Julien thought he was getting married to a fragile woman who would need his protection for as long as they were together. Much to his surprise, Kelsey turned out to be the direct opposite of what he thought she was. Kelsey became as tough as a tiger. Time and time again, it was reported that she got into fights. "Sir, your wife beat up your friend's brother." "Get her some medicine to reduce the swelling on her hands," Julien ordered helplessly. "Sir, your wife beat up your cousin." "If he's still alive, send him to the hospital." "Sir..." Unable to take it anymore, Julien asked, "What? Who did she beat up this time?" "Sir, she didn't beat anyone. Actually... she ran away with your child." Julien pounded the table and ordered, "Bring her back right now. I don't care whatever it takes!" Although Julien was tired of all the fights, he didn't know why he couldn't let her go. Like a drug, he was addicted. Would this addiction do him any good?
"Meet me at the Grandeur Club. I need you to pick me up."
Upon reading this message, Kelsey Lawson, who had been on the verge of sleep, sat upright in her bed with a start.
She hurriedly changed into fresh clothes and made her way to the location specified in the message.
Upon her arrival at the club, she found Julien Stanley, visibly inebriated.
As Kelsey entered the private room, the people inside paused and looked at her with mild surprise.
Then, as if deciding to ignore her presence, the people in the room carried on with their activities.
The air in the private room felt stuffy. Overwhelmed by the pungent smoke, Kelsey instinctively frowned, unable to adjust to the smell.
Waving her hand to clear the smoke, she walked further into the room.
Under the dim overhead light, she spotted Julien in a corner, leaning against the wall. His handsome features, delicate skin, and unusually long eyelashes caught her eye, along with the captivating black mole near his left eye.
Quickening her steps, Kelsey approached him.
She reached down, gently tapping Julien's cheek. "Julien, wake up," she whispered, her voice a soft caress.
Stirred by the familiar gentle tone, Julien's eyes fluttered open.
His gaze, heavy with a drowsy charm, met hers. Kelsey couldn't tell if he truly recognized her. He offered a faint smirk and murmured, "You're here."
"Yes," Kelsey replied in a hushed tone. She then stooped to place Julien's arm over her shoulder.
Julien stood up in cooperation.
Supporting a man over six feet tall was challenging for Kelsey, who was only five feet five inches herself.
But Julien, not entirely incapacitated by his inebriation, managed to stand with her help.
-
As Kelsey escorted Julien out of the private room, snippets of conversation reached her ears.
"Is she Julien's new girlfriend? The one he's been with for over three months?"
"Yes, that's her."
"She resembles that woman quite a bit."
"Well, that must be why she's lasted more than three months with Julien. But no matter the resemblance, she's just a substitute. Julien's heart belongs to someone else. Didn't you notice? He started drinking heavily right after that woman announced her marriage."
Their voices dwindled as Kelsey moved further away.
She navigated Julien through the long corridor, finally reaching the elevator.
Together, they stepped into the elevator.
Once inside, Julien, troubled by the alcohol, embraced her, resting his head against her neck.
Kelsey cradled the back of his head, asking softly, "Which floor is your car on?"
"Basement level," Julien replied, his voice rough.
"Okay, got it." Kelsey acknowledged, leaning against the elevator wall as Julien clung to her like a large dog.
She had a faint scent of milk about her. Perhaps her daily habit of drinking milk was the reason she still carried a milk-like fragrance, even though she was well into her twenties.
Julien found her scent quite appealing.
He leaned in, inhaling the scent of her neck, then gently kissed the corner of her mouth. "Baby, you smell so good."
They had company in the elevator.
Embarrassed by his actions and his sweet words, Kelsey quickly pinched his waist and whispered, "We're in an elevator. Please, don't."
Realizing they were not alone, Julien raised his eyebrows in mild annoyance but ceased his flirtatious behavior.
-
Once they reached the basement level, Kelsey spent about five minutes locating Julien's Bugatti Veyron.
She opened the passenger door and helped Julien inside.
After securing his seatbelt, Kelsey moved to the driver's side and settled into the car.
Sitting composedly in the driver's seat, she buckled up, started the engine with skill, and smoothly maneuvered the car out of its parking spot.
Executing a drift, she drove the sports car out of the club's underground parking lot.
The roar of the engine echoed in the quiet parking lot.
-
The car eventually pulled up in front of Julien's villa.
Once parked, Kelsey assisted Julien out of the car and into the villa, finally guiding him to the bedroom on the third floor.
Kelsey had just thrown him onto the expansive bed and was about to leave the room.
However, Julien caught her hand, pleading, "Don't go."
She paused, glancing back at him over her shoulder.
Under the shimmering light of the crystal chandelier, Julien's gaze, slightly hazy from inebriation, met hers. The black mole near his left eye seemed particularly striking in that moment.
"Don't go," he repeated.
His grip tightened subtly, and suddenly, Kelsey found herself tumbling onto him.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Julien's hand cradled the back of her head, drawing her down into a kiss that was heavy with the scent of alcohol.
He had been drinking whiskey, a particularly strong variety of alcohol.
It was just a kiss, and yet, Kelsey felt a wave of dizziness, as if she had imbibed the liquor herself.
