The city is a paradise. But the reality is just a scary hell. Elaria loves city lights. But the city lights Elaria could see were different. Dark, scary. Gray, confusing. Warm yet cold. Elaria's life was not easy. Elaria lost her job as a model because she was deemed incompetent. Her flower shop went bankrupt because it ran out of capital. She had to give up her dream of becoming a singer because she had no money. Elaria had almost given up on life until she met Danesh Leonard. A very scary man who has everything Elaria has ever dreamed of. Being with Danesh makes Elaria feel like her life is improving. Danesh brings Elaria closer to her dreams but how long can that last? Will Danesh Leonard treat Elaria well forever or will he take her to the darkest place where she can't feel anything?
"Shit!"
"Elaria, stop swearing. Get over here!" Elaria ruffled her hair.
"What exactly do they want? Those bastards keep acting crazy. Last week they smashed a bus stop. Tonight they smashed the glass of our flower shop. I feel like killing them." Elaria couldn't contain her anger.
"Stop nagging. Help Chinar carry the flowers to the back room. We don't have much time. The flowers might get rotten from the rain.
Elaria looked up at the sky. There was only darkness. The rain was falling relentlessly. Lightning could be heard everywhere. It was frightening.
"Why don't we have a chance for us to live a relaxed life?" Elaria sat among the flowers that had just been moved into the cramped room at the back of the flower shop. A room with two small stuffy rooms and a multipurpose room that could fit one long sofa that the three of them often sat on.
"Ela, there's no point in complaining. Being able to survive is enough." Sky handed Elaria and Chinar a cup of coffee.
"The city is getting more and more crowded. I'm having trouble breathing." Chinar inhaled the aroma of the packaged coffee they used to get at a small shop in a narrow alley. It was very cheap.
"I thought we would see a lot of color but why do we only see darkness? Shop rents go up every year but there's no building maintenance. We have to fix leaking roof tiles. The toilet is clogged. Water bills have to be paid every month as well as electricity bills. Not to mention the cost of daily necessities. Flower shops don't have a stable income. I'm going crazy."
"Don't forget, we have to fix the glass. We'll run out of money."
Elaria, Chinar and Sky. Just like the other dreamers. They came to this city to realize their dreams. The city that has always been called paradise. The beautiful city lights. But in reality it was nothing more than hell.
They went to great lengths. They try all means. They never see the beauty. Only failure. There is only darkness.
"What should we do?" Elaria moved to the sofa. Sitting in the middle between Sky and Chinar. This sofa could only accommodate the three of them and even then it was a bit cramped. It was better than having to sit on the floor.
"Do as usual. Open a flower shop. Ela composes songs and sings. Chinar promotes the songs. I'll take care of the rest." Sky was the most mature and calm among them.
"Why are you still with me?" Elaria looked at Sky and Chinar in turn. "You guys could be doing something much bigger. Even go back home. You won't lack anything."
"Home is too crowded. It's more crowded than this city" Sky looked at Elaria. "I enjoy living like this more than being at home anyway."
"We promised that we would succeed together. Ela, when we find the right producer. Your song will explode. We'll make easy money. We won't be living in a place like this." Chinar looked at Elaria with confidence.
Elaria smiled. Looking at Chinar and Sky in turn. "I will try harder. I won't let you live in misery."
Their hands clasped each other. That's how they survived in the darkness for so many years.
Living with many dreams while never knowing when they will come true.
***
Early in the morning Chinar was already repairing glass with a friend he had known for a while. Both fighters of dreams in the darkness.
Sky was upset. Most flowers are rotten because of the rainwater.
Elaria cleaned up the room that was messy due to the nighttime riot.
Living in the city is like going to war every day. Movement is very fast. If you let your guard down, you must be willing to be trampled.
"We lost again?" Elaria approached Sky.
"Unable to help." Sky ruffled her hair.
"What should we do?" Elaria panicked. If the flower shop closed, they wouldn't be able to survive.
"We have to get a cheap flower distributor."
"With our conditions. Getting a cheap flower distributor is not a solution."
"Chinar tell me what we should do?"
"I'll take some videos of you guys. You guys are good at flower arranging. We should promote Roseanne Florist on social media."
"So?"
"If many people see our video. We will soon survive the crisis."
Elaria and Sky nodded in agreement.
"Let's do it."
"I hope that many high-class people will see our video. They are always willing to pay a high price for beauty."
"Chinar. Don't get your hopes up. We can't even see them." Elaria arranged some fresh flowers on the table. Sky set up the ring light while Chinar set up the camera.
"Let's work hard. We have to survive because going back home is not a viable option right now."
Again. A sentence full of enthusiasm.
Elaria and Sky started arranging the flowers as best they could. Chinar took a video.
It doesn't go smoothly. They do it over and over again until they get the results they want.
"This is exhausting!" Elaria stretched her muscles. Her eyes stung from staring at the ring light and camera flash for too long.
"How is the result?" Sky took the camera. Sky's situation is not much different from Elaria's. Sky was even worse. Sky wasn't used to standing in front of the camera like Elaria.
"Good. What do you think?"
"Okay, but I look really stiff. Ela, how about we take the video one more time?"
"Again?"
"I'm not fit to be in front of the camera. Please do it one more time." Elaria nodded her head.
Sky smiled broadly at the results, "Just as we expected. Ela is always beautiful in front of the camera."
"You're right. She should already be a world-class singer!" Chinar looked very excited.
"Our beautiful Ela will shine brightly." Sky smiled proudly. "Chinar quickly edited the video. Send it to me. I'll post this video to social media and send it to people I know!"
"I'll do it!"
Elaria smiled. Chinar and Sky. Two people who believed in her when Elaria was unsure of herself. Chinar and Sky always held her hand and even hugged her tightly when Elaria had to walk in the dark. Their dreams had never changed since they first met and heard Elaria sing.
Sky wants to be Elaria's assistant while Chinar wants to be Elaria's manager.
"Ela, it's time to go. You have a photo shoot." Elaria had started her career as a model since last year. Chinar and Sky organized everything.
Elaria's career as a model was not going well. The modeling world was too harsh. Elaria often received bad treatment, one of which was sexual harassment. Elaria experienced it once. At that time Elaria wanted to give up but seeing Chinar and Sky's struggle to get a job for her made Elaria undo her intentions.
Elaria chose to survive. Survive in darkness once again.
"I'm leaving." Elaria picked up her cell phone on the table.
"Ela, I will accompany you."
"You finish your work at the flower shop. I'll leave on my own. This isn't the first time I've worked with this brand. So far they've treated me well. Sky, don't worry." Elaria pecked Sky's cheek then darted away.
"Are you sure she'll be okay?"
"Sky, she's slowly growing up. You're taking good care of her. She'll be fine."
"Aren't we being too hard on him?"
"Not at all Sky. Calm down, don't overthink it."
"Does he like what he's doing?"
"Sure, she likes it."
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
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."
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.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running 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..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.