Kate never expected her quiet life to be turned upside down when she is kidnapped by Willson, a billionaire and feared mob leader. Behind the act, Willson holds a burning grudge-but that revenge takes a different turn when they're caught in an unexpected game of emotions. However, Kate's life is getting more complicated. In the midst of dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, she must watch her fiancé marry his best friend. Hit by a sense of betrayal, Kate is thrown out of the luxurious mansion where she is being held captive. Just as her life seems to be crumbling, Willson returns with a shocking offer: a marriage contract. Behind the offer lies more than just business or responsibility. The contract thrusts Kate into a world of intrigue, danger, and intoxicating intimacy. Will this contract heal their wounds or lead Kate and Willson to greater destruction?
Kate opened her eyes slowly, her eyelids feeling heavy as if they were carrying an invisible weight. The soft scent of sandalwood touched her sense of smell, making her realize that this was not her room.
The room's luxurious, classically carved ceiling greeted her gaze, reflecting the soft light from the crystal chandelier above.
She felt the coolness of the silk fabric against her skin, making her shudder. As she tried to sit up, her head throbbed, and a heavy voice stopped her.
"Awake, Kate?"
The voice was like lightning striking her consciousness. Kate turned her head quickly, and in the corner of the room stood a tall man in a perfect black suit. His face was so cold, his eyes as pitch black as a bottomless pit. Willson.
"Who... are you? What are you doing?" Kate whispered, her voice trembling.
Willson stepped closer, his hands shoved into his pants pockets, his movements confident and threatening.
"I'm Willson. You may have heard the name before, but now you have no choice but to recognize it."
Kate backed away slightly, pressing her body against the back of the bed.
"Why am I here? What do you want from me?"
Willson gave a short, humorless laugh. "It's not you I want, Kate. But unfortunately, you are part of my plan. You should thank your fiancé, the asshole who betrayed me first."
Kate widened her eyes. "What do you mean, my fiancé has nothing to do with you!"
"Really?" Willson lowered his head, bringing his face so close that Kate could feel the chill from it.
"He ruined my life, stole something so precious. And now, you will pay the price."
Kate felt her whole body tremble. "This is absurd! I don't know anything about it!"
Willson gave her a long look, his eyes full of hatred mixed with coldness.
"Unfortunately, you are now my pawn, Kate. The more you resist, the more painful the consequences will be. So you'd better be prepared."
Kate could only stare at him silently, her body frozen.
Kate looked at Willson breathlessly, trying to digest every word that had just rolled out of the man's mouth. Willson's eyes stared at her sharply, like embers burning the air between them.
"Listen, Kate," he said in a low tone, almost a whisper, yet filled with pent-up anger. He stepped closer, until he was only inches away from Kate.
"Your fiancé, the asshole you thought was perfect, cheated on me. He stole millions of dollars from my business, destroyed my reputation, and left scars I can't erase."
Kate shook her head slowly, her eyes reddening. "No... that's not possible. Liam's not that kind of person. He would never-"
"Shut up!" Willson's voice exploded, making Kate flinch. "You think I'm talking without proof? I have all the documents, all the recordings, all the evidence of his betrayal."
"And now, he's living comfortably, getting ready to marry you, while I'm being destroyed behind the scenes!"
Kate felt her chest tighten, as if the room was getting smaller.
"But... it's not my fault. I didn't know anything about this. I wasn't even involved!"
Willson laughed sarcastically, but there was no happiness in his voice. "Maybe you didn't know, Kate. But you're the person he cares about most..."
Willson then approached Kate, and that made Kate spontaneously inch back.
"And since I can't touch her without risk, you will be her substitute. You are the price he must pay for everything he has done to me."
Kate froze, her body feeling cold as ice. "You can't do this... I'm not a thing, Willson. I'm not a tool for your revenge!"
Willson leaned closer again, until their faces were almost touching.
"Listen carefully," he said in a low, threatening voice.
"You are now mine. And as long as you're here, you're going to be the collateral to make sure she feels every hurt she's left on me. So, you better start accepting this fact."
Kate felt her tears fall unstoppably. In front of her eyes, Willson was a storm that could not be stopped, and she could only hold on, praying that this storm would not destroy her completely.
Kate bit her lip, trying to hold back the rumbling in her chest as she stared at Willson who stood calmly by the large window.
His light coming through the glass highlighted his body like a living marble statue-cold, solid, immovable. But Kate didn't care about the man's strength right now. There was only one thing on her mind: freedom.
"I have to go, Willson," her voice broke, almost a whisper, yet full of determination. "I have my own life. You can't keep me here."
Willson turned his head slowly, his eyes dark and full of mystery. "Oh, I can, Kate. And I will."
Kate stepped forward, trying to push aside the fear that gripped her.
"I don't care what Ethan did to you. I don't even know about that! But I... I have the right to live my own life! You know how important marriage is to me. You can't destroy it!"
Willson chuckled, but his voice was cold.
"Important? Your marriage is important? Do you think he views it as important too? Or is he just playing you like he played me?"
Kate shook her head quickly, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
"I don't care what you think of Ethan. I love him! And I don't deserve to be treated like this because of your grudge against him."
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
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?"
Maia grew up a pampered heiress-until the real daughter returned and framed her, sending Maia to prison with help from her fiancé and family. Four years later, free and married to Chris, a notorious outcast, everyone assumed Maia was finished. They soon discovered she was secretly a famed jeweler, elite hacker, celebrity chef, and top game designer. As her former family begged for help, Chris smiled calmly. "Honey, let's go home." Only then did Maia realize her "useless" husband was a legendary tycoon who'd adored her from the start.
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?
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.