William did not expect that the one thing he would not have on his wedding day was his own bride. The woman he had loved for ten years was missing on their wedding day. Amelia, the adopted daughter, married him as a substitute to spare the awkwardness between the two families. What he didn't know was that the one did care about and love him for years was her, not her sister. However, misunderstanding still filled their marriage. Not until he learned the truth did he realize the only he truly loved.
This day, the entire city celebrated the union of the top two families in the country. William Mo, one of the most eligible bachelors at thirty-five-years-old, was set to marry Joy Xu, a thirty-one-year-old heiress.
The wedding ceremony was indeed the grandest display anyone had ever seen. With chandeliers that could last for days and columns that could rival the Greek architecture, it was evident that both parties weren't hesitant in throwing a little bit of cash for grandeur.
However, despite having everything in his pockets, William Mo did not expect that the one thing he would not have on his wedding day was his own bride.
The woman he had loved for ten years was missing at their wedding day.
"I am not sure if I want to marry you, William. I just need some place to clear my head for a while. I'm sorry."
He crumpled the note in his fist, and he clenched his jaw. Various scenarios ran through his mind as he tried to think of a reason why she would leave him so abruptly.
How could she do this to him?
All those sweet words of her loving him and never leaving him-were they all a lie?
"Joy!" he yelled out, fighting the urge to rip off his own suit.
At the sudden commotion, the two families sat at the bride's empty dressing room. Due to the bride's escape, the Xu family couldn't bring themselves to look at groom's family.
Finally, Colby Mo, William's father, stood up, breaking the long, awkward silence. His face darkened tremendously, and he clenched his fists. There were so many guests outside just waiting for the event. He was not going to let this slide and have their family be humiliated like this. "Barth, we must do something," he said in a cold voice. "This wedding must be held. Since Joy has escaped, then you should marry the other daughter of yours into our family."
'The other daughter?'
It seemed that Colby Mo was inferring that he let Amelia Xu marry William Mo. Barth Xu glanced at this adopted daughter, Amelia Xu. 'Won't William feel wronged upon marrying her?' he wondered.
"Amelia, are you willing to marry William as your sister's substitute?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, Dad. I do." Amelia Xu nodded with no hesitation. Her curly strands fell to her face, but she ignored them. Guarded emotions gleamed behind her gaze as she stared up at them. "As long as he's willing to marry me, then I'll marry him."
Her immediate answer surprised the both sides. In fact, even William Mo found himself stunned by her firm declaration. 'She's willing to be tied up to me?' he thought.
"Why are you willing to marry me?" he asked.
Hearing him, Amelia Xu turned to look at the man she would soon marry. "Is it all right if I talk to you? Alone?" She pursed her lips. She needed to clear out any confusion they might have with each other.
He frowned. 'Alone?'
"Can't you tell me now?" he asked.
"It's about the two of us, if you don't mind. It's private. Look, after I tell you, then you can decide whether you want to marry me or not," she said firmly, returning the option back to him.
Complicated feelings surged through William's heart as he turned to his parents. There was something that she wasn't telling him, and he was curious to find out. "Dad, Mom, I have to talk to Amelia," he said calmly. "Why don't you wait for me outside?"
"Don't try anything on her, son. She's your only ticket out of here," Colby Mo reminded his son and stepped out of the dressing room with his wife.
Seeing this, Barth Xu and his family merely followed suit.
William watched them leave one by one. Once they were gone, he finally turned to Amelia. He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to take all his anger out on her. "You better not be testing my patience," he snapped. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Do you remember this?" Instead of answering his question, Amelia Xu slowly grabbed her handbag and pulled out a small crown. Despite its size, one could tell that it was extremely exquisite and expensive from the dozens of encrusted jewelry on the surface. "You told me that you'll treat me like a princess and you'll dote on me forever," she continued.
When he saw her pull out the crown, he snatched it from her grasp. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snarled. "I sent this to Joy while I was studying in America. Why is this with you?"
"Because I was the one who'd been in touch with you. I was the one who knitted that sweater for you, the one who gave you scarfs and socks, and the one who cooked you those pastries you loved... not her," she stuttered out. She took a step toward him, and the tears in her eyes were evident. Her hands trembled. "Have you ever thought about it? If it was her, why hasn't she worn the crown before? Why doesn't she know the contents of your letters?"
At her insistence, he could only stare at her in disbelief. "And why would you do that? Why would you let her impersonate you?" he asked.
"Because you grew up together! I saw how hell-bent you were on pursuing her." Tears ran down her cheeks as she fell onto the sofa. "How could I ever tell you my feelings? You loved her too much for you to even look my way."
Seeing the tears that had freely slipped down her cheeks, he felt a sudden ache in his heart.
'Was it really her who had been in touch with me?
Should I trust her? Was she the one writing me letters all this time?'
Then again, it made perfect sense. When he had been in America, he had been unable to reach Joy Xu sometimes.
She didn't return his feelings. That was the whole point.
When he could reach her, she would talk to him via video chat. When he couldn't reach her, Amelia Xu would talk to him.
Somehow, it felt as if all the puzzle pieces were falling into place. "So Orange is your nickname, not Joy's?" he asked, remembering the letters they had exchanged.
"Back home, my dad and sister would call me Orange. You can ask Dad if you don't believe me. I've loved oranges ever since I was little." She let out a bitter laugh. Of course, the dad she was referring to was none other than Barth Xu.
William Mo froze, finding it hard to breath as the realizations hit him one by one. The news was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.
Amelia Xu was Orange, and yet he had spent nearly ten years on another woman!
