"I hate you." she whispered, as her voice trembled with anger and desire. "I know Clara but your body doesn't." he replied, his eyes gleaming with intensity. "Shut up and just leave from here!!!!!." she growled as her hand pressed against his chest. "why does your lips say one thing but your eyes say another??" he asked, his mouth inches from hers. He moved closer to her as they felt the warmness of their bodies. "After everything you put me through, you have the audacity to come here??? you are a fucking monster Arsenio!!" she breathed. "And you are mine." he said as he crashed his lips to hers. Their hate filled words were lost in the passion of their kiss and their bodies entangled in an angry embrace, a clash of love and hate, desire and repulsion. "I hate you Arsenio." she repeated as her voice muffled by his lips. "I Know but I love you and I am here to get you back." Clara Nivera, a beautiful, young and timid woman who is forced to live with her step Father and his family, gets maltreated by them but escapes one day after finding out about a ploy to kill her. The night of her escape, after withnessing a murder, she finds herself entangled in the dangerous world of the mafia when she forcefully becomes the mistress of the powerful and ruthless Arsenio Robert. As she becomes deeper embroiled into Arsenio's life, she falls in love with him but learns the dark secrets of his criminal empire and the truth behind her own troubled past. After a misunderstanding leads Clara to finds solace in the arms of another, the question is, who will she finally settle for?? and what lies in her past??.
CLARA'S POV
I felt dizzy again as I almost fell on my face this time around.
It's been two whole days and I still haven't been able to sleep properly due to all the house chores that were kept for me to do.
I had no choice but to wake up so early when the others were sleeping so I would be done with the chores before my stepmother woke up.
After about an hour of washing dishes and cleaning the house, I decided to rest on the floor for a while at the corner of the living room since I wasn't allowed to ever sit or lie on the couch.
In the process of trying to rest, I didn't know when I fell asleep.
A few minutes later, I noticed that I was lifted from the ground but I was too dizzy to realize whatever was going on and as soon as I came back to my senses, I was thrown into the pool.
"Just observe the look on her face!!!" Julius, my stepbrother said as he laughed.
"It is completely priceless!!" Jerry, my second step brother, also said as he joined in the laughter.
I was struggling so hard to catch my breath as I was not much of a swimmer.
"She is going to die guys, please bring her out." Julia, my step sister said as she looked at me with a worried look on her face.
"Then let her die...she is a useless piece of shit anyway." Julius said, smirking.
While the debate of saving me or leaving me to die was going on, I lost count of how many times I swallowed the pool water as it went through my nostrils and ears too.
"Hel...help...help me..pl...ples...pleaseee." I managed to say as I continued drowning.
"What did you say??? Jerry, did you hear a call for help??" Julius asked as he pretended not to hear me.
"No I didn't brother." Jerry said smiling.
I was beginning to see blurry dots as I couldn't hold on much longer.
My body was tired and so was my mind and my will and accepting my fate of meeting my parents soon made me smile as I gave up struggling and sank deeper into the pool.
"Mom, dad..hold on, I will be there with you shortly." I said to myself as I welcomed darkness.
Suddenly, I opened my eyes as I coughed and looked around in confusion.
"Is this heaven??" I asked.
"No but this is your hell Clara." Julius said as burst into laughter.
"You should be happy, you little piece of garbage that Julia pleaded with us to save your life...if that wasn't the case, you would have been with your useless parents by now."
"I would have loved that." I muttered inaudibly.
"What was that???" Julius asked.
"Nothing." I said as tears rolled down my face.
Julius suddenly pushed my face closer to his as he pressed my cheeks so harshly that it hurt.
"You are hurting me." I said as I struggled to push his hands off but his grip only tightened.
"Look Clara, whatever happened right now stays between us and if you tell Mom and Dad about it, I will make sure to give you a slow and painful death and arrange it like you commited suicide and trust me when I say that nobody will miss or remember you...am I clear??"
"You are hurting me Julius." I said as I continued struggling.
"I said, am I clear!!!!!" he yelled.
"Yess...I won't tell mom and Dad." I said.
"Good girl." he said as he let go of his grip.
"Clara!!!! Clara!!!!" my stepmother called.
"I am coming Madam!!" I yelled as I stood up from the ground and ran back into the house to respond to her call.
"Where were you??" she asked.
