/0/29984/coverbig.jpg?v=68abd3d70225e6a6c158acf8a57f5075)
" Mr.King, you already know that I don't sell my body.", Valentina spoke to the man, folding her arms over her chest. " Who said that I want to hire your body?", Lorenzo retorted, taking a long puff from his cigar. He continued taking slow, predatory steps on her way, " I want to hire your bump, Miss Avery." ***** Valentina Avery, the infamous Stripper Of Darknight Bar had nothing to lose in her life. Except her part-time job and daytime studies, the world no longer mattered to her after losing her family and dignity in one night. Mystery falls into her life when she meets the mysterious, famous Ceo, Lorenzo King. Between the lines and barriers of their mysterious contract, Lorenzo became an unrestrained part of her life but a love of stripper and famous Ceo were never welcomed by society.
|| Lorenzo's POV ||
" Mr. King!! Please wait a second!"
The reporters screamed, stumbling, pleading to step forward but they failed halfway miserably. My guards surrounded me closely as they guided me in, opening a path for me. The most awaited night was finally here.
" The annual party of King Enterprise!"
Not only the reporters, the entire Humbsblock city waited for this grand event to telecast on television. The King Enterprise had been rulling over the business world for the past three decades. My father, Arnaldo King had built his empire single-handedly and made sure to leave a remarkable footprint in the world of business. Naturally, we were called the number one family in this state. Although, the focus should have fallen on Arnaldo King only but here, I had all the flashlights, sole attention from the media. Because Lorenzo King had his own empire.
After eighteen, I didn't rely on my father's business. Within three years, I had my own business though it wasn't as big as King Enterprise. Still, it had managed to place third in the leading companies of Humbsblock. I was hopeful that in the next few more years, I would be able to turn my own company as big as King Enterprise.
Harlo guided me inside, stopping under the dazzling chandelier that we had for the party tonight. I spotted Luka in the distance who waved back at me, smiling. He left the crowd behind, marching on my way and pulled me into a bear hug,
" Goodness, Nana was so worried. She thought that you won't come. I have been pampering her for hours."
He grumbled lowly and I chuckled lightly at his response. Nana could be real dramatic sometimes. She still refused to believe that she was 90 not 23 anymore. Well, I couldn't argue that much. She still had her beauty and young mind, flourishing every single day perfectly.
I muttered sarcastically, gesturing at a staff member to serve us drinks,
" How can I miss the show, Luka?"
We toasted our drinks together as Luka's eyes followed something in the distance. He spoke while whispering,leaning onto me slowly,
" Do you think that he will announce it tonight?"
I replied, shrugging off as the warm liquor flowed warm in my throat,
" No idea! Everyone is expecting to hear tonight like always but it never happened."
Luka pulled his brows together in concern, gulping his liquid down in shot,
" I guess, he will say something this year as Leonardo is a married man already. The legacy rules should follow."
The name 'Leonardo' made my jaw clenching hard. One single name was enough to remind me how much I wanted this enterprise. My pain, anger, frustration everything were pulled and pried open in a single shot. My teeth sank deeper into my lips and I swallowed hard, looking away furiously.
" Yep, my brother should be a married man too.", a sudden voice travelled from behind. We both snapped our heads together behind to see Leonardo smirking at us.
There he was! The mysterious devil of our conversation!
That face reminded me of my lost childhood. He looked exactly like a carbon copy of his mother, the woman who destroyed our lives. His smile stretched more once his gaze tracked my hardened jaw, enjoying the wrath building inside me. Leonardo walked down to us, speaking again wearing his big fake smile,
" Welcome to the annual party, brother. I thought, you wouldn't come. What changed your mind though?"
He sipped from his wine after blurting those words to me. His eyes glistened with a twinkling feeling as if he was ready to face the battle with me. I scoffed through my clenched teeth,
" Didn't I tell you to stop calling me ' brother'?"
