Madison Hartley never expected to inherit her family's struggling business empire at just twenty-four. With debts piling up and no lifeline in sight, she's willing to do whatever it takes to save Hartley Corporation -even if it means marrying Manhattan's most ruthless billionaire. Alexander Grayson is a man who always gets what he wants. Cold, calculating, and irresistibly handsome, he accepts the contract Madison proposes that promises to solve both their problems. For Madison, it's a lifeline; for Alexander, it's the perfect cover for his own hidden motives. But as their fake marriage blurs into something dangerously real, Madison discovers that love may come at a higher cost than she ever imagined. Will she rush her heart to save her legacy, or will the secrets between them destroy everything? In a city where power and passion collide, nothing is what it seems.
The city's skyline, stood against the early morning sky, creating shadows against the growing light. Dawn was creeping in, painting the sky with soft colors like lavender and pink. I could hear the sounds of traffic starting to pick up, the engines humming in the distance as the city woke up.
Inside, my room was still dark, but the sun was sneaking through the curtains, casting patterns on the floor. The room felt quiet, No alarm, just intrusive rays of sunlight creeping through the drawn shades. Blinking away the remnants of a heavy night, a deep, unfamiliar voice shattered my drowsiness. It took moments before I recognized the voice. Damn! I thought I told this asshole to leave before I woke up.
"Good morning, babe." The voice filled the room, blending with the headache I was having. God, I was in no mood for this. A man stood at the foot of the bed, holding out coffee and biscuits he'd procured from the hotel.
"Shit" I muttered, trying to piece together the events of last night while tracing the silhouette of the man before me. He was hot, but I don't do twice. He leaned in planting a kiss on my forehead and I shifted uneasily on the bed as I accepted the coffee with a forced smile, hoping the caffeine might jolt my senses back to reality. The sheets on the bed were a mess, evidence of last night. I groaned. I did not just let a one-night stand sleep over till the next morning!
"Babe, last night was amazing. I love how you sound," he praised, trailing kisses along my neck.
"Mhmm," my response tinged with discomfort, trying to create distance.
"I still remember the sensation from slipping into you. Girl, you make my heart skip beats."
"You're awful in bed, are you aware?" Anything. I need to say something for him to leave. "I mean, just...the worst." I sat up straight, looking straight at him. But it wasn't entirely a lie. His performance failed to meet my expectations.
"What? What do you mean? Did...did I not take you there?" He stood up, glaring at me, his face a mixture of disbelief and offense as he rose from the bed.
"Look what I've stooped to. Having sex with a random stranger who can't even make me cum. Just wow." With the weight of the financial burden on my slender shoulders, I had to work tirelessly day and night to keep the business afloat. But it seems all I was doing was just in vain because I hardly saw results. I barely even have time for myself or any sort of personal affairs, with my main goal of increasing Hartley's cooperation revenue and paying off my family's debt. But then, man was no log.
No matter how hard you work, at some point, you have to crave into nature's call...satisfy your burning desires. Which was what I did. I hit the club as much as I could whenever I had the time, took shots, and always woke up with a new face on my bed. I never repeat sex because some men just want to cling onto you like a leech, and with the way I'm seeing this, this douchebag face wants to ask me to be his girlfriend. Maybe I needed to remind him what I said last night. "What is it you say your name was, again?" I asked him with a sick sweet smile
He paused, a flicker of uncertainty clouding his expression for a brief moment. "It's Darren," he replied, his tone faltering slightly.
"Ah, right. Darren," I echoed, the name hanging in the air as I scrambled to gather my bearings in the room, still in disarray from the night by the way. His name meant little to me, just another addition to the list of forgettable encounters that blurred together in a whirlwind of many hazy nights.
"You know what?" I begin, "Darren, could you do me a favor? Grab me a hot towel, would you? I think I left it in the other room."
His eyebrows furrowed "Sure, I can get that for you."
"Thanks, appreciate it," I say with a forced smile, maintaining an air of nonchalance as I edged towards the bathroom, my heart pounding with urgency. I needed an escape.
