He rose and moved towards me, my heart picking up its pace with every step he took. His hand stroked the side of my face, causing a tingle to rush through me and I shivered into his touch just like earlier. He leaned in and his breath fanned over my face, hot, weakening and mind-numbing. "You should be running, Zera." he said with a voice so raw it made me shudder against him. "The most sensible thing to do is run from someone like me." "I don't want to run." I stubborn stated, worn out with his long game. It wasn't helping anyone. He wanted me, I could see that, and I wanted him too. His nose rubbed against mine, and he moved his forehead against mine. "Oh darling, but you should. I won't be like those little boys you've been with. I won't stop when you want me to. I won't stop until I'm completely buried in your mind and soul. You will belong to me."
"It's a very important day for your sister. The least you can do is to be happy for her. Put up a fake smile if you must. But please, dear, let go of that frown on your face."
Blood coursed through my veins as I hear the annoying voice of Betty Adams say from right beside me as we entered the chapel. You would think a mother should have her daughters back more than anything, but I guess when you're her least favourite child, that's bound to happen. That is why today being the twenty-first day of March, I am walking my younger sister down the aisle to meet her future husband, whom I thought was the love of my life four weeks ago.
My story is short. I met Owen's Pierce in my first year at the University studying medicine and thought we had something magical. Turned out there was nothing magical about us and he only used me to get closer to my little sister. I was the fool in my short story and four weeks ago, when they finally came out and told me the truth. I felt weak and unable to do anything. To make matters worse, they announced their engagement a week later, hinting at their eagerness to get married.
Owens and I dated for three years and not once in those three years did he speak about getting married, but I guess when you meet 'the right one,' you know. I was the wrong one all along.
Tatiana, my twenty-year-old sister, with whom I have since developed an estranged relationship since I found out about her affairs with Owens, made me her maid of honour and the chief coordinator for her grand wedding.
The last thing I wanted was to be anywhere near both of them. I needed a lot of distance to get over the heartbreak and the betrayal from both my ex-boyfriend and my sister. I chose to be the mature one, and I wished them well, but I wanted to do it from miles away.
They placed the burden of the maid of honour on my shoulder, despite my best attempt to decline. In Tatiana's words, doing this would be my way of proving I was really over it. I had to agree to be her maid of honour after my mother stepped in and the wedding preparation started three weeks ago.
My mother saw nothing wrong with the whole situation. She had video-called to give me the news of Tatiana's new 'boyfriend', even though she knew he was my boyfriend for three years and she had seen pictures of us together. The response I got from her when she saw my puffy eyes after the breakup couldn't surprise me. In her words, at least one of us got to be happy.
No, the Adams did not adopt me, and neither was Betty my evil stepmother. I was her daughter, and I became her least favourite amongst the other two after my father died. My parents had us three, Lionel, being the oldest, Tatiana, being the youngest, and then there was me. Lionel would have been our mother's favourite if he wasn't a drug-addicted junkie. So mother shifted her love to her youngest child, Tatiana, skipping her second.
Meeting Owens three years ago was a breath of fresh air. He was nice and good-looking with his red-brown hair and sky-blue eyes that made me smile every time he stared at me. He treated me much better than everyone in my family, except Lionel. It was easy to fall in love with him when he always said the things I wanted to hear and did the things that made me feel seen and wanted. He was from a very rich and respected family in our town and girls wanted to be with him and boys wanted to be like him. Little did I know he was grooming himself for my sister.
As the famous saying goes, 'the Adams cannot lose both ways' and in my case, they didn't. I lost, but Tatiana got him and today she will become his wife.
I cried the first week of the break-up. I have since found comfort by reminding myself how this was better than marrying someone whose show of love was a charade all along.
Diya, my best friend, had told me to give my family the middle finger for pushing for me to be the maid of honour for my sister at her wedding. To an extent, I wanted to do that, rebel and make sure their day was as disastrous as it should be, but I wasn't a vengeful person. I had never known myself to be and didn't want to become that because of them.
