Wiltspoon's hot weather in October was a killer. Still, the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze. Serenity Hunt got up first thing in the morning to make breakfast for her sister's family of three before grabbing her birth certificate and slipping away ... Serenity had believed that married life would be routine, respectful, and mundane ever since she wed a stranger she had met on a blind date. Her new husband's tendency to cling to her like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe never occurred to her. She was utterly shocked to discover that whenever she was in trouble, he could make her problems go away. She questioned, but her husband always said it was just luck. Up until the day she saw an interview with a local billionaire who was renowned for making a big deal out of his wife. She then noticed the billionaire's startling resemblance to her husband. He turned out to be praising his wife, who was actually her!
Wiltspoon's hot weather in October was a killer. Still, the mornings and evenings were eased by the late autumn breeze.
Serenity Hunt got up first thing in the morning to make breakfast for her sister's family of three before grabbing her birth certificate and slipping away in the silence.
"We're going Dutch from now on, and I'm talking about everything ā the living expenses, the mortgage, and auto loans! Your sister should be splitting the cost since she's
staying at our place. Sure, she pays two thousand bucks a month, but it doesn't stretch very far. She's basically mooching off us."
Serenity overheard her brother-in-law's comment during the couple's argument last night.
She had to move out of her sister's place.
However, there was only one way to put her sister's mind to rest, and that was to get married.
Since Serenity wanted to tie the knot on short notice without ever having had a boyfriend, she decided to take up on Grandma May's offer. Serenity had saved the old lady by chance and came to know that Grandma May was trying to marry off her grandson, Zachary York, who had trouble settling down.
Twenty minutes later, Serenity got off to her pit stop at City Hall.
"Serenity."
A familiar voice summoned her attention the moment she got out of the car. It was Grandma May.
"Grandma May."
As Serenity hurried over, she took notice of a towering yet distant figure standing next to Grandma May. He must be Zachary, her husband-to-be.
At a closer distance, Serenity was dumbstruck after getting a load of Zachary's face.
According to Grandma May, her eldest grandson, Zachary had no luck with the ladies despite hitting thirty. Needless to say, Grandma May was worried sick.
Serenity had always assumed that he must be hideous.
After all, she heard that Zachary had a high-paying job up the corporate ladder in a major group.
Now that they had met face-to-face, Serenity realized that she got it all wrong.
Zachary was attractive and carried himself with an air of aloofness. Standing next to Grandma May with a sour face, he appeared standoffish and gave off vibes to stay away from him.
Serenity's gaze strayed to a black MPV parked nearby.
Judging by the logo, it was a national car rather than some multimillion-dollar vehicle. Serenity deduced that the economic difference between her and Zachary was not that far off.
She and an old friend from school had started a bookshop at the entrance of Wiltspoon School.
During her free time, Serenity would also knit little knick-knacks to sell online. The sales were not too bad.
In a month, she could bring home a steady income of twenty thousand dollars. The same amount in Wiltspoon would position her among the white collars. That was why she could afford to hand her sister five thousand bucks for living expenses.
Nevertheless, her brother-in-law had no clue about her earnings. Serenity told her sister to pocket three thousand bucks and only disclose the remaining two thousand to her husband.
"Serenity, this is my oldest grandson, Zachary. He's a thirty year-old man and can't even get himself out there. Although he's not the warmest person, he's attentive and considerate.
You saved my life, and we've known each other for three months. Trust me when I won't recommend a bad man to you."
Taking in his gran's description of him, Zachary looked askance at Serenity, icily and profoundly without saying a word.
Perhaps he had grown immune to her grumbles.
Serenity knew that Grandma May had three sons, and each gave her three grandsons, blessing her with nine grandsons.
Since a granddaughter was missing in Grandma
May's life, she sought that affinity with Serenity.
Although blushing in the face, Serenity openly extended her right hand to Zachary and introduced herself with a smile, "Hello, Mr. York. I'm Serenity Hunt."
Zachary's penetrating gaze scanned Serenity from head to toe and back. With Nana clearing her throat, he reached out his right hand for a shake, albeit his voice reflected an icy tone.
"Zachary."
After the handshake, Zachary raised his left hand to look at the time before informing Serenity. "I'm a busy man. Let's get it done and over with."
Serenity hummed in acknowledgment.
Grandma May jumped in. "Go on inside to sort out the paperwork. I'll wait for you here."
"Gran, get into the car. It's a hot day out."
Zachary said as he helped Nana into the car.
Through his actions, Serenity was able to agree with Grandma May's statement that Zachary might be callous, but his heart was in the right place.
Although they were strangers, Grandma May mentioned that Serenity could move out of her sister's place into a house Zachary owned and paid for in full after the marriage. It could reassure her sister that Serenity was in good hands and end the arguments in the house because of her.
It was only a marriage of convenience.
Soon, Zachary returned to Serenity's side and uttered, "Let's go."
"Sure." Serenity quietly followed him into City Hall.
At the registry office, Zachary urged Serenity. "Ms. Hunt, you can still change your mind if you don't want to go through with this. It doesn't matter what my Nana says. Marriage is a huge commitment, not to be taken lightly."
He was hoping Serenity had second thoughts.
Because he had no intention to marry a woman he had only met.
