Douglas Kane

Sloane Elizabeth Prescott isn't just a CEO; she's a fortress of ambition and designer silk, the untouchable queen of a Texas oil and tech empire. Her world is one of private jets and boardroom coups, until the one man who can see through her facade storms back into her life. Rhett Kingman, a venture capitalist with a taste for breaking monopolies and a grudge that has simmered for seven years, makes a hostile bid for her company. Their corporate war is headline news, but the real battle is a secret buried in their past, a youthful summer, a whirlwind romance, and a legally binding marriage certificate Sloane thought she'd erased. When a leak to the press exposes the ancient marriage and her board gives her an ultimatum, legitimize her chaotic personal life with a real spouse in 90 days or lose her throne, Sloane is cornered. Her only way out is a deal with the devil she once loved. She proposes a new contract: they stay married in public, a power couple to save her empire. Rhett agrees, but his terms are brutal. He wants access to her life, her home, and the truth behind why she fled all those years ago, leaving only a note and a piece of his soul. As their fake marriage blurs into very real passion and old wounds are reopened, a powerful enemy from the shadows moves to destroy them both. Sloane must now decide if the empire she built is worth the price of the one man who truly knows her, and Rhett must choose between the vengeance he craved and the woman he never stopped loving.

Trigger/Content Warning: This story contains mature themes and explicit content intended for adult audiences(18+). Reader discretion is advised. It includes elements such as BDSM dynamics, explicit sexual content, toxic family relationships, occasional violence and strong language. This is not a fluffy romance. It is intense, raw and messy, and explores the darker side of desire. ***** "Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister riding her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO, brutal, possessive. A man born into an empire of blood and steel. He also suffers from a neurological condition-he can't feel. Not objects, not pain, not even human touch. Until Meadow touches him, and he feels everything. And now he owns her. On paper and in his bed. She wants him to ruin her. Take what no one else could have. He wants control, obedience... revenge. But what starts as a transaction slowly turns into something Meadow never saw coming. Obsession, secrets that were never meant to surface, and a pain from the past that threatens to break everything. Alaric doesn't share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his vengeance.

For three years, I documented the slow death of my marriage in a black journal. It was my 100-point divorce plan: for every time my husband, Blake, chose his first love, Ariana, over me, I deducted points. When the score hit zero, I would leave. The final points vanished the night he left me bleeding out from a car crash. I was eight weeks pregnant with the child we had prayed for. In the ER, the nurses frantically called him-the star surgeon of the very hospital I was dying in. "Dr. Santos, we have a Jane Doe, O-negative, bleeding out. She's pregnant, and we're about to lose them both. We need you to authorize an emergency blood transfer." His voice came over the speaker, cold and impatient. "I can't. My priority is Miss Whitfield. Do what you can for the patient, but I can't divert anything right now." He hung up. He condemned his own child to death to ensure his ex-girlfriend had resources on standby after a minor procedure.

Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins-a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. "It's time to reveal your true identity, darling."

An unfortunate night changed the course of Yvonne's life. It all started after she caught her fiance sleeping with her sister. Heartbroken, she drank herself into a stupor and went into the wrong room. She ended up having sex with a complete stranger. After her father disowned her because she got pregnant out of wedlock, she went abroad with the determination to succeed and have her revenge. Six years later, she returned to the country as a successful doctor and mother to a genius son. At the tender age of six, Aiden was already a top hacker. He got the list of the most eligible bachelors in town. One day, he asked his mother, "Mommy, I can help you find a boyfriend. What kind of man do you like?" Yvonne, who had no interest in men, pretended to give it a thought. Before she could respond, a man said, "Aiden, I'm your father. Why are you working against me?" And so, the mission to bring his parents together officially began!

Her sister is marrying her ex. So she brings her best friend as her fake fiancé. What could possibly go wrong? Savannah Hart thought she was over Dean Archer-until her sister, Chloe announces she's marrying him. The same man Savannah never stopped loving. The man who left her heartbroken... and now belongs to her sister. A weeklong wedding in New Hope. One mansion full of guests. And a very bitter maid of honor. To survive it, Savannah brings a date-her charming, clean-cut best friend, Roman Blackwood. The one man who's always had her back. He owes her a favor, and pretending to be her fiancé? Easy. Until fake kisses start to feel real. Now Savannah's torn between keeping up the act... or risking everything for the one man she was never supposed to fall for.