Lionel was the only one on my side, but since they did not regard his opinion of the family, there was nothing he could do.
In times like these, I wished my father was still here with us. He would have had my back, but sadly, he died seven years ago in a car crash while on the way to my secondary school swimming competition.
The sounding of the melodious trumpets signalling the bride's presence went off, and all those gathered at the chapel rose to their feet.
With a beaming smile on her face, Tatiana made her way towards the altar where Owens Pierce stood in a black tuxedo waiting for her with a charming smile on his face. I looked away from the altar and as my eyes drifted; they met with Lionel, who stood with mixed emotion on his round tan face. His eyes met mine and broke with pity and that made me madder and my grimace grew.
My knuckles turned white with the lack of blood flow because of how tightly I had clenched my fist. We finally made it to the altar after what seemed to be forever, and the congregation gathered and took their seats.
"We gathered here to witness the joining of these two wonderful people in holy matrimony and also to join the Watson and the Adams." the priest began.
A scoff left my mouth at his words and Tatiana glared at me, but her glare could not compare to the one mother cast my way from the left side of the chapel where she sat. I ignored them, and the priest continued like no one had interrupted. He read the bible passage and then read out the vows.
Grinning like an idiot, Owen said I do, and Tatiana did the same with a gleeful face.
"Is there anyone that has a reason these two shouldn't be joined in holy matrimony?"
The chapel grew as silent as the grave for a few seconds and I thought back to what Diya had suggested, flashing my mom, sister and Owens the middle finger. It would make this perfect wedding a disaster. It would also make me the villain, the hater of good things and the worse member of the Adams family. At the same time, this would make me so happy and I'll have Lionel to have my back.
But I couldn't do that. I wasn't a horrible person.
No one said a thing, and the union was sealed.
The couple then moved to the reception venue, the Beverly Hall, one of the biggest event hall in the town where dancing and singing and food were.
I kept a reasonable distance, watching the new couple laugh and smile lovingly at each other. It made my stomach turn in disgust and I turned my eyes away.
"Do not be a hater of good things," Betty said her famous line, coming to stand beside me with a glass of red wine in her hand. "Your sister is happy. That's what's important."
Luckily enough, Tatiana's happiness was Betty's happiness as well. And today she was dressed to kill in her peach sequence gown and made up to look like the mother of the day.
I didn't even look at her. At this point, I wasn't ready to deal with her and I couldn't stand to look at her.
"What about my happiness?" I said through gritted teeth.
She scoffed, "Do not be ridiculous." She took a sip of the wine in her hand and took her leave.
I reached for the glass of wine on the tray of the waitress passing by and emptied it into my mouth. I placed the glass back, picked another and walked toward the sound engineers, who positioned themselves on the left side of the hall where everyone could see.
I'll show Betty what ridiculous looks like.
I got over to the sound corner and requested a mic and though the DJ gave me a weird look; I didn't give him any other option but to do what I said. He turned down the music playing, and I began to speak.
"Hello everyone, it's so nice to see all these beautiful faces." the eyes of everyone turned to me and though I felt nervous, I continued. "When the priest asked who had a reason, the new couple shouldn't be joined at the Chapel, I realised I didn't have a reason, so I kept silent then. I, however, have a few things to say and it has to be heard."
"Zera!" Tatiana called out, her tone warning me not to do what I had in mind, but last I checked, I was the older one amongst us.
I boldly ignored her and turned to the guest staring at me. I saw Betty's cheeks burning red with rage and I couldn't have loved it more. "Today my sister became the wife of this guy whom one month ago was in my bed telling me how much he loved me. Turned out, he didn't love me as I thought in the past three years. He was just waiting for my sister to become legal." A gasp went through the crowd and I mentally patted myself on the back.
I will burn this fucking ship to the ground.
