Celine Herrera has always had to fight her stepsister, Delia, for everything she'd ever wanted from a young age. So, she isn't surprised when Delia demands to be given the family company that Celine had worked to build all her life. Since she's not the favorite of her grandfather, Delia is once again going to get what she wants. But this time, it's on a condition: whoever gets married first and gives birth to a child gets the company. Celine Herrera is ready to do whatever it takes to have the one thing that brought her true happiness. So she seizes the opportunity and, when she crosses paths with one of the most feared and ruthless men to ever exist, she does not hesitate to propose a contract marriage. She gets what she wants, but what she doesn't know is that Belshar Nessar Abed only agreed to her terms for one reason: revenge.
CELINE HERRERA POV
"You have got to be joking or raving mad," I said then gasped in shock because I hadn't meant for the words to slip out of my mouth. I glanced at my grandfather whose wry expression spoke volumes of just how much my outburst had offended him.
Forcing myself to appear remorseful despite the rage that burned in my chest, I got to my feet. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it's just that this whole conversation is so jarring, I can't seem to process it and because of that I am having a brain-to-mouth malfunction, please I did not mean to insult you"
Grandfather sat straighter, his gaze piercing into mine. "And what is so jarring about this conversation? Didn't you say you were ready to do whatever it took to make sure you get the company as an inheritance, or am I mistaken"
"No you're not, but I don't understand how you can come up with such a requirement. I have been running the company for five years now, I already have a sizable amount of share to my name and the people at the company are like a family to me and now you're just going to take all that away from me if I fail to fulfill your conditions"
Grandfather crossed his arms. "If you do not want to follow my instruction then you should just resign this very moment and give Delia the company since she is ready to do that which needs to be done"
Delia nodded and I wanted nothing more than to wring her neck. After college, she had thrown in the towel and fought hard that she didn't want anything to do with the company and yet here she was acting like the dutiful daughter all because she wanted to make my life miserable.
"But getting married and having a child is just plain ridiculous!"
"Celine!" He thundered and Delia stepped toward him and gently touched his arm.
"Don't be upset, grandfather; you know how selfish Celine can be," Delia said, giving me a pointed look. "You're trying to be fair by giving us these terms and yet Celine is still being mad about it. You've always wanted to hoard everything for yourself, haven't you?" she asked, a sneer on her lips.
"So you are ok with being forced to get married and have a child in two years because no matter how I see it, that's the most absurd condition if I've ever heard one"
Delia shrugged, then grinned, her lips stretching so wide they gave me the creeps. "I could do it in one, Celine... You see, I don't plan on losing to you in this life or the next... So you should just quit the company now while you can"
I scoffed in disbelief, my gaze moving from Delia to Grandfather's. This was the plan all along, wasn't it? Grandfather had always loved Delia. I was the daughter of the mistress who caused his Son and his wife's death, so why would he allow me to run the company when he could come up with something so bogus and almost impossible to achieve, something he knew Delia could get done since she lived recklessly anyway? I was sure they knew that I wouldn't be able to go through with it... They wanted me to quit. Delia had always coveted anything I had, especially after I worked hard for it.
I'd confronted her once in high school after she stole my boyfriend, and she just laughed and said she did it because it was fun and that it made her feel good to take away things I worked very hard on and how it being easy gave her all sorts of thrills. I'd been bawling my eyes out and she'd just been grinning.
It was a vicious circle that kept repeating itself and now as I stared at the triumphant look on Delia's face, it became clear that the only reason I'd been allowed to run as CEO of the company for so long was that Delia wanted me to suffer for it, she wanted me to grow attached to it so that she could rip it out of my hand viciously, that way I'd be doubly hurt, and there was nothing more that fed her crazy than my pain.
Why couldn't she just let me be? She'd already taken so much, the company was the only thing that was really mine, and I had poured my blood sweat, and tears into it, so why was this happening? No. Not this time. I was going to fight her this time and I was going to win.
"Fine then," I said and watched as a look of surprise passed over their faces. "I'll do what you want, and if I am the first to achieve the condition, the company will be mine, with no arguments"
Grandfather's expression soured but he nodded and called for his lawyer to bring in the document.
We signed the papers, got our own copies as evidence, had pictures taken and when everything was done, I left stewing in anger.
*******
I was here on a mission- a bit of an exaggeration, but considering that I was at El Salvador club, which only the elites frequented, instead of lying on my couch, working on my laptop and munching on chocolates, I guess it was a mission, and I was loathing every minute of it.
"This should be easy," I told myself as I combed my fingers through my short-cropped hair to give it more volume. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be with Celine Herrera?" I told myself as I took in the faces of the good-looking men that filled the place, and that was when I saw him. The man I had looked into that would be the most suitable and perfect candidate. George Jorhé. I'd reached out and we'd set a date to meet at this club.
He was gorgeous. He had the most amazing golden hair I'd ever seen, a perfect jawline, a statuesque nose, and full gorgeous pink lips, and his eyes were a light brown color that made my heart skip a beat.
