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Ethan Fani, a rising star in the business world, finds his heart shattered after a betrayal by his partner. Desperate to see his son happy again and protect their family's legacy, his father devises a plan: pay someone to date Ethan and restore his confidence. Enter Anna Hobbs, a young woman thrust into adulthood by family tragedy. Struggling to provide for her father and sister, she's drawn to the promise of quick cash when she stumbles upon an intriguing job opportunity. But as she delves deeper into the charade, Anna realises that the price of easy money may be higher than she ever imagined. Can Anna keep her secret from Ethan, or will their burgeoning connection unravel everything? In a world where love and deception collide, Ethan must navigate the thin line between truth and fiction, risking her heart in the process.
Anna POV
Several months earlier...
"I'm sorry. I wish there was more I could do for you." Karen, the brown-haired receptionist said.
"There has to be a mistake. I sent my dad to pay the bill. I am never late on bills. You know this, Karen." I responded hurriedly, not understanding how the water had been shut off for the month.
"I know, honey. I'm very sorry. Your dad said he was going to bring it by?" She asked.
"Yes. So much for assuming he could accomplish this one thing for me." I laughed, despite there being zero comedy behind it.
I handed Karen the money I had left from this week's payday. Hopefully, this will be enough to have the water turned back on for the month.
"You will get through all of this, I promise." She assures me. I offer her a forced grin and depart fast.
Despite the strong connection that Karen and I have, she lacks a thorough knowledge of what truly goes on in my regular life. She will only see what I allow her to see. She sees me in here quite often, because I'm the only one who is responsible enough to pay the bills.
This is the same thing over and over again. I'm weary of this. I'm weary of supporting my family merely because my dad can't hold a job. Ever since Mom went away, I have been responsible for caring for the entire family. I love my family. I adore my sister, and I treat her like she is my kid. Half of the time, it feels like she is. I simply want to feel like a regular 20-year-old too.
I phone my father's number and eagerly wait for him to respond.
"Hello?" He asked.
"Dad, I just got back from the city, and Karen tells me that you never went in to pay the water bill?" I do my best to be cool, but it isn't working.
"Oh yeah, I'm very sorry about that, Anna. I'll pay you back for it." He mumbles.
"Where the fuck did the money go, Dad? That was $120." I shout. Tears begin to collect in my eyes, and I have to struggle to prevent them from flowing out.
"I took it to the casino." He admits.
Of course. And the Dad Of The Year honour goes to...
"What the hell is your issue, Dad? Our water got switched off. You can't keep spending the money I give you for bills and just take it to the casino! Does this house signify nothing to you? Are you fucking kidding me?" I shout at him. I tried maintaining cool, but all of my self-control went down the toilet.
"Calm down, Anna. I was hoping to double it." He states gently.
"Yeah and how well did that work out?!" I inquired before hanging up the phone.
I wish my life was normal. I wish I had a typical life of a twenty-year-old. But, no. I have to slave away and work my ass off to maintain my family while my dad takes all of my hard-earned money to the casino and tosses it away. I feel hot tears stream down my cheeks and hurriedly attempt and brush them away. The walk to my job is near downtown, and only takes around five minutes to get there. Thank God. Crying absolutely will only make me seem worse if it starts to rain and I have to go to work with wet hair and wet clothes. When I come inside the modest cafe, I see Sara smiling brightly at me, but her countenance instantly crumbles when she sees my bloodshot eyes.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" She asks with anxiety on her face.
I attempt to hold it together, but it is practically impossible as I stand in front of my closest buddy. She promptly pulls me in for a hug.
"What happened? Who do I have to kill?" She asks. Mother Sara doesn't play.
I chuckle softly at her reply, "My dad is just so aggravating. He grabbed the money for our water bill and squandered it all in the casino. So I just had to pay another $120 and now I'm not going to have enough money for my textbooks. I simply don't see why he needs to go and do this type of thing all the time." I cry.
"Hey, don't weep. I know, he truly sucks right now. It will be okay, though. I promise. I suppose my brother might have the identical textbook you are seeking that you can just have. Don't worry, okay? Everything will be OK. I promise." She assures me. It sounds so easy when she says it. I wish it were as easy as just 'not worrying'. God, I want to.
