Minerva was so close to tying the knot with her long-time boyfriend Derrick when an unexpected accident fatally killed him. With only five months before she'll give birth, she had look for various jobs that can raise her and her upcoming child until she met Darwin Gray, the CEO of the biggest company in their city and happens to be Derrick's half-brother. She was skeptical at first to live with him until Darwin revealed that Derrick actually sold her to him in order to finance Derrick's gambling lifestyle. Minerva was absolutely heartbroken and was left with no choice than to be his Mrs. Gray. But, as the winds of fate change, Minerva will soon realize that one must never judge a book by its cover-that despite Darwin's ruthless appearance lies a heart that has long been yearning for a one true love.
The sky was now dark.
As dark as the clothes she was wearing to her fiancé's funeral. The crying of the people was a cacophony to Minerva's ears; even her own crying.
Derrick's sapphire engagement ring was still cherished by her ring finger-the same color of her pristine and beautiful eyes.
Minerva wiped away the tears that had long made her scarlet handkerchief wet. The handkerchief was the very first gift given to her by Derrick-her first and probably last boyfriend.
"Condolence, Minerva..." The voice was familiar. It was from Daphne, her brunette co-teacher who teaches at the same high school as she had before.
"Thanks." Minerva's answer was definitely sincere-as sincere as the love she bears to Derrick. It was very genuine to the point that she chose to wait for Derrick's approval of her marriage request upon the first week of carrying his child.
It had been days already since she'd been carrying her now-resting fiancé's child.
Minerva could still vividly remember that Derrick was always the person who wants to be prepared, who wants to have perfection in such things.
But, it seems he wasn't prepared the moment he was now laid in the casket, in the coffin. So was Minerva. She wasn't prepared for any of this, to be honest.
It was just last week that she'd been preparing for the baby and even planning to apply for work as soon as she gave birth when the news of Derrick's car accident reached her very ears from her apartment's telephone.
It was her best friend Mariella Chu, who also happens to be working as a nurse in the local hospital, who phoned her about Derrick's passing.
He was dead on arrival. Perhaps God, or any supreme being out there, didn't give Derrick even a slight chance to live-not even a chance to say his final goodbye to his baby. And most of all, not even a word of goodbye to his soon-to-be-wife.
The attendees of the funeral are gradually decreasing. Probably because midnight is nearing and most of them have their homes hundreds of kilometres away from this venue.
The flickering lights from the candle reflect in the eyes of Minerva as she was the sole person to be left in her former boyfriend's house.
Derrick lost her mother at a young age and his father already had another family the time that he was born. So, this is the last time she can step foot to this simple house as it was already sold just a week ago. They've planned to use the money for their settling down. Therefore, she had a bit of money left-Derrick had a bit of money left for her and their baby.
Without further ado, she too went home to her apartment as the caretaker of the house showed up, signalling her time to depart into the four walls of her once beloved Derrick's abode.
***
Morning came by the time she opened her eyes-so was her morning sickness.
Indeed, it is not easy to bear a child as it is very complicated. Especially to her as she was left by the only man she dearly loved.
She grabbed the hems of the ebony curtains and swiftly split it open, revealing the morning sun's beaming light. She looked to her left and the pink sticky note that she tacked on the calendar that was just a freebie on the grocery store, reminds her that she has a medical appointment today.
It was definitely upsetting. Upsetting due to the fact that the cash she has on hand could probably not even buy bread and butter. Without any choice, she phoned the only person who knew of her current situation-her financial situation.
The phone rings on the other side and the voice of Mariella Chu reverberates.
"Are you ready for your check up today, Minnie?"
Minnie. That was her Chinese-American best friend nicknamed her after the famous "girlfriend" of Disney's Mickey Mouse.
She cleared her throat before responding to Mariella's query. "I am, Ella."
"Good. Just let me know when I can fetch you. I'm still on the home service of one of my patients as of now but I can drive to your apartment perhaps in less than three hours."
