Max is sent to Africa to get away from a crime that he committed in Thailand. He, like the Red Bull heir isn't likely to get away with what he did so his parents ship him off to Africa to manage their business interests there. But first he's sent to a remote village in Zimbabwe as a "punishment" and to learn morality. It's living hell for privileged son of Thai-Chinese billionaires and the feisty, blind pastor's kid that won't cut him any slack isn't make his stay any easier. But ironically she's the only thing that's making his rural stay bearable as well.
I can't fall asleep and look over at my friend seated across from me. I've taken a Xanax already and drunk some vodka which usually knocks me out quickly but right now I still can't fall asleep even though my eyes are heavy. I look over at Patrick and think about how just a few weeks ago I would have laughed at the thought of me considering him a friend. Our families have always done business together so we've known each other since we were young but I never thought that when I really needed someone to be on my side, he'd be the one that was there.
We had always run in our own circles and never felt that close, but he's here right now. I guess it's true that when in the darkness your true friends really shine through. Patrick stirs and jolts awake. He wipes the drool off his mouth and stretches. He stares at me. "Please tell me that you at least snuck in a nap, I haven't seen you close your eyes for more than five minutes," he tells me. There are probably unseemly bags underneath my eyes. I smile. "I don't think that I'll be sleeping for a while," I tell him. I'm exhausted actually. I throw my head back into my seat. "You wouldn't mind knocking me out would you?" I joke. Patrick throws his neck pillow at me. I catch it and sigh. He looks at me sympathetically. "I know that things are tough for you right now bro but chin up," this must be the thousandth time he's said that, but then again I'm going to Zimbabwe. One of the poorest countries in the world. I remember being in high school in England and learning in Economics that Zimbabwe had the highest hyperinflation that any country had ever experienced. In the textbook there had been a boy holding a sign written "Starving Billionaire!" because their currency had devalued to the point that they had billion dollar notes that they couldn't even buy a loaf of bread with. The perks of this country though is that they are a paper-based country and have no extradition agreements with most countries. That makes it perfect for me at the moment when I need to lie as low as possible. I sigh again. "Zimbabwe is not that bad," Patrick tries to tell me. He's just trying to make me feel better. Even he was reluctant to go to Zimbabwe and he's Nigerian, a country that is known for extreme levels of corruption where politicians often embezzle funds and blame the funds disappearing on a witchcraft snake eating it. His friends tried to discourage him from coming telling him in Pidgin that "he will suffer o!", but here he is with me. I'm grateful, He promised to escort me all the way to the mission camp in the middle of Chiredzi where I'll be camped with volunteer doctors and other weirdos. That's part of my punishment. I could have been set up in a nice hotel or rental property here but instead here I am being sent to live in huts and tents, sleeping not the floor with insects biting me. They might have as well sent me to jail. I'm just praying that my case doesn't blow up like the Red Bull heir in Thailand but my parents if nothing else are masters at public relations. My issue hasn't blown up in the papers yet and I keep praying that it doesn't. The worst thing about the entire situation is that I don't remember anything about it at all. I can only remember lying down to rest on a couch then waking up and everything around is burning. I never thought of myself as one of those drunks. The scariest thing is that I don't even have flashbacks about what happened no matter how hard I try to think back. Patrick tells me that sometimes those flashbacks come to you after months. But it's already been one month and nothing at all has been coming to my mind. I sigh back into my seat and try to sleep again. It's been hard. The times that I would go out I would feel like everyone was staring at me and judging me. That my once pristine, principled image was lost forever was something that was hard for me to swallow at first. It doesn't bother me so much anymore as much as the fact that all the people that I thought were my friends have pretty much abandoned me and made me a social pariah. "Please note that we are about to land at Robert Mugabe International Airport in thirty minutes, please fasten your seatbelts and make sure that your phone is on airplane mode," I sigh. Here goes nothing and comes something that I don't really want to handle at the moment. # **** Someone is shaking me awake, I slowly open one eye. Patrick's face comes into focus. "You chose a bad time to finally fall asleep," he tells me. He helps me get up. I yawn and stretch. It was probably just about fifteen minutes of sleep but it refreshed me just a little bit. We walk out of the plane with the airplane hostess following with our bags. The last perk that I will have for the next few weeks and hopefully not months. Months would be much too cruel. We go through immigration quickly and I'm surprised that they don't hassle us more. African airports are notorious for trying to solicit bribes. There's a Range Rover Velar waiting to pick us up in the parking lot. The driver is a man that is not exactly fat but has quite the big paunch for a belly. His dark skin is clean shaven and he greets us heartily. "Welcome to Zimbabwe, I hope you will enjoy your stay," he tells us. I smile at him and murmur my own greeting knowing perfectly well that there is nothing that I will be enjoying here except anonymity. Now is the worst part of the trip. The six hour drive to Chiredzi because the bloody place has no airport and my parents didn't want to search for a private plane for me. I am no longer the son that can get privileges anymore. I sigh as I sit back into the car. "You know this place isn't as bad as they advertise it to be," Patrick comments as we're driven through Harare. I look around. He's right. Even though it is clear that there hasn't been much infrastructural development since it gained independence in 1985 which is a fact that I know because my cousin drilled