Nicole Jane Parker is an incoming grade twelve student who lives in luxury and enjoys her freedom as much as she can. But even though she had the privilege to do whatever she wants and gets anything that she will ask for in life, it's not enough to fill the emptiness in her heart. Having trust issues with other people, she grows up with no friends at all. While her parents are always away for business trips. These are the reasons that pushed her to live independently. Things will then start to change the moment she transferred and set her foot in Clarkson Academy. There she will meet Kyle Ethan Clarkson- who is treated by the students and other people in the academy as a prince. But as she started to get along with him, she will discover something about him that is beyond her imagination. Because Kyle Ethan Clarkson is the Pureblood Prince of the Vampires- the creatures whose existence is unknown to the humans, and the one destined for her to marry.
Nicole Jane's POV
Even though it was already late at night, the surroundings were still bright because of the flashing lights while the loud music that was currently being played could be heard from every corner of the mansion. There are even some people who are shouting and laughing as if there's no tomorrow, which irritated my ears even more.
My debut party had a fairy tale theme. I was actually against it because I preferred a gothic theme instead. But my parents won't give in to my plea. As their only child and daughter, they insist that I should look like a princess on this night. That everything around should look magical.
But what I really hate tonight is the fact that they have invited my classmates to come over. Even though they knew that I wasn't friends with any of them. I even barely talk to any one of them. Unless, it's school-related. Besides, they also had invited some guests that I didn't know personally.
Fortunately, they somehow allowed me to remove eighteen roses from the program. I didn't feel like dancing with anybody anyway.
I'm currently drinking by the pool. Since I'm already eighteen, I'm allowed to drink whatever I want already. I'd rather grumble here than be a hypocrite and socialize with them on the dance floor.
"Happy birthday!"
I was stunned when someone suddenly spoke from behind. Slowly, I looked at the newcomer.
I frowned when I saw a tall man with gray eyes. If I wasn't mistaken, he's one of my parents' friends.
"Thank you," I said casually.
He was about to speak when suddenly, my parents approached together with a meticulous-looking woman.
"Hey, there you are! We've been looking for you," the meticulous-looking woman said to the man who greeted me earlier before she gazed in my direction. "Hi! Happy birthday! It's been a while, and you've grown into such a beautiful young lady already."
I raised an eyebrow. She spoke as if she knew me very well.
"Sweetie, we just have something to discuss with. Entertain your visitors, okay?" Mom ordered.
I frowned. "You have nothing to worry about, Mom. They can manage themselves just fine."
Mom gave me a stern look. So, I stood up lazily and rolled my eyes with my back facing them.
My gaze followed them discreetly. Even though today is my birthday, it looked like my parents still had a business agenda mixed in.
But another thing I noticed about my parents' friends was the color of their skin. They were too pale.
I just shook my head and took another drink from the tray that the waiter was carrying, then drank it straight.
When the glass was already empty, I couldn't help but look up at the sky. In particular, at the moon. I didn't know why, but it seemed to have a hypnotic effect.
"Nicole! What are you doing here? Come on! Let's party!"
I blinked and was not able to object when someone suddenly pulled me towards the dance floor. However, I knew that the only reason why my classmates were here was to flex their business and their parents to my parents to become their business partners.
But I just let it go. They're not the only ones capable of putting on a mask. After all, this is my day. That's why I did nothing but have fun this night. Until I was completely drunk, and my surroundings were slowly swallowed by darkness.
***
I quickly covered my right arm over my eyes when they opened because of the rays of the sun that suddenly came into view. But I winced when my head suddenly hurt. So I waited a few minutes before slowly getting up and leaving the room. One of our maids was standing right in front of the door causing me to step back in shock when I opened it.
"You startled me, Riza! What are you doing here?" I couldn't stop my voice from rising.
She bowed slightly. "Good morning, Ma'am Nicole. I'm sorry. I was just about to knock to wake you up and ask you if I should bring your breakfast here?" she asked politely, with a slight tinge of fear in her voice.
I yawned. "No need. I'll just go to the dining room", I answered gently.
"All right. I will prepare your breakfast right away." She walked away first.
It seemed that the sleepiness I was feeling flew out of the window when I suddenly remembered something. When a maid comes to my room to wake me up, my parents are sure to be here. Whenever they're not around, the maids do not disturb my sleep because that is what I strongly instructed them to do so.
