Who Are The Main Characters In 'The Mere Barter'?

I died with my husband's betrayal on my lips and my unborn child in my womb. One moment I was Mia Weston — billionaire, wife, mother-to-be. The next, I was gone. Erased. Traded like a chess piece by the man who swore to love me forever. Then I woke up. Silk sheets. Marble walls. A maid calling me "My Lady." And a father I had never met looking me dead in the eyes saying — "You have been promised to King Zyren of the Draconis Throne. You leave at sunrise." I thought I was dreaming. I was wrong. King Zyren is not a man. He is ancient, ruthless, and devastatingly beautiful in the way that only dangerous things are. He doesn't smile. He doesn't explain. He simply looks at me like I am something he has been waiting for — and that look alone makes my whole body tremble. He calls me his traded bride. I call him my nightmare. But nightmares don't look at you like you are the only breathable air in a burning room. Nightmares don't press you against cold stone walls and whisper "You will learn your place, little human" with a voice so deep it rewrites your bones. And nightmares definitely don't make you forget — even for one dangerous, breathless second — the man who killed you. I was sold to settle a debt. He had waited centuries for exactly me. Neither of us was prepared for what came next.

Mae's family faces the threat of losing their home and business, leading her to seek help from the only man that can help: the cold-hearted billionaire to whom her family owes a debt. But when she is face to face with the billionaire, she recognizes him as the stranger she had a brief, sizzling encounter with, a night of fun that left her with a bittertaste of rejection, after he had dismissed her as nothing more than a one night stand. Ethan Crowe has had his full of charlatans and social climbers. When he finds Mae in his office, he remembers her as one of them but her appearance presents an opportunity to fulfill his own agenda. With his grandfather's ultimatum of marriage looming, Ethan strikes a deal with Mae. Despite their mutual animosity, they agree to a marriage of convenience to meet their respective needs. As they navigate the charade of love, can they fool the world and Ethan's grandfather, while adhering to the terms of their arrangement?

Josh Carter, a beguiling wealthy person known for his costly occasions and laid-back manner, is at crossroads. At the point when his dad dies suddenly, he is given a horrendous predicament framed in his dad's will: wed to acquire the Carter family riches, or watch everything deteriorate away. The Carter realm's past weighs intensely on Josh's shoulders, yet the idea of surrendering his unique lone fierce way of life feels like detainment. Josh makes a dangerous arrangement to get away from this unexpected circumstance. He moves toward Amy Wesley, the contemplative and bashful proprietor of a little bookstore in the downtown area, with a fascinating proposition: a contract marriage. Amy, who is lowered under water and fantasies about reestablishing her valued yet monetary striving bookstore, takes Josh's deal. They start their contract marriage, what starts as a ploy changes into considerably more. Josh's unbending facade starts to break, finding scars from a difficult past he's for quite some time tried to neglect. Amy, with secret stores of force, shrewdly directs Josh through the complexities of their bogus marriage. Their lives become weaved surprisingly, and the limits between what's valid and what's only for show get obscured. Amy finds a secret note tending to her, covered in the dusty profundities of the bookstore, similarly as they have faith in the possibility of certifiable love. The note implies a labrynth of foul play and covered thought processes that causes some qualms about Josh's real goals. Amy starts on an excursion to find the purpose for Josh's inspirations, driven by encoded hints from the note, and the plot takes an unexpected bearing. The novel closes with a strained excursion through the city's complex roads, leaving Amy's life in risk, and a dark message implying towards a perilous plot squeezing to swallow them both.

“Thirty million dollars,” he says, like he’s ordering wine. “One year of marriage.” Dante Moretti destroyed Alera Vance’s family, took their empire, left them drowning in debt, and she swore she’d never forgive him. But one reckless kiss turns into a scandal, and Dante sees opportunity. His solution? A contract marriage that pays her thirty million at the end. All she has to do is play the perfect wife. It should be simple. Except nothing about Dante is simple. He’s ruthless in business, possessive in private, and dangerously good at blurring the line between hate and hunger. The more the world believes their lie, the more Alera risks losing the only thing she has left, her heart. Because falling for him wasn’t part of the deal. And surviving him might cost her everything.

Leena and Zack are two best friends from childhood. The modern day Bonnie and Clyde, their relationship was the envy of many. Especially, that of her Stepmother Lily and step sister, Kara. Both children of Billionaires, their relationship is threatened when their parents suggest a union between the two of them. Zack's family ran an oil company which wanted to divert into raw materials trade. Leena's father's Company is involved in the refining of raw materials like crude oil and other resources for factories as well as other businesses. The oil business is good, but they see the need to expand, and Leena's Father, Mr. Davis thinks it would be a great idea to link up with them. That is when the idea to get married comes up. The idea to set up a relationship between Zack and Leena surfaces. After years of maintaining a civil and loving relationship, Leena is surprised at how much Zack's attitude changes towards her after their engagement. He treats her with contempt and swears to make her life miserable. Leena's fatehr had pleaded with her to accept the marriage proposal for the sake of saving the Company, even though she knew it was a terrible idea and did not want to go ahead with the marriage. Not until she returns from a business trip, and Zack proposes to her.

I was the perfect wife. The Senator’s daughter. The woman who smiled while her world burned. For three years, I played the part. I ignored the lipstick on my husband’s collar, the late nights, and the cold indifference. I accepted the "open marriage" I never asked for, just to keep the peace. But peace is a lie. And tonight, I’m done playing by the rules. One night of rebellion at the city’s most exclusive underground club was supposed to be my escape. Instead, it was a collision course with the past. The Mercer Brothers. Silas, the ruthless king. Dante, the violent enforcer. Julian, the beautiful psychopath. They were my brother’s best friends. The men who warned me to stay away. The monsters who run this city from the shadows. Six years ago, they told me to run. Tonight, they blocked the exit. I thought the night couldn't get worse—until I went home and found out the truth. My husband didn't just cheat on me. He gambled me away. He owes the Mercers millions, and he just offered me as the collateral. Now, I belong to them. They say they want to protect me. They say they want to ruin me for anyone else. Silas commands. Dante breaks. Julian corrupts. I thought I was walking into a prison, but as the walls close in, I realize the terrifying truth: I’m not the victim in this story. I’m the weapon they’ve been waiting for.