Rachel is a wealthy young woman who wants to escape her domineering father and an arranged marriage that can only lead her to a life without happiness. Deciding to escape to a small English town, she has to learn how to make a living on her own, while having to deal with a man who challenges her to learn about life... and love. "She could not escape how Arthur was making her feel. It was new, but sensual. Although they were at the bar, they were both focused on each other; the entire world seemed to disappear from view. Arthur's glance was locked in at her lips. It was a different way for him to relate to Rachel, but she seemed open to his physical closeness and sexual advances. Was it possible to have intimacy in a bar full of people? It felt like a magnet was drawing them together, closer and closer, until both found themselves leaning in for a kiss." Less Money, More Love is created by April McQueen, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
All of her warm, salty tears would have easily filled the antique, crystal flutes meant for bubbling with California's best, chilled champagne. The guest list at Rachel's wedding was packed with old money and Fortune 500 heirs and heiresses and their wealthy parents seeking business alignments to build wealth for their families and their offspring.
They would celebrate her arranged wedding with endless toasts of their champagne, not her tears. They would spend the entire social affair strategically mixing and mingling, seeking the same types of financially successful unions for their sons and daughters.
Love was never a consideration. It was always about increasing wealth with a business deal marriage to last forever. For anyone else, it would have been one of the best days of her life. For her it was just another expectation that she was expected to accept and fulfill without complaint or question. It was the continuation of a role she had to play.
She sat on her enormous bed in her room in her father's luxurious sea-side mansion for the last time. She took out her journal and began to write her heart out. If the pages had mouths, they would be screaming her anger, lamenting her sadness, uttering her prayer for a different outcome, and crying out with her plea for strength and guidance. With each touch of her pen to her page, she sought solace.
"It has been quite a while since my mother passed when I was nineteen. Since then I have fallen in and out of love and chased my dreams for the life I wanted. This is not it."
She shut the book and locked it...she had found new strength with each word. She dried her tears and packed her bag.
If she went through with this wedding, she would be trading one jailer for another. This would come first with her domineering father and then, to replace him, with Kurt, a cold, rude, possessive groom who was ready to enter their new marriage with several mistresses already.
She had met Kurt three times before she became engaged to be his wife. First, he was in attendance at her father's annual Winter Ball, a high society affair that she was expected to host in her mother's absence. On that initial meeting, he was aloof and seemed to busy himself with making political alliances and standing with the old boys' network her father was part of. Though she had tried to engage him in conversation, he was more focused on drinking whiskey, smoking cigars, and ogling the scantily clad women that circled the ballroom.
At their second meeting, he was invited to a state dinner at the White House and asked her to be his escort. He took her to Washington D.C. on his private jet and hardly uttered ten words the entire flight from California. What could have been an opportunity to get to know him better, transformed into a reason to dislike him even more. She felt like she was to be at his service the entire time, the glittering accessory demonstrating how profoundly rich and politically connected he was.
Rachel managed to enjoy the actual event as much as she could, grateful that they would not be spending the night, lest he got any ideas about what her companionship included. She was not one of his mistresses, after all.
She was from old money, with social breeding and political clout, while he was new money made on his grandfather's international teddy bear fortune. He was trying to distance himself as a ruthless young hot shot, but lacking in the expected social graces necessary to gain entry within the truly wealthy circles he needed access to in order to take his wealth to the next level. For that he would need a bigger, deeper, and more stable alliance. That was where Rachel fit in to his plan.
On their third encounter, his arrival was preceded with her father having a meeting with her.
"Rachel, that nice young man you met, Kurt, has asked me for your hand in marriage. He is coming to dinner tonight to propose to you. You will accept. Your marriage will be the key to a very lucrative merger of the wealth of our two families and give us even more financial security for generations to come. You will act pleased with the engagement and be happy with the relationship. Make it work. Understand?"
That was how he treated her since her mama died. He barked commands at her and she was expected to comply without questions, complaints, or attitude. This was how he treated his employees and now also his daughter.
A marriage of convenience for Rachel was no small matter. She was 21 and this would be for the rest of her life. The expectations were clear, including those around children.
Kurt arrived and was brief but upbeat. His proposal lacked romance or charm, "So, I think you know why I'm here. I think June will be the best time for the ceremony."
He gave her the box with a beautiful and expensive-looking engagement ring from one of the world's biggest and best diamond brokers. It was her mama's ring, given to Kurt by her father. After she looked at it and put it on her own hand, and nodded in agreement, her father and her new fiancé excused themselves to sign some paperwork regarding mergers and acquisitions of their individual wealth and soon to be collective holdings. They would celebrate "the deal", their engagement, leaving her alone.
She had packed a few personal items, including a portrait of her mother, and, of course, her journal. She didn't bother leaving a note; instead, she carefully placed her engagement ring on her dresser.
Laura meets a handsome and charming man and cannot believe her luck, especially when she meets a second guy…and then a third! Will Laura be able to choose one man…? the gifts started showing up...Alex was partial to long stemmed red roses and this time was no different. Don sent her bottles of Merlot. Ricky sent her weekly salon and spa gift cards. After she received each gift, she texted the same message to each of the three: “Oh, how thoughtful. Each gift served to remind her of what was special about their dates and the man who had lavished her with attention. The gifts gave the guys a chance to show off their wealth, but also to declare their love for her. She wondered how each could be so committed and love struck over her after such a short time period. They only had one girl to focus on where she had three very different, eligible guys to choose from…” The Billionaires' Love Club is created by April McQueen, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
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…"
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!