In a world where soul-bonding allows true lovers to share thoughts and emotions, Sylvia Hopkins possesses a unique ability-she can read anyone's mind with just a spark of attraction. A gift like hers is rare, but it's also dangerous. Born an orphan, Sylvia learned early that life isn't fair. She ran from the oppressive walls of an orphanage and survived the streets by becoming a master con artist. For years, she stayed ahead of the law, scamming the rich, outwitting criminals, and dodging the FBI. But everything changes when she makes the mistake of crossing Evans Alberto-a ruthless mafia boss on the verge of entering politics. She cons him out of $170 million, only to find herself hunted. When he catches her, he gives her a choice: death or a contract marriage. Forced into his world, Sylvia is no longer just a lone thief-she's a weapon. Her mission? To infiltrate Evans' biggest rival, seduce their heir, and bring the entire family down from the inside. But as the lines blur between duty and desire, Sylvia faces a bigger danger than the mafia, the FBI, or even Evans' wrath. She's falling for him. And worse-he might be the only man whose mind she can't read.
"I'm not afraid. I can do this."
Sylvia was sweating, panicking like a legion of ants crawled up her skin while she lay stiff in bed. Only, it wasn't ants but a creeping sense of anxiety. Her heart pounded louder with each footstep of Sister Agnes echoing through the hallway.
'Can't she walk faster? It's not like she's old or something,' she grumbled in her thoughts. But Sylvia knew this was just her panic talking.
"She never checks inside the rooms," she mumbled to herself. "Just the hallway, then straight to bed."
She had spent the past few nights memorizing the nun's routine, staying up much later than the other girls in her dorm, carefully planning her escape. Even so, her senses spiked when the beam of Sister Agnes' flashlight swept beneath the door.
Sylvia held her breath, fingers tightening around the sack in her arms. Inside, it held everything she had in the world-a few clothes and half a loaf of stale bread. Not much, but enough to survive.
"Just a few more seconds," she whispered. "Just a few more seconds, and you'll be free."
The light slowly faded from the gap underneath the door, with the sound of the nun's footsteps growing distant. Then, finally, a door creaked shut, and silence settled over the orphanage. Sylvia exhaled shakily, forcing her body to move . . . It was now or never.
Her gaze darted to the window-the first obstacle in her escape. It was slightly open, letting in the cool night air, thick with the scent of damp earth and leaves. The other girls were all still sleeping deeply, their quiet breaths filling the dormitory-except for Rachel and Dorcas, who snored like the greedy pigs they were.
They alone would miss her. Without her, who else would they have to torment?
"No one here will miss me," she told herself quietly.
She slipped off her bed and crept toward the window, her bare feet making no sound on the cold wooden floor. The old hinges groaned softly as she pushed it wider. Sylvia froze. Waited. No one stirred.
'I can do this,' she thought, even as her chest tightened.
The orphanage hadn't been home for a long time-not since Sister Agnes doubled down on her strict rules after the board's last inspection. Warm meals had turned to watery soup, and the little kindness Sylvia once remembered had been replaced with cold stares and sharp words.
But the final straw had come just days ago.
Marilyn-her closest friend, the girl she had practically grown up with-was adopted. Just like that, gone. Sylvia had always known adoption was the goal, the dream every child was supposed to hope for. But Marilyn leaving had torn something inside her.
At first, she tried to pretend it didn't matter. But everything changed after that. Rachel and Dorcas, the two oldest girls in the orphanage, turned on her. They had always been cruel in passing, throwing sharp words her way, but now they had a new target-someone alone, someone too angry to bother making new friends.
It started small. Taking her blanket when she wasn't looking. Knocking over her bowl at breakfast and laughing when she had to clean up the mess. Then it got worse-whispers behind her back, lies to the nuns, sharp pinches and elbow jabs when no one was watching.
Sylvia reported them, but it only made things worse. The nuns barely paid attention, dismissing her complaints as childish bickering. And then Sister Agnes, the one person she had hoped would listen, scolded her instead.
"How do you expect to get adopted with such poor behavior?" the nun had said, shaking her head in disappointment.
Sylvia had stood there, fists clenched, biting back the words she wanted to scream. That was the moment she knew she wasn't going to wait around, hoping to be chosen by some stranger. She was going to leave. On her own terms.
Sylvia climbed onto the ledge, gripping the frame. The drop was far, and the ground below glistened with mud from the rain. Her knees wobbled, but she bit her lip and jumped.
The impact jarred her legs, sending a shock up her spine, but she didn't stop. She scrambled to her feet, the sack pressed to her chest, and ran. The gate was ahead, the iron bars rusted and bent just enough for her to squeeze through.
"Sylvia!"
Her name cut through the darkness. Sister Agnes!
