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When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
"Sir, Madam is not feeling well," the butler of the Gannon mansion reported on the phone. The man at the end of the line spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"So, take her to the hospital. I'm not a doctor." The line died immediately. The butler was so pale, beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Zora relaxed her back against the sofa, feeling weak from abdominal pains. Trying to mask the pain, she asked hopefully. "What did he say?"
The butler instantly put on a calm smile when he turned in her direction. "Madam, sir said he will meet us at the hospital."
Zora's eyes lit up. Ezrah had not been home for almost three days, and she was missing him so much. This sickness seemed to be her lucky charm to get him to her side again. "Okay. Let's go."
Zora's heart warmed at the fact that Ezrah at least cared about his child. Both of them were caught in a scandal two years ago, so getting married was the only way to curb the situation.
Ezrah's stance was clear through it all. "When everything calms down, we are getting a divorce."
Zora hoped that by that time, she would have been able to melt his cold heart and make him fully hers, so her hopes were high. However, over time, she found him slowly drawing away from her, even when they worked together in the same company and shared the same bedroom.
Two months ago, Ezrah returned and asked Zora for a divorce but chanced upon the pregnancy test results. His expression was dark.
"Let's hold off on the divorce until after the child is born, but don't expect to remain Mrs. Gannon. That title belongs to somebody else, but it's definitely not you."
The marriage after those words had been terrible. Ezrah barely returned home, barely got intimate with her. The only reason she still bore Mrs. Gannon was because of the child in her womb.
Zora thought that his reason for being away was because of work since he was the CEO of the Gannon Group, a multibillion-dollar company where Zora also worked as an assistant manager.
Unknown to Ezrah, Zora had been secretly in love with him for five years, but that drunk night at her best friend Coco's birthday party, Zora woke up in bed with Ezrah.
She decided to keep it a secret and a memory she would forever cherish when the media picked up the news. Ezrah could not allow the scandal to ruin his well-kept reputation and cause him losses, so he announced that he and Zora were already dating secretly and were soon getting married.
Zora, who had been madly in love with him, was excited about the news of getting married to Ezrah.
Zora hoped that with time, his heart would warm up towards her, but that did not happen. Even in her state, Ezrah hardly spent the night at home.
On the way to the hospital, Zora's phone beeped, and looking at the content, her heart dropped.
Ezrah was holding the delicate hand of a beautiful woman, a proud smile on his face. The caption read,
'Mr. Ezra Gannon admits to reigniting his love for his old flame, Miss Piper Henshaw.'
Zora's eyes were swollen with tears. As they dropped down her cheeks, she refused to believe it. Maybe it was photoshopped.
There was never any news about Ezrah dating any woman before she got pregnant for him. He never even warmed up to women. The man had long been secretive and kept his face from the media.
Also, the butler Rudolph had said that Ezrah promised to meet them at the hospital, so the media must be spreading this false news to gain popularity.
Even after everything, she still could not help the unease in her heart, instantly dialing his number.
Despite him warning her to only communicate with him through the butler, Zora took the bull by the horn this time.
Her call went through, but there was no answer. Her old self would have given up, but due to the unease in her heart because of the news, she couldn't bring herself to do so. On the fourth ring, a woman answered the call.
Her melodious voice made Zora feel less of a woman. "Ezrah is in the bathroom."
Zora's hands holding the phone shook, her heart in tatters. Ezrah never allowed her to touch his phone, but this woman casually answered his call, and was he really in the bathroom? Zora felt the pain in her chest worse than that of her abdomen.
"Who are you?" The words forced themselves out of her mouth. The woman responded casually,
"Piper, his fiancƩe. And you are?"
"Whatever he saved my name with," Zora responded calmly. The pain of the news was more than she could bear.
Though knowing that Ezrah never loved her, she thought they could live in peace for the sake of the baby in her womb, but Ezrah never meant to make her dreams come true.
The woman at the end of the line moved the phone from her ear to have a better view of the caller ID.
"Oh, Zora. If it's urgent, I could drop a message for you when he comes out."
The nights Ezrah spent away when Zora thought he was busy at work, it was a great disappointment that he was with the woman he loved, leaving her to suffer with her unborn child.
She was still in her first trimester, and due to all the morning sickness and other health issues, Zora had taken a break from working at the company to recover first.
Her mind lacked clarity, and she was beginning to doubt all the responses she got from Rudolph when she asked him to get in touch with Ezrah.
"Just tell him to call me." Zora ended the call.
At the hotel room, Ezrah returned from the meeting in the conference room. Since he never allowed anyone to answer their calls during meetings, he equally left his phone in the presidential suite meant for his relaxation.
"What are you doing with my phone?" He asked as soon as he entered the bedroom. Before Piper spoke, he asked again, "and I made it clear that you should wait for me at the lounge. How did you have access?"
The pout on Piper's lips only made her cuter as she faked anger. "Is it wrong for me to come? We would have gotten married if Zora had not appeared."
Ezrah was a man who loved to keep his love life private. He and Piper had been in a secret long-distance relationship.
The night they arranged to meet at the birthday party of one of his business partner's sister, Piper had an emergency and could not attend as planned.
That night, he mysteriously ended up in bed with Zora, an incident that should have been brushed under the carpet until the media took hold of it.
