HIDDEN
Shielded By The Ruthless Military Boss
I was an intern nurse working exhausting shifts, yet my mother constantly forced me into blind dates with wealthy, arrogant men to secure our family's social standing. During a terrifying hospital lockdown, an assassin disguised as a doctor held a scalpel to my throat. I was almost killed, but a high-ranking military colonel threw his own body down a flight of concrete stairs to shield me. I survived with cuts and bruises, but when I went home, my mother didn't care about my near-death experience. She was only furious that I had rushed out on my blind date with Preston, a rich financial analyst. She forced me to meet him to apologize. When Preston grabbed my arm, bruised me, and mocked my attack as a pathetic lie, my mother still took his side. "Men get angry," she told me coldly. "It's your job not to provoke them. You will beg for his forgiveness, or you are no longer welcome in this house." I had narrowly escaped an assassin, yet my own family was willing to feed me to a monster just for a fat paycheck and neighborhood gossip. My heart went completely dead. So, when the intimidating Colonel appeared, offering me maximum military protection through a sudden marriage, I didn't hesitate. I walked back into my parents' house and calmly slapped a crisp marriage certificate onto the coffee table. "I won't be apologizing to Preston. I got married today."
Chapter 1
"If you're going to order the salmon, make sure they don't overcook it. The last time I was here, it was practically cat food."
Caroline Thompson stared at the man sitting across from her. Preston Finch. Financial analyst. Ivy League graduate. The eighteenth blind date her mother had forced her into in the last two years.
He wasn't looking at her. He was using his silver fork to trace the menu like he was grading a flawed exam paper.
"The wine list here is a joke," Preston continued, snapping the leather bound menu shut. He finally looked at her, his chin tilted in perpetual judgment. "At my club in New York, we have a sommelier. Here? I wouldn't trust them to open a beer."
Caroline's fingers dug into the fabric of her dress under the table. This was her life now. Sitting across from arrogant men who thought a fat paycheck bought them the right to treat everyone else like peasants.
"So, Caroline," Preston leaned back, offering a smirk that was probably meant to be charming but landed closer to constipated. "My mother mentioned you're a nurse?"
"Intern nurse," Caroline corrected automatically. "At Washington United Medical Center."
"Right." The smirk deepened into outright dismissal. "Must be exhausting. All that cleaning up and taking orders. And the pay? Practically minimum wage, right? Honestly, a pretty girl like you should just find a guy who provides. Someone who makes enough so you don't have to wipe up vomit for a living."
A muscle ticked in Caroline's temple. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly where he could shove his financial advice, but her phone buzzed.
She never took personal calls on a date. But right now, it was the only thing keeping her from baptizing Preston with her ice water.
She glanced at the screen. Her breath hitched. It wasn't just the hospital. It was the direct emergency line from the Chief of Staff.
She answered it right there. "Thompson."
"Caroline." Dr. Alistair Cromwell never used her first name. His voice, usually dripping with academic condescension, was flat. Breathless. "Get back here. Now."
"I'm off the clock, Dr. Cromwell. Is something—"
"I don't have time to repeat myself." The line crackled with background shouting. "This is not a drill. We are at Code Atlas. I say again, Code Atlas. Get here in ten minutes or don't bother coming back at all."
Click.
Caroline sat frozen, the dial tone buzzing against her ear.
Code Atlas.
In all her years of training, she had only heard that term whispered in break rooms like a ghost story. It meant catastrophe. Mass casualties. A high-level terror threat. It meant the world was falling apart.
"I have to go," Caroline said, already grabbing her coat.
Preston scoffed, slamming his water glass down. "You're joking. What kind of emergency could a nurse possibly have? We haven't even ordered."
"It's a Code Atlas," she said, not caring if he understood. She pulled a fifty-dollar bill from her wallet and dropped it on his pristine white tablecloth. "This covers my share of nothing. Goodbye, Preston."
She didn't wait for his face to finish flushing red. She turned on her heel and practically sprinted out of the restaurant.
The Washington air hit her in a heavy, soaking downpour. Adrenaline washed away the lingering disgust of the date. She flagged down a cab dropping someone off at the corner, sliding into the back seat before the passenger was fully on the curb.
"Washington United Medical Center," she gasped. "Step on it."
By the time the cab screeched to a halt, the rain had slowed to a mist, but the chill in Caroline's bones only deepened.
She stepped out and stopped dead.
The hospital had been turned into a fortress.
The main entrance wasn't blocked by ambulances, but by military police. Two armored Humvees idled across the driveway, their headlights cutting through the fog. Men in full combat gear, rifles strapped to their chests, stood behind concrete barricades.
