Evelina had always anticipated an arranged marriage to a stranger, as was the tradition in the Ivanovitch family. However, her expectations were upended when her sister, who had been betrothed to a man, committed a transgression that rendered her unable to marry. Consequently, Evelina found herself thrust into the unexpected position of having to wed the man originally intended for her sister. She is faced with marrying a man who doesn't see her worth. However, her perspective shifted when she discovered that he was struggling to conceal his true feelings for her, haunted by past experiences that had scarred him emotionally. As their love deepens, they are faced with betrayals and deceit from those closest to them. This sudden turn of events marked a significant shift in Evelina's life.
"Evelina hurry up, the guests will be here soon! " I heard my aunty shout from downstairs. "I'll be down soon! ".
Today is an important day for the Ivanovitch family. My elder sister, Sana, is meeting her fiance's family today.
You may think it's going to be an exciting day for her, but it's not. My papa arranged this marriage. It's the tradition in the Ivanovitch family.
When a girl reaches the age of marriage, she gets married off to strengthen the family's influence and business. It has always been this way. I know it will be my turn one day, but that day is not coming soon.
I finished my makeup and checked myself in the mirror. I look beautiful, I took my mama's face and my papa's eyes. A round shaped face, blue eyes with caramel skin.
My mama passed away when I was just six, but I still remember what she looks like. She was a very beautiful woman and my papa loved her dearly. She died of cancer.
I double checked everything and was satisfied with how I looked, then I headed downstairs. The mansion is usually busy, but today it was very busy. I headed to the main room where my family members are.
"With how long you spent preparing, someone might think you're the one meeting her fiance today" Said aunty Marina as soon as I stepped into the room. "Let her be Marina, a woman must always look her best" my uncle Pavel quickly backed me up.
I gave them both a smile as I walked to the far end of the room. My family is pretty big. My papa runs a very large business and being the family man that he is, he took a lot of our cousins under his wings.
My papa owns one of the biggest diamond mining companies in Russia, producing a significant portion of diamonds and distributing them to many countries.
"Evelina can you please go help babushka in the kitchen" aunty Marina calls out to me "Sure aunty"
Babushka was my grandmama and my favorite person in this world. I particularly live under my sister's shadow. She has always been in the spotlight while I was left in a dark corner. My mama and babushka have always been the only ones who truly see me, but when my mama died, it was just babushka.
I entered the kitchen that was bussing with servants and babushka was at the center of it.
"Oh don't steer it like that, you'll end up burning up!" "someone get that turkey out of the oven before it turns into a charcoal briquette!"
Yeah, that's my babushka. I guess she's not really everybody's favorite.
"Hey there, maybe try toning down the volume a bit, babushka, to keep that blood pressure in check!" I joked as I neared my grandmama.
"Oh, solnyshko!" my grandma beamed as she hugged me. Solnyshko was a nickname babushka has always called me ever since I was little. "I haven't seen you all week, dear. Have you been eating well? Has anyone been giving you trouble?"
"I'm fine, babushka" I smiled as I hugged her back. Babushka was the only person who was always looking out for me.
"I wanted to come give me a helping hand here but it seems you're doing just fine" "Ah don't bother yourself with that, here my dear have something to eat" She handed a plate of pirog, a sweet pie filled with berries and meat.
"Have you seen your sister today?" "no babushka". I haven't seen my sister all week. I guess she's busy preparing for her fiance. I'm actually glad that she'll be getting married soon. Then maybe when she leaves the house then they can finally notice me.
I do the best I can to please people in this family, but it's just never enough. And they never notice. Sana can just do one minor thing and the whole family will notice and praise her. I hope when she's gone, they can finally see me.
"You should go see her, it's a big day for her. Go see how she's doing" my babushka said as she walked away to check the pot of soup.
I really don't want to see her, but I guess I should, since it's a big day for her.
I left the kitchen and went up the stairs to her door. "Sana, are you in there?" I knocked on her door, but there was no response. "Sana?" Still no response. I turned the door knob and it opened. I walked into her room, but there's no one here. "Sana?!"
"What do you want?" oh my God that scared me!!!
"Sana? I knocked but there was no answer so I just came in," she was sitting in a dark corner of her room so I couldn't see her.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT? " OK, I guess someone is in a foul mood today. "Babushka said I should come check on you since today was a big day for you" "Tell the old lady I'm fine, now leave" well that's rude.
"Are you okay, you're not even ready yet and the guests will arrive soon" I should try to see reason with her since she's not getting married out of her own choice.
"Leave me alone Evelina" alright fine. As I turned to leave, I heard her whisper "I guess you'll be happy now that I'm getting married," "What do you mean? Why would I be happy?" I asked, confused.
"You have always tried to get everyone's attention, doing things to please them and all, but you couldn't even get the slightest attention. So with me out of the way you can finally get the attention you've always wanted"
WHAT?!!!
I mean I did think about the whole thing, but hearing her say it so bluntly sounds so harsh!!!
"You're being ridiculous, Sana" "oh, am I now?" What's up with her today? "I just came to check on you, I'll be on my way now" I turn to leave but she quickly gets up and grabs my arm. How is she so goddamn fast?!!
She leans close to my face and whispers "you may think you'll finally get what you want, but trust me Evelina, you won't," she lets go of my arm and walks away, leaving me standing alone and confused.
What does she mean? And why does she hate me so much?!!
Eliana was framed by her best friend and her fiance into sleeping with a boy toy in the club and getting impregnated by him. Five years after she had given birth to twins, she returned home and worked under the Moran Group, where she met the CEO-- Maurice. Maurice was a brilliant businessman who did his job well. But in order to stay under the radar, he lived a double life. One as Maurice, and one as Preston. Fate brought the two together again, roping them in on an exciting love story. It all became more complicated when Eliana faced Preston, the man she had slept with before, once again. Now that she was being pursued by two men, how could she ever choose? When would Eliana uncover the secret of Maurice's identity? When was Maurice going to know that he already had two children of his own? How would Eliana face this man when the truth came to light one day? Come and find out.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
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."