Due to Alexa's broken heart, she was forced to return to the hacienda she had left seven years ago. She left and lived her life in the city because of Aslan. Aslan was a 33-year-old man adopted by her parents, but he became her mother's affair. As much as possible, Alexa didn't want to see the man anymore, the one who stole her inheritance and her mother. Aslan took everything that should have been hers. And now that she's back at the Escobar hacienda, she would reclaim what was rightfully hers as the only child and sole heiress from the man everyone calls the rancher, who is actually a fake.
PROLOGUE
Alexa almost dropped the birthday cake she was holding for her boyfriend, Maxus, when she heard the merging moans of two bodies inside his office.
Oh, God. Anxiety surged through Alexa's chest. Were her suspicions about her beloved boyfriend finally about to be confirmed?
She froze, afraid to peek through the small gap in the door that had been left slightly ajar and unlocked. There was no one else in the office. It was already seven in the evening. She had come to surprise him. She had pretended she couldn't make it and feigned that she had forgotten his birthday.
Forget their special days? Not her. Never. Even though a storm was raging outside, with heavy rain and strong winds caused by a low-pressure area, she had pushed herself to drive home from Tagaytay. She had just attended a seminar there-her last one, as classes were about to go on break. Alexa was still a student, studying medicine. She was only in the preparatory stage at 22 years old, but she worked hard because she truly wanted to become a doctor.
She wanted to be Maxus's equal. She wanted to earn a title so she wouldn't embarrass him in front of his parents, who were part of high society.
Her family was well-off too, but she didn't have access to any of their wealth. Everything was in a joint account.
Alexa had driven for over an hour just to make up for Maxus, but now it seemed she was the one getting the surprise of her life because of what she overheard.
Maxus was a lawyer, and they had been together for three years. He was older than her-about the same age as the famous Jewish figure, Aslan-both were 34 years old. Alexa had been there for Maxus even before he took the bar exam, supporting him in every way possible. She was his one and only inspiration.
But after his wealthy parents set up his own law firm for him, it seemed everything had changed.
His sweetness had disappeared. He no longer talked to her the way he used to. Alexa could feel that something had changed. Her intuition had warned her before that Maxus might be cheating, but she refused to believe it. She convinced herself that he was still loyal to her. Maybe she was a fool, but she loved him deeply.
"Oh, fuck! That was mind-blowing," a moaning voice echoed from inside the office.
Oh, God. She covered her mouth in shock, tears welling in her eyes. Now, she was certain-Maxus wasn't alone in his office. He was with another woman.
Wait. That voice sounded familiar. It was Iris's voice, one of the lawyers at his firm.
Alexa summoned every ounce of courage and pushed the door open. She was trembling with pain and fury, but she was determined to confront her cheating boyfriend.
"You shameless people!" she screamed, her voice breaking as tears spilled down her face.
The sight before her was devastating. Iris was straddling Maxus, her skirt bunched up around her waist and her upper body completely bare. One of her breasts was in Maxus's mouth, while his hands were greedily clutching both.
The weight of the betrayal crushed Alexa's heart.
Maxus froze in shock, and Iris scrambled off him in a hurry. Neither of them bothered to cover up, leaving their naked, sweat-drenched bodies exposed despite the cold air conditioning.
"B-Babe," Maxus stammered, standing up quickly, but Alexa's anger consumed her.
Sobbing uncontrollably, she rushed at him and smashed the birthday cake in her hands against his face.
"You monster! You devil!" she screamed, hitting him with her fists. Unsatisfied, she turned her rage toward Iris, who was hurriedly picking up her clothes.
Alexa's eyes caught a creamy white trail running down Iris's inner thigh. The sight felt like a dagger piercing her chest, but she refused to back down.
She stormed toward Iris and grabbed her hair in a tight fist.
"Ouch!" Iris cried out, but Alexa yanked her violently, dragging her across the room as Maxus struggled to wipe the icing off his face.
"Ouch? Do you think that's all I feel right now? What I'm feeling is far worse than 'ouch,' you slut!"
Her rage burned hotter, and she slapped Iris repeatedly.
"Alexa! Stop it!" Maxus shouted, but she didn't care.
Iris fought back, but Alexa was too furious to let her win.
The two women clawed at each other, rolling across the floor as their fight escalated. Alexa scratched Iris, who fought back just as viciously. She was at a disadvantage, though-her nails were too short compared to Iris's.
She felt a sharp sting on her face, as if a cat had raked its claws across her skin, but she refused to back down. Their fight continued, Iris still naked, until someone grabbed Alexa's arms and forcefully pulled her away.
"Stop it! I said!" Maxus shouted angrily, but Alexa redirected her fury toward him, slapping him hard across the face.
She could hear him muttering curses under his breath as he grabbed her and shook her to stop. But she didn't relent. She continued to lash out until a strong slap landed across her face.
