Dysis Salmon has spent her life enduring her father's cruelty, a survivor in the shadows of his dark world. Her life, however, takes a terrifying turn when his debts become unmanageable; she is offered as payment to Alexander Levi, the most feared man in the city. Alexander is the untouchable, cold, and cunning ruler of the underworld. To him, Dysis is just another piece in the ruthless game he plays. Yet beneath his icy exterior lies a man haunted by his past-a past that begins to unravel the moment Dysis enters his life. Trapped in Alexander's opulent mansion, Dysis refuses to be a pawn. There is unquestionably tension between them as a result of her resistance to his authority. She learns, however, that Alexander is a guy who conceals suffering while wielding power as she digs deeper into his world. Dysis has to choose between running away from the guy who terrifies her and risking all to reveal the beast's weak spot as dangerous foes close in and hidden secrets threaten to come to light. Dysis and Alexander find themselves entangled in a perverse dance of power, passion, and treachery in a society where love is viewed as a weakness and trust as a luxury. One issue still stands, though, as the stakes are high and the boundaries become hazy: will they save or destroy one another? **There is a cost to everything. And for Dysis, the cost of freedom may be her heart.**
"Do you think your tears are important to me?" I knelt in front of my father, shaking, the cold cement floor soaking into my knees as I attempted to swallow the sob that had stuck in my throat. As usual, his remarks pierced me deeply. His words filled the little, darkened room, brimming with disdain. For as long as I could remember, I had been forced to live this existence, and every beat of my heart served as a reminder of it.
I didn't look up at him. I couldn't. His cruel eyes were too much to bear. Too much to endure. "Answer me!" His hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and jerking my head up. The pain stung, but it wasn't new. Nothing he did was new anymore. He'd punished me in ways I couldn't count, but today was different. Today, it wasn't just my body he was angry with; it was my existence.
"Why won't you ever listen?" His breath reeked of whiskey, and his fingers tightened, pulling me painfully closer. "You're worthless, just like your mother. A disappointment. A burden."
My chest constricted. I always felt sick to my stomach when my mother was mentioned. Unable to handle the hell my father had created, she left when I was five years old. It didn't matter that I had lost track of her location. She wasn't present. Yes, I was. I staggered forward as his hand shoved my hair out of it. I just managed to catch myself as the bitter taste of blood in my mouth blended with the sting in my scalp. He spit out, pacing like a stymied beast, "I've done everything for you." "How about you? You are nothing. Even you cannot save yourself.
My body trembled, but I didn't say anything. He didn't care if I begged. I learned that a long time ago. Begging only made him angrier, so I stayed silent, taking whatever he dished out. It was all I could do.
His voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl. "You'll fix this, Dysis. Do you hear me?"
I flinched at the use of my name. When he used it like that, I knew something worse was coming. He wasn't angry anymore; he was plotting, calculating.
"Are you aware of the amount of debt you have caused me to incur?" Even though his eyes were wild now, there was a gleam in them that made me shiver. "You're going to make it right. You'll pay back what you owe."
Nothing came out of my mouth when I opened it to speak. I was at a loss for words. He had them all. "Don't give me that look." His voice trembled with anger, but suddenly it had a chilly undertone. "I have plans in place. There is nothing you can do about it. You didn't.
My gut churned. I felt like I was being choked by the heavy fog of his words that hung in the air.
"What arrangements?" Then he grinned. It was a disgusting experience. A smile that chilled my blood, twisted and hollow.
"They're going to sell you." My heart stopped. The room seemed to whirl around me, with the walls enclosing me. Every time I attempted to breathe, it felt shallow, as though the air was abruptly too thick
He screamed, "Oh, I can, and I will." A man such as me is not amenable to debt. How about you? You are my escape route. Dysis, you're going to put things right. And either you'll do it voluntarily or I'll force you to.
