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"You are so daring, do you know that? What will I do with you?" He asked, gazing into her sparkling beautiful eyes. "Permit me to love you, Andy. That's all I want." She answered with so much boldness and honesty that almost...almost made his stone heart melt. A billionaire who gave up on love even before experiencing it, because all that life threw at him were nothing but rejections since birth. Nobody wanted him- and she, a poor and naive girl with family problems weighing her down. She has never been in love, and love is not in her list of priorities. Two extremely different people brought together by unavoidable circumstances, or Perhaps, fate. Call it whatever you want. When their worlds collide, their goals get compromised by their undeniable burning desires for each other, and this fire melts down their fears, worries, and beliefs in a blink of an eye. An insecure single father, and a naive maid, swimming in the ocean of an unnamed fire that promises to consume them both if they tend to rebel against its power. Call it lust. Call it addiction. Call it obsession. Give it the tag you see best fit. But truth is, theirs is a milestone of a complicated, challenging, but prodigious heart-stirring romance journey like no other.
I have been Adrian's maid for just a week, and what I can say is, so far so good. Angel is such a disciplined young girl and for this one week, she hasn't given me any trouble. There is also not as much work as I had speculated. It's just preparing Angel and taking her to and from school, which is easy because we have a driver, and tidying the house. With a washing machine that took me two days to be able to use, washing is so lenient. Also, especially because we eat ordered food from outside. I never get to cook and I don't know why Adrian doesn't want me to.
They have an elegant modern kitchen with all the utensils but no cooking is done here. I kinda feel like my passion for cooking will be a waste here. Most of the time I'm just idle.
"Hello!" Adrian's voice startles me, and I stand up from the couch to go grab his backpack.
"Hello! Welcome, sir Adrian." I say as I stretch my hands to take his bag, but he doesn't let me. Right, that skipped my mind again!
"How many times do I have to tell you that you only take care of Angel, and not me?" He asks with a tinge of fury in his voice.
I keep forgetting that no matter how many times he has told me. It's becoming a daily lullaby.
"Sorry, sir!" I say, stepping back, bowing my head a little.
"How do you want me to explain it to you, Tania? Because I am tired of reciting it over and over again."
"I got it now, sir! I won't repeat it." I hope my servant's tendencies won't kick in every time I see him walking in through that door.
"You better not, because I am not going to repeat this. Where is Angel?"
"I have just put her to bed, sir!"
"She only sleeps this early because of the cold weather and school. In favourable climates and school holidays, she goes to bed late." He explains.
"Okay, sir!"
"I'll go see Angel. And Tania, that sir is annoying! Drop it!"
Huh?
He walks upstairs after that, and I sit down to resume the program I was watching on TV, but darn! It has ended. I switch off the TV and relax on the settee. I should make a note of all the things that Adrian doesn't like. He is a man of few to no words, and making him repeat one thing to me over and over every day is making me look incompetent and dumb. "Okay, Tania. No sir, and no helping him, no sir and no help..." I keep repeating that for I don't know how long until Adrian startles me again, making me almost jump from the couch.
"And want are you doing?"
"Reciting the don'ts so that they stick in my mind," I answer, trying to act composed but I know I am failing. He just shakes his head and walks to the kitchen.
With this cold, I miss coffee. Can't he allow me to make even just coffee? I stand up and follow him to the kitchen.
I knock and wait for a reply.
"The only door you are expected to knock on before coming in is my bedroom," Adrian speaks from inside, and I drag my feet inside. He is just parked on a stool scrolling his phone, perhaps checking emails or something. I scan the kitchen, and I spot a tin of Nescafe coffee on one of the shelves, and I just can not control the urge for my lemon and honey coffee. My!
"Aah... Andy? Can I...?"
Shit!
Double shit!
What name just rolled out of my mind, huh? I slowly turn around to face him, and I meet his dark brown eyes looking at me. I was expecting to see a shock or a disappointed look on his face, but he is just there, emotionless.
"Sorry." I quickly apologize.
"I will punish you for that." He says with a raised eyebrow, his expression changing in a flicker. Punishment? Damn!
"Anything. But don't fire me, please!" I can't afford to lose my job barely a week old. The condition of my family back home can't even allow me to become jobless.
