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Elena faked her identity to survive, caught between desperation and ambition. When billionaire Damien Cross offers a contact marriage backed by promises, she sifbs away her soul for a future built on lies. But in Damien's world, loyalty is the currency and Elena is broke. One night of passion, a forbidden love and a secret betrayal. As enemies close in and truths unravel, Elena realizes too late that she was never the player. She was always the pawn. Now divorced, left in ruins and exposed, the woman who once dreamed of fortune must fight to survive the empire she at one point, was a part of. But the greatest betrayal is yet to come.
In a world built on lies, Elena was an artist.
Portraying herself as a character that existed only in her imaginations, but acting so well, such that everyone she came across easily believed it. And since everyone was busy trying to get strings pulled in different aspects of their lives, they cared less about verifying her identity and claims. Over time, she had made substantial gains through her schemes, but she was yet to hit her jackpot... her main target. she believed that it was only a matter of time before she would get it done, and after that, she would quit for good and make something reasonably substantial out of her life.
This was just another day in her constant attempts to fix herself within the one group she didn't belong to.
There had been an announcement of a party for the elites, the kind they held quarterly, and it was indeed everyone's dream, except only the select few could attend. Invitation-only, strict security, and only the elite.
Elena gracefully walked up to the entrance and handed her invitation to the security, who checked it against the guest list and within a few seconds, smiled back at her and let her through.
The golden chandeliers in the hall sparkled like frozen fire, casting a pretty glow over the sea of designer gowns and hand tailored tuxedos. Elena adjusted the delicate crystal mask over her face, feeling the whisper of silk against her skin as she slipped effortlessly between the world's untouchables.
Yet here she was, a nobody dressed in stolen dreams and walking among the sea of prestigious individuals as if she belonged with them.
A waiter passed with a tray of champagne and Elena plucked a glass with gloved fingers, tilting her chin just right, effortlessly giving off the arrogance of old money. Elena knew how to play the game. Through constant practice, she had memorized every rule, every subtle cue. Eye contact, but not too much. Smile, but with the perfect edge of boredom. Every move, every breath, simply calculated to perfection.
And for a while, it worked. at least until he found her.
The stranger stood by the marble staircase, a black mask concealing half his face, but doing nothing to hide the raw magnetism pouring off him. He was danger clothed in velvet, tall, cold, very commanding. His gaze followed her across the room, sharp as a hook through flesh.
Predators recognize other predators. Or maybe... a prey in this instance.
Elena's heart kicked against her ribs, but she smiled in a well-practiced lazy way and drifted closer to him.
"You don't look like you belong here," he said, voice low enough, almost a whisper, so that only she could hear.
The words weren't cruel. They were... just curious, inquiring.
"And yet," Elena smiled, swirling the champagne between her fingers, "here I am. just like everyone else."
He laughed. A soft, dangerous sound. "And your name?"
She sipped her drink, letting the golden liquid burn down her throat as she leaned closer. The smell of him... expensive cologne and something darker, like a storm ready to break, curled around her senses.
"Where's the fun in giving away all my secrets?" she whispered, leaning backwards in a seductively inviting manner.
His eyes darkened beneath the mask. "Maybe I like games." He curled his lips to form a half smile.
Some games were survival. Others were suicide. She hadn't yet decided which this was, but she looked determined to play it.
"You look like you do," she teased, voice dropping a note, letting heat flicker in her gaze. She had to keep him guessing and appear distracted If he asked too many questions... if he pressed too hard.
Elena's pulse beat in her throat.
He stepped closer, so close their bodies brushed with every unsteady breath. The world blurred around them. Only the two of them, locked in some reckless, magnetic pull.
"You still haven't answered," he murmured, voice like silk over steel. "I know the majority of people in this room, even with their masks on. and somehow, I feel strongly that I do not know you. So, who are you?"
"Most... you say" Elena said in a calm and composed manner. "So, I easily fit into the few who you don't know. Case solved."
He was not satisfied with her reply. "That was a smart way to evade." He said.
"I'm quite interesting." She replied. "By the way," she continued, "how are you able to recognize everyone and also suspect me for being different?"
He did not answer.
"Hmmm..." she observed him from over the rim of her champagne glass. "You also took note of the body forms."
Elena set her champagne down with deliberate care, then smiled again.
