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, she's 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 isn't 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.
Leena Morris loves having control over money, rich men's money to be exact.
Money. That was what Leena knew to be the driving force of the world. Money and success- but weren't they kind of the same thing in most people's eyes? That's why she lived by the book and did things in order. She got her Master's Degree in business and finance. She got engaged to the son of the owner of a chain of hotels. That was her job as a financial consultant.
The walk from the car garage to the yoga studio was brisk and cold. March in Philadelphia was too cold, Leena thought. For some people, an average temperature of 53 degrees was fair, maybe even pleasant, but that wasn't the case for Leena Morris. She did not like the cold. In fact, anything under 70 degrees pretty much felt like a curse to her.
She shrugged her yoga mat bag over her shoulder and shoved her hands deep into her pockets and cursed the wind. The wind made everything worse. People only liked the wind when it was 90 degrees or when they wanted to go sailing. The wind was overrated.
To Leena, lots of things were overrated. Social media for starters. And big, fat weddings. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted a simple life- at least, that's what she had convinced herself to believe.
And that was precisely the kind of life she was living, the cookie-cutter, good-girl who went to school and 'waited until after college to get engaged' kind of life. But, honestly, it wasn't all that. She was drowning in boring.
Her job as a financial consultant for Greene Consulting Group was a good job that a lot of people were gunning for. It was steady, reliable. It paid well. She had benefits. All that good stuff. And she was good at it. But it was boring. She went to an office every day and talked on the phone and sifted through paperwork and Excel sheets and ledgers. The walls were blank except for the generic, abstract paintings in the elevator hall.
Really, for a good, rich company she would have thought that they would put some of their time and energy into making the place more appealing. Basically, everyone could relate to things that looked pleasing to the eye. That's what got people's attention in most instances.
It was what had attracted her fiance, Brian Barclay at a random seminar in Cincinnati three years ago. She'd gone to schmooze some corporate men that wanted to invest in the Greene Consulting Group. In fact, her slightly above-average looks were probably what attracted those men at first as well.
Leena rolled her eyes as she thought about what those types of men were like. They talked down to you and commented on your appearance and your age when you were a woman. They questioned your position and your competency, and she didn't appreciate that.
But she did love basically having control over their money. It was what they held most dear to them after all. It gave her some satisfaction to secretly have the upper hand in those cases. Well, it wasn't necessarily secretly, but it was usually quiet enough to hear the gears in their little brains turning when they explained to them what their fiscal year might look like and how to develop better financial strategies to accommodate for that.
It was probably her main pleasure in life.
Yes, she had a good job and a fiance and her own home, but none of those things really pleased her. Instead, she saw them as a checklist for success. How else was she supposed to get her parents' love and affection? That kind of stuff didn't come free.
So yeah, in her parents' eyes and in society's eyes, she was a young, beautiful, successful lady with her whole life ahead of her, but when she looked in the mirror she just saw a decent-looking body that fit the mold. But it was basic, vanilla.
She wanted chocolate-dipped cherries. Not vanilla.
Just as Leena approached the building where her four-nights-a-week yoga class was located, she spotted something very pleasing to her eye. He stopped her at the door that she realized someone was holding open for her, but she didn't have the sense to walk through.
No, all of her senses were locked on the man, probably six foot three and very toned under his suit jacket. His dusky skin complimented his medium-length curly dark hair. In the sunset, his hair was like black tourmaline, and his eyes... they were too bright and captivating for as dark as they were. They almost seemed black the closer he got. Everything about him was dark.
He was definitely not vanilla, she thought as he walked towards her. He was looking straight at her, and when their eyes met after she'd done a slightly shameful thorough exploration of his physical traits, he didn't drop his gaze. He was completely undisguised.
"You goin' in?" he asked, opening the door the other kind person had long abandoned. Even his voice was dark and deep, like the purest dark maple syrup.
Leena cleared her throat and said, "Uh, yeah. Yes. Thank you."
She walked through so as not to make the moment any more awkward, but she couldn't help but turn around as she passed by him. He grinned down at her confidently, squinting his eyes slightly, which gave him an air of 'Yeah, I know I'm attractive. I see you seeing me.'
Leena let out a little embarrassed puff of hair and turned around quickly. She wished she was brave enough to be that obvious. She left the tall, dark mystery man and walked quickly to the elevator and waited. Instead of watching the red numbers change like she usually did, she kept looking out the window, hoping that he would come through the door, walk up to her, and tell her how attractive he thought she was.
The bell for the elevator's arrival dinged sharply, shattering her reverie. She entered it and went up to the third floor where her yoga class took place. Her friend Adriene greeted her warmly, like usual, and then the class began.
Leena usually tried not to get too close to people because when you get close to them, they expect a lot, and then you have to do all of these things to keep them interested in you, but Adriene seemed different. She was very... bubbly and sweet. She treated everyone like she had been their best friend since grade school. No judgment.
Really, she was like a breath of fresh air, and even though Adriene was the one who had worn Leena down enough to open up, Leena was pretty sure she was more attached, and that scared her. She wasn't attached to anyone, not even her fiance.
As much as she knew it was wrong, or that it shouldn't be the way it was, Leena had yet to entertain, let alone express, any thoughts about leaving him. He was safe. He was a good box for her to check off on her Success List.
But she wanted more than just success at this point in her life. She was already twenty-seven, and... she was tired of vanilla. She wanted that chocolate-dipped cherry, that dark rich maple syrup. Not the store-bought syrup that was golden and delicate. She wanted the robust stuff with the strong taste.
Brian was golden and delicate, but that man on the street who had opened the door for her... he was robust, strong. And she couldn't help but see him every time the instructor told the class to close their eyes. Brian was the type to hold her hand in the car, but she imagined this guy would be the type to slide his hand to her inner thigh. Brian was the type to touch her gently on the shoulder and kiss her on the cheek, but this guy was probably the kind that would seize her by the waist, press his whole body against her and smash his lips to hers. Brian always apologized when Leena caught him staring at her, but this guy... he would unabashedly scan her body and give her his best bedroom eyes...
She spent most of her time in yoga class enthralled by that fantasyland where she was with dark maple, 'you can only get this commercially' syrup guy, not golden, safe, 'just drizzle on your pancakes' syrup guy.
Aliyah is a self-made home renovator who has taken on the task of renovating the Charleston Manor, a home thatâs mysteriously been on the market for over seven years. Sheâs 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 sheâll let herself go for a love that seems destined to cause trouble. Refurbished is created by Kayla Mae Francis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true originsâa lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. âIt's time to reveal your true identity, darling.â
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."
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!"
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
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.