/0/77737/coverbig.jpg?v=c690208a016a0f6396814792bede3186)
She was the maid who vanished without a trace. He was the CEO who signed away their bond. Years later, Elena Weaver returns-not as a servant, but as a threat to everything Damien Thorne built. When a scandal forces them into a contract marriage to protect the empire, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and old scars bleed anew. But beneath the velvet contracts and cold boardroom walls lies a history neither of them can escape. He broke her once. She plans to return the favor-until the lies turn deadly, and the only person she can trust is the man who once betrayed her. In a world of power, legacy, and deception... love might be the most dangerous game of all.
The Voss estate didn't belong on this side of the city. It belonged in a magazine. Or a dream. Not here, where train horns echoed through cracked windows and the rain never stopped tasting like metal.
Elena Hart wiped her hands on her apron and exhaled. Third floor. Marble floors that didn't scuff. Mirrors that reflected versions of herself she didn't recognize. She wasn't supposed to be cleaning this late-definitely not the CEO's private wing.
But someone had spilled scotch on the hall runner, and someone else had decided the maid could handle it.
She bent to scrub the stain out, muttering curses under her breath.
"Try lemon. Cuts through blood too."
The voice stopped her cold.
She looked up.
Damien Voss stood at the end of the hall, black suit immaculate, tie loosened just enough to suggest exhaustion-or danger. His eyes, cold steel framed by darker lashes, flicked from the scotch stain to her face.
"Elena, isn't it?"
Her pulse skipped. She didn't remember giving him her name.
He started walking toward her, each step sharp against the silence. "I find it impressive," he said, "how invisible the help becomes. Until they're not."
She rose slowly, wiping her palms again. "Apologies, sir. I didn't realize this floor was off-limits."
"It isn't."
He stopped a foot away.
"It is now."
She started to step aside when his gaze sharpened.
"What did you hear?"
That stopped her again. "Excuse me?"
"In the hallway. Five minutes ago. My office door was cracked. You paused outside."
Elena's spine went stiff. So he *had* noticed.
"I didn't hear anything, Mr. Voss."
"That's a shame," he said. "Because if you had, I might be inclined to offer you something you can't afford to refuse."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
Damien smiled. It wasn't kind. It was the smile of a man who knew ten different ways to trap someone without ever raising his voice.
He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and flipped it open. A ring sat inside-diamond, sharp as glass. Expensive enough to choke on.
"Marry me."
Elena stared. "What the hell is this?"
"A proposal," he said. "Technically. Mostly a business arrangement."
She laughed once, bitter and small. "Is this some kind of joke?"
He stepped closer.
"My company's in trouble. Someone close to me is leaking intel. I need to shut it down before the board throws me to the wolves. A sudden marriage-especially to someone outside my circle-will stall the rumors. Reset the press. Flush the mole."
"And you want to marry your maid," she said flatly.
He shrugged. "I don't care about the title. I need a name on a license. Someone the press can't dig into. Someone who knows how to keep secrets."
Her breath caught.
He didn't know.
He couldn't.
"I don't need money," she said, voice low.
"No. You need a clean record. A way out of debt. Protection."
Her chest tightened. "How do you know that?"
"I know everything about my employees," he said. "And I know a fake name when I see one, Elena Marsh."
Her blood turned to ice.
"Don't look so shocked," he added. "You disappeared five years ago. Faked your death, changed cities, picked up a mop."
She swallowed hard.
"You shouldn't be able to find that."
"I shouldn't," he agreed. "But I did. And now you're going to marry me."
"Why me?" she asked, voice shaking. "You could pay someone else. Anyone else."
He looked at her-really looked.
And for a second, something flickered in his eyes. Recognition. Regret.
Or something darker.
"Because we have unfinished business."
She said nothing.
Damien stepped back. "You have twenty-four hours."
"To decide?"
"To pack."
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing like gunshots.
Elena stood alone in the hall, staring down at the velvet box.
The ring shimmered.
And behind her ribs, a wound she thought had scarred over pulsed like it had never healed at all.
When emotionally guarded tech engineer Elara Quinn stumbles upon a hidden artifact in her grandmother's attic, she's thrust backward into Victorian England-straight into the arms of Elias Blackwood, a rogue historian chasing rumors of a time traveler. As sparks fly and timelines twist, the two must unravel a mystery buried across centuries before time itself collapses. But every heartbeat threatens a paradox, and their love might be the greatest anomaly of all.
When down-on-his-luck comic book writer Felix Wade returns to Duskhaven for a friend's wedding, he doesn't expect to be dragged into a bizarre disappearance. His childhood crush, Veronica Vale, vanishes during a live stage performance - in front of hundreds of witnesses. With help from a conspiracy-obsessed barista, a disgraced psychic, and his emotionally stunted pet cat, Felix must unravel a mystery decades in the making, confronting local legends, family secrets, and his own trust issues to find Veronica before he becomes the next illusion.
Julia and Evan were the perfect couple-or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She's fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn't deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn't listen. Now, it's time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? "We should break up," he'd said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it's Evan's turn to hear the truth-and to face his deepest regret.
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
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.
After three loveless years, Neil's betrayal deeply wounded Katelyn. She wasted no time in getting rid of that scoundrel! After the divorce, she devoted herself to career pursuits. Rising to prominence as a top designer, skilled doctor, and brilliant hacker, she became a revered icon. Neil, realizing his grave mistake, tried in vain to win her back, only to witness her magnificent wedding to another. As their vows were broadcast on the world's largest billboard, Vincent slid a ring onto Katelyn's finger and declared, "Katelyn is now my wife, a priceless treasure. Let all who covet her beware!"
"You're mine, little puppy," Kylan growled against my neck. A soft gasp escaped my lips as his lips brushed my skin. My mind screamed at me to push him away-the Lycan Prince who had humiliated me again and again, but my body betrayed me, leaning into him before I could stop myself. He pressed his lips against mine, and his kiss grew more aggressive, more possessive as I felt my legs weaken. What was I doing? In a split-second, I pulled away and slapped him hard across the face. Kylan's eyes darkened, but the smirk on his lips exposed his amusement. "You and I both know we can't fight this, Violet," he said, gripping my wrist. "You're my mate." "And yet you don't want me," I replied. "You told me you were ashamed of me, that l'd never be your queen, that you'd never love me. So please, accept my rejection and let me go." "Never," he whispered, his grip tightening as he pulled me closer. "Soon enough, you'll be begging for me. and when you do-I'll use you as I see fit and then I'll reject you."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"