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Beside her rich, spoiled best friend, Siobhan, Bianca Davis has always come second. She was not as pretty as Siobhan, her parents were not as rich, she didn't get the boys...but she was intelligent! That counts! But regardless of their differences both girls were the bestest friends right from childhood. They shared everything and were like sisters, nothing came in between them. At least nothing did until Andre Rios walked into both their lives. Bianca hates him, she despises him, he is everything she works against but for her best friend's sake she will pretend to like him. Bianca doesn't know why Siobhan still dates him when he dates half the girls in class. Maybe because he's hot and incredibly handsome? And also mysteriously dangerous? She doesn't know it but Bianca is about to find herself in a mess when she realizes that she doesn't just hate Andre, she wants him to notice her and her actions will unlock a series of events. From the truth about her and Siobhan's friendship to a ring of gangsters with a link to Andre, to fighting for her and Siobhan's life, to getting Siobhan to trust her again. All because she fell in love with her best friend's boyfriend.
"It's a bikini, just tie the strings, Bianca."
Siobhan, it's pronounced 'Shiv-awn', spoke through the phone in a high pitch. I could hear the blast of the music station and the splash of the beach waves through my phone. She was probably posed in one of those magazine poses she copied off the numerous fashion magazines in our hotel room and it worked because guys fawned over her. The boys hanging around our umbrella flexing their muscles in a game of beach balls probably didn't even notice I was gone. Siobhan was enough to hold their attention. She's just that pretty. I had to leave because the stringy bikini she insisted I wear had decided to come undone just when I was about to join the boys in their games. Now here I am behind an abandoned ice cream kiosk trying to fix it myself.
I tried once again to get a firm grip on the strings holding the front and the back together and once again it slipped off my fingers.
"Need help with that?" a voice said suddenly.
Throwing a glance over my shoulder without seeing who it was that spoke, I answered. "Duh. Don't just stand there, help me please," I bit out in frustration.
Cool, strong fingers closed around the strings, pulled tight on them so that the front part of my bikini wasn't falling apart anymore, and tied them together. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body as he worked expertly on the strings. What is he, a part-time bikini adjuster?
"There," he stepped back. "All done. Got it tied and hard. Wouldn't want to show those nice titties to those boys out there, am I right?"
I turned to give him a lash of my tongue at the audacity when I paused and tilted my head to get a really good look at him. Dark eyes, dark brows over them, dark hair blowing in the wind, nice high cheekbones, incredibly sexy, moisturized lips, great smile, very tall, and boy oh boy he's hot. I'm 18, I'm in my final year in high school and yes I know a hot guy when I see one and this boy tops the chart.
His lips tilted up. "This is the part where you say 'Thank you'," he whispered leaning toward me a bit.
I was tongue-tied for a bit but somehow I found my tongue. I meant to say thank you, I truly did but he provoked me and the next thing I knew I said, "And this is the part where you apologize for talking about my boobs."
His eyes sparkled and in the bright summer sun, his eyes drifted down to my chest. My breasts suddenly felt tight and heavy. Why was he staring?!
"But they are nice, aren't they? A bit on the small size but I'm not a man of discriminating taste."
"If you're even a man at all," I scoffed suddenly exasperated. What kind of man objectifies a woman so cruelly?! "Does that line work on every dimwit girl you try it on?"
"Not when their bikini straps are falling off, no, but usually," he had the audacity to pretend to think. "Yes, it works pretty well."
"Ha!" I said with just enough sarcasm to make my tone biting but he simply smirked even more. "You must have dated idiots then."
He laughed. When I tried to move past him he hurried to block my path. "Do you know it's easy to tell when a woman is lying?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His muscles bulged. He had an athletic build and though he was tall enough to look older, I could tell he was just around my age, maybe a year older. His eyes though were no teenager's eyes. They were bold, accessing my body without any hint of coyness. He came closer and I involuntarily took a step back. "I find that when women see something they find exciting, let's say a hot guy, for example, their nipples become hard pebbles." He nodded down to my chest and sure enough my betraying nipples were puckered hard, showing like hard little rocks through the thin material of my bikini.
I fought the blush in my cheeks but it was inevitable. Still, I had my dignity to recover. It was easy to mistake him for a gentleman because he helped me but once he opened his mouth it was one trip fall after another and I already hate him. So bad.
