JUST ONE RECORDED NIGHTSTAND WITH A STRANGER.. was all Adeline intended in using as a scandal for her arranged wedding to be called off.. However, fate had other plans.. She ended up getting pregnant for the stranger whom she already parted ways with.. Years later,Just when she resigned herself to solo parenthood, she meets her baby's father who now has no memories of her nor the nightstand.. But that's not the worst of it.. He turned out to be the lover her ruthless female boss was always talking about.. Passion re-ignites.. Secrets explode.. Rivalry intensifies.. Hatred darkens and Adeline's tangled emotions mirror the chaos.. Can love's complexity surpass this?..
•CHAPTER ONE•
A wedding to undo..
Thump.. Thump.. Thump..
My heart pounded wildly as a crippling horror overwhelmed me like a cold flu. Trembling hands portrayed my shock and a headache from nowhere intensified the distress in me..
What is more nightmarish than having a shocking discovery exactly three days to your wedding?..
'Project Elysium relies on Adeline's DNA. Her rare gene is suitable for the creation of the apocalypse serum. All that remains is extracting her blood..'
Those lines in the letter I was holding echoed in my head like it had been read out to me..
I couldn't help being breathless..
"My arranged wedding is solely to satisfy the selfish intentions of my father in-law!!" I screamed inwardly in both horror and shock..
I knew my father in-law, Gerald Bills was a genetic engineer but... using my blood for the creation of an apocalypse serum?!!
"My life is at risk!" I mumbled breathlessly as the words he said to me a few weeks ago echoed in my head..
"My son, Xander, would be returning to California on the agreed wedding date and you'll be meeting him at the altar.."
I really thought I'd experienced the worst thing when my father betrothed me to a man I haven't even met before, but what is this realization compared to the betrothal?!..
"Adele?.." I heard a familiar voice say from the door and I quickly slipped the paper into my pockets, turning towards the door quickly.
As expected, Jemimah walked in. She was my betrothed fiance's younger sister and was used to shortening my name.
Was she aware of her father's plans too?...
"Hi Jemimah.."
"Dad informed me of your presence when I called" she said and with a forced smile, I nodded.
"Yeah. I came to give him the bill of expenses drafted by the event planner and since he wasn't home, he asked me to drop it in the letter box in his study room" I explained, trying my best not to show the hatred I'd now grown for their family in the last one minute.
"Oh, okay. I need to show you something" she said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me out of the room.
"Your shoes got delivered already and you need to try them on" she said as we walked towards the ballroom located at the end of the lobby..
"Oh Adeline, all thanks to your curiosity to know what's written in the hundreds of letters in that box, else you wouldn't have known this!" A voice in me winced and I pressed my lips together.
"Dad had been so careless to arrange a wedding for me to marry a devil's son. This wedding mustn't be held!I can't lose my life to some deadly creation that's even dangerous to the world!" I thought.
"Zara heels as demanded.." Jemimah smiled as she pulled me to a seat in the room, unsealing the shoe box.
The shoe fitted me perfectly but I didn't like it a single bit, certainly because of my new discovery.
"You'll surely make a good bride Adele" she smiled, staring at the elegance of the shoes in my feet.
"Of course but definitely not to your brother or family," I replied within me.
"I need to get going now, I have to meet the fashion designer to wear my dress and confirm its fitting before the designs are being finalized" I said, getting up and pulling off the shoes.
"Oh dear, I would have loved to come with you but I haven't made dad's meal yet and you know the maids don't make his meals" she said and I nodded.
"It's fine, no qualms" my response contrasted with the 'I don't want your company, either' on my mind.
I left their house after forcing myself to give her a warm embrace and on getting to the parking lot, I wasted no time in driving out immediately.
My heart didn't for a second stop racing and I could feel my body shivering lightly at the dread the discovery gave..
How could Gerald be this cruel?!..
My best friend's call came in before I could dial her number and without hesitation, I swiped green..
"Babe?" I called in a questioning tone on hearing her sniffs.
"You aren't crying, are you?" I asked, driving with one hand like a pro.
"Frank is preparing to send me divorce papers" she said, crying out loud and I gasped immediately, forgetting my own problems for a minute.
"What? Why?" I questioned all at once.
