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After discovering her father's infidelity, Leena Jackson is sent to live with relatives she has never met. In a new city, she attends a new year's countdown party where a mysterious stranger's kiss ignites unexpected feelings within her. What happens when she crosses paths with the stranger again and discovers that he's one of the city's most powerful tycoons?
LEENA
Curiosity killed a cat, they say. They're not wrong. My curiosity has earned me several body bruises and a trip to a place I've never been. I'm going to live with people I've never known.
"Leena, are you done packing your bags?" my Father asks, walking into my bedroom without knocking.
I sniffle, wiping away the tears rolling down my cheeks. "Please let me stay here, I don't want to go and live with strangers."
He walks to the bed where I'm seated and begins to close my suitcase. "You brought this upon yourself."
"I didn't mean to," I say, sliding off the bed to
my knees. "Please, I won't mention a word to Mom."
He stops fidgeting with my suitcase and looks at me. "A word about what?"
"About you and Aunt Carissa," I say and he slaps me hard in the face.
"You've just proven a point, Leena. You can't keep your mouth shut so come on, start taking your bags to the car."
He lifts my suitcase and walks out of the room. I get off my knees and carry the rest of my bags to the car.
When I got home from work last night, I heard a female's voice in the house and I followed it to the guest room, opening the door without knocking because nobody uses it. That's when I found my Father having sex with Aunt Carissa, Mom's older sister. I stood frozen at the door until my Father started beating the hell out of me for invading his privacy. Aunt Carissa didn't say a word or try to stop him, she just gave me an apologetic look instead. That's what put me in this situation.
It is a quiet drive to the train station. Dad doesn't say a word to me until my luggage is safely loaded on the train.
"If you ever mention any of this to your mother, I'll kill you," he says, rubbing my shoulders with both hands. Anyone around us would think we're having a sweet emotional farewell conversation.
"I know," I say. Nothing can stop this man from doing just what he says. "I won't say a word to her or to anyone else."
"Good," he says. "Henry will be waiting for you at the station. Safe trip."
With that, he walks away and I get onto the train. I take the window seat, plug my AirPods, and lean my head against the window, watching the fog that spreads over the glass with each breath I take.
A man comes to sit next to me and across from me, a woman and a young boy. I don't realize they're a family until the man seated next to me displays a bunch of toys on the table and they all join the kid in a pretend play. It reminds me of my own family - Mom, Dad, and me - and how loving Dad was to me before he changed into the beast he is now. I close my eyes and let my mind wander to many years ago when everything was perfect, years ago before Dad got the job that changed him and the rest of us.
The airhorne blast startles me awake and I quickly wipe away the drool that is rolling down my cheeks. The kid looks at me and laughs. His mother says something to me, but the music in my ears is too loud, so I just offer her a smile. The train comes to a stop and the family leaves. I hug my jacket tighter as the train proceeds and mentally prepare myself for what awaits me - a holiday in a different city, with a different family.
When the train makes the last stop, I get my bags and go out. There are so many people around, hugging and laughing. Then there's me, looking around for the man who is supposed to pick me.
I turn around when someone taps my shoulder and find myself looking at a tall man, almost my father's age. He looks cold and dangerous, just like Dad.
"Leena Jackson?" he asks.
"Mr...Henry?" I say, realizing that his first name is the only information that Dad gave me.
"Yes, welcome to New York," he says, lifting my suitcase and taking it to his car. I follow behind him and slide into the backseat but he asks me to sit in the passenger seat instead.
"You've grown so much," he says, starting the car. "You were about seven the last time I saw you, how old are you now?"
"I'm twenty-one," I say.
"I see, how's Marina? I heard she moved to a different state."
"She's fine," I say. Marina is my mother. She was transferred to another state for work so I only get to see her on holidays, except I won't see her this time.
"What is the festive season like in Philadelphia?" he asks.
I sigh, not in the mood to talk, "It's just as it is everywhere else, jolly moods, decorations, fireworks and all."
"I see," he says and continues to drive in silence.
"How do you and my father know each other?" I ask, curious.
"He's an old friend," he replies. "And we're in the same business."
I nod, worried about how much more violent a man who isn't even my father would be.
He turns into a driveway and comes to a stop in front of a house decorated in all sorts of festive embellishments.
A woman opens the door and walks to the car just as I open mine. She comes straight to hug me and introduces herself as Anna, Henry's wife.
"Welcome home," she says, smiling so hard.
I smile back at her, "Thank you."
A young man walks out of the house and comes to stand next to her.
"This is our son, Mark," she says.
He extends his hand and I shake it, "Hey, I'm Leena."
"I know," he chuckles. "Mom hasn't stopped talking about you since your visit was announced yesterday."
