She married a billionaire. But fell for his rival. Geraldine thought she had it all-wealth, status, and the perfect marriage to business tycoon Bekett Donovan. But behind closed doors, her world is cold, calculated, and controlled. Enter Lachlan-Bekett's greatest enemy and the man her husband has spent years trying to destroy. Arrogant, ruthless, and dangerously charming, Lachlan sees right through Geraldine's polished mask-and he's not afraid to tempt her with freedom, fire, and everything she's been denied. As secrets unravel and a forbidden attraction blazes, Geraldine must choose between loyalty and passion, survival and surrender. What do you do when the only man who makes you feel alive... is your husband's sworn enemy?
The morning sun filtered through the tall glass windows of the Donovan estate, casting a golden hue across the marble floors. Everything looked pristine. Polished. Silent. Just the way Bekett liked it.
Geraldine sat at the edge of the long dining table, her manicured fingers curled around a porcelain coffee cup. The silence in the room was thick-sterile, like a museum. She had grown used to this quiet, learned to breathe in it. But it didn't stop her from missing the chaos. The laughter. The warmth.
Reena's soft footsteps came down the stairs first, her twelve-year-old face still flushed from sleep, curls bouncing with each step. "Mom, is Dad here?"
"No, baby. He left before dawn," Geraldine replied, brushing a strand of hair behind Reena's ear. She didn't ask where Bekett had gone. She never did anymore.
"Lovia's still getting dressed," Reena said as she plopped down on the seat next to her. "She's mad about the uniform. Again."
Geraldine managed a smile. "I'll talk to her." She reached for the phone. No messages from Bekett. Not even a missed call.
By the time Lovia stormed into the room with her shirt half-tucked and lips pursed in protest, Geraldine had already packed their lunches. Lovia, at ten, had her father's eyes-cold, calculating, and too sharp for a child. Geraldine often wondered if that was nature or nurture.
"Reena's shirt fits better," Lovia muttered, pulling at her sleeves.
"They're the same size," Reena rolled her eyes.
"They're not the same. Nothing's ever the same for me."
Geraldine didn't argue. She knelt and straightened Lovia's collar, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You're perfect, okay? Now grab your bags. We're already late."
The drive to their elite private school was as uneventful as always. Security gates. Polished bricks. Rows of parents pretending their lives weren't in ruins under their designer sunglasses. Geraldine waited until the girls were inside before pulling out her phone again.
Still no message.
She sighed and adjusted the sunglasses on her face, then drove toward Bekett's office. She hadn't been invited-she never was-but she had questions. And for once, she didn't feel like waiting for his carefully crafted lies.
Bekett Donovan & Co. was more fortress than office, with black cars lining the lot and security detail that looked more military than corporate. But that was Bekett. Control freak. Obsessive. Calculated.
Geraldine walked in, her heels echoing sharply against the marble. The receptionist-a young, nervous girl who clearly hadn't been there long-stood quickly.
"Mrs. Donovan. I-uh-I didn't know you were coming."
"I didn't, either," Geraldine said calmly. "Is Bekett in?"
"Um, no. He left with Mr. Lachlan about an hour ago."
Geraldine's stomach dropped.
"Lachlan?"
The girl nodded. "He was here most of last night."
Her face didn't change, but inside, something curled. Tight and dark.
"I'll wait in his office."
The receptionist hesitated. "I don't think he-"
"I'm not asking," Geraldine said, voice sharper now. She pushed past her, heels clicking like a warning.
Bekett's office was darker than usual. No lights, no movement. Just the lingering scent of his cologne and cigar smoke that hadn't faded. She walked to his desk and stared at the photo frame-one of their wedding pictures. She was smiling. Bekett wasn't.
It had been an arranged marriage. Her father's idea of a business merger sealed with a diamond ring. Back then, she was twenty-one, foolish, and desperate to make the best of it. She thought maybe if she loved him hard enough, he'd soften.
Instead, he hardened.
She opened one of his desk drawers. Paperwork. Files. A USB drive tucked inside a folder labeled "Redwood."
Geraldine paused.
She'd heard the name before. In late-night calls. On whispered lips. Her fingers closed around the drive.
"Looking for something, Mrs. Donovan?"
She spun, heart lurching.
