Abram Astor and Anya King were born enemies due to a long time unexplainable family feud. They hated each other's guts, and competed over everything. But, when their families betroth them to people they deem worse than each other, they are forced to form an alliance, which they sealed with a lie. With a thin line between love and hate, would they find love when forced into an alliance? Or would the secrets discovered in the long run solidify the line that had been drawn already?
CHAPTER 1
ANYA'S POV
"Mother says you should get dressed. Mr Baron will be here soon."
Eleanor's statement was confirmation of what I knew was going to come eventually. My parents had decided to marry me off to an old, pervy loser.
"Tell her I am indisposed."
"Anya-" My younger sister started to speak, most definitely to try and reason with me.
"I am indisposed, Eleanor. Tell mother." My emphasis on 'mother' was a reminder to Eleanor that the person we were referring to was not our mother, she was a beautiful witch called Adline; the woman that birthed us was in fact long dead, and the sorry excuse for a father that I had could not wait to wife up the young lady who had caught his fancy while my mother battled with her mental health.
My younger sister shrugged and walked out of my room while I prepared myself for the storm that was fast approaching.
My door burst open a few seconds sooner than I had anticipated and my sneering stepmother stood in the doorway.
"You will get dressed at once, young lady! You-"
"Mother," I said sweetly, my tongue laced with sarcasm, "I am feeling unwell. What is it about this visit that is so important, I have to leave my bed?"
"Don't play silly games with me, girl."
I chuckled at her calling me 'girl' when she was not more than five years older than me. I understood marrying a rich man for his wealth but she didn't have to play this silly role of a faux mother.
"Look, I'm feeling under the weather, and you are not going to make me come meet your guest, unless you want to run the risk of me throwing up all over him. What's Baron coming here for anyway?"
"You don't know? And your father always praises you for your intelligence."
"Well, I guess he's wrong, and the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, otherwise, how did he end up with..." I swallowed the 'you' for dramatic effect
Her breathing intesified and she said "Just you wait" before turning on her heels and stomping out. I revelled in my victory over her. Pissing her off did me no good, because Father always took her side, but the satisfaction of prevailing over her was enough for me.
Soon, Eleanor returned to my room with another message.
"You pissed her off, didn't you? Father is calling you to his chambers."
I rolled my eyes and rolled off my bed. When mom was alive, Father used to be just 'Dad' and his 'chambers' was his room. We spoke to him and about him in a very formal manner, and I would have it no other way. I didn't bother trying to even appear sick because it wouldn't matter; Adline had him around her thumb, and what she said stood. I could bet my entire inheritance that marrying me off to Baron was her idea.
"What is the meaning of this behaviour?" He barked the second I walked into the room. Later, I would realize that those were the first words he spoke to me that day as we had not even said hello to each other since we woke.
"What behaviour, Father?"
"Why won't you dress to receive your suitor?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know I had one."
Adline scoffed.
"Look, Anya, I'm in no mood to entertain your haughtiness. Go up to your room, get dressed and be ready to welcome Mr Baron. He has asked me for your hand."
"And what was your response?"
"What do yo think? Don't waste any more time. He is already on his way."
"Then I'm afraid he is going to be disappointed."
"What?"
"I am not going to marry Baron, so I see no need to participate in this debauchery."
Adline chirped in. "Don't you have any respect?"
"I do, and I wouldn't be inserting myself in a father and daughter conversation, 'Mother'."
"How dare you, Anya? You disrespect her, you disrespect me!" My father rose to his feet now.
"I sincerely apologize, Father." I bowed my head slightly. "But on the matter of Baron, I will not marry him, and you can not make me."
I walked out to their utmost shock. I too was shocked at my guts even though I had been preparing myself for this moment for years.
I raced to my room and locked the door behind me, because my father would definitely come banging on my door.
"Open this door this minute, Anya!" His knocks were frightening; I had not seen or heard him with such a temper in a long time. He often had what seemed to be a very rehearsed aloofness from us. "Open this door or I will kick it down!"
"I will not, Father! I will not marry that old fool too!" Despite my bravery, tears were forming in my eyes as I spoke.
Truly, he kicked the door in and grabbed me by the shoulders.
"Are you crazy? Do you think you have a choice? It is already done! Finished."
"No! No!" I shook my head vehemently tears were flowing freely now.
"Why, Anya?" He had calmed down a little now, and seemed to be genuinely asking. What did he expect to hear apart from the obvious? Gee, I dunno, Father, I don't want to live the rest of my life with some ogre over twice my age. I was just twenty. How could they expect me to willingly walk into this death sentence?
"Because... because, I'm pregnant."
His hands dropped from my shoulders.
"What did you just say?"
I shook slightly from fear. What in God's name was I doing? I swallowed a lump of saliva and doubled down on my lie.
"I'm- I'm pregnant, Dad."
I said 'Dad' instead of Father in attempt to better sell the lie. His eyes widened even further now.
"What- what, how?" He sat slowly beside me on the bed, his eyes staring to space. Adline was watching us from the door.
"For who?"
I said the first name that came to my mind. "Abram Astor."
The rich and handsome Kage Crown enters into a contract marriage with his secretary, Andrea Charlton to appease his father and retain his position as head of the family company. Soon, his father demands he provides an heir and he and his secretary-turned-wife are faced with the prospect of parenthood while falling helplessly in love. But will the aching love between them, overcome the hurdles their union will throw at them? Will their love ever overcome their own selves?
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...
As far as everyone was concerned, William had married Renee under duress. Now that his one true love was back—and with child—they couldn’t wait for him to abandon Renee. Surprisingly, Renee was candid about the situation. "To be honest, I’m the one asking for a divorce every single day. I want it even more than any of you!" But they brushed off her remark as a paltry attempt to save face. Until William made a declaration himself. "Divorce is out of the question. Anyone who spreads false rumors shall face legal consequences!" Renee was at a loss. What was this crazy man up to now?
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
He told her to call him Daddy. Not because he earned it, but because he fucking owned her. The moment she signed that contract, she stopped being a woman with dignity and became his filthy little plaything. His holes to use. His mess to ruin. He didn't just fuck her, he rewired her. Stripped her clean of boundaries and filled her with sin. Every punishment made her scream. Every game dragged her deeper into his twisted world. And the way he praised her... Good girl. She should've run the first time he said it. But Daddy doesn't let his toys leave. He breaks them until they beg to stay. ** Mia's life changed the night she let a stranger ruin her. One night. She never expected to see him again. Until she walked into her new job... and her boss turned around. Ace.Her one-night sin in a thousand-dollar suit. Only this time, he wasn't asking her to be his assistant. She was to be his wife.
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."