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Nevaeh Spencer is ready for a fresh start. Seattle's prestigious university exchange program is supposed to be her dream come true: new city, new friends, new adventures. But her world is shattered on her first night when a horrifying encounter with a deranged security guard leaves her shaken. Determined to regain her strength and independence, Nevaeh is thrust into a world of glittering skyscrapers and high-stakes boardrooms when she crosses paths with the one and only Aiden Klein. Aiden Klein is Seattle's most elusive billionaire. Brilliant, dangerously handsome, and emotionally hardened, he's a man who hides his scars behind layers of wealth and cold indifference. Ever since he was left broken at the altar, he has vowed never to let anyone close again. But when a chance encounter with a laughing, blue-eyed stranger turns his life upside down, Aiden finds his carefully controlled world slipping through his fingers. As Nevaeh and Aiden's lives become dangerously intertwined, they must navigate a minefield of betrayal, temptation, and trust. Can a traumatized girl and a broken billionaire find solace in each other-or will their pasts tear them apart before they have a chance to heal?
Nevaeh's POV
Sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains of Nevaeh's apartment, throwing golden patches across the pristine white bedding she'd barely slept in. She sat on the edge of her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, clutching a brown teddy bear her dad had given her years ago. Her heart still raced with the ghost of last night's terror.
"Pull it together, Nevaeh," she muttered to herself, rocking back and forth. Her voice trembled, though she willed herself to sound steady. "Today is a big day. You can't fall apart now."
But falling apart was tempting. The events from the night before looped through her mind like a horror movie she couldn't escape from: the bedroom door crashing open, the weight of the intruder's hands on her leg, the sheer panic that had set every nerve in her body on fire. If the security team hadn't arrived when they did...
She squeezed the bear tighter, then let out a shaky breath. No. She wasn't going to let last night define her. Not when she had worked so hard to get here. Not when she had a fresh start waiting just outside her door. If she let herself stay scared, then that psycho security guard would win.
"Not happening," she said with a false bravado that even her teddy bear didn't seem to buy.
In the bathroom, Nevaeh splashed cold water on her face, the droplets clinging to her pale skin. She examined herself in the mirror: tousled blonde hair, dull blue eyes, and a complexion that had lost all its summer glow. It wasn't the look she'd hoped to debut on her first day of university.
"Great," she mumbled. "Now you look like a ghost on top of everything else."
Determined, she threw on her favorite white t-shirt and high-waisted jeans, accessorizing with a blue cardigan that gave her some semblance of warmth and comfort. The moment she looked halfway presentable, she hurried to the kitchen, her stomach growling. But the toast she made tasted like cardboard, and the coffee did little to calm her frayed nerves.
Her phone buzzed, and she jumped so hard she almost spilled her coffee. With a groan, she checked it: just a reminder from the university's orientation group chat. People were buzzing with excitement, trading tips about campus hotspots and talking about meeting up. The normalcy of it was almost laughable.
She placed her phone down and forced herself to breathe. "You can do this," she whispered. But the pep talk didn't quite sink in.
The elevator ride down felt like stepping into a pit of anxiety. The shiny, mirrored walls reflected her jittery expression back at her, and she hated it. Her mind raced with a thousand worries, but she was determined not to show it.
As the doors slid open to the bustling lobby, Nevaeh took a steadying breath and stepped out. The marble floors gleamed under the morning light, and she could see residents hurrying out to their cars, chatting or checking their watches. It should have been comforting. It wasn't.
"Miss Spencer!" A familiar voice rang out, and her heart sank.
Mr. Collins, the head of security, approached, looking like he hadn't slept a wink. The lines on his face were deeper than ever, and his eyes carried a weariness that mirrored her own.
"Good morning," he said, though his voice had none of the cheer a good morning should have.
"Morning," Nevaeh replied, her forced smile feeling more like a grimace.
Mr. Collins hesitated. "I just wanted to check in on you after... everything." He seemed genuinely remorseful. "We're so sorry for what happened. There's no excuse. Nico has been arrested, and the building's owner is furious. He insisted on coming down himself to apologize."
"The owner?" Nevaeh echoed, her brows lifting in surprise. The owner of the building was Aiden Klein, the reclusive, ridiculously wealthy CEO who was rumored to be as handsome as he was ruthless. The kind of man whose mere presence made people either fawn or run for cover.
"Yes," Mr. Collins said, looking down at his clipboard. "He'll be here shortly. He's not one to let things slide."
Nevaeh swallowed hard. An apology from a billionaire sounded intimidating, to say the least. "That's really not necessary," she said. "I just... I want to move on."
Mr. Collins gave her a sad, understanding nod. "Of course. But if you ever need anything..."
"I'll let you know," Nevaeh promised. She offered him a polite nod and hurried toward the glass doors, desperate for air.
Outside, the city buzzed with life. Traffic blared, people laughed, and a street musician played an upbeat tune that clashed with the storm still raging in Nevaeh's chest. She took a deep breath, letting the brisk air sting her lungs, hoping it might clear her head.
"Fresh start," she reminded herself. "New day."
But fate, as it turned out, had other plans.
A sleek black car pulled up to the curb with the kind of smoothness that screamed luxury. The back door opened, and out stepped a man who commanded the entire sidewalk's attention. Aiden Klein.
Nevaeh had heard about him, seen his face in business magazines and whispered about in news articles. But seeing him in person was... something else. He was tall, with a lean, athletic build that his tailored gray suit couldn't quite hide. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place, and his amber eyes scanned the street like he was searching for a target. Or a victim.
He looked exactly like someone who had conquered the world and wasn't impressed by it anymore. And right now, he looked furious.
Nevaeh tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to. She turned her attention back to the street, hoping to disappear into the crowd. But just as she was about to cross, a sudden commotion made her stop in her tracks.
A dog walker with a half-dozen unruly leashes had lost control of her charges. Three fluffy dogs broke free, yipping and racing in all directions. One tiny, ferociously determined Pomeranian headed straight for Aiden.
What happened next was a spectacle.
Aiden, the billionaire known for striking fear into the hearts of CEOs and investment moguls, stumbled back as the tiny dog launched itself at his polished leather shoes. His commanding presence vanished, replaced by a look of utter disbelief. He hopped back, trying to fend off the dog without dropping his leather briefcase.
Nevaeh's mouth fell open, and before she could stop herself, laughter burst out of her. Loud, uncontrollable laughter that echoed across the street. Her fear, her nerves, the tension-it all melted away in that one absurd moment. The terrifying, all-powerful Aiden Klein being taken down by a dog the size of a handbag.
Aiden's head snapped up, his amber eyes locking onto her. His expression went from shocked to... something else. Something unreadable.
Nevaeh's laughter died in her throat, and her face went beet red. Oh no. Oh no, oh no. She had just laughed-out loud-at one of the most powerful men in the city.
"Sorry," she squeaked, clutching her bag to her chest like a shield. Before he could react, she turned and practically sprinted down the street, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.
The city noise swallowed her up, but she could feel his gaze on her back long after she'd turned the corner. Great. Just fantastic. One night of terror and a morning of humiliation. If this was what living in Seattle was going to be like, she was in for a wild ride.
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
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!”
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.
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
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."