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Betrayed. Humiliated. Left with nothing but a shattered reputation. When Serena Lancaster, once the darling of high society, is publicly cast aside by her ex-fiancé, she swears never to let another man have power over her. Desperate to rebuild her life, she takes a job at Weston Sinclair's empire-the one man who has every reason to despise her ex. Cold. Ruthless. Untouchable. Weston built his billion-dollar legacy on control, and falling for his reckless nephew's ex is the last thing he should do. But from the moment Serena steps into his world, she becomes his obsession-one he refuses to deny. He should keep his distance. He should let her go. But when Serena's past threatens to destroy her, Weston makes a choice. She's his now. And he'll never let her go.
The ballroom was suffocating in its silence, an oppressive stillness that hung over the glittering chandelier-lit space like a prelude to chaos. The hushed murmurs of the guests did little to hide the mounting tension, and the soft clinking of champagne glasses on marble trays felt distant, barely noticeable against the growing storm of whispers.
Serena Lancaster stood frozen at the center of it all, her emerald gown a second skin, clinging to her as if to remind her of the heavy weight of eyes upon her. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest, each beat a harsh reminder of the nightmare unfolding. The sweet scent of roses-normally soothing-seemed to sour in the air, a sickly perfume that twisted her insides.
Then, his voice broke the fragile silence.
"I think it's time everyone knew the truth," Julian Sinclair's words sliced through the tension, smooth yet dripping with something darker.
Her fiancé. Or, at least, he had been.
Julian stood high on the dais, the spotlight casting him as both the accuser and the judge, positioned perfectly to watch the unraveling of Serena Lancaster. The crowd, a sea of high society and superficial smiles, turned their full attention to her.
A laugh, nervous and unsure, echoed from somewhere in the crowd. Serena's mother, typically the epitome of grace, stood rigid, her fingers trembling around her wine glass. Her father, Charles Lancaster, the unflappable patriarch, went utterly still-like a statue.
Serena's throat tightened, but she forced her voice to remain steady. "Julian, what is this? What are you doing?"
His expression shifted into something mocking, too practiced, too polished. "Oh, Serena," he said, the words dripping with false sympathy. "Don't pretend you didn't see this coming."
She hadn't. Not in her worst nightmares.
Whispers began to whirl, spreading through the room like wildfire.
"She must have done something terrible..."
"A scandal, at a Sinclair event? Unthinkable."
"What's so bad that he'd humiliate her like this?"
Serena stood tall, though every part of her screamed to flee. She clutched the fabric of her gown, nails digging into her palm to ground herself.
"I've been planning to tell everyone for a while now," Julian continued, his voice oozing insincerity. "Serena and I-" He sighed theatrically. "Well, we're not getting married after all."
The room erupted. A collective gasp filled the air, and the murmurs became a tidal wave, crashing around her.
Serena's stomach twisted, her fingers curling into fists.
Julian wasn't done.
"I tried to be understanding," he went on, pacing now, his every step like a deliberate performance. "But a man can only take so much betrayal."
Betrayal?
Serena took a step forward, but her voice faltered. "Julian, what are you talking about?"
"You think you know someone," he said, turning back to the crowd, his voice rising to a crescendo. "You think you've found the one. But then you discover she's been keeping secrets."
Serena's breath caught.
The crowd leaned in, each person eager for the scandal to unfold, as if waiting for the climax of a show they'd been dying to witness.
Julian turned back to her, his eyes glinting with malice. "Tell me, Serena, how long were you planning on keeping this from me? Were you waiting until after the wedding?"
A cold rush of fear gripped her heart. "Keep what from you?"
His smile was chilling. "Come on, darling," he crooned, his voice sharp and dismissive. "Don't insult my intelligence. We all know you were never going to be my wife. Not after your little secret came to light."
Her world tilted, the floor beneath her seemingly buckling.
"Don't do this," she whispered, her voice barely a plea, a low warning.
But Julian's smile only widened. He leaned in closer, savoring the moment. Then, with the final twist, he delivered the blow that shattered her completely.
"I won't marry a woman who was never meant to inherit the Lancaster fortune in the first place."