I didn't fucking like that. His mischievous smile stretched further playfully, stepping forward to challenge my patience,
" Why? Aren't we from the same blood or do you think that your mother had fucked someone else to have you?"
That was the end of all my restraints. I approached forward in a rush, ready to blow his brain out but Luka grasped me from back hastily. I growled, struggling to break free from Luka's grip,
" Let me go, Luka. I will kill this bastard and end this game."
Luka hussed me down quietly, eyeing around worryingly,
" Hush, calm down, buddy. Why don't you understand that this is what he wants? Angering you! Manipulating you with his words so that you lose your temper. You have to understand that. This isn't the right place to fight. If your father sees this, you will be the first to cut it off from his choice list."
I slowed down after Luka's wise reminder. That's why, I loved this friend of mine. He had always been very mature and wise when it came to making any decision. He had always been there to support me. After putting his thoughts inside my mind, I sobered down subconsciously. Indeed, Luka had uttered the undeniable truth. That's what Leonardo wanted. Losing my mind so that I could become a sick bastard in front of this thousand people.
Looking back, I saw Leonardo staring hard at me with blazing hatred in his eyes. He didn't stay longer, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
Opps! His plan failed!
***
" Lorenzo!", my nana's voice pulled me back to reality as I was lost thinking about all the possibilities, reigning through my mind. I spotted the 90 year old young lady in her dark red lipstick. Relief flooded across her eyes after she saw me with her own eyes.
I strode over to her, caging her with my bare arms and planted a sweet kiss on her cheeks. She beamed into a happy smile and muttered with a relief of sigh,
" At least, you used some brains this time. Let's go forward. Your father is going to make the announcement."
Nana pushed me forward through the crowd. Others also came near the stage as Mr.King was going to give his speech. My eyes travelled into the crowd, spotting Leonardo with his newly wedded wife. They both looked like a perfect match. One was beauty without a brain and another one, ugly with a criminal mind. They married six months ago in a backyard wedding. Leonardo's wife was the only daughter of his father hence the family business fell under Leonardo's observation. I knew, it was his mother's plan to marry that woman since his son had no ability to build his own business. It was expected from them and now, they were targeting the King empire. I wasn't going to let this happen at any cost. It was my right, my legacy.
* Crown Series - Short books (1 - 6) * Torn between the Lycan King & Alpha King, Teresa Lawrenceville had to choose one side to avenge her family's death but unfortunately both kings hated her. From being an omega princess, Teresa had chosen the life of slavery, a life of torture and hatred. She craved revenge but the kings, Nicolas Iglesias & Vincenzo Iglesias craved her. Will they become an obstacle in her journey of revenge or her destruction?
Abused, Mistreated by her own family, Serena Whitlock, the Alpha Princess had lost all the colors of her life. Threatened by her stepmother to marry the notorious man of the town, Serena imagined to spend her entire life in misery.Things changed when not any Alpha or Alpha King but the God of werewolves, Killian Dallas Howard had appeared in her wedding to claim her as his mate. Rumoured to be a monstrous beast, killed multiple women during intimacy, Killian was nothing but a monster in the eyes of everyone. Could she survive her life with the God of werewolves? Or she was going to have the same fate like all those women had?
WARNING : Novel Contains Mature Contents!! Xavier Gray, the youngest president of USK state and a billionaire CEO coming from the most powerful, ruling family in the whole country.The founder of Eden International Limited, an international company who has been ruling over all the companies for the last decade in the state.A 29 years old, the most wanted, attractive and alluring bachelor that the nation girls are dying to be in his arms. Despite being domineering, cold and ruthless, he has another spilt personality that is asexual. A rare psychological truma of not having sexual desires for any person. Thus he always keeps his safe distance from women.But what will happen to all his restrictions when his life will encounter a multi-talented, undeniable beauty, smart and creepy characteristic, 22 years old, Iris Young who enters in his life only the purpose of seducing the dominant president?Will the bridge burn finally? Or a planned mission will turn into an unplanned Love? ********
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
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!
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."