Lost in the moment, she reveled in the kiss, unsure if it was the heady aroma of alcohol on Julien's breath or his skillful embrace that intoxicated her.
Unknowingly, she shifted her position.
Initially, Kelsey lay atop Julien, but now he had maneuvered her beneath him, his kisses growing more fervent.
His hand roamed over her, slowly removing her clothes, piece by piece.
The room's temperature seemed to rise.
Outside, the moon, as if privy to a secret, coyly veiled itself behind clouds.
-
In the aftermath, Julien's voice, tinged with sadness, whispered into her ear, "Am I not as good as him?"
Kelsey, her cheeks flushed, lay on the bed, breathing gently but steadily.
She was exhausted, yet sleep eluded her.
Moments later, she turned, nestling into Julien's embrace.
Her face buried against his chest, she spoke in a voice filled with loneliness and sorrow. "Julien..."
-
The shrill ring of Kelsey's phone shattered the morning stillness.
Julien, deep in slumber until then, stirred awake.
His face, so alluring that it drew many, now bore a trace of wild fierceness.
With a frown, he slowly opened his eyes, heavy with sleep.
He felt a slight movement in his arms and looked down.
Kelsey, nestled in his arms, lay there peacefully asleep. Gradually, her eyelashes fluttered like delicate fans, and her brows knit together slightly. Slowly, her eyes opened.
Meeting his gaze, she blinked and offered him a sweet smile. "Good morning," she said.
Julien's eyes lingered on a hickey on her bare shoulder, prompting him to swallow hard before responding with a deep, pleasant voice. "Good morning."
The phone continued its insistent ringing.
Kelsey intended to rise and answer the phone, yet her nakedness hindered her from doing so.
Biting her lip, she turned to Julien. "Could you close your eyes for a moment?"
Julien, not immediately grasping her request, asked bluntly, "Why should I close my eyes?"
"I need to answer the phone, but I'm naked," she confessed, her voice tinged with shyness.
As she spoke, her face and ears flushed a deep red.
Julien couldn't suppress a chuckle at her embarrassment.
With a teasing smile, he whispered in her ear, "Why feel shy now?"
He playfully added, "After all, I have seen every part of you."
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."
Warning: This book has high sexual assault displays, but does not support any form of rape. I, Alpha Edward Parker, swear that I will keep you tied to me until I make you pay for what you did to my mate," he swore, gripping my chin in a bruising hold. "Not only will you wish for death, but you will beg for it, and it will be too far from you." I could feel the eyes of the whole pack on us. They probably came to experience a normal wedding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I was being married off to a groom because he wanted revenge. Tears welled, and I wanted to scream, "I am your mate; I'm the one who saved you, not her." But I knew no one would believe me. I was his mate, how could he not recognize me? Four years ago, Amanda happened to save a total stranger, but due to a string of misunderstandings, her sister took her place. The stranger then promised a vow of betrothal to his savior. Not seeing any use in correcting the error, Amanda allowed it. That was her biggest mistake because the stranger ended up being her own mate. Caught in a web of lies and confusion, she decides to set herself free by speaking the truth. But her plans are thwarted when her sister turns up dead, and she is pinned as the main suspect. A mate out to seek revenge for another, a forced marriage, an underlying plot, a web of lies, and many dark secrets. How can Amanda navigate all these without losing sight of herself? How will she speak the truth when she has already lost her voice and has been destroyed by her own mate?
For the sake of their company, Atasha Rae was forced to marry the known heartless billionaire, Lorcan Amadeus. But it only took her a week as his wife because later on, he suddenly wants a divorce immediately. So as he wished, she signed the divorce paper even after admitting to herself that she was somehow starting to fall inlove with him. Heart badly wounded, she ran away from his life. Until she discovers that she's pregnant with his child and as a result, she ends up with no choice but to keep it a secret. Out of Lorcan's awareness, she's keeping a secret that would lead him to an overflowing regret. Because for a week of their fallen marriage beyond repair, she's carrying the billionaire's heir.
Lucille was one of the most skilled female assassins, and on the previous night, she embarked on a top-secret mission. However, the mission's details were leaked, leading to her untimely demise at the hands of a traitorous companion. She never discovered the identity of the person who betrayed her before her death. But by some miracle, she was granted a new life, and was reborn as a girl with the same name. Determined to uncover the truth and seek revenge for her family, Lucille seized her second chance at life. She planned to avenge her loved ones. However, her plans were complicated by Joseph, an apparently frail man who was actually skilled in martial arts. And he seemed to fall for her deeply, now this newfound knowledge only added to the complications of Lucille's revenge plan...
To outsiders, Aileen was the adopted daughter of the Jefferson family, dismissed and scorned by all. Yet, in the underground racing world, she thrived as the dark rose, savoring the thrill and speed of night races. But her life took a new turn when Derek returned home, leading to a passionate night that diverted Aileen from the Jefferson family's path. Derek, the ruthless heir to the Jefferson legacy, tactfully steered the family's ambitions. Despite his control, he found himself captivated by Aileen-his adopted sister, business partner, and an exceptional racer-drawn to her enigmatic allure.
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.