Ember Collins is on the lookout for jobs when a marriage proposition arises with NY's renowned billionaire Hunter William King. While she is kind, brave and quirky, he is heartless, cold and dangerous. She is like water calming souls when touches, and he is like a tornado destroying everything on his way when passes. They are like the opposite sides of a knife; one is harmless and another cuts. What happens when they're bound in an unholy matrimony? What happens when the secret behind the marriage is revealed? Will love bloom in the most unexpected place or will it wither away in the labyrinthine of lies and deception? Join Ember's journey through love and hate, danger and despair to see what happens.
They say storms are only temporary. But the lives they cross never remain the same. You either perish, or grow so inured even the mighty storm gets enamoured of you.
~~~
Ember's POV~
I blew out a long sigh and took a turn to park my dad's car in our front yard. Another day of job hunting went in vain. My previous workplace was shut down due to bankruptcy, and the new places didn't want an employee with an experience of less than a year. Now if they wouldn't let me have the opportunity how was I supposed to get experience?
My parents ran a bakery shop. After my dad had an accident while working in the King's factory as a mechanical engineer, he couldn't work anymore, and they started this small business, but it wasn't enough. So I needed a job to support them.
My feet slammed on the brakes as a black limo, parked in our driveway, caught my eye. My brows furrowed, and I racked my brain for any possible relative who rode a limo, but nah, none did. Curiosity gnawed at my tummy, and I parked the car by the side of the road, ignoring the protests of our aged neighbor. Speeding inside the house, I tip-toed near the drawing room and peeked from behind the door frame.
Oh, blast manners! The girl needa know!
A man in a white suit sat in the head sofa, the gray roots of his hair and beard beginning to peek. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we, Joseph?" he said, authority lacing his tone.
"Err... sure, Mr. King, sir," dad replied, sitting across from him accompanied by mom.
Mr. King? As in Mr. Bryan William King? The billionaire businessman and dad's former boss? But what was he doing here?
"Splendid! I want your daughter as my daughter-in-law."
The gaps in my parents' mouths could fit a whale. As for mine, well, that whale with its baby and baby's dad, and many more babies could fit, and they wouldn't even have to squirm.
I know, I know I exaggerated, but that's how it actually felt.
The Kings wanted me as their daughter-in-law for their son Hunter William King, the most eligible, most handsome bachelor of New York? But why me when there were so many prettier women on earth dying to be his? Heck, he could even marry a princess.
Mr. King gave a laugh at seeing their expressions. "Now, now, no need to give me that look, Joseph. I just want a fair, decent girl to be our daughter-in-law, not one of those-," his face contorted into a grimace, "-gold-diggers my son dates."
"B-but sir... Y-your son... He doesn't really have a good reput- oomph!" A nudge from mom stopped dad from completing the sentence.
"Oh, come on, Josephine! All this time we'd been acquaintances, wouldn't you keep my wish?" His lips stretched into a sweet smile, but his eyes glinted with tacit demand.
For the next few minutes, Mr. King kept pestering dad. It seemed he made up his mind and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
My stretched brows creased to a frown. The reason he told about choosing me didn't seem harmful, however, the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach didn't talk the same. Marriage was a big step of someone's life, and I needed to think.
Inhaling deep, I sauntered inside. "I appreciate your proposal, Mr. King, but I need time."
All heads turned towards me. With a sweet smile on his face, Mr. King got up, and so did my parents with concerned faces.
"You have a beautiful daughter, Joseph and intelligent too," he stated striding towards me, power radiating off of him. "I hope you'll make the right decision, darling."
Then he was gone.
To be married to Hunter King would be like a dream come true for most girls including me, but getting married like this was never my plan. What about my responsibilities? I couldn't just leave my parents to be on their own when they needed me the most. I had always wanted to build my own identity, have a decent job, a bigger home and most definitely, a bigger shop where my mom could bake as much as she wanted, and dad could mess the batters up trying to help without any worry.
I looked at my parents; a twain of hesitant frowns latched on their foreheads.
What if I said no?
In the next few days, I got my answer.
"Be safe, Dad!" I stood on our porch and waved dad off. We were out of groceries, and so, dad decided to go shopping. He waved at me and started walking down the street. Dad didn't want to bother his recently-polished baby car since the shop wasn't far from home.
I smiled at our neighbor's dog playing in their yard. Turning on my heels, I took a step to head inside but stopped as alarmed barks reached my ears. Whirling around, my eyes landed on the bulky figure in all black on the street. The man glared at the animal, and cowering, it ran away. He directed his gaze ahead and resumed walking while pulling something out of his jacket. The bright glint the object reflected hit my eyes causing them to close and open back two times wider. I followed the direction of his gaze, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest.
"Dad..."
Without any delay, I dashed towards my father.
"Ember! Where're you going?" dad asked upon seeing me.
"I just remembered I-uh... I need to buy some things as well," I replied, breathing hard. Gazing behind I found no trace of the man anymore and let out a sigh of relief.
Phew! Always overthinking, aren't you?
After buying all the necessary stuff, we got back home with dad cracking jokes and me laughing, not because they were funny, but because they were just so terrible one had to laugh. Our laughing came to a cease as we entered the house to see mom with the phone in her hand, a crease formed in her forehead.
"What's the matter, Sofia? Who was it?" dad inquired, leaving the shopping bags on the floor and walking to mom.
"I just... got an email from the IRS. They said... we have three years of bills due," hesitance laced mom's voice.
