I was shaking, shivering like a leaf in autumn as the cold water cascaded over me, I wanted to feel clean, I did, but no matter how much I scrubbed, it seemed I wouldn't be. Tears gathered at my eyes and fell, mixing with the water. "I love you, Avery, and nothing can change that." Came the soft voice from behind me, the voice that always knew how to calm me, I could feel his solidness behind, the warmth radiating, seeping into my freezing body. His arms wrapped around me and I leaned back, he was gloriously bare and I could feel every inch of him press against me, it was haven. I didn't feel so scared anymore, I wasn't so alone, he was right beside me and his presence reassured me. I let the water pour down, washing away my tears and fears and.... "I want a divorce." I heard him whisper and my heart stopped.
Death has a stench, and one that isn't very sweet smelling. It has a smell of hopelessness and despair, I would know, I've tasted it more than thrice in the last decade. My parent had died in an auto crash years ago and although I couldn't say I was still grieving, I still felt their presence once in a while. I was not ready for my grandfather to pass on too. No, I was not.
And it hit so hard, standing over his coffin that I could feel fresh tears bubble to the surface, threatening to spill and I held it in, I had to be strong, the whole paparazzi of Florida was right there, waiting for the cameras to flash on any moment of weakness, I was not willing to give them that.
"Avery, the pastor wants to speak with us," my elder sister, Sasha said as she came beside me by the grave side, it was then that I notice that the crowd had dispersed and I was left standing there alone with the eager camera men.
"I don't think I want to speak with anyone, Sasha " I replied, indeed I was not in the mood to hear any seemingly encouraging words from a man of God about my grand father being in a better place, I knew he would be, he was one of the few good people in the whole world, if he didn't make it to a good place then I could swear no one would.
"Cut the drama, Avery, the whole family is waiting." Sasha said stiffly and turned around to go back into the duplex.
I almost chuckled at the word, "family". There was no family, it was just me and her and a bunch of greying old men who thought because we were women that we could easy sway and play to their tunes, well Sasha was the prim and proper child, I wasn't, never had been and least of all on days like this, when I was missing the warmth of the last semblance of a guardian, I was not in the mood to be diplomatic.
But then, it was either that or stand with the annoying camera men who were eager like kids awaiting candy.
Pulling the sunglasses down from my forehead where it perched, I signaled the security who stood a few feet away.
"I don't want them here when I come, make sure they're gone or you'll be gone," I stated and then moved into the building, I didn't have a choice, I wanted the funeral to be as peaceful as it could, he deserved that respect.
The building was tastefully decorated, white linen hung everywhere, a large and handsome photograph of my grandfather hung on the wall, he had on a wide smile, the infectious sort that never failed for make me smile back.
Sasha was standing by the mantle, her hands in the firm grip of an elderly woman I did not know, she was all teary and I almost rolled my eyes. Everyone was pretending to be sad just to make us feel better. They didn't have to, it was our loss and we could handle it.
"Oh, you must be Avery, Sasha said you schooled away from here, I guess that's why I haven't seen a lot of you," the woman said and beamed at me, I smiled back, hoping it was not a sneer.
"I've been away, I spent most of my holidays and vacations here in Florida with Pa Harry." I replied and touched her old wrinkled hands as she held onto me.
With one last look around the room, I as already feeling suffocated and ready to head outside and into my Bentley go drive off, my Bentley, the last gift Pa Harry had given to me the past summer. Somehow getting on the leather seat awoke memories, in a less than three weeks, it had become my favorite car, somehow, I felt a sense of closeness to my late Grand father once I was behind the wheel.
"There are people here to speak with us," Sasha said as the elderly woman moved away.
"Oh please, can I quit acting like a doll? You know if rather be anywhere than here." I stated, factually and exhaled.
"You took a clean two weeks off work, Avery, where would you rather be?" She asked with a scolding tone.
"Does it matter? I just need to be away from here," I replied and looked outside, truly, the security was more or less dragging the paparazzi out of the compound.
"Could you please just dedicate the next two hours to Pa Harry? He deserves that much," she said, mirroring my exact thoughts. I stared at her, she was wrong, the moment he was put in the ground, it was no longer about him, all this was for looks and I wasn't ready to play host.
"Sasha, I know you keep telling me how I need to look good for everyone, I can't do that right now, not today, I can't play perfect princess," I argued, itching the leave the whole place.
"I'm not asking you to play princess, frankly no body is, all I'm saying is that an hour more of mixing won't hurt, Pa Harry is gone, all these people came here to pay their last respects, the least you can do is appreciate them," She said, and she was making sense, but then, we both knew it wasn't exactly the truth.
"Between me and you, these men are here to form ties and try to milk what they can out of us while his corpse is still warm, I'm not ready to play stupid like I don't know what they want." I retorted.
"Does it matter? We can't exactly cut open their hearts and see, courtesy demands we act nice, that's all, you'll be fine within the hour, it's rude to leave before your guest Avery, I'm sure mum taught us that." She said.
A low blow, yes but then it was not unlike her, I wasn't really living by her books and that always made me the wild one.
"There's something I need to tell you, Sasha," I began, there was no point trying to drag it forward, there was no way to butter it up.
"Can this wait? Please, we have forever to talk, can we see to our guests first?" She asked, clearly frustrated.
"No, Sasha, it can not wait, you no why? I don't care about our guests, the same way none of them truly cared about Pa Harry, he was a powerful man and half his friends were sycophants and disloyal pricks. I don't care what they think of me, I can assure you the feeling is mutual. I bought a ticket." I blurted, better now than later.
