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THE MONTELLE FAMILY SERIES (BOOK ONE) "Julian?" the latter called out in shock and surprise as Julian sucked in a breadth and turned to face the latter maintaining his flat expression. "When did you come back?" the latter asked again. The question instantly made a plethora of memories wash over Julian. He discovered he could remember everything that happened that day clearly as if it had happened the previous day. He remembered every word and everything that had happened and they seemed to suck the air of his lungs and as his legs almost turned to powder. His trust was broken and his so called loved ones betrayed him. Not even one of them remained; they had all taken his side and left him stranded and all alone. With his father's threat of giving his company to charity if he didn't come home; Julian Montelle is forced to abandon the life he had built for himself in Hong Kong. Coming back to the place that held the worst and horrid memories for him wasn't an option but for some unknown reason. Julian found himself getting on a plane and getting back to take back his rightful heritage and property. This time around, he came back to take revenge on everyone who had something to do with what happened back then and who had abandoned him. And as well this time around, he wasn't alone and had someone who stood beside him without any questions.
Julian took a deep breath as soon as the sounds of the plane tires rolled out from behind the plane with a loud bang; they had landed. He was back; he was back to this place where he had the worst memories and he never wanted to come back but he had to. Following the instructions given by the intercom, he joined other passengers as he stepped out of the plane. He adjusted the glasses on his face while he walked towards the baggage claim area to collect his luggage.
Dragging the box after him, the first people he noticed in the airport hallway were the men in black suits standing outside waiting for god knows who. Well Julian knew who they were waiting for. As he got closer to them, two of them walked up to him and bowed in a show of courtesy.
"Welcome back" one of them said as Julian furrowed his brows at him.
"Andres" Julian called out as the latter wore a soft smile and nodded.
"You remember me" he replied as Julian nodded and left the luggage he was dragging along with him slipping his hands into his pocket while he walked towards the car. With one last look at the airport, he got into the car and the door was closed behind him.
He chuckled at his father's effort at making him feel comfortable when he got back. Sending him his former bodyguards but they were grown up now. Julian could of course recognise all the bodyguards that stood in front of him and the driver who drove? He also remembered the latter clearly. They all used to work for him during his high school days.
At the thought of high school, Julian removed his sunglasses and glanced outside the window trying to check for what had changed in the streets of California. Seeing that nothing big had changed; he retrieved his eyes back and laid them to rest while lowering his eyelids. He didn't open his eyes until the car came to a stop. The door opened as immediately he felt forest breeze on his skin; Julian knew he was home. He opened his eyes and stepped out of the car.
"Your father is in his study" Andres said and Julian nodded at him before walking into the house.
As he climbed the stairs, Julian noticed that except for the chairs and the curtains. Nothing really had changed in the house. He had been gone for over six years yet nothing much had changed. He knocked lightly on the door of the study as a soft yet firm voice drifted into his ears.
"Come in"
Julian pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Like before, the study reeked of the smell of old books. A smell that Julian had never been comfortable with and was still not comfortable with.
"If I didn't tender my letter of resignation, you really wouldn't come back; would you?" the older man seating on the chair and going through some documents asked as soon as Julian stepped into the room.
He dropped the papers in his hands and turned to face Julian. Seeing the older man face, it wasn't hard to realize that they were father and son. Julian was more like the younger version except that he was more handsome. Julian easily took notice of the grey hair and aged face of his father, the past years seemed to have taken a toll on him and not that Julian gave two fucks whether the years had worn him out or not.
"Do you really think I want to be here?" Julian asked in a grim voice as his father smiled at him.
"This is your home; why wouldn't you want to come home?" he asked in reply as Julian snorted.
"Home? Home?" Julian asked again as he chuckled.
"Do you even know what a home is?" Julian asked irritated but his voice remained the same.
"Now, that I'm taking over the company tomorrow. Do not put your hand in my business or anything that concerns the company" Julian said as the older man nodded.
"I won't put your hand in your business or anything that concerns the company" he said and Julian opened as he turned to leave.
"Wait" the older man said as Julian stopped and turned to him.
"Your secretary. You can't change her" the older man said as Julian furrowed his brows.
"You absolutely can't change her" he repeated as Julian glanced at him before walking out of the study. The older man laughed lightly as he shook his head.
"Still as headstrong as before" he muttered as he returned back to his documents.