"Your punishment is, you will not call me any other name. Just Andy." He winks and stands up.
Wow! Did he just wink at me? So he jokes, aside from with his daughter? He has been always cold and quiet to me since I came here. This is so new to me. So freaking new!
"You are okay with that? I mean, isn't it too casual for a boss and employee?" I ask.
"I like it, and that's final. It's a million times better than that annoying "sir" of yours. What were you saying?"
"Okay. I wanted to ask if you can allow me to at least make coffee. Even just for today."
He eyes me for quite a while, then he shakes his head.
"This kitchen hasn't been used for years. My wife never liked being in the kitchen. We are used to eating outside, and I don't want my daughter to get attached to things that won't last, Tania. So, no!"
No? Come on, Andy!
What kind of wife will not cook for his family? I mean, I understand that there are days one would feel exhausted and all, but not even a day to cook for your family? I think whatever transpired between him and his wife hurt him, a lot because he suddenly looks lost somewhere in a dark jungle.
"Well, I...I respect your decision, Andy, but it's just coffee. And I am not in a haste to leave, by the way. My family depends entirely on me. And our condition back home doesn't allow me to become jobless any time soon." I try to push my luck, fingers crossed in the hope that he doesn't yell at me.
After breathing out heavily, he speaks.
"Okay. You can make coffee. You know how to use the coffee machine?" He asks, and I shake my head. How can I know how to use a coffee machine if I have never seen one? I am yet to get used to this modernized life of the wealthy. I hope I will be able to, though, because it's like the rich and the poor don't live in the same world as I thought. Everything is so different, including the aura they breathe. Theirs is fresher than ours, and I think it even has a scent - a sweet scent.
"Can I first go out to buy lemons and honey?" I know it is stupid of me to ask because it's almost nine at night, but I can't have coffee without lemons. And I can't send my boss to the stores, right?
"Tell Mark to get you lemons and honey from the market. Buy as much as you want." He says and hands me some cash from his pocket. I run to Mark and come back immediately.
Mark doesn't take long to come back since there is no traffic at this hour, but within that short time, Andy has shown me how to use the coffee machine. With Andy settled on the kitchen stool still on his phone, I make coffee peacefully and with solace, and I make a lot of it. I don't care if I will battle to sleep after consuming two or three mugs of coffee at this time. I just miss it so much.
"Here, try it." I utter, positioning a mug of the hot steaming coffee on the table and he sniffs it. I take mine and start walking out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" His voice stops me in my tracks, turning to him.
"To have my coffee."
"There is a lot of space here." He says, putting his phone down and pulling another stool and patting it. I don't move, because I don't want to misunderstand the gesture. He wants me to sit beside him? "Am I that scary that you don't want to sit with me?" He asks.
"Aah.. no! It's just that...nothing." I walk back and sit on the stool after pulling it away from him a little.
"I don't bite, for your peace of mind." He says, taking a sip of his coffee, and another, and another, then he gulps the third sip looking up and tilting his head slowly from side to side.
As he faces up with his eyes closed, I look at him. I hadn't had time to have a close look at him since I met him. He leaves early in the morning and comes home late and exhausted. Even now, his face looks so tired, and the way he is rotating his neck is a result of tiredness.
"Don't stare too much." He says and opens his eyes, his hand grabbing his mug of coffee again, not looking in my direction.
How embarrassing! I know my cheeks look like a tomato right now. He caught me staring at him. I hope he doesn't think ill of me. I take my coffee and sip slowly, enjoying its taste down my throat.
"Who taught you how to make this?" He breaks the silence. Looking at him, I realize he is taking the last sip of his coffee. That was fast!
"My mom did. She also taught me how to prepare different kinds of dishes. You like the coffee?"
"It's the best I have had in my life." He says, and for the first time, he glimmers at me. Adrian smiling, huh? He must have had a very beautiful day at work to act like this. Or maybe he went on a blind date that turned out well? Damn!
"There is more. You want some?" I ask, shyly smiling.
"Sure."
I bring the remaining coffee and pour him a full mug and fill mine too. We drink until the jar is empty, and I am glad that he at least looks a bit glossy in the end. There was nothing much said and that puts me at ease.
"Thank you for the coffee," Andy says as he stands up to leave.