This wasn't a mass casualty event. This was a federal lockdown.
Heart hammering against her ribs, Caroline approached the nearest checkpoint, holding up her ID badge with a trembling hand. "Caroline Thompson. I was paged by Dr. Cromwell."
The guard, a soldier with eyes like flint, scanned her badge, checked a clipboard, and stepped aside. "Go straight to the main desk. Do not deviate from the hallway, ma'am."
Caroline slipped under the yellow tape. The lobby was unrecognizable. The usual chaotic symphony of the ER was gone, replaced by a suffocating, terrified silence. Doctors and nurses huddled in clusters. Armed soldiers lined the corridors like statues.
"Thompson!"
Dr. Cromwell was striding toward her. He looked like he had aged a decade since morning. His white coat was rumpled, a dark coffee stain splashed across his tie.
"Listen carefully, I don't have time for questions," he snapped, his forehead gleaming with sweat. "You are assigned to ICU Room 3. You will monitor the patient's vitals. You will not speak to him. You will not touch any personal effects in the room. If his heart rate fluctuates by more than ten percent, you hit this button." He shoved a black pager into her palm. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir."
"Go."
Caroline walked briskly toward the private elevator bank. The air smelled different here—sharper, metallic, like ozone and gunpowder.
As she turned the corner, the doors of the VIP elevator slid open. A group of people emerged, moving like a single, lethal organism. Men in dark suits. Military brass with medals gleaming.
But they were just background noise.
In the center, walking slightly ahead, was a man who looked like he had been carved from granite and violence.
He was well over six feet, his shoulders straining the seams of his digital camouflage uniform. The rank on his chest—a silver eagle—demanded absolute submission. His face was a landscape of sharp angles and hard lines, his jaw set like a steel trap.
As the group passed, the man turned his head.
His eyes—a cold, piercing, impossible gray—swept the corridor. And for a fraction of a second, his gaze locked onto Caroline's.
It was like stepping onto a landmine.
The air was violently sucked from her lungs. A jolt of pure, electric heat shot down her spine, freezing her blood. Those eyes didn't just look at her; they stripped her down, assessed her threat level, and branded her in the span of a single heartbeat.
"Colonel Romero," an aide murmured, handing the man a classified tablet.
The spell shattered. The man—Colonel Romero—broke eye contact, taking the tablet without missing a stride. He began firing off orders in a low, gravelly voice that vibrated down the hallway.
Caroline let out a shaky breath, her knees suddenly weak. She hadn't realized she was holding onto the wall until a hand grabbed her arm.
"Are you breathing?" her friend Brenna whispered, pulling Caroline into a supply alcove. Brenna's face was paper-white. "Oh my god, Caroline. Did you see him?"
Caroline swallowed hard, her throat like sandpaper. "The Colonel?"
"Jarrod Romero," Brenna breathed, the name heavy with awe and terror. "Department of Defense. My cousin at the Pentagon says he's the guy they call when the world is ending." She clutched a medical chart to her chest. "He looks like he'd shoot you just for breathing his air."
Caroline rubbed the back of her neck, trying to dispel the lingering, phantom heat from that brief eye contact. "Where are you headed?"
"ICU 3. Cromwell's special assignment."
Brenna's eyes widened, all gossip vanishing instantly. "Oh, God. Caroline, be careful. That patient... this whole thing is black-ops. The FBI tried to get in twenty minutes ago and Romero's men turned them away at gunpoint."
"I just have to watch the monitors," Caroline said, though her voice lacked conviction.
She grabbed a supply cart and pushed through the double doors of the ICU wing. They hissed shut behind her, sealing her in a sterile, fluorescent-lit silence.
Two MPs stood outside Room 3, their faces blank masks. They checked her badge twice before unlocking the door.
The room was freezing. The steady beep-beep of the heart monitor was the only sound.
In the bed lay a young man, motionless. His face was a swollen canvas of bruises, thick bandages wrapping his torso. Caroline moved to the bedside, picking up the chart.
Alston Petersen. Lieutenant. JAG Corps.
The list of his injuries read like a torture report.
She set the chart down, her eyes fixed on the rhythmic spike of the heart monitor. Her pulse thrummed in her ears.
She had told Brenna she just had to watch the monitors. But standing in the freezing room, looking at the broken soldier, Caroline knew the truth.
She had just walked into the eye of a very deadly storm. And the man with the ice-gray eyes was the one holding the lightning.