Raised a hand to the side of his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw through the mask slowly and softly.
And then, without warning, she lifted the bottom half of his mask just enough to expose his mouth.
"Maybe I'm nobody, maybe I'm somebody." she whispered. And then she kissed him.
A soft press at first, then a question, a dare, and then harder, hungrier, as the heat between them ignited.
The stranger's hands gripped her waist, dragging her closer. His mouth moved over hers with a violence that stole the ground from beneath her feet.
It was madness, it was freedom, it was everything she was never supposed to have.
The kiss deepened messy, desperate, two strangers clinging to the only real thing in a world made of lies.
Somewhere between the kiss and the hunger clawing at her skin, Elena grabbed his hand and led him through the maze of corridors. No words and no second guesses.
The door slammed behind them. A forgotten guest room in a forgotten corner of the estate. She didn't stop to think, didn't stop to breathe. She yanked his jacket off his shoulders. His hands fisted in the thin fabric of her gown, shoving it up, up, until silk whispered over her thighs. He kissed down her neck, her shoulder, teeth scraping where his mouth had just soothed.
Elena moaned raw, broken, and real. Continuously passed her fingers through his hair.
Tonight, there were no rules, no consequences. Only need.
Buttons scattered across the floor. Fingertips and teeth and desperate gasps filled the room. His body fit against hers like he'd been built for it, like he'd been waiting for her without even knowing.
When he finally entered her, rough and aching and overwhelming. Elena cried out, nails digging into his back.
It wasn't gentle, it wasn't sweet. It was a claiming... it was a destruction.
Elena Vance had always believed in the power of family. Her love for her husband, Marcus, and their son, Eli, was unwavering. But everything she held dear begins to crumble when she discovers that both her husband and son have turned their backs on her, choosing someone else over her love and sacrifices. Heartbroken but resolute, Elena makes the difficult decision to walk away from the life she once knew, relinquishing custody and leaving behind the painful remnants of a broken family. Determined to rebuild, Elena channels her pain into strength, rising from the ashes to become a successful entrepreneur, amassing a fortune that surprises even those who once underestimated her. As her empire grows, so does her confidence, and she discovers a version of herself that's been buried for far too long. But the past is never far behind. Marcus, now filled with regret, and Eli, torn between the love for his mother and his newfound family, seek her forgiveness. Just as Elena is learning to trust herself again, a new figure enters her life in the person of Luca DeMarco, a billionaire investor whose admiration for Elena goes far beyond the boardroom. Together, they form a partnership that challenges everything Elena thought she knew about love and trust. Now, as old wounds threaten to resurface, Elena must decide if she will open her heart to a new future with Luca or remain guarded by the scars of the past. Will she allow herself to be loved again, or will she continue to choose her own path toward freedom and self-discovery?
While on a work trip with her best friend, Kristine Richards meets Alexander Williams who is an Art dealer from the legal perspective. On the side, Alexander turns out to be the boss of a crime family. Alexander falls out with a long-term business contact Octavio. Octavio had attempted to cross Alexander on a deal but ended up on the losing side, thereby vowing to take vengeance. Once he learns of Kristine and Alexander, he takes advantage of their relationship by using Kristine's inherited debt to set her on a new course; destroying Alexander's empire at any cost. Kristine is left to choose between love and freedom.
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
To the public, she was the CEO's executive secretary. Behind closed doors, she was the wife he never officially acknowledged. Jenessa was elated when she learned that she was pregnant. But that joy was replaced with dread as her husband, Ryan, showered his affections on his first love. With a heavy heart, she chose to set him free and leave. When they met again, Ryan's attention was caught by Jenessa's protruding belly. "Whose child are you carrying?!" he demanded. But she only scoffed. "It's none of your business, my dear ex-husband!"
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.
Sawyer, the world's top arms dealer, stunned everyone by falling for Maren—the worthless girl no one respected. People scoffed. Why chase a useless pretty face? But when powerful elites began gathering around her, jaws dropped. "She's not even married to him yet—already cashing in on his power?" they assumed. Curious eyes dug into Maren's past... only to find she was a scientific genius, a world-renowned medical expert, and heiress to a mafia empire. Later, Sawyer posted online. "My wife treats me like the enemy. Any advice?"