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Bella Williams, who is denigrated by the Thorn family as nothing more than a cook, is desperate to flee their grasp in this riveting story of ambition and bravery. She has had enough of their harassment, so when the charismatic billionaire heir Austen Trevor offers her a seductive proposition, she seizes the chance. Bella decides to protect her feelings from the infamous bad lads of Kansas by jumping into an exhilarating adventure headfirst with her heart on the line. Bella must negotiate a perilous path as the stakes rise: WILL SHE STAY UNSCATHED? OR IS HER NEW STATUS AS A BILLIONAIRE'S PARTNER JUST A GAME OR A JOURNEY THAT WILL LEAVE HER HEART STRONGER?
Austen POV
"It's almost your birthday, dear." His mother sang immediately when she entered the room. Like always, Austen sighed and shook his head. She had been doing this since the beginning of June, and it was becoming annoying.
Not to mention the fact that he knew why she was actually reminding him.
Still, he faked a smile and watched as she moved to stand beside him. "You'll soon be three decades old. Oh, I can't believe it.
"Of course you can, mom." Her ability to make the tiniest things so special never ceased to amaze him. It was exciting during his younger years, to have her make so much fuss about incoming celebrations. Now it was annoying and just served the purpose of refreshing a discussion he thought was over.
"And he still isn't married," another voice chided, and Austen rolled his eyes. The real star of the show was Mr. Trevor, CEO of Trevor Corp.
"Darling, don't be like that," his mother answered cheerily, a bright smile on her face. "This year is the year. I'm sure of it.
"You've been saying that for the past three years," his father growled. "You need to man up, Austen.
"I'm trying my best, Dad. It's not like I can just step out of the house and see a suitable woman.
"You can. I know a lot of families with eligible daughters. Take Mr. Thorn, for example. His two children are girls, and I'm sure you can charm one of them into marriage.
"Something about his father's tone seems mocking, and it annoyed Austen. He made it seem like getting married was an extreme sport.
"I know them very well," his mother piped up as she made her way to the kitchen. She always liked to be active in these conversations, and as she poured wine into three glasses, Austen knew his parents wouldn't rest until he promised them a bride.
"Gina and Bridget. Lovely young ladies with an air of grace and intellect," his mother praised
"Yes, my dear.
Their father is also very good at his work. It would be nice to have him as an in-law. Right, dear?
"Of course. I like their mother too, she seems very...
"Austen turned away from his parents, blocking out their conversation. Every time they brought up the issue of marriage, it upset him greatly. There were still so many things he hadn't achieved yet, and getting married was not part of them.
His personal business was just getting off the ground, so a lot of his capital was still invested there. His main focus was on acquiring more wealth and steadying the company's business. Not marriage.
Having a lifelong partner was not a matter to be rushed into, but his parents wanted nothing more than to see him walk down the aisle with someone.
He stood up and picked up his car keys from the tabletop. "I'm going out for a ride.
"Where are you going?" His father's thunderous voice called out after him, but he continued walking away.
"To clear my head, Dad.
"Driving was his own way of figuring out the best thing to do. However, he couldn't concentrate. It didn't help matters that his parents constantly made him feel like a failure. He didn't know which was worse.
His mother's mocking tone or his father's constant bickering. "Or are they tired of me?" He thought.
He shook his head, and adjusted the brake. He highly doubted that. As the only son, he was spoiled and never wanted for anything. Growing up, he had the best schools, toys, playmates, and plenty of money to go around.
Not once did he feel the absence of a sibling-until now. Maybe if there was someone else, his parents would have less time to disturb him. Austen sighed and used his free hand to rub the spot between his brows. Where did it all go wrong?
Deep in his thoughts, he didn't notice the young girl crossing the road until it was nearly too late. Their eyes met and she suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, transfixed in shock as he tried to think.
"What the...?" he mumbled while attempting a sharp swerve to the right. The tires screeched for a few seconds before halting just a few meters away from the girl.
Austen sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to take in deep breaths. By the time he looked at the road again, the girl was nowhere in sight, and his heart skipped a beat. Did he...had she...?In a daze, he climbed out of the car and began to look for her. He had not gotten more than three steps forward when he saw her, hunched over a pile of groceries. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be shaking.
"I'm sorry," he began, confused on whether to touch her or not.
"I wasn't being focused.
Are you alright?
"He watched as the girl nodded her head slowly and then began to stand up.
"It's...it's okay.
I'm fine.
"Still, Austen felt guilty. Usually, he wasn't so reckless with driving, but his parents had pushed him to the edge. However, it wasn't enough reason to hit an innocent person.
He bent down and began to arrange the items that had fallen down with her. Luckily, none of them were damaged, and soon enough, everything was packed neatly.
"Are you sure? I can take you to the hospital if..."The remaining words died on his lips as the girl finally met his eyes and shook her head. She was easily the most beautiful person he had seen in a long time. He couldn't get over how her eyes seemed to take him in.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice her begin to walk away until she was at the other side of the road.
"Sorry, I didn't get your name," he yelled slightly.
"Bella," she responded absently as she tried to gather the groceries. Before he could say anything else, she entered into a black car and zoomed off.
