"What's your answer?" he asked making her froze. "Do I still have to answer that?" she whispered for she knows him too well but this man in front of her always making her heart stop. "You're mine and exclusively mine."
"What's your answer?" he asked making her froze. "Do I still have to answer that?" she whispered for she knows him too well but this man in front of her always making her heart stop. "You're mine and exclusively mine."
"This looks like an intervention, " Aiden Hermanes said drily. He wasn't smiling and neither was anybody else. His mother had asked him to come by the family home for a private talk but instead, he found himself confronted by Ashford, the Hermanes Corporation CFO or the chief financial officer, the family lawyer, and his two brothers, Ace and Axel.
Aiden wasn't the type of person to back down something all these people knew very well.
The atmosphere was tense. In looks, he was very alike his two brothers. All three were dominant in skin tone, hair, and eye color, but tall, angular, and Greek god in their build. All three were strikingly impossibly good looking by any standards and a picture of the three brothers together at a function or a nightspot was pure gold to the local celebrity media.
At just twenty-nine years of age, Aiden was the eldest of the three.
"As nobody here seems to want to speak, let me begin, " he said. "What exactly is this all about?"
An uncomfortable silence reigned for five long seconds.
"Aiden, " his mother said in a frail voice.
"We all appreciate that what you are doing is good. Good for the world, good for the individual charities involved and in many ways good for the Hermanes Corporation as well."
"I agree. So why are we here?" CFO Ashford interjected.
"You've given away nearly 10% of Hermanes in the last six months alone Aiden. This can't go on."
"The current net worth of the Hermanes family remains at over 75 billion dollars, " he replied with a cold economy of expression.
"There's plenty more we can give away before anyone has to cut back on the champagne."
Ace, the middle brother of the Hermanes family and its technical genius, weighed in.
"I think we're all aware of the numbers here Aiden, so that's not the issue and neither is the champagne, but if you continue to donate like this then there won't be anything left to give. If we want to maintain the philanthropic tradition of our family then it needs to be done at a sustainable rate."
"I understand that Ace, and you don't need to worry. I know exactly what I'm doing, " his face betrayed no emotion but his steely gaze spoke volumes. It was a gaze that inspired loyalty in some, fear in others, but obedience in everyone.
Nearly everyone.
Today he was speaking to his inner circle his fierce independence of spirit and natural leadership was matched by almost everyone he could see. It was the reason his mother had invited them; not only was he looking at the entire board of directors of the Hermanes corporation but if anyone in his world was able to stand up to him, then they were sitting right in front of him.
Axel, the youngest of the three brothers, spoke up. If the impulsiveness of youth had long ago left the two older brothers, Axel still held an edge of fieriness that his mother and older brothers hoped would soon soften with age.
"We all get it Aiden, we all miss dad--"
"You? Miss dad?" Aiden said accusingly. Axel hesitated, looking briefly away from his older brother before continuing.
"We all respect the tradition of giving, but this is just crazy. Give it all away and then what happens? We're just as poor as the people we're trying to help. That's no good for anybody."
"Every donation is tax-deductible. Charity is good for business, " Aiden said, refusing to give an inch.
"Don't patronize us Aid, " Ace said. "We all know that, but 10% of Hermanes in just six months? It's financial suicide. Speculation in the media that something is wrong at the heart of Hermanes Inc. is rife and sooner or later it's going to affect business."
Aiden held up his hands and the group went silent, waiting for him to speak as he looked at each of them in the eye, slowly, one by one.
"I'm acting CEO of Hermanes Corporation, " he said. "Now unless there's something else to discuss, I have somewhere I need to be."
He stood up to go.
"Sit down Aid, " Ace said. The tension in the air was near unbearable. The Hermanes family was not accustomed to internal strife in business matters since the passing of Mr. Hermanes senior. Normally they spoke as one voice, guided by Aiden's acknowledged razor-sharp business sense.
That guidance had been accepted without resentment or question until his seemingly endless spree of philanthropy threatened to bankrupt the corporation.
Aiden gave Ace a long cold look before he sat down. Like all of them, he was used to giving orders, not taking them.
