" 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? ********
"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 Hoffman—the 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!
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. Still, Sylvia never lost hope. As the future lycan king of all werewolves, Rufus Duncan possessed great power and status, but he had an inexplicable reputation for being cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had been cursed long ago to transform into a killer monster on every full moon. Even though fate did not always look upon the two, it brought Sylvia and Rufus together as each other's destined mates. Will justice be served for Sylvia's mother? What about Rufus' secret? Can Sylvia and Rufus defy all societal norms and stay together? Will these two unlucky souls have their happy ending?
Warning: This book has high sexual assault displays, but does not support any form of rape. I, Alpha Edward Parker, swear that I will keep you tied to me until I make you pay for what you did to my mate," he swore, gripping my chin in a bruising hold. "Not only will you wish for death, but you will beg for it, and it will be too far from you." I could feel the eyes of the whole pack on us. They probably came to experience a normal wedding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I was being married off to a groom because he wanted revenge. Tears welled, and I wanted to scream, "I am your mate; I'm the one who saved you, not her." But I knew no one would believe me. I was his mate, how could he not recognize me? Four years ago, Amanda happened to save a total stranger, but due to a string of misunderstandings, her sister took her place. The stranger then promised a vow of betrothal to his savior. Not seeing any use in correcting the error, Amanda allowed it. That was her biggest mistake because the stranger ended up being her own mate. Caught in a web of lies and confusion, she decides to set herself free by speaking the truth. But her plans are thwarted when her sister turns up dead, and she is pinned as the main suspect. A mate out to seek revenge for another, a forced marriage, an underlying plot, a web of lies, and many dark secrets. How can Amanda navigate all these without losing sight of herself? How will she speak the truth when she has already lost her voice and has been destroyed by her own mate?
Sophia Drake braced herself for the worst when she was forced to move across the country in the middle of her junior year. Desperate to escape her shattered home as soon as she turns eighteen, her plans are disrupted by the enigmatic and captivating Ashford twins. Sophia can't fathom the intense attraction she feels for the twins and tries to avoid them at every turn. As she's thrust into an unfamiliar world, her past demons resurface, making her question her true identity. Will Sophia flee from her past's secrets, or will she embrace her destiny and take control of her future?
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Life was a bed of roses for Debra, the daughter of Alpha. That was until she had a one-night stand with Caleb. She was sure he was her mate as determined by Moon Goddess. But this hateful man refused to accept her. Weeks passed before Debra discovered that she was pregnant. Her pregnancy brought shame to her and everyone she loved. Not only was she driven out, but her father was also hunted down by usurpers. Fortunately, she survived with the help of the mysterious Thorn Edge Pack. Five years passed and Debra didn't hear anything from Caleb. One day, their paths crossed again. They were both on the same mission—carrying out secret investigations in the dangerous Roz Town for the safety and posterity of their respective packs. Caleb was still cold toward her. But as time went on, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to make up for abandoning her, but Debra wasn't having any of it. She was hell-bent on hiding her daughter from him and also making a clean break. What did the future hold for the two as they journeyed in Roz Town? What kind of secrets would they find? Would Caleb win Debra's heart and get to know his lovely daughter? Find out!