LOGIN“Why are you like this, Axel?” she asked in a low voice, her tone slightly breaking. “Why won't you just leave me alone?” For a moment, something inside me stirred. I reached out slowly and placed my fingers under her chin, lifting her face. She tried to look away, but I wouldn’t let her. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she bit her lower lip stubbornly, trying to keep them from falling. But that tiny act of defiance… God, it did something to me. I wanted to pull her closer, to claim her, to make her mine and never let anyone else touch her. “One year,” I said finally. She frowned. “What?” “I want you,” I said clearly. “For one year, you’ll be my woman. In exchange, I’ll take care of you, your needs, your family’s protection, your brother’s freedom. Everything.” *** After catching her scumbag boyfriend in bed with her coworker, Olivia Brooks did what any heartbroken woman might… she drowned her sorrows at a club. One too many drinks later, she ended up in the arms of a dangerously handsome stranger. What she didn’t know was that the man she mistook for a gigolo was Axel Reynolds, a ruthless billionaire with a taste for control. Olivia tried to move on and bury the memory of that reckless night… until fate delivered a cruel twist. Axel Reynolds wasn’t just anyone—he was her step sister’s soon-to-be husband. Now, trapped between guilt and desire, Olivia wants to hide the truth. But Axel has already found her, and the devil never lets go of what he claims.
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“Are you out of your damn mind, Aiden?!” My voice echoed through the staircase as I stormed out of my boyfriend’s crappy apartment. Aiden stumbled after me, half-naked, wearing only a brief. “Babe, wait! Please, let me explain…” Before he could finish, I swung my bag hard at him. “Explain what?!” I snapped. “That you slept with Eve, my coworker? Three years together, and you betray me with someone you’ve known for just three weeks?!” He flinched. “I swear, I don’t know what came over me! It just happened…” “Oh, save it!” I cut him off bitterly. “You said the same thing last time, with your ‘childhood best friend,’ and before that, your coworker. Three women in three years, Aiden! How stupid do you think I am?” He opened his mouth, but no words came. My chest burned with anger and hurt. How could he do this to me? Furious, I yanked off the thin silver ring he’d given me — the same cheap ring he’d used to apologize over and over again, and each time, I forgave him. Not this time. I threw it at his chest. “Take your lies back. I’m done, Aiden. Don’t come near me again.” “Babe…” he tried again, but I was already gone, storming down the stairs. I ran out under the drizzling rain to my old golf car and sped off into the street. My breath caught, and against my will, a single hot tear slid down my cheek again. “Damn it,” I whispered harshly, wiping it away quickly. I focused on the road as I grabbed my phone and connected it to my car’s bluetooth. I needed to drown out the noise in my head and the ache in my heart. The familiar voice of Linda Gabriel, the famous relationship expert, filled my ears. “Ladies, if a man doesn’t value you, if you always have to beg for his attention or excuse his wrongs, you are not in a relationship; you are in a prison of your own making. Love should not feel like punishment. Walk away when you must, and walk away with your dignity.” I took a deep breath, letting the words wash over me. They felt like both salt and healing on my wounded heart. Maybe I had been blind, tolerating far too much from Aiden. Maybe this was the wake-up call I needed. Suddenly, my car coughed, groaned, and stopped in the middle of a lonely street. “No… no… no!” I cried, desperately trying to start my car again, but the engine gave a single, hopeless noise. “Ahhhh!” I screamed in frustration and gripped the steering wheel hard. Rain began to pour harder. “Damn it.” I pulled out my phone and called Ella, my best friend. The moment she picked up, I couldn’t hold back the tears. “Aiden did it again, Ella,” I said painfully. “God, I feel like a fool.” “What?! I knew it! I told you that bastard doesn’t deserve you!” Ella yelled in anger. She continued to rant about how she knew I was way too good for him and deserved better. “Where are you now? The rain is crazy,” she finally asked. “My car broke down in the middle of your street,” I muttered. “I don’t even know what to do anymore.” “Stay there. I’m coming to pick you up right now,” she said, then added, “And don’t think for a second that you’re going home to mope! My man’s boss is opening a new club tonight. You’re coming with us, Olivia. You need to get your head out of heartbreak mode. Tonight, you’re drinking, dancing, and forgetting that idiot exists.” “What? No, Ella, I just want to go home and…” “Listen to Linda