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Jade never would have imagined herself caught in the merciless billionaire Alex Callahan. Their one-night meeting was supposed to be a daring getaway from her previous heartache, a brief relationship that would fade come morning. But her world spins on its axis when a turn of events leaves Jade with Alex's kid. Until he finds out she is pregnant, Alex was meant to be just another night. Trust is difficult after experiencing his own prior betrayals, particularly when he learns Jade has a connection to a former family scandal. Though she objects, hurt and mistrust drive him to withdraw himself and seek a quick divorce. Years later, sorrow biting at his conscience, Alex comes to see his faults. Resolved to win her back, he resurfaced in Jade's life, ready to mend their broken relationship and bring their kid forward together. But Jade has created a guarded, strong life of her own and she is no more ready to forgive as he attempts to undo the harm. Can they create something stronger from the ashes of treachery and retribution, or will their terrible past separate them?
Jade's POV
I ought to have turned aside. That was as straightforward as it sounds.
Laughter and conversation abound in the room as Manhattan's finest gathered under sparkling chandeliers clinking drinks. My heart thundered in my chest, every pulse serving as a reminder of the careless choice I was poised on. Having just spent a month at the firm, here I was standing outside the ballroom with a man whose jaw had sharp angles and piercing eyes that suggested menace.
Alex callahan.
Every gossip I had heard about him-calculating, brutal, feared-seemed ridiculous as he stood inches away, staring at me with an intensity that fixed me to the place. Every idea I tried to suppress appeared to be seen by those silver-blue eyes.
His voice was low, just above a whisper, dragging me in even further, "you never answered my question." Why had you left the house?
Heat raced up my neck, my mind whirled at the residual smell of his perfume. I ought to have been professional. I was expected to behave wisely and sensibly, defensively. I had a job to retain. And yet here I was, totally helpless two feet apart from him.
I managed, my voice trembling, "needed air." "Desired...space."
His lips quenched at a corner. He moved in closer, the gleam in his eyes suggesting he understood all I was not mentioning.
Me too, he said, his eyes never straying from mine. He raised his hand, waited for a beat as though allowing me to back away, then brushed a stray strand of hair off my cheek. I stopped breathing.
He remarked gently, "maybe we both needed the same thing."
I passed over an opportunity to respond. Not sure whether I could either. The heat of that moment appeared to destroy all of my resolve, boundaries, rationality, etc. And before I knew it, his lips were on mine, claiming them with a sharp, pent-up yearning that left me utterly caught in him.
His eyes darkened and a breathless smile slid over his lips as he retreated. "Come along."
Though my feet were already following him out of the ballroom, down the hall, and into the empty elevator, my heart was screaming "no." As the doors closed, locking us in, my pulse surged and he turned, his eyes never leaving mine.
My universe was permanently divided between before Alex Callahan and later at that point.
I should have been in some wonder waking up in a hotel suite that seemed taken right from a billionaire's fantasy. Rather, terror tore up my throat as the events of yesterday night returned, each second more stunning than the next.
"Get it together, Jade," I said, pulling on my night-wear from the previous evening. Still rumpled, I glanced over my shoulder to the bed where Alex had fallen asleep only a few hours ago.
Not even could I glance at him. I was not sure if he was still asleep or whether he was already staring at me with his all-knowing glance. But my eyes let me down. When I glanced at him at last, his face was calm, strangely youthful, in a way that defied the guy I had encountered yesterday night.
One night, the guy who had ripped through every barricade I had meticulously erected around me was asleep.
Breathing shakily, I tiptoed to the door, one hand grasping my shoes ready to flee before he woke up. a tidy retreat. I was in need of that. Neither "I'll call you" that both of us knew nor any uncomfortable goodbyes.
But his voice broke through the quiet as my fingers reached the door handle.
"Leaving so quickly?"
My heart stopped in its own time. I turned, the blood flowing from my face meeting his eyes. He was completely awake, those sharp eyes examining me with a serenity only to make me more embarrassed.
"Uh... I, um... I stuttered, then forced a grin, not wanting to upset you.
Alex wrinkled a brow, laughter flaring in his gaze. " disturb me?" That's a fresh one.
Though his voice was soft, his eyes were relentless, seeking as though he could see every idea flying through my thoughts. There was a part of me that wanted to grin, to seem as though this was usual, that last night did not complicate matters as they already were.
I should go, I replied, trying to keep my voice consistent. "I... this was a mistake."
He raised himself, slanted back against the headboard, the covers gathering around his waist. "Is that how you actually feel?"