She didn't look back. Her breathing was ragged as she pushed through the gap in the gate, the metal scraping her arms. The cold air stung her lungs, but she kept running, her bare feet slapping against the wet pavement.
Freedom.
~•~
Sylvia huddled under a crumbling brick wall, holding her sack tightly to her chest. The rain had stopped, but her clothes were soaked, clinging to her thin frame. Her stomach growled. The piece of bread she'd packed was long gone.
She had walked all night, hiding in alleys and under bridges. The city was bigger than she imagined, louder too. Every sound made her jump-the rumble of a passing car, the chatter of strangers, the occasional shout in the distance.
She was terrified. And yet, for the first time in her life, she wasn't trapped.
Sylvia rubbed her arms, shivering as the wind bit at her skin. Across the street, a vendor was setting up a small stall, arranging loaves of bread. The smell wafted toward her, making her stomach ache.
Her eyes darted around, scanning for anyone watching. Slowly, she inched closer, her gaze fixed on the vendor's hands as he placed a basket of rolls on the counter.
"Hey!"
Sylvia's heart jumped. She spun around, ready to run, but a boy about her age stepped out from the shadows. He was scrawny, his clothes too big for his small frame, but his dark eyes gleamed with mischief.
"You're terrible at stealing," he said, grinning.
Sylvia clenched her fists. "I wasn't-"
"Relax," he said, holding up his hands. "You look hungry. Follow me."
She hesitated. Her instincts screamed not to trust him, but her hunger won out. She followed him down a narrow alley, her steps cautious.
He stopped near a cart piled with vegetables. "Watch this," he whispered, slipping a potato from the pile when the vendor turned away.
Sylvia watched, wide-eyed, as he handed it to her. "Your turn."
She shook her head.
"Suit yourself." He tossed the potato in the air, catching it with a smirk. "You'll starve out here if you don't learn how to play the game."
Sylvia bit her lip, her pride warring with her hunger. Finally, she nodded.
"Good," the boy said. "I'm Danny, by the way."
That night, Sylvia sat in an abandoned alley, nibbling on the small stash of food Danny had helped her gather. She had no idea where she was or what tomorrow would bring, but she made a silent vow:
She would survive. No matter what it took.
Elizabeth's life was never easy, but she worked hard to turn things around-until her fiancé, Daniel, betrayed her. Teaming up with her childhood friend, Stephanie, he cheated, stole her wealth, and left her to die. But fate gave Elizabeth a second chance. She wakes up in the body of Aurellia Blackstonne, America's wealthiest heiress, and finds herself with the means to destroy the people who wronged her. Armed with beauty, influence, and newfound confidence, Elizabeth begins her quest for justice. Yet Aurellia's life wasn't as perfect as it seemed. As Elizabeth uncovers the dark secrets of her new identity, she learns that revenge might come at a higher cost than she imagined. They thought they buried her. But Elizabeth is back-and she's not the same.
One law keeps the peace in Parlem, where the undefeated Sky Border separates the territories of werewolves and human mages. And that is that hybrids born of both species are forbidden-even by the gods. Jade Ishola doesn't know she's a hybrid. All she knows is that a wild, uncontrollable creature lives inside her. One night, it takes over. When she wakes by a stream, bruised and aching, the villagers are already hunting her for a crime she doesn't remember-something inhuman, something monstrous. She's saved by Kema, a golden-eyed warrior who offers her a way out: to hide what she is, she must train with the Watchers, the warriors who guard the Sky Border. Having little choice, Jade agrees. But as she sharpens her awakened fire magic under Kema's watchful gaze, forbidden feelings rise between them-dangerous, undeniable. Then, the truth of her birth is revealed. A secret dark enough to reignite the Great War between humans and werewolves. Her hybrid nature is exposed, and soon, she is being hunted-not just because she is forbidden, but because werewolves can gain immense power from consuming her kind. With time running out and enemies closing in, Jade must decide: will she fight for the love she sees with Kema, for control over the curse of her kind, or will the beast within her destroy everything she loves?
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
Melanie married Ashton out of gratitude, but she quickly found herself entangled in a web of relentless challenges. Despite these struggles, she stayed true to her commitment to the marriage. In the hospital room, Ashton indifferently attempted to draw her blood, disregarding her discomfort. This callous act was a harsh revelation for Melanie, awakening her to the grim reality of their relationship. Resolved to prioritize her own welfare, she decided to sever ties. With newfound resolve, Melanie filed for divorce. In the process, she unveiled her concealed identities, leaving everyone in shock. Throughout these turbulent times, Melanie realized that Derek, Ashton’s uncle, had been discreetly protecting her all along.
Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I’ll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."
"You're my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours." Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them. Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!