ADA PRIDE OF ALAOCHA BK 1
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His Unwanted Wife, The Hidden Genius
I flew back to New York on my twenty-fifth birthday, carrying vintage gold cufflinks I spent weeks finding for my billionaire husband, Declan. But when I walked into our townhouse, I found him throwing a massive victory party with Sloane, a glamorous socialite, standing by his side as the proud hostess. "Don't cause a scene. Go upstairs." Declan coldly dismissed me in front of his guests. Even Poppy, the rookie player whose shattered ankle I had painstakingly rebuilt, rolled her eyes and ignored me to suck up to Sloane. Hiding in the shadows, I heard the maids gossiping that everyone thought Sloane was the future Mrs. Hartford. To make matters worse, I discovered Sloane had stolen my anonymous, groundbreaking medical algorithm and was planning to present it as her own. First my husband, then the girl I mentored like family, and now the scientific foundation I had built with my own hands. Declan even texted me to cancel our birthday breakfast without a single apology, treating me like an annoying afterthought. My tears vanished, replaced by a freezing clarity. I signed the divorce papers, leaving them on his desk with zero demands for his money. Then I packed my bags, booked a one-way ticket to Boston, and prepared to destroy them on the global stage.
Chapter 1
Aurelia Vance POV:
I had been married to Declan Hartford for three years.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, and I had flown back from Boston in secret, hoping for one quiet evening with my husband.
I'd spent a week carefully picking out a pair of gold cufflinks as a gift for my husband.
But the laughter spilling from the front door told me I was already too late: the woman who had taken my place at his side was already inside.
The heavy oak door swung open before I reached the porch. Three young players from the New York Titans, Declan's NHL franchise, stumbled out with crystal tumblers of scotch, laughing loudly. They barely glanced at me as they passed.
I stepped into the grand foyer. The heat hit me instantly,expensive champagne, roasted tenderloin, cigar smoke.
Dozens of people filled the double parlor: executives, scouts, wives in designer dresses.
In the center stood Declan, tall and broad in a bespoke charcoal suit. Beside him, laughing into his ear, was Sloane Whitfield, her backless silver dress catching the chandelier light. Her hand rested on his forearm like she belonged there.
Before I could take another breath, a blur of blonde hair darted past my elbow.
"Sloane!" Poppy Delacroix cried, throwing her arms around Sloane's slender waist. "You were completely right about the catering! This is literally the best victory party the team has ever had!"
Poppy is fourteen, a junior elite forward prospect.
I scouted her two years ago from a crumbling youth league, back when she was at her lowest.
Her parents had once shown me great kindness, and I knew they had already passed away, leaving her all alone in the world.
Declan and I adopted her together.
I rebuilt her shattered ankle with a custom rehabilitation plan.
I had always loved and cared for her as both a mother and a sister.
Now, she did not even glance in my direction.
Declan turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd until his eyes locked onto mine. The easy grin on his sharp jaw vanished instantly. His brows drew together in a hard, irritated line.
He excused himself from Sloane, cutting through the throng of players with long, impatient strides.
"Aurelia," Declan said, stopping two feet in front of me. His voice carried zero warmth. "What are you doing here?"
My throat felt like sandpaper.
"I took the four o'clock flight from Boston," I whispered, clutching the strap of my bag until my knuckles turned white. "It is my birthday, Declan. I thought we could—"
"We are celebrating the division win," he cut in, his tone sharp enough to draw blood. "The board is here. The sponsors are here. Sloane spent four consecutive days coordinating this event so the organization could project stability."
He did not look at me. His gaze slid past my shoulder to the bar, like I was a waitress who had wandered into the wrong room.
"Don't cause a scene," he added quietly. "Go upstairs."
A soft, mocking murmur rippled through a cluster of players' wives standing near the grand staircase. Two women with platinum blowouts exchanged knowing glances over their flutes of Dom Pérignon.
"I didn't know," I said, my voice barely audible over the swelling music. "I am sorry."
I turned toward the staircase, my legs trembling beneath my wool trousers.
Near the landing, Poppy was adjusting her designer jacket in the hallway mirror.
"Poppy," I said softly, pausing beside her. "How is your ankle feeling after Thursday's third period? Did you complete the isometric sequence I sent?"
Poppy rolled her eyes, sighing loudly as she pulled out her phone.
"Aurelia, please, not right now," she muttered without looking at me. "Sloane is introducing me to a marketing director from one of our partners. I don't have time for your spreadsheets."
The dismissive edge in her voice hit me harder than Declan's coldness. I had stayed up until three in the morning reviewing her biomechanical scans while she was recovering from surgery, and now I was just an annoyance in the way of her social ascent.
I walked up the rest of the stairs and entered the primary suite—the massive, sterile bedroom allocated to me under our prenuptial agreement.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the velvet box. The gold cufflinks gleamed under the bedside lamp, cold and useless.
Downstairs, cheers erupted. The sound vibrated through the floorboards.
