The Beguiled Bond
/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.
/0/20105/coverbig.jpg?v=639824bc6d5c0b68451b4eb4cebb79e3)
The Beguiled Bond
As the first female battle commander of the military from the Waevalon Kingdom, Rachelle Simon believes that she does not need a mate in her life until she knows who she really was or where she actually came from before she arrived at the Dark Soul pack. She is living in peace until an annoying mys
/0/73322/coverbig.jpg?v=2f8c90078322c68af03c77b62b813074)
LOVE BEGUILED
When Ava is diagnosed with uterine cancer, her world falls apart. Determined to fight for her life, she throws herself into work, saving every penny for the life-saving surgery she desperately needs. But just when she begins to see a glimmer of hope, she loses her job,her only source of income. Trap
/0/74655/coverbig.jpg?v=66b37eb8b1c7502e6e58caeab2c07925)
The Alpha's Bond
Killian King is cold, distant, dominant, and possessive of what's his. He is the undisputed top dog at school, the one everyone fears and admires, known as the bad boy. His piercing gaze and unwavering attitude guarantee him a place at the top among his peers. But everything changes the day Finnick
/0/46604/coverbig.jpg?v=f8f90c1e3cdb6f4003896ac0db35b752)
Breaching The Bond
Synopsis "Kelly,you are hurting me!"Karen yelled but only a tiny voice could be heard. Kelly glared at her. "I will make sure you regret every second you live as my sister until I suck out every powers you have!..I won't stop until I get what I want".She flashed her evil smile and began to walk
/1/104224/coverbig.jpg?v=577f3c30b5c194d3127a7068a5bf8a09)
Bond By The Silverblood
🌹 A While Apart but Close by Hearts By Mizh Jenny Cathrina and Edward were never meant to be apart... But life pulled them away, leaving only letters, memories, and the bond of their hearts. Distance tested their love, time challenged their patience... Can a love that survived miles survive des
/0/53910/coverbig.jpg?v=a00b6140d9e54e7c1c70f95a444f8149)
The Irresistible Bond
(18+) Please be aware that this book has matured contents (18+) Enduring a lifetime of hate from her stepmother and stepsister, Luna Denova yearned to break free and forge her own path. However, such aspirations felt futile given her lack of money. Then she encountered Ace Drakonov, a man who sho
/0/57939/coverbig.jpg?v=bc7db017741047df6b6c674837f640dd)
Unveiling the Bond
Avery's life changes drastically when her pack is forced to merge with a rival group, bringing hidden tensions and unexpected challenges to the surface. As she navigates newfound powers and complicated relationships, Avery must confront deep-seated traditions and secrets that threaten the stability
/1/108620/coverbig.jpg?v=71a6230452493a3f43126215d5cd9426)
The Dragon's Bond
Elara has survived a whole year in the dragon king's palace being invisible, just another servant in a kingdom were dragons rule and humans serve. But her whole life is turned upside down when she's reassigned to the King's private chambers. Draeven Thorne, an ancient, arrogant and insatiable drag
/1/109837/coverbig.jpg?v=5d93d8420aed85c0b459f4835e07365b)
THE ALPHA'S REKINDLED BOND
I quickly rushed ahead and saw her lying near the edge where the huge cut tree had fallen a few days ago. Half of her body was resting in water while the other half was resting on the side of the tree. "No," I whispered as I ran ahead, instantly jumping into the river and grabbing her body, pulling
/0/68028/coverbig.jpg?v=401ede37dc3023e50809cd1bca61748a)
THE UNBREAKABLE BOND
Title: The Unbreakable Bond Genre: Thriller, Romance, Adventure Description: Ashley, a young woman with a troubled past, finds herself on the run from a powerful organization known as The Syndicate. With the help of her stepfather, Ryan, and a group of unlikely allies, Ashley must navigate a comp
/0/68886/coverbig.jpg?v=e72d1d147d550648f173b83b5e4db7a7)
The Sixth Bond
Heartbreak is nothing new to Luna Skyheart. She has determined never to trust fate again after five failed mate bonds. Her resolve is put to the test, though, as her sixth bond ties her to the mysterious and formidable Lycan King, King Rex Reign. Luna must choose between rejecting the mate bond once
/0/28285/coverbig.jpg?v=66ad241bea3ce08aaba288e1abdcfe92)
Defying The Mate Bond
Cersei Monroe isn’t your normal, cool level headed werewolf. Instead, she is stubborn and mischievous. She was banished from her high school because she almost ripped out the principal’s heart. Her parents couldn’t handle her anymore and sent her to Adam’s high, a notorious school that accepted stud
/0/42602/coverbig.jpg?v=c77119b63044355c4a7cc2a4955cd897)
The beautiful love bond
Once upon a time, in a small picturesque town called Willowbrook, lived two souls destined to be together. Emily, a vibrant and free-spirited artist, possessed a heart full of passion and an eye that saw beauty in the simplest of things. And there was Liam, a gentle and caring writer, whose words ha
/0/45882/coverbig.jpg?v=577f3c30b5c194d3127a7068a5bf8a09)
Eternal Bond!
Jasmine finds out her man has been cheating on her with her bestie and that they even poisoned her. Heartbroken and pissed, she sends them in advance to the gates of hell before passing out as the poison takes effect in her body. She is shocked to wake up not long after in a body that is not hers.
/0/30785/coverbig.jpg?v=172a0d4b25e828769befc2584dfd4090)
FATED-BOND
Life after high school was supposed to be the most exciting experience, full of adventure for Daisy. That was what she presumed it would be. Instead, it was a world of new, strange, and unimaginable experiences. Daisy was a naive, inexperienced, and ambitious young lady who wanted to prove a point
/0/54095/coverbig.jpg?v=8fc2e8df3745e185b76240ec92a1c65f)
UNSPOKEN BOND
Lila Emerson walks through the crowded corridors of Willow Creek High School in silence, a persistent target of criticism and mockery due to her inability to communicate properly. Among her tormentors is Caleb Matthews, the embodiment of popularity and arrogance, whose vicious remarks echo through t
/0/76339/coverbig.jpg?v=7e8f046fb8ab1f60ca66e5524385df90)
Unshaken Bond
What happens when you realize all your life has been a lie? What happens when you suffer for a destiny you never choose? Carina Blake is the outcome of a forbidden love committed by her parents, she's the one true hybrid and the key to an ancient prophecy told many centuries back but she never knew
/0/33735/coverbig.jpg?v=8fdea1c09b8dc9bfd5f8d9fea00a3434)
Unbreakable Bond
Chris Donovan vs. Shane Lewis Chris Donovan has never known peace since that fateful night. He’d done something very bad. And he never dreamt he would ever come face to face with the person he’d wronged…the one person whose name made him shake with regret, pain, sadness and desire…the one person wh
/0/64414/coverbig.jpg?v=97a91ff15116026f34d4c236ff220c22)
Loveless Bond
Lyra Flynn, a young lady in her early twenties, had a contracted marriage to marry the son of a popular loan shark called Rowan Darko in order to pay the debt of her father. She was given a year ultimatum to make the reckless and purposeless man fall in love with her, the only miracle she could per
/1/117812/coverbig.jpg?v=091efb4ae546effdab9f3811bfc138d6)
The Bizarre Bond: The CEO's Regret
After three years of a cold, contractual marriage, Sophie was finally pregnant, hoping this little life would keep her billionaire husband. However, as she walked out of the maternity clinic, she saw her notoriously fastidious husband tenderly embracing another woman. It was her stepsister, Zoe. Jul
