"You're marrying well, Vera. Ivan's family is influential. Don't embarrass us." - Vera's Mother "But Mother, I don't love him. I don't even know him!" - Vera "Love is a luxury we can't afford. Your duty is to secure our family's future." - Vera's Mother But fate had other plans. "Who are you?" Vera whispered, her voice trembling as a stranger's hands explored her body. "I'm the one who'll change your life forever," he replied, his eyes burning with desire. Little did Vera know, that stranger was Ivan, her future husband. Vera is a young, beautiful and talented girl. Raised by her family she grew to be hardworking and loved by everyone around her. Bored with a kind heart, she treat her Olivia with love despite all the hate she receives from her. Seen as a tool to climb the social ladder, her parents decided to arrange a marriage between her and a young master, Ivan, without her wishes. Luck seemed to deviate from her as she loses her virginity to a stranger a night before her in-laws come to get her. Only to discover later, that her husband was the same man who took away her virginity. Will she be accepted by Ivan? Will she succeed in winning over his heart? This novel embraces the struggles, Vera will encounter, the way she handles and goes through each situation with the blooming romance between her and Ivan.
Vera was woken by the sound of the birds and was dumbstruck at the sight she saw. It seems like she was not the only one awake. Ivan seemed to be awake for long with a lit cigarette in his hand as he stood facing the floor-to-ceiling window.
"You're awake," he puffed smoke from his mouth and through his nostrils. He was shirtless and his belt was loosen around his waist.
"What..... What did you do to me?" Vera questioned as she quickly wrapped the blanket over her body aghast.
"What did I do to you?" Ivan laughed nonchalantly as though he had just heard a joke. He smashed the cigarette to ashes before walking to her. She quickly tightened her grip on the blanket and he unconsciously smirked by her actions. He stared into her eyes for a while before leaning towards her for a kiss but was pushed away by her.
"What's wrong? Is this not what you wanted? Why are you pushing me away?" He asked as he caressed her cheeks.
"Stop it, please. She pushed his hand off her. You have already ruin my life, what else do you still want?" Tears flowed down her cheeks like water in a waterfall as the words left her mouth but Ivan just kept staring at her indifferently.
"Here, sign it." He lit a cigarette and puffed out smoke as he threw the document to her face.
"What...... What is this?"
"A marriage contract!"
"What?"
"I do not have all day to spend with you as I have much more important things to attend to, so don't waste my time any further and sign over there," he gestured, using his fingers to show her the blank space with a subscript 'signature' beneath it.
"I'm not signing it," she contradicted as she threw the document to the other side of the bed.
"How dare you!" He held her shoulders tightly which made Vera daunted by his deadly glare.
"What do you take me for? Do you think I am a fool? You were the one who offered yourself to me last night and now I want to take responsibility for what I have done, you are refusing?" He questioned her with authority in his tone as he pushed her forcibly.
"Ah," she winced out of pain when she hit her head on the edge of the bed.
"I.... I do not agree to marry you. No matter...."
"Are you trying to ruin my reputation?" Vera was interrupted by Ivan's direct question. He glared at her angrily and if glares could kill, then Vera might have been dead by the glare Ivan is giving to her.
"Ruin your reputation? What a joke!" Vera contradicted. "I don't care who or whatever you are but all I know is that you are the one who have ruined my reputation," Vera yelled at him, not minding his dreadful glare.
'Huff,' he puffed out smoke as the temperature in the room fell low and there was a brief silent which filled the room.
"Whatever happened last night was all because of you. You came to me and freely offered yourself without me forcing you. So, why are you now blaming me for your own mess?" Ivan said candidly and his tone was soft and comforting as though he was comforting a baby whose candy was taken away from him.
"Here," he placed a pen besides her. "Take the pen besides you and sign the contract right now. As long as you do it, I promise to bear responsibility for my actions and take good care of you." Ivan said as he lit another stick of cigarette.