"A month ago they came out to me about their relationship and three weeks ago they announced their wedding. I would have said too soon, but they've known each other for the past three years and that's long enough. I am not mad at them. How can I be? They are in love. At least, that's what they told me. My mother gave them her blessing and demanded I be Tatiana's maid of honour today, despite knowing I dated Owen for the last three years. She asked me to be happy for my sister. I am happy for her, but I thought family was supposed to have your back, not kick you in the teeth while you're down."
Betty tried to surge towards me, but Lionel held her back.
"Before you wonder if I was adopted, I am not. Seven years ago, I lost my father and my mother had placed the blame on me ever since then." My vision blurred up as I spoke and my voice choked up a little. "I wished my father was here too because if he was, he would never do this to me." The tear ran down my face and I quickly wiped it off and blinked the rest back in. I had to finish what I started.
"In the last three weeks, I have wondered what I even saw in Owen. He had the most annoying voice I ever heard, and he snored too loud for my liking. He also chewed with his mouth open and had the most annoying morning breath. All this I overlooked because I believed he was worth it, but now I realise I was so desperate to be seen that I accepted what came my way as the best even though it wasn't."
"It was never real," I turned to Tatiana, who now had a face almost as red as Betty's, and I couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. "You can have him, sis. I didn't lose anything and I am happy for you." I handed the mic back to the DJ and took my leave from the now quiet hall. I did not look back until I was out of the event hall.
I dragged a deep breath and my eyes fluttered, feeling alive for the first time in the last seven years.
"What the hell did you think you did in there?!" Betty yelled at me, her eyes blazing and shooting daggers at me.
I turned to face her, having no remorse or apology in my eyes, "What I should have done a long time ago. Enjoy the rest of your life with the only daughter you now have." I said and walked away from her with my head held high.
The image of him being happy and loving with my best friend felt like betrayal. It felt like he had launched a knife into my heart while I was struggling to breathe. How could he betray me this way? How could he betray me with my best friend? "You said you loved me." I cried out and brushed the tears running down my face away. He stared at me, and the coldness in his eyes mirrored the one his mother always had for me. "That was my greatest mistake." I felt cold. ..... Once Imela believed love was enough, but not anymore. Love was just another lie that the weak believed in to keep them from seeing the truth: that there was no place for people like them in this world.
"Take off your clothes, I want to see the body I'd be living with for the rest of my life," he commands, moving to the other side of the room where the red armchair was. She hesitated, and that displeased him. He growled, clearly infuriated. “Do you need some kind of motivation? Because you will not get it. Take off your fucking clothes!” he thunders, making her jump and her legs shake. With shaky hands and a trembling body, she grabbed the hand of the silk gown again and dragged it down. Her eyes stayed glued to the floor, not having the audacity to look up at the alpha king across the room from her. “You’re not done yet!” *** Mia Asika had wanted only one thing for the longest time, enlightenment and the freedom to travel the world in search of it. Mia's dreams however ended the day Ariel, her beautiful and fair older sister who was betrothed to the alpha king, died the night before her marriage and she became the last resort. Hated at sight, the alpha king moved to make her union to him that of misery. Can Mia's will for survival withstand the alpha king's cold and unloving nature? Love and Chaos series Book #1 The Alpha King's Ugly Bride Book# 2 His Forbidden Mate Book #3 The Alpha King's Runaway Bride Book #4 Alpha Koz: The Abnormal Alpha
The room is awfully quiet except for Keenan's laboured breath and my heavily pounding heart. His hands are planted on his hips and his eyes fixated on the ceiling as if he's thinking about all the regretful things he's done in his life. Why does this it feel like the beginning of another disastrous road? "What's wrong?" I ask in panic, because I wonder if he's also recollecting the events that happened last night in part like I am and regretting it. "Apparently we did more than get drunk last night," He lift the paper certificate from the bar counter and shows it to me, "we got married."
