She's a college student, trying to save her sister. He's the Prince of Estrea, trying to save his family. Together, they discover the true meaning of love and sacrifice.... College student Ari Douglas just learned that her sister, Henley, has leukemia. With no insurance, they don't have many options or hope. Then a friend tells Ari about AmericanMate, an elite modern matchmaking service. With no other options and needing cash quickly, she applies to the service. Former playboy Prince Grayson Pierce of Estrea is tired of women wanting him for his money and title. At the urging of his best friend, Grayson decides to go through AmericanMate. But he has just one catch: He's in it for life. There has never been a divorce in the long line of succession of the monarchy... ever. Can two hearts sacrificing for the good of their families find love in each other? Bought by the Billionaire Prince is created by Theresa Oliver, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
"Hey, Mom! What's going on?" Having seen who it was, college sophomore Ari Douglas answered her cell phone on the first ring. "You want me to bring something home tonight for dinner?" Ari usually stayed in her dorm room at New York University and went home to Queens to visit her mother and sister on the weekends. But she missed the last weekend, so she was making it up to her mother tonight.
"Don't worry about that now." Her mother's voice had a bit of an edge to it, like when she was a child and she didn't want to worry her.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Ari stopped on the campus sidewalk and bent her head toward the phone to listen.
Her mother sighed. "Ari, it's nothing to worry about, but Henley collapsed on the track today."
"What?" Ari's voice rose several octaves.
Track was her sister's favorite sport and, when she wasn't in class, she spent every waking moment practicing for meets.
Ari switched ears, shaking her head. "I knew that she was going to pass out one day from overworking herself! Is she all right?"
"She's fine." Ari could hear the smile in her voice, always trying to put on a brave face. "They're going to keep her over night while they run some tests, but there's nothing to worry about."
"I'll be right there." Ari began walking toward her dorm room. "What room is she in?"
Ari listened, committing the information to memory as she picked up the pace, having to keep herself from sprinting. When she entered her dorm room, she quickly said goodbye to her mother and clicked off. Then she grabbed her duffle bag and started throwing things into it, packing enough for a few days, just in case.
"Where's the fire?" Vickie asked. Vickie Thompson and Ari had become fast friends since they became roommates their freshman year. Now, they were both sophomores and looking forward to just a few more years of college. Ari had thought about going for her Master's degree, but wanted to finish this degree in Creative Writing first.
"Henley collapsed on the track today." Ari quickly threw things onto the bed from her chest of drawers.
Vickie's chocolate brown eyes opened wide, contrasting sharply with her wild, light brown hair and caramel skin. "Is she okay?"
Ari shrugged, not slowing her pace. "She's in the hospital." She zipped up the bag and quickly threw it over her shoulder. "Please tell my professors why I won't be in class tomorrow. I'll send them a text when I can." Ari balled up her long, dark brown hair and secured it in a ponytail, her usual go-to move when she was in a hurry.
Vickie pulled her in for a hug. "Drive carefully." She pulled back to look into her eyes. "and don't speed."
Ari smirked. "Yes, Mom." A few minutes later, Ari was in her Volkswagen Beetle, headed for Queens, hoping that it was nothing serious.
***
At the hospital, Ari saw her mother across the room. She quickly closed the gap and pulled her in for a hug. "How is she?"
Cecille pulled back and led her to a nearby chair in the waiting room. "As I said, it's probably nothing, but the doctor wants to run some tests."
Ari didn't want to worry her mother any more than she already was, but doctors didn't just keep people and run tests for no good reason. "Where is she now?"
Her mother inclined her head toward the door. "They have her in the back, running tests. Then they'll put her in a room."
Ari nodded, letting out a deep breath.
Her mother gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Now don't you be worrying unless we have something to worry about."
Ari gave her mother a weak smile. "I just wish there was something more I could do."
They waited into the night for what seemed like days but had been only hours, when a doctor pushed through the doors. "Mrs. Douglas?"
"Here!" Cecille raised her hand.
The doctor's eyebrows pulled together in concern and his lips formed a straight line as he crossed the room to them. "Let's go into the back."
Her mother nodded, but Ari's heart sank. They didn't call you into the back to talk privately unless there was good reason.
The doctor pulled them in a room and closed the door.
"How's Henley?" Cecile asked, a crease forming between her eyes.
The doctor sighed. "Well, the tests are inconclusive as of yet, but we'll know for sure after we run a few more tests."
"What do you think it is?" Ari asked, unable to take the suspense. She hated when doctors hemmed and hawed around. It was better when they just got straight to the point.
"Leukemia," the doctor said flatly.
Cecille's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
"We won't know for sure until after the other tests are ran," the doctor repeated, looking at them with sorrowful eyes. "But, yes, I'm afraid so."
Tears sprang to her mother's eyes, obviously unable to speak.
Ari squeezed her mother's hand in support. "What can we do?"
The doctor spent the next hour talking to them about chemotherapy treatments and eventually a Stem Cell Transplant after she's in remission. So much information caused Ari's head to spin.
