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"I have fallen into the enemy's dungeon and there is no escape route. Truth can be buried in darkness, flesh can be devoured by flames however fate will not because the wind will plant the seeds of truth by making it sprout. I will never give in to fate. I, Amanda Romanus, will be back from the shackles of death." ~~~~~ Trapped in a gilded cage, Amanda Romanus is treated like a slave by the family she once trusted. But when she uncovers the shocking truth behind her mother's death -A ruthless conspiracy for power - Amanda's world is turned upside down. Realizing that she was surrounded by treacherous individuals and driven by anger and thirst to avenge her mother's death, Amanda Romanus made a bold move, coercing the enigmatic billionaire, Gabriel Slade, to a marriage contract to swing the tides to her favor and get back at her two-faced family for their previous evil actions and conspiring to kill her. With only her wit, courage, and newfound alliance with Gabriel, Amanda sets out to exact revenge on those who wronged her. Will Amanda be able to cast an evil eye on her once upon a time family or will her quest for vengeance destroy everything she holds dear?"
Amanda
The cold, harsh wind swept through my body as I realized I was far away from the wolves in human form. My feet carried me forward, pushing hard as I willed myself to run faster and further away from the wolves in human form.
I made my way to the warehouse not far from the Romanus mansion. I thought that was a safe place to hide. I reached out for my phone quickly as soon as I entered the old warehouse which looked shabby.
Settling on an old leather seat which reeked of anile smell, I dialed my best friend, Sophia's number which turned out to be unreachable.
I am Amanda Romanus, and this is my story. The fact is, I never thought my life would turn out like this.
What more could I have expected from life itself?
My father married my mother twenty-five years ago but she never knew my father was already married. She only managed to find out after giving birth to me, who happened to be their only child together.
My stepmother had two daughters - Ava and Amelia - and we all lived in harmony and peace but everything changed a year ago.
I lost my mother, ousted from a place I called mine, and I was also on the verge of death, a ghastly car accident.
Three days earlier, I received an unsolicited offer to be the event planner for a fashion show hosted by Gabriel Slade - One of the richest men in New York. I worked non-stop day and night to make sure the event was successful even though I was one of the city's most-sorted event planners.
Mia Sharma, the Indian-American model I hired, couldn't make it to the event a few hours ago because she was involved in an accident. Taking the advice of Amelia and my best friend, Sophia, I decided to be the model for the event.
Before I knew it, I was recognized by one of the guests in attendance. The security guards grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the entrance. The remaining guards successfully stopped Amelia from reaching out to me.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a resounding crash, and Gabriel Slade appeared. His eyes were the same as the color of storm clouds, his gaze, a swirling vortex of resolve and anger. He was in a simple yet professional outfit and he moved like an agile predator ready to strike. And with that, he saved me from going to jail for impersonation.
After what happened last night, I couldn't stop the fact that Marvin Romanus is my father. I saw the affection he had for me while I was being dragged, insulted, and assaulted at the event. Perhaps, he's become more human and would allow me back into the Romanus mansion.
Earlier, I went to the Romanus mansion only to hear my stepmother and daughter talk about their evil deeds. While I stealthily found my way down the stairs, I saw Wilde. I pretended as if nothing happened and that's how I found my way to where I am currently.
"Amanda, come out now. I know you are here." Ava's commanding voice echoed in my ear. "Wilde said you entered here," she announced. Wilde happens to be my father's driver, perhaps he is under the slavery of Ava and her mother.
"If you value your life, come out Amanda." Julienne Romanus screamed her voice out as usual.
I summoned a bit of courage to face them while I turned on the sound recorder on my mobile device for future reference. I stepped out of my hiding place demanding an explanation.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked but none of them replied.
"You killed my mother already, you ousted me from the family's house, you tried to murder me but I escaped... and you severed my ties with my father. Your mother took everything away from me, my father, my mother, my house, my joy, my happiness, everything. What else do you want?" I screamed facing Ava.
"I want you dead. Your existence does not allow me to breathe well. I despise you," Ava growled, moving towards me. "I don't like you and I never will," Ava continued.
"I should be the one hating you and your mother." I barked as tears brimmed my eyes.
"Everyone has to make a place for themselves in this world and I simply made mine. What's wrong with that?" Julienne questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
I recollected my senses, realizing I needed a way out. I took to my heels to escape until I heard a loud bell ringing in my ears and my legs turned numb. I wailed as I held onto my head till everything went dark.
After a couple of minutes, I heard a voice before I finally opened my eyes. "Mother, what should we do about her?"
"We can't keep her. To tell a lie, you have to say a hundred more. She should not have the right to speak ever again," Julienne issued a declaration.
"You mean..." Ava's voice trailed off.
"She knows too much, she must die. Furthermore, as long as she's alive, she will be a stumbling block on our path to success." Julienne stated.