It was June, at the crack of dawn, a beautiful woman woke up with pains wracking her body and a splitting headache in a presidential suite of a five-star hotel, somewhere in the capital city, Nordeny. She felt utterly exhausted. Her head was killing her. It was as if she had woken up in a stranger's body. The young woman was Anya MacMillan. She forced her eyes open and pushed herself up. The sight before her baffled her. A huge bed. Messy sheets with streaks of dried dubious fluids stained. Clothes strewn across the bed and the floor. Clothes that belonged to her and a man. Anya jerked in shock. She whipped her head around and stared at the other side of the bed. On the huge and messy bed slept the man whom she had been secretly in love with forever. Evan Welton, the most sought-after bachelor in the capital city. The Adonis of Nordeny. Exhaustion lined his handsome face. His eyes were tightly shut. He showed no signs of waking up. He was completely naked, His finely sculpted form laid completely bare to Anya's eyes. The pounding in Anya's head worsened. Her breathing quickened. Did she...had she...with Evan...last night? Anya shoved aside the splitting pain in her head and forced herself to recall what had happened last night. Last night...she remembered that she had paid a visit to her stepmother. What had happened after that? Her memories were a blur. Her head felt heavy and her neck was killing her. Amid the fog clouding her head, snippets of memories flashed. She remembered heated touches, naked flesh and then some... There was no doubt about it. They had sex. It must be her stepmother. Her stepmother must have drugged them! Anya couldn't think of anyone else who would do something so vicious to her! Anya felt an alarm sound off in her head. 'She had to get out of here,' she thought. She tried to clamber out of bed immediately. She knew exactly who Evan Welton was. The man set to inherit the vast fortunes of the wealthiest family in Nordeny and the bachelor whom every young woman from any respectable family sought to marry. A man who loathed the advances of women he didn't know. Angering him would mean death. Anya imagined the possibility of Evan waking up right now. What would he think when he saw the mess? There was no way she could talk her way out of this one. She had been secretly in love with the man since she had been a girl. She didn't want the man to detest her. Anya scrambled to get out of bed. Suddenly, something shot towards her from the other side of the bed. He wrapped himself around her slender waist and yanking her back forcefully. The next moment, she was trapped under someone. She heard a husky male voice, rough with anger and through a clenched jaw. "Anya MacMillan...how dare you drug me..." Anya's mind cleared up. The fog that had clouded her head dispelled immediately. She shook her head frantically. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me..." "You didn't? How did you end up in my bed then?" Evan detested such shameless and stealthy means. His fingers tightened around Anya's pale arms. His strong grip nearly crushed her fragile bones. Pain spiked down Anya's arms. Her eyes reddened as she repeated herself. Evan wasn't interested in listening to her denials. In his view, she was just another despicable, loose woman who drugged him so that she could sleep with him. He released his grip on her and shoved her aside roughly. Then, he got out of bed and began to dress himself. "I don't want to see you again. Ever. Appear in my sight again and you're dead." The young man pulled on the rest of his clothes angrily. It was then that Sydney, Anya's stepsister, burst into the room suddenly. The sight of the mess in the room sent her into an instant rage. She had thought that the drug would make them pa** out and put up a deception of them having had sex. They weren't supposed to actually sleep with each other!
āOuchā¦ā As Maisie gradually regained her consciousness, all she could feel was her splitting headache and the throbbing pain all through her body, as if she had just been hit by a car. She furrowed her brows at the unease, but she could not find the strength to shrug it off. She could barely make out the silhouette of the man in the dark but could smell the unique fragrance of Gucci cologne, lightly wafting through the air. The man stayed silent the entire time while he pressed his body against her, kissing and nibbling her slender neckā¦ As dawn crept up, the morning sun shone in. Maisie suddenly opened her eyes. She was astonished to find herself na*ed in bed with a stranger lying next to her. He had his back turned against her. Maisieās face turned pale as flashbacks of the night before suddenly came back rushing back to her. It was not a dream after all! How had she ended up here?
I stared out across the water watching the sunset as the sky puts on its final show for the day. Today was my only day off, and after I helped my parents at our cottage, they let me come to hang out at my favorite spot on the water for the last few hours of the day. The sound of the waves on the water is always a very soothing sound to me, and I need it. I hide out in a spot where I can't be seen unless you know where to look. I have been here hundreds of times and have seen some of the other teenagers from school, but I choose not to show myself. I have to deal with them enough during the school week, and I really don't want to associate with them anyway. My name is Gabrielle Emerson, and I live in the Red River pack in Fairview, CA. We live near the Shasta National Forest, off of Trinity Lake, and it is a beautiful area. Fairview sits at the bottom of Trinity Lake, and it is really nice to live by a body of water. I stay until the sun has completely set in the sky and all you can see is the darkness, pierced by the beautiful light from the stars and the moon high in the sky.
David Lidell vomited blood and passed out when he was enraged by his rival in love. When he woke up, he realized he had obtained a super lavish system, and it was asking him to spend a quadrillion dollars. After that, David embarked on the journey toward the pinnacle of his life.
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. Whatās worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldnāt thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesnāt seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that heās different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wifeās countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. āLetās get married again.ā
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."
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?"
On her wedding day, Khloeās sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didnāt commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrikās cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"