She rubbed her forehead profusely, "You do, you could walk away and save yourself now and I will be fine and I will understand." He glanced at her and his gaze locked and there was a level of sincerity in them, "If I save myself, who's going to save you?" ***** Jasmin Whyte was a twenty-six-year-old thief who ran away from her boyfriend after she caught him cheating, an excuse to finally leave her old life behind and start over, but when she discovered that she was two weeks pregnant for her him, she began back to her old ways. It wasn't long before she fell into trouble which was how she ran into billionaire Cainan Inferno and her life took an unexpected turn. Cainan Inferno was a thirty-three-year-old Billionaire and the CEO of The Inferno group which was the largest company in the country. He once had it all with money and looks, but his life took a sour turn after he lost his wife Neriah Gomez to cancer. Meeting Jasmin Whyte sparked the feeling he thought was long dead and he knew the only one capable of helping him move on from his late wife was her. He tracked her down and made her an offer she couldn't refuse while ignoring all the threats her past posed to his name, reputation and social status. All he asks in return was for her to steal his heart. Will she be able to do the one thing he asks or will she lose her heart in the process?
*No one messes with fire and goes unburnt.* "Twenty four hours is my most generous offer to you." He says with no trace of pity in his tone. Her eyes widen, "But that's unfair." "Unfair is demolishing the house on you while you're still inside and believe me that's what I'm going to do if you don't get lost in twenty-four hours." She scoffs"You're unbelievable." "Being unbelievable is what has brought me here today." He agrees with a nod. "And being an idiot is what will take you to where you will be tomorrow, cause you might be a billionaire, but you sure are an idiotic one." Cainan Inferno is a self-made billionaire and since he worked for everything he has, he doesn't do well with insult from people, especially those that are not his class. So what happens when poor Neriah Gomez cross the line with Cainan and calls him an idiotic billionaire before his staff? Will he do to her like he has done to the rest or will the cold-hearted monster choose to let it go??
"You really think I'm playing around?" He grounds at me through gritted teeth and he takes a step closer and I begin to move back. "I gave you a strict instruction and you disobeyed, you chose to rebel." There is about one zillion comeback running through my head, but my brain only focuses on the man whose green eyes has somehow turn into black because he's mad at me. "Do you know what happens to rebellious people?" I keep moving back until my back hit the wall and I hiss out in frustration. I swallow hard and try not to look at him, pissing him off would be a good thing when we aren't the only ones in the whole house. "Do you?!" He demands with a roar. "No, I don't. Tell me." I say, hiding the trembling of my voice as I look up at him. He takes a firm step close to stand intimately close to me, his height making me feel like a little child. "They get punished." *** The arrangement was, I get to meet her, propose to her, we get married as that would create a stronger bond d the two business associates, bringing us together as a family. Falling in love with her personal assistant was never part of the arrangement.
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
Marrying her best friend was a dream come true for Kelly, but everything truly has a limitation. Pierce is Kelly’s first love, but as his best friend, she knew well there was always another woman deep in his heart. Lexi Gilbert. The woman Pierce could never forget even if he had already been arranged to marry Kelly. *** Kelly finally realized their happy marriage of the last three years was just a beautiful dream when Pierce asked for a divorce just because Lexi returned. She could only be his best friend even if she was carrying his baby. *** Since their friendship had become a cage, Kelly chose to set him free, as well as the miserable herself. But why then, it was Pierce who became the one who refused to move on? To make matters worse, her devil stepbrother also domineeringly stepped in at the same time, asking her to be his. *** Her Prince Charming vs. Her Devil Stepbrother? How could Kelly save her heart in this battle of love and hate?
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
Jennifer Bennett, the rightful heiress to the Bennett legacy, fought hard for her family's recognition, only to be eclipsed by an impostor. Faced with false accusations, bullying, and public humiliation, Jennifer eventually gave up trying to win their approval. Vowing to rise above the injustice, she became the bane of those who wronged her. The Bennett family's efforts to break her only fueled her success, leading her to heights her rivals could only dream of. Someone asked, "Do you feel let down by your parents?" With a calm smile, Jennifer said, "It doesn't matter. In the end, power prevails."
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.