Not wanting his well-maintained reputation to crack, he apologetically married Zora, promising Piper to divorce Zora secretly after two years when the news dies down.
Things took a different turn when he found the pregnancy test result after promising Piper that he was ending things with Zora.
"I told you I was working on it. You should keep yourself hidden away from the press. We shouldn't be seen together." Ezrah's voice was stern. It was business for him first, and he didn't want Piper's presence to ruin it for him.
Piper was uneasy at the reminder. Forcing a smile, she relayed, "I could be your confidential secretary. Please Ezrah, I don't want to be away from you anymore."
Ezrah did not give a response. His actions were always well thought out. It wasn't easy for him to be the CEO of the legendary Gannon Group as the youngest of three sons.
Any wrong move and his elder brothers would begin to fight for the position. "Did anyone call?"
He was scrolling through his phone when he caught sight of Zora's name.
"Yeah. Zora. She said you should call her," Piper responded with a smile, her fingers sliding over her exposed thighs as she lay seductively on the luxurious king-size bed.
"What did you tell her?" Ezrah frowned a little. He wanted to keep Piper a secret until after the divorce.
"I pretended not to know about her existence." Piper lifted herself to a sitting position, and due to the long slit of the dress, her full thighs were exposed, but Ezrah's attention was on the phone in his hand.
"Do me a favor and don't answer my calls again." His voice had lost its warmth.
Piper faked remorse. "I'm sorry. I thought it was urgent."
Ezrah finally held her gaze as he spoke roughly, "Nothing about Zora is ever urgent."
He said to her, āwhy canāt you be like other women? Have a make-over, do your hair, nails and facials. Wear the best designers and accompany me to functions.ā She smiled sweetly, āI will, if only you will leave all those women.ā He said, "Iām very attractive and women are naturally drawn to me. I canāt promise you that.ā She was hurt but she took his advice. The day Abigail stepped in and out of the beauty parlor, four cars crashed because of her and every man in M city wanted her to be theirs. He said, āYou belong to me alone. Now I have to keep you caged.ā She responded with a wink, ābeauty must be admired by all, I can't be a caged bird you know..."
Godiva's attempt to escape from her cruel fate of being sold to seven Alphas, turns interesting when she is rescued by Alpha Rock who promises to protect her, only if she bears his mark. He is everything she hates. Cold, unspoken, wild and ruthless but if she was going to bear his mark, then she needed to tame him. Alpha Rock was known in North America as the Alpha of Alphas due to his ruthlessness. Luck shines on him when he goes to redeem his purchase and ends up rescuing her when he recognizes her as his mate. She agrees to be marked by him but the mark soon disappears because of an error of his past. Now how does he protect Godiva from six ruthless Alphas' while he tries to correct the errors of his past?
He was stunned when I caressed his wounds with my mouth. "Does it hurt?" I asked, staring into his dark gaze. Amusement shadowed his eyes. "You never asked for my surname. Do you want to know?" I nodded my head, my mind wild with expectation. He cupped my face in his big hands, his glowing red gaze, boring down my bright blue ones. His voice sounded deep and breathy, "Pain. Pain is my surname. I invented pain," Jade smirked. His wounds were healing fast and I couldn't control my urge. Not caring about the consequences, I pressed my lips on his. ******** On the death of the Mage King, he betrothed Isabella to Prince Marcus on her 18th Birthday. Not having any mage powers, she was tasked to prove herself worthy of her crown, by seducing the Supreme Alpha to avenge her late father. Supreme Alpha Jade of the Moon Star Pack remained unmated at twenty-eight because of an untold legend. However, when he rescued Isabella from one of his ditches, things were bound to change when he realized that she was his mate. He doesn't want her and he won't accept her yet, he can't let her go. But what happens when he finds out Isabella's true identity and her real intention for appearing at his pack? Betrayal was punishable by death, so what does fate hold for Isabella?
He accused her of seduction and was mean towards her after a one night stand. In retaliation, Mercedes threw a $1 note at him as payment for his service and a measure of his performance, which she graded to be below average. Meanwhile, her body ached terribly and her walls felt sore. Two days later, she walked to her new office and was sent to the board room to begin her job as a personal assistant to the President. Her heart stopped when she realized that the man she ridiculed was Nathan Legend. The multi-billionaire devil everyone whispered about. Graciously, he pretended to not know her to her great relief. Yet, when she entered his office, he locked the door. His face carried no emotions, his eyes piercing, his voice chilled like ice. "You shall spend the rest of your life, paying for the insult you threw in my face, till I tear that $1 note off the wall." She shivered to his word and as if to read her mind, he seethed, "don't even think about resigning because, I would make sure, that no company employs you and if you run, I will find you."
R18. Danica wakes up beside a strange man in the morning. The next day, she finds herself becoming the surrogate to a mysterious man, in the bid to save her twin sister Daniella from a ruthless mafia boss. But what she doesn't understand is, why did he change the rules? He wants her body once every month till she conceives yet; she can't see him face to face...
As a football champion in high school, Joel was loved for his talents and abilities but, unknown to the watchful eyes, he was Poor. Estelle, the girl from a wealthy home never cared. But what happens when her wealthy family disowns her because of him, and someone from the past comes in, coupled with Joel's secrets? Things might not just be as they seem...
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³š³ Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it allāfrom standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didnāt return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachelās terminal illness and realized she didnāt have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumorĀ suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.