Arabella Carver always has things under control but finds out she isn't as lucky when everything comes crashing down. She is betrayed by her boyfriend, on the brink of eviction, and with her mother's life hanging by a thread, she's desperate for help. But as she tries to get the help she needs, only one person is willing to offer and it is none other than Adrian Davidson. The first man to claim her heart only to shatter it like it meant nothing. However, there is a catch to his generosity. He needs a wife to appease his grandmother, and Arabella happens to be her ideal choice so he gives her the papers that bind them. A marriage contract. With little choice and a grudge in her heart, she signs them. Besides, what could go wrong? It is, after all, just a contract. But what happens when old wounds resurface and sparks begin to ignite?
Arabella
The last thing I expected as I arrived at Nathan's apartment was the sound of moans that filled the air. The living room was messed up with a woman's bag and shoes tossed carelessly; used wine glasses lying on the couch with an empty bottle of wine on the floor.
My pulse raced as I stood frozen in the middle of the room with multiple thoughts crossing my mind about who was in. I'd come over to set up a romantic atmosphere for Nathan, my fiance's birthday. He had no idea that I'd be here, but then, he was currently on a plane back home after a one-week business trip. It couldn't be him.
It couldn't be him...the thought brought me momentary relief.
Perhaps, a friend of his brought a woman over. Nathan had friends who could do something like this. I just wondered why whoever it was didn't caution the woman about her loud voice or why he didn't take her somewhere else in the first place.
Should I call them out?... I contemplated, rolling my eyes at the mess they made.
The moans of the woman intensified and I frowned, heading toward the hallway where the sounds were coming from. However, when I got to the room that sourced the sound, dread annihilated my entire system. It was Nathan's bedroom. Rage simmered in my chest. How could they use Nathan's room for shit like this?
Annoyed, I spun on my heels to leave, but the woman cried out again, and I paused, wondering why her voice sounded so familiar.
"Yes! fuck me harder!" She cried out zealously and a man's grunt followed. Whatever was happening was intense fuckery because I could hear the slapping of their skin from outside. Ew!
I took a step away but then paused again as I heard Nathan's voice. "Good girl, take it all"
My spine went taut, beads of sweat formed on my forehead and my heartbeat roared in my ears. No, no! I was surely hearing things. I couldn't be... He was on a plane...
"You're such a slut!" His voice was louder than the first time, and his words were accompanied by a loud smack, which made the woman shriek, "Ah!"
No, no, no!
I didn't realize how I moved and when but when I did, I found myself standing by the door, my hands slapped over my mouth and my teary eyes glued to Nathan and his partner on the bed.
"Bella!" Nathan's face had paled and he was staring back at me, horrified. My eyes shifted to the woman beneath him and my blood went cold. It was Harley, my stepsister. My heart shattered completely when I saw the sinister smirk she had on her lips. Of all the whores around, he chose to cheat on me with the one person I didn't like.
I turned and sprinted down the hallway, the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears louder than my steps. The delayed flight was a lie. What else had been a lie? Us?
Oh. My. God!
"Bella, wait, fuck!" I heard his desperate call but didn't stop till I stumbled over a heel – it belonged to her. I fell on my face. I couldn't breathe. My face had become wet with tears but there was no sound from me.
I couldn't get up on my own till he came rushing to me and assisted me. The fact that I had to lean on him at such a time, made my anger boil over. I lifted my hand and struck his face, the sound echoing eerily through the room.
"How long has this been going on? For how long have you been fucking her?!" My breathing was labored.
Nathan stepped forward, trying to touch my shoulder, but I shifted back and clutched my bag.
"Bella, please let's sit and talk about this," He pleaded, but I'd made a beeline to the door already, my steps wobbly. He followed and tried to touch me again with those hands that had been touching another woman. I slapped them off and glared at him.
"No, I don't want to sit and talk about how you were fucking my stepsister–" I choked on my words, my heart constricting painfully. "You know... God!" I couldn't even form a whole sentence. It hurt so much.
"Bella, please wait." His arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me against his chest. "I know I fucked up but... I'm sorry" He said, his voice laced with guilt. And that was just because I'd caught him!
"Don't be! I guess I should have known earlier that I wasn't your type. No, you should have told me because I'm truly dumb and had no idea" I struggled to move away from his hold desperately, thrashing my feet and arms. I would have gotten help if there were other people around, but this cheater had the whole floor to himself.
My body went limp when I saw Harley stepping out of the apartment putting on the shirt I'd gotten for him a month ago. I almost screamed as the pain that had evaded my heart twisted my guts.
"Stay away from me, Nathan. We're over!" I yelled, pushing him back with all I could muster. I then continued to the elevator, and he was hot on my tail.
"Bella, can you please give me a chance to explain? I'm sorry... This isn't what you think it is!"
"Oh really? What else does it mean other than you banging another woman, Nathan!" I stopped to look at him in disbelief. I couldn't believe he was trying to justify what I'd seen with my own eyes.
"Sweetheart, Bella. Please listen to me, I love you, please..." These words used to make my whole world spin, but today, they only intensified the anger I was feeling.
My hand itched to strike him again but was it worth it? Instead, I began to run for the lift.
"God, Bella! Stop acting like this is all on me. You forced me! We never got any time together because you were always busy or buried in your shit! I didn't know what to do!" Nathan yelled, and I smiled bitterly as I came to an automatic halt. Now, he was blaming his lack of self-control on me.
"If that bothered you so much, you should have ended things rather than lying to me and going to fuck that bitch!" I snapped, my gaze falling on Harley whose face had turned red from anger. She had been quiet and it was the right choice for her. She knew she couldn't stand my anger.
I looked back at Nathan who was running a hand through his hair. I always thought he was adorable when he did that but not today or ever again. The sight of him disgusted me, it made me nauseous.
Unable to stand him – them – anymore, I turned and pressed the elevator button frantically, and when it finally opened, I jumped in. Nathan was behind me, and he pressed the emergency button, making the lift stay still.
"Are you serious, Bella?" He said, his voice threateningly low. "You're upset and that's fine. Just don't take too long to get over it. I won't wait forever"
I stared at him in disbelief. When had he changed so much? His dark eyes were pinned on mine and I saw a small smirk tugging at the side of his lips when he thought he had gotten me cornered.
"You don't need to wait because I'll never be back, Nathan, never!" I growled and his face fell, and before he could say a word, I moved forward and kicked him as hard as I could in the groin. He stumbled back and as I watched him groan in pain, I shakily pulled off the engagement ring he'd given me and threw it at him.
I then pressed the button that would take me down. As the doors slid shut, my knees gave out and I sank to the floor. A sob tore through my chest and my tears spilled over in torrents.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
In the previous life, Maggie Johnson was so cowardly, gullible and stupid that she was coaxed by her fiance and stepsister and then broke her legs and lost everything including her fortune, love and even life. However, she was so lucky that she was reborn in the year before everything happened. Since her life restarted, how could she repeat a previous tragedy? Therefore, in this life, she took the opportunity to improve herself and take revenge on the ones who had ever insulted her. Facing the people who had humiliated her previously, she became smart and experienced to break their frames and tricks that had caused her to hurt in the previous life. Finally, no one could stop her pace to amaze the world any more.
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...
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."
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.