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"Take off your dress, Meadow." "Why?" "Because your ex is watching," he said, leaning back into his seat. "And I want him to see what he lost." ••••*••••*••••* Meadow Russell was supposed to get married to the love of her life in Vegas. Instead, she walked in on her twin sister moaning on top of her fiance. One drink at the bar turned to ten. One drunken mistake turned into reality. And one stranger's offer turned into a contract that she signed with shaking hands and a diamond ring. Alaric Ashford is the devil in a tailored Tom Ford suit. Billionaire CEO. Brutal. Possessive. And completely uninterested in love until a broken girl in a white croptop with the word, "BRIDE" written on it, slurs out her pain and dares him to ruin everything. But their marriage is built on rage, power and secrets. Alaric wants control. Meadow wants vengeance. And what starts as a contract quickly turns into obsession. Alaric doesn't like to share what's his. Not his company. Not his wife. And definitely not his revenge.
Meadow's POV
"Hi. I have a reservation. Meadow Russell."
The receptionist raised her gaze to look at me, and then she jerked back slightly, eyes raking over me from top to bottom. Her deep red-colored lips were pulled down in a sneer.
"You're kidding, right?" she scoffed, turning to the lady beside her who had a similar expression on her face.
I blinked, frowning. "Excuse me?"
The receptionists exchanged another look that made my skin crawl. What the hell was wrong with them? All I wanted to do was get the keys to my room and wait for my fiance, Tyler.
We were getting married in a few hours. It was going to be a private ceremony, just me and him. And I wasn't going to let anyone shit on my plans-much less a couple of rude receptionists.
The red-lipped receptionist tilted her head at me. "You already checked in two hours ago. If this is some kind of prank, I'd suggest you quit it now before I call security."
My brows furrowed. "What? I haven't checked in." A nervous laugh escaped my mouth.
The second receptionist glanced at me as if she was considering something, and then she turned to red lip. "Show her."
Red lip scowled at me, but she did as she was told. She turned her laptop to face me, clicking on a button. And then she pointed at something.
The check-in list.
And sure enough, my name was there. Meadow Russell.
"Oh," I let out a laugh. "It's probably my fiance. He must have checked in with my name. I was supposed to get here before him though, that's why I'm so surprised."
The receptionists exchanged another look. They seemed confused.
"That's not a funny joke, miss," the second receptionist said. "You checked in with a man two hours ago. I know that because I complimented that cute top you're wearing."
I glanced down at the white crop top with the word, "BRIDE" written across it.
Tyler had gotten me this top a few days ago. He said he saw it and thought it would look really good for the wedding.
"And then you said you're getting married real soon," red lip finished for her.
Something heavy-along with my heart-dropped into my stomach. Something was wrong.
"This has to be a misunderstanding..." I trailed off.
Because there was no way... No fucking way.
"That wasn't me," I said firmly this time.
They exchanged another glance, and when they both looked at me, I could see something resembling pity in their expression.
I didn't like that look. At all.
Finally, Red lip sighed. "I don't know why, but I believe you. Then she leaned backward to search for something.
She emerged with a key card. "I hope you get things sorted out," she muttered, forcing a smile on her face.
I couldn't breathe the entire way up the elevator.
This wasn't possible. She wouldn't...
No. Not after everything.
But even as I swiped the key card to unlock the door to our room, my heart raced, and bile rose up my throat.
Opening the door only confirmed my fears.
My twin sister, Juniper, was straddling my fiance, moaning out loud as he rammed into her from under.
For a full minute, all I could do was stare. I stood there, my bag dropping onto the floor with a soft thud. The insides of my cheek hurt because of how hard I was biting them. Tears had long blurred my vision.
And they hadn't even noticed me.
'Maybe he didn't know,' I said to myself. 'Maybe he thought Juni was me.'
But even without saying those words out loud, I realized how awfully stupid they sounded.
Tyler and I had never had sex.
"Mmhm, yes. That's it, baby," Juniper moaned. "You fuck me so good, babe."
Something inside of me broke, screaming at me to turn around, leave quietly and never show my face again.
But something stronger dared me to stay.
So that's what I did.
"Juniper...?" My voice cracked. "Tyler?"
They both turned to look at me at the same time.
Surprise and something else flared in Tyler's expression, but it was gone before I could blink.
