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Don't do this to me; I did nothing wrong to you or to anyone. Why am I the one paying the price?" Sheryl asked Aster, tears staining her beautiful face. "This is not the time to discuss who did wrong or who did not. For now, our only responsibility is to salvage the situation and save the faces of our families." Aster answered her coldly, his fists tightening inside his pants pockets. "I refuse to be the escape goat for Shamona again. I refused to accept this condition." Sheryl yelled in desperation, wiping her tears away. She knew that no one would help here. She has to rely on herself. Aster spun on his heel, shooting daggers at Sheryl who was still sitting on the ground. He strode towards her, taking predatory steps, his eyes locked on her tear-stained face. Sheryl heart skipped a beat in fear. She tried to move away, but her body froze in fear, as she just watched him approaching her, her eyes widening in fear. He squatted down in front of her, his cold eyes piercing her soul. "You are nothing but a pawn in this game, Sheryl. Know your place, and get ready for what's coming your way." The coldness of his tone was enough to send chills to her spine. She stared at him blankly, not knowing how to retailate now.
Sheryl's P.O.V.
I groaned in frustration, wanted so desperately to throw my phone away so that I could save myself from her constant nagging, but I know my mother better than anyone else, even better than my mother.
I got out of the car, and took the call after locking the car. It was her tenth call in the past an hour.
"I told you that I was driving, mom. What did you want by making so many calls? Ten calls? Seriously?" I asked my mother without masking my irritation.
My mother sneered on the other side of the call. "I can see that you have grown up your wings, girl. Don't think that you are away from me and you can show disrespect towards me. What's wrong with taking calls during driving?"
I seriously don't understand why can't she understand the human language.
"Why are you calling me this urgent?" I asked, rubbing my temple to ease the headache, leaning to the wall of the elevator.
"Aster agreed to throw an engagement party next Wednesday. You need to come back by this Sunday. There is a lot of things to do before that, and Shamona can't handle all the stuff by herself."
My eyes widened in disbelief before exiting the elevator.
How could she demand this to me when she knows very well that my exams have already started.
"Are you kidding me, mom? I have all my exams in a row. I can't come." I protested while raising my voice a bit.
I stopped right in front of the door of my apartment as I didn't want to disturb my roommate, also my best friend from college with this argument.
She knows what this degree means to me and still she wants me to skip these exams for what?
For her beloved daughter's engagement?
No way...
"I am not asking you, Sheryl. I have already booked your flight. Don't make me send people there to bring you back." She threatened me, and before I could say a word in protest, she hung up.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh." I screamed out of frustration and anger, and punched the wall in front of me, but only winced in pain.
"Aster King." I screamed his name, punching the air now. I had exams to write. I can't injure my hand, right?
Why?
Why this man has to mess up with my life again and again?
What sin did I commit to have so many annoying people in my life?
"Another fight?"
I didn't need to look towards the person who commented with a chuckle.
Like a deflated balloon, I slumped my shoulders down, hung my head low, and almost dragged my body inside the apartment.
She laughed but let me enter the apartment without saying another word. She locked the door behind me while I threw myself on the couch, still groaning in frustration and anger.
People said that I am born with a silver spoon in my mouth because I am the youngest daughter of Mr. Lucas Westfield, and Sylvia Westfield, a power couple in Hampton, and the owner of the biggest law firm Westfield Associates.
Both my parents are law graduates, and successful lawyers.
I am also pursuing law at Harvard because I want to be a lawyer like them and my grandfather who was also my idol.
They said that I got everything because of my family background. Only I know how did I reach where I am today.
I got the admission of my ability and that gave my father something to boast about in front of his friends sometimes. Yeah, it sounds funny but I am really proud of my achievement.
I also have an elder sister, Shamona Westfield who is nothing but my mom's shadow. I don't think that she had her own opinion about anything related to her life. She did everything that our mom asked her to do all her life.
Unlike me, she never protested and that was why she is my mom's favourite daughter. Now she was going to marry a famous businessman, Mr Aster King who according to me is nothing but an iceberg.
He was one of the big sharks in the business world and of course, his company is our biggest client. I never had seen his photograph with a smile on his lips in any magazine or in the newspapers.
He didn't like to be interviewed and no news agency or media house dared to find out anything about his personal life. I have heard that he destroys the reporter or the whole media house who tried to peek into his personal life before.
"This is our last semester, Sheryl. You need to be careful. You can't let her ruin your dream."
Emmeline warned me, and I watched her sitting near the center table on the carpet.
"Yeah... I know." I answered her in resignation, lying on my back, staring the roof blankly.
To make me obey her, my mom could go to any extent, even if it means to ruin my life.
Yes.... This is my mother for whom I am nothing but a stepping stone for Shamona if she needed.
