Imagine marrying a poor man only to discover that he wasn't actually poor. Katherine didn't know what else to expect after she got dumped by her boyfriend and ended up marrying another man the very next day. Her new husband, Esteban was handsome, but she thought her marriage life wasn't going to be special at all. It came as a surprise to her when she discovered that Esteban was actually so clingy. Strangely, all the problems she encountered after the marriage were solved with ease. Something just wasn't adding up. Suspiciously, she asked him, "Esteban, what's going on here?" With a shrug, Esteban replied, "Maybe luck is just on your side." Katherine believed it. After all, she had gotten married to Esteban when he was about to go broke. She was the breadwinner of their family. They continued to live life as a simple couple. So, nothing prepared Katherine for the shocker she received one day. Her simple husband was not so simple! She couldn't believe that she was actually married to a zillionaire. While she was still processing the shock, Esteban hugged her and smiled. "Isn't it great?" Kathrine had a million questions for him.
Early in the morning, Katherine Morgan was startled when she opened her eyes to find a handsome face inches away from her own.
Overcome with panic, her first instinct was to check under the quilt. To her relief, she saw that she was still neatly dressed.
She cautiously looked back at the man sleeping next to her, feeling a mix of confusion, embarrassment, and regret.
Head throbbing, she struggled to recall what had happened last night.
Yesterday, her parents had asked her to have a conversation with her boyfriend, Darrell Clark, about wedding preparations. Little did she expect to stumble in on him fooling around with her cousin.
Katherine felt angry and disgusted at the same time. She broke up with him on the spot and fled to a bar, hell-bent on drowning her sorrows in liquor. She ended up getting drunk and going to a hotel room with a stranger.
The silver lining out of all of this was at least she didn't make any irreparable mistakes, judging from her fully-clothed body.
However, in order to avoid confronting the stranger in her bed, Katherine quietly lifted the quilt, ready to slip away before the man could wake up.
Unexpectedly, before she could even get out of bed, the door to the hotel room was opened from the outside.
An elegant old lady strode in with a cold expression.
Katherine was startled, but she could only duck her head and try to run away.
However, the old lady blocked the only exit. Standing by the door, she looked at Katherine with a frown.
That was when Katherine saw the old lady's face clearly. Recognizing her, she subconsciously blurted, "Mrs. James?"
Lainey James was stunned at first, but when she took a closer look at Katherine, she felt enlightened. Yes, this was the young girl from before.
At the age of five, Katherine had been accidentally separated from her family and ended up in an orphanage. Lainey had worked as a volunteer in that very orphanage, and that was where the two met. She had grown fond of the sensible, kind girl back then.
Later, Katherine was reunited with her family and was taken home, and that was the last Lainey heard of her. She didn't expect that they would cross paths again after so many years, let alone here, in this hotel room.
"Katherine, is that you? You're all grown up!" Lainey's cold expression softened. But then her voice took on a tone of worry. "Are you okay? Did this brat...?"
As she spoke, she turned to glare at the man in the bed.
Katherine also looked over and found that the man had woken up.
He was looking at her intently, like a beast staring at its prey with hungry, greedy eyes.
Katherine's heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away and hastily tried to explain herself. "Mrs. James, don't worry. Nothing-"
Before she could finish, Lainey took her hand and patted it, as though to comfort her. "Don't worry, my dear. I'll make sure you're taken care of!" Lainey had been worrying non-stop about the fact that her grandson, Esteban James, was still single. Thus, when she caught Esteban with a girl who just so happened to be an old friend of hers, she decided to play matchmaker.
Lainey wore a kind smile on her face when she talked to Katherine, but when she addressed Esteban, any trace of warmth vanished into thin air. "Esteban James, look at what you've done! You're shameless enough to make your grandmother worry about you every day, and now, you even dared to hurt a good girl like Katherine. You were raised better!"
After scolding her grandson, Lainey assumed a more business-like tone as she spoke out her true purpose.
"Now that things have come to this point, you must take responsibility. You two should get married as soon as possible, lest her reputation be tarnished."
At the mention of marriage, both Katherine and Esteban turned pale.
"Grandma!" Esteban protested. But before he could say anything more, Lainey cut him off abruptly.
"You have no right to object, you hear me? You're a man, and you should take responsibility for your actions. As long as Katherine's willing, you two should get married."
Lainey was always quite the domineering woman, and Esteban couldn't do anything to refuse her. Moreover, he couldn't explain this situation clearly. At a loss, he could only turn his head slightly to shoot Katherine a warning look.
Feeling the man's oppressive gaze, Katherine felt caught between a rock and a hard place.
It turned out that this stranger was Lainey's grandson. What a coincidence!
Thinking about how her parents kept hounding her to settle down and get married, Katherine took another look at the man in bed. Lainey's grandson wasn't bad-looking, and he looked more reliable than most men. Besides, if she really did marry him, Lainey would undoubtedly protect her.
Mulling over this, Katherine gritted her teeth and made up her mind. "I'll listen to you, Mrs. James."
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!"
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?"
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."