For crying out loud, she got married just six months ago!
"He got pictures of my intimacy with a man" she said and I gasped again
"What?!"
"I was drugged I swear" she sobbed.
"When I got sane, I met myself naked but with no one around and when Frank came home, he showed me the pictures of all I senselessly did with the strange man. My marriage is about to be dissolved, Adeline. It was a set up!" she cried.
Her words sparked something within me at that instant..
"Pictures of her intimacy with a stranger could ruin her marriage?" I found myself saying in a whisper.
And immediately, an epiphany struck, causing my eyes to widen..
"I can literally sabotage my wedding too!" I gasped.
"Huh?.." I heard her voice but I wasn't even bothered by her words, all I was focused on was the idea in my mind..
"All I need to do is to fabricate similar evidence and find a way to send it to my so-called fiance who has never even bothered to communicate when I didn't, then this whole wedding is canceled.. " I thought.
Perfect!
"..after all, we haven't met nor grown feelings yet, all I did was to obey my dad by agreeing to the betrothal since I had no love life and because I wanted my marriage to improve my family's financial status." I thought again.
"Adeline, aren't you going to say anything" her words snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Oh.. uhn.. I'm sorry, I –" my stutter was interrupted by a sudden jolt that made my heart sink.
"Damn!" I cussed, throwing off my phone immediately without even ending the call.
I turned off the car engine and opened the car without hesitation, alighting quickly.
I'd been so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't notice myself driving out of my lane until I bumped into someone's car.
"Are you nuts!" a young guy cussed as he alighted from the black sedan car which I'd just bumped into..
I sighed, realizing the effect of the bumping. It was a glaring scratch on the car's pristine surface and the destruction of its full light bulb.
"I'm sorry, I was so distracted and –"
"So distracted that you stupidly moved out of your lane?" The tall guy interrupted and I rolled my eyes.
What the hell!
"I'm not stupid, okay?" I replied, scoffing at nature's decision to bless such an arrogant guy with such cuteness.
Other road users fixed their gazes on us and made me feel embarrassed.
"So what? You're dumb?!" he scoffed and I instantly got pissed.
"I just apologized, what more do you want huh? Stop raining insults like they are anthems!" I retorted, scowling at him and he scoffed again.
"Do you realize that you just ruined my car? Huh!" he yelled and I sighed.
"And I said sorry, what else should I do!" I raised my voice too. I wasn't a fan of arrogant men so his personality annoyed me.
"Pay for a new one" he replied quickly, almost interrupting.
I raised my brows.
"Buy you a new car?" I asked to be sure I hadn't heard him wrongly.
"You heard me," he replied with an unfriendly expression.
I scoffed for the third time. Was he insane?
"Where the hell am I supposed to get that kind of money from? I'm even still paying my car's debt!" I said and he smirked.
"Does it look like I care? When you knew how weak your financial strength is, why didn't you drive like a normal person?" he bluntly spoke again.
"A mistake Mr. Arrogant, M I S T A K E!" I spelt.
"I can only afford to pay for its repair, I only damaged the front part, not the whole car, okay!" I added without any hint of soberness. He didn't deserve any bit of it after all.
"I demand for a new car, you can have this if you want" he said, pointing to his car.
I sighed frustratingly.
"I thought the number of mad people in the country had reduced already, why does he still exist?" I mumbled.
"I don't have such money" I said simply.
"Then sell off every valuables you have to pay" he raised his voice for the umpteenth time this evening..
"I can't sell my properties because of you," I said firmly.
"Then pay with a service, just do something!" he replied and I raised my brows immediately.
'A service?'
"Does he mean a nightstand?" I thought, remembering that men usually termed it that way.
Wait..
I gasped.
"Is this an opportunity from the heavens to get some pictures to sabotage my wedding?" I thought, widening my eyes even more.
Oh my..
"Do you do virgins 'cause I'm still one?" I jolted out of my thoughts and I saw his eyes widen.
His expression meant two things..
"Are you – " he scoffed. He didn't speak loudly nor yell this time.
"I'm talking about you working for me for a particular period of time" he said, clarifying his previous statement.
I bit my lip, mouthing an 'ohh'
"No Adele, you can't let this opportunity slide, you should use him for the scandal" a voice in me whispered.
