When Tony Anderson returns to the estate he once called home, it's not to reclaim the billion-dollar family legacy- it's to destroy the man who stole everything from him: his own father. But with his inheritance comes more than cold marble halls and corporate dominance. It comes with Sandy Taylor- the woman he once loved, now engaged to his half-brother. As Tony uncovers the secrets buried deep in the Anderson dynasty, one truth becomes clear: he wasn't meant to be the heir... but he's the only one ruthless enough to carry the name.
"Return of the Exiled"
The heavy iron gates of the Anderson estate creaked open as the black Maserati eased its way down the long, gravel driveway. Tony Anderson stared ahead, his eyes cold and unreadable behind dark sunglasses, as the mansion slowly came into view-an architectural beast made of stone, steel, and old money.
Everything about this place reeked of privilege. Of power. Of betrayal.
He hadn't been here in ten years, not since his father- Harold Anderson, patriarch and business tycoon- exiled him from the family after a scandal Tony didn't commit. One whisper of embezzlement, one planted file, and Harold had turned his back on his own son without so much as a second glance.
But Tony had never forgotten. And he sure as hell hadn't forgiven.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he pulled up in front of the mansion, stepping out with the poise of a man who didn't fear ghosts but hunted them. The past was no longer his cage- it was his weapon.
A butler stepped forward, clearly startled. "Mr. Anderson... we weren't expecting you."
Tony gave a half-smile. "No one ever expects a storm until it's already overhead."
Without waiting for permission, he walked past the man and into the house.
The scent hit him first-lavender, polished oak, and the subtle burn of expensive whiskey. The grand chandelier glimmered above him, casting fractured light across the marbled floor. Every inch of the place screamed of the success he had been denied.
Then came the voice that made his jaw clench.
"Well, well. Look who finally crawled out of whatever hole he disappeared into."
Tony turned slowly. His half-brother, Jason, stood at the base of the staircase in a tailored navy suit, arms crossed and smirk polished to perfection.
"Still playing Daddy's favorite, I see," Tony said coolly.
Jason descended the steps, unbothered. "Still bitter, Tony? I thought you were off trying to find yourself or something equally cliché."
Tony stepped closer, his voice lowering. "I didn't come back to reminisce. I came for answers."
Jason tilted his head. "Answers? About what?"
"You know damn well what," Tony hissed. "The file. The setup. Why I was thrown out like garbage while you took my place."
Jason didn't flinch. "Prove it, little brother. Otherwise, you're just the disgraced heir crashing a party he was never invited to."
Before Tony could respond, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Tony?"
He froze.
He'd recognize that voice in any storm, across any distance. It hit him like a bolt of lightning.
Sandy Taylor stood just inside the hallway, her lips slightly parted in surprise, her dark green eyes wide as they met his.
Time slowed.
She was still stunning-if not more than before. Her auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves, her fitted cream dress clinging to her figure like it was made for her alone. But what struck Tony most wasn't her beauty. It was the gold engagement ring on her left hand.
Jason's fiancée.
His former love.
She stepped forward slowly, her voice barely a whisper. "You're back..."
Tony's heart twisted. "You're engaged to him?"
Sandy blinked, looking between the two men. "I... I didn't know you were coming back."
"That much is obvious," Tony said, bitterness sharpening his tone. "Guess I missed the save-the-date."
Jason chuckled from the side. "You left her, remember? Maybe she finally moved on."
Tony didn't take his eyes off Sandy. "I never left her. I was pushed out of her life."
The air crackled with unfinished words and unshed emotions. Sandy looked like she wanted to say something-anything-but instead, she turned and disappeared down the hallway.
Jason clapped Tony on the shoulder with mock sympathy. "Tough luck. But hey-if you're staying, you'll have a front-row seat to the wedding. That's something, right?"
Tony stepped back, brushing off the contact like it burned. "Don't get too comfortable, Jason. I'm not here to watch. I'm here to reclaim what's mine."
Jason's smile faded.
And Tony walked away.
Later that night
Tony stood in his old room, the one they hadn't bothered to change. Dust clung to the edges, but everything else remained untouched-his books, his desk, the photos that once meant something.