I walked to the French doors overlooking the rear garden. Down on the illuminated patio, Sloane was directing two servers by an ice sculpture. Declan stood beside her, his head bent down as he listened to her speak, his hand casually brushing the small of her back.
They looked like the couple the city expected them to be.
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. I pulled it out, hoping against hope.
It was an email notification.
"Happy Birthday, Aurelia. Remember that true science requires patience and solitude. You are meant for greater arenas than New York boardrooms. -Dr. Edmund Sterling."
My mentor at Harvard was the only person in the world who had remembered.
I typed a brief "Thank you, Professor" and shut off the screen.
Hours passed. The bass eventually quieted, replaced by the occasional clatter of glassware and slamming car doors. My throat burned with thirst.
At two in the morning, I padded downstairs in my stocking feet to fetch a glass of water from the butler's pantry.
As I rounded the corner near the service hallway, the voices of two newly hired catering maids stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Miss Whitfield is stunning," the first girl whispered, scraping dessert plates into a bin. "Mr. Hartford's girlfriend carries herself like royalty."
"A girlfriend?" the other asked, pausing. "But isn't Mr. Hartford rumored to be married? Is it inappropriate to be this close with Whitfield?"
"Married?Where did that come from? Even if there was one, they must have split long ago. I've worked three events here this month, and Miss Whitfield is the only woman hosting by his side. Everyone knows she's the future Mrs. Hartford."
I shrank back into the cold shadow of the archway, my blood turning to ice.
In the home where I held a legal marriage certificate, my presence had already been wiped clean.
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The Price of His Pride
Sarah Miller had it all: a successful tech career she traded for family, investing millions into her husband Ethan's architectural empire. Their seven-year-old twins, Leo and Luna, were her world, buzzing with excitement for their promised Fourth of July trip to Universal Studios. But Ethan had oth
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Dilemmas of Pride, (Vol 3 of 3)
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The Pride
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BROKEN PRIDE
Bennie decided to remain a virgin until the day she married, she had an upbringing that one of a woman's pride is in her virginity so she opted to stay a virgin till her wedding night. The wedding night finally came and she was about to make love with her husband, Scott when armed robbers broke in
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YOUR MONSTER, MY PRIDE
Plot sumary Annabel Willows lived a happy life as the most loved daughter, amongst the 3 daughters of Don Willow, the richest businessman in their province. But been the beloved daughter sparked jealousy amongst her sisters, Samantha and Caroline, which slowly deepened into hatred. Annabel's go
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MAFIA PRIDE: Vows of Blood and Love
Kelvin watched in horror as his father was murdered by the very man he had loyally served, Lord Sampson, a ruthless mafia boss. He swore to destroy the man who killed his father. He never expected to fall for his daughter. After witnessing his father's brutal murder in the dungeon of Lord Sampson's
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Pride of a father and a lover
"I will love you until I have everything you've got, every laugh, every tear, every moment of pure bliss" she affirmed. Lucy, a young woman whose father, a powerful businessman, hands over control of his empire to her. But as she navigates the cutthroat world of organized crime, she finds herself
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Pride and Prejudice
One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice was penned as a popular entertainment. But the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775–1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is n
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Between Pride and Desire
Can two strong-willed individuals with overwhelming chemistry be conquered by love? Rachel Mitchell is an extremely selfish girl, and her primary goal is to win over a wealthy husband who fulfills all her desires. Enrico Bianchi has always dreamed of success in his profession. He needed to prove t
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Money and pride
My father sold me out, I hate my family and hatred is slowly taking over my life. I was forced into a marriage that I didn't want with a billionaire. My pride couldn't bear his arrogance and cold-hearted demeanor.I decided to run away from home wishing to not be caught by him. ******** " I might n
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Great Hike; or, The Pride of the Khaki Troop
Great Hike; or, The Pride of the Khaki Troop by Captain Alan Douglas
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Traps of Fate / Book 1
Emma Collins is a young secretary, who, after being fired from her old job due to the harassment of one of her co-workers, finds herself in search of a new job to be able to maintain herself. Thomas Mitchell, a young CEO, with a rigid posture and frown. He is known for leading one of the largest
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Cecilia, Volume 1 (of 3)
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part
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The Law of Beasts Book 1 - Act 1: KHOVAHSH
KHOVAHSH BURGOOS, an elitist demi-shifting reincarnate, is a nine-thousand-year-old member of the Dragonhead Ancients…. ALICIA CHAY, the sadistic queen of torture, ruled for forty centuries under the identity of someone else. With a family of savages as her fledgling, she detests mortals, but she
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His Pride Shattered, My Heart Released
For two years, I lived in Julian Astor's multi-million dollar penthouse as his secret girlfriend. I thought my quiet devotion would eventually melt the cold, powerful CEO's heart. But then I found out I was nothing more than a convenient placeholder. His childhood sweetheart and true love, Sloane
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