facts about Zimbabwe into me before I left. Many of the buildings actually look colonial but there are no motorcycles providing public transport like in Nigeria and Kenya and the roads though horrendous aren't as bad as I was expecting them to be. We leave Harare thirty minutes later and I decide that I'll try to act like this is a fun road trip to a new area. As we drive along I notice that the country is quite underpopulated out of the capital city. There are large stretches of land that are completely uninhabited. I also see the stray monkey...or is that a baboon? I sigh. Maybe I can try to fall asleep again. **** I dream that I am back home and enter through the large oak doors. They creak as I open them. I am back to being a child again. I am five and I have not disappointed my parents yet, I haven't disappointed anyone yet. Everything that I do even the mistakes and fall is treated with kindness because I am just a kid right? It's good for me to be running and falling and trying stupid things so that I can grow and learn about the world. My parents appear in front of the staircase. My mother walks towards me then stops, goes on one knee and opens her arms wide to me. I run into her arms, her warm welcoming arms and hug her. She hugs me closely to her body and I can smell the mix of vanilla essential oil that she mixes with Chanel No.5 in order to have her own unique scent that no one else can quite put their finger on. I know the secret of her scent though. I watch her get ready and I've seen her make her little mixture. I take in her smell. "You're such a disappointment," she whispers in my ear... # **** # This time I slept and when I wake up the car is driving into a dust road. At this point I would normally think that I'm being kidnapped. I jolt but Patrick puts his hand on my knee. "Sleep well princess?" He teases. "Chill we're headed to the village now, there are rarely paved roads that lead to rural areas unless they are close to highways," I sigh again and rub my eyes. The dream I had was nice until the very end where my mom told me that I'm a disappointment. For a few moments I remember what life was like for our family before my uncle died and my father inherited the family company instead. Before both my parents had been very easy going people and would spend copious amounts of time with me. At the time my parents had been my best friends. Then they became businesspeople and they began to miss my sports matches and teacher consultations then they stopped picking me after school and had a driver do it for them. By the time I was fifteen, I saw more memories of them in my mind than in actual reality. I see huts nearing and a vehicle that looks like it belongs to a non-profit organisation. We drive right into the middle and park. We get out of the car and look around. There is no one there. The driver hoots twice then a woman comes out from the nearby bushes. They talk to each other in a language that I don't understand. It must be Shona, we're in the region of Zimbabwe that speaks Shona, a bantu language. Gosh, I'm turning into a walking encyclopaedia. The driver eventually turns to us. "The other people here are away on a trip with the villagers here. Welcome to Kufunda Village. This village is an educational village for women and girls. They house a number of them especially single mothers. They teach them skills and also provide medical services to the surrounding areas," The driver says. " I will help you unpack your bags and settle down," He takes our bags from the boots and leads us to one of the huts. The wooden door that he kicks open seems a bit flimsy to me. Zimbabwe has lions and those doors don't seem strong enough to keep one out if shit ever happens. I sigh and looks around. There's no sign of a bed anywhere. There's just a reed mat folding in a corner and a bunch of old and musty folded blankets. I look in shock at Patrick. He shrugs. "Welcome to rural Africa," he tells me. He takes the reed mat and unfolds it placing it on the floor, He puts one blanket on top of the other. He lies down on them. "This is how we make the bed back in the village," he explains. I sigh and lie down next to him. "I hope that there are no mosquitoes and bugs bothering me at night," I murmur. "You did bring Peaceful Sleep right?" "Is this the Congo or something?" I sneer. He laughs. "No, but it's a high risk malaria zone here and this is one of the hottest regions in the country. But the good news is if you get cerebral malaria your parents might send you to a private hospital where you won't have to deal with the inconveniences of poor African life. I kiss my teeth at him, I habit I recently adopted from him and throw a blanket over him. At leats I might have some fun with my friend before he has to go in two days.
Tadiwa is the object of Lilith’s obsession. She’s everything that Lilith could want in a girl and more. There’s no way that the boss girl from a billionaire family would ever have any interest in a librarian like Lilith…right? But then one night Lilith is taken by her friend to a BDSM party where she bumps into Tadiwa who will do anything to make sure that Lilith keeps Tadiwa’s secret…that Tadiwa is a BDSM sub. That’s something that would be scandalous for her conservative family. Lilith agrees but then Tadiwa wants more…
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!
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
[Cute Baby + Secret Identity + Powerful hero and heroine!] Caroline loved Damian with all her heart for five whole years. She devoted herself to him and lived humbly for his sake. However, when the couple faced a crisis, she hoped that the news of her pregnancy would fix their marriage, but what she got in return was just a divorce agreement. And to make things worse, while she was about to give birth, she had fallen into someone's trap and her life was in danger. After managing to survive such a harrowing experience, she was determined to cut all ties with the man. Five years later, she re-emerged with her head held high, being the CEO of a famous company. Those who used to bully her now got a taste of their own medicine. And the truth about the past gradually surfaced... Dazzled by Caroline's newfound confidence, her ex-husband wanted to get back together with her, but she just turned a blind eye to his advances. Damian pleaded desperately, "Honey, our baby needs both his parents. Please remarry me!"
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!