Addiction
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THREE-YEARS CONTRACT MARRIAGE WITH THE HOT BILLIONAIRE
"Sign the contract, or lose everything." I stared at the papers that would seal my fate-a three-year marriage to Julian Blackwood, the ruthless billionaire they call the Ice King. My family didn't ask. They demanded. My father's company was drowning, my stepsister's engagement had exploded, and I was the replacement bride they could sacrifice. Just another transaction. Julian made it clear on our wedding day: "Don't expect affection. Don't expect companionship. Certainly don't expect love." He refused to kiss me at the altar. He gave me a bedroom down the hall and told me to stay out of his way. I was Mrs. Blackwood in name only-a contract, a convenience, a means to an end. I accepted it. I had survived twelve years of abuse in my own home. I could survive three years of indifference in his. But then Nate, Julian's best friend, showed me kindness, and suddenly my cold husband became possessive. When my sister attacked me, he became protective. Now the man who promised me nothing is fighting his own father to keep me. The marriage that was supposed to be fake is becoming terrifyingly real and the secrets about my mother's death are threatening to destroy everything. They said Julian Blackwood destroys everything he touches. What they didn't tell me... is that sometimes destruction is exactly what you need to be reborn. With a pregnancy involved, how was I going to end this three-year marriage peacefully?
Chapter 1 The Invisible Daughter
Lena.
I refilled the champagne glasses carefully, weaving through clusters of glittering guests who looked through me rather than at me. The black dress I wore, the same one I'd worn to every family event for the past three years had a small tear at the hem that no one had noticed. No one ever noticed.
"More champagne here," a woman in diamonds called out, snapping her fingers without bothering to look at my face.
I moved to her, my footsteps silent on the marble floor of the Carter mansion's ballroom. Cassie's engagement party was in full swing, two hundred guests celebrating my stepsister's upcoming marriage to Liam Whitley, heir to a pharmaceutical fortune. A string quartet played in the corner. The air smelled of expensive perfume and imported flowers.
I belonged to none of it.
But in exactly seven days, none of this would matter anymore.
Seven days until I had enough money saved. Seven days until my interview at the marketing firm in Boston. Seven days until I could disappear from this house and never look back.
I touched the envelope hidden in my bra-my mother's death certificate, the one document I would need to access the small trust fund she had left me. The lawyer's appointment was scheduled for Monday morning. After three years of hiding money in my mattress, working secret jobs Bridget didn't know about, I finally had enough for a security deposit and first month's rent on a tiny studio apartment five hours away.
Freedom was seven days away.
"The hors d'oeuvres are running low on the west table." Bridget's sharp voice cut through my thoughts. My stepmother appeared at my elbow, her perfectly painted lips pressed into a thin line. "Were you planning to let our guests starve?"
"I'll refill them now," I said quietly.
"You should have done it ten minutes ago." Her manicured nails dug into my arm. "Must I do everything myself? Go. And try not to look so pathetic. You're embarrassing us."
Just seven more days, I reminded myself. Seven more days of this, then I'd never have to hear her voice again.
I hurried toward the kitchen, my cheeks burning. Behind me, I heard Bridget's laugh as she greeted another guest. The transformation was instant, like flipping a switch.
In the kitchen, I loaded canapés onto a silver tray, my hands moving automatically. The catering staff gave me sympathetic looks but said nothing. They knew better than to interfere in family matters.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I checked it quickly, it as a text from Landon, my manager at the coffee shop where I worked early mornings before anyone in this house woke up.
"Your last paycheck is ready. $340. That puts you at your goal, right?"
My heart soared. I didn't need to wait seven more days. I had enough now. I could leave tomorrow if I wanted to.
I typed back quickly: "Yes. Thank you for everything."
"Good luck in Boston. You deserve better than this."
I deleted the conversation and pocketed my phone, my hands shaking with suppressed excitement. Tomorrow. I could leave tomorrow, right after the lawyer's appointment. I had already packed a small bag and hidden it in the garden shed. I had bus tickets purchased under a fake name. I had...
"Lena!" Cassie's voice shattered my planning. "Come here for a second."
I returned to the ballroom, a tray balanced in my hands. Cassie stood at the center of a group of her friends, her engagement ring catching the light with every dramatic gesture. She looked beautiful in her rose-gold gown, her blonde hair swept into an elegant updo, her laugh was musical and confident.
Everything I wasn't. Everything I had stopped trying to be.
"I just wanted to introduce you to everyone," Cassie said sweetly as I approached. "This is my stepsister, Lena. She's been so helpful tonight, playing servant." She leaned closer, as if sharing a secret. "She really commits to the role, doesn't she?"
Her friends tittered. I stood frozen, the familiar burn of humiliation spreading through my chest.
Tomorrow, I reminded myself. Just get through tonight.
"Actually, I think she enjoys it," one of them said. "Some people just know their place."
Cassie reached for a glass of wine from a passing waiter. She turned back to me, smiling. "Oh, how clumsy of me!"
The red wine hit my dress in a splash of burgundy, soaking through the fabric. The wine was cold against my skin, and for a moment, I felt the envelope in my bra getting damp. Panic shot through me, if the death certificate was ruined, I would have to order another one, which would take weeks.
