Hidden Secrets A Screwed Up Love Story
/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.
/0/22510/coverbig.jpg?v=72e09463cce8b4dd5612bd892a26c1ef)
Hidden Secrets: A Screwed Up Love Story.
"Fuck.." I moan as my feverish skin makes me dizzy with lust. [Yes.] "Evet, Mila. You make me want to ravage you when I should be disgusted by the thought of even touching you." He mutters. "But I'm not. Instead, everything about you makes me mad with desire and I can not control it. God's, I trie
/0/43399/coverbig.jpg?v=d596bfa42ddedb4c89fa988633bd7097)
Passion And Secrets: A Billionaire's Love Story
In the dazzling metropolis of New York City, billionaire businessman Alex Hamilton lives a life of opulence and success. When fate leads him to the struggling artist Mia Summers, their worlds collide in a passionate and steamy affair that defies all expectations. Drawn to Mia's raw talent and beauty
/0/21028/coverbig.jpg?v=fd775afe8f9dd2727bdbf9c22434bf6e)
The Hidden Secrets (completed)
"I can't leave you when you are bearing my baby." He whispered, afraid of scaring me; his gaze solely on my flat tummy. "Baby?" I was stunned and speechless. Fresh drops of tears started to pool down through my already wet cheeks. If it had happened any other day, I would have been happy but now...
/0/59918/coverbig.jpg?v=c16d2da7dca42b72a2c2f2e3636c09e9)
Echoes of Hidden Secrets
So what can I do for you, young lady?" Andrew asked. "My name is Lily, and I am here to apply for a job in your company." Lily pushed forward her credentials towards Andrew for a review. "I can see you have good qualifications here, but you lack working experience," Andrew said to Lily. "Actua
/0/65967/coverbig.jpg?v=a0154bd666758ba97c36531f642e1682)
Obsession: A Hidden Love
Alana and Dan were in a relationship with each other for 5 years while Chris and Jannie were together. Alana And Dan decided to get married but on wedding day Dan backed off due to which Chris took his place.
/0/22449/coverbig.jpg?v=e323417b55c65e13c7cb1a25f2b72991)
Endless Love (A short Story)
I don't care if you no longer love me.All I care about is that I truly love you and all I want is for you to be mine even if you don't want me to be yours. I will win you back,Kendall. I will make you love me again. I will make you fall for me again. And this time I will never hurt you nor let y
/0/51899/coverbig.jpg?v=7df662265f3fb360fcc9ab95c765ab88)
A Love Story: Defano Ribs
Defano is a CEO who is forced by his girlfriend Cerryka to marry him immediately on the grounds that they have been dating for a long time. But, Defano refused because of his seemingly endless busyness in the office. Until one day Defano was assigned to a branch office outside the city, and his car
/0/7832/coverbig.jpg?v=74c5012b4f25dc84a78d3f71f1ba24fb)
/0/866/coverbig.jpg?v=20171120151105)
Henrietta Temple : A Love Story
THE family of Armine entered England with William the Norman. Ralph d’Armyn was standard-bearer of the Conqueror, and shared prodigally in the plunder, as appears by Doomsday Book. At the time of the general survey the family of Ermyn, or Armyn, possessed numerous manors in Nottinghamshi
/0/9601/coverbig.jpg?v=6a9063496f13126ba467a5c56cdbb8d1)
Theo: A Sprightly Love Story
Frances Hodgson Burnett was an English author best known for writing some of the greatest children's novels in literature. Some of Burnett's works have been turned into popular plays. This edition of Theo: A Sprightly Love Story includes a table of contents.
/0/81791/coverbig.jpg?v=e602fb6b01ea4902c11c5ca82921c476)
Woke Up A Stranger, Found My Love
I woke up in a hospital, my past a blank beyond my 18th year. The doctor said I was 27, even a talented architect, and married. But the woman they introduced as my wife, Sophia, was a cold, stunning stranger. She looked at me with thinly veiled contempt. She spoke of my nine lost years as a desc
/0/88053/coverbig.jpg?v=b26236abb634bf2ada7ca3c2c99e5b06)
LOVE STORY
In a life painted with shared laughter, quiet moments, and a love that defied time, Damilola's heart was shattered by the loss of her beloved David. Now, she embarks on a journey through the tapestry of their life together, from their first meeting under the summer sky to their final, tender farewel
/0/24137/coverbig.jpg?v=ca358b76e76737621a4ac6a092716b28)
Fvck Up Love
Bars, the taste of the alcohol, the smell of the cigarrete, and different guys---Emery Austin’s life is revolving around these. She was living independently until one day, her vices and bad habits wanted to pay her off. Her fate led her into something else she did not expect. She got pregnant. And s
/0/22868/coverbig.jpg?v=c77ede3e3f1cad8b857d8b9ebec5eafe)
The Special Ones Book 2: Hidden Secrets
After Amanda decided to stay, she slowly starting to adopt new things in her life. Her Brothers friends helping her to be strong enough to fight back to use her eyes to defend herself from the Black Empire that is now slowly entering their territory. Attacking her friends, with the help of unknown t
/0/42941/coverbig.jpg?v=73f167f6e8a0f7f47bf8d2a6fc1975cd)
THE ROYALLY SCREWED LUNA
‘Marking you was the worst mistake I have ever made in my life.’ Raven was switched at birth. Alpha Greyhemm's younger twin daughter taken with Raven left in the crib instead. Her life is one none would wish for. Bullied and abused for reasons beyond her control but hope blooms when the alpha king p
/1/107013/coverbig.jpg?v=653d93236a1e191f44ec84675970c1f5)
Three Little Secrets: The Billionaire's Hidden Heirs
For nineteen-year-old Lina Moore, a mandatory hospital health screening tied to a prestigious scholarship feels like her only escape from a life of control under her cold, demanding aunt and uncle. It's supposed to be routine. It changes everything. On the same day, a rushed nurse makes a devastatin
/0/45730/coverbig.jpg?v=74299ba2e27ea7b8f8ae6932fd315883)
His Secretary, His Wife: A Love Story
For Bachtiar Gema, finding a night out after work is not difficult. His status as a widower and as a famous lawyer makes many women's eyes gasp at him. But amidst the tranquility of his life, which is running normally like any other human being, his new assistant comes to offer a million pleasures t
/0/8708/coverbig.jpg?v=7b77b09fae04ab071390e03a1d9b6632)
Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story
Trajectory presents classics of world literature with 21st century features! Our original-text editions include the following visual enhancements to foster a deeper understanding of the work: Word Clouds at the start of each chapter highlight important words. Word, sentence, paragraph counts, and re
/0/70689/coverbig.jpg?v=816a8bf3f4be445b3fa1e0732fe2999e)
Rekindled Hearts: A Billionaire Love Story
A young romance that lasts a lifetime is something that everyone wants and dreams of. Teenage relationships are problematic though, because, well... they feature teenagers and all of their foolish, immature ways. Childhood sweethearts Nathan and Emily were deeply in love with each other. When her f
/0/80948/coverbig.jpg?v=1f9934d9b4fa0ed146b3b5fa805dbae0)
Isabelle's Downfall: A Twisted Love Story
Tomorrow, I, Ethan Reed, was set to marry Isabelle Davenport, the exquisite old-money bride who promised a future of prestige and endless possibilities. Our lavish rehearsal dinner glowed with anticipation, my parents beaming with pride as their "new money" son married into established aristocracy.
