A passionate meeting with Emma the gorgeous assistant of his toughest competitor, throws millionaire Wilson Sinclair's life upside down in the glittering centre of Las Vegas. One night of longing turns into a tale of secrets and treachery leading to Emma's return bearing twin sons she says are Wilson's. A great struggle results from Henry Carter's plot to use a contract marriage to manage the family secret. Emma tries to save her heart and her children as Wilson and Henry are embroiled in a high-stakes war for love, power and family. Can love overcome pride and dishonesty in a city where fortunes change quickly?
Wilson's POV
At night, Las Vegas is a visual feast of possibilities. The Strip is alive, a swirl of neon that promises adventure and glazes the eyes. Tonight, the Sinclair Grand Casino is the most brilliant lighthouse among them; it hosts an extravagant celebration attracting the elite in the city. Wilson Sinclair, the proprietor of the casino, is the king and host of this shining realm.
I go across the assembly, giving courteous smiles and strong handshakes. The champagne comes freely, and the laughing and clinking glasses produce a harmonic symphony. Though the mood is festive, my mind is elsewhere, consumed with ideas for my next company action and the always hovering presence of my competitor, Henry Carter.
Henry and I are clearly rivals. Owning the second most successful casino in Las Vegas, the Orion Each of us is always striving to outmaneuver the other in the pursuit of supremacy; our rivalry is intense. Still, tonight I am resolved to have fun-if only for a few hours.
Stepping out onto the balcony, I pause to inhale the cold night air away from the commotion and tumult inside. The city is stunning, a reminder of all I have created. But the sound of soft footfall behind me breaks my still moment.
"Mr. Sinclair," a voice says, assuredly and smoothly.
Turning to find a woman silhouetted by ballroom light, I see Her features-long, wavy auburn hair, piercing green eyes, and a quiet strength that quickly enthralls me-show themselves as she approaches. She is beautiful, and I can't quite put her familiar quality.
I say, smiling, "Call me Wilson." and you are?
"Emma." Emma Larkin says, her eyes locking with mine with such intensity it shocks me. "I assist Henry Carter."
When Henry comes up, my smile stumbles a little, but I straighten myself immediately. Emma, what drives you out here tonight? Surely you are not here only to take in the scenery.
She smiles, with a trace of mystery about her. "I had to get away from the celebration. And I found it fascinating to learn about the main rival of my manager.
That is so? Inspired, I slant against the railing. And what do you want to learn?
"Whatever you're ready to share," she replies in a low, seductive voice. "People are often more open in unplanned meetings," I say.
She seems to have a magnetic pull that I cannot resist. We chat for some time, the underlying tension of our different loyalties flowing naturally in the conversation. Unquestionably, we have a spark between us that causes the air to buzz with power.
The celebration disappears from view as the evening progresses. We are in a quiet area of the casino apart from curious onlookers. We are clearly attracted, and before I know it we are locked in a passionate embrace as the surroundings vanish as we submit to the moment.
Then reality starts to leak back in as we lie twisted in the sheets. I understand that what we have just discussed is complex and twisted in the web of our daily work. I brush such ideas aside for now, though, concentrating on Emma's sensation in my arms.
"Wilson," she says, her voice slightly dubious. "what happens now?"
With fingers still on her cheek, I sweep a strand of hair from her face. "We go one step at a time now. There are no expectations or guarantees. Just... observe where this leads.
She nods, but from her eyes I sense concern. Unanswered questions abound, and so too are possible repercussions. Still, tonight none of that counts. Tonight we are only two people caught in something unanticipated and potent.
Emma is gone before I wake in the morning; only a letter on the pillow remains.
"Thank you for last night. I will get back in touch."
I fix my eye on the note, my mind racing with ideas of what this implies for the rivalry with Henry, for us, and for me. I have no idea, though, that a sequence of events will transform everything.
Days stretch into weeks, and Emma eludes me from my consciousness. Though there is nothing, I keep hoping to see her and hear from her. I begin to wonder if that evening was a mistake or if she might have decided to stick to Henry always.
Then one evening I'm looking over some records in my office when my phone rings. Though the number is unknown, something guides me in response.