This was it. I took a deep breath, turned to the bartender, and ordered two glasses of their most expensive wine. The bartender looked shocked to see me since it was news that I hardly ever ventured away from my office or my house.
I picked up the wine glasses and walked toward the man, only to stop in my steps when a very familiar woman walked toward him, hugged him from behind, and pressed a kiss to his neck, then she glanced up, her gaze connecting with mine, a salacious smile on her lips that screamed triumph.
I stared at the man laugh at her, his eyes shining with what I could only describe as love.
Delia whispered in his ears and he nodded, then she met my gaze again and started in my direction.
I stood rooted to a spot. Delia stopped in front of me with a smirk.
"What are you doing here... Don't tell me you're going to do what grandfather wants. You must really love the company" she said grinning. "look at that, you are even about to buy a guy a drink"
I gritted my teeth, then stared at the glasses in my hand. "I ordered this for myself, I was just going to find a cool spot to drink..."
Delia laughed. "You're still such a terrible liar Celine, and you're also very far behind. Do you think you are going to win over me with how slow you have been? Then again, with that face of yours, I understand why you are skeptical of putting yourself out there," she said, and my heart nosedived.
"I have given my all to the company Delia, I won't allow you to steal it from me just because you think it's fun to destroy me"
Delia stepped closer. "Oh, this time, it's not for fun. I want my father's company. I am the legitimate child anyway. I don't know what I was thinking, allowing you to run it for so long," she hissed, then stepped back. "Don't even try Celine. You and I know you do not stand a chance against me. You're too ugly to find someone to fall for you, even in five years, except, of course, you offer them loads of money, and that would be breaching the contract. You're going to lose, so just give up before you make a fool of yourself," she said viciously, laughed, and walked back to go meet George.
I was boiling and as I turned with the force of my anger, I crashed into a wall, my drinks splashing between us as I stumbled back and fell on my ass. What the heck was that? I groaned, my ass smarting from the fall. There was an expensive shoe in the line of my vision and red wine was splashed all over it... So it was not a wall, it was a person?
Oh fuck no! I glanced up at the man I'd bumped into and gasped when my eyes met his icy dark green pissed-off ones, my heart kicking up a bit faster.
Belshar Nessar Abed; the rumored heartless killer billionaire with Mafia ties and every company in Hartford rivalry.
His gaze slowly took in the damage my red wine had done to his white shirt before they came to land murderously on me.
I gulped because it was so intense, that it stole the breathe right out of my lungs.
Was he going to kill me?
Pushed off the cliff by her step-sister, Eve Knew no life other than pain and betrayal, and as she plunged to her death, she swore she was going to make all who hurt her pay. Years later, she's back with a new face and a new name and there's only one thing on her mind. Revenge and she was going to get it, no matter what it took. But she is not the only one with a thirst for vengeance... Raphael Batista was framed for Eve's alleged suicide and he knew exactly who framed him and was going to make them pay, his revenge was also going to extend to anyone who tried to help them out, even if the person was a woman who made his blood burn with fierce passion and reminded him a lot of Eve who was supposedly dead. There is no going back for them, or is there, especially when the truths are coming out to light and their antagonist is someone who would do anything, even kill to keep what they'd taken.
"Gabrielle" I shouted and she cut me off. "I own your body, your mind, and your soul. Do you understand? Get back to your desk right this moment and I'll forgive what you just said" she ordered, and I knew some men who would have cowered at that threatening tone, but not me. I was flattered that she was dead set on having me, but her threats were all empty. "No, I won't, and I am done with this Gabrielle. Nothing you say or do is going to change my mind" I turned away from her and made to open the door when I heard a familiar click behind me. I whipped around to face her, cautiously taking a step back as my eyes took in the gun in her hand that was aimed directly at my head. My heart skipped in my chest. Now there was clear evidence that she was indeed connected with the Mafias. If she killed me, there was a pretty chance my body would never be found, but then, April could follow it up, and with her dedication, she'd find something. The chances were slim tho. Would she shoot me or not? Her eyes looked dead, decided, but there was also fear lurking within their grey depth, she didn't want to shoot. I called her bluff, pushing the door open. She pulled the trigger. ****** A forbidden love story between a Mafia Don and an undercover cop... A. Dangerous. Love.
Caught in a web of lies and deceit, Sybil Eagan is left at the altar by the only man she has ever loved. Moving on isn't as easy as she thought, but she perseveres, and when she finally decides to open her heart to love again, the man who left her down the aisle comes back into her life, and no, he doesn't want a second chance. He wants revenge. Angelo was devastated to learn of Sybil's betrayal and in anger decided to punish her by leaving her on the altar. He has no plans of getting in touch with her until they meet again, and he sees her in the arms of another man. He's convinced himself he hates her, but he just can't let go of her and be happy with someone else, especially when he's still in pain. He will do everything to destroy this happiness to find his peace. They're not the only ones out for revenge, and as the web of lies tightens, they both sink into a reality where they could both end up dead. In the face of such opposition, will love triumph, or will hate eventually prevail?