My world began to fall apart beneath me. Though I knew better than to attempt, I wanted to scream and escape. I was aware that things would only grow worse if I attempted to flee. My father was going to control my destiny, just as he had always used fear to control me. I felt sick to my stomach at the idea of being sold, of being nothing more than a possession to be claimed by someone else. I responded, without raising my voice above a whisper,
"I won't do it." "I refuse to go."
His laugh reverberated around the room, lifeless and devoid of humour. "You have no say in it, sweetheart. You don't have any control here. You weren't. My heartbeat quickened as he moved closer, his cold eyes narrowing.
"I've consented to it already. Time to make the payment. And you, my darling, are the price. The weight of his words fell over me like a heavy blanket, making it impossible for me to endure. My only response was a shaky breath, but I wanted to yell and sob. What might I do? He had already made up his mind. Besides, I was just a pawn in his evil plan.
With a chilly, emotionless touch, he reached down and used one finger to lift my chin. "Dysis, you will shortly meet him. The one who will remove you from my grasp. He added with a cunning smile, "And don't worry, I'm sure he'll take very good care of you." I shuddered at the words, but it didn't change anything. I stumbled as his hand shoved me back. With a low, menacing voice, he commanded, "Get up." "You need to keep your date." A date.
I felt like screaming. Was this some sort of cruel joke? However, protests were out of the question. No time to plead. I headed to the door that would lead to my demise, hardly able to keep myself together.
I could feel it, like a black cloud hovering just above, trying to swallow me whole, even though I had no idea what was ahead. I heard a voice as my fingers went to the door handle. "Dysis." With my heart hammering in my chest, I jumped. Only my father's voice had ever been important. However, this voice... It wasn't his. The temperature dropped. darker. My breath stuck in my throat as I turned around. A man I had never seen before stood towering and powerful in the doorway. He had icy, frigid eyes, and there was something about the way he gazed at me that made me feel inconsequential and little. I could tell everything about him by his black suit and his demeanour I needed to know. He was dangerous.
He stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine, and my heart pounded in my chest. With a deep voice and an authoritative tone that chilled my blood, he said, "Are you Dysis Salmon?" I was unable to respond. I was having trouble breathing. Then, as fast as that, he moved in closer, and I saw what was happening.
I was more than a daughter now. I was a possession.
Duke Orion von Hawthorne is feared across Ebonvale-a man of power, ruthlessness, and unshakable control. But beneath his iron rule lies a secret that threatens to destroy everything he has built. He cannot produce an heir. Without one, his legacy will crumble, his enemies will rise, and the Hawthorne bloodline will end with him. But when whispers of a forgotten legend resurface, Orion learns that there is one way to break his curse-claim a Velaryn. The Velaryns were once a race of extraordinary women, their beauty and intelligence unmatched. But their power made them dangerous, and centuries ago, they were hunted to extinction. At least that is what the world thinks. Hidden in the depths of the Dark Forest, rumors circulate about a golden witch, a being that is neither human nor animal, invisible and out of reach. Those who search for her never come back. Resolved to challenge destiny, Orion sets out on his most perilous hunt to date. However, what he discovers is neither a ghost nor a monster. He finds her. A wild girl, covered in golden paint, hidden away in a cave that breathes like a living thing. She is nothing like the obedient women of court, nothing like the delicate noble ladies who kneel before men like him. She is untamed, fearless, and unbroken. And when he takes her captive, she refuses to yield. Sylvara is his greatest challenge. She does not beg. She does not break. She does not bow to his threats. But Orion always wins. As he uncovers the enigma linked to her, he comes to understand she is beyond merely a Velaryn-she harbors a secret that has the potential to either rescue him... or ruin him. She is the final representative of her species, and her mere presence could disrupt the foundations of the kingdom. But Velaryns were never meant to be owned. And as war brews and enemies close in, Orion is forced to question everything he thought he knew. Because the stories never told the full truth about Velaryns. They never warned him what would happen if Velaryn ever loved a man in return. Now, with his legacy, his life, and his heart on the line, Orion must make a choice-claim her and risk losing himself, or let her go and doom his bloodline forever. But what if the real danger is not that he will lose her? What if she was never his to claim in the first place?
