He raises up my chin with his finger, his piercing blue eyes flickering between my lips and eyes. "Do you think I like her?". He starts leaning in. Everywhere starts getting hot. I know that the AC in my room is working perfectly well so what is this. His breath fans my face and heat immediately goes between my legs. "Maybe". I say in a breathy whisper. I can't let him kiss me. He is my boss. "Hmm. Yes or no?". He snakes an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to himself. "No". My breath gets stuck in my throat. His hand goes to the back of my neck and he smashes his lips against mine. ********************* Mia Pierce is drowning in endless bills whilst struggling to pay her sick sister's bills when she takes the job of billionaire CEO Lucas Ross' daughter. Lucas, a widower of seven years, is emotionally closed off but finds himself feeling things he shouldn't when Mia enters his life. Is this another love story or will everything come crashing down?
Bills! Bills! Bills!
I'm done! What did I do to deserve this ? This wasn't the plan! I will run mad at this rate.
I hit my head against the table repeatedly while struggling with the tears that have started pricking my eyes. My only crime was trusting the man I loved. Well, look where love got me. With just $200 left in my account, I'm flat broke until my next paycheck. The electricity bill is due, the hospital has been calling for two days to ask for a deposit, there is no hot water running anymore, I had to even beg the landlady for the heater in this terrible winter, my exams are coming up soon and I have not paid a single dime out of my tuition.
It's safe to say that I'm screwed.
With no other solution in mind, tears start streaming down my eyes and I gladly welcome the taste of salty water in my mouth. I move to the floor and hug my knees to my chest.
I'm tired. I'm really tired. This is getting too much for me. All my hard work of five years gone like that.
I don't even remember anything regarding my course. God help me. I push my mini twists behind my ear. Okay, enough tears. I don't think I have anymore anyways. I need to get something big. Would bring a stripper be such a bad idea? Who am I kidding? My self consciousness would kill me before my bills.
I think I have done every menial job on earth in the past five years. What's left really? I really need to get out of this situation ASAP.
My alarm goes off reminding me of my shift that starts in less than 15 minutes. Shoot!
It's a good 20 minutes walk from my house and I don't have any spare money for a cab right now so running it will be. I quickly take my worn out bag and rush out the door. Thankfully, snow has not began yet so the the roads are still free just that the weather is freezing. I put on my jacket and sprint to Starbucks while puffing out cold air.
Fortunately, I make it just in time for my shift. Two minutes late anyways but who is counting?
I go to the back and change my t-shirt. I grab my pen and pad and walk over to the women who just occupied table 5.
"Good day. I am Mia and I'll be taking down your orders. What would you like to order?". I greet them with a smile on my face. Thankfully, they reciprocate and look at their menu almost at the same time. From their facial appearances, they should be middle aged.
"I'll have two baked apple croissants and an iced latte". One of the women with blonde hair and green eyes replies with a polite smile. I write down her order and face the others with a questioning look.
"I'll have the same as her".
"I'll have a vanilla latte".
"I'll have hot chocolate".
I take down their orders and tell them that their orders will be ready soon. I head back to the kitchen and relay the orders.
Ten minutes later, I carry their orders to their table.
"So girls, guess what?"
"Girl, just talk. What's the suspense for?". The dark skinned one replies the blonde woman.
"You are just a spoil sport. Anyways, my boss is looking to hire another nanny... again". They all chuckle.
"What happened to the last one?". One of the ladies asks.
"She stole his gold wristwatch and ran away. Heard he bought it for $10,000! Girls, he was livid". She drags out the last word to emphasize how angry her boss must have been.
"Oh my! At least she's better than her predecessor who brought in her boyfriend while his daughter was around". Laughter goes around the table.
This must happen a lot to her boss. Poor man. Well, not so poor if he can afford a $10,000 watch. He must definitely be paying his staff well right? Perhaps I can get more information from her.
"Oh! Thank you Mia. I didn't notice you there. We were so caught up with our gossip". I smile sweetly at her.
"It's no problem ma'am". I drop off their orders and wait at the counter for them so that I can approach her.
Thankfully, by the time they get up from their table, I don't have any table to attend to. I walk quickly towards the group before they can open the door.
"Excuse me ma'am. Can I speak to you for a moment?". They all stop in their tracks and turn to face me simultaneously. The blonde woman signals them to go ahead. She faces me as if to give me a go ahead.
"Sorry for stopping you like this. While I was serving you guys earlier, I couldn't help but hear about the nanny vacancy you spoke about. How can I apply for it?"
"First of all, call me Sheila. Secondly, you can apply but in the traditional way. All I need to do is to discuss with my boss first about you then it's up to him to have an interview with you". A wide smile spreads on my face at her response.
"Thank you very much ma.... Sheila. I need to give you my number right?". She nods affirmatively and hands her phone to me. I punch in my digits and give myself a call so that I can have her number too.
"So just send me a text message that includes your full name, age, educational level and experience with kids".
"Okay I will get them to you at the close of the day. When can I expect to hear from you?"
"Well Sunday but latest Monday morning". I try to resist the urge to hug her.
"Oh ok. Thank you so much, Sheila. This means a lot to me. I should let you go now. Your friends have been waiting for a while".
"Oh yes! Goodbye! Have a nice day". She leaves and rushes over to her friends who are by a car. They all get into what seems to be her car because she's driving.
I really hope I get this job.
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-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
**This book contains a trigger warning. Mention about rape and torture in this book. Please read with caution** "Our marriage is nothing but a deal," he said looking at the girl, her green eyes met his cold silver eye, and both of them glared at each other. "For any rules you break, I will claim any part of your body," his gaze grew dangerously darker at his word. Ashley Harlow was at the top of the world, living the perfect and luxurious lifestyle as the legitimate daughter of the well-known Daniel Harlow. But sadly, a one-night stand put an end to that and brought her life upside down and that of her family's name to the ground. To restore his family's reputation, she was forced into marrying Damien Albrecht, a young, ruthless, obnoxious, brutal billionaire and the head of a mafia gang in exchange for her father's company.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Drugged and deceived, she bore a child amidst tragedy-her son, falsely declared dead at birth. Fueled by the agony, she disappeared, only to return years later with both her daughter and an adopted son, driven by an unyielding desire for revenge against those who had wronged her and her late mother. The plot takes an unexpected twist when the haunting truth surfaces: her son is alive, and his father is a powerful CEO.
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.