Essence of Rebel
/1/127579/coverbig.jpg?v=2ea34f2e2c2f3053a637d5acfe2fbf25)
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.
/0/24606/coverbig.jpg?v=d1e4aea48200ab97b26f0aba05d8b317)
ESSENCE
In this fantasy romance story, imagine if you were a slave to your own heart. In a world filled with magic and the unknown, full of creatures like dragons, orcs, goblins and other mythical creatures. Half of the world has been engulfed by the 'Shadow' an unnatural phenomenon said to be capable of de
/0/68843/coverbig.jpg?v=20260526223230)
The Essence of Love
Enzo Carter Ferraz, 25 years old a famous and attractive chemist, fascinated by perfumes since he was a teenager, used his skills and his fascination with chemistry and became a famous perfumer, owner of Roses and Essences Ferraz, a man in love with women and sex without commitment, knows the fascin
/0/3703/coverbig.jpg?v=6c4a5b5eabd340a857eb10a5d55deb3f)
Jess of the Rebel Trail
Hiram Alfred Cody was a Canadian clergyman who turned to writing in his spare time, eventually completing dozens of novels over the course of his career. Jess of the Rebel Trail is something of a departure from many of Cody's works. It follows the fortunes of Jess, a rebellious, independent-minded y
/0/71333/coverbig.jpg?v=3981439b678b1c69e0215b87ab23caa8)
REBEL
Raised by a ruthless mercenary, Rebel became one of the deadliest assassins alive. Trained to kill, she knows only bloodshed-until a mission in Cali leads her to Daniel, an infuriating billionaire who makes her dream of something more. But love has a price. Betrayed by the organization that shaped
/0/5098/coverbig.jpg?v=d191fd0d0a00605b4c8e65622afe3c47)
/0/48859/coverbig.jpg?v=a356c79abc7141f929a4df1fc692f050)
Rebel Wolf
In a world where arranged marriages are the norm for werewolves of royal blood, a strong and independent werewolf, ‘IMELDA’, is forced into a situation she never expected. Rejected by her fated mate, she is forced into a marriage with the werewolf prince in the stead of her sister. As drama unfold
/0/21388/coverbig.jpg?v=546da4acc00995b19a1e11b421580932)
The Rebel
"Lower your eyes mate" He said with a hint of warning in his tone. She didn't flinch under his cold fingers coiled around her neck, instead with a smirk on her bruised lips,she looks back at him. Daring to defy him. "Submit!" He growled at her this time, frustrated with her ability to infuriate hi
/0/14888/coverbig.jpg?v=878c2d805bcd852f696c8a79c78f8349)
/0/88976/coverbig.jpg?v=0573341c107693645a9ee1078790592a)
Fated To The Prince Of Rebel
Heather's life is turned upside down when she is forced into a marriage with Prince Keith of the powerful Devontae Kingdom, a man she has never met and a kingdom filled with whispered rumors. Determined to resist her fate, Heather braces herself for a life she never chose, only to discover her new r
/0/4915/coverbig.jpg?v=4d212b15d1a9b806afe7b5bf03f6a596)
/0/48116/coverbig.jpg?v=21eb07d0ddb47018d66fa05892750335)
Royal rebel
....... Abby... WAR is brewing , enemies are getting ready to make a move,to strike waiting for the perfect time and tension is high. During this period my father the king made an arranged marriage with his friend who is also a king. He want to marry me off to the p
/0/22525/coverbig.jpg?v=bbd1cb96f541b816e46255b25ad4875c)
Bound Essence series, Part One
Some stories are meant to be told and some people are meant to find each other across lifetimes. Kerrienne is blessed by the Gods. Her powers rival to none. A war is brewing and in this fight against a powerful enemy, an alliance with the laird of the MacCleods, rumored to be demon touched, is her o
/0/18717/coverbig.jpg?v=db728f6f77c84a84ab4b13c6e7408c67)
Love Traps To Lure You Back
Mary had been selected on the recommendation of her adopted brother for a modeling assignment for an advertisement. However, it so happened that the CEO of that company was the man she had been trying to avoid for many years --- Marts. The day she broke up with him, he issued her a threat. His words
/0/20259/coverbig.jpg?v=c6dd85d17d296e505c1288575a6a2ade)
REBEL- The Elemental
--------------- No matter how fast you run away, it’s rare to hide from your destiny.........! Because destiny has its own way to find you.......! ---------------- Rachael Santiago, the most powerful stoicheiódis (the Greek word for elemental) in the history, with her ability to control four element
/0/30120/coverbig.jpg?v=f343af3c83a8c24f5fc34ae085a96437)
Tania the rebel
Tania is a very beautiful and famous girl, but also very rebellious. She thinks that being rich gives her the right to trample on those around her, although her friends always encourage her in her foolishness. She fell in love with Freddy who also loves her back. This man had suffered so much becaus
/0/4932/coverbig.jpg?v=db01d7ee590066b0dbbfbcff869c8bec)
The Littlest Rebel
This novelization of Edward Peple's play of the same name was the basis for a popular 1935 film starring Shirley Temple. The Littlest Rebel offers a glimpse inside the lives of affluent Southerners on the brink of the Civil War, with empathy for the tribulations faced by an upper class trying to nav
/0/49582/coverbig.jpg?v=100f2f5ed482ed59507b00f25dabdc54)
The Savage Alpha's Rebel
(Unholy Allies Series#1) Jade Thornton woke up in a room full of abused girls with shackles around her ankles and wrists. But the last thing she recalled was going to a party with her father. What she didn't realize was that he was taking her to complete his part of the bargain... Because she was
/0/79804/coverbig.jpg?v=630efb26afd30b99f9d7e5161f1f0363)
The Mafia's Rebel Wife
"Freya you have to tell him the truth." Anna tells me, her face creasing in worry. "No, I can't, he'll kill me, he'll cut me to pieces, you know him." I place my shaking hands on my trembling lips. "He wouldn't, he cares for you." Anna hisses. "Same way he cared for his ex wife before he killed h
/0/1875/coverbig.jpg?v=20171121210034)
Barbara Winslow, Rebel
Whether James, Duke of Monmouth, would have succeeded in his enterprise had a different fortune attended his army at Sedgemoor, is a favourite subject for speculation among historians and others who interest themselves in the consideration of such strange chances as have not infrequently led to the
/0/1773/coverbig.jpg?v=20171123152453)
The Rebel Chief
No country in the world offers to the delighted traveller more charming landscapes than Mexico; among them all, that of Las Cumbres or the peak, is, without fear of contradiction, one of the most striking and most agreeably diversified.
