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"Will you marry me?" Jasmine walked to a man standing in the corridor. Her lips parted in a soft gasp as he turned to her. His dark blue eyes stared at her in a dark, ominous way, her eyes tailed his body down, and he was down to earth. "This would do just fine." She mumbled in fear, my eyes flickering. The man looked across the corridors, but the next man was far away from him. "Me?" He pointed at his nose. "Are you referring to me?" His brows narrowed followed by a chuckled after Jasmine nodded. "A stranger?" He scoffed, his warm breath hit her face. "You go around marrying strangers?" "It's a marriage of convenience. We will go our separate ways after that." The man tilted his head slightly, barely giving it a thought. "I'm Damon, and you're mine now." ~~~~ The Stones' family will sacrifice anything-even their daughters-for power. Jasmine knew this all too well after her sister's mysterious death in an arranged marriage. Now facing her own forced union, Jasmine made a deal: survive a year of marriage, and she'll be free. But when her groom left her at the altar, she was forced to marry a stranger, Damon, to escape a more sinister fate. Damon, still mourning his late wife, agreed to the marriage, only to discover a dark mark on Jasmine-the same one left by his family's killer. As secrets unraveled, they're drawn together by shared mysteries and the threat of an ancient curse. Caught between love and blood debts, Jasmine and Damon must confront deadly family legacies and the dark fate that binds them. Can they break free from the past, or will they be each other's downfall?
"Will you marry me?"
Jasmine walked to a man standing in the corridor.
Her lips parted in a soft gasp as he turned to her.
His dark blue eyes stared at her in a dark, ominous way, her eyes tailed his body down, and he was down to earth.
"This would do just fine." She mumbled in fear, my eyes flickering.
The man looked across the corridors, but the next man was far away from him.
"Me?" He pointed at his nose. "Are you referring to me?"
His brows narrowed followed by a chuckled after Jasmine nodded.
"A stranger?" He scoffed, his warm breath hit her face. "You go around marrying strangers?"
"It's a marriage of convenience. We will go our separate ways after that."
The man tilted his head slightly, barely giving it a thought.
"I'm Damon, and you're mine now."
~~~~~~~~
Two hours ago, Jasmine had dreamt of a beautiful and happy life with her fiancé, Stefan, but things changed.
The wedding guests fidgeted in their seats, waiting for the arrival of the groom. The door opened, but to their surprise, it was the bride. The groom was supposed to be at the altar before now.
Jasmine's heart palpitated, her greatest fear was becoming a reality right in front of her eyes and she couldn't control it.
"Where is Stefan?" Jasmine whispered to her friend, Cecilia, who was beside her as she forced a smile and walked up the aisle.
"I have no idea, he was supposed to be here."
The two ladies faces marred with worry.
"He would be here soon." Jasmine convinced herself as she stood at the altar alone, her eyes fixated at the door.
The door opened, caught the attention of all, and it was indeed Stefan who was obviously not dressed for the wedding.
"What are you doing, Stefan? You should be ready." She tried to whisper to him while staying calm as he walked up to her.
"Get ready for what? Marry you?" He burst out in a loud, hilarious laugh and looked at her. "Nobody will ever marry a person like you, besides, my work here is done."
A gasp rippled through the crowd, disappearing into the air as the guests turned to each other in disbelief.
Jasmine's heart was shattered into a million pieces as she tried to comprehend what was going on.
"Is this a prank?" A flicker of hope that it is beamed in her eyes.
Shaking his heart slightly, Stefan walked out of the church, leaving everyone amused except for Jasmine, who was heartbreak.
There, she made a choice. One that she would regret all her life.
Jasmine ran into the corridor and found a stranger to marry her.
"Do you, Damon Forbes, take Jasmine Stones as your lawfully wedded wife?" The pastor asked.
Jasmine's eyes found Damon's, scared of being betrayed by this stranger she was about to get married to, she prayed silently.
"Yes, I do."
A feeling of relief swept through Jasmine's body.
"Do you Jasmine Stones take Damon Forbes as your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do."
And that was it, their fate was sealed together for a year.
A few hours later, Jasmine and Damon were in the hotel Jasmine had booked earlier. While Jasmine was in the bathroom, Damon pondered on what Stefan meant by:
"....my work here is done."
