Merrily Rodrigo left the hospital, her face etched with fatigue and despair, haunted by the doctor's words... "Miss Rodrigo, your mother's current situation is not looking good. We recommend you arrange for her surgery immediately. We already have a donor willing to donate a kidney. We will prioritize your mother's treatment if you can gather $200,000 for the surgical fees in the next two days. Otherwise, we will have to attend to other patients." $200,000? Where could she possibly find $200,000? ... Zachary Sullivan laughed, suddenly shifting the topic, "I've heard that aside from the elder daughter named Alana Rodrigo, CEO Rodrigo has another daughter named Merrily Rodrigo?" Fried Rodrigo was startled, instantly realizing the implication, and said, "Yes, she's the one who recently ran into you, Mr. Sullivan." It seems Zachary Sullivan had already done his research. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked in that manner. To gather such information quickly, the power and reach of the Sullivan family are truly not to be underestimated. "Bring her with you that night," Zachary Sullivan commanded, "I've taken quite a liking to her." Fried Rodrigo, trembling with fear, quickly agreed. Zachary Sullivan's "liking" obviously had a deeper meaning. After all, he was a man who had been in the business world for many years. How could he not understand the undertones?
Merrily Rodrigo left the hospital, her face drawn with fatigue and despair, haunted by the doctor's words...
"Miss Rodrigo, your mother's condition is dire. We strongly recommend she undergo surgery soon. We have a willing kidney donor, and if you can gather $200,000 within the next two days to cover the surgery expenses, we'll prioritize your mother's treatment. If not, we'll have to attend to other patients."
$200,000?
Where would she find such an amount?
Her mother had been ill for two years, and all the money she took when leaving their home was spent on medical bills. Should she return? To save her mother, she had to, but every time she did, she faced taunts and provocations from that man. Her father seemingly turned a blind eye!
But for her mother's sake, she had to try again!
She quickly entered a public phone booth and made a call: "It's me..."
"What is it?" Fried Rodrigo responded impatiently.
"It's my mother. She's not doing well," Merrily said, anger evident in her voice. "You abandoned us and didn't care about her life or death? Have you no conscience? We only need twenty thousand. Can't you spare that much?"
"Merrily, calm down..." Fried Rodrigo stiffly replied. It wasn't that he had forsaken them, but he remembered his wife every time he thought of bringing them home. How could he dare give her money? Moreover, his company faced financial troubles. Even two thousand was beyond his means now...
"How can I stay calm when she might die?!" Merrily shouted back. "If she dies, I'll follow her; even in death, we'll never forgive you!"
"Fine, come to the office now," Fried Rodrigo said.
Merrily hung up and hurried to the company. Upon arrival, she learned Fried Rodrigo was in a meeting, so she had to wait outside.
Merrily waited for half an hour, and just as she began to feel that she might have been deceived, the office door swung open. She quickly stood up, walking forward, only to realize that the person emerging was not Fried Rodrigo.
But it was too late; she had already bumped into him.
"..." The collision was painfully solid, like bumping into an iron wall.
"What do you think you're doing?!" A voice snapped beside her.
Before she could react, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist as she was abruptly pulled aside. Raising her head, she realized that Fried Rodrigo, her biological father, had yanked her away.
Ignoring her presence, Fried addressed the man she had bumped into, "I sincerely apologize, Director Sullivan. Are you alright?"
Merrily's heart raced as she saw the fearful respect in her father's demeanor. The man she had inadvertently run into was a person of significant stature, given Fried's reaction.
Lifting her gaze, she found herself looking into the eyes of a young man. He was dressed in a custom-made Italian suit, tall and imposing with a cold demeanor that emitted an air of authority, radiating power and a sense of dominance. His gaze was fixed on her, predatory and intense as if a hunter had spotted his prey. The intensity of his gaze caused her to step back instinctively.
The man gave her a fleeting glance, his eyes scanning her from head to toe. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Fried Rodrigo followed closely behind him, his entire demeanor deferential, head bowed in reverence, treating the man like a god.
