What Lies Beneath
/1/110451/coverbig.jpg?v=2820de6fa805c709de688f2d653ccf9e)
Wrong Room: Sleeping With My Fiancé's Uncle
To revenge herself on her unfaithful fiancé Kevin, Isidora hides her striking beauty behind a plain disguise, and targets his uncle - the most formidable man Kevin fears. After one reckless night, Isidora leaves cash as payment and says lightly, "You were good last night." She tries to leave quietly, but is pulled into his arms. "You think you can walk away after this?" he says, his tone low and possessive. Cedrick is a feared, untouchable titan on Wall Street - elegant, aloof, and completely uninterested in women. Not even the most beautiful socialites in the city can catch his eye. When gossip spreads that he was seen pressing a woman against a wall and kissing her fiercely, no one believes it. When the rumors name Isidora, the crowd scoffs. He rejects even the most beautiful women, so why would he notice a plain girl like her? All doubt disappears when they see the dignified Cedrick drop to one knee to help Isidora with her shoe, pleading softly for just one kiss. When Kevin finally sees Isidora's true beauty and begs for forgiveness. But Cedrick kicks him out at once, slams a marriage certificate on the table, and says sharply. "Call her Aunt."
Chapter 1 Manhattan Top Floor
The heavy mahogany door of the Plaza Hotel's presidential suite stood before Isidora.
She gripped the universal keycard so tightly that the sharp plastic edges bit into her palm. The pain was grounding.
She swiped the card. The green light blinked, followed by a soft click.
Isidora pushed the door open. The air inside hit her like a physical blow, thick with the smell of expensive champagne and cheap lust.
She stepped onto the Persian rug. Her eyes immediately locked onto a custom Armani suit jacket discarded on the floor. It belonged to Kevin.
A black lace bra hung from the edge of the crystal chandelier in the hallway. It was Chantelle's, her former good friend.
Isidora's stomach violently contracted, acid burned the back of her throat. This was the man she was supposed to marry in a few months.
From the half-open bedroom door, the unmistakable sounds of wet skin slapping against skin and heavy, uninhibited moans echoed through the quiet suite.
She didn't cry. Instead, a freezing calm washed over her veins.
Isidora pulled her phone from her pocket. She opened the camera, switched to video mode, and made sure the flash was off.
She walked toward the bedroom and kicked the door wide open with her heel.
The screen of her phone illuminated the tangled limbs on the king-sized bed. Kevin was on top, his face buried in the blonde model's neck.
The sudden light made Kevin freeze. He snapped his head around, his eyes wide with sheer panic.
"What the hell!" Kevin roared, grabbing a pillow and hurling it at the door. "You creepy, ugly freak! Get out!"
Isidora didn't flinch. She simply tilted her head, letting the pillow hit the doorframe.
Her thumb pressed the red stop button. The video was saved.
She looked at Kevin's pale, sweaty face. There was no jealousy in her chest, only the cold satisfaction of a hunter bagging a kill.
Chantelle let out a piercing scream, pulling the silk sheets up to cover her chest.
Isidora turned her back on them. She walked out of the suite, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor in a steady, ruthless rhythm.
By the time she reached the elevator, her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She slammed her hand against the button for the rooftop bar.
She needed alcohol. She needed it to burn away the filth she had just witnessed.
The elevator doors opened directly into the dim, purple ambient lighting of the rooftop bar. The heavy bass of a jazz band vibrated against her ribcage, but it couldn't drown out the churning in her stomach. She forced the nausea down, her face still a mask of thick, uneven foundation and fake freckles, her eyes hidden behind hideous, thick-rimmed black glasses. She was a walking, breathing joke, and tonight, she would lean into it.
She walked to the most isolated corner of the bar, ignoring the sideways glances her strange appearance attracted.
"Dry martini. Make it your strongest," Isidora told the bartender.
When the glass arrived, she didn't sip it. She threw her head back and swallowed the burning liquid in one go.
The alcohol hit her bloodstream like a match dropped in gasoline. Her head spun.
Suddenly, the barstool next to her was pulled back. A tall, broad shadow sat down.
Before she even looked at him, a scent invaded her lungs. Crisp cedarwood mixed with a dark, dangerous male pheromone. It completely overpowered the cheap cologne of the men around them.
"Whiskey. Neat," the man ordered.
His voice was a low, gravelly rumble. It sounded exhausted, like a man who hadn't slept in a week.
Isidora turned her head. The lighting was terrible, but she could make out a razor-sharp jawline and a black dress shirt with the top two buttons undone.
Cedrick gripped his glass, his knuckles white. His chronic insomnia had been tearing his nerves to shreds for days.
But then, a scent drifted across the space between them.
It was faint. Iris. A very specific, custom blend of iris that hit his brain like a heavy dose of tranquilizers. The constant buzzing in his skull instantly quieted.