After years of suffering at the hand of her bullies, Brea Larson is determined to do whatever it takes to feel again even if it meant she had to kill to get it, and that's exactly what she set out to do when she falls in love with her former bully's fiancé, Ryder. Following through with her plans she persuaded them to spend the weekend in the woods. Her intentions; were to seduce and make Ryder her own while keeping the girlfriend occupied with someone else. Brea's scheme doesn't go as planned as they come across a group of Mafias who were about to carry out an execution. Brea is terrified, especially when she meets the gaze of their leader, Nicolai Fernandez. He is pure evil embodied. Unable to escape, they are given an ultimatum to run for their lives by an hour. If caught, the men had the right to do with them as they pleased. Will Brea manage to flee from the clutches of a man determined to possess her? Will she be able to escape a man so obsessed; he'd rather see her dead than away from him or will she be entrapped in his dark and deadly possession?
Vega Romeo is the live life, screw the rest type of girl. she is pretty content to just go with the flow until she is dared by her best friend to join in on a bet to make billionaire Zach Dante hers. Vega sees Zach Dante as a playboy with no feelings and so she agrees to play him. Vega would do anything to win, even if it meant hurting the one she's come to love. Competing against the other girls is not a walk in the park but Vega had already invested a lot to stop. Except lying came with consequences. And those consequences are more than she expected. But what happens in the past stays in the past right? That might be what Vega thinks, but it is not the same for Zach who bore most of the burn of the scandal. With bitterness In his heart, Zach bids his time in plotting his revenge and after five years, he's back. He's back and he wants nothing more than to destroy the woman who shattered his heart.
"How does it feel to submit Jade, how does it feel to kneel at the feet of your owner," he asked, in a low voice that rumbled like the storm. Raising my head, I stared at him defiantly, knowing deep down that I was consciously breaking his rule and that I would be punished for it. I smirked. "It feels like I'm going to have to return the favor once I get out of here". His lips twisted into a dark smile, his eyes glowing in the darkened space as his gaze lingered on me. I couldn't move or breathe. "You're never getting out of here." Jade is a Mafia don who is betrayed by her covetous brother, fleeing for her life she gets trapped in the wood where she is purchased by Dearil Vaughn, a sadist with a chaotic wolf that feeds off torture and destruction. To survive his dangerous games, she'd have to learn to submit and keep her heart in a place where his cold hands couldn't reach. Jade calmed Dearil's wolf, so he was never going to let her go, and even tho, Jade fought him all the way, he was going to hold onto her, and if she managed to slip out of his hold, he was going to kill her. It was war! A war with two contenders that planned to come out winners.
Warning: This book has high sexual assault displays, but does not support any form of rape. I, Alpha Edward Parker, swear that I will keep you tied to me until I make you pay for what you did to my mate," he swore, gripping my chin in a bruising hold. "Not only will you wish for death, but you will beg for it, and it will be too far from you." I could feel the eyes of the whole pack on us. They probably came to experience a normal wedding, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I was being married off to a groom because he wanted revenge. Tears welled, and I wanted to scream, "I am your mate; I'm the one who saved you, not her." But I knew no one would believe me. I was his mate, how could he not recognize me? Four years ago, Amanda happened to save a total stranger, but due to a string of misunderstandings, her sister took her place. The stranger then promised a vow of betrothal to his savior. Not seeing any use in correcting the error, Amanda allowed it. That was her biggest mistake because the stranger ended up being her own mate. Caught in a web of lies and confusion, she decides to set herself free by speaking the truth. But her plans are thwarted when her sister turns up dead, and she is pinned as the main suspect. A mate out to seek revenge for another, a forced marriage, an underlying plot, a web of lies, and many dark secrets. How can Amanda navigate all these without losing sight of herself? How will she speak the truth when she has already lost her voice and has been destroyed by her own mate?
The night before her engagement, Valerie was tricked by her boyfriend and stepsister into spending the night with a stranger. After the night together, the man vanished. Later, her boyfriend accused her of cheating, revealing his affair with her stepsister. Pressured by her father, Valerie married an unconscious man in place of her stepsister. Valerie exposed the scheme, sabotaged her father’s ambitions, and transformed herself. When her husband woke and chased her to the airport, she calmly refused him, saying, "It's over between us." He held her firmly. "You married me, so you must commit."
For three years, Jessica endured a loveless marriage while her husband pretended to be impotent. His lies unraveled when a pregnant mistress surfaced. After six months of secretly collecting proof, Jessica threw him out and built her own billion-dollar empire. After the divorce, she transformed into an irresistible figure, attracting admirers. As she left her office one day, she met Kevan, her ex-husband's brother. He stepped in, confronting her. "Was I just a tool to you?" Jessica's lips curled into a calm smile. "How much compensation do you want?" Kevan's voice softened. "All I want is you."
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.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
I received a pornographic video. "Do you like this?" The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts. "Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response. "You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!" The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed. I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella. ************************************************************************************************************************ “I want to get a divorce, Mark,” I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time—even though I knew he'd heard me clearly. He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!" The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him. "I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster. He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table. I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.