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Cheated on by her husband. Betrayed by her sister. Stabbed in the back by her best friend. Alexis's world crashes down in a single heartbreaking week. With nowhere to turn, she makes a devil's bargain-a six-month marriage contract with her impossibly handsome, stone-cold boss, Nathan Cole. What she doesn't know? Nathan has secretly wanted her for years. As Alexis plots her revenge, something unexpected happens. The ice between them melts, revealing a burning passion neither expected. But just as she begins to trust again, the secrets start piling up: A pregnancy she never planned. Her sister's suspicious suicide. The shocking truth behind her parents' murder. And then there's Mira-Nathan's possessive friend who's determined to tear them apart at any cost. When their fragile relationship shatters and Nathan walks away, Alexis is left with a choice: surrender to the darkness or fight for the love that might just save them both. Some wounds cut too deep to heal... or do they?
ALEXIS
"Be my pretend partner for six months, divorce your husband, and I'll compensate you generously."
Nathan Cole's words echoed through my mind like thunder as I gripped the leather steering wheel of my Toyota Corolla, my knuckles turning white. The morning sun glinted off the dashboard, momentarily blinding me – much like his outrageous proposal had done to my sensibilities.
"How disgusting!" I spat, my voice bouncing off the leather interior of my car as I pressed harder on the accelerator. The purr of the engine did nothing to calm my racing thoughts.
The absolute audacity of that man. Nathan Cole, billionaire CEO of Cole Industries, my boss of three years, had just propositioned me as if I were some commodity to be bought and sold. The worst part? He'd done it with that infuriatingly composed expression of his, those steel-gray eyes watching me as if he already knew my answer. As if my marriage meant nothing.
The same marriage I'd been forced into.
I caught my reflection in the rearview mirror – Alexis Pierce, twenty-seven, perfectly coiffed brown hair, designer suit, and eyes that held more secrets than I cared to admit. Including one that not even my husband knew about yet: the tiny life growing inside me.
My hand instinctively moved to my still-flat stomach. "What would the world say?" I whispered to myself, easing off the accelerator as I approached a red light. "That I'm just another gold-digger? That I divorced my husband for a better offer?" The thought made me sick.
But Nathan's offer tugged at something deep inside me. Was it desperation? Curiosity? Or perhaps it was the way he'd looked at me when he made the proposal – not with lust or greed, but with something else entirely. Something that reminded me of how he used to look at me before my marriage to Logan, when I was just his secretary with dreams bigger than my paycheck.
"He could have spoken up then," I muttered, accelerating as the light turned green. "Before my parents..." My throat tightened at the thought of them. Gone now, but their final act had been to ensure my marriage to Logan Pierce. "May their souls rest in peace," I whispered, even as bitterness coated my tongue.
A horn blared, shocking me back to reality. I'd drifted into the wrong lane, lost in my thoughts.
"Oh my goodness!" I jerked the wheel, heart pounding as I swerved back into my lane. "Focus, Alexis. Focus!"
The rest of the drive home was a blur of self-recrimination. How could I have forgotten such an important document? What was wrong with me today? First Nathan's proposal, now this near-accident – the universe seemed determined to throw me off balance.
I pulled up to my house – a modern mansion in the city's most exclusive neighborhood, all glass and steel and hollow luxury. The security guard bowed slightly as he opened the gates. "Welcome home, ma'am."
I barely acknowledged him, my mind already racing ahead to the documents I needed. But something felt off as I entered the house. Logan's Italian wool coat hung carelessly over our imported leather sofa, his signature cologne lingering in the air like an accusation.
My steps faltered. He was supposed to be on a business trip – I'd dropped him at the airport myself last night, watching as he'd boarded his private jet wearing that exact suit.
"Let me just grab what I need and go," I muttered, heading for the stairs. "I'm already running late."
As I approached our bedroom – our matrimonial bedroom, as Logan liked to call it – I heard it. The sound was unmistakable, but my brain refused to process it.
"Ah fck! You're fcking tight." Logan's voice, rough with pleasure.
"Easy daddy. It's my first time, I haven't..." A familiar female voice, cut off by Logan's shushing.
My blood turned to ice in my veins. That voice – it couldn't be. Not her. Not Abigail.
My feet carried me downstairs to my sister's room, even as my mind screamed at me to run, to pretend I'd heard nothing. The empty room confirmed my worst fears.
I climbed back upstairs, each step feeling like I was walking to my own execution. My hand trembled as I pushed open the bedroom door.
The scene before me burned itself into my retinas like acid: My husband and my sister, tangled in our marriage bed, their naked bodies illuminated by the morning sun streaming through our floor-to-ceiling windows. The same windows I'd spent hours choosing, imagining peaceful mornings watching the sunrise with my husband.