Lachlan stood in the doorway, a slow smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. His suit was dark, perfectly fitted, and he looked like sin in human form. Dangerous. Beautiful. Untrustworthy.
"Funny, you don't work here," Geraldine said, slipping the drive into her coat pocket without breaking eye contact.
Lachlan's eyes flicked to her hand-he'd seen-but he didn't comment.
"I'm your husband's business partner," he said casually. "And sometimes... his keeper."
"Keeper? Is that what you call it when you make late-night visits and disappear before sunrise?"
Lachlan took a step inside. "You're sharper than you look."
"And you're exactly what you look like." Her gaze was steel. "What's Redwood?"
He tilted his head, amused. "That depends. How badly do you want to know?"
Geraldine narrowed her eyes. "Enough to burn it all down."
For the first time, Lachlan's smile faded, just slightly. He studied her, and something shifted in his expression-curiosity, maybe. Respect.
"You should be careful, Geraldine," he said. "Your husband plays games with blood. And not everyone survives."
"Good," she whispered. "Let him bleed."
By the time she returned to the estate, the silence had turned into a storm. Her chest felt heavy, and every corner of the house reminded her of the cage she lived in. The expensive prison where her name was only useful when it served him.
But that drive... the one marked Redwood... it pulsed in her coat pocket like a live wire.
That night, after tucking in the girls, she locked her bedroom door and plugged the USB into her laptop.
One file. A single video.
She hit play.
Bekett appeared on screen-standing in a warehouse, surrounded by men. Armed. One of them was kneeling, bloodied. Geraldine's breath caught when she realized who it was.
Her father.
I was never supposed to be his bride. My sister vanished the night before her wedding-to the most ruthless billionaire in the city. To save my family's reputation, I put on the dress and took her place at the altar. Now I'm married to a man who thinks I'm her. Cold. Dominant. Dangerous. He whispers promises in the dark and demands things I was never prepared to give. But I'm not her. I'm the virgin replacement. And if he finds out the truth... He'll destroy me.
In the cutthroat world of power and wealth, Nathaniel Vetrova is untouchable. A brilliant and ruthless billionaire, his life is a carefully constructed empire built on control, dominance, and calculated ambition. Yet everything he's worked for is thrown into turmoil when Alfreda Lennox enters his world. Alfreda, an intelligent and determined strategist, is hired to work for Vetrova Enterprises-her biggest career opportunity yet. But from the moment their paths cross, it's clear that their connection is anything but professional. Despite their differing goals, an undeniable attraction sparks between them, challenging the boundaries of loyalty, ambition, and desire. As the stakes rise, Alfreda is forced to navigate a web of corporate intrigue, family loyalty, and forbidden attraction. Every step closer to Nathaniel feels like a dangerous game, one where love and power are dangerously intertwined, and obsession may come at a deadly price. Will they yield to their forbidden desires, or will their ambitions tear them apart?
"An abusive boyfriend"? No no...sherla shook her head. Shayla's first heartbreak was her father but despite that she was willing to give a man a chair but little did she know what awaits her. Let's find out if Shayla will be able to take it or she'll leave.
Will you stop trying and just give up? Or you're willing to try and try till it works out for you: In this cruel cold world ,where Eva finds herself trapped and depressed because of circumstances and things she has no control over. Unfortunately life doesn't get better until you make choices that result into changes. No one buy Eva has control over her life,let's see if she realizes that or she is willing to wallow in her misery
Unfortunately it's an abomination to just suddenly gain interest in a mafia boss. But not just any mafia but your worst enemy. Zaliyah suddenly fell in love with a Mafia boss who was no where near friendly. But what happens when her brother even get to know that after all that has happened. She run back to their deadly enemies. Will she chose her family or she will chose love .
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. Still, Sylvia never lost hope. As the future lycan king of all werewolves, Rufus Duncan possessed great power and status, but he had an inexplicable reputation for being cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had been cursed long ago to transform into a killer monster on every full moon. Even though fate did not always look upon the two, it brought Sylvia and Rufus together as each other's destined mates. Will justice be served for Sylvia's mother? What about Rufus' secret? Can Sylvia and Rufus defy all societal norms and stay together? Will these two unlucky souls have their happy ending?
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"