A normal teen, normal home, normal life. Then all of a sudden, not so normal. She has been living a lie. A lie she wasn't aware of. One guest, One night, Changes everything. Danger, greed, envy, war, bloodthirsty Vampires... And she's in the middle of all this. Caught in a story of love and hate. A story she didn't choose, A story she has to live. Her new story.
"Kara, come say hi to our guest" Mom said, destroying my train of thought, bringing me back to reality. I smiled as I made my way down the stairs, staring at the strangely good looking man.
"Hello Kara," he said when I finally got to where they were standing.
"Hi," I managed to say, barely audible.
"This is your cousin Maxwell, he's Victor's son." mom said, with excitement in her voice.
"Oh" was all I could say. So it's Maxwell, well, I'm not surprised I didn't recognize him, we haven't met in ages, literally, the last time I saw him was 12 years ago, I was just 6, I don't even have clear memories of him, but I do remember that our families were close, Uncle Victor is Mom's only brother, they grew up together after losing their parents in an accident. He took over their parents business and made sure mom grew up comfortably. Years later, he got married to Max's mom and mom got married to dad. Even though they lived in different cities, he made sure to keep in touch with us, they always visited during summer breaks.
But things changed after his death. His wife made sure she cut all ties with us, for reasons Known only to her. It still hurts mom cause she couldn't meet Max anymore, her last surviving relative.
"Maxwell is here on a business trip, he called and said he'll be staying at our place through out the trip" mom said "go and freshen up sweetie, dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Kara please show him to his room" .she added.
"Okay" I murmured.
The walk up the stairs was long and quiet, it was damn tiring, and fact that his eyes were on me the whole time, was not helping.
I've always wondered why our house didn't have an elevator, it's a mini Villa for crying out loud. After what felt like forever, we finally arrived.
"Your room," I said, opening the door, "Enjoy your stay" I added, before leaving the room quickly.
Huhhhh what a relief, finally I'm going to be on my own, and I have thirty more minutes to enjoy .
In case you are wondering, yessss I'm an introvert, I don't like talking or being around people, Even my family , I find comfort in being alone, with little friends, no besties, just me myself and I. And sometimes, Kendra.
Wait, I haven't seen Kendra all day, I hope she's not getting herself in some kind of trouble! If she is, I don't mind , I mean, she's used to it anyway.
Kendra's my little sister, she's 16 but she acts like a freaking 20 year old. She's either at a party or running around with some dude, we're getting used to this side of her, bad grades, bad friends, gross guys, plus she dresses and acts like a little slut, and not to mention she's been ditching school. It hurts me that I can't do anything about it, she doesn't even listen to mom. But, Kendra hasn't always been like that, she used to be the perfect daughter too, until dad left us three years ago and ran off with some lady, we all became shattered, especially Mom. But in the midst of being broken we totally forgot about the youngest member of the family, things were tough , but I Wish we didn't forget her, I wish we cared for her and noticed her just a little bit, maybe she wouldn't be like this. She just needed attention and we couldn't give it to her, so she found company from a bunch of freaks, and that's how I lost my kiddo, but I'm not going to give up, I still hope that she'll change, I Know she will.
.
"Ma'am, dinner is ready" the maid informed, I raised my head, staring at her, but she was still there staring back! "Ehhnm ma'am, I heard we have a guest...." She started "well why don't you go confirm that yourself" I said, glaring at her. After a few seconds of staring contest , she finally left. That's Tracy, the nosiest maid in the whole Villa , she's always trying to know what's going on in our lives, but mom won't let her go and even made her me and Kendra's personal maid. Kendra and I have always been mean to her, because she is just a few years older plus, her nosy attitude.
Enough talk about Tracy, I need to go down and get this dinner over with.
I was already half way down the stairs when mom suddenly yelled from the dining hall, telling me to go get Max. ughhhhhhh...... I turned around slowly, and started walking back up. I was already at his door, about to knock , when I heard him saying something, so I did what any normal person would do, I moved closer to the door so I could hear clearly.
"What do you mean you can't make it?" I heard him say, his voice holding a little impatience and desperation.
"I need it, right now! I don't think I'll be able to control myself any longer, and I don't want them suspecting any thing, it'll ruin everything" he said the last part with a little bit of anger.
Then, I heard foot steps, he's coming towards the door, I ran and hid behind the closest pillar, I peep to see if he was coming my way, then I saw him, he was standing by the door , his ebony hair was disheveled, and his eyes, they we're as dreamy as I remembered.... He looked frustrated yet cute, I could get used to staring at him, at his eyes... Wait his eyes weren't this dark the last time I saw him.
*****At dinner*****
I met mom and Max at the table, they were discussing something , his eyes weren't as dark as the way I saw them a few minutes ago, and he wasn't looking distressed any more, in fact , he looked totally normal, like nothing happened.
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!"
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?"
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
**This book contains a trigger warning. Mention about rape and torture in this book. Please read with caution** "Our marriage is nothing but a deal," he said looking at the girl, her green eyes met his cold silver eye, and both of them glared at each other. "For any rules you break, I will claim any part of your body," his gaze grew dangerously darker at his word. Ashley Harlow was at the top of the world, living the perfect and luxurious lifestyle as the legitimate daughter of the well-known Daniel Harlow. But sadly, a one-night stand put an end to that and brought her life upside down and that of her family's name to the ground. To restore his family's reputation, she was forced into marrying Damien Albrecht, a young, ruthless, obnoxious, brutal billionaire and the head of a mafia gang in exchange for her father's company.
Sheila had her back against the wall when her family tried to force her to marry an awful old man. In a fit of rage, she hired a gigolo to act as her husband. She thought the gigolo needed money and did this for a living. Little did she know that he was nothing like that. One day, he pulled off his mask and revealed himself to be the world's top magnate. This marked the beginning of their love. He showered her with everything she could ever want. They were happy. However, unexpected circumstances soon posed a threat to their love. Would Sheila and her husband make it through the storm? Find out!
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”