"Christine Smith is a common and ordinary girl, who is always optimistic. She married her first love, Kevin Lee, after graduation. At that time, she thought she was the happiest woman in the world. But she never thought Kevin let her sleep with Sheldon Collins in order to get higher status and more money from Sheldon because Sheldon is the richest and most powerful man in Z country. Knowing the truth, Christine chose to divorce right away. At the civil Affairs Bureau, when she had just finished divorcing, Sheldon suddenly came up and said to her: “Let’s get married, I’ll be responsible for you!”. Christine has mixed feelings...."

Dahlia lived her whole life for her family and husband. Got married to him for them, and went to jail for him. On the day she was to be released, she was met with an heart wrenching betrayal by him and her blood sister. Even her parents turned their backs on her. She wasn't supposed to be here. In the hands of the man who she was supposed to fear the most, but the overwhelming sense of revenge devoured her and she didn't care even when she made a deal with him. Lucien Black was going to be her stepping stone to the world of the wealthy and her backbone for revenge.

Eden McBride spent her whole life colouring within the lines. But when her fiancé dumps her one month before their wedding, Eden is done following the rules. A hot rebound is just what the doctor recommends for her broken heart. No, not really. But it's what Eden needs. Liam Anderson, the heir to the biggest logistics company in Rock Union, is the perfect rebound guy. Dubbed the Three Months Prince by the tabloids because he's never with the same girl longer than three months, Liam's had his fair share of one night stands and doesn't expect Eden to be anything more than a hookup. When he wakes up and finds her gone along with his favourite denim shirt, Liam is irritated, but oddly intrigued. No woman has ever left his bed willingly or stole from him. Eden has done both. He needs to find her and make her account. But in a city with more than five million people, finding one person is as impossible as winning the lottery, until fate brings them together again two years later. Eden is no longer the naive girl she was when she jumped into Liam's bed; she now has a secret to protect at all costs. Liam is determined to get everything Eden stole from him, and it's not just his shirt. © 2020-2021 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

At my best friend's birthday party, I drank tainted wine and passed out. When I woke up, I heard the doctor say it could cause severe nerve damage. I teased my fiancé Cayden Hewitt, asking who I was and where I was. He hesitated, staring at me, then called my rival Liam Hewitt. "You're Julia. He's your fiancé. You're getting married soon." I froze, thinking he was joking too. My best friend, Vivian Green, slipped her arm through Cayden's, looking every bit like a couple in love. Eventually, I was about to marry Liam. But Cayden, with eyes red from emotion, stood in front of the car to stop it, pleading, "Julia, don't marry him. I've realized I can't let you go."

My world revolved around Jax Harding, my older brother's captivating rockstar friend. From sixteen, I adored him; at eighteen, I clung to his casual promise: "When you're 22, maybe I'll settle down." That offhand comment became my life's beacon, guiding every choice, meticulously planning my twenty-second birthday as our destiny. But on that pivotal day in a Lower East Side bar, clutching my gift, my dream exploded. I overheard Jax' s cold voice: "Can't believe Savvy's showing up. She' s still hung up on that stupid thing I said." Then the crushing plot: "We' re gonna tell Savvy I' m engaged to Chloe, maybe even hint she' s pregnant. That should scare her off." My gift, my future, slipped from my numb fingers. I fled into the cold New York rain, devastated by betrayal. Later, Jax introduced Chloe as his "fiancée" while his bandmates mocked my "adorable crush"-he did nothing. As an art installation fell, he saved Chloe, abandoning me to severe injury. In the hospital, he came for "damage control," then shockingly shoved me into a fountain, leaving me to bleed, calling me a "jealous psycho." How could the man I loved, who once saved me, become this cruel and publicly humiliate me? Why was my devotion seen as an annoyance to be brutally extinguished with lies and assault? Was I just a problem, my loyalty met with hatred? I would not be his victim. Injured and betrayed, I made an unshakeable vow: I was done. I blocked his number and everyone connected to him, severing ties. This was not an escape; this was my rebirth. Florence awaited, a new life on my terms, unburdened by broken promises.