I set down the tray with shaking hands and hurried toward the bathroom, Cassie's laughter following me down the hall. In the bathroom, I carefully extracted the envelope. The certificate was fine, protected by the envelope's thick paper. Relief flooded through me.
I looked at my reflection: wine-stained, exhausted, invisible. Tomorrow, this version of Lena Carter would cease to exist.
I slipped out the side door into the garden, needing air, needing to see the one place in this house that still felt like home. My mother had planted these roses herself, back when she was alive, back when this house held warmth and laughter. I had hidden my escape bag behind the largest rose bush, wrapped in plastic.
I knelt beside it now, checking to make sure it was still there. Everything was intact-clothes, documents, the small amount of jewelry my mother had left me that Bridget didn't know about.
"I'm leaving tomorrow, Mom," I whispered to the roses. "I'm finally getting out."
A crash from inside the house shattered the moment. Then shouting, loud enough to carry through the walls.
My escape would have to wait a few more hours. I stood, brushing dirt from my ruined dress, and returned to find chaos.
A crash from inside the house shattered the quiet. Then shouting, loud enough to carry through the walls. I stood, brushing dirt from my ruined dress.
When I returned to the ballroom, it was chaotic. Cassie stood in the center of the room, her face blotchy with tears, while Liam Whitley faced her with crossed arms.
"I'm done," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I can't marry someone so spoiled, so entitled. My family won't allow it anyway, your father's company is hemorrhaging money. This engagement is over."
He pulled the ring from his pocket...Cassie must have thrown it at him and set it on a nearby table. Then he walked out.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Cassie's scream pierced the air. She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it at the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "How dare he! How dare he embarrass me like this!"
Guests began making hurried exits, murmuring apologies and excuses. Within minutes, the ballroom had emptied except for family and staff.
Bridget's hand connected with my cheek before I saw it coming. The slap echoed through the nearly empty room.
"This is your fault," she hissed. "Looking like trash in front of our guests, bringing bad luck to this family. You've embarrassed us for the last time."
I pressed my hand to my stinging cheek but said nothing. My father stood in the corner, avoiding my eyes.
"Get out of my sight," Bridget said. "And clean up this mess before you go to bed."
I spent the next two hours picking up broken glass and discarded napkins while the caterers packed up around me. My father and Bridget had disappeared into his study. I could hear their voices, through the heavy door.
By the time I finished cleaning, it was past midnight. I was heading toward the stairs when my father's voice stopped me cold.
"The company is failing. We'll be bankrupt within six months."
I froze outside his study door, my heart pounding.
"Then we need the Blackwood deal," Bridget said. "It's our only option."
"Julian Blackwood wants a marriage alliance. His father insisted on it."
"Then we give them a bride."
No. No, no, no.
"Cassie's engagement just ended publicly," my father said. "The Blackwoods won't want damaged goods."
"They've never met Cassie in person. They've only seen photos. We'll give them Lena instead."
The trash bag slipped from my hands.
"Lena?" My father sounded uncertain.
"She's useless here anyway. At least this way she'll finally contribute something to this family."
I pressed myself against the wall, my carefully constructed escape plan crumbling around me.
"Lena!" My father's sharp voice cut through my panic. "Get in here. Now."
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Beloved Wife Of The God Of War
My mother in law hated me so much cause I couldn't bear her son a baby eventhough my husband and I have spent six years in marriage. She desperately wants my husband to divorce me so she and my bestfriend set me up to be f*cked by a stranger. When my husband heard of this, he mocked me and divorced me. While painfully dragging my luggage out of his house, I saw my pregnant bestfriend carrying her luggage inside my husband's house. Turns out my husband has impregnated my bestfriend. I cried blood and left the city. Seven years later, I became a popular Surgeon General and now have beautiful triplets by my side. But I was deployed back to my city cause my medical skill was most needed. In a twist of fate, I got married to an handsome solider. Only after I resumed work did I find out that the soldier I just married is the five star General, leader of every military units in the country plus he was by far the wealthiest man in the country. I'm just a single mother trying to create a better life for my three kids, now that I found myself entangled in his cold and ruthless world, how will I survive? And how will I explain to him that I do not know how my triplets bore the same resemblance with him?
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Love Slave to the Mafia Boss's Passion
[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] "Each time you break a rule; I'll claim a part of your body as mine" Forced to marry the heir of the largest mafia syndicate to pay for her parent's debt and her grandmother's hospital bills. "Live with my son for 30 days, if you don't fall in love with him, I'll cancel this contract." Can Malissa live with the handsome, hot and dominating Hayden for 30 days without falling for his charms? However, there are rules to living with this lusty monster and as Malissa breaks them, she learns of pleasures that she never knew existed. As his touches set her on fire, her heart starts to melt. But does the two have a future together when Hayden is in love with someone else and Malissa cannot get over her ex-boyfriend? READ NOW to find out!
