They have just relocated. But Rene didn't want the change. And she meets Dwayne and times spent with him are worthwhile Maybe the move wasn't so bad at all. But how family is breaking, how can they come back together
CHAPTER ONE
I feel crazy.
I'm acting like a child.
I'm walking down the busy street with an urgency that makes my movement uncoordinated. My legs fumble over each other in a hasty attempt to pass the couple in front of me and get to my destination.
I'll admit, this is a low point for me. I've hardly left the house since my family and I moved to Michigan a month ago. But today, I threw on a stain-free sundress, quickly slicked down my edges with my favorite fruit-scented gel, and rushed out the front door looking like a civilized person.
All this to save an old DVD player.At first glance, a passing stranger might look at the blanket in my arms and assume I'm cradling an adorable baby or a helpless puppy. Their last guess would be a DVD player on the verge of death. The chunky, outdated technology has a disc stuck inside it, and while the situation might seem trivial, to me it is a full-blown emergency. Hence my clumsy march to the tech repair shop.
A mild breeze, laced with the smoky scent of barbecue, tousles my long braids, and I shake the displaced locks from my line of vision, squint against the sun's glare, and hurry past a restaurant with a grinning cartoon pig on its front window. When I arrive at my destination, I release a deep breath. Before leaving my house, I googled"DVD player repair." That search brought me to Techies. I open the door, and a bell chimes. There are only a few customers in the small space; some examine the displayed computers, while others go through the products that seem to be in an unorganized cluster on shelves.
"Hey," the girl behind the counter says, jutting her chin to me.
"I ... um... hi."
Since arriving Michigan, I developed a new personality trait: extreme awkwardness. It started in the airport. In the swarm of travelers, I became very aware of myself-of the color of my skin of my dress sense-for the first time in my life. In the melody of American accents, my American accent stood out like an off-key note. When a uniformed man with an air of authority requested to see my passport, I froze and babbled. Thankfully, my mother and sister intervened.
Since we arrived, I've noticed Lucy my younger sister, acting like them. I can't do that. I can only dress like myself. I only know how to sound like myself.
"Need something?" The girl at the counter speaks again. She looks about fifteen. She's wearing heavy, dark makeup that's harsh against her lily-white complexion. When she blows her bubble gum, it pops, then flattens on her pierced nose.
"Er... yes. I need help," I answer in an unsteady voice.
"Yeah. We don't do animals. The vet's a few blocks down."I look at my arms and instantly understand her assumption. "It isn't an animal."
"Okay. Well, we don't do babies either. Dr. Mason's across the street."
"It isn't a baby."
The girl blows another bubble. She watches me blankly as the pink gum expands and pops. Clearly, she isn't willing to waste any more words on our exchange.
I approach her and place the bundled DVD player on the counter. "I need this fixed. Please."
"O-kaaay." She drags the word, extending the two syllables. "A few questions. One, what is it?"
"A DVD player."
"Okay. Why is it in a blanket?"
"I walked here. I wanted to give it some cushion just in case I dropped it."
"Right."
Even with her deadpan expression and flat tone, her judgment comes off clearly. I really regret leaving the house, but there's little I can do about that now. I sigh and shift my weight from one leg to another. "So? Can you ... fix it?"
"We repair phones, computers, game consoles. Not that."
"Um ... I don't understand. Why not this? According to Google, you fix electronics. This is an electronic device."
"But is it? Or is it just a piece of junk?" She pulls a lock of brown hair behind her multi-pierced ear and nose and shrugs.
"Come on, Julie, just look at it." The disembodied voice that comes from behind makes me flinch. The guy standing two feet from me is tall. He's wearing sunglasses, a cao, and a large hood over the cap. Only the lower half of his face is visible. He's left a lot to my imagination when I would rather see the face of the person coming to my aid. "Just plug it in and have a look," he goes on.
"Ugh," Julie_ the girl grumbles, then grabs the cord and plugs it into a socket. "What exactly is the problem?"
"There's a disc inside," I explain hurriedly. "It's stuck and won't come out."
She pushes multiple buttons with no true coordination, like I did at home. When nothing happens, she scoffs. "Like I said, it's a piece of junk. Toss it."
"What about your dad?" the hooded guy says to Julie. "Maybe he can figure it out?"
"He's at an appointment. Won't be back for another hour."
"An hour." I frown, but nod. "Okay. I'll come back."
"Mind if I try something?" the hooded guy asks, moving to my side.
"Um ... I ... I..." Surprised by both his question and his sudden proximity, I stutter.
"Promise I won't destroy it. Well, I'll really try not to." He smiles. It's a nice smile, infectious too, because the corners of my lips immediately turn up. He accepts my smile as permission, and then he fists his hand and bangs it on the DVD player."Oh, my God!" My eyes go wide. "What are you doing? Do you want to destroy it completely?"
"Nah. That was definitely not the plan." His lips shrink into an apologetic smile. "I was just trying something, and I really hope it works." He presses the Open/Close button, and to my surprise and total relief, the disc slides out.
"Oh, my God." I expel a loud breath. "It worked."