I just shrugged and reluctantly continued walking while my eyes were still half-closed. When I got to the stairs, I descended slowly because I might fall. If I'm not mistaken, it was already dawn when I fell asleep because of my debut party last night.
But I was stunned when I heard Mom and Dad's serious conversation in the living room. I also massaged my temples as numbing pains shot through them. I still felt disoriented from last night.
The party was smooth and successful even though I passed out due to drunkenness. But even so, I still can't help but wonder about where my parents met their invited friends last night.
There seems to be something different about them. Their skin looked pale, and they were so emotionless.
Actually, some of them surprisingly look familiar. I just don't remember where, or if I ever really saw them before.
I shook my head at the thought. My head was definitely still on turmoil right now.
"After four long years, I'm glad to know that he will be back already," Dad said.
My eyebrows raised because of what I heard. Who is the person that they are referring to who has returned here? As far as I know, we didn't have any relatives in other countries. All of them were already here.
Well, that's what I knew.
"Yeah. I still couldn't believe it when they told us about it. We need to make a move already. Most especially now that everything is happening according to the plan," Mom said cheerfully.
Plan? What plan? What the hell are my parents talking about? The curiosity is killing me!
"It may be hard for the two of them at first. But Nicole will surely like him. I'm sure of that," Dad said confidently.
Wait, why was my name suddenly dragged in their conversation?
I couldn't stand it anymore and quickly made my way to the living room. Dad was the first one who saw me because he was facing my direction. His eyes widened in shock. Mom stared at him in confusion. That's why she also turned on where I was standing.
They both stood up upon seeing me with their mouths hanging open.
What is going on with the two of them? Could this be the effect of their frequent stays in other countries?
I crossed my arms at them. "Who is the guy that you say is coming back, and I will like?
I looked at both of them. There was still a hint of shock on their faces when they saw me. They looked like criminals that had been caught in the act.
A few seconds passed before they finally recovered. A wide smile then formed on my Mom's lips that made me shiver. Because there seemed to be something different in the way she smiled at me.
I gulped. I had a strong feeling that I was not going to like whatever the answer to my question was.
Our situation were reversed in an instant. It felt like I was the one in the hot seat this time.
Dad suddenly became serious, then looked straight into my eyes. "It's your fiancé. He's coming back."
My jaw dropped at what he said.
When I was still young, I already heard stories about my future fiancé. That I'm going to meet him once I turn 18.
Though I didn't take it seriously and chose to ignore it instead. Because I thought that maybe it was just a joke and there was no taint of any truth about it.
But now that my parents are the ones confirming it, I could no longer ignore it.
I gasped as the realization hit me. I just turned 18 yesterday! So, it means...
"What? No way!"
Nathalia Sarmiento is just one of those ordinary teenagers who wishes to graduate from college in order to help the people she treated as her real parents, who did nothing but love her as their own daughter as well. Everything seems to be perfect in her almost fairy tale story. She had a bunch of good friends, loving parents, and a comfortable life. Not until her eighteenth birthday comes. She's about to go home when, suddenly, a black van stops right in front of her. Before she could even escape, a group of men came out and took her away. The next thing she knew was that she would arrive in a familiar mansion, and when she finally met the one who planned it all, the realization hit her hard. A mafia boss captured her. Much to her surprise, he even had the pair of shoes that she had lost before.
Tiffany Salazar has witnessed how her once-perfect family turned into a broken one. That’s why she did everything she could to make sure that her relationship with her boyfriend, Travis Jason Vernon, would not share the same fate as what happened to her parents. But as the years passed by, the realization hit her. In order to be with the man that she truly loves and maintain the stability of their relationship, she had to give up one thing that she ever wanted: Freedom. Wherein no one will have full control of her life. To the point that she doesn’t even know her true self anymore. That’s why, no matter how much she wants to protect the love that they have, in the end, she chooses to protect herself first. And it will only happen if she breaks up with Travis. So she did. As she finally goes on with her life, she notices that something is still missing. That the freedom she wants never gave her happiness and contentment. Much to her regret, it only became the reason for her to lose her first and true love. Determined to win Travis back, will she be able to correct the mistake she made and restart everything from that Christmas night? Or will she end up drowning herself in regrets and embracing her chosen freedom?
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
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."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"