"Welcome." I take the cups and walk to the sink to wash them.
"Can you make some for Angel tomorrow after school, please?" He softly asks, standing beside me.
Why is he requesting? I thought bosses are supposed to give orders. To command. But he is kind of different.
"Of course. I will gladly prepare it for her. I hope she likes it."
"She certainly will. I'm sure." He adds with certainty and pats my shoulder. "Goodnight." And walks out of the kitchen, leaving me here blushing like an idiot.
I didn't know this side of him, but I like it already. I finish washing the utensils and drying up the sink, hoping that I will see myself cooking in this kitchen someday. There is no harm in keeping hope alive, is there?
Just when I am about to lock the kitchen so that I can retire to bed, I hear Adrian's phone buzz from where we were seated. Did he forget his phone? I didn't intend to, but I happened to see the caller. I swear, it wasn't intentional. Ambrose, Andy's PA is the one calling. Well, at least it's not this other gender. Sigh!
I grab the phone and lock the door quickly, and run upstairs to Adrian's room on the right, next to Angel's. I knock thrice, and I was about to leave when the door opened, Andy standing in front of me with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He was taking a shower, and men, he looks so damn hot. So hot and cute. His tight muscles on display and his flat broad chest are bewitching my mind. And those wet lips, ooh gosh!
"You brought more coffee?" He spoke when I just stand here like a zombie, ogling him like a piece of meat I can devour in a flash. It must be the effect of seeing a man like this for the first time. Yeah?
"Coffee? Y..e..s... I mean, coffee! Aah...no, sorry! I mean phone. Yes. I brought your phone because you forgot it in the kitchen and Ambrose was calling and you..." His eyes and raised eyebrows stop me, making me realize I have been ranting nonstop. What is with me?
"Oookay...Thank you." He says, taking the phone.
"Aah... I'll go now. Bye... I mean, goodnight, Andy." I say and walk as fast as I can to my room.
I can't be tempted to look back because I know I have made a total fool of myself back there. Jeez! What is he thinking of me right now? Good job, miss Tania Lawson, for embarrassing yourself!
"You are a cold-blooded psycho! Get your filthy, bloodstained hands off me!" Through clenched teeth, Irma shrieked as she battled to liberate herself from the man's barbarous hold. His eyes were a refulgent inferno. They held an insidious fire of lust as they thrived deeper into her debilitated ones. "How flattering!" The man sneered, and Irma froze. A ripple of both ice and fire skint in her nerves at the man's vexatious riposte. Before she could amass any little bravery left in her, the man spoke again in a hoarse tremor, erupting a chill down her spinal tube. "But if you don't watch your sweet, dirty mouth, you snoopy, pesky brat, my third leg will shut it for you! Or maybe," he wavered, and fixed his dangerous, lascivious gazes on hers, gently stroking her hair as if petting his sweet, wild pet, "that is what you want, little dove?" A freelance journalist, flaming with ardent desires to unveil the secrets behind the series of mysterious disappearances happening in the city. Her hunch points her to the dark underworld of the mafia, and unfortunately, she crashes into LUCCA DE'MATTHEW-the other name for terror! Their encounter will evoke a catastrophe that only they can solve. But how, if their mere beingness is a menace to each other?
I spent years cleaning up a man. We were in love, or should I better say, I was in love, because in the end, that is what that shit felt. After all that I did for him, he heartlessly broke my heart. Found him in bed with our wedding planner two weeks to our wedding. And he had the balls to take pleasure in my pains. I almost became a murderer that night. Almost killed a man. I put the very first stain on my family's spotless name. My father could not take it. He distanced himself from me and stood a safe distance to watch the whole world rise against me. But in all these difficult and trying moments, one thing remained my solace and my beacon of all the good vibes that I yearned for-Joe Fredrick Montana. My stepbrother. And before we knew it, the connection bloomed into something we both never anticipated. It is wrong, yet so strong! It is forbidden, yet irresistible. For a while, none of us seemed to care about the consequences of our steamy undercover affairs, until something that threatens to tear everything between us and beyond happens. This, is our story!
