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Amelia was a secret from birth because she was illegal; she was not included in the family book and was home-schooled all her life. When it was time to get married, her father wanted her to remain a secret from the world. She had promised herself that she was going to take charge of one thing in her life – her marriage. Regardless of how her life had been controlled so far by her father and stepmother, they won't pick her husband for her. So, when her father had arranged a marriage for her with her friend's son – one they have never seen, he lived abroad all his life. Again, they wanted a secret marriage. Amelia swore to run away before the marriage. Would she succeed? Mike cared nothing about marriage. But, when it was time to inherit his family business, his father made marriage to his friend's daughter compulsory. He was ready to obey, so he could disobey later. He would get married to her, inherit his legal property, and divorce the wife – finally gaining his freedom back. But when he saw Amelia, all his plans changed.
Her footsteps moved slowly on the tiles, while she moved her head in every direction to make sure no one was following her. It was normal in her house to be exempted whenever they were having any important discussions, but this time around she was going to listen to everything they had to say. She was part of the family, so she had the right to know what was going on in the family.
The family sitting room was silent at first and she thought she had the wrong room, but then, she heard her step-sister's voice, which was so loud that anyone would have thought she had swallowed a speaker.
"Why will she be getting married before me? I don't like that."
Getting married. Who? As far as Amelia knew, there were only two young ladies in the house, her and her sister, and she had no betrothed, yet someone in their house was getting married. She pinned her ears to the door to listen to them better. Her stepmother's cold voice was what she heard next. "How many times do I have to tell you that she is getting married so that your father could secure the contract he needed?"
"But the Afonso's are very wealthy. I want to be married into a family like that." Ash complained, her voice like a toddler whose favourite toy was collected from her. But that was what Ash's voice was always like when she was displeased by something or when she wanted something so bad. It was as if she knew that their parents could not resist that voice, but this time it wasn't working out.
"That's because you have no idea that she is marrying the black sheep of the family. Have you ever seen Michael or have you seen his picture anywhere before?"
Amelia couldn't hear Ash's response but she was certain it was negative. Michael Afonso was a face unknown to everyone, not even the press. The reason his family was against people knowing what he looked like was unknown to everyone. He studied abroad from a young age and had always been a secret to the world. Just like Amelia.
"Exactly. He must be so terrible that his father is trying to arrange a planned marriage for him. Is that what you want for yourself? To be forced into a marriage with someone you have no idea about?"
Another silence followed. Then, "Good. I want you to meet someone you love. Fall in love and have a happy family."
Isn't that what everyone wants? To meet someone they can relate with. Someone they would love, and build a family with. Amelia knew that was what she wanted for herself, and she wasn't going to settle for less. But again, who was going to be forced into a marriage? She couldn't hear anything for a minute, then there was a murmur. She strained her ears to the door trying to get the juicy details coming from inside, but there was nothing. Then she heard a bang on her head. She felt as if she had left the world and come back. The pain she felt at that moment was intense. She looked up to see what or rather who had caused her pain. Ava gazed at her with a smirk on her face – just like every time she looked at Ava, she was in full make-up and expensive designer clothes. Although she was so curious about what was going on, she didn't have the guts to ask Ava about it. Ava smiled at her and moved in the direction of her room.
Amelia knew it was the end of the discussion, so she moved to her room too. Lying on her bed, she picked up her phone to see what was happening in the world. That was her only means of communication with the outside world, even her usernames were false. All the world knew, her father had only one daughter. No one knew about Amelia, and no one had to know, according to her father.
Yet, she had managed to find friends online who she believed in more than the family she sees every day. A knock on the door made her drop her phone under the pillow so fast. Her stepmother hated it whenever she was lying and pressing her phone. She took that time to remind her that she was useless in the house. She sat upright and adjusted her clothes. "Come in."
She smiled when she saw Loveth come in with a breakfast tray. "Good morning, miss". She retrieved her phone from under her pillow, "Good morning, Loveth. How was your night?"
Loveth smiled, dropping the food on her bed. "It was good. How was yours?" She took the seat opposite her. "You are looking beautiful as always."
Amelia blushed, "Stop this and let's eat. I hope you took enough for us both."
Loveth nodded.
Loveth might be a maid, but to Amelia, she was a sister. They were the same age and close because she was supposed to be the maid attending to Amelia, especially when there was a visitor that they didn't want Amelia to find out about or find out about Amelia. They were busy eating when Loveth spoke, "I heard a rumour today while dishing out our breakfast."
Amelia had a feeling what the rumour might be. "Is it about someone getting married in the house?"
She nodded. The curiosity Amelia had tried to bury resurfaced immediately, "Do you know who that person is? Who is getting married so suddenly that my parents are keeping secrets?"
The look on Loveth's face was the response Amelia needed. She stopped eating, and her eyes got wider. It can't be true. They wouldn't treat her this way, no matter how illegal she was. That didn't change the fact that she was their daughter. She needed verbal confirmation. Maybe she was just thinking wrongly.
"Who!"
Loveth sighed. "I am sorry, miss. All I heard was that you are the one getting married. I thought you knew about it."
She was the one getting married to an unknown face. She laughed, dropping her spoon on the floor and rolling over the bed. Loveth also stopped eating to stare at Amelia. She was convinced that the lady had gone crazy from hearing about her impending wedding. "Miss. Are you okay?"
Amelia didn't stop laughing. She held to her stomach and let out un-lady-like sounds. Her behaviour was beginning to bother Loveth, who wasn't expecting such a reaction from her. She was expecting her to be angry, not laughing and acting as if she had just heard the joke of the century. "Miss."
Amelia stopped and the look on her face was the opposite of what she had previously worn. She looked so angry that she could burn anything that touched her. Her mood swing was confusing Loveth, who moved back a bit. She had never seen Amelia change her appearance so far. Well, Amelia had never been told she was going to marry a stranger, so in a way, she could understand what Amelia was going through. Okay, maybe she could not understand it, but she was trying to understand her mood.
"Are you okay, miss?" She made sure to put a distance between herself and Amelia before asking the question. Who knew what her next reaction was going to be?
Loveth didn't get a response back from Amelia. She was just staring at nothing.
"Miss! Miss! Are you okay?" Loveth was already getting tired but there was no one to help her out there. Finally, Amelia responded to her. "I think I am going to run away, Loveth."
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.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]