/0/68940/coverbig.jpg?v=22532312abb581bb0af87ccc4a8b6038)
For three years, Althea lived in the shadow of an arranged marriage with Damian Crowe, a billionaire as ruthless as they are insistent, known for his dark things and his absolute control over the elite. This marriage, designed by their families to unite two dynasties by the decline, quickly turned into a nightmare. Ignored by Damian, and closely monitored by his allies, Althea has discovered a world of unavowable secrets and questionable transactions. One night, she comes across compromising information that could ruin Damian and her whole family. Realizing that she is only a pawn in their game, she disappears without warning, leaving behind an empire in danger and a man plagued by her own demons. When Althea resurfaces three years later, she was unrecognizable: independent, formidable and armed with a infallible strategy to undermine the power of Damian. In parallel, it becomes the target of the rivals of the latter, who see in it the key to destroy the reign of the Crowe. But Damian did not say his last word. Torn between his desire to reconquer and the fear of the truths that Althea could reveal, he embarks on a battle where love and destruction are intertwined. Does Althea play a vengeance game, or is it about to overthrow a world that she has sworn to never suffer?
Althea shivered as the frigid air filtered through the city streets. Her hand tightened on the strap of her bag, as if this simple gesture could give her the strength to contain the flood of emotions rising within her. Three years. Three whole years of fleeing, rebuilding, planning his return. She hadn't anticipated how strangely familiar everything would be, or how seeing those illuminated skyscrapers would bring back memories she'd tried to bury.
A taxi had dropped her off at the corner of a street she knew well. The building stood before her, imposing and cold, like a monument both attractive and intimidating. The last few meters seemed to last forever. She took a deep breath, adjusted her coat, then walked through the large glass doors. The hall, sumptuous and dazzling, greeted him in an almost oppressive silence, disturbed only by the clicking of his heels on the marble floor.
The doorman, a middle-aged man with an impassive face, greeted her with calculated deference.
- Good evening, Mrs. Laurent, he said, using the pseudonym she had given to rent the apartment.
She just nodded, controlling the worry that threatened to break through her mask of calm. Every detail mattered, every movement had to feel natural, even if his heart was beating wildly. She crossed the hall, entered the elevator and pressed the button for the thirty-second floor. When the doors closed, she finally let out a sigh, her hands trembling slightly.
Arriving on her floor, Althea opened the door to a luxuriously furnished, refined and functional apartment. She stopped in the middle of the living room, her eyes scanning the area. Everything was perfect, too perfect, as if this place had been designed for someone else. She placed her bag on the glass table and walked towards the bay window. The view overlooked the entire city, a sea of sparkling lights that seemed to stretch on forever.
She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed a number she knew by heart. The voice that answered on the other end of the line was calm, almost clinical.
- Are you up?
- Yes, she replied, looking at the city lights. Everything is ready.
The call was brief, but enough to remind him that this return was not an impulse, but a carefully planned mission. Her heart had hardened over the years, and every step she took now was calculated with icy precision.
A few miles away, Damian Crowe stood in his office, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His intense blue eyes stared at the crackling fire in the fireplace. The report on his desk contained information that should have satisfied him. Yet he felt a tension he hadn't felt in a long time.
- She's back, confirmed Marcus, her loyal right-hand man, as he entered the room.
Damian didn't answer immediately, his fingers playing with the glass he held. He finally got up, walking around his desk to stand facing the window. The city spread out before his eyes, vibrant and alive, but his mind was elsewhere.
- Where is she? he finally asked, his voice cold and sharp.
- In an apartment in the city center. She uses the name Laurent. No suspicious movements at the moment.
Damian nodded, but his thoughts were swirling. Althea. Just saying her name in his mind brought back memories he would have preferred to forget. Their last confrontation, three years earlier, remained etched in his memory like a wound that refused to heal.
He saw himself again in his office, facing her. She had thrown a file onto her desk, her eyes gleaming with anger and determination.
- I know what you're doing, Damian.
He had feigned indifference, but the contents of the file were impossible to ignore: evidence of his illegal activities, questionable banking transactions, clandestine deals. He had tried to dissuade her, to explain to her that the world in which he lived was much more complex than she imagined, but she had not wanted to hear anything.
That evening she had left, but not before giving him one last look, a mixture of defiance and pain. Since then, he had wondered if she would ever come back. Now that she was here, he had to understand why.
- Continue surveillance, he ordered Marcus. If she moves, I want to know immediately.
Marcus nodded before leaving the room, leaving Damian alone with his thoughts. He knew that this return was not trivial. Althea was not the type to do things randomly. She had a plan, and he had to find out what it was before she put his empire in danger.
Back in her apartment, Althea opened a file that she had carefully kept during her years in exile. The photos, the readings, the evidence... Everything was there, intact, ready to be used. But this time, she wouldn't just brandish this evidence as a threat. She would destroy Damian piece by piece, methodically, mercilessly.
She placed the file on the table and headed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. The tension in her shoulders didn't ease, but she refused to give in to worry. Every move she had made for three years had led to this moment. There was no room for doubts.
A noise at the door startled her. She put down her glass and walked slowly towards the entrance. When she opened it, she found a package lying on the floor, with no sender. Suspicious, she picked it up and placed it on the table before carefully opening it. Inside was a simple piece of paper, folded in half. When she unfolded it, her heart skipped a beat.
