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Billionaire Lucas Thompson finds himself in a challenging situation when his grandfather gives him an ultimatum to get married in a year or risk being disinherited, and his cousin John taking over everything including the Ashbarrow castle which was the only place his sister Alice felt comfortable in. Claire Williams comes up with an idea, she jokes that she would get married to Lucas for a million pounds, just a temporary marriage without any intimacy attached. Lucas agrees to the idea of having a contract marriage but with no intimacy, he didn't want to earn up like his parents. Time progresses, Lucas realizes that there is more to it than just business as there is a spark between them that can not be ignored. He is torn between following his heart and risking it all for love or sticking to his father's expectations and securing his fortune. In this captivating tale of love, money and self discovery, Lucas must navigate the tricky path between duty and desire. Will he take a leap of faith and pursue a real relationship with Claire, even if it means losing everything? Or will he play safe with the temporary marriage just to achieve his goal?
A quick glimpse around the luxurious restaurant informed Claire Williams that she'd arrived first which was usual.
And that's a gold star for me,' she murmured under her breath, before sending a smile to the approaching waiter. I believe there's a reservation in the name of Lucas Thompson.'
'Certainly madam.'
He didn't even need to check the reservation book, but led her across the room to a table set in an alcove and screened from the rest of the room by palms. Knowing Lucas, it was probably the best table in the house. She wondered if this was one of the places where he normally brought his women.
Not that they were his women, of course. It was just that there was such a parade of them in and out of his life.
You can't talk.
She bit back a sigh.,
The restaurant was upmarket, of course and the eschewed modern minimalist lines that were currently in vogue, celebrating instead a colonial decor popular over a century ago. It reminded her of raffles in singapore. Minus the heat and humidity. This wasn't the kind of establishment that needed to justify itself. She took a seat.
Can i get you a drink madam?
Yes, please. A sparkling mineral water would be lovely.'
He blinked before his face became a smooth mask again.Ah...so he recognized her too huh? She resisted the urge to tease him . New leaf, remember?
She glanced through the screen of palms at the rest of the room and shook her head.
Horrible.' She murmured normally she and Lucas met in the cafe at the Tate Modern. Where they could stare out at the vista spread before them rather than at each other.
And where occasionally their shoulders would bump accidentally, ofcourse_ Lucas would never purposely touch his best friend's little sister. Especially not now Michea was dead. But those accident moments always made her feel less alone.
'Crazy,' She murmured Also you have to stop talking to yourself like this or someone will overhear. She thought about that for a moment and then nodded. So what?
It wasn't like a century ago, when they could have had her committed for such eccentricity. Besides, she'd been called far less savoury things by the press... and her father.
She watched the waiter return with both her mineral water and Lucas,and missed the Tate Moderna's cafe with its view over a great city. But today called for more salubrious surroundings. Today was Michael's birthday. Maybe that was why she felt so claustrophobic amid all this airy, white shuttered cane and palm expansiveness.
Lucas couldn't see her as well as she could see him, but she tried not to study him too intently anyway, though the temptation lurked at the edges of her consciousness, As usual her heart-rate picked up speed at the sight of those impossibly broad shoulders, long legs and lean hips. Lucas Thompson was built along lines that made every woman in the room stand at attention, figuratively speaking. A woman had once told her that she ovulated every single time she clapped eyes on Lucas.
She tried to ignore all thoughts of ovulation, eggs and procreation. Regardless of what looked like she knew that, as usual, his hips would press into a thin line when he saw her.
'Such a shame,' she murmured, because, actually, she really liked him. Still, she'd love to see him run to fat. Just a little bit. Just one flaw~that was all she asked. Maybe then she would feel on more of an even footing with him.
You might as well ask for the moon.
'Claire,' he said when he reached her.
As predicted those hips pinched together. So did the skin around his eyes. It was a double shame because he had a nice smile, though she rarely saw it.
'Hello, Lucas.'
She rose and they gave each other perfunctory perks on the cheeks, keeping the width of the table between them. She pulled back and planted herself in the chair again and tried to ignore the heavy thud-thud of the pulse on the throat.
It was like this every single time the stilted distance and the heart thudding.
She suspected it was because there was no other person on the planet who had loved Michael as much as she had except for Lucas and her father but that was too difficult.