Reaching the elevator doors, the young man turned around, speaking with an icy tone, "Director Rodrigo, please head back. No need for farewells."
"Yes..." Fried Rodrigo nodded with his head bowed.
The man stepped into the elevator. As its doors closed, he instructed his subordinate, "Find out who that woman was earlier."
Merrily Rodrigo and Fried Rodrigo entered an office, immediately addressing the pressing issue.
Fried Rodrigo pulled out a checkbook, asking, "How much?"
"The surgery alone costs at least $200,000, not counting post-operative treatment... Decide on the amount and proceed." Merrily responded.
Fried glanced at her, reluctantly writing a check for fifty thousand, "This should suffice for now. The company has faced issues recently; I don't have much more to spare. If you face problems later on, call me directly; don't call the house phone, your mother gets very upset."
Merrily snatched the check, "I will pay you back!" She declared before storming out.
Fried Rodrigo's desk phone rang only half an hour after she left.
"Hello?"
"Director Rodrigo." A deep male voice echoed from the other end.
"Director Sullivan!" Fried Rodrigo responded, his voice shaking, his body tensing up. Even separated by the phone, the intimidating aura of the man on the other line was palpable. The caller was none other than the renowned leader of DRM Corporation - the current CEO, Zachary Sullivan!
In a casual tone, Zachary asked, "Director Rodrigo, are you eager to sign that contract with me?"
"Of course." Fried Rodrigo admitted without hesitation. He had been working tirelessly for months on this deal. With no investors, his company was on the brink of bankruptcy. He silently thought of Zachary as his potential lifeline.
"Let's have dinner together tonight and discuss things further."
"Yes... yes... yes..." Fried Rodrigo could hardly believe his ears. Zachary Sullivan had been previously hesitant, so why the sudden change? Whether it meant sealing the deal, Fried didn't care what had transpired!
Zachary Sullivan chuckled, changing the topic abruptly, "I heard that apart from your eldest daughter Alana Rodrigo, you also have a daughter named Merrily Rodrigo?"
Fried Rodrigo was taken aback and instantly realized what was happening, responding, "Yes, she was the one who bumped into Director Sullivan earlier."
It seemed Zachary Sullivan had done his homework, or he wouldn't have asked such a question. To uncover this in just half an hour showcased the formidable reach of the Sullivan family.
"Bring her along tonight." Zachary Sullivan commanded, "I took quite a liking to her."
Fried Rodrigo trembled in fear, hastily agreeing.
Zachary Sullivan's 'liking' had a different undertone. Being a businessman, having thrived in the corporate world for years, how could he not understand the implications?
In the past, he had introduced Alana to Zachary Sullivan. Zachary didn't show much interest in her, but who would have thought he'd take such an interest in Merrily after just one encounter? In such a situation, everyone knew Zachary's claim was probably fleeting and born out of curiosity.
Was he truly going to sacrifice Merrily?
After hanging up, Fried Rodrigo sat in contemplation, eventually making a heart-wrenching decision.
Since Merrily didn't have a mobile phone, he couldn't contact her directly. His only option was to make her come to him. He called the bank to cancel the earlier issued check.
Merrily was queuing up at the bank, but when her turn came, she was informed that the check was invalid. She was stunned, taken aback for a few seconds, then promptly called Fried Rodrigo: "I can't cash the check..."
"Really?" Fried Rodrigo feigned surprise, "There might be some issues with my account. I've been dealing with urgent financial matters recently so that such situations can arise."
"What should I do now?" Merrily, looking at the check, began to feel despondent. How had it become so complicated when it seemed so simple earlier? What about her mother's situation now...
Fried Rodrigo suggested, "How about this? Let's have dinner together tonight. You give me your bank details, and I'll transfer the funds directly."
Merrily pondered for a moment and replied, "Okay."
After hanging up, she returned to the hospital to care for her mother. At six o'clock, she called Fried Rodrigo again: "Where are we having dinner?"
"I'll send a driver to pick you up," Fried Rodrigo replied.
"I'll wait at the hospital."
Fried Rodrigo paused briefly, then hung up the phone.
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?
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
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?