"This better be good." he with quiet intensity.
Their mother spoke quickly, hoping to defuse the situation.
"It is good Aiden. Good for everyone. We have come together today simply to discuss how much money Hermanes Inc. should give away in philanthropic contributions in any given financial quarter, that's all."
"I've already decided how much that should be, " Aiden said.
"Aiden Hermanes does not equal Hermanes Inc, " Axel said with evident irritation, "no matter what you think."
Aiden looked at him, his expression giving nothing away.
"Of course I don't think that, but this specific decision is mine and mine alone, just as our father said it should be and as the board, including everyone here, agreed upon. Now if you'll excuse me--"
"If you won't discuss this with us then we will have no choice but to ask you to stand down as CEO." Ace said. Aiden was motionless for a moment. The two brothers had fought many times as children but never as grown men. They had always been equally matched and neither feared the other.
The room held its breath as Aiden looked to Emerson, the family lawyer. He didn't need to say a word to the tough old legal shark.
"It can be done."
Aiden looked around the room again. If Emerson said it was true then it was true. No one in the world knew the Hermanes family legal affairs like Emerson. He had been defending the family's interests since the brothers were in diapers.
Aiden took a long deep breath and then looked at Ace.
"Give me a proposal and I'll think it over. Now if you all will please excuse me--"
"There's one more thing." Ace said.
Aiden waited, his face still betraying no emotion but his family knew him well he was surely enraged at this challenge to his authority.
"Well?" he said.
As confident and strong-willed as Ace was, the words stuck in his throat. It fell to their mother and her 49% interest in the Hermanes Corporation as a whole, to save the moment. Her voice was frail but her power in the corporation was formidable.
"We'd like you to consider getting some help son." She said softly.
"I already have all the help I need. My team is excellent, the best in the world."
"That's not the kind of help we mean."
Even the human barracuda Emerson held his breath in anticipation.
"Exactly what kind of help are you talking about mother?"
She reached into a small pocket in her pleated skirt and put a card on the table.
"This person comes highly recommended."
Aiden Hermanes read the details from where he sat. He didn't deign to pick the card up. It was the name and contact details of a psychological counselor in the States.
He looked back into the eyes of his family and then to Emerson who returned his gaze with all the steel he could muster. The lawyer was capable of staring down a high court judge without flinching an eyebrow but his heart skipped a beat as he nodded his head to assure Aiden Hermanes of the binding nature of what his family was 'suggesting' to him.
Aiden stared defiantly around the room again. The board of directors held its breath.
Victoria, the woman seeking freedom. He grew up in a world of lies and greed when the day came when his parents sold him. William, a man with a word. He was a powerful figure in the Mafia world. A cold-hearted man not until he met her. Will Victoria compromise with William?
Is it a sin to love? If secret love is a sin I am willing to accept whatever is at stake. I'm Marina, who will pretend to be the wife of my twin's fiancé.
The prince who is killed and vows to live again and find the man who killed him and carry it with his heart and mind to the woman he married and promised at the same time to leave the search for his wife. Hades vows to love her until his death and give her a ring on their wedding day, without his knowledge the ring that he gave comes from the deities who had a plan what will go in his life. But as he again regain his life he will discover the untold story that he does not know form the moment of his wedding, a secret that his opponent interfere. Hades had the power that the deities had given him and he had to find the woman in the picture he was carrying. His situation was difficult at first because he could not remember where he had come from but he gradually remembered it when he saw her with the help of a ring she was wearing. Every whisper in Lissana's ring made Hades instantly hear and feel it. He entered the life of the Ysares who were already in debt and their company was slowly losing their way. He helped them get up by marrying Lissana's mother Elena. Hades knew all that was going to happen before it happened, so it was easy for him to marry Elena because he knew it would die sooner and Lissana would be left in his care according to his plans. Despite seeing the woman he was looking for, he also saw the man who killed her knowing that it was the man his wife was pregnant with. The man of his opponent and his wife got betrayed him without his knowledge and still, he doesn't know. But he also didn't know that the woman he had found Lissana was not his wife, it was his maid, his trusted maid that has a secret love in him. Even though he is living in immortal life, he had now a limit that he and the deities agreed. As time went on, his time was short and the reaper was following his name. Will he be able to follow what the deity left behind when he needs to get the ring in Lissana's hand before the man who killed him can take it?
