Power, wealth, and control are the driving forces in Rasmus Dahlgren's world, but they are all powerless to stop his dying grandfather from giving him an Ultimatum: get married and have a child within a year, or else you will lose everything and I'll hand it over to your cousin. Rasmus makes a bargain with Natalie Sandstrom, a poor single mother, in an attempt to protect the family riches and inheritance. He proposed a one year agreement with Natalie, have one child, no affection and I'll give you financial security in return. Natalie accepts his proposal despite her secrets, a hidden past life and the fact that she is unable to conceive after Elliot's birth. Rasmus is pulled to Natalie and her son as their arrangement makes it difficult to distinguish between business and emotion. He never imagined that things could turn around so quickly. However, as the one year contract draws to a close a startling revelation surfaces: he finds out he is the father of her child from a forgotten one-night stand seven years ago. In order to recover the love he never believed he wanted, Rasmus must now face the mysteries and betrayals that tie them both before it's too late.
The rain was pouring down heavily and soaked Rasmus to the bones. He didn't mind at all as the rain seemed to mirror his inner torment. He stood in the dimly lit foyer of Écarlate, the most expensive and secretive brothel in Sweden, his Suit, was wet and clinging to his chiseled physique. The water dripping from his black hair into the lapels of his handcrafted Armani jacket was barely noticeable to him. His world was a blur of alcohol, sorrow, and anger.
Inside, past the velvet ropes and tinted glass, Natalie Sandstrom sat motionless on a couch, her heart racing wildly over her ribs. The air was heavy with perfume and sin, and the walls were lined with women who had learned to smile under the burden of expectation. But she was different from them.
She swallowed hard as her throat felt dry, even though she had taken some champagne earlier. She was not soothed by the gentle hum of jazz. She was drowning, and so was the man outside. He was smothered by loss, and she was suffocated by debt and medical expenses so high that she believed they would bury her alive. She had no power.
The bouncer nodded as Rasmus pushed by him, the strong odor of rain and alcohol clinging to him like a destructive aura. He didn't bother to speak, ignoring the other people in the room. To help him forget, he needed a body.
The woman who handled Natalie, on seeing him enter leaned in and whispered to her
"That one's yours, sweetheart."
She looked at the man who was now standing at the bar. His presence was a command, and his posture conveyed dominance. Even when he ordered his drink, he did not order a menu of women as the others did. The room paused to make place for him; he was simply there.
She made her move. If she didn't, she'd be back on the streets by dawn. If she said yes, she might just survive. She pushed her legs toward him, her heels clicking on the marble floor.
"Looking for companionship?" She barely sounded like herself.
Rasmus turned and looked into her warm brown eyes, and everything stopped for a moment. He handed her a large amount of cash without a word, his gaze unreadable as he looked at her face.
"No names, no small talk, I just need you to keep me warm."
Natalie had to come to terms with the fact. She was capable of doing this. Only for tonight as this will definitely be here last night here.
The bartender tossed him more whiskey. He shoved it aside and stood up, pushed some cash across the bar to him.
"Upstairs." His voice sounded hoarse from exhaustion.
She gave a nod. She ought to be terrified. She was, indeed. But something shattered in his eyes made her follow him. The suite was gold-washed and darkly lighted, with silk sheets and champagne in a bucket of ice. A place designed for fun, for forgetting. Rasmus tore off his tie and threw it on the dresser, moving slowly but methodically. He returned his gaze to her eyes.
"You shouldn't be here." His comments were abrupt. He seemed to know. She swallowed.
"Neither should you." She replied curtly.
The muscles in his jaw tightened. Something about her eyes seemed to draw him in and it stirred up something in him.
The air in the room thickened as he moved closer to her all the while staring into her eyes. His body felt warm all of sudden
He couldn't explain why he was feeling this way with her.
Natalie just stood there staring at him.
"Just this one night." She thought.
The room had become dark. This one night would become a mistake that would later catch up with both of them.
Present Day (The Ultimatum)
The view of Stockholm's skyline from Rasmus Dahlgren's office was unparalleled due to its tall windows. Like the empire he was destined to inherit, the glass walls seemed like a concrete jungle reflecting the city's boundless expanse.
With a grim attitude and sharp Nordic features, Rasmus stood behind a sleek black desk and observed the city below. He was the epitome of authority and a formidable presence in the corporate sector. His black, simple, fitted suit added to the authority he exuded. His grandfather Gustav Dahlgren's rich baritone voice broke the stillness of the room.
"You have one year, Rasmus," Gustav stated, his tone harsh and purposeful.
"One year to marry, to produce an heir, or this family empire will be lost to your greedy and power drunk cousin"
Rasmus didn't give the elderly man a look. He was well aware of Gustav's predicament and he knew that his cousin was capable of tearing down this empire in no time at all. His jaw was clenched when his fingers brushed the desk's glossy wood. Weakness was not an option, but the pressure was too great. This determined the name of his family, their heritage, and their wealth. Gustav's chilly, piercing blue eyes pierced Rasmus like broken glass.
"This is something you can't avoid, Son, you can either fulfill your obligations or watch as everything falls apart. Nobody is indispensable. Not even you." His grandfather said. Now he realized there was no turning back. Rasmus could not do anything except follow the rules that Gustav had established. His serene exterior was threatened by the fury that was building inside of him. As if reading the younger man's soul, Gustav looked at him intently, studying his face.
"Time is of the essence. Rasmus, you've got one year. One year."
When Rasmus turned at last, his gaze met Gustav's. He answered in a tight voice,
"I will find a way, Grandpa."
Without sacrificing anything else he had to figure out how to satisfy his grandfather's requests. It was easier said than done, though.
As the gravity of his grandfather's command sunk in, his mind started racing. He needs to find a woman, marry her, and have a child within a year.
The thought of being stuck in a marriage, out of family obligation rather than passion, made his stomach churn. As he stood there, deep in thoughts, the only sound in the room was the ticking of the wall clock as if it was reminding him that he did not have time.
Nothing can be compared to the feeling of being hated and despised by the very person you love. Ayla would do anything to make CEO Jaxon love her and change his opinion about her but nothing seemed to change him. Forced to perform her wifely duties even though he didn't love her, Ayla was getting fed up of lying to herself that she could change him and that he would love her if she kept trying. " I can't do this anymore," she cried silently as she rubbed the bump on her stomach. She knew she had reached her limits when she became pregnant with his children, that only meant their divorce was around the corner. Choosing not to be dumped and separated from her children, she flees to give them a better life while doing the thing she loves most. She was no longer going to sacrifice her life to please anyone else, only then does the stern CEO realize the value of what he had lost. Now, he has to win her back.
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!"
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
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."
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?"
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"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?"