Nikoline Black

Married by blood. Bound by fate. Hunted by darkness. When Clara Duskgrave awakens from a haunting dream to find a crimson ring on her finger and a blood pact etched into her soul, she realizes she's no longer just a college girl-she's the bride of the Vampire King. Alaric Vexmoor is powerful, ruthless, and terrifyingly alluring. Their bond is sealed by an ancient Crimson Sigil, and within Clara stirs a forbidden child-the Bloodmarked Heir prophesied to awaken both salvation and ruin. But Clara is not just prey. As whispers of cursed villages, forbidden rituals, and the secret war between blood orders unfold, she must uncover the truth behind her ghostbound lineage and the real reason she was chosen. Can she survive the vampire court, protect the child within, and resist falling for the dark creature who calls her his queen? Perfect for fans of gothic romance, dark magic, vampire kings, and slow-burn fated love with a dangerous edge.

He wanted revenge. She wanted freedom. Neither expected to become each other's weakness. Jasmine always played the game to win-even if it meant using people, bending truths, or faking a smile. ​​​​​​​But when a shadow from the past resurfaces, everything spirals out of control. Caught between two powerful men and the blood feud that binds them, she must choose: escape, destroy... or feel something she's never let herself feel before. Love, in this world, is the most dangerous drug.

The first time they met, Juliet shot William and left him half-dead. She chased him all the way back to Country A, and then she became an ordinary college student. He ran, she chased-he couldn't escape. The world's No. 1 mercenary? That was her. The senior member of the hacker alliance? Also her. The genius doctor behind the International Medical Research Institute? Yep, her too. The top veteran in the esports world? You guessed it-her again. The internationally acclaimed genius concept artist? Yep, that's her as well... The high society? They all thought the girlfriend of the country's richest man, Mr. William, was just a gold digger he was supporting to get into the upper class... William, "I'm not! I didn't! Baby, don't listen to them!" Please-when other guys upset their wives, they just sweet-talk them to make it up. But when he made his wife mad, he took a bullet! Juliet gently touched William's handsome face, "Be good, I'm still pretty gentle~"

"You are the noble and stunning second female lead, married to the CEO of a multinational corporation. But you couldn't help but fall for the childhood sweetheart male lead, plotting against the innocent female lead. In the end, the male lead and female lead live happily ever after, while you are abandoned by your husband and family, dying miserably." After traveled into the angsty romance novel she was reading and became the same-named supporting character, Sarah didn't want to follow the original plot. She stayed away from the male and female leads and moved back to her husband's place, establishing her role as a married woman. She only knew that the multinational CEO Holden was a steady and mature business tycoon, with a stern and noble demeanor, ruthless and unscrupulous in his actions. Their marriage was purely a business arrangement, and he gave her a black card to spend freely, as long as she didn't bother him. To Sarah, Holden was her "sugar daddy", more important than anything, and she was terrified he might overwork himself to death one day. Ronald, the male lead, realized that the once-adoring Sarah no longer paid him any attention, he called to confess his feelings, but she refused to answer. Then one day, Holden pressed Sarah down on his lap, his voice low and husky, "If you keep loving Ronald, I'll make sure his entire family goes bankrupt."

She was one of the most renowned thieves in the world. She was the true racing queen of the black market. She was a woman like the wind, coming and going freely, living life to the fullest. He was the mafia king, the richest man in the country. He was ruthless and cold-blooded. Their fates got tangled up over a red ruby. Mutants in the forest, underground pyramids, deep-sea whirlpools... he brought her into his world. Aerial battles, sea battles, ground battles... she went through life and death with him, never leaving each other. Was it love, hate, or hurt? Everything was shrouded in mystery...

Sylvia was the adopted daughter of the Clark family. In her childhood, the Clark family would make her take various drugs that caused continuous pain. When she turned eighteen, the Clark family forced her to marry an elderly man. She resisted with all her might but failed to escape. Shortly after, the Clark family sent her to Ash Island--a slum. Sylvia vowed to take revenge on the Clark family Hiram was the CEO of the First Consortium, the richest and most influential man in the country. Hiram took Sylvia back to his home, and she pretended to be insane to bide her time. Because of his tragic childhood, Hiram indulged Sylvia. Their story of mutual redemption and plans for revenge gradually unfolded from there. "Sylvia is just an abandoned girl with mental issues, and she looks so poor." Then they saw Sylvia signing over dozens of mansion deeds, signing so much she started to nod off. "Sylvia has no backing at all. I don't know why she's so arrogant." Hiram, "As my wife, having me as her backing is more than enough. She doesn't need any other."

