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Savannah Hart never thought that an invitation to some private art show at the mysterious Blackwood Manor could turn her whole life around. But stepping into the seductive snare of Damien Blackwood, the dark, magnetic billionaire who knows the taste of control means spiraling into a whirlpool of dangerous desires and painful needs. And as Damien pulls her into his world filled with sensuality and secrets, Savannah must determine whether total surrender is freeing or will shatter her beyond repair.
The invitation was contained in a black envelope that was thick, luxurious, and sealed with a blood-red wax stamp pressed into the initials DB. Savannah Hart turned it over in her fingers, eyebrows lifting as she took in the elegant cursive that spelled her name in silvery ink. It wasn't every day that a billionaire summoned her by name.
The note inside was short and to the point,
Ms. Hart,
Your reputation, you. I would like to commission your curatorial expertise for a private collection display at Blackwood Manor. I expect your presence there at precisely seven o'clock this Friday evening.
Come prepared. You'll be compensated rather generously.
Damien Blackwood.
Savannah exhaled noisily, fingers tightening around the letter. Damien Blackwood. Even his name sounded wicked. She knew the rumors he was the kind of man the tabloids worshiped and whispered about in the same breath. Billionaire, art collector, philanthropist by day. By night, an enigma, possibly dangerous, and endlessly seductive.
She had never thought he would seek her out. She was in the process of establishing her name in the art world as one with an unconventional eye and brilliant exhibitions, but Blackwood... he had had a chance to find anyone.
Perhaps that was his reason for saying yes.
Blackwood Manor was much like a secret carved into stone. It was wide and ancient, situated on a lot of cliffs just outside the city. As Savannah's car reached the soaring iron gates, she was seized with the odd feeling that something ancient and alive had swallowed her whole.
The driver, silent and functionally detached, offered to open her door. Savannah stepped out of the car, heels clicking softly on the gravel, adjusting the dark emerald dress that hugged her curves with unapologetic grace. She had taken her time with her appearance-deep red lipstick, a smoky eye, hair twisted into an elegant bun.
She was walking into the lion's den, after all.
And before she'd reached the entry point of the manor, the door opened for her.
He was already waiting.
Damien Blackwood stood a shadow of the flesh itself, all tall, broad-shouldered, and perfectly tailored in an expensive black three-piece suit. His tie was undone; the top buttons of his shirt were open, revealing a sliver of sculpted chest and a hint of tattoo ink curling up his collarbone.
But it was his eyes that froze her in midstep. Icy gray, cutting eyes, unreadable. They didn't just look at her; they assessed her, like a predator measuring prey.
Ms. "Hart," he said, in a low, smooth, and rasping voice sending ripples down her spine. "You are right on time."
Savannah managed a smile, her heart leaping in her chest. "Mr. Blackwood. Thank you for the invitation."
"I do not extend them lightly."
He stepped aside, his hand brushing lightly against her lower back as she passed. It was barely a touch, just the ghost of a graze through silk, but it lit a fire in her blood. Heat curled low in her belly, completely uninvited.
Tension snapped taut between them instantly. He didn't look away as she turned to face him inside the dimly lit foyer. Instead, he studied her like she was an object in a gallery-valuable, rare, and already his.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
Savannah tilted her chin. "Neither are you."
He smirked, and the curve of his mouth was sinful. "I've had my share of curators. All of them were predictable. Safe. You..." His gaze dipped slowly down her body, unapologetically bold. "You're not."
"And you like that?"
"I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't."
He led her deeper into the manor, through arched hallways lined with rich oil paintings and sculptures that likely cost more than her entire apartment building. The air smelled like cedarwood and something darker, masculine and expensive.
The gallery room they entered had breathtaking floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, moody lighting, and rows of covered easels and crates waiting to be opened. Savannah's fingers itched to unwrap them.
"This is the collection?" she asked, stepping forward.
"Yes. Some are my acquisitions. Others... are mine."
She glanced over her shoulder. "Yours? You're an artist?"
"Once," he replied. "Before business became my muse."
His words were lined with amusement, but something flickered in his eyes. Regret? Pain? Savannah wanted to press, but she held back. She didn't know him. Not yet.
"I want you to put a show here, one night only. Invitation only, no press, no public. The vision is yours, but I expect it to be bold."
"Why me?" she asked, then turned her body to face him fully.
He stepped closer. "Because you aren't afraid of taking risks. You somehow see what is beyond the canvas."
"I don't sleep with my clients," she suddenly retorted.
His eyes were dark. "Good. I don't pay for sex."
There was a jagged and sultry tension in the air between them.
"Though if I did," he continued, lowering his voice, "you'd be worth every goddamn cent."
Savannah's breath caught.
Then, he reached out, brushing aside a stray curl from her cheek. The pad of his thumb lingered just the tiniest bit too long. That barely-there touch of his was electric and scorching all at once.
"You're playing with fire, Mr. Blackwood."
"I like the burn," he said softly.
She should have turned around and walked off. Told him it was unprofessional. Instead, her body betrayed her, thumping with a pulse, with thighs pressed together, lips parted in invitation for his next move.
He didn't kiss her. No, that would be too easy.
Leaning rather, I could certainly say, whispering against her ear, "I'll give you full access to the manor for as long as you need; however, make no mistake, Savannah: I chose you for being interesting to me."
Savannah turned just enough so that their mouths would be practically touching. "This is business," she said, although at a lower tone than she had meant.
Damien replied, "For now."
He stepped back, savoring her with his eyes one last time, his gaze gliding over her body like a lover's caress, only to say, "A room will be prepared for you. Dinner starts at nine, should you choose to stay."