Cedrick snapped his head toward the woman sitting next to him.
His dark, bottomless eyes locked onto her. He saw the hideous, thick-rimmed glasses, the cakey, uneven foundation, and the tightly pulled, severe bun. The woman's appearance was a jarring contradiction to the ethereal, calming fragrance she wore. But in that moment, as the crushing pressure in his skull finally receded, he found he didn't care. He didn't care at all. All that mattered was the source of that scent.
Isidora felt the heat of his stare. It was predatory. It made the hair on her arms stand up. It was also deeply confusing. No one had ever looked at her this way while she wore her disguise.
She tried to stand up and walk away, but the martini betrayed her. Her knees buckled.
She fell sideways.
A thick, muscular forearm caught her waist. Cedrick's hand was burning hot, the heat searing right through the thin silk of her dress.
The urge to destroy Kevin, combined with the heavy alcohol in her brain, reached a boiling point.
Isidora looked up at the stranger. She didn't pull away. Instead, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
The morning sun sliced through the gap in the heavy curtains, stabbing Isidora directly in the eyes.
She gasped, her eyes flying open. Every muscle in her body ached with a deep, throbbing soreness.
She turned her head. A massive, scarred back faced her on the other side of the king-sized bed.
The memories of last night crashed into her skull like a freight train. The rough hands, the biting, the absolute loss of control.
Panic seized her throat. She couldn't breathe.
Isidora threw the duvet off her naked body. She scrambled across the carpet, grabbing her scattered clothes and pulling them on with shaking hands.
She needed to leave. She needed to make sure this never happened again.
She dug into her purse and pulled out ten crisp hundred-dollar bills.
She grabbed a hotel pen and scribbled on a notepad: Standard service fee. We're even. She stared at the harsh letters for a split second, her expression hardening into absolute, cold detachment. There was no room for lingering sentiment or regret in the life she was forced to lead.
She slammed the cash and the note onto the nightstand, right next to his heavy, expensive-looking watch and her own pair of ugly, thick-rimmed glasses.
Isidora didn't look back. She yanked the suite door open and ran down the hallway like a fugitive.
/0/99044/coverbig.jpg?v=01973ccca1d123f5137c7e127411e4fe)
Secrets Between Hearts Beneath the Lies
Every heart has a secret... But some secrets can ruin everything. Harper never thought that love could lead to betrayal and passion. She is torn between wanting to know the truth and believing the lies. She needs to find the truth before the lies take over her and the people she loves. In a worl
/1/113279/coverbig.jpg?v=7273fb4856af3c9bd4e5eccd0af9ffdc)
BENEATH TWISTED HEARTS - Lies Doubt and Obsession
Not only was I drugged, blinded and assaulted. I was deceived into carrying a baby by a stranger I never knew. Then he appeared and took my child away. I was sent to a militia by the father of my child. I thought I was rescued but I was recruited to be a weapon for killing. Who was manipulating me,
/1/111382/coverbig.jpg?v=7909992c27afcbdfa8b60e0337046fa1)
Fragments Beneath His Silence
Two years ago, Amaya Bennett witnessed a murder. A powerful man was killed in cold blood, right in front of her. She should have died that night too. Instead, she woke up in a hospital with no memory of what happened. No faces, no names and no clues. Just fragments, blurred images that slip through
/0/60678/coverbig.jpg?v=59aa6ed7993d882da242eecb66f8b426)
Beneath the surfaces
ays struggled to make ends meet, working multiple jobs to support her adoptive grandmother, Alice. But when she witnesses a fatal accident, her life takes an unexpected turn. In exchange for changing her statement, Ariana is offered a place at a prestigious private school, where she is thrust into a
/0/66340/coverbig.jpg?v=cc9123f1c1cfd3517926d3517b5eb443)
Beneath The Silver Moon
In the shadow of a forgotten village, a hidden war rages- one that will soon drag Kiera Bellamy into a world she never believed existed. After the sudden death of her father, Kiera returns to her childhood home only to discover unsettling truths about her heritage and a family bound by ancient blood
/0/67677/coverbig.jpg?v=854f0d70ba025f7d518237668e355b58)
Beneath the Skyline
Outline for "Beneath the Skyline" Introduction Opening Scene: Ethan Blackwood, a 34-year-old tech billionaire, is introduced in his penthouse overlooking a vibrant city skyline. Establish his character: successful, isolated, and disillusioned with his luxurious lifestyle. Hint at his inner conf
/0/76223/coverbig.jpg?v=d51b90b0b6015204002171aa16be16e5)
Beneath the Alpha's Bloodline
When cruel Alpha Hayden attacked and slaughtered Lila's pack, her entire life falls apart. She runs into the forbidden forest alone in fear and despair, but Kian, a strong Alpha with a bad and sorrowful past, saves her. Reluctantly taking Lila in, Kian is overwhelmed by the idea that he is impotent
/0/79825/coverbig.jpg?v=31a03b2a4e0d281379efc00c02882a2f)
whisper Beneath the silk
--- Whispers Beneath the Silk A romantic thriller steeped in secrets, shadows, and seduction. --- When Evelyn Roth, a gifted textile restorer with a hidden past, receives a mysterious commission to restore an estate's vintage gowns, she sees it as the opportunity of a lifetime. The request ar
/1/101682/coverbig.jpg?v=9f20351519d47f160a7449848883b6c2)
Spring Beneath the Grave
Elora Griffiths was on her way to drop her daughter off at school when her husband's enemies opened fire in the street. The bodyguard her husband had personally assigned to protect them abandoned the car the instant the shots rang out. Mother and daughter were hit multiple times, teetering on
/0/62064/coverbig.jpg?v=20240930113122)
What If I Lied?
