Two souls, torn apart by fate, reunite in a tangled web of love, lies, jealousy and deadly secrets. Unidentical twins, separated at birth, Light and Shadow collide in a world of opulence and deceit. Both captivated by Alejandro's charm, unaware of the dark truth: he holds the keys to their family's destruction. As their love ignites, the darkness of their past converge, threatening to destroy them all. Will their bond be strong enough to overcome the darkness that binds them, or will it become the very thing that tears them apart... again?" Dive with me into this mystery filled book mixed with romance and a slice of heartache where no one can be trusted not even me😁.
Running into me was no coincidence, our stars were meant to cross that way.
*AMAYA'S P.O.V*
If looks could kill, Maria Jacobs would be on a bloody ride to hell.
"What do you mean retrench me?" I ask walking as quickly as I can to the next aisle since Maria wouldn't stop walking so quickly in those pencil-tip heels.
Everywhere was scented of a mixture of flower essence which normally brightened up my day but now it makes me want to vomit just like the first day I got in here. The whole flower shop was full of weeds and dying flowers, it smelt like herbs till I helped Maria out. I'm not saying she owes me her life but she knew how much I needed this job.
My debts are overboard and I'm tired of asking Andria for money all the time even though she's willing to help. Sales have been fluctuating lately and it isn't because of excessive staff it's only me and Maria. We used to be three but Ryan quit last week for some reason.
"Niña."She spoke in Spanish, something she does when she's angry or not happy. Maria was from Spain. She moved here twelve years ago in the hopes of meeting her Discord lover who turned out to be a fraudster.
He disappointed her and took all her money then fled the country. Maria had nowhere to live but then she saw this place, it was old and rotting then. After two years of grieving, Maria finally got up and decided to start a business. Hardin gave her the capital; he's a very good friend of Maria who I think has a crush on her.
"Maria," I call out and she finally stops walking. I sigh in relief and walk in front of her.
My anger suddenly vanished when I saw the look on her face. To me, Maria would always be like my mother. She treats me like her daughter although she's forty and I'm twenty-three.
"Amaya," her Spanish accent was always so vibrant and alluring. "cariño I'm sorry I can't have you work here, los clientes están quejándose."I didn't understand what she meant but I was certain it wasn't something good.
"What do you mean Maria?" I ask in concern and I place a hand on her shoulder.
"Your identity is bringing bad sales."My heart raced. I slid my hands off her shoulder instinctively."Thanks a lot, Maria," I say and I begin to walk away.
"I could say you quit-" I closed the shop door before she could complete her statement. Well, curse my luck!
The second I left the flower shop, the cold rain fell heavily on me. I heard a loud thunderclap that nearly ripped off my eardrums. I didn't even notice it was going to rain soon. I told my hands around my chest. Maybe I shouldn't have worn a white shirt today.
Home is a two-hour walk from here and I wasn't planning on hitching a ride, I never do. No one was ever willing to take me in in the first place. Maybe if this was one of those romance movies Andria always watches, some guy would show up and offer me an umbrella. Oh, grow up Amaya! Even though fairy tales do exist I'd probably be one of Cinderella's unfortunate sisters.
Maria's shop was close to Beverly Hills. I always enjoyed coming out during my break and looking ahead at Beverly Hills. The place looked ethereal, I would always see ladies dressed so lavishly, they dress the same weight as a bucket of gold. Sometimes they would be with their husbands or boyfriends who were in no way close to being poor. They drove the most exotic cars which I've ever seen in Compton. It's not that I want to stay there, I rather stay in Compton all my life because I know, Beverly Hills isn't a place for people like me. Empty and forgotten.
I spot someone dressed in all black standing on the lonely side of the road staring at me. My eyes widen and thunder claps fiercely enough for bile to rise in my throat. I saw a little girl with her father and there was a group of men surrounding them. The girl looked scared to death. Her father pleaded to the men to spare his daughter. One of them brought out a large pistol and-
I could swear in a moment, I died and came back to life as I made contact with something hard and warm, my hand on the person's wrist. The person was wearing a thick brown coat that looked expensive and smelled like vanilla which oddly calmed my nerves. I was panting heavily as I withdrew from the person. I looked in the direction of where I saw the man but no one was there. I was shaking terribly. It was the same figure. The person who-
"Are-"Before the man in front of me could say anything, I walked away. My heels were aching and I knew I had sores nevertheless, I began to run. Tears poured out of my eyes. Mum and Dad, I promised to be strong. I can't anymore. I can't.
"You can't always pretend to be strong all the time." I always told my mother that. Ever since Dad died, nothing was ever the same. She barely spoke, she was like the living dead. I always prayed for her to cry because she'd always sit down and stare in one direction with no emotions. She eventually died, and I had nothing left to live for. I tried to commit suicide but Andria came to my rescue. Somehow I wish she had been a second late.
* *
Taking off my wet dress, I throw it across my room and it hangs on my window. I lived in a one-room condominium that Andria paid for. She offered to pay for everything including my grocery and utility bills but I rejected it, now I owe so much and I have no job.