Julian slowly pushed the door of his room open. The room was still the same way as he had left it. As he stepped into the room, he dropped his phone on the table before walking towards the windows and pushing them open.
He stared across the windows towards the lush pasture that stretched after the mansion. The breeze blew inside the room and Julian released a sigh he didn't even realize he was holding. From the trees to the shrubs and to the flowers, Julian could see that they had been well kept and maintained. He heaved a sigh of relief as he turned back towards the room and peeled off his clothes as he stepped into the shower.
Water spluttered out from all the sides of the wall on his body before they slid down to the cold tiles then into the perforated hoes at the end of the bathroom. Julian rested his hand on the wall pushing his body underneath the onslaught of the shower heads allowing the water to run freely all over his body. He turned the shower heads off as he was done and stepped back into the room as he changed into a pair of long joggers and a huge shirt.
He picked his phone and saw that he already had two missed calls. Seeing the caller ID, he didn't hesitate before calling back. He pressed the phone to his ears and after two rings, the other person answered the call.
"I may not know what you want or what you like or whatnot but you have shown me that you want out of this marriage and that's one thing that I know I'm going to help you with it" Callum replied and Athaliah smiled mirthlessly. "That is what you want. That's what you've always wanted. You are the one who went to work on our wedding night without saying a word to me. You are the one who leaves the house before I wake up and come back when I'm asleep. You are the one who treats me like a plague, someone you can't stand for a long time, and you've done that for two years Callum and now you dare to stand in front of me and tell me I showed you I wanted out of this marriage" Athaliah said shaking her head. "How dare you?" she shot at him. **************************** Bound by a marriage forged in the crucible of misunderstanding, Athaliah and Callum found themselves tethered to a union neither of them wanted. Athaliah' compelled by familial duty and Callum, driven by his grandfather's desire. The union was doomed to crumble and fail. Within a mere two years, after his grandfather's death, the ties that bond them together snapped, and with two signatures, their paths were set separate and different from each other. Fate, that fickle mistress, intervened years later, bringing them back to each other's orbit igniting the spark and electric connection anew and the both of them dared to grasp at the second chance fate had offered. But then again, history began to repeat itself, patterns began to replay, and Athaliah and Callum are faced with their shared past, forced to confront the ghosts of their past. With new revelations and unfolding layers of complexity, the fabric of their relationship was stretching thin, and Athaliah's perception is shattered after unearthing a scared truth.
Samantha McCartney is turned into the laughing stock of her family when her childhood crush and soon-to-be husband a wedding ring on her younger sister's instead of her on their wedding day. Devastated and heartbroken, Samantha gets drunk and ends up having a one-night stand with someone she had only seen on TV and more; happened to be the estranged stepbrother of her childhood crush.
"What if I don't fall in love with you?" she asked apprehensively. Instead, his lips curved into a small smile that messed with her chest. "You will" he replied confidently and she knew at that moment that she already had. --------------------------------------------- A loveless marriage. Her parents' mysterious death. Dangerous secrets. Zaria Williams would do anything to find out who caused her parents' death and why. Taking over their company and ending her loveless marriage after disappearing for one year was the first step. With her two brothers as the last of her family, Zaria is further pulled into a web of dangerous secrets and dangerous territories even without having any idea of it. And there was only one reason, he protected her without question, without a word, without she even having an idea of it.
When Gianna Emerson best friend gets dumped by her boyfriend; Gianna is determined to make him go through the same pain and hurt he made her best friend go through. Get close to him, make him fall in love with her and then mercilessly dump him. It was the most perfect and flawless plan except that it didn’t involve Gianna falling helplessly in love with him. What’s more, her Favourite rule of friend is “though shall not fall in love with your friend’s ex”
Since when they were little, Gabriella Armani had developed a huge crush on her elder brother’s best friend but the latter had never given her attention or even treated her like her a girl, he had always treated her like a younger sister; much to Gabriella’s annoyance. After severally promising to marry him when she grew up, she left the country or her studies. Never in his life did Kiley imagine that a point in his life, he would start to see Gabriella Armani as woman and not as the younger sister who followed him everywhere.
Despite being an easy target for bullies; Tessa O’Bailey never got bullied. The bullies weren’t scared of her but they never touched her either. And Tessa had no idea why but she was glad, at least she could now do whatever she wanted but when she somehow got into detention with the school’s bad boy, it didn’t take long for her to realize why.
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
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!
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.