Leaning back in my chair, I smoked my morning cigar and watched Uncle Nelson open his mail. He had an old-fashioned way of doing this: holding the envelope in his left hand, clipping its right edge with his desk shears, and then removing the inclosure and carefully reading it before he returned it to its original envelope. Across one end he would make a memorandum of the contents, after which the letters were placed in a neat pile.
Through the whole of the night, chopping, shifting winds had been tearing through the streets of London, now from the north, now from the south, now from the east, now from the west, now from all points of the compass at once; which last caprice--taking place for at least the twentieth time in the course of the hour which the bells of Big Ben were striking--was enough in itself to make the policeman on the beat doubtful of his senses.
"I heard you're going to marry Marcelo. Is this perhaps your revenge against me? It's very laughable, Renee. That man can barely function." Her foster family, her cheating ex, everyone thought Renee was going to live in pure hell after getting married to a disabled and cruel man. She didn't know if anything good would ever come out of it after all, she had always thought it would be hard for anyone to love her but this cruel man with dark secrets is never going to grant her a divorce because she makes him forget how to breathe.
Nate's eyes darkened with anger as he took another step closer.
"To my grandfather, to you and to everyone else, you may be my wife," his voice was as cold as ice when he bit out. "But to me, you are certainly not."
Maddie's breath caught slightly at the sharpness of his words.
"This entire facade is a business deal," Nate continued with a voice full of derision. "Nothing else. I did it to keep my grandfather from driving me insane and that's all it ever is." He let out a humorless chuckle. "So no, Maddie, you are not my wife. You're just a deal. Do you fucking understand?"
****
Maddie Hayes never imagined she would ever crave the touch of the coldest and rudest billionaire ever, even though she had been trapped in a marriage with him. But life had other plans for her and her fake husband, Nate Blackwood.
Just when their forced union had started to feel real, betrayal and secrets ripped them apart again. Heartbroken and furious, Maddie walked away but Nate wasn't ready to let her go and was willing to fight for her even though some wounds didn't heal so easily.
Could love survive in a place where trust had been completely shattered?
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock.
Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own.
"Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna."
"How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
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."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious.
All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day.
Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life."
But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!"
"Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line."
The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring.
Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
PERMISSION IS TAKEN FRIM THE ORIGINAL, BE WARNED!!
Do you believe in Myths? Just when she thinks it can't get any worse, it does. Lucy lost everything four years ago in a rogue attack. She's been abused, starved, rejected, and broken. As her eighteenth birthday approaches, strange things start to happen, things that only happen once every century. She finds friendship in the most unlikely place and escapes to find her true self with the help of the most dangerous Alpha. Warning: This werewolf trilogy is not intended for anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who doesn't enjoy a good spanking. It will take you on adventures around the world, make you laugh, fall in love, crush your heart and possibly leave you drooling.