Claire knew from the start that Ethan was heartless. This marriage was a transaction where each got what they needed. It didn't matter that he didn't love her or that he allowed her to suffer abuse from his family. But cheating on her was crossing the line. After three years, she changed her approach and transformed into a fiery woman just to obtain a divorce agreement proposed by him. Once the dust settled, Ethan finally realized the true value of his unnoticed wife. She was the heir to the Black family. She was the mysterious poison expert and miracle doctor in the medical world. After careful consideration, Ethan said, "If you want to remarry me, I can consider giving you a chance." Claire, "??? Thanks, but no thanks."

A conspiracy by her best friend led to Shirley losing her first time to a strange man. The once-sweet relationship was ruthlessly destroyed by her boyfriend. "Since you are carrying my child, let's get married. It just happens that I don't love you, and you don't love me either," Mr. Billionaire said heartlessly. He threw a contract on the table, saying, "We are just contract spouses." They got secretly married. None of their colleagues knew that Shirley was the wife of their CEO, and they envied why Mr. Billionaire treated this little assistant so specially. Just as Shirley was about to relax, she unexpectedly found out that the man who signed the contract completely ignored her resistance and declared to the whole world that she belonged to him. "What are you trying to do?" "My dear wife, I love you! Let's have another child."

Helen felt that she was a despicable woman. Her best friend kindly sheltered her, but she developed a crush on her friend's husband. Before committing a major mistake, she wanted to leave the estate but found various reasons hindering her departure. First, she inexplicably fainted and fell asleep. Then, she lost her job. She woke up in a strange room. Worst of all, she couldn't remember when she had slept with her friend's husband. She gradually discovered the mysteries within the estate. Her best friend and her husband's relationship was not as loving as it seemed, and that extraordinarily handsome man seemed inhuman. As strange events unfolded, she finally realized that she had stirred up a monster that she shouldn't have. At first, Richard only found this woman too enticing, she was just his prey. His prey, of course, couldn't be stolen by others. He saved her from danger time and time again. However, slowly, he couldn't bear to devour this prey that he finally had in his grasp.

Eight years ago, she thought he was a Money Boy at the club, and accidentally had a one-night stand with him because she was framed by her stepsister. Is $100 enough to buy a Money Boy for one night? The next morning, she casually dropped $100 and ran away. Eight years later, she returned with her genius son. Little did she expect to be "deceived" into the Noblefull Group by her beloved son. Her immediate boss turned out to be Mr. $100 from eight years ago! ... "Bad girl, how dare you humiliate me eight years ago, this time you will pay the price!" "Bad girl, one billion dollars, I buy your whole life!" "I just want to be a secretary. You already have several lovers. You are not my type." "But, I only have feelings for you, only love you." However, their relationship was not smooth. Due to a property dispute, his brother deliberately caused a car accident in an attempt to kill her and their son. Due to past grievances of the previous generation, his father held deep hatred towards him and sent assassins to kill them. There were also plots and attempts on their lives orchestrated by his girlfriend. On top of that, they faced oppression from rival factions of the mafia... This is a romantic novel about a billionaire and his secretary, involving several generations of love, hatred, and complicated relationships, and also involving the mafia, revenge...

Two years ago, she was a well-behaved and lovely young lady, but she had an irresponsible and worthless fiancé. She simply broke off this ridiculous engagement, but it led to a catastrophic disaster, turning her into a captive maid to a bloodthirsty man. He hated her, kidnapped her, imprisoned her, degraded her in the cruelest ways. And then... he fell in love with her. When he wanted to heal her with true love, she fell victim to a treacherous plot and disappeared along with their unborn baby. Two years later, they meet again, and she is on the verge of death, with no recollection of him...!

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

Kayla stood outside the CEO suite, holding a custom suit for her fiancé, Brennon. They had spent seven years building a tech company from a freezing garage into a billion-dollar empire. But through the cracked door, she heard the breathy laugh of Evelin, the newly hired director. Then came Brennon's low, careless voice. "The wedding's a PR milestone for the IPO, nothing more." Kayla's blood turned to ice. "She's comfortable. Makes sense on paper," Brennon continued. "But you, Evelin. You understand ambition." The betrayal hit her like a physical blow. She had written the core code that made him a billionaire. She had stayed up until 4 AM debugging while he slept on a futon. Now, he was mocking their relationship to his mistress and handing over her life's work to a woman who couldn't even read a data log. Seven years of loyalty, reduced to a PR stunt. She didn't cry. Instead, a cold, violent clarity washed over her. Why should she let him keep the crown she forged? Without a word, she pulled the three-carat diamond off her finger and dropped it into her bag. She walked out of the building, drafted her resignation, and accepted a VP position at his biggest Wall Street rival. It was time to show Brennon what happened when the real genius behind his empire decided to tear it down.

