Sometimes image is more important than one's own achievements. Abigail Smith, a recent college graduate, comes to this realization when a popular businessman, Benjamin Anderson demands her hand in marriage. She knows she's being used as cover, but she doesn't know how deep Benjamin's problems run until she's caught up with the government and kidnapped by foreign drug lords. She never expected that getting a degree would lead to pulling a trigger that'll save the one she love's life. Will her world ever be the same again?
Chapter One -
The sound of champagne bottles popping mixed with the cheers of celebration as a party took place in an apartment's living room far too small. The champagne that bursts from their glass bottles like erupting volcanoes inevitably splattered on the wooden floor.
"HEY! Could you guys be a little more considerate?!" The owner of the apartment shouted in annoyance at everyone causing a ruckus.
"Sorry, Layla." An older, tall man still in his business suit patted the young adult's back. He then beamed a smile at the woman that was the same age as her, sitting on the sofa with an embarrassed look. "I'm just so happy that my baby girl has finally graduated college!"
"Dad..." She mumbles while rubbing the back of her neck but still smiles up at him. Nothing made her happier than her father's praises.
"That's a Smith for ya. She'll be a big ole businesswoman just like her ole man." Another man slurred, already a bit tipsy from the champagne. All of her father's business associates had joined them for their little celebration of Abigail's graduation.
Well, all of his associates except for one who claimed to be too busy for something so trivial. If it wasn't for being such a successful man with a very important role in her father's business, he would've fired him right on the spot for using such a word about his hard-working daughter.
"It's too bad Benjamin didn't think it was worth coming..." One of the other men grumbled about the co-worker that thought this was trivial.
"Mr. Anderson? Pfft. I never liked that bastard anyways. He's always so smug. Sticks his nose up like he's better than anyone else." Another one muttered.
"Nobody likes him! All he has is a pretty face going for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's caught up in illegal shit like drugs or something!" another tipsy businessman bellowed a laugh at his own joke.
Abigail looked at the men with raised eyebrows, the woman taken aback by their sudden talk of distaste for a single man that they work with. "Goodness... surely he's not that bad."
James rested his hand upon his daughter's shoulder. "In all honesty, I'm glad he declined my offer to join our celebration for you. The man is quite arrogant and would be a bad influence on you." The wrinkles on his fore crease as he thinks out loud. "He's an excellent worker but even I can't stand the man." He then looks down at his daughter and gives her a little smile. "Do Daddy a favor and stay away from him. He also has an unnervingly shady background."
Abigail's brows knitted together this time but she still gave a nod of her head. For her father to not like someone had to mean that there was definitely something off about the man. Other than being a total jerk by the sounds of it.
As the group continued trash-talking the man called Benjamin behind his back, Layla looked at Abigail and gave an annoyed sigh with a shake of her head. "If y'all are done gossiping, can you please leave?! Abigail had a long drive back here! Party's over!"
James chuckles endearingly. "Yes, how could I forget? You're probably exhausted." He pats his daughter's head then gives her forehead a little kiss. "I love you, my lil pumpkin-poo~ Daddy will call you soon."
"DAD!" Abigail unintentionally raises her voice while Layla snickered with a hand to her mouth. The other men chuckled as well as they watch the cute interaction between the two. Not everyone knew that James is a widower and that he raised Abigail on his own, but even without that knowledge, it was still heartwarming watching them.
"See you, Abigail!"
"Rest up! Nice seeing you again."
"Bye, Abigail!"
The men took turns bidding her farewell as they left the apartment. James gave his daughter one last kiss goodbye before following after his friends. Layla follows them close behind while waving her hands in a "shoo" manner as if scaring off stray animals on her property. "Alright! Alright! Off with you lot! Out! Out, I say!" She yells then slams the door behind them and wipes her hands. "UGH! Look at this!" She points at the several spillages on the floor. "Lazy bastards couldn't even clean up after themselves!"
Abigail goes to help her friend clean up but Layla immediately declines and demands her to rest after her long drive. Reluctantly, Abigail sits back down as Layla began to speak again.
"Sheesh. They were seriously roasting that Benimen guy. Kinda low that they were doing it behind his back too."
"I think it's pronounced Benjamin, Layla. And yeah... probably better that someone like that wasn't here anyways like Dad said. The last thing I need is a sourpuss around me right now." She yawns and then stands up. "Welp. I'm off. Let me know if you need anything, 'kay?"
"'Night, girl." Layla waves her off then curses that the scent of alcohol is sticking to the floor.
Abigail went to the spare bedroom that Layla would use as storage. It was originally her room before she went to college. Though now it's a bit cramped, Abigail was still happy she could flop down on the bed. "Ughhh..." She moans as her spine finally gets sweet relief. The young woman takes her auburn hair out of its ponytail right as her phone makes a "ping" noise as she gets a text message.
"Dad is already on a roll?" she mumbles with exhaustion while rolling onto her stomach and rubbing one of her eyes. Abigail was already struggling to stay awake and, though she would feel extremely awful about it, felt like passing out on her phone right then and there. But, instead, she tilted her head in confusion when she saw the text was from a phone number she didn't have registered.
"Is this Abigail Smith?"
At first, she assumes that it's one of her father's business associates. "Yes. Who's this?" Abigail didn't even have to wait patiently since he immediately texted her back.
"Meet me in Starbucks tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. sharp."
Abigail looks taken aback and then feels agitated. What the hell? Who does this guy think he is?
"Um. I asked you who you are. I'm not going to just go see some stranger..."
"My name is Benjamin Anderson. 7:30 a.m. Don't keep me waiting." Comes another blunt text message.
Abigail's jaw drops with sheer confusion and bewilderment.
Benjamin Anderson?!
The shady man that all of her father's friends seemed to hate had somehow got a hold of her number and was commanding her to meet him?? Abigail recalls her father's warning to avoid the surly man, but, at the same time...
What could he possibly want?
The comfort Amelia seeks from her childhood friends and the pack is nothing that she expected to happen. She also met a new wolf, Sebastian, who she becomes very infatuated with. Once they have privacy, he shows his true colors: dark and feral. Unafraid, and filled with desire, they give into their lust. The next day, Amelia feels disgusted with herself. Though Amelia feels ashamed of herself, she still can't help but have romantic feelings for the mysterious wolf. Unexpectedly, their erotic first encounter was now becoming more romantic. Amelia's friends grow concerned, not trusting Sebastian, and dig into his history only to find the awful things he had done in his past. In order to keep his secrets safe, Sebastian takes drastic action to hide his past from Amelia. Whether it be deceit or blood but deception can only get you so far. In the end, Amelia must make a critical decision, to take a second chance at love or to see through a liar.
On her wedding day, Khloeâs sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didnât commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrikâs cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
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?"
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"