I walk into the bathroom and I brush my teeth so hard my gums bled but the pain wasn't compared to the pain I felt when Maria, the woman I saw as a mother, retrenched me. I look at myself in the mirror, gray eyes staring back at me. Nothing about me seemed right, I was full white American but I had African hair. None of my parents were African, none of my ancestors were. It was so full I had no idea what to do with it. I tried cutting it but I ended up nearly chopping my fingers off. Andria said I was unique and I shouldn't cut it off.
I tap the wall with my fingers as I wait for the bathtub to fill with cold water. When it was filled, I entered ignoring the fact it was nearly three degrees cold. I rest my head on the edge of the bathtub and I close my eyes.
Vanilla.
That particular scent was so familiar? I recall crashing into the stranger dressed in a thick brown coat. My eyes open and I gasp.
I didn't apologize. Amaya, what have you done? My phone rings from on top of my dressing table where I placed it. I smile a bit at the song that plays. Runaway. Andria's favorite song. I get out of the bathtub wrapping a towel around my body.
I take my phone and it's Andria.
"Hello! Amaya, are you okay? I heard you got fired. I'm so sorry. Amaya?" I smile a bit.
"I'm fine," I say.
"That's what you always say when you aren't fine." She whines and I walk out of the bathroom and to my room.
" I'm fine... Andria."
"Better." She says exasperatedly and I chuckle. "I gave Maria a haughty call and she cried like a goddamn baby over the phone."
My eyes widen as I sit on my bed.
"You shouldn't have Andria. It wasn't her fault." I say matter-of-factly.
"Really Amaya? She fired you, we both know you are the only reason that rust bucket has been booming, and just because one stupid person told the world about your past doesn't justify anything." She says.
I press my fingers in my temples.
"I would have done the same." I bite my lips trying to control my tears.
"That's a lie and you know it. Amaya doesn't listen to those people, we both know the truth. You have me and that's all that matters and don't tell me you are crying." She talks like a detective because she's been watching too many criminal minds lately. I chuckle and tears flow down my cheek.
"Not really."I laugh and so does she.
"How the heck did you know?"
"I'm like a second you Amaya."She gasps dramatically and I laugh harder. She always knows how to make me feel better.
"I've gotta get back to work now but I promise I'll stop by." She said and I nodded like she could see me.
"Goodbye,"
"No crying except when you are watching Titanic." She says and I could guess she's pointing warningly.
"Okay," I chuckle lightly. "bye."
As I dried my tears, I noticed a piece of paper and envelope on my bedside table. I hadn't seen it before, and I was certain I hadn't left it there. I picked it up, and my heart raced as I read the message scrawled in red ink
"July second 2012. Remember?" The envelope fell to the ground as I mistakenly hit the table in fear. Fear grips me and I look at the pictures that fell out of it.
The picture showed two babies wrapped in a blanket on the streets and a woman lay dead next to them. I gasp when I read the writing on the picture.
"I know who murdered your parents."
For as long as Emily can remember, she has wanted to overcome her shyness and explore her sexuality. Still, everything changes when she receives an invitation to visit one of the town's most prestigious BDSM clubs, DESIRE'S DEN. On the day she chose to peruse the club, she noticed three men, all dressed in suits, standing on the upper level, near the railing. Despite her limited vision, she persisted in fixating on them. Their towering statues belied the toned bodies concealed by their sharply tailored suits-or so she could tell. The hair of two of them was short and dark, and the third had light brown-possibly blond-hair that reached the shoulders. The dark, crimson background incised their figures, exuding an air of mystery and strength. They stood in stark contrast to the unfiltered, primal energy that pulsed through the club. Shocked by the desires these men aroused in her, she was disappointed to learn that they were masters seeking a slave to divide and conquer. She couldn't afford the fee, and she also realized that they were outside her league. Emily hurriedly left the club, feeling disappointed and depressed, unaware that she had also caught the group's attention. A world of wicked pleasure, three handsome men. Over the years, they have lived a life of decadence, their lavish lair serving as a stage for their most sinister desires. But despite the unending parade of willing subjects, one woman sticks out. A mysterious stranger with white porcelain skin and a killer body, a slave, a name with no address, the first lady to attract their eye and they will go to any length to obtain her no matter the consequences.
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.
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
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.
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
Rose looked at the reports in her hand and was in shock... The reports said that she was one month pregnant, however, how can she get pregnant when she didn't have any man in her life... "Was it because of that dream? Could I get pregnant because I have sex in my dream?" She thought... She didn't have any mental problems, however, except for this she can't able to think about anything... However, she still didn't get out of her surprise when she met the man in her dream... Kevin Davis looked at the reports in her hand and asked, "Is this child mine?" However, Rose didn't answer but asked... "Was that night not a dream?" Kevin was angry because it was his first time and she thinks it was a dream... Kevin forced her to marry him however, Rose didn't want it... She wanted to abort the child but he didn't let her... In the end... Rose agreed to marry him... She looked at Kevin's blue eyes and said, "I will marry you, however, I had two conditions..." "First, after marriage, you can't control my freedom, I still had the right to do whatever I want. Don't worry I won't harm the child." "Second, if I ever found out that you had cheated behind my back then I will leave with my child and you can't stop me..." Both of them got married... However, after she falls in love with him... She found there are hidden secrets in his past...