Lillian woke in a werecreature universe as a total loser. Good news was that women ruled here and could take multiple mates, yet she still ended up as the one everyone looked down on. Compared to her talented sister at every turn, she watched her first match get stolen and her next four mates reject her without mercy. The first mate was the King of Succubine himself. On their very first meeting, he warned Lillian that he was only staying long enough to recover from his injuries-and that there could never be anything between them. The second mate was a merman. He took one look at her and said he had no interest in a loser like her, tossing her some cash so she could break off their bond herself. The third mate was the progenitor vampire-over a thousand years old. He admitted to admiring her sister instead and made it clear he had no interest in a layabout like Lillian. Lillian cut every bond and chose her own path instead. But as she rose higher and higher, those same men returned, full of regret and begging her to look at them again. The fourth mate was a werewolf Lillian had rescued from an underground fighting ring. She thought he might actually stay-until he revealed himself as royalty. And of course, he wanted to break their bond for more power.

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch-a titan of industry and my best friend's father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

I woke up on silk sheets that smelled of expensive cedar and cold sandalwood, a world away from my cramped apartment in Brooklyn. Beside me lay Ezra Gardner-my boss, the billionaire CEO of Gardner Holdings, and the man who could end my career with a snap of his fingers. He didn't offer an apology for the night before; instead, he looked at me with terrifying clarity and proposed a cold, calculated business arrangement. "Marriage. It stabilizes the board and solves the PR crisis before it begins." He dressed me in archival Chanel and sent me home in his Maybach, but my life was already falling apart. My boyfriend, Irving, claimed he had passed out early, yet his location data placed him at my best friend's apartment until three in the morning. When I tried to run, I realized Ezra was already ten steps ahead, tracking my movements and uncovering the secret I'd spent twenty years hiding: my connection to the powerful Senator Grimes. I was trapped between a CEO who treated me like a line item on a quarterly report and a boyfriend who had been using me while sleeping with my closest friend. I felt like a pawn in a game I didn't understand, wondering why a man like Ezra would walk up forty flights of stairs on a broken leg just to make sure I was safe. "Showtime, Mrs. Gardner." Standing on the red carpet in a gown that cost more than my life, I watched my cheating ex-boyfriend's face turn pale as Ezra claimed me in front of the world. I wasn't just an assistant anymore; I was a weapon, and it was time to burn their world down.

After my boyfriend of four years publicly humiliated me at a charity gala, calling me a "charity case," I drowned my sorrows at a dive bar and had a one-night stand with a stranger. I woke up the next morning in a luxury hotel suite to find out the stranger was Christian Porter, the most ruthless billionaire on Wall Street. Worse, paparazzi had photographed us leaving the bar. He coldly informed me that the photos would create a scandal that could tank his company's upcoming IPO, costing him hundreds of millions. As if my world wasn't collapsing fast enough, I got a call that my younger brother had been arrested for assaulting my ex in my defense. Christian didn't want my apology; he wanted a solution. He slammed a prenuptial agreement on the table in front of me. He gave me an ultimatum: sign a two-year marriage contract to turn the scandal into a corporate fairy tale, or he would ruin me. Trapped, I agreed. But when my furious brother confronted him at the police station, Christian looked him dead in the eye and said something that left me breathless. "I didn't marry her to solve a problem," he said, his voice echoing in the small room. "I married her because I've been in love with her for ten years."