"She's my sister for crying out loud!" The words tore from my throat, hot tears streaming down my face. The betrayal was a physical pain in my chest, squeezing my lungs until I could barely breathe.
They froze like guilty statues. Abigail grabbed at the Egyptian cotton sheets – sheets I'd picked out during our honeymoon in Milan – to cover herself, her face a mask of terror. Logan sat there, head in his hands, not even trying to explain.
With trembling hands, I walked to my walk-in closet, methodically stripping off my corporate suit. I chose a black jumpsuit – funeral appropriate, I thought with bitter humor – and matched it with my highest Louboutins. The hat and dark sunglasses completed my armor.
I retrieved the documents from my desk, my movements mechanical, divorced from the chaos in my mind.
"I'm sorry babe, it's... not... what... you think," Logan stammered, reaching for my hand. His touch felt like a brand on my skin.
I lowered my sunglasses slightly, letting him see the death of every feeling I'd ever had for him in my eyes. "You two can continue with your sin," I said, my voice arctic. "I've got work to do. And don't worry – we'll settle this once and for all when I return. Enjoy!"
The drive back to the office passed in a blur of tears and rage, my mind already formulating plans. By the time I walked into Nathan's office, my decision was made.
"Sir... I've reconsidered, and I'm ready to take your proposal."
Nathan's response was immediate, as if he'd been waiting for this moment. He slid an envelope across his mahogany desk, his signature already bold across the bottom. "Go through them and sign."
I signed without reading, my hand steady now, my purpose clear. When he commented on how beautiful I looked in my hat, I managed a smile that didn't reach my eyes behind my sunglasses.
Back in my office, I called Ava, my lawyer and confidante. Her cheerful "Hello there, Mrs. Pierce" felt like another twist of the knife.
"Spell me that Alexis," I corrected her, my voice hollow.
"Are you not Mrs. Pierce?"
"Let that slide for now," I said, then got straight to the point. "I want a divorce agreement drafted and on my desk by 5 PM sharp. Every last one of Logan Pierce's assets – every property, every share, every last penny – transferred to his unborn child." My hand rested protectively over my stomach. "Make it ironclad, Ava. I want him left with nothing but the clothes on his back and the shame on his face."
"What happened?" Her concern was evident. "Did you have a misunderstanding?"
I laughed, the sound brittle as glass. "Someone told me they caught Logan cheating," I lied, the truth too raw to share even with her.
"Are you sure divorce is the solution?"
"Oh, I'm more than sure." My smile was all teeth. "I want to make sure Logan has nothing left to give his... new friend."
Ava's hesitation was palpable. "Come to my office tomorrow at 3 PM. We should discuss this properly."
"Fine," I agreed, though my mind was made up. Nothing would change my course now.
"Don't overthink it, please. And be safe!" She hung up before I could respond.
I sat back in my chair, one hand still on my stomach, the other clutching Nathan's contract. The morning sun caught the diamond on my wedding ring, throwing rainbow patterns on the wall. Soon, that ring would join the rest of my illusions in the trash.
Let Logan keep Abigail. I would take everything else.
"Marry me. Put on this ring, tomorrow you are going to tell the press that Bella cheated on me and we started dating, when Bella found out she tried to separate us and when she could not, she blackmailed you to upload this photo. This will make me hate you, but we have already reconciled," he explained. What the hell? How did I get myself into this sought of mess? **** Laura finds herself in a great dilemma when her mother is kidnapped. They ask her to post the photo of Eric Sloan the son of a multi-billionaire together with Damien Avery, the son of the prime minister and she should tag them as gay. To keep her mother alive she reluctantly posts it drawing the attention of the arrogant billionaire together with his powerful family and fans. To rectify her mistakes he asks her to marry him, thereby waving off the allegation of him being gay. He promises himself to make it his life mission to destroy her for what she did. As the truth unfolds, what started as a revenge turns into a dangerous obsession and all he wants to do is to protect her, to claim her, own her, and keep her within his dark abyss.
"I, Riccardo Saviano, future Alpha of the Grey Shadow Moon Pack, reject you, Artemisia Guerrieri, Daughter of Alpha Franco of the Blood Moon Pack, as my mate and future Luna." One single sentence. One stupid single sentence was all it took to disintegrate my life. And the day of my birthday, on which this sentence was audaciously uttered to me, I lost the love of my life, my future mate, and my wolf, all at once. As I'm still assembling the pieces of my shattered heart years later, there they come. Like lightning out of a crystal blue sky. My Mates. But wait... If I am mated to triplets, how come I'm about to be mated to 5 gorgeous men? *** TW: explicit and foul language; spicy content; explicit sex scenes ***
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
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."
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."
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?
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.