/0/38119/coverbig.jpg?v=ed4f7447836d92c055568134a31bf304)
Sadie Greer had just turned nineteen when her father arranged her marriage to a Crypto developer Cenric Wollf over a business deal. As soon as she finished college, she finally met him, marrying the evil wrapped in a pretty thousand-dollar suit the same day. Unknown to Sadie, her husband has his own motives. Cenric Wollf has been sleeping with his enemy for years just to help take down the man behind his brothers' death, even if it means sacrificing his own freedom. He married the daughter of his enemy. Sadie is only a part of his plan, his subject, the weak link. He's supposed to charm her, seduce her in his bed, and use her as his pawn. When he gets to know her, she's nothing like her father. Cenric starts to feel something afraid he's losing control over. He falls deeper. Contrary to what Sadie's brother has fed her over the years, she doesn't sense danger in the air. Cenric likes to take control to keep her safe, but nothing dark and deadly, just thrills and crazy chemistry. When she starts to get to know him, something else resurfaces. They both fall into their own trap. Cenric's true intentions and her family secrets prevail. But nothing Cenric wouldn't do to prove that there's more to it than their arranged marriage, even if it means befriending the man who hurts his wife.
CENRIC
I hate promises. I always would.
When I made a promise to protect someone, I failed her. That changed my perspective-maybe it meant to be broken. Right now, it contradicted everything that I believed. I had to fulfill that promise. Even for someone like me, I couldn't escape from it.
It happened even before I became who I was, and I should have forgotten about it, but looking back at the dying woman in my arms I failed to protect, I just couldn't let it go. I had to make it possible, even if it meant signing off my life away from freedom.
I rifled through the folder on my desk. I wanted to get my mind off the wedding-my wedding in two days. And here I was, working my ass off even if I should be relaxing before the fucking end of my bachelor life.
But there was something about her that I couldn't shake off.
I had not met her. I had decided not to. The marriage was a fucking business deal, and her family was even enthusiastic about that-the fact that I literally bought her, and she knew that-it sickened me.
My brother, Cas, met her on my behalf. I always found excuses every time there were gatherings, even our engagement. I wouldn't call it a party because we were not in love.
It was a business deal- mutual understanding between her father and me.
The blue folder caught my eye again, even if I tried to ignore it for the whole month.
Fuck.
I grabbed and flipped it open. I squeezed my eyes shut before I stared at the first page. Her picture caught me off guard. She looked young in this photograph, but I knew she was already twenty-one. In fact, she finished college this year.
"Like her already?" I almost fell off my chair. My cheeks burned as if someone had just caught my hand in a cookie jar.
I closed the folder and turned to face my brother. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to fit your stupid tux or something?"
He walked in towards my desk and grabbed the folder of the background check report I asked for from my PI. I was curious about my future wife, and at the same, I wanted to know a bit about her life. To be honest, I wanted to know her past relationships before our wedding.
Her family, on the other hand, I hated her father, and so as her brother. Who was sane father did that to his own blood?
Hanslo was a son of bitch who chose to save his business over his daughter.
Her brother, Jasper, was another fucking son of the bitch. I hated him even more-he had my future wife on his leash. It had to end, or I would finish it myself.
"Cenric?" He snapped his fingers on my face. "Your teeth would crack if you wouldn't calm down. And you're about to create holes into that wall."
"Sorry. Why are you here again?" I straightened up on my chair.
"I haven't told you, but I came here to check up on you and make sure you're not getting cold feet and planning to be a runaway groom."
I rolled my eyes. I looked down at the stacks of folders, and I wanted to throw them in the trash. I tried to focus on some things, particularly not reading the file of my bride. Shit. It sounded awful.
I saw her once, but that was years ago. I still wanted her to be ugly, fat, with braces and pimples, but if the picture in that folder is up to date, then she was undeniably gorgeous.
She had a small round face. Her big crystal blue eyes staring back at me held a multitude of secrets. Her nose was straight and perfect. Those lips should be a sin. Her dark blonde hair just made her more beautiful.
She was my downfall. I could feel it.