"So, wanna hear more of my lines? Or do you want to see my lines?" he winked.
Ugh! That was just the push I needed to throw my hands up, push past him with as much strength as I could muster, and walk away. But his laughter – his mocking laughter if I might add followed me as I walked away.
"Try learning how to lie a little better, kitten," he yelled after me.
"And try learning some manners, you idiot!" I shot back over my shoulder.
He continued to laugh as he walked in the opposite direction of the beach. I walked as fast as I could praying that I wouldn't run into him throughout the rest of our summer vacation here in Mainland. I've been starving for male companionship, hoping to be noticed by anyone, even the bell boy who had taken my and Siobhan's things to our room with no luck and the one guy who shows interest is an uncivilized pig who thinks women are all boobs and fragility.
To hell with him.
By the time I got to the umbrella the beach ball game was in full swing but I wasn't in the mood to play anymore, not when I was all flustered and angered by a certain someone. Not to mention I had to hide my nipples.
Siobhan turned her bored gaze from the game to look at me, noticing my red chest and cheeks. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I shot out and realized what I had just done. Softening my tone I turned on my side to look at her. Her dark shades were pushed into her hair and her green eyes were soft and concerned. "I'm sorry. It's just..." I didn't want to tell her about that idiot. Siobhan might look soft and sweet but when it comes to defending me she's even more terrifying than I am – and I am terrifying trust me. You should ask the boys who messed with Siobhan. And though nothing will give me great joy than seeing her match over to Mr. Bikini-expert and give him the talk down of his life, I will rather just forget about it. "It's this bikini, it was giving me a hard time," I finished lamely.
"But look on the bright side, those guys are totally checking you out."
I scoffed. As if. They had eyes only for her and definitely not me. Where Siobhan is I am just a shadow. Her blonde hair and green eyes were movie star gorgeous, she had the looks and the money. I had the brains and well...I don't know what else. But we've been friends since forever.
We met in kindergarten, the very first day of school. I had been skipping excitedly into my class when this mean kid shoved me making me spill my lunch and my books. I had barely gotten up to defend myself when a much smaller Siobhan roundhouse kicked the kid's ass. She held out her hand to me and I gawked.
"My mom makes me take taekwondo lessons," she shrugged. And that was that. Her chauffeur came to pick her up after school and she told him to take me home. She had invited herself into my house and stayed for dinner. It was only when my dad came back I learned that she was the daughter of his boss so I guess our friendship...is fate. And we've been close ever since. Inseparable at the hip and though my looks were plain in contrast to hers we became like sisters.
When Francesca's little sister, Faith gets entangled in a gang - related blackmail and disappears without a trace, it's up to her to find her sister. Powerless, she turns to an unlikely help, Luca Castello, LA's mafia boss, a dangerous man with blood on his hands. Luca's is impressed by Fran's approach for help and he is intrigued by her boldness which is masked with a layer of unexpected innocence. But his price is not cheap and on their first meeting he ensures that Fran is aware of the price for help. Faith is Francesca's only surviving family, the only person she knows as home since the death of her immigrant parents. Luca's price is steep but for Faith, Fran is ready to make a deal with the Devil himself. The deal is made and there's no going back.
When Shawn left San Frease for a chance with his mother he never expected to find himself in the midst of vampires let alone expect to be the center piece to some ancient feud. All he wanted was a new beginning with as little as no mistakes but old habits die hard and he can't help the fact that he is drawn to the Storms, especially Kayla Storm, the century year old vampire who plagued his thoughts. Somehow he was a part of their lives and they would have to be part of his new life. When people begin to go missing in the seemingly sleepy town of WhiSare, Shawn and Kayla uncover a plot that is a threat to mankind. But their problems are fast from over when a group of self proclaimed Vampire Hunters from school uncover the true identity of the Storms, threatening to expose them for who they really are. Samantha Reid, leader of the vampire hunters has a bone to pick with the Storms. Her quest for revenge would lead her to the discovery of DeShawn Hunter's true lineage. The first ancient family Vampire Hunters. But Shawn is torn between his bond with Kayla and the killer instincts raging in his blood against her kind. With all these forces against them will they be able to quickly uncover the identities of their enemies before time runs out?
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!
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
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."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."