Her grave sin was her spellbinding allure that blurred the blood-tie line for him, and his grave mistake was obsessing over a girl he was supposed to exterminate. The vicious King of Evil, the one who didn't have a heart, now finds himself trapped between vengeance, and the irresistible burning desires for the only remaining enemy he has left - and she, oblivious of the abysm of the evil he exudes, is determined to liberate herself from the cage of the monster at all costs. But her desires are inconceivable. Absurd! invalid dreams- or so did everyone thought, until things started taking a turn. What transpires when the vicious heartless monster finds himself at the feet of his culprit? What more miseries await Ella when the truth of her connection with the monster and the mystery besieging her get revealed?
Betrayed by her fiance and her family, Ellie thought, for a fleeting moment, that being tied down to a ghost she had never known was the only option. But that was until a wild thought banged her head. "Run, Ellie!" Her mind screamed. The heart is always right, they say, and at that point in her life, Ellie had no one to trust but her shattered heart. She ran into a new city, and as if fate had chosen to compensate her for all the sufferings she had gone through, she crashed with someone who swept her off her feet on their very first encounter. But months later, a call came through from home: "Ellie, my child. You need to come ASAP! Your father has been seriously ill. Your father needs you now more than ever." The voice of her nanny echoed through the line. The following morning, Ellie was once again packing her bags and saying goodbye to the love she had found. Finding her father on his sick bed and with a swam of doctors surrounding him broke Ellie's heart into a million pieces. And then came her father's plea in his sick bed. "My dear, I am giving you a choice out of this, but on one condition: that you have to meet your betrothed even just this once. Whatever you decide after that, I, your father, will respect your decision." This was what Ellie had always wished for, but given the situation, she knew she could not upset her father. She had to concede. But the moment her supposed ghost betrothed walked in, Ellie realized one thing: she had never known the face of betrayal until that particular moment!
“You are a cold-blooded psycho! Get your filthy-blood-stained hands off me!” Through clenched teeth, Irma shrieked as she battled to liberate herself from the man's barbarous hold. His eyes were a refulgent inferno. They held an insidious fire of lust as they thrived deeper into her debilitated ones. "How flattering!” The man sneered, and Irma froze. A ripple of both ice and fire skint in her nerves at the man’s vexatious riposte. Before she could amass any little bravery left in her, the man spoke again in a hoarse tremor, erupting a chill down her spinal tube. “But if you don't watch your sweet-dirty-mouth, you snoopy, pesky brat, my third leg will shut it for you! Or maybe," he wavered, and fixed his dangerous lascivious gazes on hers, gently stroking her hair as if petting his sweet wild pet, “Is that what you want, huh, little kitten?” A freelance journalist, flaming with ardent desires to unveil the secrets behind the series of mysterious disappearances happening in the city. Her hunch points her to the dark underworld of the mafia, and unfortunately, she crashes into LUCCA DE’MATTHEW - the other name for terror! Their encounter will evoke a catastrophe that only they can solve. But how, if their mere beingness is a menace to each other?
She got pregnant by the man she loved, but he left her. To protect the image of their family, Ayana Salma De’Mario was grounded and hidden like a bad omen, together with her child. Five years later, she knows only the walls of her room, her sweet five-year-old girl, her paintings, the young student she is teaching, and this mysterious ghost lover whom she has never met. But a tragedy strikes their family empire. In need of a savior, her family decided to trade the black sheep of the family to save their company. And in the picture enters the cold-hearted Adam Stone De'Leon, the most notorious heartbreaker the city has ever had. A proud womanizer who parades his sins as if they are crowns. But the moment he meets Ayana, something changes—something that leaves his walls in shambles. His heart starts beating for Ayana in ways he never imagined. He would go to any extreme to have her. Can she really resist him, or will she also make it to the list of uncountable women he has knacked and tossed aside like trash?
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Yelena discovered that she wasn't her parents' biological child. After seeing through their ploy to trade her as a pawn in a business deal, she was sent away to her barren birthplace. There, she stumbled upon her true origins—a lineage of historic opulence. Her real family showered her with love and adoration. In the face of her so-called sister's envy, Yelena conquered every adversity and took her revenge, all while showcasing her talents. She soon caught the attention of the city's most eligible bachelor. He cornered Yelena and pinned her against the wall. “It's time to reveal your true identity, darling.”
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”