"I know everyone is gonna be nervous when getting married. It's normal. You wouldn't be human if you wouldn't feel like there's a knot in your stomach."
He was right, I had never been this nervous in forever, but knowing that my life would change drastically in a matter of two days, I couldn't shake this feeling off, so strange I wanted to throw up.
"Spare the advice, bro. You're not the one whose life is gonna be tied to a woman you don't know."
"She's gonna be a good wife. Trust me. If you just took my advice to meet and know her, you wouldn't feel this way."
I glared at him. "I want to take care of her, not fall in love."
"So you admit that she's attractive?"
"Fuck you. I can't go through do that. Knowing her father and Jasper are power-hungry, I feel like I'm gonna fail her again. I won't let it happen."
"Then you made the right decision."
"I hope so. I hope she's not a pain in the ass."
"Can't be just you, brother. It should be one way or another."
"Fuck you. Get out before I run away and never show up on my wedding fucking day."
"It's fine by me. I will be marrying your fiancee."
An utmost overpowering outrage gripped me. The words marrying and fiancee in one sentence made me see red. An unfamiliar possessiveness shocked me that even my own brother I wanted to wring his neck.
He shook his head before his lips spread into a wide grin. His eyes glimmered with laughter. His lips twitched in amusement before he lifted his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Get the fuck out. I have a lot of things I need to settle before I go on my merry wedding way."
"See you, brother." He saluted before he burst out of my office door.
Once Cas was gone, I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. I started to realize that there was no going back. Everything was set and ready for the big day, only me that I couldn't think of even getting a girlfriend, let alone getting married to the woman I knew nothing about aside from her being Greer.
I stared at her picture again, hoping it would magically turn her into an ugly duckling. But the more I stared at it, the more she turned into a fucking swan. This is not happening. Something about her that made me want to own her, mark her, take her right here, right now. Jesus.
I was accustomed to letting my lust lead me when it came to sex. I got what I wanted, and I gave what I could. But by just looking at her image, I wished I was wrong. These unfamiliar feelings of raw lust, rage, and possessiveness started to be out of my control. And the worse part was, I had not even met her yet.
I almost jumped in my seat when my phone vibrated on my desk. An unknown number blinked on the screen.
"Wollf."
"Help me!" It was a voice of a terrified woman. My heart stopped dead in my chest.
I froze for a moment. Why do I feel like I know her?
"Who's this?"
"Cenric-" The line went dead.
I stared at the screen in shock. "What the fuck?" She knew me and called my name, yet her voice was unfamiliar.
I dialed the number. I was the kind of man who never answered or called back, but I got the feeling it sounded like her life was hanging in the balance, and my instinct told me to protect her. Whoever she was.
Then it answered quickly from the other line.
"Who's this?"
"Cenric?" It was Jasper fucking Greer, my future brother-ass-in-law.
I shot him a bloody murderous glare even if he was not in front of me. "Where is she?"
"She's fine."
"Then why did she call? She sounded terrified, and the line went off after."
The other line went silent for a few seconds as if he was trading his words carefully. "She tried to escape."
"Is she held against her will?"
"She wants to run away. You know that she didn't want to get married from the start of the arrangement." Of course, who would willingly want to marry someone like me? I may be filthy rich, but not all women could be bought by fucking shiny and glittery diamonds.
"Don't ever hurt her or lay a hand on her. If I ever see a small cut or bruise on her skin on my wedding day, call everything quits, even our fucking contract. Do you understand me?"
"Of course."
"And make sure in two days, I have a bride to marry, unscathed."
Heartbroken, Charleigh Wrylee, a charming and driven associate architect, dedicates her life to her career. She grabs the opportunity when a new project promises her a promotion. Bryce Chase is a tough daddy and a great baker with only two goals in life-raising his child and managing his cake shop. But things change when he runs into a new girl. Even though their interests don't align, it turns the heat between them, pulling them together like magnets. Will they be able to set their issues aside and follow their hearts instead? Or will they rather stick to what they're fighting for; his shop and her promotion? *** Sometimes hiding the truth comes with a great price. That's what the quiet and preserved Arizona Sky realizes after meeting Tripp Wrylee- a hardworking overconfident CEO of a top architectural firm. She finds herself doing things she never thought she'd do- marrying a man she barely knows and leaving her the next day. Three years later, he comes back, asking for a second chance, filling the husband's role he left empty, bringing out the other side of him that Ari never knew he had. Things between them become surreal until his job is at risk, their relationship is in hot water, and the people she loves are against their relationship, but something between them is maybe worth saving.