Minerva paused. She looked at the Hello Kitty watch that she had since she was a grade-schooler. It's seven in the morning. Perfect for a nice warm bath for a pregnant single mother like her.
"Sure. I'll just have my preparations."
"Sure, Minnie! Bye for now."
Then the receiver on the other end was now silent. As silent as the morning, if not for her stomach's rumbling that signals her that it's her breakfast time.
She treaded towards her bathroom that's no less than a few steps from her bed, and took a nice warm shower.
***
Minerva was wrong.
She was wrong that her bath would be a warm and refreshing one.
Well, it's kind of refreshing because her body was definitely drenched in her own tears, sweat, and probably from her saliva.
But still, the water from the shower seems to come from a freezer. It was very cold as she bathed herself, bathe their selves. Or is it just because she was pregnant? Well, the body of a pregnant woman was always a bit "hot" on the inside, as they say.
The splashing of water was both music and noise to her ears. The more she soaked in the shower, the more her teeth gritted due to the frigid waters from the shower.
She quickly gets out from the freezing bathroom that even her little circular mirror was shrouded in a mist as a result of the cold shower.
She wrapped her slender body and her now-circular womb in a forest green bath towel. Her eyes caught what seemed to be falling from the outside sky that made her realize why the water is wholly gelid-snow.
Today is the first day of snow in the city-the first day of winter. Now, that's what you call total misfortune. She only has one thick jacket left for the first day of winter. Two, if you're gonna include Derrick's trench coat that happens to be still in his former home.
She will get their remaining things from the now-sold house after her appointment from her ob-gyn. At least her ob-gyn was the sister of her mother's husband. The doctor was her mother's sister-in-law, to be simple.
Her mother volunteered to answer the expenses for her check-up. At least in that way, her mother, who now has another family, still manages to "care" for her since the death of her biological father five years ago.
Minerva was definitely still lucky amidst her unluckiness oozing up to its brim. She still has a mother that has still a bit of kindness left in her heart-that is if she still has one.
Her phone rings. She was still munching her sunny-side egg when Mariella called her. She seized a glass of lukewarm water and immediately drank it in just a matter of seconds.
"Wait for me, Mariella," Minerva muttered then shove the remaining fried egg and French toast into her small mouth.
Before she could speak further, three knocks interrupted her simple breakfast.
'Perhaps it's Ella...' Minerva mused. "Coming!"
When she opened the door, Minerva was flabbergasted. It was not her best friend, Mariella Chu.
It was her mother.
"Hello dear! I came to take you to your doctor, who happens to be my beautiful sister-in-law. I already phoned Mariella as she was also having an immediate family matter to attend."
Minerva was about to open her mouth but chose not to as she remembered that she was still chewing her French toast and egg-the only breakfast she had. Perhaps the only breakfast she will be having from now on.
In less than an hour, Minerva and Rhea-her mother-were now driving towards the hospital to which the ob-gyn was waiting.
***
The hospital's scent was new to her senses. She felt like puking on the very floor of the elevator. Or was it just because she was pregnant?
Either way, the meeting with her ob-gyn was absolutely no problem. It's about the bills that made her head totally ache.
"What's the price of you helping me?"
Her mother briefly looked at her from head to toe before answering. "Nothing."
Nothing. That was all Rhea said throughout the entire time. From the very moment they stepped in the hospital to the time that her check-up was finished, her mother's mouth was wholly shut-as if she wittingly sewed it shut to avoid conversation with her.
Minerva cleared her throat before speaking again...alone this time.
"Well, if that's the case, I will still pay you as soon as I find a new job. I resigned from the high school I was teaching the moment I got pregnant."
"The moment you got pregnant? Or the moment you were about to give the pussy between your legs to a man named Derrick?" Her mother's voice was thundering in the midst of the four narrow walls of the elevator.