I say, "Wilson Sinclair."
Wilson, Emma is here. Her voice is unsteady; her tone clearly shows tension. "I should see you." It's vital.
"Emma, what's wrong? My heart thrashes in my chest, a mixture of relief and anxiety.
"I cannot have a phone conversation. See me on Fremont Street in the old chapel. Kindly, haste.
The line falls silent, and I find myself staring at my phone, driven by urgency into action. My mind racing with ideas, I grab my keys and go. Given her need to meet in secret, what could be so crucial?
The chapel is empty when I get there; its once-grand front is now collapsing and covered with graffiti. Emma is seated beside the door, her body stiff and nervous.
I shout out, "Emma," walking toward her. "What's going on?."
She looks at me, determination mixed with terror in her eyes. Wilson, I am expecting. And the twins; you own them.
As her comments sink in, the ground appears to move under me. Twinhood. My daughters. The ramifications are astounding; for a time I cannot find my voice.
"Are you sure?" My head whirling, I at last ask.
She nods and tears spring to her eyes. "Yes, I am certain. And Henry doesn't know as well. He is ignorant.
"Why did you wait to tell me?" My voice is more sharp than I want, and the shock and uncertainty flow over.
Her voice cracking, she continues, "I tried." Still, you drove me away. And then Wilson, I became afraid. Terrified of what Henry would do and of what this would mean for each of us.
I inhale deeply to try to sort everything. Emma, what do we do right now? How ought we to address this?
"I'm not sure," she says, clearly terrified. But we have to work through it. collectively.
The silence was broken before I could answer by the sound of a car drawing near. Turning to find a sleek black vehicle pulling up, its tinted windows hide the occupants. The doors open, and two men walk out with austere, concentrated looks.
One of them, Emma Larkin, says, her voice icy. Mr. Carter wishes to see you. These days.
Emma's face goes white, and she moves toward me automatically. "Wilson, please...,"
I advance, positioned between Emma and the men. "She is not traveling with you anywhere.
The men exchange a glance, then the one who spoke steps forward and points a gun at me. "Don't complicate matters, Sinclair. Not your struggle.
Like hell it isn't, I growl, my adrenaline rising. Get behind me, Emma.
The next several seconds blur movement and sound. One of the guys charges Emma, and I instinctively tackle him to the ground. The gun sounds thunderous in the still night. My shoulder hurts, but I continue since my only thought is to shield Emma.
"Run!"; I yell, grappling with the man under me.
Emma pauses momentarily then turns and disappears into the night. The second man goes after her, but I shove him off balance to give her some valuable seconds.
Stars burst behind my eyes as the man carrying the gun bangs his fist into my face. Sinclair, you are seriously erasing a mistake.
I mutter, spitting blood, "maybe." "But it's my mistake to make."
The fight goes on, but my will is starting to fade. I know I can't hold out much more; the agony in my shoulder is great. Emma has to be given an opportunity to flee, though, to shield our kids.
I hear the wail of sirens far away as my vision blurs. The men glance at each other, then rush to their feet and back to their car. Glaring at me, the one carrying the gun seems to be intending retribution.
He snarls before they head off, "This isn't over," leaving me battered and bleeding on the ground.
Hours later, I wake in a hospital bed, my shoulder bandaged and throbbing. The room is poorly lit, and a nurse stands by the door, her demeanor sympathetic.
"Mr. Sinclair, you're lucky to be alive," she continued. "The police are here, and they have some questions for you."
I nod, still foggy in my head from medicine and suffering. Emma...is she safe?
The nurse assures me she is fine. She left. But you need to focus on getting better. You've been through a lot."
As the nurse steps out to fetch the police, I close my eyes, relief and determination flooding through me. Emma and the twins are safe, for now.