The room seemed to shake with the shock that followed.
Serena's chest tightened. He knew.
The whispers rose, louder now, like a fevered chant.
"Is it true?" someone in the crowd gasped, their voice thick with scandal. "She's not really the heiress?"
"Oh God," another voice murmured, "She's nothing without the Lancaster name."
The weight of their judgment was unbearable, pressing down on her until she felt like she might collapse. But she wouldn't. She couldn't let them see her crumble.
Julian took a casual sip from his champagne glass, as though he'd just made a simple announcement. "That's all, folks," he said, almost gleeful. "No wedding. Drinks are on me."
Laughter rang out, too harsh, too sharp. The crowd didn't care. They reveled in it.
Serena could feel her breath hitch, her vision blurring. She couldn't think straight, couldn't breathe as the suffocating weight of her disgrace threatened to crush her.
And then, across the room, she felt his gaze.
Weston Sinclair.
Sitting at the bar, his black suit cutting through the crowd like a shadow, he didn't move, didn't blink. He just watched, his eyes cold and calculating, taking in every moment of her public fall.
Serena wanted to storm toward him, demand-what? Help? Sympathy? But she knew better. Weston Sinclair believed in neither.
Her father's voice cut through the fog in her mind. "Serena," he said, his tone devoid of warmth, like a command. "We're leaving."
No questions. No concern. Just disapproval, cold as stone.
Serena didn't spare Julian another glance. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
Instead, she turned toward the exit, but not before casting one last look at Weston Sinclair.
His gaze didn't falter.
He didn't look away.
He simply watched.
And for reasons she couldn't understand, that was the most cutting blow of all.
Lia Rivera is tired of being tongue-tied, blushing, and falling over herself every time Ethan Park walks by. So, she comes up with a brilliant (read: terrible) idea: humiliate herself enough in front of him until she's cured of her feelings. But as she dives headfirst into Operation Uncrush, things spiral - instead of pushing Ethan away, she accidentally becomes the weirdly endearing girl he can't stop thinking about. Now she's stuck between actually getting over him... or falling harder than ever.
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
"Where am I?" She whispered desperately " If I am reborn...I won't have mercy on those evil scums" Then a flash of bright light......
"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.
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
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!”
Veronica is an eighteen-year-old omega who falls into an emotional breakdown when her Mate, who was soon to be the Alpha of the Sun crest pack, turns against her, hurls hurtful words at her, and rejects her on the night of the full moon festival because he and everyone in the pack, including her, thinks she is an omega. As if the pain of rejection, helplessness, and worthlessness wasn't enough, she lost her best and only friend to the cold hands of death when rogue wolves attacked their pack. Right in the presence of her mate, she was tagged as someone who always attracted problems and calamities anywhere she went and he turned a blind eye and watched as she was banished from the pack. With hatred for her life, she runs deep into the woods that were off-limits and jumps off to end her life, but in a turn of events, something else happens. What would her mate do when he finds out that Veronica is not who he thinks she is? Will she be able to forgive him? What fate lies ahead for them?
"You were about to cum in me." I said and sat up. That's when I felt a stinging pain across my ear as my hand caressed my face, then the realization hit me- he had slapped me, Lee had just slapped me. #Sex. Lies. Money. Power. *** Jessie, after finding out her fiance had married another woman, decides to have a one-night stand with his uncle, only to find herself married to him. But despite being married to his uncle, she was still attracted to him, so she started secretly seeing him. Well, the uncle wasn't willing to give her up now, not after he vowed to always be by her side; now she had two men fighting for her. And the woman her ex-fiance married wasn't just going to give up on him. Will Jessie realize old flames can never be and live a peaceful life with her new billionaire husband, or will Jade succeed in winning her back?
In her previous life, Kimberly endured the betrayal of her husband, the cruel machinations of an evil woman, and the endless tyranny of her in-laws. It culminated in the bankruptcy of her family, and ultimately, her death. After being reborn, she resolved to seek retribution against those who had wronged her, and ensure her family's prosperity. To her shock, the most unattainable man from her past suddenly set his sights on her. "You may have overlooked me before, but I shall capture your heart this time around."