Tina is born in a traditional family who hold traditional values sacred, but a whim of obsession which she mistakes for love makes her defy the ways of the tradition. The gods are not happy, but it's too late for her and she can't avoid the repercussions because it's the will of the gods.
Tina, presumably thought her mother wouldn't notice her absenteeism. She stealthily walked ounces behind past her like a sly cat,
bestowing fleeting glances to be sure that her intentions wouldn't be foiled by her carelessness.
"If I don't see Rabu today, I will die, or go crazy. This love will kill me."
She said and lingered around her father's compound. A sharp stone peels her heel and she grimaces in pain. She groans and whirls at the corner and peeks around suspiciously. Her heel bleeds profusely and she flips off the blood with her hand and licks it.
"Damn it! All this trouble in the name of love!" She muttered to herself and smiled slightly. There wasn't any human figure visible.
"You are safe now, Tina! This is the perfect opportunity. You Dare not goof around or else your nagging mother will impede your plans." A moment's thought told her. Mauda, Tina's mother, first hides behind the door of her hut and keeps peeping through the tiny hole on the door. The position of her hut was convenient because it stood in the middle of the two other huts in her husband's compound; the bigger ones in the rear belonged to Kaija, her husband and another, to Shooca, Kaija's second wife. It was easy to identify everyone in or around the compound. She gropes out of the hut and pretends not to have seen her. She resumed her chores. Her daughter took the path behind the hut and strode towards the neighbour's compound. Mauda left her presumed task and trailed behind her. She was determined to substantiate the rumours that her twelve-year-old daughter was straying off with a neighbour's son.
"Today, you will have it coming, Tina. You won't escape my anger. It had better not be true or else..."
Despite her periodic warnings about her daughter's nasty behaviour she had cultivated lately, the latter had vehemently refused to take heed of her advice. Kaija, her husband had severally warned her that if he found out that there was a gist of truth in the gossip that was floating around the village about his daughter, he wouldn't hesitate to marry a third wife. Mauda wouldn't wish this to happen. What if his new wife was able to bear him male children? Was this not what he had always wished for? Was it not the same reason that he had married Shooca, his second wife hoping that she would give him an heir? At the thought of this, Mauda's mind was unsettled. She didn't want to lose her stance in the family. If it turned out to be authentic that her daughter had diverted from the morals of the society, and Kaija learnt about it, Mauda would no longer be Kaija's favourite and would be shorn of all the privileges of being a first wife. She seldom wished for that to happen. "No, it can never happen! Somehow, I have to make sure I secure my position."
She would always tell herself. And if her daughter lost her virginity, she would be a disgrace to her and the whole community. Mauda would be a laughing stock amongst other women. If Tina got pregnant before marriage, she would be a pariah, because it was taboo. She had to do something to stop the foreboding disaster. She quickened her pace yards behind her daughter and then stealthily trotted at a slackened pace.
Mahuge's compound was some metres away from Kaija's compound. The two homesteads were immediate neighbours. It would be easy to notice all that happened around from both ends if not for the many trees and shrubs that had grown on the raised ground between the two homesteads.
"Amelia!" Mahuge called his second wife. He had just received an unannounced visit from his in-laws' side. Tony, after hearing about her sister's new joy, couldn't wait to pronounce his abrupt visit to his in-law.
"I couldn't wait to congratulate Amelia for her newfound joy. I am sorry if I bumped into your compound unexpectedly. Said Tony with an apologetic gesture, and resumed anxiously,
"You know how long she has been praying for a male son; Two whole years of ceaseless prayers and sacrifices! At last, the gods of our ancestors have answered our prayers."
He formed a broad smile on the corner of his mouth and thanked Mandwa, his small god.
"It's true, it hasn't been easy," Mahuge said and seemed preoccupied and impatient.
"What is taking her so long?" he muttered and distended his eyes towards the direction of Amelia's hut. He ground his jaws and his gesture altered. Manage was a fierce man to whom every member of his family bestowed maximum respect. One whom the society held with much esteem because he had borne many sons and had many wives. All these distinguished him from many of his age mates. He respected the traditional beliefs and customs and therefore the gods were happy with him was a very rigid character with a heart of a beast.
"You are a true man, a true son of the land. The gods must have favoured you." Tony flatters him trying to divert him from his present worries, but the latter pays no attention. He instead pouts and peeks through the compound impatiently. The compound was destitute of any members because they had supposedly gone to clear the land near his maize plantation. Presumably, only he and his wife, Amelia were around.
Mahuge extends ounces further towards Amelia's hut and yells in a sharp voice,
"Amelia, should I come and fetch you or..."
Tina's heart palpitated in fear. The sound of Mahuge's sharp voice set her teeth to the edge.
"I had better be careful. If he sees me here he will goad me with his tough questions. What would I answer? Nothing. I will just wet my pants!"
She talked alone like a madwoman. She raised her neck and could see Mahuge and a stranger in the compound. This was a good sign! "This must be my lucky day. I hope Rabu hasn't broken his promise. He said he would keep inside his hut and wait for me, oh Rabu! I wish you could open my heart and see how I, Tina, have designed your name on every chamber!" She thought and smiled amiably and crouched her eyes lingering around to be sure there wasn't anyone following her.
Eventually, Amelia comes out of the hut hurriedly to answer her husband's call. The sight of Mahuge made her tremble. He was boiling with fury. The furrows on his forehead deepened and the daze in his eyes implied danger. As Amelia advances the latter keeps tapping his left foot on the ground.
"I am doomed! He will batter me today." Her heart thumped fast in his chest. Tony stood dumbfounded. His in-law's temperament was alarming. When Tony saw his sister approaching, he was gripped with fear and anxiety.
Sadness clutched at his heart. "To think that I cannot instantly embrace my sister because I have to wait until my in-law permits me is devastating. What kind of tradition is this?" He muttered quietly. He had mixed feelings of anger, worry and sadness.
"What took you so long? You know I don't like waiting."
Amelia fell on her knees and cowered her whole body trembling in fear.
"My husband, I am deeply sorry. I..."
"You what?" He folded his hands into hard fists and hardly raised a hit on Amelia's shoulder when he heard Tony cough from behind. Mahuge instantly withdraws and tried as much as to control his temper
"I was breastfeeding Kanai. He wanted to sleep. That's why..."
***
Shalom is torn between chasing her love and living a lonely life. Her past unpleasant experiences have brought her nothing but sadness and self rejection. After her own father and step father sexually asaulting her, she feels she cannot love any man until Louis came into her life. She however decides to avenge herself in order to erase all the bad memories of her past in order to fully embrace love.
Esther never knew that life could be more intriguing that just being a house maid at her aunt's residence where she has to endure the pain and suffering subjected to her by by her relation. She has to pay for others mistakes but all is not lost. There's a beam of light at the end of the tunnel when love finds her despite her unfortunate circumstances. The mayors son will have to jump every huddle to make her his.
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"
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."
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
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?
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."
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.