Mistaken Marriage, Unexpected Love
It was a big day for Camilla. She looked forward to marrying her handsome groom. Unfortunately, he abandoned her at the altar. He never showed up throughout the wedding. She was made a laughingstock in front of all the guests. In a fit of rage, she went and slept with a strange man on her wedding night. It was supposed to be a one-night stand. To her dismay, the man refused to let her be. He pestered her like she had stolen his heart on that night. Camilla didn't know what to do. Should she give him a chance? Or just stay away from men?
Falling For You
She distances herself from men and lives with her best girlfriend. Forced by her mother, she goes on blind dates where she always throws a question “Do you want to be my fake husband?” She believes that a fake marriage can not only alleviate pressure from her mother, but also ensure no change to her carefree and single life. On such a date, she unexpectedly meets this handsome attractive man, who turns out to be her boss. To her surprise, he agrees to be her fake husband and urges her to marry him. Could he keep his words that he only treats her as wife in front of others?
The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Hidden Wealth: Becoming A Trillionaire Overnight
"Get lost, you church rat. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to date you. Don't show up in front of me again. I'm done!" Brian's girlfriend insulted him and broke up with him at school. He had just caught her cheating on him. Instead of apologizing, she humiliated him in front of everyone. Were poor men unworthy of respect? Nonsense! Brian was unwilling to accept that. He swore to make a fortune and have his revenge. On the same day, he received a call from his family housekeeper. "Congratulations, Mr. Tennant! Your trial has ended. You will no longer live a life of penury. The funds for your upkeep yearly have been deposited in Citibank. Go there and check them." Brian felt that the money in question was only a few thousand dollars. He didn't see the reason why he had to go to the bank to check. To the best of his knowledge, his family's business was only worth about ten million dollars. But he soon realized that he was wrong. There was a lot of cash, gold, and jewelry when he opened the vault assigned to him in the bank. It turned out that his family had a trillion-dollar empire! Now he could have his revenge!
Billionaire's Gorgeous Wife
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
Alpha's Last Minute Bride
Evangeline was blackmailed to marry a ruthless Alpha in replacement of her sister. Anything she hated in her life was the werewolves. She had seen her father leaving her mother for another she-wolf. Why? Because her mother was a human and so is she!! Though her father loved her a lot despite her being a human, she never forgave him for the things which he did to her mother and stayed away from pack and werewolves community. Little did she know that she had to marry an Alpha just because her sister ran away from her wedding at the last moment. Daniel Grint was the ruthless, heartless and fearless Alpha. He never believed in mate or mate bond because of the circumstances he faced in his life. But he had to marry a stupid alpha daughter to strengthen his pack. He hated that idea from the beginning but he agreed for the sake of his pack. He was finding himself hard to control his anger and frustration when he came to know that his stupid bride flew away before the wedding and he was offered a human as his last minute bride, who also happened to be an Alpha’s daughter and…..his mate.
The Rebel
"Lower your eyes mate" He said with a hint of warning in his tone. She didn't flinch under his cold fingers coiled around her neck, instead with a smirk on her bruised lips,she looks back at him. Daring to defy him. "Submit!" He growled at her this time, frustrated with her ability to infuriate him to the extent of forcing him to hurt her. "Many have tried mate" The word mate leaving her lips sounded more of a mockery, making his grip on her neck to tighten slightly. "I am not others Vera. I am your mate. Your superior. Submit this instant!" She again smiled, managing to roll her eyes at him. "You can try . But remember,you will never succeed in it" He could end her with just a little more pressure on her neck, having the fate as many others who have dared to defy him,but something in those eyes was stopping him. He wanted to extinguish that fire in them., to see them rolling over as he thrusted inside her, to see them begining him to continue as he denied her. He wanted her to submit.Badly. Completely to him in all respects. Body and soul both. To let him be her protector,her punisher, her dominant,her lover her mate. Her everything. But little did he knew that his mate was not an ordinary Luna who happily submits to her mate's whims and needs. She was who they all popularly call as "The rebel" The mysterious protector of good and savior of women. The man who gives justice to the inequality created by men. If only they knew he was a women instead. .................................................... "The day I submit to a man will be the last day of my life mate. Vera Red was born as a rebel, will live as a rebel and will also die as a Rebel. With or without a cause"
Hidden
She was called Erica Johnson, an extremely beautiful young lady with blue precious eyes, she had straight blonde hairs hanging down her shoulders but her life was crippled by the thoughts of never being able to love and be loved by a man. She dreamt of having a husband and beautiful children someday