"Why did you bend over, Maverick?" Â "Because you told me to, assh*le." Â "I'm so tempted to f*ck you right now. You're the most exquisite woman I've ever been with, the only beautiful thing I see and have." Â "Then what are you waiting for? Just punish me already!" *** MAVERICK As a working college student, I struggle to make ends meet until a stranger approaches me with a proposal-- to be his employer's wife for an enormous sum of money. Knowing the cash will help me pay my grandmother's medical bills, I accept the offer with a demand-- just a marriage of convenience, no intimacy. It's too late to realize I'm marrying the charming and gorgeous to a fault, young Mr. Winston. And there's this instant fire between us despite my inhibitions. Things get more complicated when our sham marriage is put to the test by his father, who threatens to expose my dirty little secret. *** LAKE Being a Braddson-Winston heir is sometimes a curse. My father is a real SOB and a pain in my ass. He makes one outrageous demand for me to secure the CEO seat in the company-- marriage. So I found a perfect bride- Maverick Bates II, who is beautiful but in a dire financial situation. I only ask two things. We stay MBA and keep things purely business until the contract ends. As simple as that. It was meant to be a straightforward deal, but each day I get to know her, my position is not the only thing at stake but also my heart. I realize I can't let her go even if I have to make a dangerous bargain with her father, who happens to be a ruthless crime boss.
Without warning, he grabbed me by my ankles and dragged me to the edge of the bed. “Take your panties off,” he ordered me as he unbuckled his belt and worked on his pants, letting them fall on his ankles. Then he grabbed his dick out of his boxers. He was already hard and began stroking it. When I was too shocked to move, he growled at me, his green eyes searing against mine. “Panties. Off. Now, Nirvana.” I did as he said, scrambling to remove my shorts and underwear. My chest started heaving. My lips went dry as I watched him enjoy stroking himself. “Open your mouth, suck me, and take me all in.” His order woke up something inside me. Lust fired up through my veins, and my clit ached for him. I opened my mouth, and he shoved his shaft inside. “That’s it, sweetheart. Good girl.” *** All her life, Nirvana Thorne thought she was just human, at least not until a mysterious guy rejected her for no reason. When she finally uncovers her family secrets, Knight reclaims her as his fated mate and forces her to dig deep into the unimaginable danger of the underworld to undo the curse. Fighting her attraction towards him is hard enough. Every time they get close, their chemistry sizzles, and the heat between them becomes irresistible. When the pack is under siege, she must learn to gain control of the newfound power within her while the alpha intends to show her where she belongs. *** All Knight Blackwell ever wanted was to run his pack while getting rich. What he didn’t need was a woman demanding his attention, let alone a human mate like Nirvana. So he rejects her. What he never sees coming is his mate possesses an ancient secret— she’s a creature bound in magic intertwined with an ancient dark prophecy and the key to something bigger than anything they’ve ever imagined. With his primal urges getting harder to resist and the powerful being wreaking havoc in his wake, Knight has to sate his dark cravings for his mate before they go to war that Nirvana might have to sacrifice a piece of herself.