Jasmine walked out of the bathroom, cladded in a towel and patting her body when my gaze locked with Damon. His piercing eyes made her uncomfortable, and she looked away.
"I know this is awkward, but you don't always have to give me that look." Her unwavering voice tried to find its balance as she turned her posterior to him.
"It's fine, I kind of needed it too." A smirk cut across his face.
She turned to look at him, her brows narrowed, trying to figure out what he meant, but he kept mute.
The next morning, Jasmine decided to out on the beach.
"I'll come with you." Damon uttered, getting out of bed and dressing up.
After dressing, he walked closer to her and grabbed her hand and made his way out of the room, but she kept staring at him.
"Should I be scared you're staring? Or you're just being creepy." He halted and turned to her with his cold face and a stern look that marred his face.
"Oh! Sorry about that, just....." Her gaze fell on their locked hands.
He shuddered, "I thought we were married, wouldn't it be nice to act it well?"
"Sure." She pouted her lips, not knowing what to do.
They got to the beach and found a space which they occupied. Damon sat on the beach while Jasmine took off her jacket, revealing her sexy hourglass shape in a bikini.
"Should I be scared you're staring? Or you're just being creepy." She teased as she jumped into the ocean.
He recognized it instantly but couldn't place it, that mark was one he would never forget.
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and was about to punch in some numbers when he noticed some weird looking people. They were dressed in suits but had their eyes on him and Jasmine.
His instincts kicked in immediately, and he walked to the Ocean's bank.
"Hey, sweetie. Why don't we take this fun somewhere special?" A grin contoured with a wink was all it took to convince her.
"Sure," She smiled and stepped out of the water.
Though she had no idea who this man might be, it was all she had always wanted – to be treated like a spoiled princess.
He grabbed her jacket and helped her wear it.
"Thanks."
He wrapped his arm around her, which made her weirdly uncomfortable.
"Hey, Damon. I know you're..... But this is going too far."
"What should be going far are your leg." He whined, keeping a straight face that made his piercing eyes even more scary.
Jasmine soon noticed some men walking behind them, fastening their pace as theirs and got scared.
"What's going on? Are we being followed?"
"No, I'm being followed because they know who I am." He briskly uttered, pushed her into an elevator and shut it.
He turned to the men with a sly evil grin.
"Why don't we deal with this like men?"
A slightly hefty man among them walked closer to him, placed him hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes.
"Next time, stay away from such women......"
He walked past Damon with the other men and got in the elevator.
".... Take it as advice."
"That mark!" His jaw dropped.
Amy didn't expect that her husband whom she had loved and trusted earnestly for many years would be cheating on her by having sex with his secretary. When she confronted him, he and his secretary mocked and ridiculed her, they called her barren to her face, afterall, she had not conceived for the past three years that she had been married to her husband, Callan. Terribly Heartbroken, she filed for divorce and left to the club, she picked a random gigolo, had a hot one night stand with him, paid him and dissapeared to a small city. She came back to the country six years later with three identical cute boys and three identical cute girls of the same age. She settled and got a job but soon find out that her CEO was the gigolo she had sex with six years back at the club. Will she be able to hide her six little cuties from her CEO, who happens to be the most powerful man in NorthHill and beleived to be infertile? Can Amy and the most powerful man in NorthHill get along considering the social gap between them.
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
A man like Travis Sinclair wants nothing more than a woman who matches his sexual prowess and is used to getting everything he wants. A cold-hearted billionaire ,he lives by one rule - no love, no commitment. Ayanna Davies isn't looking for a relationship. She's focused on her work and the financial security it brings. As a high end escort, her client is full of filthy rich men who are willing to pay handsomely for her services. But when Travis Sinclair becomes one of her clients, she begins twice about mixing work with pleasure. Not knowing that he is an old acquaintance whom she despises.
After three secretive years of marriage, Eliana never met her enigmatic husband until she was served with divorce papers and learned of his extravagant pursuit of another. She snapped back to reality and secured a divorce. Thereafter, Eliana unveiled her various personas: an esteemed doctor, legendary secret agent, master hacker, celebrated designer, adept race car driver, and distinguished scientist. As her diverse talents became known, her ex-husband was consumed by remorse. Desperately, he pleaded, "Eliana, give me another chance! All my properties, even my life, are yours."
Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, poseesive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved-dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?