Blurb: "Make love to me, I'm no longer a child. I can give you an experience my mom could never provide, even in the afterlife." Adriana seductively declared, Luci dedicated her life to raising her only daughter, Adriana, after the tragic loss of her husband. She remained single, focusing all her love and attention on Adriana, until she finally found companionship in Francis Monroe, a successful businessman. But Luci's world comes crashing down when she discovers that her 17-year-old daughter is not only having an affair with Francis but is dangerously obsessed with him. Once sweet and innocent, Adriana has become manipulative, seductive, and willing to go to extreme lengths to get what she wants, even if it means hurting her own mother. At first, Luci is furious. Then, the truth unravels-Adriana's twisted desires are rooted in the horrific abuse she suffered as a child. The past she tried to bury has resurfaced most terrifyingly. Now, Luci faces an impossible choice. Will she turn her back on her daughter out of fear and betrayal? Or will she fight for justice and try to save Adriana from the darkness consuming her?
Location: New York City,
USA The faint glow of dawn seeped through the curtains, casting delicate golden hues across the bedroom walls. Luci Monroe, 38 years old, stirred awake with a yawn, stretching her arms before slipping out of bed. It was another busy morning, another day of routine, another day of balancing work and family. She adjusted her nightrobe and walked toward the kitchen, her slippers making soft padding sounds against the polished wooden floors. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee soon filled the apartment, mingling with the crisp scent of toast and sizzling bacon. Luci moved with practised ease, setting the table with precision. Francis Monroe, her husband and one of the most powerful banking moguls in the country, would be leaving soon for work, and she liked to ensure he started his day right. As she stirred the eggs in the pan, her gaze flickered toward the clock. 6:45 AM. Usually, Adriana would already be up, dragging herself to the bathroom or scrolling through her phone in bed. But today, there was silence. Luci frowned. Wiping her hands on a dish towel, she made her way down the hall toward Adriana's room. She hesitated for a moment before knocking gently. When there was no response, she pushed the door open. Adriana lay curled beneath the sheets, her dark hair sprawled across the pillow, her breathing slow and even. Luci's expression softened. Her daughter was sixteen now, almost a young woman, yet there were moments when she still looked like the little girl she had raised alone for years. She stepped closer and bent down, brushing a stray strand of hair from Adriana's face before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "Sweetheart," she murmured, nudging her gently. "Time to get up. You're going to be late for school." Adriana groaned, turning over, her face contorted as though in discomfort. "I don't feel well," she mumbled. Luci straightened, concern flashing in her eyes. "What's wrong? A headache? Stomach pain?" "My body just feels weak. I think I have a fever." Luci placed the back of her palm against Adriana's forehead, but her temperature felt normal. She studied her daughter's face, searching for signs of illness, but Adriana's eyes remained half-lidded, her expression unreadable. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" Luci asked. Adriana shook her head lazily. "No, I'll be fine. I just need some rest." Luci sighed. "Alright. I'll let you stay home today, but if you still feel sick by the afternoon, I'm taking you to the doctor." Adriana nodded, pulling the blankets tighter around herself. Still feeling slightly uneasy, Luci left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. In the dimly lit dining area, Francis Monroe sat at the table, sipping his black coffee as he scanned through the morning newspaper. He was a man of precision-his suits always pressed, his watch always set five minutes ahead, his day scheduled down to the last second. His entire presence exuded authority, a man used to being in control, both in the boardroom and at home. Luci entered, placing a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon before him. "Adriana's staying home today," she said, taking her seat. Francis raised a brow, setting the paper aside. "Is she sick?" "She says she has a fever, but she didn't feel warm. I'll check on her again later." Francis took a bite of his food, nodding absently. He wasn't particularly close to Adriana-he had only been in her life for a year since he married Luci. At first, Adriana had despised him, making it clear that she saw him as an intruder. Over time, the hostility had waned, but their relationship remained distant, polite at best. Luci glanced at the clock. "I have to leave early today. There's a board meeting, and Mr. Calloway wants me to help with the preparations." Francis nodded, sipping his coffee. "What time will you be back?" "Probably late. If Adriana gets worse, please call me." "I will," he said, but there was something detached in his tone as if he had already moved on from the conversation. Luci finished her breakfast quickly and kissed him lightly on the cheek before grabbing her purse. "I'll see you tonight," she said as she walked toward the door. Francis merely nodded, returning to his paper. As the door clicked shut behind her, the silence in the apartment deepened. A few minutes passed before the stillness was broken. The soft creak of a door. The gentle padding of bare feet against the floor. Adriana emerged from her room, wearing nothing but a sheer, silk revealing nightdress that clung to her frame. It was almost as if she had been waiting for the moment her mother left. She moved with calculated ease, her steps slow and deliberate, as she approached the dining area. Francis, still lost in the