He opened the top drawer and found the old silver key taped beneath it. The key to his father's study.
He slipped it into his pocket.
This wasn't just about revenge anymore. It was about truth. He would uncover every rotten secret this family tried to bury-every lie, every betrayal.
And if it led him back to Sandy?
Well, that was a complication he'd deal with when the time came. But deep down, even he couldn't deny the truth: He hadn't just come back to destroy the empire. A part of him still wanted to belong to it- with her.
The mansion had grown quieter by the hour. After the initial shock of Tony's return, the estate settled into an uneasy calm- like a house that knew a storm had just crossed its threshold but hadn't figured out where the lightning would strike.
Tony stood alone on the balcony of his old room, staring out into the dark horizon. The garden below still bore the same layout he remembered- roses his mother once cared for blooming under the moonlight, untouched by time. But that was the problem with places like this: the world kept turning, people kept changing, but the past? It never truly died.
A soft knock broke his thoughts.
He turned. The door creaked open, revealing Sandy, standing hesitantly at the threshold.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to see me," she said softly.
Tony leaned back against the railing. "I didn't think you'd want to come."
She stepped in, closing the door behind her. "You look... different."
"So do you." He glanced at her hand-the diamond still there, glinting under the chandelier's dim light. "Guess congratulations are in order."
She followed his gaze and sighed. "It's... complicated."
"That's funny," Tony said with a hollow laugh. "So was us. But we didn't get to call it 'complicated.' It was just over."
"I waited for you," Sandy said, voice trembling. "For a year. You disappeared. No calls. No letters. You left me in the middle of a war you never explained."
"I was forced out, Sandy," he said, pushing off the railing. "I was set up, and my father made it very clear I was no longer welcome. If I stayed, it would've destroyed me-and maybe you too."
"You should have told me."
"I wanted to protect you."
"And instead," she whispered, "you abandoned me."
Silence pressed between them. The years apart had sharpened the distance into something razor-thin and dangerous. So many things unsaid. So many nights lost.
Tony walked closer, lowering his voice. "Are you in love with him?"
She looked up at him, tears brimming but not falling. "I'm supposed to be."
His heart cracked at that. "But you're not."
"I don't know," she admitted, folding her arms tightly over her chest. "Jason was there when everything fell apart. He was... safe. Predictable. And I was broken."
"He doesn't love you, Sandy. Not the way I did. Not the way I still do."
Her breath caught, and for a moment, the years vanished. The fire between them flickered-dangerous, familiar, undeniable.
"I shouldn't be here," she whispered, backing toward the door.
Tony didn't stop her. He couldn't. If he reached for her now, it would be more than a reunion-it would be betrayal. Of his brother. Of everything she'd tried to rebuild.
But before she slipped out, she turned back, just once.
"I want to believe you, Tony. But if you really were set up... prove it. Before it's too late."
Midnight – Anderson Estate Study
The key still fit.
Tony stepped into Harold Anderson's study with quiet precision, closing the door behind him. The room smelled of cedar, scotch, and secrets. Books lined the walls, but Tony went straight to the antique desk.
He remembered the floorboard-the second one near the left bookshelf. He pried it up with a penknife, revealing a false compartment beneath.
Inside: a sealed folder marked Anderson Holdings: Internal Audit 2015.
The year everything fell apart.
He opened it, hands steady. There were receipts, emails, a list of offshore transfers-none under his name. All signed by Jason.
His jaw clenched.
So he'd been right. Jason had set him up. Taken his name, his position, and eventually-his girl.
Tony barely heard the footsteps outside the door before it opened.
Harold Anderson stood in the doorway, older now but still imposing.
"I wondered when you'd find that," he said calmly.
Tony stared him down. "You knew. You let him do it."
Harold walked in, closing the door. "I did what I had to. The board was circling like sharks. Jason was controllable. You weren't."
"I was your son."
"You were reckless," Harold replied. "And you loved Sandy more than the family business. That made you weak."
Tony's hand curled into a fist. "You exiled me to protect your control."
"I protected the empire. You think this is about you? This is about legacy. Power. Survival."
Tony stood, fire in his eyes. "No. This is about corruption. And I'm going to tear it down-starting with Jason."