I had to make myself appear decent before my shift started, and thank God Sara brought some makeup with her to disguise the black bags around my eyes. Working as a waiter has its rewards, I think. I nearly always come home with cash, and occasionally I come out with considerably more than I expected. The drawback is that some nights, I come home with considerably less than I expected. It's never stable. But it's all that I have right now. This is the only business that will pay me $8 an hour plus whatever I make in tips. I don't know of any other waitress that earns that much.
As the shift dragged on, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. As I read the name on the computer, I sigh vocally. James is calling, yet again.
"What do you need? I'm at work." I snap into the phone.
"Nice to hear from you, too." He reacts. I could nearly see his attitude from here. Not that mine is much better.
"What do you want, James."
"I need my keys back. Now." He says simply.
"Well, that's not going to happen. I'm at work. You may come and fetch them when I get off tonight or you can wait until I have time to deliver them to you." I snapped. Why the heck does it matter when he gets his keys back? He has his own set, and I'm surely not going to break into his flat.
"I'm coming by tonight to grab them. Just put them in your mailbox. I don't want to see you." He snapped back.
I roll my eyes and hang up the phone. I am starting to worry that my relationship with James will never get any better. I miss the man who used to be my best friend.
"Hey, I'm coming over after work. I want to show you something." Saral murmured, interrupting my thoughts.
"Show me what?" I grumbled, taking some additional pens before walking onto the floor.
"You'll see." She grinned widely. I stared at her suspiciously and proceeded to wash down the tables. "Oh, don't look like that. It's nothing bad...well, I don't think so at least."
"What does this involve?" I inquire curiously.
"It's just a website. Plus, an excellent opportunity to generate a little bit of additional income." She states.
"I'm not doing porn." I laugh. I'm desperate, but I'm not that desperate.
"It's not porn. I'll tell you all after work." She chuckles as she walks back over to her table.
I kept what she said in the back of my head for the duration of my shift, and couldn't quite get my mind off of it. I need money. Desperately. I despise having to rely on my phoney pleasure towards clients as my only kind of revenue. Maybe I need to find a part-time job elsewhere. Retail is always an option, and because they work insane hours to begin with, it may even fit with my availability.
By the time our shift finished, Sara and I did the same thing we do every night. We sit at the diner counter and count our tips together. I made enough to reimburse what my dad lost in the casino. Being the only waiter in this restaurant, I am extremely thrilled with the quantity of cash in my palm. It could always be worse, I guess.
"Are you still coming over?" I ask, grabbing all of my belongings.
"Yeah. I'll just follow you there." She smiles as she ties her long hair into a ponytail.
When we come to my house, I ignore my father entirely and head directly to my room. He should know better than to attempt and talk to me right now.
"Okay, so tell me this brilliant plan of yours to make extra money." I giggle, attempting to disguise how fascinated I truly am.
"Don't judge me, alright. I haven't told anyone this before." She says anxiously.
"You know you can tell me anything." I react honestly.
"Okay. I'm a sugar baby." She admits.
I must have appeared as perplexed as I anticipated since she quickly attempts justifying herself.
"Don't judge me! It's not horrible, I swear!" She laughs uncomfortably.
"I'm not, I'm not! Just...define sugar baby?" I ask.
"I go on dates for money."
"What? How?" I ask, utterly startled. I know what a sugar baby is, but I don't know what she's doing, either. "It's this website I found one night. It's called SeekingArrangements.com. You just establish a profile detailing what you are seeking, and you may discover others in your neighbourhood who are prepared to pay for you. It's not strange like prostitution or whatever. I don't sleep with any of them." She assured me. Relief floods over me instantaneously. I don't want to contemplate my best friend sleeping with old males for money.
I must still look astonished and perplexed because she grabs my laptop and opens the page with a grin on her face. This can't be good.