newspaper, barely noticed her presence until she was standing right beside him. He turned his head slightly and then froze. Adriana was standing too close, her body just inches away, her lips curved into the faintest of smirks. "You're not sick," he said, his voice unreadable. Adriana tilted her head, her dark eyes locked onto his. "I never said I was." Francis exhaled sharply, closing his newspaper. "Go back to bed, Adriana." She ignored him, stepping even closer and placing a delicate hand on the sleeve of his suit. "You're always in a rush. Always serious. Do you ever just... breathe?" Francis stiffened. "Adriana." "Hmm?" "Go back to your room." She let out a soft laugh, the sound both innocent and sinister. "Why? Does my presence make you uncomfortable?" Francis swallowed. "You're being inappropriate." Adriana ran a hand through her dark waves, letting them tumble down her shoulders. "I only came to say good morning." Francis stood abruptly, grabbing his suit jacket. "I have to go." He moved past her quickly, but just as he reached for his briefcase, he felt a pair of arms snake around his waist from behind. "Why are you always running from me?" she whispered against his back. He turned around swiftly, grabbing her arms. "Enough, Adriana." His voice was firm, but his eyes betrayed something else, confusion, hesitation, a crack in his resolve. Adriana smiled as if she had won some small victory. Their eyes remained locked for a long, tense moment. Then, just as Francis was about to pull away, she leaned closer and kissed him. It was at that moment that the front door burst open. A sharp, shattering sound filled the room. The glass designer clock in Luci's hands slipped and crashed onto the marble floor, the pieces scattering across the tiles like tiny, glimmering daggers. Francis and Adriana jerked apart, their bodies stiff with shock. The air was thick, heavy, and suffocating. Luci stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the scene before her-her sixteen-year-old daughter, barely clothed, standing inches away from her fifty-year-old husband. The betrayal was palpable, like a knife plunging straight into her chest. The silence that followed was deafening. And then- The clock's ticking stopped. The room was filled with nothing but the sound of Luci's shallow, trembling breaths. And the look in her eyes wasn't just anger. It was devastation. It was the moment everything fell apart.
Elena Harper is a fiercely independent woman trying to navigate her career and life in the bustling city. Adrian Grant is a powerful, enigmatic CEO with a guarded heart. When their worlds collide by chance, an undeniable spark ignites between them. But love isn't simple. From corporate chaos to family dynamics and deeply buried insecurities, their journey is anything but smooth. As passion blooms into a love neither of them expected, they'll have to overcome the odds to prove that sometimes, love is worth the risk. Full of romance, humor, and heart, Against All Odds is a story about finding love when you least expect it and holding on through life's toughest challenges.
Ivy Summers thought she could handle the storms life threw her way until one foolish choice turned her world upside down. A quiet night of weakness leads to a memorable one-night stand with Griffin Blackwell, a man who oozes power and control. When she learns that her mysterious lover is not only her boss but the cruel rich CEO of Blackwell Enterprises, her life becomes even more confusing. Griffin, hurt by betrayal and determined never to let anyone close again, views Ivy as a problem he can't afford but can't resist. When a high-stakes deal demands a fake marriage, Griffin offers a contract Ivy cannot refuse. Bound by the rules of their sham union, their twisted web of desire and mistrust gets tighter, revealing dangerous secrets that could destroy them both. As enemies close in and their feelings spin out of control, will Ivy find her strength and Griffin learn to trust again? Or will their love be crushed by the ghosts of their past?
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?
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.
Elisa watched as the most important people in her life showered the evil imposter-The fake heiress, with love. Elisa, the lost daughter of one of the most wealthiest family was found 18 years later and was brought back to her rightful home. However, someone had already taken her place. A fake heiress, the pampered little princess. Her coy acting and innocent façade made Elisa's real mother love her more than Elisa, her real daughter. That made Elisa, though, the true daughter end up as an adopted child. "Elisa, could you try not to appear in front of her too much as it could trigger her insecurities." Her parents had told her because of the fake heiress. "Elisa, You've taken everything away from her. Why can't you give her a little more?" Her fiancé had ordered her. Because of an unfortunate accident plotted by Isabelle-The fake heiress, Elisa was sent to prison and her family cut ties with her without a second thought. Four years, after much torture which led to her being crippled and blind on one eye, she was released, but got hit by a truck. While laying on the pool of her blood, she wanted to question, Why? Why had they all treated her so cruelly, while they love Isabelle unconditionally? She badly wanted to rip off Isabelle's mask of innocence, to reveal the fake, manipulative woman beneath. She was full of hatred. But after her death, she woke up back to when she was 18 years like all that happened were all nightmare. She was elated. She was reborn to re-live all that had happened in her last life, but now, her mission was to reveal mask beneath that woman and make everyone that made her suffer in her past life pay. It was her time for revenge! And definitely, she won't mess this up!
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."