Since the viciousness of her parents separation and subsequent divorce when she was eleven and Michael sixteen when the only thing her parents were focused on was hurting each other she and Michael turned to each other. They had seemed to realise that the had no other family to rely on. She'd done her best to stop him from growing too grave and serious, while he'd done his best to stop her from feeling as if she didn't measure up. She'd looked up to him so much. Had depended on him.
And now he was gone.
She couldn't believe the hole it had left in her life. It made her think that she and Lucas should hold each other tight on the occasion they did see each other, take comfort in each other. But it was never like that.
But some strange sense of honour kept them in touch, some respect for Michael they weren't prepared to surrender.
Would he be relieved if she hadn't shown up if she just stopped turning up for their monthly coffee dates and occasional lunches? Would he feel he'd discharged some unspoken duty to Michael and was now off the hook? The thought made her heart ache. She couldn't stop coming. He was one of her last links Micheal. And Michael was the only person who had truly loved her for who she was.
She couldn't let that go. She couldn't let Micheal go, which meant she couldn't let Lucas go. And she wanted to tell him she was sorry for that, she'd like to make him smile if she could.
'You look glum,'
That slammed her back to the present . 'Sorry,' just feeling a bit wistful for...for what could have been,'
He closed his eye and pinched the bridge of his nose and she realised he had thought she was referring to Michael.
Make things more cheerful.
She waved to encompass the restaurant. I have not been here before.'
He straightened. 'Do you like it?
It's lovely,' she said, because she was always on her best behaviour with Lucas
Amazingly he laughed. 'You hate it.'
Well, the fact of the matter is I'm starved. So as long as the food is good, I don't care about anything else.'
Elmira Jones, the daughter of the famous cruel Alpha Raymond, ruler of the Blood Moon pack, receives hate Immediately she is born. Her mother passed away, prompting the pack members to hate her, and including her family members. The day she turned 18th, she was sold off to the mateless Alpha. Alpha Luciano Salvatore, whom everyone knew to be ruthless, cruel and blood thirsty. She cursed the moon goodness the night she found out he was her mate. She was forced to live under the roof of someone who sees her as nothing but a hole to satisfy himself. The situation got unbearable, when Luciano's childhood friend returned. She became his mistress, and Elmira life was tasteless, and cruel. Luciano rejects her and sends her off the street, but little did he know she was three months pregnant. Her happiness ended too soon when the obsessive Alpha threw her into bed as he threats coldly– "You are mine, and you will stay mine"
SYNOPSIS Inara is a neglected and weak girl, living in a world where arranged marriages are the norm for those of royal blood. When her stepsister instigates Inara's fated mate to reject Inara and refuse to fulfill her duty as a bride to a werewolf prince rumored to be disabled, useless, cruel, and disliked by the king, Inara is forced to step in as a substitute to save her sick mom. But upon her arrival at the royal palace, Inara discovers that the prince has already rejected her as his mate and chosen another. Heartbroken, with her second chance mate, who turned out to be the prince, rejecting her also and being determined to prove herself and reclaim control of her fate, Inara trains in secret with a group of werewolf rebels who seek to overthrow the oppressive monarchy. But as Inara grows stronger and gains the admiration of those around her, she also attracts the attention of those who will stop at nothing to preserve the status quo, as well as the Prince, who is secretly plotting to take back the throne from the king, his uncle. This time, the prince who fakes his 'useless and cruel' image not only has to win Inara's support but also her heart. Also, her first mate, who left her for her stepsister, now wants her back and will do anything to get her. Inara is now torn between two powerful Alphas who ruined her. Who would she choose—the man who left her for her stepsister or the man who chose another over her? Why don't you do yourself a favour and find out?
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
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.”
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?
Anabel found out she was pregnant and dialed her husband's number to share the good news to him. They have been married for two years without a child. Desmond's mother had been accusing her of being barren and unproductive. When the call was picked, she was flabbergasted and broken. She was hearing a loud moan of feminine voice. "Ohh! Yeah! Don't stop fucking me! Fuck me harder baby!" accompanied with sound of skins slapping against the other. She went home to confront her husband and end up receiving a divorce paper. Desmond divorced him for a lady his mother was rooting. Few months later when he found out that his ex-wife is a billionaire heiress and she is pregnant with twins, he went crazy!
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.