Who Are The Main Characters In Bearing Gifts?

For nearly five centuries, no child has drawn a first breath. The Creator sealed the womb of the world, and humanity learned to live without its future. But in the depths of Triune, another kind of genesis rose. From the Middle comes a child with power and lineage to rival the Creator. Not born, but woven. Not raised, but awakened. Bodies shaped by design. Souls coaxed from silence. Each one a crafted echo of what humanity once was. Those who survive their emergence ascend to the Upper. Those who falter are reclaimed by the dark. On the night meant to mark their passage into adulthood, five friends stumble upon a truth older than scripture and sharper than prophecy: The first humans were not what they were told. The gods were not who they claimed to be. And the Children of Triune were never meant to ask why. Some truths don't set you free, they come for you.

My husband, Aston Powell, is late to show up at the sixth birthday celebration of our daughter, Hailey Powell. When he arrives, he clasps a necklace with a red emerald pendant hanging from it around her neck. "Wow, Aston! Isn't that from the pair of red emerald pendants you bought at City Auction today? They're worth seven figures, aren't they?" Aston's friends all laugh and tease him. Hailey holds up the pendant with a bright smile on her face. "Thanks, Daddy!" "Where's the other one? Are you planning to give it to Belinda?" his friend asks teasingly. As the others start cheering him on, he takes out a diamond necklace instead. Aston says, "Dear, I've got to be fair. Tamara is pregnant with my child. I promised I'd give the child she's carrying in her belly the other pendant." Tamara Davies is his widowed sister-in-law. My whole body jolts involuntarily, and I subconsciously grip that necklace tightly. "Honey, please don't joke about this." Aston smiles and speaks in an unexpectedly calm voice. "Don't worry, Belinda. My heart belongs to you and only you. You have to be sensible. My brother passed away so young. Tamara begged me to give her a child with our surname. I couldn't reject her." He puts the necklace around my neck and lightly clasps it, placing a soft kiss on my neck while he is at it. "Be good, okay? That was just an accident. Once the child is born, we'll have her sent back to Powell Manor," Aston says.

Catherina Hanshaw Dalton has spent six years believing she lived a fairytale, married to billionaire Xavier Dalton, cherished by him, and building a life rooted in devotion, even amid one heartbreak she cannot control: their inability to have a child. Though Xavier assures her she is enough, Catherine senses his quiet disappointment, a wound deepened by the venomous hostility of his mother, Lydia Dalton. Lydia never misses a chance to insult Catherine’s infertility, idolize Xavier’s sister Mia and her children, or imply Xavier married beneath his status. Catherine endures it all, clinging to the one constant comfort, Xavier always defends her. Or so she believes. This Christmas, however, Catherine’s dread of another humiliating Dalton family gathering turns into confusion. Lydia is gracious….kind, even. The manor is full of relatives, business partners, and esteemed guests, including Hunter Powell, Xavier’s ruthless business rival. The brief moment when Cathy’s eyes meet Hunter unsettles her, but nothing prepares her for Lydia’s “special Christmas gift.” During the toast, Lydia presents Caroline Turner…a beautiful young woman who is allegedly four months pregnant through surrogacy…with Xavier’s child.

“I paid for an heir, not a wife. Hand over the child and leave.” ​Five years ago, I signed a contract with the devil. Desperate to save my dying grandmother, I agreed to be a surrogate for the ruthless billionaire, Liam Sterling. I broke the one rule: I fell in love with him. ​But the moment I gave birth, he turned into a monster. He took my son, threw a check in my face, and had security drag me out of the hospital. He didn't know the truth—I wasn't just carrying one baby. I was carrying two. ​I raised my daughter in secret, far away from his cruel world. She is my light, my joy, my everything. ​But now, fate has played a cruel joke. Liam has found us. He sees his eyes in her face. He wants to take her, too. But he’s about to learn that the timid girl he threw away is gone. If he wants my daughter, he’ll have to go through me. And this time? I’m ready to start a war.

  SYNOPSIS: In the high-stakes world of the Sterling Group, three half-siblings are forced into a ruthless six-month contest to determine who will inherit their father’s billion-dollar empire. Riley Sterling, the youngest and only legitimate child, is determined to prove her worth through integrity and hard work, despite being constantly overshadowed by her siblings. Bella Harington, the manipulative eldest sister, sees the contest as her birthright and is willing to destroy anyone—including Riley—to seize the throne. Meanwhile, Kael Ashford, the brilliant but cynical middle child, plays the game from the shadows, driven by a dark secret regarding his mother’s death. When Bella frames Riley for corporate espionage, shattering her reputation before the contest truly begins, Riley finds an unlikely ally in Kael. They form a fragile alliance to expose Bella’s crimes and uncover the truth about their family’s past. But as they work together in the shadows, their rivalry turns into a forbidden love that complicates their mission. With time running out and their father’s health declining, Riley and Kael must navigate a web of betrayal, blackmail, and family secrets. In a final showdown, they must decide if their love is strong enough to overcome the legacy of hate they were born into, or if the fight for the crown will destroy them all.

I had just won the Hawthorne Scientific Laureate on the international stage when my father called me back home. "Bring the betrothal gifts to the Hayes family. That childhood engagement should finally be fulfilled." Afraid of getting stuck in traffic, I took my modified motorcycle, carried the national heritage porcelain obtained through generations of the Keane family's military merits, and headed toward their house. Just as I arrived at the community gate, a Porsche suddenly cut across the lane, nearly knocking me over. A heavily made-up woman, Zoey Mercer, stepped out of the car, raised one sharp high heel, and kicked the top box off my motorcycle. "You rode this junk motorcycle yet dared block my way? If you dent my car, your whole family won't be able to afford the compensation!" My heart sank. I quickly opened the case, only to see the entire box of celadon porcelain shattered. "So you’re just some delivery guy. Think this pile of trash is worth even one of my shoes? "You even know whose neighborhood this is? It belongs to Kingshore's Hayes family! My best friend’s family developed this place! Believe it or not, I can have you thrown out right now!" Right then, my fiancee, Lauren Hayes, called me. "Where are you? My friend just messaged me saying there’s a delivery guy causing trouble at the entrance."