He couldn't help but remember all the times he would go to the Xu family's villa to visit Joy Xu. He remembered talking to Amelia Xu and professing how much he loved her sister. He winced at the thought. Those words must've been torture for her to sit through.
He was such an ass!
Kneeling down, the man slowly wiped her tears. Seeing her state, he couldn't help but reach out and pull her into a hug.
But before he could, she quickly dodged his hold. She moved to the other end of the couch and bit her lips. "I never expected that you'd love me, William. All I ever hoped was for us to be in good terms–that I could watch you from afar. But now that you know everything, I won't allow you to hug me unless you love me."
She didn't want William to treat her like that just because he felt sorry for her. Sympathy was far more hurtful than indifference.
He froze, eyes widening by a fraction.
"You don't want me to hug you, yet you want to marry me?" he questioned.
"I love you, so I want to be your woman. But there is no way I can accept that you hold me in your arms while being in love with another woman. You can't torture me like this, by making me wonder who you're thinking of while you're hugging me."
She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the earth would just swallow her up. If that happened, did she even have the strength to love him still?
William Mo slowly stood up and gazed up at her figure, feeling his heart pain at the sight. He used to profess his love for Joy Xu. Now that he finally knew the truth, how could he say those same words to Amelia Xu?
Even if he wanted to, he couldn't bring it in himself to say it.
"I want to marry you," he said seriously, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You're my wife, and mine only." William Mo walked to the door and looked at the people outside the room. "Dad, Mom, call the make-up artist in," he ordered. "I want Amelia to be the most beautiful woman in the wedding."
Colby Mo and his wife, Maria Lu, shared a look before glancing at their son in surprise. Had he really made up his mind that fast? Or did he just want to continue the wedding so that the Mo family wouldn't be a laughingstock?
"Son, do you really want to marry Amelia? Or do you want us to announce that you're still marrying Joy?"
Amelia's face turned pale upon hearing that. If she was nothing but a substitute, then what else could she do? Was her abandonment inevitable?
William Mo turned around and gazed to Amelia Xu, whose eyes were sad and bloodshot. He took a deep breath before turning to his father. "I think you've misunderstood," he stated. "There's no substitute. I'll marry Amelia, the second daughter of Uncle Barth."
Aside from the Xu family and the Mo family, no one knew that Amelia was adopted. The only reason why the Mo family knew was that the two families had been best friends ever since Barth Xu and Colby Xu were children.
Barth's face brightened. "Yes. She's our second daughter, meaning she also has the right of inheriting our property," he said proudly. "Don't worry. We will give her the same dowry as Joy's."
Maria Lu pursed her lips. Although she didn't like Amelia Xu and didn't want to accept her as her daughter-in-law, she could make do after hearing what Barth Xu said.
"Now that you've made up your mind, then go ahead. Don't let our guests wait too long. Otherwise, they will laugh at us," Colby Mo said. Then he turned to his wife. "Go and call the make-up artist in. Let's get this over with."
Maria Lu quickly did as she was told. William Mo glanced at Amelia Xu one last time before heading out of the room.
Amelia's heart was suddenly filled with happiness. He had just stated that he would marry her and she was not a substitute.
"Cherish what you have now, all right?" Barth Xu whispered in her ear as he hugged her. "Don't act like your sister."
Amelia Xu nodded. She had longed for this moment since she was a child. There was no way she was going to run away from this.
"Dad, I'll love him," she said firmly. "From now on, William is my husband, and I'll treat him as such."
"William has always been a good man. Now that you're his wife, I believe he will treat you well." After saying this, Barth Xu let go of her. With a small smile, he turned. "I'll go out first, all right? Wait for the make-up artist."
"Yes, Dad."
He was her boss, rich and handsome. She was an insignificant employee, struggling for life. He was her sister's fiancee, and she was his sister-in-law. She ruined his engagement party by accident, and he wanted her to pay for the price. She had no choice but to become his maid and stayed by his side day and night to take care of him. However, she even became his lover. Their love started with a mistake, but he didn’t want to correct it. He knew she was destined for him.
Twenty years after Sherry's family hurt Lyman terribly, he comes into her life seeking revenge. His first step is to make her family pay. But his plans are waylaid when his soft-hearted self loses his heart and falls in love with her. Unfortunately, Sherry finds out that the man she's considered a safe haven all this time is actually responsible for every bit of her ruined happiness. Now, her sole goal is to make him suffer and destroy him.
At her wedding ceremony, he suddenly appeared and shouted, "I object!" Under the watchful eyes of the public, he destroyed the wedding and took her away domineeringly! Six years ago, he gave up on her because of his study and finally broke up with her. The first thing he did after coming back was to get her in his arms again. "Olivia, if you want to get married, you can only choose me!" It was said that love would weaken or even disappear with time. But in his heart, love never subsided but grew stronger.
Their story began with alcohol. Maria woke up to find herself lying on a hotel bed. Next to her on the bedside table was a note and some money left to her by the stranger as "payment." Anger took over her system. She swore to reclaim her dignity the moment she met him again. On the other hand, Hogan had no idea what was going on in her mind. He was an eligible bachelor that all women chased after, not to mention he already had the perfect girlfriend. And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman he had had a one night stand with.
Joy made a slip of the tongue. She found herself stuck in the middle of gossip about her supposed marriage to Ted. Taking advantage of her sticky situation, he made her his bride, and when they tied the knot, he loved every inch of her as his lawful wife. He might be indifferent to her in front of others, but she was his goddess in private. His heart was already hers, alone. A fake marriage bound them to each other, but Ted's love for Joy was real and true.
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
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?
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”