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
The thunder cracked over the Hamptons, but it was nothing compared to Elena Sharp's scream. She lay twisted on the marble foyer, accusing me of trying to kill her baby. My husband, Julian, walked in, saw the scene, and his eyes froze me out of his life forever. He didn't listen, shoving a separation agreement across the desk, accusing me of murder. Stripped of my name and home, I was thrown out, left with nothing but my clothes and a terrifying secret growing inside me. My accounts frozen, I ended up in a crumbling Philadelphia row house, forced to pawn heirlooms. During a fire, my water broke, and I delivered our premature daughter, June, whose lungs were damaged. I stole formula to feed her, facing massive medical bills. Accused of destroying an heir, I was exiled while carrying his true legacy, fighting for every breath. The injustice burned, but June's life was my only fight. Three years later, June needed life-saving surgery. Julian's dying grandmother called me back with the funds, forcing a cruel charade with the man who hated me, a man still oblivious to his daughter.
Eliana reunited with her family, now ruined by fate: Dad jailed, Mom deathly ill, six crushed brothers, and a fake daughter who'd fled for richer prey. Everyone sneered. But at her command, Eliana summoned the Onyx Syndicate. Bars opened, sickness vanished, and her brothers rose-one walking again, others soaring in business, tech, and art. When society mocked the "country girl," she unmasked herself: miracle doctor, famed painter, genius hacker, shadow queen. A powerful tycoon held her close. "Country girl? She's my fiancée!" Eliana glared at him. "Dream on." Resolutely, he vowed never to let go.
Camille Lewis was the forgotten daughter, the unloved wife, the woman discarded like yesterday's news. Betrayed by her husband, cast aside by her own family, and left for dead by the sister who stole everything, she vanished without a trace. But the weak, naive Camille died the night her car was forced off that bridge. A year later, she returns as Camille Kane, richer, colder, and more powerful than anyone could have imagined. Armed with wealth, intelligence, and a hunger for vengeance, she is no longer the woman they once trampled on. She is the storm that will tear their world apart. Her ex-husband begs for forgiveness. Her sister's perfect life crumbles. Her parents regret the daughter they cast aside. But Camille didn't come back for apologies, she came back to watch them burn. But as her enemies fall at her feet, one question remains: when the revenge is over, what's left? A mysterious trillionaire Alexander Pierce steps into her path, offering something she thought she lost forever, a future. But can a woman built on ashes learn to love again? She rose from the fire to destroy those who betrayed her. Now, she must decide if she'll rule alone... or let someone melt the ice in her heart.
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
In the glittering world of high society and cutthroat ambition, a single sentence shatters a marriage: "Let's get a divorce." For three years, Claire Thompson has lived in exile, her marriage to the powerful Nelson Cooper a hollow shell existing only on paper. Shipped abroad on her wedding day and utterly forgotten, she returns only to be handed divorce papers. But Claire is no longer the timid, heartbroken girl she once was. Behind her quiet facade lies a woman transformed, secretly rejoicing at her newfound freedom. However, freedom comes with a price. As Claire signs the papers with relief, a chilling phone call reveals a dark truth: the threats she faced overseas were no accident, and the trail leads shockingly close to home-to the family that raised her and the husband who discarded her. Just as she prepares to sever all ties, a twist of fate pulls her back into the gilded cage. Nelson, for reasons unknown, suddenly stalls the divorce. Meanwhile, the family that disowned her and the fragile, manipulative sister who stole her life are determined to ruin her reputation and drive her out for good. But Claire is playing a different game now. With a mysterious new identity, powerful allies, and secrets of her own, she is no one's pawn. As hidden truths unravel and loyalties are tested, a stunning question emerges: In this high-stakes battle of love, betrayal, and revenge, who is truly trapping whom?
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