With practiced finesse, I rushed into the bathroom and hastily wrapped myself in a bath towel, the cool fabric a welcome shield against the unease that permeated the air. With silent haste, I scanned the room for an alternate escape route. My gaze landed on the window, "ah, great!" I muttered and let out a slow breath, the faint echo of Darren's confusion resonating in my mind.
"You know, Madison," he began tentatively, his voice carrying a weight of vulnerability, "last night wasn't just a casual thing for me." It was moments like these I despised. Moments where a man sleeps with you once and finally decides he's in love with you. It was moments like these when the weight of my responsibilities collided with the hollow encounters I sought in an attempt to escape the suffocating grasp of reality. I couldn't afford to handle love and Hartley Corps. I mean, I don't even know if I can love again after all that I've gone through. So when I see the men I sleep with start developing these feelings, oh boy do I peel and free myself from the tangled web of obligations,
Meanwhile, Darren's footsteps echoed outside the bathroom door, his muffled voice calling out, "I found the towels, but I'm not sure which one you wanted. Or...how you want them either"
Panic surged within me as I glanced back at the window, contemplating my next move. Should I or should I not? And what are the pros and cons that if I should maybe take a wrong step and slip or fall, I won't break my neck, my hands, or any other important part of my body, get bedridden for years, and maybe worse fade scenario, I die.
Carmen Wade thought she had it all-a perfect job, a loyal best friend, and a husband she adored. Everything was perfect! But her world shatters the night she discovers her husband's ultimate betrayal with her best friend, Millie. Fearing Carmen will expose their affair, the two decide to kill her, forcing her into an oncoming truck. She bleeds to death. But when Carmen opens her eyes, she's no longer in her own world. She's been reborn as Lady Daphne Vasquez-The infamous villainess from her favorite fantasy novel, destined to meet a brutal end in the hands of her fiancé. Determined to change her fate, Carmen (now Daphne) shocks the kingdom by first calling off her engagement with Lord Michael Ruiz, who bears an uncanny resemblance to her treacherous husband, Cody Wade. Her actions draw the attention of King Rafe Crowe, a powerful ruler from a neighboring land who becomes suspicious of Daphne's sudden transformation. As Carmen navigates a world of greedy nobles and magic, she must use her knowledge of the story's end to outsmart those who would see her fall, including her former fiancé and the heroine of the novel-who eerily mirrors Millie. But her greatest challenge may be resisting the charm of King Rafe, whose keen eyes seem to see right through her facade and changing the narrative of the story she once knew it's end. In a world where allies and enemies blend together, Carmen's second chance at life becomes a high-stakes game of survival, vengeance, unexpected romance and avoiding a dark prophecy.
"I Love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul" There is no greater atrocity than falling in love with your younger sister's husband. When Nayan agrees to move in with her younger sister, Naomi, to assist during the final month of her pregnancy, she devotes herself to caring for her soon-to-be-born niece. However, after the baby is born, Naomi begins to act irresponsibly, frequently going out and returning late at night, leaving her newborn at home for Nayan to care for. Despite initially being unprepared for this role, Nayan steps up to take responsibility for her niece and, in the process, inadvertently falls in love with Naomi's husband.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
Caught in a web of betrayal, Nicole's life shatters in a single evening when her mother-in-law, Veronica, sets her up in an elaborate scheme. Blindsided, Nicole faces her husband Taylor's cold rage as he casts her out of his life and home, accusing her of infidelity and theft. As she tries to defend herself, her best friend, Sarah, adds another blow by denying their loyalty. "Please, Taylor, you have to believe me!" Nicole pleads, her voice breaking, but his icy response is a dagger to her heart. "I don't hate you, Nicole," he sneers. "I despise you." When Nicole reveals she's pregnant, she hopes for compassion, but it only fuels Veronica's determination to rid the family of her. After signing the divorce papers, a dejected Nicole wanders alone, where a brutal attack leaves her bleeding, helpless, and desperate to protect her unborn child. Six years later, Nicole returns from the ashes to inflict seven times the pains upon those who humiliated her and left her to die. "I'll make them pay so dearly that they'd regret ever been born!" She declares. This is a story of romance and revenge you don't want to miss!
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?