It took all the remaining strength that was left of her in slapping her blonde-haired mother. She was entirely insulted by that tone, by her words. She said there was no price in helping her during her pregnancy. Yet, it seems that a liberated scold was the price she silently chose to offer Minerva.
To be honest, she could take her down and choke her to death into the very lustrous floor of the elevator if it wasn't the fact that her words somehow resonates verity, that there is actually truth in her words. Her mother left her for another man on the verge of her father's terminal illness. That's how maleficent her mother was and is probably until now.
Minerva absolutely gave it all up just to live under the same roof with Derrick, who happens to be six feet below the ground now. And her mother will just insult them for that, insult her for that..
'That is why they always say to never give your entirety to someone, even if you love the person more than you do to yourself.' Minerva's own words bounced into the walls of her mind.
Her fists are still clenched, ready to punch her own gold-digger mother who left her own family for another man-for an asshole billionaire.
She was, in fact, the first to witness them having sex in her own parents' room. Imagine banging your other man in the bed you and your husband shared. That was wholly awful, unlawful, and definitely inhumane. That is also the reason why Minerva chose to stay with her father aside from the fact that she cannot bear to gaze at the eyes of her mother's man-who also looks at her lustfully, as if inviting her to be fucked as well.
Her attention drew back to her mother as the elevator opened, signalling the arrival to the basement to where her mother's car parked.
"It's not that, Rhea. I already had planned on resigning beforehand. Besides, me and Derrick planned my pregnancy anyway."
That was a lie. Well, she would rather lie than to be shamed more by this bitch who calls herself her mother. That is also the reason why she addresses her in her own name rather than calling her a mother. A mother is such an honourable and glorified title and the blonde woman in front of her doesn't even deserve a second to be called one.
Minerva was about to say more when, in the corner of her eye, she spotted the man that she had always prayed she would never meet or see or smell again.
It was her mother's husband-Rhea's sex-loving man.
In a werewolf country cursed to be forever cold, Evadne wished under the full moon for many years to find her mate and escape from her hell of a home where her father, Alpha Marcus of the Moonflame Pack, and Elodie, Evadne's sister, constantly made sure her day won't end without her being bullied or beaten by them. When she finally turned eighteen years old, Evadne find her mate, Alpha Gregor of the Fireheart Pack. She promised him that she would be the best mate and Luna for him. However, Elodie reveals he's her fiance and boyfriend and begs the Alpha to ruthlessly reject her in front of the whole Moonflame Pack at Evadne's very own birthday party. Evadne's heart became even more shattered when her father banished her and ordered her to never return to their lives when she humiliated his favorite daughter, Elodie, on that same night. Alone, she was imprisoned in the dungeons of a pack that thought she was a Rogue-when it was attacked by the Alpha King's forces since the said pack was the only remaining one who refused to bow down to him. As she tried to escape the ensuing chaos, she met him, and never had she thought that the Moon Goddess would let her second-chance mate be Alpha King Kallias himself-the cause of the eternal winter and now the most feared Alpha.