"Come on, let me show you around," Anna says and I follow her to the house. She introduces me to her teenage daughter Martha and shows me to my bedroom.
"You can pack your stuff later; let's go down and have dinner," she says after the house tour, and I follow.
Everyone is happy to have dinner together and it makes me wonder why my own family can't be like this.
"I'm going to the New Year's Eve countdown tonight. Would you like to tag along, Leena?" Mark asks.
I look at Anna and Henry before responding and they both shrug.
"I'd love to."
"Great," he says. "We start off at 10:30 PM."
"Right," I say.
"Be safe and take care of Leena," Anna says, wiping her hands on a serviette. "She's new to this place."
"Don't worry; she's going to have the best New Year's Eve celebration. One that she'll never forget," Mark says and Anna rolls her eyes.
After dinner, we all sit in the TV room to watch a holiday movie. Martha tells me it is a ritual for them to watch a family movie every Christmas or New Year's Eve and spend quality time as a family, and she tells me about how she enjoys it less and less every year as she grows. That makes all of us laugh.
When the movie is over, Mark and I leave. We use the same car that his father picked me up in.
"You're ready for this?" he asks.
"I bet, where are we going?"
"To a club, been to one?"
I chuckle, "I'm twenty-one, of course I've been."
"We're going to a different kind of club, though," he says.
"How different?" I ask.
"It's a singles club. On festive holidays, singles countdown and kiss whoever is within their reach."
"Does your father know that's what happens?" I raise a brow.
"I'm twenty-four," he says. "To answer your question, though, he doesn't know."
I laugh, "Thought so."
He stops the car in front of a club with glowing neon signs at the door and we both hop out.
"Let's have some fun!" he says.
He leads the way into the club and I follow him to a table.
He orders us some drinks and I start sipping on mine when we're served.
We dance and drink some more until all the lights in the club suddenly go off.
I'm starting to panic when everyone in the club starts counting down.
"Ten! Nine! Eight...."
I join them in the countdown, and exactly at one, strong arms wrap around my waist, and I'm pulled to a body and then kissed. It isn't an ordinary kiss, it is passionate. The kind that makes me forget my fear of the dark. Nothing I've experienced before. Before I know it, I'm kissing Mark back and it feels so good. I didn't expect my day to end like this. When he pulls away, I slowly open my eyes and the club lights up once again. Surprisingly, Mark isn't standing in front of me. Nobody is standing directly in front of me, only people around me and almost all of them are still kissing. When I turn around, Mark is kissing a blond girl and seems to be enjoying it.
I'm confused.
Who just kissed me?
Sandra Hill, the long-lost real heiress of the Hill family, was shunned by her own kin. Instead of embracing her, they bestowed their affection upon an impostor. They even arranged her to marry a vegetative man in place of her so-called “sister”. Sandra sneered, refusing to put up with this humiliation, cut off ties with the Hill family immediately and ran into the flash marriage with Wesley Cooper, her unconscious billionaire husband. With her incredible medical skills, she defied the odds and revived him. Little did she expect that her husband spoiled her with all his love... A medical genius, a computer prodigy, a national treasure in painting, and a racing legend... Her husband revealed her various identities, leaving the Hill family regretful. Her father came pleading, "It's Dad's fault. Please come back." Her mother wept, "Mom will protect you from now on. Please come back." Even her five brothers knelt before he, begging for forgiveness. Yet, Sandra's smile held a hint of mockery as she vowed, “Never!”
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
"Who is she?" I asked, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "He met her at the Alpha training camp," he said. "She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice." My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks. Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna. **** Emily never shifted on her 18th birthday and became the laughingstock of the pack. When her old crush, Alexander Black, returns from Alpha Training, she never expected him to be her mate. After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that young Alpha Alexander has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, Emily runs off and disappears from the pack. Now, five years later, Emily is a high-ranking warrior in King Alpha's army, specializing in sensitive matters. When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate, Alexander. Will Alexander figure out it is Emily? Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Three years ago, Cecilia was left battered and alone by the man she loved most, Alston, yet she bravely completed the wedding ceremony while pregnant. Three years later, although they were married, they grew apart over time. Cecilia focused on her career, no longer foolishly believing in love. But her transformation instantly threw Alston into a panic... And what is the secret from 11 years ago that Cecilia has always been reluctant to reveal? *** "She went to a law firm, met with a lawyer..." A lawyer? Is Cecilia suing someone? Who? Is there any recent litigation against the company? Alston suddenly chuckled coldly, "Who could she sue? I'm the CEO of this company. How come such a matter doesn't come to me first?" The assistant swallowed nervously, speaking softly, "Sir, there's no litigation against the company. She met with... a divorce lawyer."