"Yay," Julie says in a monotone. "Hooray." She grabs her phone and stares at the screen.
I ignore her and celebrate by bouncing on my toes. "I can't believe you fixed it. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. I think I just got lucky." He looks from me to the ejected disc and smiles. "Sixteen Candles. My mom's always going on about this movie. Never seen it, though. Is it good?"
"It is. I had a few minutes left when it stopped working."
It really was a shame when the DVD player malfunctioned at a pivotal moment in the movie-just when Jake Ryan surprises Samantha at the church. The urge to know what happened next pushed me to declare a state of emergency.
"Well, let's hope it's good now." He presses the Open/Close button several times to confirm the device does exactly what it's supposed to do. Thankfully, it does. He reaches behind the counter and unplugs the cord. After wrapping the blanket around the DVD player, he extends it to me. "Protect it at all costs."
I laugh. "Of course. Thank you."
"Still think it's a piece of junk," Lucy adds, without looking away from her phone. "Ever heard of streaming a movie? Life made easy."
I roll my eyes, and even though the hooded guy is wearing tinted glasses, I have a feeling he does too.
Davina and Shaun has been friends since forever, and they finally can meet with their classmates for school reunion. But this reunion is more of an announcement and even opening old wounds Will Davina and Shaun survive the wreak?
Sofia only wants to reunite with her boyfriend so when she passes the scholarship examination, and she's excited. Roman is now a _single mom_ according to his friends and urgent need of support He should not fall for his daughter nanny but it's proving difficult How's he to get out of the shit
Sylvester has had a rough life. From having to please his father to shielding his siblings and protecting the family's name and so will make no exception for his bride. Daphne will not be insulted even by helper and while she has been caught, she only wants her safety. How far will Sylvester protect a woman of the night and street
Academia is a lot of work and Elain is always on her toes, but she keeps pushing because of the words _of the stranger_ But she has made a mistake to keep a lie afloat. How's she to get out of the mess she created and still maintain the lie
Gregory Smith, a bachelor in his thirties has planned his first vacation in a very long time but it doesn't involve being tied to his bed in a location that certainly doesn't contain naked women. Lissiana is clocking a new age and looking forward to her mother's gift and she definitely enjoyed the first bite. But he's being held against his will and she against the wall Should she be kind hearted and let him go? Or do as mother advices.
Elaine is a seventeen year old dark haired high schooler who is a quiet twelve grader. She has no competition in school except for the bully from Jane, the school's beau, leader of the cheer leading squad, not minding the fact that Elaine is a good basketball player. A new student joined them in their last year. He's handsome, tall and dark haired. Elaine likes him and luckily she has been assigned as his school guide. But Jane likes him too and wants Elaine to stay away from him. It's no problem as Elaine likes her privacy. But the frequent calls from Jonas, his taking her to school and dropping her off at home makes him irresistible. Elaine is not ready for the publicity a handsome popular boyfriend will bring and she cannot afford distraction in this stage of school. Her parents have seen Jonas and like him, but her favourite teacher wants her to stay away. Will Elaine run to the library or garden as always? Will she be telling Jonas she likes him and give a shot at high school romance?
Mia's life is spiraling out of control. Abandoned by her mother, bullied mercilessly at school, and thrown into a household of four dangerously attractive stepbrothers, she's desperate to find her footing. "You look absolutely edible," Sean growled, his eyes devouring her. Mia felt a rush of heat between her thighs "Oh, you think so?" she purred, turning to face him. She reached out and traced her fingers along the ribbon that wrapped around his waist. "Well, I've been waiting for this all day. And I'm starving." Sean's smile grew into a predatory grin. "Then let us feast," he said, and in a flash, the ribbon fell away, exposing his rock-hard length. He stepped closer, and Mia felt the warmth of his breath on her face as he whispered, "You're going to take every inch of us tonight, aren't you?" With Rolex's teasing smirk and Sean's quiet, hot stares, Mia doesn't know where to turn-or who to trust. Every glance, every touch leaves her breathless, confused, and craving more than she should. Will Mia survive their games, or will she lose herself in a dangerous world of secrets, seduction, and forbidden desire? One house. Four brothers. Endless temptation.
"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?"
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”
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."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..." But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
The day Lilah found out that she was pregnant, she caught her fiancé cheating on her. Her remorseless fiancé and his mistress almost killed her. Lilah fled for her dear life. When she returned to her hometown five years later, she happened to save a little boy's life. The boy's father turned out to be the world's richest man. Everything changed for Lilah from that moment. The man didn't let her experience any inconvenience. When her ex-fiancé bullied her, he crushed the scumbag's family and also rented out an entire island just to give Lilah a break from all the drama. He also taught Lilah's hateful father a lesson. He crushed all her enemies before she even asked. When Lilah's vile sister threw herself at him, he showed her a marriage certificate and said, "I'm happily married and my wife is much more beautiful than you are!" Lilah was shocked. "When did we ever get married? Last I checked, I was still single." With a wicked smile, he said, "Honey, we've been married for five years. Isn't it about time we had another child together?" Lilah's jaw dropped to the floor. What the hell was he talking about?