I sat on the edge of the examination table, the crinkle of the sanitary paper sounding like thunder in the sterile room. The doctor didn't even look at me as he confirmed the news: the pregnancy was over. My husband, Keyon, didn't answer my call. He just sent an automated text: "In a meeting." When I returned to our cold mansion, I found his iPad glowing with a message from his "muse," Katina. He was throwing her a secret gala tonight-on our third wedding anniversary. He told her he couldn't wait to escape the "boring" and "draining" atmosphere I created at home. Keyon didn't stumble in until 3 AM, smelling of Katina's perfume with a smear of red on his collar. When I handed him the divorce papers, he laughed in my face. He called me a "glorified housekeeper" with no skills and no future, promising I'd be back in three days begging for a subway ticket. He even bet his friends ten thousand dollars that I wouldn't survive a week without his name. He had his assistant cancel my credit cards and block my gate access before I even reached the end of the driveway. He wanted me to starve. He wanted me to crawl. He sat in his office, mocking the "desperate" woman who pawned her three-million-dollar wedding ring for scrap metal just to pay for a meal. I stood on the rainy curb, watching the man I had protected for three years treat my life like trash. He didn't know about the ultrasound I just threw in the bin. He didn't know that while he was calling me "dull," I was the one secretly writing the code that kept his billion-dollar empire from collapsing. As I slid into a cheap Uber, I opened a hidden, encrypted app on my phone. The screen refreshed to a dashboard for an account Keyon didn't know existed. The balance was ten figures long-the accumulated wealth of "Solaris," the world's most elusive tech genius. Keyon thinks he just evicted a parasite, but he's about to find out he just declared war on the only person who can hit "delete" on his entire life.

Vesper's marriage to Julian Sterling was a gilded cage. One morning, she woke naked beside Damon Sterling, Julian's terrifying brother, then found a text: Julian's mistress was pregnant. Her world shattered, but the real nightmare had just begun. Julian's abuse escalated, gaslighting Vesper, funding his secret life. Damon, a germaphobic billionaire, became her unsettling anchor amidst his chaos. As "Iris," Vesper exposed Julian's mistress, Serena Sharp, sparking brutal war: poisoned drinks, a broken leg, and the horrifying truth-Julian murdered her parents, trapping Vesper in marriage. The man she married was a killer. Broken and betrayed, Vesper was caught between monstrous brothers, burning with injustice. Refusing victimhood, Vesper reclaimed her identity. Fueled by vengeance, she allied with Damon, who vowed to burn his empire for her. Julian faced justice, but matriarch Eleanor's counterattack forced Vesper's choice as a hitman aimed for her.

I skipped my final lab review in Geneva and endured a fourteen-hour flight to surprise my husband for our fourth wedding anniversary. Instead, looking through the window of our beachfront estate, I saw him playing the perfect, loving father to a "tragic widow's" daughter, kissing the widow with practiced, casual intimacy. Fleeing in pure panic, I got into a horrific car crash. Waking up in the VIP hospital room, I kept my eyes shut and heard my husband talking to his best friend right beside my bed. "She's just a party girl who knows how to swipe a black card. I only play the part because I need her father's proxy vote for the IPO." "Every time I have to touch her in bed, it feels like a corporate obligation. It makes me sick." Later, even my own father demanded I step down from my company role and publicly welcome the mistress, just to protect the family's investment in the upcoming ten-billion-dollar IPO. Four years of marriage and quiet humiliations, all reduced to a calculated lie. They all thought I was just a brainless, hysterical socialite who could be easily manipulated and discarded. They didn't know that the core anti-aging algorithm his entire empire relied on was secretly built by me. I calmly pulled out my phone and texted my divorce lawyer. "I want him bankrupt. On the day his company rings the bell, I am going to burn his entire life to the ground."

The sterile white of the operating room blurred, then sharpened, as Skye Sterling felt the cold clawing its way up her body. The heart monitor flatlined, a steady, high-pitched whine announcing her end. Her uterus had been removed, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding, but the blood wouldn't clot. It just kept flowing, warm and sticky, pooling beneath her. Through heavy eyes, she saw a trembling nurse holding a phone on speaker. "Mr. Kensington," the nurse's voice cracked, "your wife... she's critical." A pause, then a sweet, poisonous giggle. Seraphina Miller. "Liam is in the shower," Seraphina's voice purred. "Stop calling, Skye. It's pathetic. Faking a medical emergency on our anniversary? Even for you, that's low." Then, Liam's bored voice: "If she dies, call the funeral home. I have a meeting in the morning." Click. The line went dead. A second later, so did Skye. The darkness that followed was absolute, suffocating, a black ocean crushing her lungs. She screamed into the void, a silent, agonizing wail of regret for loving a man who saw her as a nuisance, for dying without ever truly living. Until she died, she didn't understand. Why was her life so tragically wasted? Why did her husband, the man she loved, abandon her so cruelly? The injustice of it all burned hotter than the fever in her body. Then, the air rushed back in. Skye gasped, her body convulsing violently on the mattress. Her eyes flew open, wide and terrified, staring blindly into the darkness. Her trembling hand reached for her phone. May 12th. Five years ago. She was back.