Kaia Donovan thought she'd escaped the chaos of her past. For years, she lived a quiet life in the bakery her late mother left her, until the day it was sold right out from under her-by her own brother, desperate to settle debts. Her world crumbled as she watched the only piece of her mother's legacy slip away, sold to a mysterious figure: Everett Hudson. Two years later, Kaia has moved on-or so she thought. She's reinvented herself as an artist in the bustling city of Horizon, far from her painful memories. But fate has a way of pulling the strings. When she's thrust into the high-stakes world of art, her abusive boss exploits her talent while hiding her work behind his name. Kaia is a quiet force, though-she bides her time, working in the shadows and avoiding the one thing that still haunts her: Everett Hudson. When a chance encounter leads to her saving a young girl from an assassin's bullet, Kaia is thrust back into Everett's world-and his life. The little girl, Armean, is the daughter of Everett Hudson, and despite Kaia's efforts to distance herself, the girl won't let her go. Their bond deepens, as does the connection between Kaia and Everett, who sees more than just a fleeting attraction in her. The same man who took everything from her now seems to be the one who could help her heal. But the world they live in is dangerous, and secrets about Everett's past and the true reason her bakery was sold begin to surface. As Kaia and Everett are pulled closer into the web of lies, murder, and power, Kaia must decide whether to follow her heart or her survival instinct. The threat of Everett's mafia ties looms large, but so does the attraction that threatens to consume her. She's caught between the man who holds her heart and the shadows of his empire. However, just as Kaia begins to reveal the reality of Everett's history-and her own-the unimaginable occurs. During an intense hug, a familiar voice from her history-one she thought she'd never hear again-resounds in the shadows: "I apologize, Kaia." "However, I had no option." It's her brother. The one who sold her bakery. But there's more-a shocking revelation that will change everything. As Everett reveals a hidden secret of his own, Kaia is left standing at the crossroads of her past and future, unsure of who to trust. As they prepare for a confrontation that could tear their worlds apart, Kaia learns the truth: some legacies can't be outrun... and some loves are destined to collide in the most dangerous of ways. And just as the walls close in, a gunshot rings out. Who is the target? Who will survive? The only thing Kaia knows for sure is that she's not the same girl who used to hide behind her mother's bakery. She's stronger. She's wiser. And now, she's ready to take back everything that was stolen from her. But will it be enough?
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
After three years of loveless marriage, Kira was slapped with divorce papers. She has shown him her unrequited love throughout her entire marriage with him, but he decided to turn blind eyes all because of his lover. Distraught and heartbroken, Kira choose to sign the divorce papers with bitter heart. But then and there, she promised herself that when she's back, he will come crawling to her, but she will make him pay for hurting her. Join Kira as she transform to a wealthy heiress and soared as the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar empire, a remarkable healer and make her ex-husband pay!
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
My family was on the poverty line and had no way to support me in college. I had to work part-time every day just to make ends meet and afford to get into the university. That was when I met her—the pretty girl in my class that every boy dreamt of asking out. I was well aware she was out of my league. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and bravely told her that I had fallen for her. To my surprise, she agreed to be my girlfriend. With the sweetest smile I had ever seen, she told me that she wanted my first gift for her to be the latest and top-of-the-line iPhone. I worked like a dog and even did my classmates’ laundry to save up. My hard work eventually paid off after a month. I finally got to buy what she wanted. But as I was wrapping my gift, I saw her in the dressing room, making out with the captain of the basketball team. She then heartlessly made fun of my inadequacy and made a fool out of me. To make things worse, the guy whom she cheated on me with even punched me in the face. Desperation washed over me, but there was nothing I could do but lie on the floor as they trampled on my feelings. But then, my father called me out of the blue, and my life turned upside down. It turned out that I was a billionaire's son.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"