Blurb: Three years ago, Aria Westwood walked out of a marriage that felt more like a contract than a union. Her husband, Damien Westwood-New York's most elusive billionaire-was cold, emotionally unavailable, and impossible to read. Their marriage had been built on expectations and appearances, not love. And though Aria had once dreamed of a life filled with passion and partnership, she was left chasing echoes in a mansion where silence answered more than words ever did. Leaving Damien was the hardest thing she'd ever done. But staying would've destroyed her. Now, Aria has built a quiet, beautiful life for herself. She's no longer the timid wife trying to make a man notice her-she's a woman who's learned how to stand alone, love herself, and finally breathe. Her world is filled with color, freedom, and peace... until a cruel twist of fate ties her back to the man who once broke her heart. A business merger. A contract she can't refuse. And Damien, standing across the boardroom table like a storm she thought she'd already survived. But Damien isn't the same man she left behind. Or at least, he swears he isn't. He says he regrets pushing her away. That he never stopped watching her from a distance. That he wants her back-not as a wife by name, but as a woman he's ready to fight for. Aria doesn't know whether to believe him-or run before old wounds become new scars. Because beneath the sharp suits and the carefully calculated charm, Damien is still a man who doesn't say what he feels. And Aria is still the woman trying to stop herself from falling for a heart that once didn't beat for her. But love is rarely black and white. And when buried emotions begin to surface, so do secrets from their past-ones that could either bring them together or tear them apart forever.
The clinking of wine glasses, the soft hum of jazz, and the low chatter of polished people floated around Aria Bennett like an out-of-body experience. She sat still, her posture elegant and composed, wearing a deep emerald dress that hugged her like an old secret. Her fingers tapped the side of her wine glass absently, her gaze unfocused on the shimmering skyline just beyond the rooftop's glass balustrade.
It was a benefit gala. Another one. Another night of pretending that she hadn't once been the woman every eye watched because of the man standing across the room.
Damien Westwood.
Three years apart, and still, her heart betrayed her at the sound of his voice-even now, muffled in conversation with someone in a navy tux.
He hadn't changed. If anything, he had grown more devastating. His jaw was still a weapon-sharp and clenched with restraint. His black hair was a little shorter than before, his shoulders broader, his posture more commanding. The world still bowed around him. And Damien, as always, bowed to no one.
Aria sipped her wine, wishing it were strong enough to dull the ache in her chest.
She shouldn't have come.
But the gallery she managed was a recipient of the Westwood Arts Grant, and this event had been pitched as a professional opportunity. Nothing more. She'd convinced herself she could handle it. Handle him. She was over it-wasn't she?
Except that every time she saw him, she was reminded of the life she once had. The woman she used to be. The girl who thought love was enough.
Three years ago, she walked away from their marriage with nothing but a duffel bag and a broken heart. No alimony. No settlement. Just her pride, and even that felt paper-thin some days. The tabloids had speculated everything from infidelity to infertility. None of them guessed the truth: Aria had left because she couldn't recognize herself anymore.
Because in loving Damien, she had lost herself.
"Aria?"
She turned, her spine straightening before she could help it.
Maddie. Her best friend, her chaos partner, her reluctant emotional compass. Tonight, she wore blood-red heels and carried herself like a woman ready to burn the world down for Aria if given the chance.
"I've been looking for you," Maddie said, looping an arm around Aria's. "You okay?"
Aria nodded. "Fine."
"You're not. You're in the corner with a thousand-yard stare while the man who broke your heart breathes the same air as you."
Aria smiled wryly. "That dramatic, huh?"
"Worse," Maddie said. "He keeps looking at you."
That forced a breath out of her. "Let him look."
But even as she said it, her body betrayed her again-turning ever so slightly, her eyes flickering to the side of the room where Damien stood.
He was looking at her.
His gaze held no apology. No arrogance. Just quiet intensity. Like he saw her. Like he always had. Like he always would.
Aria turned away.
"I shouldn't have come," she whispered.
"You came because you're stronger than you think. And because this gallery deal matters."
She exhaled, nodding slowly. "Yeah. That's why."
Maddie leaned in. "You want to leave?"
Aria hesitated.
And that's when she heard it.
"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice boomed through the speakers. "Please welcome the man behind tonight's cause-CEO of Westwood Enterprises, Mr. Damien Westwood."
Applause erupted.
Aria froze.
Damien walked onto the stage with practiced ease, the perfect portrait of calm and command. He didn't speak for a moment, letting the crowd settle. Then his eyes found hers-and stayed there.
"I don't usually make speeches," he began. "But tonight is different. Tonight, I'm not here as a CEO. I'm here because someone once taught me that art... isn't just about beauty. It's about truth. The kind that stares back at you when you're too afraid to look. The kind that cracks you open."
A long pause.
"I lost that truth once. And I've spent years trying to remember it."
Aria's stomach dropped.
He didn't mention her name. He didn't have to.
Everyone in that room knew exactly who he was talking about.
The spotlight dimmed. The applause returned. But Aria didn't hear it. She stood up, heart racing, body burning with a thousand emotions she couldn't name.
She walked out.
Down the corridor. Past the waiters. Into the elevator.
When the doors closed, she let her back hit the wall, closing her eyes against the memories clawing their way back to the surface.
She had healed. She had rebuilt. But Damien Westwood had always been the wound that never quite scarred over.
And now, he was back.
Not just in the same room.
But in her orbit.
Again.
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?"
Betrayed by her mate and sister on the eve of her wedding, Makenna was handed to the ruthless Lycan Princes as a lover, her indifferent father ignoring her plight. Determined to escape and seek revenge, she captured the interest of the three Lycan princes, who desired her exclusively amid many admirers. This complicated her plans, trapping her and making her a rival to the future Lycan queen. Entwined in jealousy and vindictiveness, could Makenna achieve her vengeance in the intricate dance with the three princes?
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
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. What’s 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 couldn’t 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 doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s 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?
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."
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. .