Madison had always believed that she would marry Colten. She spent her youth admiring him from afar, dreaming of their future life together. But Colten was always indifferent to her, and when he abandoned her at a time when she needed him most, she finally realized that he never loved her. With renewed resolve and a thirst for revenge, Madison left. Endless possibilities lay ahead, but Colten was no longer part of her plans. Colten rushed to her place in a panic. "Madison, please come back to me. I'll give you everything!" It was his powerful uncle who answered the door. "She's my woman now."
A deafening crash shattered the air.
"Something's terribly wrong! The scaffolding has collapsed! Hurry, we need to save them!"
The makeshift scaffolding gave way suddenly, smashing two lead actresses and a group of dancers to the floor, throwing the venue into chaos.
Madison Dixon found herself trapped, her left leg wedged painfully between splintered wooden planks. Amid the tumult, a frantic voice pierced the commotion. "Watch out! The chandelier's coming loose!"
Her eyes shot upwards, terror seizing her as the crystal chandelier danced ominously overhead.
The potential disaster loomed large; a direct hit could be devastating.
Her complexion drained to a ghostly white, fear etched across her features as she struggled against the merciless wood. Each tug sent sharp stabs of pain up her leg, with blood beginning to seep out, staining the wooden shards.
The thought of ripping her skin in a desperate attempt to escape chilled her to the bone.
In her most vulnerable moment, she scanned the horrified crowd, her gaze catching a familiar, rushing silhouette-Colten Pearson, her fiance.
Hope flickered as she reached out to him, but her heart sank when he unexpectedly darted past her. His focus was elsewhere; he swept Lana Elliott into his arms, her co-star who lay crumpled nearby.
"Don't worry, I've got you," he assured Lana, cradling her securely.
"Colten!" Crying, Lana clung to Colten, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
Colten offered a silent comfort to her, effortlessly lifting her from the stage without so much as a fleeting look towards Madison, even though she was closer to him and was going to marry him.
As fate would have it, the wire of a light fixture suddenly gave way, plunging the stage into an enveloping darkness.
Just before the shadows enveloped everything, Madison's eyes searched for Colten, but he never turned back.
Overwhelmed by a primal urge to survive, she clenched her teeth tightly, wrestling her leg free with desperate strength. The eerie sound of wooden planks being forcibly torn away filled her ears.
Her left leg was suddenly released, and in the next breath, a firm grip hauled her from her perilous position.
With a thunderous crash, the crystal chandelier plummeted to the floor, scattering shards of glass in every direction.
As instinct took over, Madison raised her arms to guard herself, but a strong presence was already standing between her and danger.
With the lights returning, the stage was laid bare, a scene of utter devastation and ruin.
Yet, the mysterious savior who had intervened was already gone.
In a panic, Madison scanned the chaos, her gaze finally fixing on Colten.
At the critical moment the chandelier had fallen, he had thrown himself protectively over Lana.
With Lana still clutching his waist, he made no move to pull away, a silent statement of what mattered most to him.
A wry smile ghosted across Madison's lips, laced with quiet sorrow.
She had almost convinced herself that Colten had returned to save her.
The director's voice boomed across the set, his tone sharp and accusing. "What the hell happened here? If that chandelier had fallen on someone, it would have been a disaster."
His fury was palpable, a storm brewing in his eyes as he confronted the props manager, who scrambled for words, desperately trying to shift the blame.
Amid the escalating uproar, Colten finally turned his piercing gaze towards Madison. His eyebrows knitted together as he noticed her bleeding left leg. From a distance, Madison couldn't see his expression clearly.
Cradled in his arms, Lana gasped, her voice slicing through the commotion. "Madison, did you try to kill me?"
Her accusation echoed, abruptly silencing the room.
Colten's features hardened, the air around him turning frigid. "What exactly happened here?"
Tears welled up in Lana's eyes, spilling over as she recounted her story.
"I saw Madison by the light fixture earlier, fiddling with the wire. I didn't think it was anything serious at the time. She confronted me just before we went on stage, claiming I didn't deserve to compete for the spot in the state troupe. I've poured my heart into this, and I just wanted a chance..."
Her eyes brimming with tears, she gazed at Colten and went on, "I only wanted to chase my dreams, but I never imagined she'd stoop to this."
"Shattered Wings," the school drama club's latest sensation, starred two promising lead actresses. It was recognized as a gateway for aspiring performers hoping to enter the prestigious state troupe.
Yet, the competition was fierce; there was only one opening, and the choice would inevitably come down to either Madison or Lana.
From the group of dancers, a voice rose, breaking the tense silence. "Had the stage not given way, that chandelier would have crashed right onto Lana's head."
"Oh my God! Imagine if it had struck her while she was performing. Could she have even survived such an assault? To commit such a heinous act over a mere spot?"
"It's deeper than just the spot. Colten harbors feelings for Lana, yet Madison, the fiancee his family chose, has been tormenting Lana behind the scenes. I believe that, regardless of the role, she had every intention of getting rid of Lana."
A fleeting spark of triumph flickered in Lana's eyes, though she quickly masked it with practiced ease.
Grasping Colten's sleeve, she looked up at him with tearful eyes. "Colten, thank goodness you came for me. Let's just put this behind us, shall we?"
Her feigned benevolence only fueled the whispers further, some voices now vehemently calling for legal action against Madison, branding her a would-be murderer.
Facing the growing hostility, Madison's expression hardened; her fists balled at her sides, her face ashen yet resolute. "Then go ahead, call the police. But I will not confess to a crime I didn't commit!"
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"
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."
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
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.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.