They both turned sharply to my side. My eyes scanned their inhuman faces before I decided to move, however I had been tied down. A muscle was far too hard for me to move.
Tightening my grip on the edge of the silver dress I wore, my heart pounded against my chest.
"You betrayed me?" I asked, trembling.
Ava brought her mouth closer to my ear, her voice cacophonous, "Betraying a friend is called being a traitor, and betraying an enemy is called a strategy. You were never my friend, you were always a foe." She said while I try to process everything from the past.
It was because of these people my father turned my mother into a punching bag. It was because of these people my father embarrassed me on my eighteenth birthday.
What exactly happened?
That's an answer none of us could provide to this very day. Noah, my boyfriend then tried to molest her. All the blame was put on me. Julienne cried, attracting the attention of the guests.
In a twinkle of an eye, I received two slaps from my father. I knew better to keep quiet than to talk. My mother was out of town so I was left alone.
I never thought they were my enemies. I never thought they could go as far as killing my mother even though she was the second wife.
"Bye Amanda," Julienne snapped, a playful expression on her face after dragging Ava along.
Wilde entered with a keg in his hand. He signaled to Julienne who understood. They stood at the entrance while Wilde sprinkled what he brought in.
My nose caught a deadly smell. "Petrol!" I gasped. "They aren't going to burn me, are they?" I muttered.
Wilde rushed to the entrance before he dipped his hand into his pocket. He brought out a silver lighter which flashed a reflection and made me shudder.
I looked around and feasted my eyes on the devilish faces who wouldn't help but impatiently watch me burn in pain.
"Please, don't kill me," I begged but no one seemed to hear my voice which trailed off gradually, perhaps they heard but decided to ignore my cries.
Wilde lit up the lighter and dropped it into the liquid on the floor.
Lightning struck which created a tense environment. Heaven's cloud opened, hinting at the impending rain. The fire started to burn slowly, the plastics gummed to each other due to the heat.
"Is this how it is all going to end? No! It can't be." I pondered.
Life is a circle of happiness, sadness, hard times, and good times. But everything carries both fortune and misfortune.
My mother was killed and I got to know the truth yet I became the victim. The lines on our palms decide our destiny. Mine is not cleared and death is predestined yet uncertain.
In the face of my enemies, I will not shrink back. No matter how many years it will take, I will come back to seek revenge. I have the blood of my mother in me and I swear with her blood that I will finish them all and put an end to the saga of their sins.
I have fallen into the enemy's dungeon and there is no escape route. Truth can be buried in darkness, flesh can be devoured by flames however faith will not. The wind will plant the seeds of truth but time will make it sprout.
One day, I will show up again and claim every single thing that belonged to me. Whatever brings one down, raises one. Even heaven will not stop me from claiming what is rightfully mine.
I will be back to convert relationships into enmity, prosperity into destruction, happiness into tears, life into death, and love into revenge.
A verbal vow means nothing but I, Amanda Romanus, will change this. I will be back from the shackles of death.
I vowed before my back hit the floor suffocated by the smoke.
His eyes burned with a fire that felt ancient, untouchable. "You're addicted to me," he murmured, his voice a deadly whisper. "And I'm addicted to breaking you. I'm the devil in your hell, and you... you're the angel in my chaos. But in your gaze, I see the beginning of my end." Fury coursed through me, mixing with a raw, undeniable fear. "I will destroy you!" I screamed, my voice crashing against the walls, each word a vow of vengeance. A twisted smile curved his lips, dark and dangerous. "Before you burn me to the ground," he breathed, his warmth sending shivers down my spine, "let me show you just how deeply pleasure and pain can intertwine." ~~~~~ Brinda Virginia's life has always been a battle - against fate, against time, against a heart that beats too weakly to keep up with her fire. Abandoned by her parents who feared her fragility, she was raised by the only person who ever truly loved her - her stepmother. But love has never been enough to stop fate's cruel hand. And now, with only seventy-two hours to save the woman who sacrificed everything for her, Brinda is drowning in desperation. Then he returns. A phantom from her past, draped in shadows, holding a bargain as twisted as the scars he left on her soul. To save her stepmother, Brinda must surrender. Her body. Her will. Herself. But surrender is never simple in a game of power, revenge, and dangerous desire. Because this man doesn't just want to own her - he wants to unmake her, unravel her, turn her fire to ash. And the most terrifying part? Find out!
While Sienna reached the pinnacle of her success, Julian remained the forgotten son of his family, the one who had secretly stolen her first kiss in the shadows of the night. As Sienna hit her darkest moment, Julian returned home, leaving his life behind, only to witness her tears glistening in the moonlight as she reluctantly accepted another man's proposal. When Sienna needed Julian more than ever, he had risen to a position of power and had become her most steadfast pillar of support. "Please marry me." There was no one else in the world who could love Sienna as deeply as Julian did.
"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?"
Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I’ll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
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."