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"Vengeance is for the Lord, but guess who was made in the image and likeness of God...me!" Said angry Clay as she angrily drove out of the police station.
Vengeance is for the Lord, but guess who was made in the image and likeness of God... me!
I don't say that to be cocky. It's simply the truth. If the Lord reserves the right to mete out justice, to weigh hearts and cut down the wicked, and if I am crafted in His likeness-well, it only makes sense that some of those tendencies might just trickle down.
It started on a Wednesday.
Rain battered the sidewalks like fists pounding on a locked door. I hunched my shoulders against it, coat drawn tight, mind spinning. The call had come an hour earlier: my sister was dead. My only sister.
Not a car accident.
Not an illness.
Murder.
The word lodged in my chest like a splinter. No matter how many times I coughed or swallowed, it stayed there, prickling, itching,burning.
At the station, the detective-Rama, badge shining too cleanly-gave me the look. You know the one: a downward slant of the mouth, a soft, practiced sorrow in the eyes. A sympathy manufactured for daily use.
"We're doing everything we can, Ms. Clay," he said.
Sure you are, I thought out loudly.
But "everything" wasn't enough. Plus, when was the last time a citizen of Koala was served justice?
Murder cases here and there. It's okay, Mr. Rama and his counterparts are doing "everything" they can.
Her name was Macreen.
She had been a sunshine wrapped in denim and leather, a soft laugh in a hard city. And someone had taken her from me, from us, and now the system was busy running its slow, clumsy fingers through the details, through her life.
Her mother, my mum, was fighting for her life in the beeping machines of the hospital. "Not my Macreen," she faintly murmured before collapsing on her desk when the ugly news got to her.
My dad, the only hero we knew growing up had been dead for seven months now.
Cause of death,excessive bleeding from a stab in the neck.
Who stabbed him? The police are still doing "everything" they can to bring the perpetrator to book.
"Hey, I saw your profile. You seem... real." Nia stared at the screen, her thumb hovering over the reply button. She'd read his message three times already. In a sea of tired pickup lines and copy-pasted introductions, this one stood out. Not because it was clever. Because it wasn't.
"See how many women wish they could have a few moments with me yet you are here acting all mighty and pretty. I can effortlessly bag any woman I want. My female friends and colleagues, including young and very beautiful college girls throw themselves at me just so that I could look their directions. Get over yourself and follow me to the room," he said as he stepped out of the car.
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?
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
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?
"I ran. Ran as fast as my legs could go. Away. Away from him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hailey Pritchett loved her job as the secretary of Henry Caldwell, the CEO of the Caldwell Industries. She was a woman who liked safety, and stayed far away from danger. However, the company is bought by a ruthless businessman who is known as the Sniper. Theodore Benson is a ruthless billionaire, and is known as the Sniper in the business world. Because he kills his opponents without letting them know. He bows down to no one, and when he wants something, he does everything - whether legal or not - to possess it. When Hailey and Theodore aka the Sniper, come face to face, Hailey knows that Theodore is dangerous. So Hailey does what she does best in the face of danger. She runs. But will Theodore let her get away? Theodore wants Hailey Pritchett, and won't stop until he has her - in every possible way. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~