**"Welcome home. »**
The message, although brief, was heavy with innuendo. Damian knew she was there.
Althea clenched the paper between her fingers, her eyes hardening. If he thought that a simple message would be enough to destabilize her, he was sorely mistaken. She was ready for this game, and this time, she intended to win.
She returned to the bay window, her gaze fixed on the city that stretched out beneath her feet. This return was only the beginning. Damian Crowe didn't yet know what awaited him.
Under the gaze of a fallen mafia, Elvie, a young woman with a troubled past and victim of a brutal ex, seeks to rebuild her life. Working as an assistant in the villa of the Corleone, an influential crime family, she tries to avoid conflict with the three Corleone brothers, all as dangerous as each other. But everything changes when Adriano, the eldest brother and heir, breaks his arranged engagement to embrace the war between enemy families and must quickly remarry. Cold and calculating, he sees Elvie as a simple piece in his game. For her, he is just another nightmare to flee. But as they interact, appearances crumble and unexpected bonds are forged. As her ex resurfaces, Elvie will have to choose between her new life, her secrets and the growing violence that threatens everything she has rebuilt.
Alice's life has been devastated by the betrayal of those she believed to be her allies. Five years ago, her fiancé, in the grip of a professional failure, convinced her to sacrifice her dreams to help him get back on his feet. But her best friend, hungry for glory and power, made a decision that would change their friendship forever, by secretly becoming a surrogate mother. When Alice's fiancé, now at the top of his career, left her, claiming that she no longer met his expectations, Alice, broken, accepted the proposal of the mysterious billionaire, Gabriel Hartman. Known for his coldness and indifference, Gabriel seemed to offer Alice an escape. What she didn't know was that he was the one who had orchestrated her best friend's request for maternity... But what if everything she thought she knew was just a decoy? What if, deep down, the price of her redemption is much higher than she imagined? Can the truth really mend broken hearts, or will secrets destroy everything in their path?
Zoe's dreams of marriage are shattered when she catches her fiance in a compromising situation with his best friend. Devastated, she seeks to recover what she has lost. That's when an enigmatic man, a warm billionaire named Maxime Delacroix, offers her an unexpected solution: a loveless marriage, a contractual alliance with the aim of destroying his ex's career. Although reluctant, Zoe accepts, ready to do anything to get revenge. But as their relationship grows, Zoe realizes that the stakes are more complex than she imagined. Between revenge and a budding passion for this distant man, she finds herself torn between her desire for justice and her budding feelings. How far will she be willing to go to get revenge without losing everything in the process?
Lily thought she had a simple life, surrounded by her adoptive parents in a small town. But everything changed the day she learned that her real parents were industrial tycoons and that she had a twin brother, heir to a family empire. Welcomed into a world of luxury, she found herself facing a reality very different from the one she knew. Her brother, a cold and ambitious man, had always hated her. "You're just an intruder, Lily," he told her. But another secret resurfaced: a mysterious businessman claimed that Lily was the rightful heir to a huge hidden fortune. "It's time you knew the truth," he told her. Between betrayals and revelations, Lily must choose between wealth and family loyalty.
Lara Sanders and Ethan Cole had been together for five years, but Lara had never been his priority. Ethan, obsessed with his work, did not see the soul of the woman he had married. Lara had tried to rekindle the flame, but in vain. She had had enough. One day, she left everything: the house, the promises, and Ethan. Years later, Lara reappears. She has become a successful entrepreneur, an icon of the business world, and no one recognizes her anymore as the fragile young woman she once was. Far from the shy and discreet Lara, she is now a queen of industry, admired and respected. At a public event, a journalist asks her: "Lara, you are the most influential businesswoman of the moment. What is the key to your success?" Lara, with a mysterious smile, answers: "Never let a man define you. Take charge of your life. » The next day, to everyone's surprise, Ethan appears at Lara's door. The man she thought had been forgotten, who had let her go without a glance, returns with a surprising proposition: "Lara, I made a mistake. Can we start all over again... Together?"
Luca Moretti, an influential businessman, is forced to marry Amélie Lefevre, a woman he considers a simple family obligation. Already in love with another, he vows to make Amélie's life hell so that she will ask for a divorce. However, he does not know that Amélie is hiding a secret that could change his life forever. Behind her calm facade, Amélie is much more determined and intelligent than he thinks. What will happen when Luca finds himself caught in his own game? Will he succeed in breaking their union or will he succumb to the hidden truth?
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
Blurb "Part your legs for me, princess" Alpha Damian humored huskily like he was intoxicated, I whimpered as he voice sents a jolts of emotions round my body. An emotion that I wasn't supposed to feel. Selene was 18 years old when she found out that Alpha Jasper of the Silver Crescent pack was her mate at her Awakening ceremony. Being a reject with no parents she lived with him for over one year as a slave and he never acknowledged her as his mate because he couldn't accept a reject as his mate. On her 20th birthday, her mate not only rejected her and chose her best friend; Imogen, as his new mate, but he also sold Selene to the most feared Alpha; Alpha Damian of the Crimson Moon pack whom everyone referred to as a beast. Not knowing why Alpha Damian chose to buy her, she can only resign herself to fate. What has the moon goddess installed for me again? Is this the freedom she solely crave for? Will she be tied down with the shackles of the unknown?