"I've loved you for a long time, Uncle." ~ Clara Rusadi. "No way, Clara, you have high taste but sorry, you're not my type!" said Joe Sebastian cruelly. ~~~~~~•••••~~~~~~ Clara, a 17-year-old girl, is just in the 3rd year of high school. She was forced to confess her love to a man 18 years older than her. Yes, because only Joe Sebastian could make her enchanted and fall in love. However, the man rejected Clara's love, because he only saw her as a younger sister. Joe understood Clara's stubborn nature very well. He was forced to reject her cruelly. What will Clara do? Will he give up? Or is she still struggling to fight for her love for Joe? ===
Part 1
Joe Sebastian, a 35-year-old man, was feeling sad because of his wife's recent divorce petition in religious court. He continued to consume the alcoholic drinks in front of him.
One by one, the alcohol bottles became empty, but Joe still felt the emptiness in his heart. In an apartment unit, Joe isolated himself for two days, not going to work, not seeing his daughter, and even forgetting to send money to Clara.
Yes, Clara was a poor girl entrusted to Joe by her parents ten years ago. At that time, Joe was a colleague of Devano and Cella. Clara's parents had died in a multi-car accident. Since then, Joe felt responsible for Clara. For ten years, Joe had taken care of Clara, providing her education, pocket money, and buying her clothes. Not only that, Joe had promised himself to continue taking care of Clara until she married a man of her choice.
The doorbell rang.
Joe remained motionless.
The doorbell rang for the second time.
Joe had to get up from his seat. He walked wearily toward the door, feeling annoyed about who could be disturbing him.
"Who dares to disturb me?" Joe shouted as he pulled the door handle.
Clara fell silent, startled. This was the first time she had been scolded by Joe, someone she highly respected.
"I...I'm sorry, Uncle," Clara whispered, taking a step back.
"Oh, it's you. Come in!" Joe said, trying to control his emotions.
"No, Uncle, I can come back later or tomorrow," Clara said shakily, not expecting to receive such a scary shout from the authoritative man.
"Come in, don't argue. It's the beginning of the month, and you need to get your pocket money; otherwise, you'll go hungry during lunchtime!" Joe said flatly. He roughly rubbed his face, trying to refresh his vision.
Joe opened the door wide for Clara to enter.
Clara followed, walking slowly, tracking Joe's every step. She glanced around the room; it was still 2 p.m., but the curtains were closed. The room's lights were turned off, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Only a small amount of sunlight filtered through the slightly open curtains.
"Uncle, are you okay?" Clara asked softly, glancing at her wrist to confirm that it was still 2 p.m.
"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Joe replied with his characteristic deep voice.
"Let me stay longer here; I'll clean up this place. After that, I'll leave," Clara said. She walked to the curtains, opening them one by one to allow more light to enter the room. She also opened the ventilation to reduce the stuffiness.
Joe took a quick look and saw no reason to object. He let Clara open all the curtains, revealing the messy and dirty state of the table in the middle of the room.
Joe went into the bedroom to find his wallet, took out some money, and put it in an envelope, the same amount as Clara's monthly allowance. Then, he returned to the living room.
"This is your pocket money," Joe said, placing the brown envelope on the table. Then, he reclined on the sofa.
Clara glanced at the cluttered table. There were several empty alcohol bottles scattered around, dirty and disordered glasses, many cigarette butts, and scattered matchsticks.
Clara swallowed her saliva and shook her head softly. She decided to clean the table.
"You can go home; I can handle it myself," Joe said firmly.
"No, Uncle, I'll leave after cleaning everything," Clara insisted. She started putting the empty bottles into the trash can and took the dirty glasses to the nearby kitchen.
Joe got up from his seat, supporting his face with both hands.
"My marriage is about to end, my dear Vivian! Why did you choose your career and Kimmy Olivia, our little daughter, over me?" Joe murmured, and tears began to moisten his cheeks. The impending divorce was a heavy burden for Joe, who still loved his wife deeply.
Meanwhile, Clara had finished washing all the glasses and had tidied up the table.
"Thank you, Uncle," she said while taking the envelope with her money. She saw the mature man sitting with his head hung low on the sofa.
Joe just nodded, his face showing no signs of relief.
"Wait a minute, is Uncle Joe crying?" Clara asked, walking over to Joe.
Joe didn't answer; he chose to look away. He felt weak in front of Clara, something he had always avoided.
"So, is what I read in the online media true?" Clara asked, sitting next to Joe. She didn't want to leave him alone.
"What do you know?" Joe stood up from his seat and walked to the balcony.
Clara followed, matching the steps of the mature man she admired so much. Even when he was just standing and breathing, Joe looked handsome.
"Aunt Vivian's divorce has been reported in the media, Uncle," Clara said, standing next to him and looking down, following Joe's gaze.
"So, you already know, Clara,"
"Yes, Uncle, I hope you won't be too sad,"
"I'm not sad; it's just that I still love Vivian very much," Joe lamented honestly.
"Stay strong, Uncle," Clara consoled him.
Hearing Joe's lament, Clara felt sad as well. Even though she had felt relieved when she heard about the divorce, she realized that this was her chance to get closer to Joe.
"I'm going to see my daughter. You should go back to the dorm now," Joe instructed.
"Alright, Uncle," Clara complied, turning and leaving the room. She was looking forward to her monthly meetings with Joe, even though they only happened once a month.
"Uncle, don't be sad. If Aunt Vivian doesn't want to live with you until old age, maybe one day you'll meet another woman who loves you sincerely," Clara said firmly.
"I am that woman, Uncle. I love you sincerely. Wait for me, Uncle; I will grow up and become a beautiful woman for you. There's no doubt; I also have genuine love for you," Clara thought to herself as she walked out of the room. At some point, she didn't know when, but at the age of 17, she realized one thing: she missed her meetings with Joe Sebastian, even though they only happened once a month.
To be continued
#Book2 David ~ Chelsea. On an unfortunate night, a man forcibly took away Chelsea's honor. . Wound after wound and struggle after struggle. Whatever David did to apologize and take responsibility, it didn't open Chelsea's heart. . In reality, Chelsea chose her brother and intended to marry Daniel. . What happens next after Daniel finds out that Chelsea is no longer pure? Especially when the man who took away the honor of the girl he loves is his own brother.
“I will make you suffer so much! We will see!” Alexander Xavier said. . “Why did you turn so rude after marriage! What did I do wrong?" Jennifer asked. . Alexander returned from Canada. Through a drama that he designed to be a fluke that was more than a happening, he made Jennifer fall in love with him. . After receiving respect and taking the girl to marry him, he wasn't love nor a dream wedding that he offered, but cruelty and nightmare that he gave. It was all he did to take revenge on the girl's family. What happened in the past that made Alexander so vengeful? . Over time, Jennifer gave up and wanted to end it all. However, it was different with Raymond who grew a love feeling in her heart. Will they be together or just end it?
Lexi Gabriel Ricardo, 30 years old, who is a handsome widower. He was suffering from Sexual Aversion Disorder, which is a disorder in which the loss of sexual desire towards the opposite sex. It happened to Lexi because of a bad memory in his past, in which this man lost his wife at night after their wedding. Jessica, an 18-year-old girl, had bothered his mind. His body reacted differently, when it accidentally came in touch with this girl. Lexi needed to find out who that girl is, get to see her again. He wanted to make love to that girl who made his lust come up again. Wishing to spend a beautiful night with a girl after 5 years he passed his lonely nights in a cold bed.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
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."
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
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."
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...