Gabriel’s podcast with a box of tissues and a bucket of ice cream?” she interrupted sharply. “Not gonna happen.” I groaned softly, running my hand through my damp hair. Knowing Ella, there was no winning this argument. She wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. *** Three hours later, here I was, in a tight red dress and high heels, courtesy of Ella, standing in one of the most luxurious clubs I’d ever seen. “Ladies, enjoy yourselves,” Ted, Ella’s boyfriend, said with a wink. “Drinks are on me tonight. And if any guy gives you trouble, come find me. I’ll be right over there with my boss.” “Thanks, baby,” Ella cooed, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. Ted smiled before heading off toward a private VIP section. The moment he disappeared, Ella dragged me toward the bar. “Two shots of the strongest stuff you’ve got,” she told the bartender. I frowned. “Ella, I don’t think—” “Nope,” she said, cutting me off again. “No thinking tonight.” The bartender slid two glasses toward us. I picked up my glass hesitantly. Ella clinked her glass against mine. “To freedom,” she said. I sighed, then smiled faintly. “To freedom.” The first shot burned down my throat like molten lava, but the warmth that followed spread through my chest, melting away a bit of my pain. Ella grinned victoriously. “See? Not so bad.” A few more shots later, the heaviness in my heart began to fade. The club seemed lighter, warmer, even brighter. Ella leaned in close. “Let’s dance!” I blinked, half-dazed. “Dance?” “Yes! Come on!” She pulled me onto the dance floor and started dancing. I moved to the beat slowly at first, letting the rhythm take over. As I danced, memories of Aiden flooded my mind — how I’d supported him through everything: helping with his work proposals, editing his reports when he was too lazy to do them himself, even cooking and cleaning his messy apartment when he was too tired. Hell, I was more like an unpaid housemaid who serviced her boss with her body. But not anymore. I was done being anyone’s fool. The realization sent a rush of energy through me. I moved my hips freely, swaying to the rhythm, letting every beat wash away the pain. Ella cheered and danced beside me, laughing as we moved in sync. Men started approaching, but Ella, protective as always, waved them off with sharp glares. “Not tonight, boys,” she said. I laughed, feeling bolder and freer by the minute. But soon, the shots and dancing left me breathless. “I need a drink.” Ella nodded, twirling around before disappearing into the crowd. I made my way back to the bar. The bartender saw me coming and raised an eyebrow. “Back already?” “Just one more,” I said. He chuckled and poured me another shot. As I picked it up, he leaned closer and whispered with a teasing grin, “It seems you’ve already caught the attention of a shark.” I paused, confused. “A shark?” He nodded, tilting his head toward the far side of the room. Curious, I turned my head and froze. Standing a few meters away was a man who didn’t look real. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and effortlessly handsome. His dark green eyes locked directly on me. A few buttons of his black shirt were undone, revealing smooth skin and a glimpse of hard muscle beneath. Gosh… he was hot! I licked my dry lips unconsciously and turned back to the bartender with a playful smirk. “But I’m not the prey tonight.” With that, I downed the shot in one swift gulp and walked toward the hot stuff, deliberately swaying my hips seductively, my eyes locked on his. When I finally reached him, he looked at me slowly, his lips curving just slightly. “You shouldn’t play with fire, sweetheart,” he said in a low, husky voice. I smiled sweetly, leaning a little closer. “Who says I’m playing?” He raised a brow, looking amused. I licked my lips again and tilted my head. “Tell me… how much for the night?”AaronI stared at them.They stood barely a few meters away, gathered in their small circle like kings in some ancient court, their deep and careless laughter echoing through the grand hall.My fingers tightened around the stem of my champagne glass.Fake laughs.Without thinking, I tilted the glass back and finished the champagne in one gulp. The sharp burn slid down my throat, but it did nothing to cool the anger and irritation I was feeling.Old, foolish men.What the hell was even wrong with them?I had been attending the Gotham Global Summit since the very first day, sitting through endless conferences, tolerating meaningless conversations, enduring forced pleasantries—all for one purpose.To establish myself.To build alliances.To form connections.To secure contracts that would cement my authority within Reynolds Group beyond question.And yet…Every single time I approached one of them, I could see it.That look.That subtle shift in their eyes.That quiet, unspoken judgment.
