who expressionlessly stood next to her sickbed. With her eyes going round, Phantomflake made an 'you-got-to-be-kidding-me' face at the flying creature. No way! That's a mission impossible! This guy loathed her so much. How would she do that??! ****** Excerpt: Nathan grabbed her by her neck. "Don't play tricks with me, Phantomflake." Nathan's cold voice reverberated inside the room, his eyes burning with rage. But Phantomflake just smirked at him, pressing her hands against his chest, her fingers teasing him. "You can't kill me, Nate. Just admit it. You've already fallen for me." With one swift move, Phantomflake pulled his shirt, closing their gaps as she crushed her lips against his lips. Surprisingly, Nathan just found himself responding to her. He lost! He couldn't resist her. ===== I owned the Book Cover (=";"=) Artist: Bea Cortez Join Author's server to get updates and announcements about the book. Discord link: https://discord.gg/WymeFaeQe

ellezar_g · Urban
4.7
898 Chs

Standing Next To You

A man in his thirties was standing in front of she-devil's grave, under everyone's watchful eyes, he dropped the flower to her coffin, his tone was full of ridicule. "Congrats on your death." Next year he came, "I won. You lost to me and I will live well. Just rot in there." Next year he came again, "I have a pretty girlfriend and I will marry next year. My life is good. Nothing to worry about." Next year he came once more, "I will stop visiting and forget you! My life is better without you! See, I live well!" But he came again the next year and the years after that. People said he was hunted by his so-called arch-enemy. That even after death, the devil did not even let him go. He stood in front of her grave. His once handsome face had turned old and wrinkly. "Bei Sangyun, I cursed you. You are not allowed to rest in peace. You must be suffering there like me, right? You devil..." He might be the last one standing. But his life was the same as the dead's- lifeless and empty. He did not live well, he never once marry and his heart was never at peace. And it was all the fault of one person. ***** Bei Sangyun was a big bully in high school. The target of her bullying was the skinny boy in her grade, Fei Chuan. They were classmates once in kindergarten and met again in high school. But one day, just a year left before graduation, the big bully suddenly changed. One day, Fei Chuan hesitantly opened his locker. The other night, the big bully said that she left something in his locker. He did not really want to open it. He was afraid a poisonous snake would come out of his locker. However, his report card was there. With gritted teeth, the young boy opened it. However, what appeared was not a hideous thing as he expected, but a bright pink letter with a little heart sticker as a seal. It turned out, the surprise was scarier than a snake. Was this a new form of torture? Since then, Bei Sangyun relentlessly chased the young Fei Chuan until the two got married. ****** This is a story of rebirth. The two arch-enemies who could not live under the same sky had become sweet lovers.

Avalondra · Urban
4.8
496 Chs

PAMPERED BY MY THREE BROTHERS: THE RETURN OF THE NEGLECTED HEIRESS

Penny has three brothers: one is a billionaire CEO, the second is the youngest military lieutenant, and the last is a successful actor. These three successful men had only one common ground: bullying Penny, their sore-eye of a little sister. The sister they never wished to have, and the one who claimed to be their real sister, while the sister they treasured all this time was a fake. After living a life of maltreatment in her aunt's home, some people of high standing came to Penny with news of her real parentage. She thought she was finally saved from her aunt’s clutches, unaware that what awaited her was worse. At 13, Penny only wished for one thing: for her brothers to love her and treat her like family, just as much as they loved their fake sister. She worked and studied ten times harder than anybody else just to be accepted by them. In her desperation, she foolishly fell into a trap set by a malicious person, not knowing her actions would result in the downfall of her brothers and her ending up in jail with a death sentence. On her execution day, Penny had only one thought in mind: If she ever got to go back in time, her brothers could pamper their fake sister for all she cared! She wanted nothing to do with them! And much to her surprise, Penny found herself back on the day it all began: the day she was born. As promised, this time, she wouldn’t foolishly try to earn her brothers' love and affection. Never mind family! She’d just make a lot of money, live in luxury, and make a family of her own! But wait, why is it now that she didn’t want anything to do with her brothers, they kept poking their noses into her business? Weren’t they supposed to pamper their fake sister? Why won’t they leave her alone?! And how on earth was she married in this lifetime? To make matters worse, this husband she never had in her first life was suddenly volunteering to be the father of her children?!

BAJJ · Urban
4.7
1012 Chs
Table of Contents
Volume 1

ratings

  • Overall Rate
  • Writing Quality
  • Updating Stability
  • Story Development
  • Character Design
  • world background
Reviews
Liked
Newest
Joshua_Cruiz
Joshua_CruizLv3

SUPPORT