Harold's expression darkened. "You expose this, you don't just ruin him. You ruin us all. Even her."
Tony's resolve wavered for a second.
Then hardened.
"Then let it all burn."
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Born under the Blood Moon, Sarah Law has always felt the curse in her veins- a mark of ancient magic, feared by her pack and hunted by those who know the prophecy. When her pack betrays her on her eighteenth birthday, offering her as a sacrifice to the wild Lycans, Sarah expects death. What she finds instead is him. Damien Knights, the exiled Lycan King, scarred by war and bound by vengeance, saves her for reasons even he doesn't understand. She's the key to lifting the curse that plagues his people... but also the one who could destroy him. As enemies close in, secrets unravel, and the full extent of Sarah's power awakens, a bond forms between the cursed girl and the broken king- one forged by blood, fate, and a darkness neither of them can escape.
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For centuries, the Ashbane and Nightclaw packs have been locked in a brutal feud soaked in blood and vengeance. Elle Davenport, daughter of the Ashbane Beta, was raised to hate the Nightclaws-especially their ruthless Alpha, Brandon Osgood. So when she's taken hostage during a border ambush, she expects death... not the glowing mark of the mate bond binding her to her sworn enemy. Brandon doesn't want a mate-especially not her. But the bond is unbreakable, and something darker than war is stirring in the woods. Rogue packs are rising, alliances are shifting, and an ancient prophecy foretells a union that could either save or doom them all. Now, bound by fate and hunted by forces that want them dead, Elle and Brandon must choose: destroy each other... or fight side by side. Love was never part of the war. But the moon has other plans.
A desperate escape to her childhood home leads Isabella Bennett straight into the hands of Maximo Morelli, the cold and calculating mafia don. Unaware of his true identity, she spends one unforgettable night with him, only to wake up the next morning to find him gone, leaving behind only a cryptic warning note. Despite his attempts to push the night out of his mind, Maximo finds himself consumed by thoughts of Isabella. But when he discovers that her father betrayed the mafia, Maximo takes Isabella captive, vowing to make her life a nightmare. However, as he gets closer to her, he finds himself drawn to her in ways he can't ignore. What starts as hatred evolves into desire, and lust turns into an undeniable passion. Will they surrender to their explosive chemistry? Or will the shadows of the mafia pull them into an inescapable darkness?
She thought she was the love of his life, and he became the love of her life that fateful day she had seen him at the pack's party. Selene Grace was only a replica of Alpha Leo's real mate, and when he spotted her, Leo immediately claimed her as his Luna in order to suppress the rumors of him being mateless. Being unable to conceive turns Selene's marriage into a nightmare, and as if that wasn't enough, Alpha Leo finally reunites with his long time lover and mate, rejecting a pregnant Selene as a result. 5 years later, Selene, a now successful doctor, receives an invitation to the moon shadow pack in order to rid the pack of a deadly disease which has struck it. Will Selene return back to the pack which had caused her so much pain, and what would she do when she realizes that she is mated to the Alpha who had betrayed her in the past?
I'm a Luna. After three years of marriage to Alpha Nathaniel Blackwood, I'm finally pregnant with his pup. But he's unclaimed me for his first love. I'm leaving the pack with this secret, praying he never finds out. Nathaniel Blackwood is a handsome, powerful Alpha. In a world where humans and werewolves coexist, he has it all: a billion-dollar empire, untold power, a massive pack, and, most importantly, the perfect Luna. But the return of his first love shattered our marriage. When he finds out the secret I've been hiding, will he regret rejecting me? Will I ever be able to forgive him? Dive into this gripping serialized novel to find out more-Enjoy the ride!
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."
"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
Maria took her sister’s place and was engaged to Anthony, a disabled man who had lost his status as the family heir. At first, they were just a nominal couple. However, things changed when things about Maria were gradually exposed. It turned out she was a professional hacker, a mysterious composer, and the sole successor to an international jade sculpting master… The more that was revealed about her, the less Anthony could rest easy. A famous singer, an award-winning actor, an heir of a rich family—so many excellent men were chasing after his fiancee, Maria. What should Anthony do?
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!