For my mother, Shamona's happiness matters the most while I was just an eyesore.
"Call your father, girl. He is the only one who can save you right now. The engagement can go on without you, but skipping these exams means.... You know better than anyone else."
"I know, Em. There is no way that I will let anyone ruin my dream just because a spoiled princess is going to have her dream engagement party with her prince charming." I replied to her in a stiff tone, my eyes still glued on the roof.
Prince charming, my a*s.
I had enough of my mother's tantrums.
I took a deep breath and moved my phone in front of me again as I was still holding it.
My father was different from my mother. He loved both of his daughters equally.
Unlike my mother, he understood me better, and between them, he is the only one who supports my dream of becoming a good lawyer.
After dialing his number, I waited for him to pick up the call anxiously.
He asked me in a soft voice after picking up the call. "How is the exam going on, honey?"
I felt the warmth of his care in my chest as soon as his voice hit my eardrums.
"What do you think, Dad?" I asked him, sounding a bit arrogant this time.
He laughed, making me smile widely too.
"Your mother called you, didn't she?" he asked after he stopped laughing.
"I have three exams in a row, dad. This is my last semester a... and I want to finish my graduation with flying grades." I replied with a little desperation in my tone.
"I know, honey. You don't need to worry. I will see what can do here so that you don't have to skip your exams at any cost. I have all my hopes in you. Just concentrate on your studies, and leave the rest to me."
His words were comforting, and my heart went at ease at that very instant.
"Thanks, dad... thanks a lot. I love you." I chirped while sitting up in excitement.
"I love you too, honey. I will call you back later. I am in a meeting right now." He informed me, and I immediately bid my farewell to him.
"At least one of your parents is rational and not biased." Emmeline commented in a very low voice.
"Yeah... the only best thing that I have in my life." I commented back, holding the phone tightly.
"Then, what about me?" she asked annoyingly, and I smiled sheepishly while giving her a puppy look, getting a hard look from her.
"Let's have pizza for lunch, my treat," I proposed excitedly.
She was about to reply when my phone started ringing again.
I looked at the screen, and my heart skipped a beat.
Aster King.
Why is he calling me?
"It's not as simple as you think, Adolphus.... I am wolf-less.... This is the perfect reason that I can't be your luna." I tried to give Adolphus a reason why he should reject me, but my voice cracked. To be honest, belittling myself, and asking my second chance mate to reject me for the same reason that my first mate used stung badly. My heart was hurting badly, but I concealed my heartache and kept on looking at him with indifference. I saw his jaw clenching hard, and my body trembled, not in fear, but because of heartache. He was an alpha... Our future alpha.... He needs a strong she-wolf as his mate, not someone like me.... Who is wolf-less..... "So... you think th... that the Moon Goddess did a mistake by pairing us, huh?" he asked me, and I dug my nails deeper in my palms. I felt something hot seeping out of my fingers, but my eyes were still glued on him. "I don't know about others, but there is no way that I will reject you, Madeline..... Both I and Onyx has no problem with you having no wolf because our goddess chose you for me.... So forget it about rejection, and you know me very well." He announced his decision in a firm and cold tone, and before I could say a word, he stormed out of my room. I collapsed on the floor right after he left the room, and sobbed silently. I was relieved that I didn't have to go through the pain of rejection this time, but I was sorry for Adolphus. I didn't know why the Moon Goddess paired us, but I needed to talk to his father, our present alpha.
Accused of murder, Sylvia Todd's mother was deemed a traitor by the entire pack, condeming Sylvia to live the rest of her life alone in humiliation as a lowly slave. All she wanted to do was to prove her mother's innocence somehow, but fate never seemed to be on the side of the traitor's daughter. Still, Sylvia never lost hope. As the future lycan king of all werewolves, Rufus Duncan possessed great power and status, but he had an inexplicable reputation for being cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Unbeknownst to everyone, he had been cursed long ago to transform into a killer monster on every full moon. Even though fate did not always look upon the two, it brought Sylvia and Rufus together as each other's destined mates. Will justice be served for Sylvia's mother? What about Rufus' secret? Can Sylvia and Rufus defy all societal norms and stay together? Will these two unlucky souls have their happy ending?
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
"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."
Becky endured three years of marriage to the cold-hearted Rory. In all that time, she naively reasoned that one day, he'd gradually come to like her. But the second he forced her to kneel down and humiliate herself, she knew she had been wrong about him. This man had no feelings for her at all. So why should she still love him? When Rory gave her the choice between kneeling down and divorcing, she didn't miss a beat and chose the latter. After all, why should she waste her youth on this scumbag? Wouldn't it be nicer for her to just have fun every day with her billion-dollar family fortune?
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?