Isabella woke up in the morning and felt the ache in a place that never hurt before. She took a glimpse at her body, and Her thoughts went blank. Isabella's eyes discovered a guy who was laying near her, asleep, and her thoughts brought back to all the bizarre things that transpired last night. My boyfriend of 2 years abandoned me, I was intoxicated and went to my hotel room alone. Someone climbed on me. To say that he was gorgeous is an understatement. If an angel could marry a Satan, then I'm convinced he was their offspring. But it was not the goal! He came to me and kissed me. One thing led to another.. God! This man snatched my virginity. And it was hardly the worst. Guess what! He was my new boss Gabriel Remington. I was his new executive assistant. To top it, my former lover accused my boss that he raped me. What should I do? Trust my former lover who just dumped me? Or.. Trust my new boss who took my virginity?
From the time they could walk, Jake and Anna had been great friends. Jake is the son of the Alpha, while Anna is the Beta's daughter. Both of them are the same age. When they get older, however, things take a different turn, and it turns out that Anna is Jake's elder brother Ethan's destined partner. Ethan has a history of acting like a playboy. Ethan and Jake are summoned away shortly after discovering their fated mate to help a sister pack that is being attacked by rogues. Something cracks within Anna when someone doesn't come back. She now has to fulfil her destiny.
Amelia Farrady is returning home, but she's unsure whether the little Hope Springs village is her home anymore. Now that she has spent nine months on the other side of the globe trying to mend her shattered heart, it is time to confront her history and maybe, just perhaps, move on from the guy who caused it. She's even prepared a speech for the inevitable moment when she runs into him; it was not intended to happen before she left the airport. Smith Sharp didn't think today would be the day he saw Amelia again, but he knew he would. He wasn't over her, either, even if he tried to talk himself out of it. His return to her shows how much he still loves her, and maybe, just perhaps, she still feels the same way. Is it time for them to move on and make amends? Or does this indicate that they need to give it another go in the hopes of living happily ever after?
Megan has always been a rogue, even as far back as she can remember. Except for her elder brother Ben, she has no pack, no mate, and no one at all after her parents passed away. She's gotten accustomed to being unimportant. mostly alone, and the butt of other people's jokes. However, Megan encounters a ferocious and very gorgeous shifter-the likes of which she has never seen or felt-when she wanders into a pack's territory after a routine errand gone awry. Megan knows that this is her soul mate. But will he take her, this outlaw from nowhere? Or will he turn her down to keep his place in his pack? As the danger around her increases, Megan finds herself caught in the crossfire of a desperate struggle between a formidable pack and a ragtag group of outlaws, trying to both solve the riddle of what happened to her once-happy family and win over the guy she knows is the love of her life.
Clara's life takes an unimaginably drastic turn when she wakes up next to Billionaire Derek Montenegro. **** Clara is a maid at one of New York's most renowned hotels. She works two jobs to make ends meet and to protect her family from the debt her father's drinking left behind. What occurs when she meets Derek Montenegro, the heir to the largest hotel chain in the nation, a real ladies' guy, and also her boss? What transpires when her ex-boyfriend unexpectedly walks in and knocks him out? She spends the entire night taking care of him in an effort to keep her job. But something seems off. Not only is she half nude next to him when he wakes up with a searing headache, but he has no memory of the previous night. He dismisses her from her work because he views her as a floozy who is just interested in his money. What transpires when they cross paths again two weeks later and she blurts out, "I'm pregnant." Not to mention, she could have a chance of falling in love-this might lead to a lot of unexpected complications. Can genuine love really last in the midst of so many lies?
What happens when a hook-up gets complicated by a baby? Can she hide the secret from him? Or will he show her how possessive he can be when he learns she's carrying his child? "Seven years ago, I had a one-night stand with my brother's best friend, who also happened to be my lifelong crush. The next day, he vanished leaving me pregnant. Now, I am a single mom raising our son in the same small town. Recently, he returned to attend my brother's wedding and the truth about our son was finally revealed. As he reclaims his place in our lives, the sparks between us reignite. However, danger from his past threatens to shatter our newfound connection. I am torn between my love for him and my fear of getting hurt again, especially now that I have two hearts to protect - our son's and my own."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
"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.