“Do it again.” “Be more specific, baby.” I heard a smile in his words. He was enjoying this and wanted me to beg. “Fuck you. You know what I mean.” I grunted in frustration. “I actually don’t.” He stopped again. His rough hand remained between my thighs. “Stop playing games, or I will stroke myself until I come.” I wiggled my ass, seeking a quick relief from the throbbing in my core. Breathing raggedly, he said, “No one is playing games here, baby. I just want to know what you want.” “You really make me do this, don’t you?” My voice was a combination of frustration and irritation. He was enjoying this too much, probably punishing me for giving him blue balls twice. “You were complaining earlier, so, yes. I don’t want another broken nose.” “Spank my ass, Califf. Then touch me and fuck me with your finger. I wanna come. Do you think you can do that?” *** All Shadow ever wanted is to live in peace with their pack, but as a royal Lycan and the daughter of a witch, it comes at a price. When a faceless enemy targeted her, she did not only lose her wolf but also her healing gift, leaving her powerless and vulnerable. Now that the bond is gone and her happy ending is not guaranteed, she has nothing left to offer. She doubts whether she’s still worthy of her mate and Luna of their pack. Alpha Califf becomes a formidable Alpha after defeating a sinister enemy. He should be invincible with allied packs everywhere and witches at his disposal, but Shadow becomes a liability. Despite what happened to his mate, he’s willing to leave the pack and live with her away from threats, but their enemy is two steps ahead of them, and Shadow becomes cold and distant, leaving him nothing but agony he’d never felt before. Will Shadow get her revenge and find a way to get her wolf and gift back? Will they uncover the ugly truth behind their enemy? Or their foe is just right under their noses all along.
“I can smell you’re wet for me, my little mate.” My nose flared. My chest heaved. My rage boiled inside my body, making me want to explode. “Well, take this, Alpha. I, Shadow Raven Hawks, omega of Night Stalker Pack—” “Shadow, what the fuck are you doing?” He was fast to cup my face as his eyes began brewing the pain. “Rejecting—” I wasn’t finished when he slammed his mouth against mine, stopping me. *** She’s a lone wolf— a rogue. Shadow Hawks learns to keep her head down. That’s how she survives until she wakes up in a pack run by a control freak hot-as-sin ruthless Alpha. With one single sniff of him, she feels an intense connection with irresistible heat. Now she’s got her old pack on her heels. The only one who can protect her is Alpha Califf. She will do everything, even if she has to bow down and reveal herself. Califf Stone doesn’t have time for a relationship but to protect his pack from a sinister, vicious Alpha killing the neighboring packs. Until he meets a mysterious rogue who enjoys defying his orders, he finds himself craving for her, losing control— And he knows she’s the one. When their common enemy threatens her, he’s ready to break his defenses to protect his mate. What surprises him, she’s not only half-Lycan, half-witch. She’s also a Lycan Princess.
Estelle Bladwyn has a certain type— a little older with a little less demanding job and knows his way in bed. When she bumps into a hot thirty-ish man on her not-so-romantic-getaway on an island, he does check two on her checklist, and exactly what she wants for that moment. One thing that doesn’t set right— their growing attraction is overwhelming, and her life is already complicated. But who can deny someone like Linden, who held you captive with his eyes, caged you in his arms, and still promised you a good time? Gabe Linden is getting old and still single and done with hookups and doing favors. When some big guns like Moses Braddson, a man he looks up to, he just can’t say no to. The only problem is he hasn’t taken the job yet— he knows he’s already failing it. Looking into her celadon blue eyes, he sees right into her soul. There’s no way he’s letting her go, even by means of breaking his number one rule— The beautiful billionaire is his to keep.
During her three years of marriage with Brendan, Adeline had become as humble as dust itself. However, what she got in return wasn't love and affection, but endless indifference and disdain. Worse yet, when the woman in Brendan's heart suddenly showed up, he further distanced himself from her. Finally, Adeline couldn't stand it anymore and asked for a divorce. After all, why should she stay with such a cold, distant man? The next one would surely be better. Brendan watched as his ex-wife left with her luggage in tow. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he made a bet with his friends. "She'll definitely regret leaving and will come crawling back to me in no time." After hearing about this bet, Adeline sneered. "Dream on!" A few days later, Brendan ran into his ex-wife in a bar. It turned out she was celebrating her divorce. Not long after, he noticed that the damned woman seemed to have a new suitor. Brendan was starting to panic. The woman who had clung to him for three years suddenly didn't seem to give a damn about him. What was he going to do?
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?"
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."