She never liked him. Or maybe she did. Amber Kingston had always been irritated by her boss's lifestyle. She never wanted anything to do with him outside of work, but then he brought a proposition to her table. To marry him. She did it for a price, and now she is breaking his one rule. How would she tell him, she'd fallen in love with him when it was something he'd clearly warned her about?
Amber's POV
"... You have a meeting in five minutes, a newly booked appointment with CadLtd," I glanced up from my tablet to take in the man sitting in front of me, with no ounce of emotion on his devilishly handsome face. Not even a goddamn flick.
His mask was always in place, I doubt it ever slipped. What is he? A statue of a damn Greek god?
His brows raised ever so lightly and my eyes fell back to my tablet and I cleared my throat.
"Well, the CEO of CadLtd wants to meet with you and probably discuss the merging of... "
" Cancel it"
The command was low, so damn low I'd have missed it if I was breathing so loudly. What!
"Cancel it?" I asked, he tilted his head staring at me in that 'do you have a problem with it' manner. I drew in a deep breath and fucking resisted flipping off my boss.
He's an asshole, I would agree with anyone on that. He was a beautiful one at that who had the attention of both male and female and yeah, they flocked around him a lot.
"Do you have a problem with that, Amber?" he asked and I shook my head even though my blood was simmering beneath my veins.
I'd managed to put up with him for three fucking years as his PA, his attitude never gets old but it gets on my nerves the whole time.
He stood up like a predator watching his prey, green eyes fixed on me with so much intensity I almost shuddered, but I managed to pull myself together.
I don't like this one bit.
"Good. I have a meeting to attend" he said before leaving the office in smooth, long strides without sparing me another glance.
I waited for a second, glaring at his back. If I had my way, I'd have knocked some sense into his 'not dumb head'.
Getting my feet to move, I knew better than to lag around.
When he said he had a meeting to attend, he was flatly biased... because we were both attending the meeting. That's how it's always been from the start.
If I wasn't present in a meeting, it pisses him the hell off. But I knew better than to say Xavier had an obsession with me because ha! The man was a stone.
Hurrying after him, I was fast enough to see him get into the elevator. I raised a finger, silently pleading with him to hold it for me as the doors were already sliding shut.
His face was impassive and he didn't even move a muscle. The doors shut right in my face and yeah, I lost my cool.
"Asshole!" I cursed my face and ears hot from either anger or embarrassment.
Luckily, we were the only ones occupying this floor of the company. My office came before his, I was doing both the job of a Secretary and a Personal Assistant and because my boss was Xavier, it sucked.
I ran my fingers through my hair before I stiffened, my eyes almost fell out of their sockets when the elevator slid open and my eyes met with that of Xavier's.
Oh shit!
The silence hung in the air thick and heavy. What does one say after calling their bosses assholes?
I took the easier route. Cleared my throat, straightened my spine, and walked right into the elevator avoiding his hunter's eyes and pretending I did nothing wrong. Well, I didn't.
"Thank you" I muttered, expecting him to be quiet just as he'd always been, but I was in for a big surprise.
He pressed the button leading us to the second floor which had the conference and meeting room.
"Did you call me an asshole?" He asked, his voice dry and dead serious. I shifted uncomfortably on my foot.
I lowered my head a fraction.
"No sir. You probably didn't hear right" I said, staring at my shoes. I loved my job too much to lose it, well I meant the pay.
There was silence and I risked glancing at him. His broad shoulders leaned against the elevator wall, his hands tucked into the pocket of his Tuxedo pants, and...amusement danced in his eyes for a slight second before it disappeared.
I was sure I'd seen it.
" I don't have hearing issues, '' he said and I almost huffed. Everyone thought he did. I wasn't going to touch that topic.
I won't be the one telling him he had hearing issues because the man heard right.
"I doubt" it was a grumble. Under my breath, he wasn't supposed to pick on it but he did.
Of course! Psychopathic abilities.
"You think I have hearing issues? Seriously?" I closed my eyes. I'd have pinched the space between my brows to wedge off the headache that I could sense brewing.
Before I could come up with a reply, his phone rang, cutting off our awkward little chit chat and I was grateful for the interruption.
His face darkened. His eyes once held a little warmth hardened and turned into frosty green slits. His lips pulled into a hard line, tension oozing off him.
I took a step back.
I know there was a lot to Xavier Castillo, he was a beautiful surface with the deepest and darkest secrets lurking beneath.
The elevator dinged and the doors parted, I stepped out of it almost too quickly.
But Xavier remained in it, his jaws set hard, his eyes staring into nothing, and his fingers wrapped tightly around his phone that I feared for the poor phone.
Whoever had called was a trigger or an enemy or... I don't know. The doors slid shut, but not before his gaze rested on me.
I shivered, his eyes weren't as predatory as they'd been earlier... they instead looked calculative.
And a calculative Xavier was dangerous.
It could never mean a good sign.
Alessia De Luca is determined to prove to her family that she has moved on from the man who left her at the altar two years ago. Desperate to avoid their pity, she enlists her arch-nemesis Noah Wilson, a moody colleague, to pose as her boyfriend during a summer trip to Italy, where her ex-fiancé, Antonio, is getting married. But circumstances changed and she's thrown into a dilemma that almost ruins everything. However, things get more complicated when Noah plays his role a little too well, and Alessia realizes that she's falling for her perfectly 'fake' boyfriend.
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
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."
Elin spent twenty years deeply loving her husband, finally marrying him just as she'd always dreamed. But reality shattered her illusions—he wasn't the man she believed. Instead, he callously destroyed her family, crushing her heart beyond repair. At her lowest point, Ruben, equally betrayed that night, approached her steadily. "Marry me, Elin. I'll help you take revenge." Yet, after their wedding, she quickly discovered he was dangerously unpredictable. "I made a mistake. Let's divorce..." Ruben slid his arm possessively around her waist, whispering a chilling promise, "Only in death."
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
[Cute Baby + Secret Identity + Powerful hero and heroine!] Caroline loved Damian with all her heart for five whole years. She devoted herself to him and lived humbly for his sake. However, when the couple faced a crisis, she hoped that the news of her pregnancy would fix their marriage, but what she got in return was just a divorce agreement. And to make things worse, while she was about to give birth, she had fallen into someone's trap and her life was in danger. After managing to survive such a harrowing experience, she was determined to cut all ties with the man. Five years later, she re-emerged with her head held high, being the CEO of a famous company. Those who used to bully her now got a taste of their own medicine. And the truth about the past gradually surfaced... Dazzled by Caroline's newfound confidence, her ex-husband wanted to get back together with her, but she just turned a blind eye to his advances. Damian pleaded desperately, "Honey, our baby needs both his parents. Please remarry me!"