âWhere are you taking me?â I whimpered as the huge wolf carried me on his shoulders. After a couple of minutes, he put me down. Before I could blink, the huge white wolf shifted before me. The man who now stood in its place was handsome, muscular⊠and completely naked. * * * Elaine Rutherford has spent her entire life wishing for an escape from her dysfunctional family. But when her wish is granted in the form of being offered up as a human sacrifice to an elite village of werewolvesâŠit wasnât exactly what she had in mind. Every leap year, Stellaâs Soul receives a mortal woman from the neighbouring city of Moonburn, just beyond the wall, to bear children for the chosen werewolf. And it just so happens this year is a leap year. On the next full moon, Elaine is set to be married to the handsome werewolf billionaire, Tyler Jane Moonstorm. Despite her doubts, she still hopes that this will be a better life than sheâs used to. At least thatâs what she thoughtâŠ
âI was looking for a man named Zarion, but I ended up here.â Most of them gasped when I uttered Zarionsâ name. âDonât mention that name because itâs cursed!â someone hissed. My brows furrowed at her reaction. âWhy? "He's the Alpha of this pack. He was banished because he didn't want to take the position. Rumour says that he's out in the woods, looking for his mate, and..." she trailed off. "And?" I swallowed. "Kill her. He wants to kill his mate." *** Alpha Zarion is on a quest to find his mate and kill her because he despises the idea of a mating bond. During a winter storm, he met Cassidy Bentley who saved him from death. He knows he has no time to waste but Zarion was curious about her, deliriously wanting every inch of her skin and touchâŠuntil he found out that the girl is mated to his number one rival, Alpha Brandon. Alpha Brandon rejected Cassidy because sheâs a humanâwhich he greatly despises. She eventually started getting over him, pouring out her love to Alpha Zarion who obsessively wants her. During the night Zarion and Cassidy will mark and mate, the girl's first mate finally comes to his senses and goes to find her. But the first mate already found Cassidy in another man's arm, in his stepbrotherâs arms, who was just about to mark herâŠ
In the land of Westfall, three packs rule: the Night Storm Pack, whose wolves are gifted with wind and storm abilities; the Shadow Rose Pack, who are masters of shadows and poison; and the Fire Moon Pack, who can wield flames and render themselves immune to fire. But only the luckiest packmembers have those powers, and not all who possess them have wolves. Meet Sasha Forster, a wolfless and helpless Slave of the Fire Moon Pack-until the ruthless Alpha Alain of the Shadow Rose Pack, the one who was cursed by her mother to marry Sasha and have an heir with her, saves her from her pack's tyrannical Alpha. The Fire Moon Pack now whisks Sasha to be the payment to Alpha Alain and Alain is also trying his best to make her his and end the curse. But Sasha's heart has already begun to beat for her childhood friend and her pack's new Alpha, Ansel. Worse, Sasha became more perplexed when she accidentally revealed to the entire Fire Moon Pack that she has fire powers, and all the pack now either envy her or hate her. When her life and heart bombarded her with difficult choices, would she choose her heart over her mind? Or will she choose responsibility over love?
Wisdom Weisz lost her house and ten-month-old daughter in a fire in a single day. And whatâs worse is that on the same day, her husband was making love to her best friend in the latterâs apartment without paying any sort of remorse for her. Frustrated, she was left jobless and spent her remaining money in a luxury hotelâs bar. With destiny as unpredictable as ever, she met the billionaire in the bar who she already came across at various moments of her life. The man offered her a job called, âWife for Hireâ, meaning she will be his wife without any emotional attachments. If she accepts, the billionaire will pay her upfront with a hundred thousand dollars in her bank in just a blink of an eye. Wisdom eventually accepts as she deemed this as an opportunity for revenge to her former husband and best friend. As whirlpool of emotions stirred and a web of conflicts weaved, Wisdom will soon find out that this job was not easy as she thought as her heart begins to fall for the man who had employed her to be his hired wife.
Rozelyn found out she is a vampire when she turned eighteen. To make matters worse, her stepmom is secretly a vampire as well and Cyrill, her stepmom's adoptive son, is a werewolf behind the shadows. As she live the life of being a vampire, several people had come for herâincluding the infamous Blood Mistress, a witch who hunts vampires and werewolves. Rozelyn become more fascinated with the vampire life, especially when she found out that sex plays a huge role in a vampire's everyday living and it acts like blood: once they tasted it, they will crave for it even more. Will Rozelyn be able to voice out her secret love to Cyrill without risking the familial relationship they have built for years? Or will she watch her loved ones perish due to her identity as the most powerful vampire to ever live? Amidst all these, only one thing is certain: Blood is thicker than waterâeither literally or figuratively.