In a world of secrets, a tale unfolds where lies shape destinies. What if one lie changed everything? Dive into a story where truths unravel, and deception reigns. Explore the consequences of a single falsehood in this gripping narrative of deceit and its tangled web.
/0/66392/coverbig.jpg?v=d716714928ba7f83d51b2a4200f5416b)
What The Heart Desires
Shattered by betrayal and heartbreak, a young woman's deepest desire is to find true love. But when she finally discovers it, her world is turned upside down by a shocking revelation; a lifelong deception, that changes everything she thought she knew. Can she overcome her past and fight f
/0/22910/coverbig.jpg?v=fccf8a2d06c976f6173f46ef878826eb)
What the Moon Brings
An accidental meeting turns into a life changing event. When Tanisha learns the truth of her life will she stay or will she run away. She knows of werewolves..but fae, vampires and more.. what else doesn't she know about?
/0/25214/coverbig.jpg?v=7efabe28dd5b37b3da4d33a79dd44836)
What a Lovely Sweetie
"Larissa Wilson, only 19, has to seek the help of her father’s friends to protect her family business after her father’s death. Larissa hears that her father and Glen Lake, the most powerful and richest man in City J, are partners, so she asks him for help. However, asking for help is not an easy th
/0/17633/coverbig.jpg?v=9ef5c488b2a7003dbca2d873d8e5a4c9)
What Is Free Trade?
Bastiat's "Sophismes Economiques" was translated during the free-trade agitation in England, by Mr. Porter, the author of " Tho Progress of the Nation," and was widely circulated, under the title of " Popular Fallacies regarding General ...
/0/92743/coverbig.jpg?v=20260107233400)
Lies & Vows
"Till death do us part." We both parroted the words of the priest without emotion, our gazes locked in a silent battle, ignoring the cheer of the congregation who had come to witness this façade. What is going through that mind of yours? I stared unflinchingly into those ink-black eyes. Is he alre
/0/23496/coverbig.jpg?v=9b3f1aef2993d0887edafe3d80a9c5c2)
Killing Lies
When the sky ignited in crimson and bombs obliterated Segunda Island in 2080, death was only the beginning. The fallen didn't stay dead. They morphed into savage, bloodthirsty beasts. Terrified survivors barely hold on, hunted by horrors that wear the faces of those they loved. Jane Fortalejo, the
/0/29620/coverbig.jpg?v=16edf3c12356e78b07e09e8b705721c3)
WHAT ARE WE?
...After the death of her both parents, the career driven Jasmine Hawkins is left to face life hurdles alone, her journey through life, brought her in contact with the very annoying, in same way loving and over protective blonde boy, Corbyn. She isn't sure of, a minute he is her's, the next, she
/0/62800/coverbig.jpg?v=f7760b193126c15b01909383c73fff86)
What they never knew
Gwen Shivers worked as a fashion illustrator and designer at one of the biggest fashion companies in the country. Charles Emmett is the new CEO of Emmett Inc. met Gwen on an accidental encounter. They fell in love with each other at first sight. Their relationship was kept secret from everyone aro
/0/18432/coverbig.jpg?v=78388fff74b9b5d952d6b2efa0facc9a)
What can't be bought
The 29 years old Amy is both smart and ambitious; she had to struggle to succeed in life. Although she graduated from Harvard, she chose to dedicate her life to her catering company. Dedicated and hardworking she could always count on the help of her friend Mila and her parents Ellie and Daniel. Ale
/0/17632/coverbig.jpg?v=c0578bb161fb01f08f9a03a847028e0e)
What is Coming?
World War I forever altered the course of human history, and thinkers and activists around the globe were galvanized by the goal of developing ideas and means by which to avoid future conflicts. In What Is Coming?, science fiction luminary H. G. Wells throws his hat in the ring, imagining a future i