After the doctor left the room, her mother looked into Ari's eyes and said in a low voice, "Ari, I don't have any insurance." After Ari's father left them six years before, her mother had worked as a waitress in a local diner. Although the tips were good, there were no fringe benefits. And surely no insurance.
"Don't worry, Mom." She pulled her to her shoulder. "Everything's going to be all right. We'll think of something." As her mother's tears fell onto her shirt, Ari silently vowed that she would do whatever it took to help her sister.
***
"Mom, I'm going down to the cafeteria for some coffee." Ari stood and stretched in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. "Want some?"
Cecille shook her head. "No, hon, but thank you."
Ari raised her eyebrows. "Will you be okay for a few minutes?"
Her mother nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll be fine." Then she forced a smile. "Hey! I'm supposed to be taking care of you. Not the other way around."
Ari smiled. "Mom, we're in this together." She pulled her in for a quick hug. "Besides, you don't have to protect me anymore. I'm no longer a child."
Cecille laughed. "Honey, you haven't been a child for a long time. I think you were born a little adult."
Ari chuckled and then headed down to the cafeteria, wondering where she was going to get the money for Henley's treatments. Short of robbing a bank, none of them had much money. Between both hers and Henley's college tuitions, there wasn't much money. Ari made a mental note to cancel the rest of her classes and quit school until she could figure out what to do next.
Then Ari started thinking seriously about robbing a bank. She could pretend she had a gun and go into a bank. They were the only ones who had the kind of money she needed....
Ideas ran through Ari's mine and a plan started to solidify as she entered the cafeteria. Normally, there was no way that she would even consider robbing a bank, but dire situations caused for drastic measures. She walked through the cafeteria line, but everything was self-served at this hour. So, Ari made herself a cup of coffee and approached the cashier.
A few pencils in a cup set right in front of her. "Mind if I borrow one?"
The cashier waved toward them and smiled. "Not at all."
Ari took one and a napkin, and then looked around the room, and no one was there. Ari let out a sigh of relief, not in the mood for idle chitchat. After paying the bill, she sat at a corner table, out of the way, needing time to think and plan.
Ari made a list of all the ways she could get money. Rob a bank. Check. Take out a loan. Check. After staring at the napkin for a moment, she turned it over and started drawing out a plan to rob a bank, when a voice brought her from her reverie.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but is this seat taken?"
Ari looked up and sighed, palming the napkin to hide her work. It was a nurse from the emergency room. Ari shook her head and raised her hand toward the chair. "Have a seat." She sighed. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I won't be good company tonight."
The nurse wore a tag that read MELISSA. She took a sip of her coffee. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but I overheard what the doctor said in the waiting room earlier. I'm so sorry."
Ari tilted her head to the side. "Thank you, but it's not over yet."
Melissa's eyebrows rose in concern. "Well, don't do anything stupid. Something will turn up."
Ari took another sip of her coffee. "Look. I appreciate your concern, but no one's going to help a poor college girl without insurance."
"I hope that's not true." Melissa looked into her eyes. "It's none of my business, but do you have any idea how you could raise the money?"
Ari smirked. "Short of robbing a bank? No."
"Well, don't do that." Melissa smiled, and then leaned in conspiratorially. "I have an idea."
Lacey Taregan, a wolf-shifter from the Silver Pack, is tired of her family treating her poorly, even though she is a princess and a member of the Royal Family. A warrior in her own right, she longs for acceptance and respect. Julien Grey is the Alpha of the Harvest Moon Pack. Not just any Alpha. Thee Alpha… the most powerful in the world. Having been wronged by his pledge years ago, Julien opts for an arranged marriage, one that will strengthen his alliance with the Silver Pack. He gave his heart once and doesn’t intend to give it again… ever. But a chance meeting against some rogue wolves could change everything. Will they learn to get along for the good of the pack, or will they lose everything to the rogue Wildclaws, threatening their existence? In a clash of pride and power, can two head-strong shifters let down their guards and open their hearts? The Alpha's Companion is created by Theresa Oliver, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."
She went to a club with her friends to drink for the first time after finishing her third-year examinations. Gabriella was a 21-year-old virgin who had never kissed anybody before. She met a stranger at a club, accompanied him to a hotel, had her first kiss, and lost her virginity. She enjoyed herself. When she awoke the next morning, the man was gone, He left. She found out she was pregnant a few months later. She continued to go to the hotel in the hopes of running into the man, but after four months, she gave up. He abandoned her, leaving her to face the situation alone. She dropped out of university to raise her son. She returned to school a year later to complete her studies and get her degree. She then saw the person she had slept with on TV and realized he was now engaged, as well as the fact that he was the well-known multi-billionaire Javier Hills. What would his grandma do when she finds a boy who looks just like her grandson?
Sophia Drake braced herself for the worst when she was forced to move across the country in the middle of her junior year. Desperate to escape her shattered home as soon as she turns eighteen, her plans are disrupted by the enigmatic and captivating Ashford twins. Sophia can't fathom the intense attraction she feels for the twins and tries to avoid them at every turn. As she's thrust into an unfamiliar world, her past demons resurface, making her question her true identity. Will Sophia flee from her past's secrets, or will she embrace her destiny and take control of her future?
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."