He pushed her off him, and Juniper had the nerve to moan. "Seriously, Ty? I was close."
Ty?
"Meadow," Tyler heaved as he jumped out of the bed, not even bothering to cover his junk. "I swear, I thought she was you. I didn't-"
He started to reach for my arm but I jerked back, my eyes focused on one person and one person alone.
Juniper.
She had a smug grin on her face as she arranged her disheveled hair. "Oh, please, baby," she said airily. "It's time we cut the act, don't you think? It's getting too pathetic."
Tyler turned to face her. "Come on. It's fun."
"What is... what are you...?" I was speechless. Stunned.
It didn't look like this was some kind of first time mistake. It looked like they knew each other really well.
And there's no way that was even possible. Because I'd never introduced Juniper to Tyler.
I hadn't even seen Juniper in two years.
"How-"
Juniper let out a sharp laugh as she stood up. She also didn't bother to cover up, so both of them were stark naked in front of me.
"She's going into shock, baby. We should put her out of her misery right away, shouldn't we?" She mused, walking over to where Tyler stood.
And then she pulled him toward her and kissed him right in front of me, letting out a soft moan and a giggle.
I wanted to leave so badly, but my feet wouldn't move.
For some reason, they were glued to the floor.
And for an even more fucked reason, I couldn't look away. I watched Juniper grab Tyler's still-hard dick in her hand and jerk it back and forth while her eyes remained on mine.
"Y–you said..." I struggled to form words. I couldn't even recognize my own voice. "You said you weren't ready to have sex yet, Tyler," I said shakily. "You said you'd wait till we were married."
Tyler threw his head back and laughed, biting his lip and groaning slightly due to the pleasure he was receiving. My knees buckled from under me and I had to hold on to the wall to steady myself. "I thought you loved me!" I said louder now, feeling the tears begin to run down my face.
Juniper let go of Tyler and he took a few steps closer to me.
And when he took a hold of my jaw, I couldn't move.
"You thought I loved you, Meadow? No. Juni's the love of my life."
"Please trust me, I didn't do anything." "I don't believe you. I am rejecting you as my Queen and giving you the punishment of death." Alina was living outside her pack for five years. Her parents didn't try to contact her and always ignored her. Her best friend convinced her to go back to their pack and she agreed. But she had never imagined what was waiting there for her. She never thought she would meet her mate and had to face betrayal from everywhere. She had to pay for the crime which she never committed. Aaron Robertson is the king of Lycans. He is a very dominant and powerful King who not only rules Lycans but also rules other ranks of werewolves. Everyone is afraid of Lycans and he is the king of them. But who knew that he would get a mate who was just a simple Omega with no powers and strengths? He called her weak all the time but little did he know that his weak Omega would give him the biggest betrayal of his life for which he had to give her the sentence of death.
COALESCENCE OF THE FIVE SERIES BOOK ONE: THE 5-TIME REJECTED GAMMA & THE LYCAN KING BOOK TWO: THE ROGUES WHO WENT ROGUE BOOK THREE: THE INDOMITABLE HUNTRESS & THE HARDENED DUKE *** BOOK ONE: After being rejected by 5 mates, Gamma Lucianne pleaded with the Moon Goddess to spare her from any further mate-bonds. To her dismay, she is being bonded for the sixth time. What’s worse is that her sixth-chance mate is the most powerful creature ruling over all werewolves and Lycans - the Lycan King himself. She is certain, dead certain, that a rejection would come sooner or later, though she hopes for it to be sooner. King Alexandar was ecstatic to meet his bonded mate, and couldn’t thank their Goddess enough for gifting him someone so perfect. However, he soon realizes that this gift is reluctant to accept him, and more than willing to sever their bond. He tries to connect with her but she seems so far away. He is desperate to get intimate with her but she seems reluctant to open up to him. He tries to tell her that he is willing to commit to her for the rest of his life but she doesn’t seem to believe him. He is pleading for a chance: a chance to get to know her; a chance to show her that he’s different; and a chance to love her. But when not-so-subtle crushes, jealous suitors, self-entitled Queen-wannabes, an old flame, a silent protector and a past wedding engagement threaten to jeopardize their relationship, will Lucianne and Xandar still choose to be together? Is their love strong enough to overcome everything and everyone? Or will Lucianne resort to enduring a sixth rejection from the one person she thought she could entrust her heart with?
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.