Checkmate Chapter 1

"The game of chess is not just any old board game but it is also the game of life. You can be represented as the king, all the others are the people around you. Check mate means game over in the game but check mate in real life means your life has come to an end..." BORING! Chess is the worst board game on earth, if you're gonna play chess, I'll consider you as one of those who exist and don't live. Chess is the game plan. I play in the tournament my father forces me to participate in using the plan I'll be using during my next heist. If I win, I use it, if I lose, I change it. Chess is a boring old board game which is the key to my fortune. I am the Black Falcon, this is my life on the board and against the law...

Mira Alonso built her reputation as the academy's top chess coach through discipline and control. Then Daniel Cross walks in as a former grandmaster with a scandal-tarnished past and gets named co-head of the program. Forced to share students, credit, and office space, Mira and Daniel clash over every decision. But late nights prepping for the championship reveal the person behind Daniel's arrogance, and Mira starts to wonder if she's been checkmated by the last person she expected.

“I paid you! Why do you keep stalking me, then?” She burst out, while glancing at the door as if she was expecting someone to come in and save her. Not that she needed any saving though. I placed both hands on the table, and leaned down towards her. “We fucked.” My lips curled. Her face colored crimson. “It was a nightstand. Adults have one nightstands all the time. Moreover, I paid you-” “I’m not other people, Inez Raymond,” I said, cutting off her words. “Let’s make a deal.” Interest sparked within her eyes, yet she eyed me cautiously. “What deal?” “That you'll agree to be my wife for three months. If you don't fall in love with me during that period, I'll let you be.” She hesitated. “No sex?” I smirked. “I can't promise that. So, what do you say?” She took a deep breath. “Okay.” *** In her drunken and broken hearted haze, Inez Raymond has a one nightstand with a stranger. She pays him off the next morning, and part ways with him. But then, he starts stalking her. When he forces her into a deal with him, she agrees. What she doesn't know is that the stranger was connected with her in ways she could never imagine. Nor was she aware that she was the only heiress of the most powerful family in Europe, second only to the Celvins. While she's determined not to fall in love with him within three months, he's determined to make her fall in love with him, to find out who made her lose her memory years ago, while helping her get revenge on her ex-husband. Who will emerge champion, in their little game of chess?

The King’s game is a match meant to be played by the strongest of warriors which was going to determine who the King’s next shadow is going to be. To exact her revenge on the King for her sister’s death years ago, Gabriella had chosen this very position. She had prepared herself for several years, training more than anyone would and just when she advanced into the finals, the goddess blessed/cursed her with a mate. A distraction she didn’t need at that point of her life. And there, when she thought that was the worst thing that could probably happen to her, she mistakenly sleeps with the King. The very enemy she has vowed to destroy. Now he won’t leave her alone. The Devil King had marked her as prey and he was going to play with her until she gives up. But Gabriella has never been one to give up. What happens when she begins to fall for her enemy and not her mate?

Framed for her father’s murder and hunted across frozen borders, Valeria will do whatever it takes to survive. As an Omega, she was born with no power, but she survives on sharp wit, deadly instincts, and lethal strategy. When her corrupt stepbrother corners her, Valeria flees into the deadly Northern Realm, walking straight into the fortress of Alpha King Kaelen a man known as the Cold Sovereign. To secure asylum and save her imprisoned younger brother, Valeria offers Kaelen a dangerous trade: her secret map of a treasonous underground army in exchange for his protection. To keep her safe under ancient Lycan law, Kaelen places a temporary Pawn mark on her skin. But when his fangs touch her neck, a second crest ignites the long-lost golden flame of a True Mate. Now target number one for a court of hostile nobles, Valeria must survive the brutal Trial of Mates to claim permanent immunity. In a realm where everyone wants her dead or caged, Valeria isn't looking to be saved. She’s playing to win and the Cold Sovereign might just meet his match.

A 28-year-old billionaire, Alexander Montgomery, spent two years without a woman after his divorce from his ex-wife four years ago. He dedicated those years to intensifying his business, swearing off the search for a life partner. However, the game changed at a matchmaking event with Isabella Heyes, where her green eyes sparked a sense of familiarity. Unsure if she was the missing piece, he used his connections and money to get to know her. What started as mere curiosity turned into a strong attraction. But as his ex-wife reappeared, attempting to shatter their budding connection, he couldn't face a truth that threatened their growing emotions. Will they emerge victorious in the challenging game of love, or will they reach a crucial moment where they must choose between holding firm or giving in to surrender? Billionaire's Game Series #1