Sasha looked at me like my head was not seated correctly on my neck, it was not a new look.
"With everything that has happened, I need a fresh start I'm heading to New Orleans, I've booked a flight, it's due in less than an hour" I stated.
"What? You're moving?" She asked, her voice high and doubtful.
Maybe it was the best time for us to stick with each other, but no, I had a different plan, to be alone.
I flinched as his breath fanned my face, my body trembled in his arms. This was the chance, but was I scared? His eyes affected me in so many ways, as they held grief, pain and regret. Our stare was our way of communicating. It was intended, emotional and agonizing. I was hiding the knife behind me, picturing the perfect place to stab him. His searing heat sent a gush of lust inside me. I shouldn't fall for that. This was a revenge plan, not a romantic show-off. "I'm engaged, and I have a child with him", I remembered, barely recognizing my cold voice which had become soft and weak. He let out a dirty smirk, lowering his eyes to my lips as we exchanged breath. "I know, but I can't stop myself from falling" he whispered, and before I could blink an eye, he captured my lips, twirling them to his taste. It was a long liquid kiss that made me wet so that I couldn't fight back. The knife slipped off my hand as my body yanked on his. We both dried up where we stood when her voice resounded in our ears. "Mom?" *** Her fantastical life with Dante was a shadow. She left everything behind just to be with him, but he never loved her back. She lost her life because of him. Fortunately, she survived and looks forward to exerting her revenge plot on him. However, she never found him nor heard from him. Forgetting the painful memories that he never existed, she moves on and wins over a powerful man, Peris, who establishes her. She gives birth to her daughter and anticipates her wedding with Peris. However, what happens when Dante shows up three days before her wedding?
Blurb: Millie Matthews was willing to give up everything to be with the one she truly loved. Three years ago, she left home to be with her lover, Rovan Marlowe, whom her family were strictly against. But after finding out she could never replace his first love in his heart, she was forced to leave when he heartlessly chose his first love over her. She returns to her family and takes her place to start her life afresh, only for Rovan to return and beg for her to come back. After realizing that he was a fool to let her go, Rovan became determined to get her back as his wife.
It was a cold night, her family was brutally murdered alongside the love of her life, and taken captive by the ruthless Alpha in all of Windertown. Latina is forced to pay the ultimate price for her betrayal. Little did she know, her destiny was somewhat tied to his just as he was tied to her, but the realization was too late as the damage had already been done.
Amanda's world crumbled when she received the eviction notice. Her family's financial struggles had reached a boiling point, exacerbated by her mother's mounting medical bills. Desperation Desperation was the beginning of everything. Will her desperation lead her to the right path? – or otherwise? Faced with mountains of problems, with no option. She went for the easiest solution – or so she thought Amanda jumped at the only available opportunity. Getting married to the cold hearted billionaire. No strings attached, just appearances. Awaiting the time her marriage would be dissolved and she would be free again. But what becomes of her when she starts falling in love with the cold hearted man? A man whose only interest is his company and appearances. Will her love be reciprocated? Or will it be crushed to pieces and blown away like dust into the earth?
Ashley is a 19-year-old waitress working at a bar to make ends meet and provide for her father who is suffering from chronic illnesses. She's mortified and feels her life has been turned upside down as she's forced to marry the wealthy CEO, Jackson. She hates Jackson and tries to avoid him at all costs. However, when she starts to know him better, she begins to see the kind and loving person he truly is. Over time, their love for each other grows stronger, and they overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of building a happy family.
Alfredo Romano is the only son and heir to Don Romano, the head of the most powerful mafia family in New York. He meets and falls in love with Elena, a stunning, sexy young woman. Elena's father, Mr. Barnes, a wealthy businessman, was killed by stray bullets during a mafia war between The Romanos and another mafia family. Convinced that the bullets that had ended her father had come from one of the Romanos' goons, she sets out to seek retribution for her father's death and destroy the Romanos, but instead finds love and makes a shocking secret that forever changes her life. What did Elena find out? Does it stop her from getting her revenge on the Romano family? Find out in this captivating story of love, loyalty, and betrayal.
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"
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?"
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
"Leonard Bryant is a man of the hour in Sea City. He has won the Pritzker Prize at a young age, which is considered as Nobel Prize in the architecture field. An architectural drawing of his can be auctioned to hundreds of millions yuan. Everyone takes him as an architectural design talent. But everyone also thinks he is gay because of his frequent refusal of women. Ashley Powell has been taking Leonard as her idol and loving Leonard for several years. For him, Ashley chooses to learn architectural design during university. As the saying goes, "when there is a will, there is a way", she finally gets the chance to work in Bryant Group after her graduation. At the graduation ceremony, Ashley was coaxed by her classmates to test if Leonard is gay. A little drunk Ashley came to Leonard's room, then .... 'Who says this man is gay? He is not gay but a beast!' Ashley thinks."
When they were kids, Derek saved Norah's life. Years later, after Derek ended up in a vegetative state from a car crash, Norah married him without a second thought and even used her medical knowledge to heal him. For two years, Norah was devoted, seeking his affection and looking to settle her life-saving debt. But when Derek's first love returned, Norah, faced with divorce, didn't hesitate to sign. Despite being labeled as forsaken, few knew of her true talents. She was a race car driver, a famed designer, a genius hacker, and a renowned doctor. Regretting his decision, Derek begged for her forgiveness. Just then, a charming CEO intervened, embracing Norah and declaring, "Back off! She's my wife!" Taken aback, Norah blurted out, "What did you say?"