Not minding her appearance, Vera stood up and quickly dressed in front of him.
"Take responsibility?" She questioned rhetorically. "You may have ruined me but I will never let you ruin my future. No matter what happened between us last night, I think you should keep your kind offer to yourself because I will never in my life agree to marry a pervert like you." She said nonchalantly as she stamped the marriage contract to his face and left the room immediately without giving him a chance to respond, leaving him completely stunned.
As soon as Vera left the Emperor's Golden Hotel, she booked a cab back to the apartment she lives in but was stopped halfway by her father's men who he instructed to search for her. It seems like they were finally able to track her location. An hour later and Vera was brought back to the Carter's Mansion by her father's men.
Bang! Vera was welcomed by a hard and loud slap as soon as she stepped into the parlour by her mom.
"Mom, I......"
"Shut up! So, you have finally realized that you have a mother right," Mrs. Carter questioned mockingly.
"No mom, I...."
"You...." She raised her hand to hit Vera again but was stopped midway in the air by Mr. Carter.
"Who gave you the right to raise your hand to her?" Mr. Carter asked.
"Me? No, no. I was only welcoming our Vera back. Come in dear," she put on a fake smile as she led Vera to the center of the parlour where her dad was sitting on the single armed sofa with his leg crossed together.
"For this time being, Vera will have to be treated as fragile as an egg to avoid any scares. Who knows, her in-laws may refuse to accept her even if they notice a single scratch on her," he said indifferently not minding what had happened.
"Guy why you dey look me like that?" His voice was steady, but the flicker of confusion and heat in his eyes made my chest tighten. "I'm not," I lied, though my gaze refused to move from the water sliding down his neck, tracing the hard lines of his chest before disappearing beneath the towel. " Huh! Really?" he asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Because you're looking at me like I'm some kind of forbidden fruit." I swallowed hard, cursing the way my breath hitched. He wasn't wrong. Something about him-his presence, his confidence, the way he stood there dripping wet like he didn't have a care in the world-had me unraveling. "You're the one standing half-naked," I shot back, though the words lacked bite. "What do you expect?" He laughed, the sound deep and rich, like the rumble of a storm. "I didn't expect you to be so easy to distract." "Distract? I'm not distracted." My words came out too quick, too defensive. He stepped closer, his damp hair falling across his forehead, and for a moment, the space between us felt electric. "Then wati dey make you dey blush?" I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Because he was right-I was blushing, my pulse racing, my thoughts a mess. And then, just as suddenly as he'd appeared, he was gone, leaving nothing but the memory of his smirk and the ache in my chest that told me this wasn't over. --- Can you survive the pull of gravity when it's not just the black hole that's consuming you-but him? Dive into ETHEREAL BLUE, a tale of cursed ghosts, forbidden connections, and the kind of chemistry that stops time itself.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Life was perfect until she met her boyfriend's big brother. There was a forbidden law in the Night Shade Pack that if the head Alpha rejected his mate, he would be stripped of his position. Sophia's life would get connected with the law. She was an Omega who was dating the head Alpha's younger brother. Bryan Morrison, the head Alpha, was not only a cold-blooded man but also a charming business tycoon. His name was enough to cause other packs to tremble. He was known as a ruthless man. What if, by some twist of destiny, Sophia's path were to intertwine with his?
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."
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts masterāeach persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashtonās true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
RIEKA She was a naive, chubby, wolfless werewolf, maltreated by her mate to the point where she loses her sanity and womb, her crime was being chubby and less attractive than her peers. GABRIEL He was a handsome, strong willed womanizer, who happens to a hybrid ALPHA prince, the person he loves the most is his kid brother RALPH. He has searched high and low for a mate he could never find. What will happen when he finds out that his beloved brother's ex wife, happens to be his long awaited mate, who was maltreated and is currently mentally unstable? Will he forgive his brother for hurting his mate? or will blood flow?
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wifeās countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. āLetās get married again.ā