Betrayed by her fiancé and abandoned by her family, Mandy Gates was ready to disappear-until Damian Black, her ex's powerful billionaire uncle, makes a bold offer to help her seek her revenge. Though it started as a calculated alliance but it quickly ignites into something neither of them expected. However, in a world of secrets and betrayal surrounding them, can they trust the fire between them, or will it consume them both? Find out in this thrilling story.
Mandy's POV
The hospital room smelled faintly of antiseptic, a sharp, sterile scent that clung to everything. I hated it. And the IV drip attached to my arm made a soft clicking sound every few seconds, which was a constant reminder that I was stuck here. My head felt heavy, my body weaker than I cared to admit, but my fingers still swiped across my phone screen.
Though, I wasn't even sure why I opened social media-habit, maybe. Or just something to distract me from the endless hours stretching out in front of me. As I scrolled through photos of smiling couples, vacation snapshots, and perfect lives, I saw it.
Nathan.
My fiancé.
He was in a picture with a woman I'd never met, but she looked familiar. Her arm was looped through his, their faces were close, and they were smiling like they shared some private joke with the caption which stated. "My love is true, couldn't be happier."
My stomach twisted viewing the caption and to think it was my adoptive parents who posted it and even tagged her as Mia, their biological daughter.
I stared at the photo, my chest tightening as I began wondering he never mentioned her to me. Not once.
He had even told me he was too busy to visit me in the hospital. "Work is insane," he'd said. "I'll come as soon as I can, babe. Just rest, okay?" But here he was, smiling with her like he didn't have a care in the world.
Instantly, I clicked on his contact and pressed the call button before I could overthink it. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Then it went into voicemail.
But that didn't stop me as I tried again.
And again.
Still nothing.
The silence on the other end of the line felt louder than the drip of the IV or the hum of the hospital machines.
My mind raced as flashes of the last seven years began hitting me like punches. The way he used to hold me after a long day, whispering promises about our future. The way he'd laugh at my jokes, even the bad ones. How he'd sworn he'd always be there for me. But lately, he'd been pulling away-brushing me off, working late, forgetting things he never used to forget.
I told myself, perhaps I was overthinking it. I had to be.
But when I got home that night, something felt... off, too off to be precise as the apartment was quiet than usual. It was the kind of quiet that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. So, I dropped my bag on the couch and froze as something sparkled on the floor near the edge of the rug.
Only to discover a pair of earrings and they weren't mine.
My heart started pounding as each beat echoed in my ears. I picked them up, turning them over in my hand to have a proper look. They were elegant, expensive and definitely not the kind of thing I'd ever wear.
With that, I stood there for a moment, staring at them, as my thoughts turned a tangled mess. Then I marched to the bedroom. Only to find Nathan's suit jacket hanging on the back of the chair, just where he always left it. My fingers trembled as I reached into the pocket and found a condom box opened.
At that point, I couldn't breathe as my hands shook the minute I threw the jacket back onto the chair. Though the earrings were still clutched in my hand, digging into my palm.
I couldn't wait for him to be back as I had so many questions brooding on my mind, I was so furious and felt like I was played but I had no option but to wait for him.
After some hours later, I saw Nathan walking through the door, and the minute he saw me sitting on the couch with my arms crossed with the earrings on the coffee table in front of me like evidence in a trial.
He froze.
"What's this?" I asked, my voice low.
As he glanced at the earrings, then at me. H
Though, his face didn't change. Not guilt. Not surprise. Just... indifference.
"They're earrings," he said, like I was stupid for even asking.
"They're not mine."
He shrugged, walking past me toward the kitchen. "So? Maybe they're yours and you forgot."
I stood, my voice rising. "Don't do that. Don't act like I'm imagining things. Who do they belong to, Nathan?"
He didn't answer.
"And what about this?" I grabbed the condom box from the table, holding it up.
Nathan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Can we not do this right now? I've had a long day."
"No," I snapped. "We're doing this right now. Who is she?"
He turned to face me, his expression cold. "Mia," he said finally. "Your parents' daughter. I've been seeing her."
Hearing this, my chest tightened. "Seeing her? What does that even mean?"
"It means I'm done pretending, okay?" His voice rose, sharp and defensive. "You're boring, alright? You've changed. You're always tired, always complaining. I need someone who actually excites me."
His words hit me like a slap.
"Excites you?" I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. "After everything we've been through? Seven years, Nathan. Seven years."
He shrugged again, his face blank. "Things change, okay."
"Things change," I murmured silently as I felt something break inside me. The love I had for him, the trust, the hope-it all shattered in that moment.
Then, my voice turned steadier than I felt as I said to him. "Fine, we're done."
Nathan smirked, like he didn't believe me. "You'll regret this," he said, his tone almost mocking. "You think you can do better?"
But I didn't answer as I grabbed my bag,
with my heart pounding as I walked past him.
Reaching outside of his house, the night air hit me like a shock which was cold and sharp against my skin.
And as I stood there for a moment, staring up at the dark sky. I felt empty. Numb. But beneath it all of that, there was a flicker of something else.
Determination.
As I wasn't going to let Nathan-or anyone else-make me feel small no matter what.
Not now.
Not ever.
*"I had a one-night stand with a stranger who turned out to be my boss, oh my goodness what have I done,"* Valerie Skye is a young and hardworking woman, who finds herself entangled in a web of love, lies, and unexpected twists, after getting dumped by her ex-lover. She ends up having a one-night stand with a total stranger, Dante Blaze, who turns out to be her boss. This becomes complicated for Valerie, as she tries every possible way to avoid Dante. But as a charming playboy and her boss, Dante takes this as a challenge to clip Valerie's wings and make her his. Will she be able to stand his charm? Will he succeed in making her submit? Will love end up overruling Dante's Playboy's nature? Or will Valerie continuously live in shame of her night with him?
"My mom was always right, you're a cheap whore who sells her body for money!" Richard yelled in anger Gabriella's easygoing life takes a turn for the worse when her boyfriend catches her in bed with another man who turns out to be his arch nemesis and the most powerful CEO, Simeon Grey. No one including her boyfriend believes her innocence and Simon takes advantage of this and forces her to be his wife against her wishes with no way of escape. What happens when Gabriella finds out that she is just a pawn in Simon's game to destroy Richard? Will she be able to escape Simon's clutches or does fate have other plans in store for her?
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.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
After five years of marriage, my husband is always absent on my birthday. No gifts, no blessings. He said, "I've given you the money, buy whatever you want." But he started preparing for Fiona's birthday half a month in advance. He said, "She's different, she only has me." As the sole survivor of a unexpected fire, he has been heartbroken for over a decade. Watching Fiona in Moments holding a cake and kissing his face. I slowly commented. 【Just this useless person, I'm giving him to you.】
Daisy is the illegitimate daughter of Mr. Hubert. His company went bankrupt, so he asked for help from Drkov's house. They agreed to help Mr. Hubert but with one condition. One of his two daughters must marry their nephew - Atlas Drkov. Atlas Drkov is a billionaire but he is disabled and uses a wheelchair. Yaretzi - daughter of Mr. Hubert's official wife - does not accept marrying a disabled man. She and her parents made a plan. They kidnapped Daisy's mother, threatened her, and forced her to marry Atlas. To save her mother, she accepted. However, after getting married, she fell in love with this man, and so did he. Difficulties start from here.
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.