I breathed..
"I can always satisfy your sexual desires. I'm fine with whatever number of rounds you demand for, that's the only service I can render"my lips moved before I could realize.
He stared at me speechlessly and feeling satisfied with his silence, I smirked.
"I'll take your silence as a Yes" I said, trying not to be ashamed.
Silence.
..and with that, I spoke again.
"Royal hotels, 8pm tonight. I'll be waiting at the reception"
•BLURB• My sole intention was to sabotage my arranged marriage by sparking a scandal. I slept with someone to make this work, expecting no consequences. However, fate had other plans.. I realized I was pregnant after we already parted ways. Years later, just when I resigned myself to solo parenthood, my paths crossed with his again but this time, he had no memories of me nor that night.. The twist? He's the lover my ruthless female boss has always been talking about. What's this crack in my heart?.. These butterflies in my belly whenever we meet?.. I have his baby, but he's getting married soon! Can love's complexity surpass this?..
Claire Fanie believed she and Jona Harrow were soulmates, destined to be together as the Luna and alpha of their pack. They represented hope and unity, meant to lead people towards strength and harmony. Everything changes in a moment. Then Jona rejects her love and breaks her forever, destroying Claire's world to pieces. Claire has been betrayed by the one she loved, and her best friend, Laura Jossie, and now finds herself in the wild, where she must battle her greatest fears alone. Free from her identity, by night and day she must wrestle with the darkness that threatens to swallow her spirit; she'll survive the brutal elements for eleven days. Wild beasts and the haunting echoes of her past test her resilience every day. The girl who had once so desperately wanted to be accepted becomes a fierce survivor. When she returns to the village, Claire isn't who she used to be, not just in appearance, but in the way she acts. She's been hardened by the trials in the wild and hardened her - scars visible and hidden. The home she returns to, however, is no longer welcoming. People hear whispers about her and rumors, and they poison the minds of those who used to be her family. Claire thinks she might get away, but it soon begins to unravel the truth and there are lies and betrayal at the core of it all. As she confronts the reality of her shattered relationships, she faces a pivotal question: will the weight of her past devour her completely, or will she regain her fate and the love she once believed to be set in her past? This is the story of Claire in a kingdom besieged by doubt, lies, and love across these lines. The lines between friend and foe are blurred, and she must learn how to truly become a Luna again. To do so, she must embrace the strength inside her first and face the darkness that lies ahead. Claire's story is all about her fascinating journey of self-discovery, love, and redemption, and every choice she makes could be for salvation or destruction.
The world of Kae Thompson shattered when Lucas Ross, who was supposed to be her true mate and future Alpha, rejected her on her 21st birthday. Kae was devastated, making decisions to leave the pack and build a new life in the city. Five years later, Kae thrives as a freelance journalist, but her werewolf nature remains dormant. Lucas, the alpha of the BloodMoon pack, appears with a revealing shocking truth. Lucas's rejection was forced by his father's dying wish, protecting her from an ancient prophecy: "The Alpha's Mate" will bring destruction or salvation". As Kae and Lucas navigate their growing feelings for each other they must confront the true meaning of the prophecy. Will Kae forgive Luca's past rejections and accept her destiny? And what secrets lie hidden in the prophecy? Will Kae's werewolf nature be her salvation or downfall? And what were the Alpha's mistakes?
In New Haven, emotions aren't just felt-they're controlled and sold. Kira, one of the city's top emotion engineers, makes her living by creating emotions for others, but her own heart feels empty. Everything changes when she crosses paths with Aether, a rebel who's determined to destroy the system that took everything from him.At first, their connection is full of hate. Kira sees Aether as a threat, and Aether blames people like Kira for turning emotions into a tool for control. But as they're forced to work together, their hatred starts to turn into something much deeper.However, in a world where feelings are manipulated, love is a dangerous thing. Kira's rival, Selene, will do anything to keep them apart, while the mysterious Puppet Master-the one pulling the strings behind New Haven's emotion trade-won't let anyone disrupt his control.Now, Kira and Aether must decide if their love can survive in a world where every emotion has a price, or if it will be shattered by the very forces they're fighting against.
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."