'"Tell me what you want, Amara,” Zane said, voice like silk over fire. His lips were a whisper from mine. I could feel the tension in his body. The restraint. The raw, maddening awareness. He dragged a finger down my cheek. “To be touched? Or to be remembered?” I stared at him. “Neither. I just want you gone.” “You don’t mean that,” he said, leaning in just a fraction closer. “I do,” I lied. His breath fanned my lips. His nose grazed mine. I felt every inch of my body coil, traitorous and trembling. I wanted him to kiss me. But it would be wrong. He was engaged to someone else.' *** He is the bridegroom. She is the wedding planner. He doesn’t seem to remember her. Or so he says. Five years ago, wedding planner Amara Ibe was madly in love with her fiancé, Zane Blackwood. Until she exposed a massive corruption scandal that was tied to Zane’s father’s company, to which Zane was the primary heir. Her whistleblower tip destroyed Zane’s career, or so she thought. Now Zane is back, bigger and better than ever, and about to marry someone else in the wedding of the century. The catch? Amara has been hired to plan the wedding. And Zane doesn’t seem to remember her. Behind the luxury wedding, perfect vows and Zane’s strangely elusive fiancée, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has secrets, and Amara gradually realizes that everything the couple sells out to the public is a lie. And loving this man could destroy her… again.
Lihat lebih banyakI didn’t expect his knock to come so quickly. It wasn’t even a knock. It was a thunderous, commanding bang that rattled the frame of my apartment door and sent my pulse screaming into overdrive. For one horrifying second, I thought it was whoever had taken that picture, come back to finish what they’d started. Then I heard his voice. “Amara. Open the door.” Zane. My knees buckled with something dangerously close to relief. With trembling hands, I twisted the lock. The door swung open, and he didn’t hesitate. He didn’t say a word. He just stepped inside like he owned the space and pulled me into his arms. The air left me in a rush. His scent, that rich mix of cedarwood and expensive whiskey, filled my lungs. His chest was hard against my cheek, his arms unyielding as steel around me. And in that moment, the dam I had been holding back all night shattered. I sobbed into his chest. Ugly, shuddering sobs that shook me from the inside out. He didn’t push me away or mock me. He just p
I froze. “Them?” He nodded. “Sera. Julian. Catherine. They’ve been pulling strings, weaving lies, building their little empire. But I know you’ve seen the cracks, Amara. You’re clever and resourceful. You can be dangerous when you want to be.” My pulse thundered in my ears. “And you think I’d partner with you?” He smirked again, tilting his head. “You already did last night.” “Go to hell,” I rasped. “I have a better idea. How about we burn them first? You and me.” His smirk was slow, lethal. “Think about it, Amara. They’ve all wronged you. They’ve all wronged me. Why waste our energy destroying each other when we could destroy them?” I swallowed hard, my body still trembling from his touch. His offer was poison. And yet, as he stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, I couldn’t help but think of the power we might wield together. Zane’s smile deepened as if he could read my thoughts. “Think about it, Amara. Revenge tastes sweeter when it’s shared.” ## I couldn’t breathe wh
The sunlight was merciless. It streamed through the curtains, golden and warm, but to me it felt like a spotlight. My body was sore with reminders of the night before. And beside me, Zane lay stretched out on the sheets, his dark hair mussed, his eyes fixed on me. “Good morning, thief,” he murmured, his lips tilted into that infuriating smirk. Heat shot up my neck. I pulled the sheet tighter around me, desperate to hide myself. “Don’t call me that.” “Why not?” His voice was low, smooth, like silk wrapping around a blade. “You came here to steal, didn’t you? Instead, you gave yourself to me all over again.” I clenched my jaw and sat up, determined to leave, to erase this mistake. But before I could swing my legs off the bed, his hand shot out, pressing firmly against my thigh. “Going somewhere?” “Yes,” I hissed. “Away from you.” But Zane only laughed softly, sitting up beside me. His hand trailed up my thigh, his touch deliberate, claiming. “After last night? You think I’d just
Upon hearing Zane’s voice, I turned, my chest heaving. He stood there, his hands in his pockets. His tie was gone, shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up like he had been waiting and watching. His eyes locked on mine. He was supposed to be away with Sera. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I couldn’t speak. My throat had closed up, strangled by the sound of my name on his lips. He said it like he owned me. For a heartbeat the whole world seemed to vanish, leaving only the two of us in that vast, glittering room. Me with my pockets heavy with stolen jewels. Him with that dangerous calm, like a lion catching his prey mid-step. “How… how are you here?” I finally rasped, hating how my voice trembled. “You were supposed to be…” “Gone?” His mouth curved into something that wasn’t a smile. “You should know by now, Amara. I’m never where you expect me to be.” His gaze dropped deliberately to my apron pockets, the bulge of jewelry impossible to miss. Heat rushed up my neck, shame
For my next agenda, I chose a café terrace. Not just any café, but one of those fashionable ones along the boulevard where celebrities are always “spotted” sipping overpriced cappuccinos and pretending to be ordinary. Photographers staked it out daily, hungry for scandal. It was the perfect stage. Sera arrived right on time, as I knew she would. She was always punctual when it came to her carefully curated routines. Slim cream dress, oversized sunglasses, diamond studs flashing in the sunlight. She rocked her bump to perfection. That’s when Dante made his move. My decoy, perfectly selected to cause ruin. He was tall, sun-bronzed, with just enough charm in his smile to disarm without effort. I’d told him to go in bold, not coy. And he did. He spotted her across the terrace as if by accident, as if fate itself had led him there, and swept into her space with the kind of confidence only men like him could fake. “Seraphina?” he said, lowering his sunglasses with mock surprise. Her li
For a heartbeat, silence reigned. The delicate fabric dangled between his fingers, unmistakable under the glare of the chandeliers. The color burned against the black of his suit, a brand, a signature. Then the whispers began. “What is that?” “Is that… underwear?” “Whose is it?” “Oh my God!” The crowd rippled with laughter, shock, cruel speculation. Phones lifted instantly. Camera flashes went wild. This was no private slip. It was a viral moment in the making. Zane’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with fury as he realized. He crushed the panties in his fist, tried to continue, but the room had shifted. Sera, sitting at the front table in her silk gown, had gone pale. Her lips parted, trembling as humiliation bloomed across her face. Her hands fisted in her lap. Catherine leaned in, whispering frantically, but her eyes flickered sharp with suspicion. Julian shifted uncomfortably beside her, glancing at Zane as though silently asking for damage control instructions. Julian. H
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Komen