HIDDEN
Hidden is a slow-burning, atmospheric romance where secrets linger like perfume in the air and love wears a mask. In the quiet town of Denbridge, nothing is ever as it seems. Beneath stolen glances and carefully chosen words, a deeper story begins to unravel one of longing, betrayal, and forbidden d
HIDDEN TRILLIONAIRE
Blurb: Richard Tucker lost everything long before he died. Orphaned young, forced to work two jobs through college, and later dragged into a scandal with the daughter of a wealthy family, he became the unwanted son-in-law of the powerful Warrens. His mother-in-law despised him, every employer rejec
Hidden identities
The book starts with Annabelle who lives in a regular world. Her life takes a drastic turn as she starts to have reoccurring dreams. She thinks it is as a result of the movies she had been watching but unknown to her, her real identity starts to surface as she has kept it in for too long. On the roa
Hidden Billionaire
Luis Campos is a useless son-in-law. Although he loves his wife dearly, he ends up being persecuted, sleeping in the same bed with his wife's sister, Julia Rogers. Unexpectedly, this is a play designed by his wife. Luis Campos and Julia Rogers were pushed to a dead end, and suddenly, money fell from
Hidden truth
This story revolves around the life of two beautiful twin sisters who got separated at birth. They grew up with different parents but fate will bring them together as they both found love in a teenage boy.. Will this love circle unravel the secret behind their birth and separation? This is a story
Hidden Affection
Left with no other option but to hire a new secretary, Liam a very good-looking but strict CEO of Liam Tech Company decided to try his luck with a new secretary. Mia the new secretary, is very beautiful but always poorly and shabbily dressed and also clumsy which makes Liam dislike her. Liam and Mia
Hidden Me
"The story began with a contract of hidden marriage, which combined Jessica, the most ordinary girl, with Lance, the most powerful and mysterious man in B City. However, for Jessica, the hidden marriage was not so sweet as she imagined, instead, her husband was cool and flirtatious. When he hooked u
HIDDEN HOWL
They all called me wolf-less, a cursed bloodline... but fate had other plans." Born half-wolf, half-human, she was the outsider-shunned by her pack, abandoned by family, and denied the powers everyone else took for granted. She left, seeking a place where she could forget their rejection. But when
Hidden Scars
Alex, a young man who escapes domestic violence with his mother. However, their lives take a dark turn when his mother marries Toni, a man with a hidden secret. Toni is attracted to Alex and their relationship becomes abusive. Tragedy strikes when Alex's mother dies in a hit-and-run accident, leadin
Hidden Pleasure
Learndo is a billionaire CEO, he promise himself not to have anything to do with a lady after he saw his finance fucking his stepbrother. Due to a lot of pressure from his mother to get married after setting up series of blind date for him, which of course won't always end well. He bumb into one of
Alpha's Hidden Mate
He holds my face firmly between two hands. "Sienna, I'm not going to have you for the first time one of Maren's guest rooms when you're intoxicated." "You're not?" "No. It will be in my bed, and I'm going to take my time with you." His gaze falls to my lips. "Fuck Sienna, I'm going to take all nig
LUNA'S HIDDEN IDENTITY
June, a young wolf marked as the pack's outcast, has endured years of mistreatment following the tragic death of the former Luna in a rogue attack. On her 18th birthday, June discovers that the Alpha King’s womanizing son is her fated mate. Rejecting his advances, she decides to leave the pack, dete
THE CEO'S HIDDEN VOWS
Isabella would never have imagined that being betrayed by her fiance would be the ticket to her revenge on her fiance, stepsister and her family. " I'll help you get revenge if you marry me," the mystery man she had met in the club proposed and without hesitating she accepted his propos
The Alpha Hidden Mate
Ariel 's parents died in a car accident when she was 10 years old. She and her sister Esther lived with each other all these years. But they were often bullied by their pack members. Their peels said Ariel and her sister were jinxes and caused their parents' death. When someone bullied them, Ariel
Hidden From Him
Growing up in her uncle Ethan's quiet mansion after her mother died, Sarah secretly fell in love with her charismatic guardian, a prominent figure in Austin's tech scene. On her 21st birthday, emboldened by champagne and years of unspoken longing, Sarah kissed him. To her astonishment, he kissed her
Luna's Hidden Legacy
Orphaned and wolfless, Luna Mooncrest faces rejection and torment in the Silver Crescent Pack. When the Moon Goddess grants her Ryder Blackthorn as a mate, he publicly rejects her. A desperate night leads to a passionate one-night stand, and Luna finds herself pregnant. The Lycan King, Alaric Stormw
The Mafia's Hidden Heir
Blurb: When Valentina Russo registered at university under a different name, she felt she had left the stifling world of her family's terrible past. She hides from the demons of her past by blending into university life as a quiet librarian assistant. Her delicate calm is destroyed, though, when she
