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Lila Anderson accepts a convenient marriage to the enigmatic and aloof Ethan Cross with the expectation of living a life of solitude and silent sadness. She enters Ethan's world and is thrown into a mystery where love may be both dangerous and seductive. She soon finds out that their contract is more than just a signature on a piece of paper. In the contract signed lies the key to uncover the perilous mystery and past that Ethan cautiously protects from the outside world. Trust is slowly fading and enemies lurk in the shadows. Lila has to decide whether to fight for the love that could eventually save her and Ethan or allow the looming darkness engulf them permanently.
Lila Anderson occupied the elegant although impersonal office, sitting stiffly and staring at the document in front of her. The elegant pen she was holding felt far heavier than it ought to have.
Beside her, her father, Charles Anderson, towered over her, his presence as uncompromising as the circumstances he had forced upon her.
Charles encouraged her, "Lila, this is our only chance of survival," the look on his face caressing the scream of desperation in his voice.
Lila's chest tightened as she attempted to reconcile her emotions, giving a deep sigh. She was not interested in the contract-she didn't want to give herself to a man she knows nothing about, whose stories have been that of unpleasant mysteries.
Ethan Cross was a name that evoked equal great respect, dread, and curiosity, but to Lila, he was little more than a stranger. The things she'd heard portrayed a picture of a cold, calculating businessman who rarely expressed his actual feelings.
Her family had fallen from grace quickly and brutally. The Andersons were once the envy of their peers, with money and influence spanning multiple cities. However, poor investments, a collapsing economy, and a string of terrible occurrences had reduced them to mere shadows of their former selves. Debts accumulated, and creditors hovered like vultures.
Charles Anderson, a proud man, had attempted to preserve their history, but his efforts only served to hasten their demise. The Andersons were on the verge of disaster, and this marriage was their last, desperate hope.
Ethan Cross made an unexpected offer, and the terms were almost too good to be true. Too good, Lila reasoned, because they were. She saw that whatever was beneath the surface of this deal was considerably more harmful than her father was ready to admit.
Lila's mother died when she was still a kid, leaving her to grow up in her father's harsh, emotionless environment. Charles was a businessman; love was not a currency he dealt in. Lila grew up surrounded by icy elegance, learning at a young age that duty came before desire. But she never dreamed that duty would call for a marriage of convenience with a man like Ethan Cross.
She looked at her father, noting that the hard lines on his face had become deeper with anxiety and time. He was a man who had battled tooth and nail to keep their family's status, and the weight of his failures weighed heavily on him now.
Lila experienced a twinge of guilt. She'd never been able to meet his expectations, never been the daughter he expected. This marriage was his final hope, and she couldn't bring herself to end it, even if it meant giving up her own happiness.
Lila's pulse skipped a beat as the office door creaked open quietly. Ethan Cross entered, immediately controlling the room. Tall and immaculately dressed, he emanated a cool, controlled assurance that sent shivers down Lila's spine. His dark hair was nicely brushed, and his piercing grey eyes scanned through the room before settling down on her.
"Lila," he nodded to her, his voice velvety soft but with a sharp edge that pierced the atmosphere. "Mr. Anderson." With deliberate and calculated movements, Ethan moved like a man who was always three steps ahead. He sat down opposite Lila, his eyes never leaving hers.
She sensed the weight of his scrutiny, as though he was evaluating her and determining her value in ways that were beyond her comprehension.
"It's a simple contract," Ethan stated, passing her a second copy. "But there are certain aspects you should be aware of."
Lila reached for the document, her fingers shaking, then stopped and looked at her father. He nodded slightly to her, his face expression vague. Taking a deep breath, Lila opened the contract and skimmed over the legalese that merged into one in her mind.
Everything, including the terms and conditions, and their respective roles under the contract was simply spelt out in details.
But as she approached the finish line, she felt something else that made her heart race. Ethan made a short step forward and remarked in a hushed, almost mischievous tone.
"This is not just an ordinary marriage, Lila. The papers before you contain in them some secret consequences that you'll come to find out later. You don't understand what they are right now, but you definitely will, sooner or later."
As Lila's mind raced, the room looked to shrink, with walls closing in on her.
She looked up at Ethan to see maybe she could grasp a hint of what he meant from his expression, but his face was a mask. She could only see what he wanted her to see.
"What do you mean?" Lila asked, her voice just above a whisper, filled with curiosity.
But Ethan replied, with a small smirk on his face, "All is fine, he winked. All you just have to do now is sign the papers."
Lila grabbed the pen to sign, her hands shaking heavily. Her instincts whispers to her to reject it and flee. But what could she really do? The sense of duty and devotion to family, and the weight of her father's expectations that had clinged on her for as long as she could remember held her back.
She sighed! A feeling of closure washed over her as the drew out the pen to sign. She felt the door to a life she once knew closed, and another where she didn't know will end opened.
After signing the contract, Ethan leaned over the table to retrieve the papers, her father gave a relief sigh.
"Welcome to the family Mrs. Cross", he nodded, with a small grin on his lips that didn't get to his face.
Lila narrowed her gaze on the man that just became wedded to. She couldn't believe what had just happened to her, unable to shake off the ominous feelings that perplexed her. She gnashed her teeth.
Ethan stood up to go away, but hesitated and gave her a look that hinted at things to come-something she wasn't sure she was prepared to face. With a silky as ever voice, he remarked, "Remember, Lila, this is just the beginning."
He then walked away, leaving Lila to bear the consequences of her own choice. She remained bound in her seat for a long time, confused of what to think or say.
What exactly had she consented to signing the contract? What were the hidden meanings underlying the words she hardly knew?
As she sat there, the ink on the contract was still drying, Lila knew her life would never be the same again. She'd entered into a marriage that was far more than a contract. Every step she made drew her deeper into the dark and twisted center of this labyrinth of secrets.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
"Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice." My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks. Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna. **** Emily never shifted on her 18th birthday and became the laughingstock of the pack. When her old crush, Alexander Black, returns from Alpha Training, she never expected him to be her mate. After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that young Alpha Alexander has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, Emily runs off and disappears from the pack. Now, five years later, Emily is a high-ranking warrior in King Alpha's army, specializing in sensitive matters. When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate, Alexander. Will Alexander figure out it is Emily? Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
"I'm going to tell you what I have in mind," he murmured. "First you're going to strip down until you're completely naked," he whispered against her ear. "Then I'm going to tie you up so you're completely powerless and subject to my every whim." "Mmm, sounds good so far," she murmured. "Then I'm going to insert a plug to prepare you for me. After that I'm going to spank that sweet ass of yours until it's rosy with my marks." She shivered uncontrollably, her mind exploding with the images he evoked. She let out a small whimper as he sucked the lobe of her ear into his mouth. God, she could cum with just his words. She was already aching with need. Her nipples tingled and hardened to painful points. Her clit pulsed and twitched between her legs until she clamped her thighs together to alleviate the burn. "And then I'm going to f**k your mouth. But I won't cum. Not yet. When I'm close, I'll flog you again until your ass is burning and you're on fire with the need for relief. And then I'm going to f**k that ass. I'm going to take you hard and rough, to the very limits of what you can withstand. I won't be gentle. Not tonight. I'm going to take you as roughly as you can stand. And then I'm going to cum all over your ass. Are you ready to be completely and utterly dominated?"
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
[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!"