Deloise Tanner has only ever wanted one thing - to pursue her dreams as a professional actress. When her single mother, who believes entertainment to be a waste of time refuses to let her go through that path, she is torn between forfeiting her dreams or losing her only living family. The dynamics changes when she gets an opportunity to achieve her dreams but does so without the knowledge of her mother. As she juggles the double life of an actress and supposed law school student, she is overtaken by a web of love, lies, deceit and blasts from the past.
Deloise's Home, Chicago.
Inside the walls of a three-room capacity bungalow, Deloise was found inside one of the rooms that belonged to her, with a tripod set up that held her phone as she prepared herself for a smooth delivery of the monologue script she found on the internet.
Immediately getting into character, facing the camera, she began:
" Of course I know I'm pretty! The problem remains that you don't."
She cocked her hand towards the camera and summoned a deranged look that could bring paralyzing chills and fear to her prey.
" It's all because of you! " she said with every reason and conviction like she had thought it all through and could never be wrong with her assumptions.
" You choose her over me. " She spoke with discontent. " Again and again, time without number. You caused this, you should have chosen me! " She screamed, getting angrier as the seconds trickled by. " When I said to make a choice, you picked wrong."
Deloise gestured her gun to her head and pulled the trigger, feigning suicide, and immediately fell limp upon her bed. At that moment, Esther - Deloise's mum, walked in. On seeing her daughter go limp, her spirit nearly left her body before she sighted the setup.
Deloise, saw her mom come in and almost lose her footing immediately palmed her face. She readied herself for a lecture which she knew was looming now she was caught in the act.
" Louise dear, what exactly is going on?" Esther asked, almost too calmly.
" Shooting? " She drawled.
Esther grew aggravated. " Baby, you should know by now that you are not supposed to be playing around." She said, displeasure clouding her face. " Especially at this pivotal point in your life." She lectured.
" I know ma, I'm just trying out my acting skills on this new monologue I stumbled on earlier today, it's so challenging and exciting so I decided to–" Deloise shared excitedly only to be cut off by her mother,
" Enough already! I don't want to hear it, Loise. You shouldn't be here wasting precious time." She reasoned, " You should be preparing for your future in law school! " she projects firmly, sounding dissatisfied.
" But mummy you know I don't want to pursue law as a profession," Deloise whined. " My passion is acting and I want to make a profession out of it."
" I don't want to hear it! We have a plan, Deloise." Esther said, taking a breath, " The earlier you start pursuing it, the better for us.I am your mother and I know what's best for you, this is nothing but a hobby and no child of mine is taking that path," She said sternly.
Deloise's face fell, and every trace of her prior happiness vanished to thin air.
" Don't make a big deal out of this, listen to me. I wouldn't mislead you, having the brains which you do, you'll make for a very great lawyer in this state. And that, my dear, is a life to lead," Esther spoke with a patronizing voice.
Deloise felt ambushed and lost words to explain or defend how important her dream to be a world- renowned star meant.
" But I love what I do, you know I can do this, I'll become famous and do great stuff, Mom. I have no desire or call to the bar." She complained, almost childishly.
" This isn't a conversation." Esther said, having had enough, " I believe I've made myself clear. Clean up all of these and let me not see them or you in front of them ever again." she ordered, gesturing to the whole setup. " I've allowed you to have your fun. It's time you got serious and that's final," Esther walked out the room with an unpleasant look. Leaving no room for rebuttal and a hurt Deloise.
Mood soured, Deloise took down the tripod and mock setup she made and headed for a change of outfit, feeling suffocated and caged by the words and plans of her mother.
Soon enough, she was girded in a black jogger and T-shirt alongside her running shoes. She picked up her phone and connected her earphones ready to leave the house to her favorite spot.
A saddened Deloise sprinted away from home, leaving her mother to her devices, all the while trying so hard to understand why her mother had such an uncouth feeling towards her chosen career path and passion.
As Eminem's ' Am not afraid ' blasted into her ears, It felt like the world was laughing at her. Of course, she was afraid! She couldn't even imagine not having the support of her mother, talkless of going against her.
' Why couldn't she do this for herself? Why couldn't the world stop revolting against her? Why does her mother have such a deep-rooted hatred for the film industry? And why the hell, couldn't she be happy?
Deloise pondered and sprinted even faster, feeling even more upset and conflicted. She got to a park not so far from her high school, her go-to spot in times like this which held a lot of memories from her childhood.
Deloise was born and bred in Chicago, a place where she discovered her passion and was groomed into the woman she was. With everything, the city felt more constricted than ever.
Esther's dream for her daughter to one day become one of the most respected and brilliant lawyers from Columbus University was forever standing as a bane towards the existence of Deloise.
Her fears of what could be, should she not accept the plans of her mother kept her up at night and scared the daylights out of her. She knew her mother and how very extreme the repercussions for disobeying her could be.
