"Close your eyes" said a voice. I did exactly that. "What can you see?" the voice asked. "A man, a lonely man" I replied. "This is your calling, Zui. This is your destiny" the voice said. Zui, the daughter of the general of Wailand is made to marry Prince Mbaku, the fourth prince. However, she got caught in the power struggle in the palace after the King's death. She made a lot of sacrifices to secure her family. Out of no where, her long gone lover appears and tries to take her back. Will she go in for her feelings or her family? Will she choose her long gone lover or her husband?
"Close your eyes" a sturdy voice said from behind. "Find it with your mind's eye. Feel it with your heart." the voice continued. "It all depends on you and how you feel. Don't deny it. Relax. Open up. Follow it with your brain, see it with your mind's eye. Feel it with your heart. Listen to its rhythm."
"What can you see?" the voice asked.
" A man" I replied fearlessly and calmly. " A lonely man"
"How far away is he?"
"A few meters away from me"
"This is the break of your dawn. This is your calling" the voice said echoing and diminishing.
"Wake up. You have to meet your father today. Have you forgotten? Get ready to go to him. Don't forget to apply enough oil on your skin and shea butter in your hair. Wear the clothes on the table at the entrance." my grandmother said.
"Ok." I said half asleep.
It was all a dream. Whose voice, was that? Who was the man in her dream? Even though he was just a few meters away from me, he looked blurred. I liked his physique. He was tall and well built. Why was he lonely? And what was he doing in my dream? I wished I could go back to the dream world to find out more. After bathing, I applied lavender oil on my skin and shea butter to my hair. I took the pieces of clothes and wrapped them around my breast and my waist exposing my bare shoulders and tummy. The wrapping cloth for my waist was just a few inches above my knee. I felt the beads around my waist shake as I moved but I ignored them. My dark skin was glowing, even though the sun was not yet up.
"Nana, I am off" I told my grandmother.
"Ok, extend my greetings to your father"
"Ok, Nana".
My father's hut was just a few meters away from my grandmother and my hut. He doesn't live with any of his two wives even though he lives only a few meters away from their huts. His heart is a little bent towards me. My mother died a few months after she gave birth to me. My father and I lost her to a plague. He has been favoring me since then because he loved my mother deeply before she died.
"As early as always" Buka, my father said as he walked towards his hut. "You look more beautiful today. Hurry! Come in"
"Ok, papa" I said while entering his hut.
The sweet aroma of brewed pear and chrysanthemum flower greeted me. As always, his lantern was on but dimmed and his mat was rolled. He smiled at me and I smiled back. My father has proved himself to be tough and stern. He hardly smiles at me even though he was always calm in all his dealings with me. He is the general of the Wailand army and trains very hard even though he is aging.
"Papa, I heard you called for me"
"Yes, I did. Serve me some tea and let's talk."
He kept smiling at me and this made me confused. He hardly smiles let alone as wide as he was smiling now. What was he going to talk about? Why was he smiling broadly? Anyway, it will definitely be good news to have him smile like that. He had already brewed his tea, so i just took a teacup and filled it to its brim.
"Here you are, papa"
"Sit" he said as he took the teacup from me.
I sat down by turning my legs backward and sitting on my heels. I looked at him trying to figure out why he was smiling.
"I just noticed how beautiful you have become. If you want to know how your mother looked like, just stare at your reflection in still and clean water. You just like her. Very beautiful."
"Oh, papa" I said coyly.
"You are now a woman. I don't like the idea of you wielding a sword. I have trained you so that you can be happy. But it's time to move on. You are a woman. The performance of the customary rites and celebration ushering you into womanhood is only seven days from today. Prepare to move into your husband's house after the celebration"
"But papa, i don't want to get married now. You know i love to wield a sword and train with your men. You know me very well. Why now?"
"You're now a woman. You should start thinking of having a family. Don't worry, i won't send you off with just any man. I want the best for you."
"Papa, i said i don't want to marry now. I had my first ever period only last month and you are thinking of getting rid of me already" I said with tears trickling down my face.
"I have found you a wonderful suitor. The king has paid for your bride price for one of the princes" he replied ignoring my earlier comment.
I have been training with the fourteen older princes and we were friends. I even saw them as my brothers! They were handsome, skilled, and well trained. They were the dream men of women in the Wailand but not mine. I didn't know they badly wanted to call me sister-in-law.
"Which of the princes?"
I knew he wouldn't answer me because it was a tradition. I would know the person after the celebration, that's if i am lucky. Most girls don't see the men until the eve of their marriage.
"Is it Diemo? Zima? Ndaka? Mbigu? Shyade?" i asked desperately trying to see if his countenance will soften at the hearing of the name. But it was all in vain. "Go back home and get ready for the ceremony"
"Papa, can you re-think this decision? Kindly think of my interest too. I don't want to marry now. No, not now" i said as i stood up to leave.
I knew he had already made up his mind, nothing i would do will make him change his decision. Whoever it is, I will definitely find out during or after the ceremony. And i won't hesitate to walk to him to cancel our engagement since i don't want to marry now.
Nathan's mother was murdered when he was only 5 years. He is adopted by neighbors and raised as their own child. Nathan falls in love with his guardians' daughter. However, due to his quest and headstrong decision to find the perpetrator behind his mother's death, he deserts his love, family and friends. Nathan finds clues and all the clues pointed at the mother of the woman he loves most,who was also his guardian. Is his guardian the real perpetrator? How will he handle the truth? Nathan choose love over hatred?
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
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."
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."