"You were crafted for me. And I, for you," his breath caresses my ear, coaxing my eyelids to seal shut tightly. The proximity sends a shiver down my spine as he leans in, his words dripping with a seductive promise. "I was designed to love you. To make you mine," my breath hitches at his audacity, and my mind spirals into a realm of forbidden fantasies. Images of his office flash in my mind, the desk becoming a canvas for our illicit desires, and I wonder how his tongue might taste against mine. He withdraws slightly, inhaling deeply, and in that moment, his eyes, already dark as the night, seem to plunge into an abyss of even deeper intensity. "I know you crave me too, Ulrica." Strength, intimidation, cunning, resilience—Rendall encompasses them all. He's a tempest, a force of nature, and I, in contrast, am the rainbow that emerges after the chaos. Our connection is inexplicable, a convergence of opposites that leaves an indelible mark on the canvas of our destinies. As I step into the unfamiliar town of Gilgamesh to embark on my first year of university, I am oblivious to the twists fate has prepared for me. I anticipated the wild parties, the endless assignments, and the sleepless nights. What I didn't foresee was him.
"It's up to you," he declared, moving so near that our lips were on the verge of touching. "Either comply with my instructions or seek alternative employment." My heart froze as I peered into his profound, menacing eyes. In a society where women are confined to the role of staying home and appearing attractive, Elena is resolute in her struggle for independence. However, there's a significant obstacle: a formidable man obstructing her path.
Livia Davis follows three Rules: 1. Don't kiss a client 2. Do not sleep with a client. 3. Do not fall for a client Things will be alright as long as alpha billionaire Smith Mason respects these boundaries. She must get the money somehow because her father is ailing and she has medical expenses to cover. After a final encounter, she makes her father a vow to leave, but she is then presented with a plan that might help her with at least some of her issues. Will she cave in and put her own ambitions on hold, or will she stick to her strict principles?
Isabella Waverly is your average twenty years old college student, striving to make herself and her family proud while currently studying Economics in a prestigious private University, in Florentina, Italy. She gets along fine with everyone, well everyone except her mother's cold boss who she'd discovered likes glaring at her and treating her coldly for no reason. Alexander Knight is a twenty five years old billionaire from a famous family of businessmen and public figures. He's had his eyes on a certain beauty, Isabella, his cook's daughter since she was at a very young age, having watched her grow from a teenager into a ripe, mature lady and when Alexander discovers Isabella is in her third year in university and might bring a man home anytime soon, he realizes he'll have to act fast. And act fast he did, the only way he knew how to get a woman. He claimed her. Made her know she belonged to him.
Nova is a young werewolf who has been isolated from the world for 17 years. She has never met another werewolf, and she has no idea of her own true nature. One day, Nova's father comes to her with two shocking pieces of information: she is a rare white werewolf, and she must choose a mate from among the future alphas of the four other packs that her father controls. Nova is horrified by this news. She has never wanted to be a werewolf, and she certainly doesn't want to be forced to mate with someone she doesn't know. However, she knows that she has no choice but to obey her father. Nova sets out on a journey to meet the future alphas of the four other packs. She quickly realizes that the world is a much more dangerous place than she ever imagined. She is attacked by other werewolves, she is hunted by humans, and she is forced to make difficult choices that will shape her future. Throughout her journey, Nova begins to learn more about herself and her own true nature. She realizes that she is stronger and more capable than she ever thought possible. She also realizes that she has a choice in how she lives her life. She doesn't have to be a pawn in her father's game. Nova's transformation is both physical and emotional. She grows stronger and more confident, and she learns to embrace her own unique identity. She also learns to stand up to her father and to fight for what she believes in. In the end, Nova chooses a mate who loves her for who she is, and she helps to unite the five packs under a new leadership. She proves that even a rare white werewolf can make a difference in the world.
"I want a divorce!" Ryan demanded, despite the fact that he had cheated on her with his ex. ~ Serena is no longer the quiet, romantic lady Ryan Winters married and divorced five years ago. Now the CEO of Rocky's Designs, she is bright, unwavering, and unapologetic about her independence-a far cry from the woman Ryan remembers. When fate brings them back into one another's lives, Ryan is forced to confront the truth about their past, their newfound hot chemistry, and a surprising revelation; Serena has a daughter who may be his. But Ryan's girlfriend, Kate, isn't prepared to lose him again. She will do whatever it takes to keep Ryan in her grasp-even if it means destroying Serena's life and the corporate empire she has built. What happens when Serena's now peaceful life is being disrupted? Will Serena lose once again or will she seize this billionaire's heart?
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Maria took her sister’s place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting master… The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
"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.
"You were about to cum in me." I said and sat up. That's when I felt a stinging pain across my ear as my hand caressed my face, then the realization hit me- he had slapped me, Lee had just slapped me. #Sex. Lies. Money. Power. *** Jessie, after finding out her fiance had married another woman, decides to have a one-night stand with his uncle, only to find herself married to him. But despite being married to his uncle, she was still attracted to him, so she started secretly seeing him. Well, the uncle wasn't willing to give her up now, not after he vowed to always be by her side; now she had two men fighting for her. And the woman her ex-fiance married wasn't just going to give up on him. Will Jessie realize old flames can never be and live a peaceful life with her new billionaire husband, or will Jade succeed in winning her back?
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?"