"It's how I have to feel," I said, my voice more pointed than I wanted. Though anxiety was flooding me, a tidal wave I could not control, I hadn't intended to sound so icy. We both know last night meant nothing. We are really strangers.
He was not flinching, but something clouded in his eye. So is it?
Indeed, I said, attempting to swallow the knot in my throat. That is exactly what I mean.
With my heels booming against the frigid, empty corridor, each step counted down until I could lay this evening behind me. I turned and rushed out.
As the doctor said, I started to get light headed.
Pregnant?
"Yes," she said, a little smile on her lips as she handed me the exam findings. "About eight weeks."
The earth appeared to disappear underfoot. Eight weekends. My head raced back to that evening, to Alex, to the rash, careless choices I had worked so hard to ignore.
"What... what do I do now?" The query was hardly a whisper, focused more on me than on everybody else. But even as I asked, the response was beginning to shape my mind-a small, delicate hope that this may be the start of something different.
Then, though, a darker idea started to enter. Alex here. Did he not deserve to know? But I was scared thinking about informing him. I had not even given him another thought, and suddenly... this?
I stumbled out of the clinic clutching my bag as though it contained some sort of lifeline. Though my entire universe had shifted, the metropolis outside hummed on, unconcerned with my inner struggle.
My helper outside would have a few raised eyebrows from the impatient loud knock on my office door. I stayed focused on the papers strewn across my desk instead of bothering to search.
come in.
When the door opened, I anticipated a journalist, a board member, maybe even one of my rivals at last making a show. For Jade, I was not ready.
"Jade," I murmured, keeping the astonishment under control in my voice. My memory flashed unbidden thoughts of that evening. Her face was pale and strained, but those eyes still carried the fire I could not forget. She looked different than I recalled.
"Alex". Her voice was tight, little above a whisper, but her look had a steeliness I had not seen before.
Folding my hands and pointing for her to sit, I replied, "Not that I mind," then "but I didn't expect to see you here."
She continued there, staring at me, and for the first time I felt a little tremor of discomfort. She was not saying something, and it was chewing at her, generating a tension in the atmosphere I could not overlook.
Her voice faltered as though each syllable had more weight than the next, "I... I have something to tell you."
Then go on. Though I kept my face straight, I leaned forward and became interested.
"It's about that evening." Her eyes flicked away from me, and her fingers were quivering. My own pulse appeared to miss a beat.
I made myself cool under pressure. Anything it was, I would manage it.
At last, her voice was nothing more than a whisper, "I'm pregnant."
The words cut through the air like a dagger, and for a second I felt sure I hadn't heard her properly.
"Pregnant? My voice betrayed too raw, too real incredulity.
Indeed. Her eyes locked with me, and one could not misinterpret the truth in them. Shock, wrath, uncertainty collided inside me in an odd mixture of feelings. But more than that, something considerably more perilous.
An agony. One that had nothing to do with the obligations ahead, one I couldn't understand.
But time ran out to consider it. Jade straightened, the fragile lady replaced by someone stronger, her eyes narrowing to show a fire I had not seen before.
Her voice low and unbroken, "If you think I'm here to beg for anything," she added, "you're wrong." I am informing you as you are entitled to know. With it in mind.
She turned and left with that, leaving me with just questions-and the unavoidable sense that my world was about to undergo permanent transformation.
I never thought my neatly ordered existence to fall in one night. That night, the guy I only knew as Damon made me forget everything-my profession, my regulations, my values. He was intoxicating, dangerous, and completely immoral. We lost ourselves in the darkness, and before daybreak, he was gone, leaving me with nothing save a memory I pledged to forget. Months later, my business is on the point of failure, and the devil himself walks into my life again. This time, he's Damon St. Clair-tech tycoon, rich playboy, and now, the person offering a contract marriage to salvage my business. I have no alternative but to agree. But the limits between hatred and want blur rapidly. Damon isn't only the arrogant, vicious guy he pretends to be-he's the man I once loved and lost. He claims he wants to protect me. He says he wants to fix what he ruined. But when secrets unravel and betrayal resurfaces, I'm forced to reevaluate everything. He broke my heart once. Can I risk letting him do it again?
Lucia Balstone thought she had chosen the right man to spend the rest of her life with, but he was the one who ended her life. Their ten-year marriage seemed like a joke when her husband stabbed her with a dagger. Fortunately, God is never blind to people's tears. Lucia got a second chance. She was reborn at the age of 22, before all the terrible things had happened. This time, she was determined to avenge herself and let those who hurt her pay! She made an elaborate list of her goals, and the first thing on her list was to marry her ex-husband's enemy, Alonso Callen!
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
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?