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts masterâeach persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashtonâs true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
At the office, Samantha is mouthy AF and hellbent on testing my patience. So you can imagine my surprise when my new personal assistant walks into my club with a very specific fantasy. When the man Samantha's paired with doesn't stick to the rules, I step in to take his place. Wearing a mask protects my identity, and soon the little wildcat from the office is telling me all her darkest secrets and fantasies. During the day, she gives me hell, but at night, she becomes my wounded kitten. I know I'm playing a dangerous game. She doesn't know I'm one of the heads of the Cosa Nostra. She doesn't know her boss and her nightly visitor is the same person. With my enemy on the attack and her past coming to haunt her, our secrets come out in the most explosive way possible, threatening to rip Samantha away from me. But my wildcat has another thing coming if she thinks I'll ever let go.
Renea was trying the wedding dress, when suddenly the man rushed in the dressing room and held her neck tightly... âBitch! Are you still trying to pretend innocent!â Jasper said as he tightened his grip on her neck and choked her harder. Then he used his other hand and took out the phone from his suit pocket and played the video of two people having sex in front of Renea⊠However, what was even more shocking, was that the woman in the video was, Renea Morris, however, the man in the video was not Jasper. Renea struggled to take a phone away from Jasperâs hand and tried to explain, âJasper, it was not what you think⊠I⊠I canâŠâ Jasper looked at Renea with his eyes full of disgust, as he said, âLetâs call of the wedding. I canât marry a woman like you.â After saying that Jasper walked out of the shop Renea chase after Jasper... But then she sees Jasper passionately kissing her sister Kailey. And she hears everything, that her sleeping with strange men was all a plan of the vipers of the last two days, and that their goal was to get out of this stupid marriage. Even her adopted parents were also involved in this matter... They all do this with her because of the inheritance left by her grandfather... Renea heart was filled with anger and she wanted to expose their true colors to the public... However before she could do anything, Kailey had pushed her in front of the car and she got killed... However, when Renea open her eyes, she found herself sitting in the car with Kailey... She realized that she was reborn and went at the time when everything started... Renea looked at the people who had hurt her in her previous life and her lips curled up in a cold smile... She was back... However, this time... she was back for revenge...
Haisley Jefferson, daughter of the Alpha of The Ashen Crescent Pack, finds her life far from fulfilling. She yearns to meet her mate so she can finally escape the hellhole she once called home. Instead of meeting her mate and escaping, fate takes an unexpected turn on her 21st birthday. Rather than a mate, she's given a husband â Hades Stone, the future Alpha of The DuskBane Pack, and a man she has secretly loved for years. The only problem is he has his eyes set on Alice, her adopted sister. In the face of this dilemma, Haisley rejects the marriage, but destiny seems to have its own plans beyond her control. Haisley finds herself at a crossroads. While she wishes for her mate to rescue her, she's also entangled in a deep affection for Hades. A forced marriage to him was not her desire, but it seems destiny has other plans.
I ran after I died. The moon goddess gave me another chance to live. Married to a ruthless Lycan that was rumored to be cursed by the moon goddess herself. But I was killed by his minion... behind the bars of her torment... A new story began and he battled with his demons, in a world where truth was far fetched. I was his pawn, his toy, his game...until I discovered one night, when I was soaked in blood that I regretted the day I met him. I'd given up the Lycan beast, to marry a monster. I fled from the Alpha of Bloodmoon Park, the gruesome Lycan that every person feared, to be with this man that seemed soft at first glance. It made me wonder, what if I had stayed? The gruesome Lycan might be fearsome but I never heard him pierce a woman's heart with his claw. In a world where wolves howled at the moon and the lines between man and beast are blurred, danger lurked through the shadows, after the day I married the beast that visited my bed every night. Caught in a web of betrayal and deceit, the man I had fallen in love with had become the monster I wished I could flee from. A deadly threat to my life especially when I realized he was getting married to my step sister, the same girl that made my life hell when I was an omega. I wished I could get my revenge, but how could I, when I was lying in a pool of my own blood, dead? Will the goddess grant me another chance?
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffmanâthe heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!