Aliyah is a self-made home renovator who has taken on the task of renovating the Charleston Manor, a home that's mysteriously been on the market for over seven years. She's traveled all the way to Rapid Springs, MI, far away from her home in Santa Fe, and she's left her family behind on bad terms, determined to show them she can be successful on her own. However, once Aliyah arrives in Rapid Springs, she immediately catches the eye of bad boy Neo. Aliyah didn't go there looking for love, but she's drawn to this quiet, stoic man. The feeling seems to be mutual, but will Neo be able to let her into his heart with his past still haunting him? Will he be able to love her without his dangerous world crashing down on them both? Aliyah must decide how deep she'll let herself go for a love that seems destined to cause trouble. Refurbished is created by Kayla Mae Francis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.
The screen door slammed behind Aliyah as she ran out to her old '02 Chevy Blazer. She tossed her air mattress and backpack into the back seat's open window and got in. She grabbed the steering wheel with a white-knuckle grip and let out a frustrated huff of air.
"I don't need you to tell me what I can and can't do," she mumbled to herself.
Before she backed out of the driveway, she saw her mother press her hand to the living room window and wiped her cheek. Maybe someone else would have been moved by this sad gesture, but Aliyah just wanted to get the h*ll away. She was not about to be emotionally manipulated. Her dad soon showed up behind her mom, putting a tanned hand on her shoulder to comfort his wife. Aliyah watched for a moment with anger still furrowed between her brows. Even when her dad met her gaze and gave a slight nod--perhaps a silent way of letting her know she should go on--she could feel the adrenaline pumping. She backed her car out of the drive.
The first couple of hours Aliyah thought only about what her parents had told her. She was sick of them underestimating her. Ever since she decided to renovate homes for a living rather than become a nurse or a social worker like her parents encouraged her to do, all she'd heard from them was how she wouldn't see much profit from the way she was working, and if she wasn't going to make much money on her own she'd need to find a wealthy husband. Okay, it was mostly her mother, but her dad didn't usually stop his wife or say anything encouraging to Aliyah one-on-one. For three years they ragged on her for this and she was sick of it.
She ignored their calls as she filled up with gas, as she hit the road. Maybe living twenty-two hours away for a few months would get her parents off her back. They didn't seem to understand that she could take care of herself and that she was happiest living her life as she chose. Her sister, Freida, may have fallen into their scheme, but Aliyah wanted to show them all that she didn't need a man or a "safe" career to be successful.
They called again when she merged onto I-70, but she let it go to voicemail. Maybe she'd listen to the messages at the next stop. Maybe she'd listen to them in a couple of days. But she was feeling too hot-blooded to listen to any more lectures right then.
As she got farther from Santa Fe, Aliyah started to relax a bit. The drive through Kansas was long and flat: just fields of various crops and miles and miles spotted with cows. Aliyah grew tired, knowing she wouldn't make it much farther. She was almost relieved when her phone started ringing. This time it was her sister. She suddenly felt a little nervous to answer, but she slid the green button over anyways.
"Hey," she said cautiously.
"Girl, what is going on? Why'd you have to run off like that? You could have at least waited until I got done with work before you sped off hundreds of miles away to Michigan!"
Oh boy, this was going to be an interesting call. At least she wasn't using her scary big-sister voice.
"Frieda, I'm sorry I left without saying anything to you but I really just had to go. I couldn't wait."
There was a bit of a pause before Frieda responded.
"'Li, I know they're tough on you, but it comes from a place of love. You know they struggled to get to where they are. They just want what's best for you."
Aliyah spotted a fuel station ahead and pulled in. Under the glow of a giant green dinosaur, she finally let go of some tension. She cried for a few minutes as her sister waited patiently on the other end of the line.
Aliyah wiped her nose with a stray McDonald's napkin from the passenger seat and took a deep breath.
"Listen, I know they love me, but you don't understand what it's like to constantly be told you can't do something. You're doing everything they wanted us to do: you're a nurse practitioner, you've got a well-off husband, you've got three kids, you attend church regularly. But that's not...me."
"I'm not saying you have to do what they're telling you to do. I just want you to understand where they're coming from," Freida replied semi-defensively.
Aliyah caught her strained tone and instantly felt angry again.
"You know what? I get it. But you don't. You're perfect. I'm not. I refuse to be. I just want to be left alone. I just want to spend my time in cold-a*s Michigan with the hillbillies and have grand old time. I'm twenty-seven years old and I think I can take care of myself. I understand money, but I'm not looking for a job that's just gonna make me rich. I do what I do because it makes me feel good. Can you say the same about what you're doing? Yeah, you help people, but do you even actually care about them?" Aliyah didn't wait for a response. "Plus, it's not like I'm going to live in Michigan forever. It's just for a few months while I fix this place up. It's not like I'm totally abandoning you. I just need some space. I need to test the waters or some sh*t." She hung up the phone and flung her seat back to recline.
She closed her aching eyes and turned her phone on silent so she couldn't be disturbed by any other calls. It was shortly after 10:30, and she'd been driving constantly for the last 10 hours, so her body was ready for a rest.
She fell asleep for a short time. It was light and dreamless, but her body welcomed the stillness.
Sometime while it was still dark, she was awakened by a sharp tapping on the window.
Leena has it all: a degree, a good job for an important company, and a fiance who she's been with for four years. According to everyone, sheâs done everything perfectly, and now she has become a person who does things in order, a person who always strives for success, even if that means living a somewhat boring life. However, her whole world is flipped upside down when she witnesses a crime and is kidnapped on the spot. But the man she is taken to stirs up something in her despite his dangerous air. Now with her perfect life in jeopardy, why isnât she scared? And why does she find the man she was taken to so alluring? Will Leena abandon the ideal life that so many people strive for and find her place in a world of danger and instability? Everything I Never Should Have Wanted is created by Kayla Mae Francis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
A sudden twist of fate connected Helena to a prominent and influential person. To onlookers, she appeared as a naive bimbo. In truth, she was a top-tier specialist, shrouded in layers of hidden identities. Charlie declared, âSheâs quite delicate and easily hurt. Cross her, and youâre crossing me.â The elite families, outwitted by Helena's prowess, kept these truths from him. Helena eventually broke free from Charlie, sending him on a frenzied worldwide hunt. To him, she was a bird with dazzling wings, and his goal was to help her reach new heights.Â
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
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 dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
Daisy is the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Hubert. His company went bankrupt, so he asked for help from Drkov's house. They agreed to help Mr. Hubert but with one condition. One of his two daughters must marry their nephew - Atlas Drkov. Atlas Drkov is a billionaire but he is disabled and uses a wheelchair. Yaretzi - daughter of Mr. Hubert's official wife - does not accept marrying a disabled man. She and her parents made a plan. They kidnapped Daisy's mother, threatened her, and forced her to marry Atlas. To save her mother, she accepted. However, after getting married, she fell in love with this man, and so did he. Difficulties start from here.