Two weeks shy of her 17th birthday, Charlene Ludlow accidentally met with the gorgeous blue eyed country boy named Thomas Raven who was going to turn her unadventurous, well planned upper class life, upside down. Even though her father, who was soon to be Mayor had chosen a suitable future boyfriend for her, she was already fallen head over heels for the boy, who was said to have slept on the beds of half the girls in town. Tom had never been attached to anything in his life before. When he met Charlene, he felt something that he didn't recognize, he wanted her all to himself, nothing more and nothing less. Despite how much they wanted to be with each other, they faced many challenges of circumstances, from other people and even between themselves.
"Here's your change, Charlene, don't forget to tell your mom that her orders are coming tomorrow," Mrs. Cooper handed out the money she took from the register.
"I will, Mrs. Cooper," she replied.
"It's so good to finally see you out and about, your mom finally let you go and do groceries ... huh?"
Charlene smiled, "Yeah, I'll be seventeen in two weeks, I think it's about time she let me do some errands by myself."
Mrs. Cooper laughed, "Well ... your parents are just being protective of you ... you're such a fine young lady, no wonder they've been keeping you locked up in that big ol' house o' yours."
Charlene laughed softly and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Alright, Mrs. Cooper, I'll see you tomorrow, then," she took the groceries off the counter and walked toward the door.
Just when she was about to open the door, it was opened from the outside. A boy walked in, ice-blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, his big nose slightly crooked, and his thick red lips gaping, staring at her, speechless. Charlene smiled at him, "Excuse me," she said and walked past him.
"You better close that mouth o' yours before the flies come flyin' in," Mrs. Cooper broke his astonishment, "Don't even think about it, Tom, you don't go near that girl," she said.
Thomas Raven walked over to the counter, still dazed with what he just saw, "Who was that?" he asked.
"Not of your concern, that's who she is ... now what do you want?"
"A pack of Marlboro Lights." Mrs. Cooper took a pack and put it on the counter.
"That'll be $3.50," she put the numbers on the register. He paid for it. "Shoot! She left her eggs," Mrs. Cooper muttered and took the eggs from under the counter.
Tom grabbed the eggs and ran, "I'll take it to her."
"Hey!! Tom! No! Tom! You stay away from that girl, you hear?"
But he was already out the door chasing the girl with the sweetest smile he had ever seen.
"Miss! ... Miss!" he called out to her. Charlene stopped her steps and turned around. Tom was panting when he got to her, "You forgot your eggs."
"Oh! I did, didn't I? Thank you," she said as she reached to take her eggs.
"Let me carry those for you," he said clutching the eggs.
Charlene hesitated, "That's okay ... I can do it myself," she declined.
"Please ... I insist," he said. He couldn't stop staring at her up to a point where it was uncomfortable for her, "I'm sorry ... I just ... I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
She blushed, "Thank you," she shied away from his gazing eyes. "I don't know ... I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she said. Tom wiped his hands on his shirt and offered her a handshake. "I'm Thomas ... Thomas Raven."
She shook his hand, "I'm Charlene ... Ludlow."
"Well then, we're not strangers anymore ... Charlene Ludlow, you're Bill Ludlow's daughter?" he asked. She nodded. He took a deep breath and realized why Mrs. Cooper had told him to stay away from this girl.
Everyone in Bluebridge knew who Bill Ludlow was, he was the main contributor in town. He was a very successful businessman who used to be a prominent lawyer and a District Attorney. He was very well connected with the town's Mayor and was rumored to run for the Office the following year. "I'd like to walk you home Charlene, may I call you Charlie?"
She smiled, "No one's ever called me that before."
"Perfect, then I get to be the only one," he said as they started walking.
"I've never seen you around before, I'm sure I'd remember you if I had," Tom knew almost everyone in town, especially the girls.
She shook her head with a faint smile, "I don't get out much, ... this is actually the first time I've ever met anyone in town, aside from Mrs. Cooper, she's been our grocer forever, ... do you live around here?"
Tom smiled, "Yeah ... I live around here, just ask anyone, they'll tell you I live around here," he was being vague, he couldn't possibly tell her that he was pretty much homeless.
She furrowed her brows but quickly dismissed it, "Where do you go to school?"
He never felt so nervous being asked that, he never cared if people knew he was out of school, until that day. "I've been working for the past 3 years now," he wasn't lying.
"Really? How old are you?" Charlene was surprised because, despite his boyish look, he might be older than she thought.
"Nineteen, what about you? Are you still at school?"