"I said, stop!"
The force of the slap made Alexa stagger. She instinctively touched her stinging cheek, feeling utterly dazed. It wasn't just her head that reeled from the impact-it felt like her entire world had been turned upside down. But more than the physical pain, it was the heartbreak that hurt the most.
Maxus had hit her.
She froze, her mouth hanging open in shock. Her eyes, blank and unfocused, stared at Maxus, who seemed equally stunned by what he'd done. He looked at his hand, disbelief written all over his face.
"B-Baby..." he stammered, taking a hesitant step toward her, but she didn't give him a chance.
Alexa turned and ran out of the office, her sobs echoing in the empty hallway.
The pain was unbearable. She kept asking herself: What did I do wrong? Why did he hurt me like that?
She had been the one betrayed, yet it felt as though she was the one at fault. She had been slapped, and by the man who had been making love to someone else just moments earlier.
Wasn't she enough? Was there something she lacked? What else could she give? She was beautiful and sexy. What more could he possibly want? Was it mind-blowing sex?
It was Lush's habit to buy a woman. Perhaps he inherited that behavior from his father, but he was a single man seeking amusement. He purchases celebrities and simple women with decent backgrounds. However, a woman approached him and offered herself directly for three hundred thousand pesos. This woman was his employee in his company, and the reason was supposedly to redeem land mortgaged in the province. They had an intimate relationship for a month or two until he found out that this woman was already married to a missing man.
Casey is in need of a defender. The two men who killed her parents were incarcerated, so instead of rotting in police custody, she accepted the help of her best friend's uncle. The man was arrogant, and when they began living under the same roof, it seemed like a certain uneasiness was also brewing in her heart, but not out of fear. It's a different kind of fear she had never felt before, perhaps a crush, only towards the brooding Military Air Force officer on leave, Lieutenant General Miguel Arthur Alonde II, her mother's ex-lover and first love.
Adamson's obsessions are women and revenge. He lived with those thoughts in his mind and heart because of the people who destroyed his family, causing him to lose his parents. He wasn't happy and had no trace of love in his stony heart. He's a terrible womanizer and a terrible wrecker, but he was enchanted when he saw this young woman: a 20-year-old granddaughter of his butler. He didn't stop until he had her under his control and did terrible things to make her his wife. She became his sweetest obsession, young, beautiful, and shy, Elyzabeth Alexa. She was an obsession that was difficult to overcome, until one day he woke up realizing he already loved her. He loves her, but he doesn't trust her. It's a trauma, and he doesn't know how to fully surrender.
Heart has no other option but to seek help from her manager. Her father needs a heart operation worth five hundred thousand pesos. As the eldest child, the weight of this responsibility falls on her shoulders. She needs to find a way, even if it means making a difficult decision. For several weeks, she'll be at the mistress of an unknown man, for two hundred fifty thousand pesos, because she's a virgin. That was the offer from an unknown, unscrupulous man. Take it or leave it. She'll let herself be used while she's asleep, so she doesn't have a chance to get to know the man she's selling herself to. Due to extreme desperation, she agreed immediately to save her father, who is on the brink of death. She no longer has the opportunity to learn about the man who will be intimate with her and own her. She has to save her dying father, no matter who takes her. But the man she briefly saw is not ugly. He's incredibly handsome and her boss, the billionaire Deluxe Montesalvo, who has been married for three years!
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.
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?
“Do I want a taste?” his voice deeper than he had ever spoken. His eyes pinned on me like I was the only thing that fascinated him. “What do I do?” I thought to myself as he moved closer to me, I wanted to run away, to resist him but I was pinned to the wall by him. “Gosh I hate this man so much” his scent, his body, his beautiful green eyes, he was driving me crazy. I know this is wrong, he has a fiancee and all but that makes me want him even more. “Get on the bed and spread your legs” his cold voice woke me up and then I remembered I was just a maid to him. “Yes master”.
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?"
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?
"Listen, Gadreel Ødegaar," she looked at him, not hesitating this time. "It's my anniversary present for you. Let's divorce." *** Ivory Remington had sacrificed five years to look after her husband Gadreel who was in a vegetative state after an accident and a few months ago, he finally awakened like a miracle. She thought it was the start of their happy life but Gadreel still had no heart for her. On their anniversary and her birthday, she received a cheating video of her dear husband and her stepsister. Heartbroken, Ivory chose to quit this stupid game. She decided to set him free but the reason she left on the divorce agreement pierced Gadreel's noble pride. *** "Impotent? Are you serious?" He gripped her wrist and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I'm a woman, Gadreel. I'm tired of being in a sexless marriage. Let's end it once and for all." "Sexless, huh?" he chuckled lowly and without warning grabbed her chin in between his hands, pulling her face closer. "Turns out my wife was so eager to get a man between her legs? "