After both of her parents' disappearances, Scarlet Marigold, daughter of an alpha, is forced to live as a servant in the house of her stepmother, who was speculated to have been the cause of her parents' death. As beautiful as she is, Scarlet is regarded as useless and worthless because she is a human, just like her mother. Thinking her life couldn't go any more astray than it had already gone, Scarlet is forced into the bed of a stranger and, that same day, is substituted for being the puppet bride of an Alpha known for his cruelty and heartlessness. What will happen when she finally decides to cut off those strings pulling at her from all angles and, worse, what will change when she finds out that the man who had forced her to his bed was the same cruel alpha she was already coming to love?
Ella Johnson had spent so long wishing that the moon goddess mated her to her best friend, Keith Kingston, who was the son of their alpha. But her best friend rejects her on the spot when this happens and sells her to the Kennedy brothers. Feeling like her life couldn't be more surprising, she soon finds out that all three of the brothers are her mates and each of them is ready to turn the earth upside down for her even though they bully her.
All she wants is to become an heir just to get back at those who taunts her. However, that's only possible if she brings home her husband. Unfortunately, she recently got divorced and that seems impossible. His mission is to eliminate her within 24 hours just so she wouldn't become the heiress. However, things goes awry when he accidentally become her substitute husband and he finds himself unraveling a dark past attached to this woman. Would he be able to eliminate her? Would she become the heiress she wishes to be when everyone wants her dead?
I gulped hard as his breath fanned my face. This was it but then why do I feel mousey. I've waited for this moment, to make him lose everything. It would be the last of him...but... He trapped me between the table, searching my eyes for an answer. His gaze affected me in so many ways. Sweat beads on my face as he tightened his arms around my waist. My heart felt like exploding as i quivered under his hold. We exchanged breath as how heads were pinned together. I could barely concentrate as I fluster my lashes. His hotness simmers through the linen gown I wore. "We shouldn't be doing this" I muttered barely recognizing my voice because it was felt like a weak moan. My wolf glares at him. Her mouth retracted as she barred her teeth. A warning that I shouldn't fall for that. He sighed softly and said; "I know Tricia, but I can't help myself from falling" I almost rolled another line, tried to push him back but he captured my lips, twirling my tongue to his taste. I went numb, not restraining him and the dagger in my hand fell. However, I shuddered in hold when I heard a little voice called; "Dad?" *** She's rejected by her mate on her wedding day and humiliates her. Pained, she runs away, only to return 5 years later as his stepmom. Now that she belongs to his household, it was time to take revenge. What happens when there a deadly secret behind his rejection? Would she gain her revenge on him when an unexpected spark reawakens between them?
Ellie believed that she had everything: a devoted partner in Daniel, a residence, and a bright outlook on life. However, her world comes crashing down after she suffers a great betrayal. As the situation develops, Ellie becomes the stereotypical innocent victim of circumstance in a serious and unexpected turn of events. Eloquent as she may be, Daniel's poisonous words alter the course of her existence, and the courthouse becomes a cage for all her dreams and ambitions where, showering in silence, she is robbed of all her tomorrows. With Daniel in control of the powers that be and her best friend Emily abandoning her, Ellie is thrown into prison, which she perceives as a death sentence. Yet, on her way to the rehabilitation center, a different side of her that she had never known emerges. Daniel may have quite a few things, but he did not anticipate one, which is Ellie's spirit. While Elaine, all this while, has been a puppet conniving spirit for quite some time, the twist comes as she gets sick and tired of the isolation and decides to fight for her life and all that makes her, her. This compelling story of betrayal, strength, and endurance will keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last word. Does Ellie have it in her to rise from the extreme destruction that Daniel has caused to her? Or is that the end for Ellie as Daniel's sadistic tendencies take full charge and crush her completely?
The memories I have of this city are mostly bad. It would help to start afresh somewhere far and simple Still in thoughts when a text comes in from an unknown number, "Elodie, I wish you knew how deeply sorry I am for lying to you and covering my past all this while, I wish I could change what I've done, I wish I could change the person I've become, but I can't and if you can't accept me the way I am, then I can't live with myself any longer, I love you. Elodie, I really do, by the time you read this, I would be gone, gone to a better place, somewhere peaceful, somewhere my past won't come back to me. I am sorry Elodie, but I can't live any longer knowing that you won't be with me for the rest of my life, goodbye Elodie, I wish you find someone better than me.
Due to the plight of her family, Phoebe had no choice but to embark on the path of selling herself. In an accident, she had a tangled night with Alexander. Everything began to derail, and even if she fled to the ends of the earth, she would still be found by him and entangled... *** Phoebe screamed in frustration, "What do you want from me?" What was this supposed to be? He raised an eyebrow wickedly. "What do I want? You'll find out soon enough." With that, he hoisted her up and carried her back into the office. The door slammed shut with a kick, and he cleared the desk with a sweep of his arm before laying her down on it, his body pinning hers in place, completely trapping her in his grasp. Every cell in his body was telling him he wanted her. He wanted to claim her again. This time, there would be no escape for her-he wouldn't let her slip away. Never again. If he had suffered for five years, then this woman wouldn't get off easily either!
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Rachel used to think that her devotion would win Brian over one day, but she was proven wrong when his true love returned. Rachel had endured it all—from standing alone at the altar to dragging herself to the hospital for an emergency treatment. Everyone thought she was crazy to give up so much of herself for someone who didn’t return her feelings. But when Brian received news of Rachel’s terminal illness and realized she didn’t have long to live, he completely broke down. "I forbid you to die!" Rachel just smiled. She no longer needed him. "I will finally be free."
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the town’s richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. “Way to go, honey!”
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t 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 Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.