Blurb: I never believed in fate-not until the night he rejected me. It wasn't intended to happen this way. As the daughter of the Alpha's right hand, I got all I wanted. But when I was claimed by my mate, I felt nothing could destroy us-until he tossed me aside. Now, months later, I'm not only a rejected mate, but a mother. My life was meant to end, but fate has a strange way of keeping things concealed in the shadows. When the reality comes tumbling down, and I realize I have three hidden triplets, the world I thought I knew starts to disintegrate. They are powerful, deadly, and more than I can manage. But so is he. I never anticipated the same man who abandoned me to pop up in my life again, wanting forgiveness for his treachery. But there's more at play than I could've guessed. Powerful foes are closing in, wanting my children and the power they carry. I'll have to pick whether to trust the one who rejected me or risk everything on my own.
Years couldn't erase the love we shared, but will betrayal keep us apart forever? He seemed to me always as my forever-the one who saw, comprehended, and illuminated my life. But permanently broken the evening I came across his deception. I left behind a love as delicate as it was ferocious when I turned away Ethan Sinclair. I suppressed the hurts he left on my heart and lived without him for years. Fate now has brought us back together. He is colder, more forceful, and dangerously irresistible; he is no guy I once loved. But the same fire blazes in his eyes when he stares at me. Ethan claims he wants a second shot, but how can I believe the man who broke me? Love and hatred blurs when secrets fall apart and old betrayals surface. It is more difficult for me to recall why I left the deeper I slid back into his arms. But the truth has a way of undermining whatever we reconstruct. Are we meant to be split once more, this time permanently, or may we write another story?
Blurb: When Valentina Russo registered at university under a different name, she felt she had left the stifling world of her family's terrible past. She hides from the demons of her past by blending into university life as a quiet librarian assistant. Her delicate calm is destroyed, though, when she is drawn back into the world she so nervously sought to escape-one governed by secrets, power, and blood. Then meet Luca DeLuca, cold, merciless, and hiding his actual identity as the heir to one of the most strong mafia families. Luca, sometimes known on campus as the friendly but enigmatic transfer student, keeps his double life secret and acts as an average student by day and mafia prince by night. Valentina becomes the key to strengthening a weak partnership between their warring families when he learns her actual name. Luca suggests a deal-a flash marriage neither of which she can escape-to rescue his enterprise. Valentina finds herself caught in Luca's perilous world after being compelled into a transactional marriage with a man she hardly knows. But her uncovering of Luca's secret identities causes their illicit attraction to blossom, transcending obligation and risk. Secrets threaten to pull them apart; enemies from both their families show up; and the line between love from betrayal gets blurry. In a game when loyalty kills, can Valentina survive long enough to take back her life and her heart? And will Luca stay faithful to the empire that made him, or will he give all to guard the lady he is beginning to love? Stakes have never been more in a world where love and power coexist. And just one can emerge victorious.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
"We are divorced, Adams." She sighed and wanted to walk away, but he held her. "It doesn't matter." He answered, his voice laced with determination. "I don't love you anymore." "That doesn't matter either. What matters is that I want you, and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it." ***** Alicia's life has been a series of ups and downs. She suffered abuse from her husband and his family because she couldn't give him a child. She thought she had seen it all, but not until the day she returned home only to receive the divorce papers from her husband's parents. She pleaded with them, but was met with deaf ears, and so she signed the documents and left. Little did anyone know that she was pregnant. She returned six years later with her baby girl only to find her Ex-husband craving her once more. How will she take this, and what other surprises does fate have in stock for her?
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?
The day Raina gave birth should have been the happiest of her life. Instead, it became her worst nightmare. Moments after delivering their twins, Alexander shattered her heart-divorcing her and forcing her to sign away custody of their son, Liam. With nothing but betrayal and heartbreak to her name, Raina disappeared, raising their daughter, Ava, on her own.Years later, fate comes knocking when Liam falls gravely ill. Desperate to save his son, Alexander is forced to seek out the one person he once cast aside. Alexander finds himself face to face with the woman he underestimated, pleading for a second chance-not just for himself, but for their son. But Raina is no longer the same broken woman who once loved him.No longer the woman he left behind. She has carved out a new life-one built on strength, wealth, and a long-buried legacy she expected to uncover.Raina has spent years learning to live without him.The question is... Will she risk reopening old wounds to save the son she never got to love? or has Alexander lost her forever?
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"