"I was throwing the dirt I cleaned up from the house away, Madam."
"Why is your body wet??"
"I..I..fell into the pool madam." I said stuttering.
"Hmmm...I thought you were lagging off again."
"No I wasn't Madam."
Even though she was my stepmother, I wasn't allowed ever to call her Mom.
The day I tried calling her Mother, I was beaten so badly that I thought I was going to die... so from that day, I only called her Madam and she was okay with it.
"Your sir will be going to work soon so put some water in the kettle and make hot coffee for him just how he likes it....and after doing that, make some scrambled eggs for my children." she said.
"Yes, Madam."
"And you better be fast about it!!" she yelled.
"Yes Madam...I will." I said as I went to work immediately.
After boiling some water, I made the coffee for my sir who was also my father but I was only allowed to call him sir.
I took it to his room and greeted him before handing the coffee over to him.
"Clara!!Clara, where is our food!!!!"Julius and Jerry yelled.
"I am coming!!"
"I thought I asked you to make scrambled eggs for my children??" my stepmother asked in anger.
"Madam, I wanted to make sir his coffee first before doing that so it wouldn't get burnt." I said nervously.
"Will you get out of here right now and go make my children something to eat!!!"
"Yes madam." I said as I rushed back into the kitchen.
After making scrambled eggs for my three step siblings, I dished it out for them as well.
"Thanks but no thanks bitch." Julius said.
Just a few seconds after they began eating, Jerry spat out his food.
"Are you trying to kill us??!!!!!" he yelled out in anger.
"How?? I don't understand....is something wrong??" I asked in confusion.
"Did you taste these scrambled eggs before serving it to us??" he asked.
"Emmmm, no I didn't but I did it just the way you all like it."
Before I could utter another word, he slapped me so hard across the face that I almost fell.
"When I am talking to you, you keep quiet and accept your mistake, you worthless piece of shit!!!" he yelled at me.
"What is going on here??" my stepmother asked as she walked in on us.
"This bitch is trying to poison us...the scrambled eggs taste awful." he said.
And just like always, my stepmother didn't find out if he was right or wrong.
She took a wooden spoon from the kitchen.
"Madam please, I didn't do anything wrong...please spare me."
"So you are calling my children liars right???"
"No Madam...pleasee."
She began hitting me repeatedly as I pleaded for mercy.
Even when I fell to the ground, I could still feel the impact of each hit on my body as I stopped struggling and closed my eyes to welcome darkness.
Blurb: Nina Morrison's life is a relentless struggle, torn between caring for her bedridden father and enduring her stepfamily's cruelty. But her world is shattered when a near-fatal encounter with Lucien Gray-the ruthless, untouchable head of a global consortium-pulls her into a nightmare of possession. Lucien is captivated by Nina's fiery defiance, determined to possess her at any cost. But Nina's will to rebuild herself is stronger than his obsession. As their paths collide, desire and revenge intertwine, forcing them to confront the darkness within themselves. Can Nina reclaim her life? Will Lucien's obsession destroy them both, or will they truly fall in love and live happily ever after?
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts master—each persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashton’s true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
Sequel to chasing my estranged wife; I want you back. ******** " You promised me!'' I screamed. "You promised that you wouldn't hurt me, you made the vows that you would stand beside me, Ryan, and what did you do? You broke me into smithereens. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. When I said we were done. I meant it!" Falling in love with him had come in a whirlwind, she couldn't account for how exactly it had happened but what she knew was that she didn't want to let go once she was in. For Ryan, when he made a vow, he had meant it, but nothing had told him about marriage, that it wasn't just a bed of roses, but it had thorns in it as well. When secrets piled up between them and vows broken, they had no choice but to let go of each other, but years later, he wanted her back. Like the air he breathed, he chased after her, but she was gone. Left with the remnants of his actions, he is torn between getting her back and damning all consequences or letting go of her and his children, which would it be?
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
Rejected by her mate, who had been her long-time crush, Jasmine felt utterly humiliated. Seeking solace, she headed to a party to drown her sorrows. But things took a turn for the worse when her friends issued a cruel dare: kiss a stranger or beg her mate for forgiveness. With no other choice, Jasmine approached a stranger and kissed him, thinking that would be the end of it. However, the stranger unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You're mine!" He growled, his words sending shivers down her spine. And then, he offered her a solution that would change everything...