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Possession of the Mafia Don
'I had not expected to breed you, little girl.' He said, his voice emotionless but his eyes were hot with lust,' You were just a plaything to be used till I tired of you, But there was no way I would let any child of mine grow up as a bastard.' My breath caught in my throat at the sheer cruelty, the heartlessness of his words. Was that all I had been to him? The young innocent woman and the older, heartless Mafia Boss who cannot have enough of her. A story of desire, a story of lust Above all a story of LOVE.
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DANGEROUS ADDICTION
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Poisonous Addiction
Desperate from wanting to give a bright future for her sibling, Querencia acts pregnant with the big-shot lawyer businessman being the father. She's been the exclusive sex buddy of Bullet for years and now she wants more. She faked a document saying that she was pregnant. She only wants money. But
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Her Addiction
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The Addiction
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Sinful Addiction
HOLY SHIT! My father's best friend had his face buried in between my legs. I threw my head back against the headrest, fisting his hair in my palms but it only urged him to go faster. His breath was warm against my clit and just when I thought I couldn't get enough, he hummed, the vibration sending
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Soft Addiction
This book contains explicit content. It's not for readers below 🔞 I can't believe I allowed the Devil to take my virginity a night before my wedding. "You are mine, El," Lorenzo groaned as he pressed his hands against my body. "You can't run from me. Never," he continued. In a world full of g
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Nicklaus's Addiction
His name is Nicklaus Wilhelm Statham! He's very handsome, super rich and people sees him as a god, they worship the ground upon which he walk. One would think women would be flocking over him, but no, he's a very weird man, he's got a very weird disease, he's allergic to women and doesn't stand eve
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HIS SECRET ADDICTION
Alex never expected his anonymous online connection to be Damien Cross, the intimidating billionaire CEO he works for. Three months of late-night confessions. One shocking revelation. What started as fantasy becomes dangerously real when they can't deny their chemistry. But hidden enemies and burie
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YOU’RE MY ADDICTION
ANGELO RODRIGUEZ... Just like his name depicts has an angel-like feature. Long silky hair, perfectly sculpted nose, sharp jawline, s*xy pink lips, tall and an athletic body but mostly importantly he's a playboy, yes.. A big time playboy. He's the only child to the Rodriguez, a wealthy family who ow
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The Billionaire's Outrageous Addiction
Heartbroken and traumatized Scarlett Cobbs was reminded of the wedding she was bound to have before her twenty-sixth birthday and her world began to crumble again. Her lover mysteriously disappeared a month ago and now she has to get married to someone she hates and also hide her addiction from the
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Forbidden Love: Dangerous Addiction
Tiffany let out an exasperated breath. She was right. She had been right about him all along. He was nothing but a rich arrogant prat. Unfortunately she wasn't about to waste her energy on people like him. "How about we pretend we never met and just work?" She said to him, keeping her tone cold an
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His woman, his addiction
Allie's life transformed from grass to grace after Aaron's father saw her roaming about at night in the rain. She was offered basic amenities and loved by the Smiths except Aaron who made her life a living hell. He never admitted to being attracted to Allie for some egoistic and personal reasons. He
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His Sweetest Addiction
Samantha is a gorgeous and innocent woman, who has a long-time boyfriend, Liam. However, Liam suddenly broke her heart into pieces, which made her world collapse and miserable. She doesn't have any idea why Liam did this to her lover who once committed to her and changed into an indifferent and hear
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His S*xual Addiction
Lyka Montefranca carries the weight of her family's financial struggles on her shoulders. Determined to provide for her loved ones, she makes a fateful decision to work as a housekeeper in Gustavo Mansion, leaving her small town and embarking on a new journey filled with hope and ambition. As Lyka
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The Don's Dangerous Addiction
"Take them off yourself, or I will do it for you." Ten sessions. Two hundred thousand dollars. Her brother's life for her body. Dr. Avery St. Clair signed a contract in blood. To save her family, she has to fix the mind of Obsidian City's most feared monster, Dominic Kessler. He's a Mafia Don rott
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The QB's Nerdy Addiction
Rule number one of surviving Valor State University: Stay invisible. For twenty-two-year-old Skylar Thompson, the rules are simple. Keep your 4.0 GPA, work your grueling double shifts, and never, ever date an athlete. Except, Skylar broke her own rule for Shawn Crawford–the star running back who ma
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The Mafia lord's Addiction
Veronica Jones thought she could handle the shadows, thought she could expose the truth behind her father's death without falling victim to the monsters who lurked there. But when her search leads her straight into the path of Archie Lodge the city's most feared mafia lord her plan unravels. Archie
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The Mafia's Dangerous Addiction
"50 million dollars." She said, making Orchid gasp in horror, who in his right senses would buy her for 50 million, she thought but this man, he said "100..." A short reply that made her wonder if he was truly in his right senses. No one spoke any more, it was as if the Mafia King himself had just
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The Billionaire's Addiction
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The Billionaire's Innocent Addiction
"The Billionaire's Innocent Addiction" is a romantic drama that follows the story of Daisy, a beautiful and ambitious young woman who agrees to marry a wealthy billionaire, Asher, in order to protect her mentally ill mother. But there's a catch: Asher is believed to be a hideous old man by everyone