She nodded, "Yeah, Easton High, I'll be graduating next year."
Of course, Tom thought, where else would Bill Ludlow's daughter go to school. Easton High was the only private school in Bluebridge where all the 'better' kids go to. While the rest of the people go to public schools, which they only had two in that very small town. He knew he was in way over his head with this girl, but something made him kept walking.
"So ... where do you work? What do you do?" she asked.
"Anything ... everywhere ..." he cleared his throat.
She looked at him funny, "That's not fair, I've told you where I go to school, you're walking me to my house, but I practically don't know anything about you other than your name."
Tom scratched the back of his head, "The idea is to keep you talking to me as long as I can ... if you know things about me, you might never want to do that again," he was being honest.
He kept his head down, she stared at him and caught a glimpse of nervousness behind his bold approach. When he looked up, she was caught up with those ice-blue eyes, his boyish frame, his nose, lips, everything combine in breathtakingly good looks, "I highly doubt that," she said with a twinkle in her eyes. If he didn't know any better, he would mistake her comment with flirting.
"Anyways, that means I get to tell you more about me some other time ... like tomorrow?" he was hoping.
She didn't reply to that. As they were approaching the gates of her house, she stopped walking, "I think you shouldn't go further than this ... my parents don't allow me to be friends with boys," she told him.
Tom looked at the big white grand building a few hundred meters from the gate, so out of reach, so intimidating. He looked at Charlie, his heart was melting, "Can I see you again tomorrow?" he had to ask.
She tilted her head as she took her groceries from his hands, "I don't know ... maybe ..." a half-smile curved on her lips, "If you promise to tell me more about yourself?"
He rubbed his hand on the side of his neck, and put the other hand in his pocket, "Okay," he said reluctantly.
She giggled on her way walking backward toward the gate, "Thank you, Tommy, I have to go now ... it was nice meeting you," she walked in through the gate of her mansion and didn't look back.
'Tommy', he never liked it when people call him Tommy, but on her lips, it sounded appropriate, like it belonged there. He knew his way around girls, if she asked anyone around town, she would hear about that too. But for the first time in his life, Thomas Raven felt lightning had struck him straight in his heart, and her name was Charlene Ludlow, the only girl in town he was not supposed to lay his eyes on.
Sandra Lowry is renting out her property for a living. A lifetime investment she couldn't really afford. When her best friend / property agent told her they were bidding on a new prospect that could cover her next 5 year rent, she was excited. The client, a handsome actor with a tragic past who would be living in her compound for the next 6 months. With her own past tragedy, the two developed an instant friendship that was rare and found a connection beyond what they've ever had before. Unbeknownst to her that her past was on its way to catch up with her and prevent her from moving on.
Here we follow the footsteps of Adrian Addams, an orphan, a loner, a night crawler to the core who works for Jordan Cromwell, the city's most influential man's son. The city is going through some changes after 33 years of the separation, and Adrian is caught right in the middle of it. He's accustomed to the way of living where something strange is always happening, but something more sinister is going on. With the appearance of Jordan's little sister, and a Chief of Police that's always on his tail, he will soon find out.
Julie Greene hadn't had a boyfriend since she started college. The last time she was in a relationship, her heart was broken and it was hard to trust again. Having a best friend since childhood was a big advantage, she never really felt lonely. Kelsey had always been like a sister, they were almost always together. They were always there for each other, even when Julie had a bit of a fall out with Preston, her "other" best friend. That is until Kelsey had a new boyfriend that she met on her summer vacation.
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
22-year-old Evelyn Carter is attempting to start over in California while avoiding her past. She will be embarking on a new career path as a private school teacher. She is smart, attractive, and doesn't put up with nonsense. Who wouldn't notice her? However, what happens when she attracts the attention of someone unwilling to let her go? Who wants her and nothing else after falling in love at first sight? A 25-year-old billionaire CEO and single father, Lucian Carrington. He takes what he wants and he is also a very dangerous man. All it needed was one look at a stunning woman to realize she was HIS, even though he doesn't believe in relationships because they always end. Preview: Miss Carter, you will be mine. I say firmly. "Release my arm, Mr. Carrington, before I force you to." She says, seeming to smile at me. I give her a sly smile. Squeezing my wrist with her other hand, she twists it uncomfortably. I gave a painful hiss. "Don't underestimate me, Mr. Carrington." "This is the only time I will allow you to walk away from me, Miss Carter." She glared at me as she turned. "Mr. Carrington, I am no possession of yours." I was left standing there when she opened the classroom door and left.