"What? We already paid it all!"
My heart, that had calmed down, accelerated again. What was going on? First the strange man and now IRS?
"Maybe... someone pranked?" I offered, hoping to lighten the tension.
"Could be." Dad nodded. "Fucking jobless morons got nothing better to do."
"Joseph! No cursing in the house."
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Dad placed a quick peck on mom's cheek as all the creases vanished from her face, and a blush appeared.
I chuckled at them. Their relationship was something I always dreamed to have when I got married. At the mention of the word, my mind wandered to Hunter; I doubted I would happen to have something similar with him considering his reputation.
Shooing the thoughts away, I picked up the groceries and headed to the kitchen. Maybe someone was indeed pranking.
I only had to be proven wrong.
A couple of days later, I sat in the public library going through job circulars and filling in applications. A sudden discomfort in the stomach stirred me in my seat. Pulling out the emergency granola bar, I looked around at the few other people present, all minding their own businesses. Shrugging, I munched on the bar, sighing in content.
Happy tummy, happy mind.
My happy mind furrowed as the bench beneath dipped, and I inclined my head to the side. A tremor ran down my spine as I observed the bulky man in black from the other day sitting right before me. I shot to my feet, ready to run.
"Sit," he ordered.
"Wh-What do you want?"
He slid a black envelope across the table and got up. "Mr. King says hello."
At the mention of the name, my eyes widened, and I picked the envelope up sliding the paper out. Unfolding it, I scanned my eyes over the letter, and my stomach churned.
This could make me lose jobs before I even got one.
A negative character reference letter.
"What the hell! He can't do that." I looked up to meet an empty bench before me.
I flopped back down, my mind a swirl of questions and confusions. Why?
The same things kept happening the following days. I started seeing the strange man more and more following my parents, the emails for bills kept ringing, even my job applications kept being refused. I couldn't bear seeing the line of worry getting permanent on my parents' foreheads, I couldn't sleep at night being in constant fear that the dangerous looking guy would end up doing something horrible to them.
So, at last, I made a decision.
🥀 1st book in 'The Alpha's Hated Mate' series 🥀 All her life, Gisella Odette has been running from an unknown force her father feared with their lives. Until one atrocious night she's taken. Lost and troubled, she finds herself in the arms of a daunting man who hates her with his guts and won't stop until she has known pain. Hades Desmond Vilkas is a man of vengeance. Scarred by his agonizing past, he is set out to inflict torment into the ones' soul that wrecked havoc in his perfect childhood. However, fate plays a cruel joke on them when they turn out to be mates. Will Hades be able to leash his inner beast and recognize his one true soulmate before fate carries him through the same deprivation again, or will he fall prey to his own demons?
Hazel Green's late mother's business of housing seniors is now in control of her wicked stepfather. With her loved ones under his hostile care, she is eager to obey his demands to keep them safe. Including acting as a spy in the Kingston Corporation for intel that will dismantle his rival's empire. But, entangling herself with the infamous billionaire, Dimitri Kingston, throws a wrench in her plan. Intrigued by his ruthless desire for her, she runs the risk of her stepfather following through on his threat to murder her beloved seniors one by one. With Hazel deeply involved with Dimitri, she risks far more than she had expected. Love. Loyalty. And lives.
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
After a devastating divorce with the man she had been married to for over three years, Rachel thought her life was over. Her family disowned her, they wanted nothing to do with her anymore and she couldn't blame them. She had just divorced David Hart, one of the top successful bachelors in the country and heir to the Hart industries. But they would never understand that she didn't divorce him, he divorced her after she caught him cheating on her with her god-damned best friend! Rachel was just about to end everything by jumping off a bridge when she was saved by the most unexpected person. The boy she once bullied severally in highschool because he always wore ugly glass and was from a poor background, how come that glass make him so hot now? Why was he helping her get revenge on ex-husband who is trying to make her life even more miserable? And most important how did he get so handsome? What exactly does he want from her? ... No, you must want something, anything. If you can really help me get revenge on David and Lana, I can't just let you do it for free". Ethan went quiet for a while. I held my breath waiting for what his request might be. If it was something money could buy, I'll try my best to get it for him even though I was somehow broke right now. "You're right I do want something". He said after thinking for few minutes "What?" I asked slowly. " Until you get your revenge on David, Lana and every other person you want, you will live here". Live here as in...? " Wha... What are you saying? ". I stammered hoping he wasn't saying what I thought he was saying. I tried to step back but I missed a step and almost fell on the bed but Ethan caught me holding me in his muscular arms. Ethan moved his face closer to mine be was so close, our nose almost touched. " I want you to be with me! ".
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
This is a story about two damaged people who came together because of one's desire and the other's fear. Cassandra She was young, innocent, loving, and pretty with big eyes that showed her soul. She was stunningly beautiful but broken and alone, trapped in a world of monsters. Then he appeared. People say he is the worst monster of all, someone you pray never to meet. Will she escape him, or will he become her whole world? Dominic He was ruthless, aggressive, and merciless. Everyone feared him, and he was proud to be the king of his world. But he was also broken. Then she appeared. She was like a fragile doll, his doll. Will he take what he wants and move on, or will she become his life? "Let me go, please," she begged. He buried his face in her neck and tightened his grip around her arms. "Shhhh... breathe, love," he whispered. She cringed at his nickname for her, and he continued, "You are mine, and I am never letting you go. I will give you everything, my love, except your freedom from me."
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.