Mumbling, she sat on a log of wood and took a breather. She logged into the popular microblogging app as an effort to get her mind off the waters of the confrontation earlier experienced.
Scrolling through the news feed from her timeline, she encountered snippets of an interview from one of the most successful veteran actors in the industry.
" The film and entertainment industry scene at large would be stoked to have you back after your two-year hiatus, Mr. Daniel." The interviewer said to veteran actor, Daniel Greenwood.
He smiled modestly, " The industry is such a beautiful place, one that makes dreams a reality. I'm just glad to be a part of that, now as a director and actor. "
" Well, you're going to add to the beauty! I mean look at you, girls all over the world are blown away by today's news.They are all anticipating your return,"
Daniel let out a laugh, " It's no secret that I am not interested in pursuing any kind of relationship at this time, I can't say I'm not grateful for the love and support from the fans though, so thank you all. " He said, effortlessly killing any further inquiry.
" So there you have it, Daniel Greenwood is back in the entertainment scene, ready to take on a journey as a production director and actor in his home city, New York!"
Deloise exited the video after getting the gist of the situation. With a smile, she continued reading comments from fans of the actor. The news of the return of the movie King Daniel dominated every conversation.
There, she whispered to herself that one day she also will attain such height and level of artistry and stardom.
Alexander was disowned by his birth parents and humiliated by his family and everyone he held dear in life. When he joins the underworld, he makes a name, overthrows his boss, and becomes a self-made tyrant with a new face and name. His goal is simple: to take over the Russo Corporation and make his enemies pay. However, he needs a bride to maintain the new identity he created for himself. When Xander goes searching for a bride, he stumbles upon a little, blind, and maltreated Cordelia and wants her for himself. What happens when two wrong, mistreated, and broken souls meet each other with hearts that burn for revenge as much as they do for each other? A sweet, satisfying, thrilling, billionaire love and revenge story.
June Rivera was divorced by her husband after three years of marriage because he wanted to be with her sister who was pregnant for him. Kicked to the curb with a divorce and rejected by her parents,she struggles to make ends meet and get a job until she saves Luis Ambrose from an accident - the only child of Rafael Ambrose, a widowed man and the CEO of Ambrose Corporation. When little Luis asks to have her as a nanny, and Rafael's mother pressures him to get married, they draw a contract. To be Luis's nanny and his fake wife for one year in exchange for 50 million dollars!
Naledi's family was destroyed by the Cosa Nostra Mafia group - also known as the Italian pack. She escaped alone as a child and was trafficked by the Yakuza Mafia pack. She soon learns to take care of herself in the dark world of crime and becomes a hired assassin under the pack that trafficked her - burning with a thirst for revenge for her murdered pack. Things take another turn when she escapes being raped by the Alpha, leaving him half dead and runs away with a bounty on her head. She travels to another territory where she steals from the pack leader and is made to work for five years as an assassin to repay her debt. On the final day of her service, Naledi is forced to attend a mating ball, where she meets Alpha Caellum - The head of the Cosa Nostra pack, her enemy's son, and more importantly, her mate. Another little detail? Alpha Caellum can't be rejected.
Alpha Zadok is a ruthless Alpha and King of the Roman pack. After a betrayal from the witches that saw to the killing of his parents and close extermination of his people, he retaliates and eradicates the entire witch clan in his territory. After the extermination, he is met with the cruel reality of the fact that he has been placed with a curse that hinders him from sensing his mate. When an unsuspecting and powerless witch gets teleported to the wrong location and kills a wolf in her wake, Zadok is breathing fire and ready to kill. What happens when he finds out she just might be the salvation of his pack, and ultimately, his mate? ****** Ithra is a powerless witch from the Celts clan of witches. When her coven and home is threatened by a hole in the forcefield that protects her people from the underworld, she must embark on a journey to save her clan. A spell gone wrong lands her into the wrong location, and eventual trouble at the hands of a ruthless Alpha. With a goal to save her community, and a destiny she cannot avoid, what happens when she falls in love with the greatest enemy of her kind?
Emma Steele is a closeted shoe designer and heir of her father's shoe company. After her father's death, her step mother and sister deceived her into signing off her rights to the company and working behind closed doors while her sister took the credit. Everything goes wrong when she is made to watch her long term boyfriend get engaged to her sister on the night of her birthday. Unknown to her, she was being arranged by her step mother and sister to become the wife of Mr Braxton, who suffers severe anger management issues, while her life's work is used for their selfish interest. Mr Braxton returns home drunk after discovering his inheritance as the sole heir to Braxton International was being threatened by a clause to marry a Lady from the Steele household. He meets an unconscious and beautiful Emma in bed, and they spend the night together. The next day, a contract was drawn up; To become Mrs Braxton for three years in a no affection marriage in exchange for 20 billion dollars!
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
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!"
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
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."
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”