AxelThe instant the car rolled to a stop in front of the hospital entrance, I pushed the door open and walked inside.Jasmine’s voice from earlier still echoed in my mind. She had sounded so fragile and broken, unlike anything I had ever heard from her before.She had sounded so… terrified.And that alone had been enough to make me drop everything and come here immediately.My gaze swept across the reception area until it landed on the front desk, where two nurses stood reviewing patient files.I approached them directly.One of them looked up as I stopped in front of the counter. Her name badge read, ‘Nurse Evelyn Carter.’“Yes, sir. How may I help you?” she asked politely.“Carl Pierce,” I said immediately, my voice calm but firm. “Which ward is he in?”The moment the name left my mouth, both nurses exchanged a quick glance.Nurse Carter turned back to her computer and typed quickly.“Yes. He was admitted earlier tonight,” she said. “Critical condition.”My jaw tightened. She finis
Jasmine Carl’s breathing grew heavier. I watched as something dark gathered behind his battered eyes. Enraged, he stood up abruptly.“You ungrateful girl!” he barked loudly “So you'd rather just stand there and watch me suffer like this?!”I flinched slightly, instinctively taking a small step back.He pointed at me, his hand trembling with anger.“Now listen to me. You will settle those loan sharks,” he said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone that sent a chill down my spine. “Every single cent.”My heart began to pound harder.“And not just that,” he continued, his lips curling bitterly. “You will find me another twenty million dollars for my medical treatment and for the pain I endured tonight. For everything they did to me.”His cold gaze locked onto mine, sharp and filled with darkness that made my blood run cold.“Unless… unless you want me to expose the truth.”My breath caught.“I’ll tell everyone. I’ll let the entire world know who you really are. I’ll tell Axel,
Jasmine“Drive faster.”My voice came out sharper than I intended. The driver glanced at me briefly through the rearview mirror, before nodding.“Yes, ma’am.”The car accelerated.Still, it wasn’t enough.It wasn’t fast enough to outrun the panic clawing at my chest.I pressed my trembling fingers tightly together on my lap, trying to steady them.Why?Why couldn’t this man never give me a single moment of peace?Why couldn’t he just live quietly like everyone else?Why was there always trouble?Always chaos?Always something dragging me back down just when I thought I could finally breathe?If not for the undeniable fact that he was my biological father… I would have abandoned him long ago.I would have erased him from my life completely.Pretended he never existed. Pretended I had been born without one.But I just couldn't do that. No matter what, he still remained my father, even though he had chosen to become a burden in my life.The car turned sharply into the familiar street whe
OliviaThe phone slipped from my sweaty hand and landed on the passenger seat with a dull thud.I tried to take a deep breath.But all that escaped my lips was a shaky, uneven exhale.This was really it.It was finally happening tonight.Tonight was the end.Or at least… it was supposed to be.I cl
JasmineI sat beside Axel at the dining table, watching him as he calmly ate his dinner.He cut into his steak with ease, brought it to his lips, chewed slowly, and swallowed with the same composed grace he carried everywhere… as though nothing was wrong.As though our marriage wasn’t slowly cracki
OliviaI stifled a yawn, pressing the back of my hand lightly against my lips as I blinked at the page in front of me.I had been sitting in the faculty library for hours studying, but it had been worth it. The concepts Professor Hale introduced earlier finally made complete sense now. I was just
Olivia“Strategic differentiation,” Professor Hale said, “is not merely about being different. It is about being meaningfully different in a way that your target market is willing to pay for.”The large screen behind him displayed a slide titled ‘Competitive Advantage in Saturated Markets,’ with bu












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