Eligible

I never imagined my life would take this turn. Fresh out of high school, I thought college was my next step—until my parents' gambling debts destroyed my savings, leaving me stranded in a gap year I never planned. Now, I spend my days checking in high-profile guests at an elite country club in San Antonio, trying to rebuild my future dollar by dollar. Then he walked in. Pierce White—a man nearly three times my age, newly divorced, dangerous in the way only experience can be. He was supposed to be just another wealthy member, another name in the system. But the way he looked at me, the raw heat in his gaze, ignited something I never expected. And once we cross the line...there's no going back.

Princess Valery of Vesperia is a cheerful hardworking woman with a massive saviour complex that strikes at the most inconvenient times. So when she has a chance encounter with a potentially dangerous masked stranger with a bad sense of direction, her first instinct is to be unnecessarily helpful. Then her life takes a completely unexpected detour when she finds out that someone had nominated her for the Prince of Astanza's upcoming Courtship. A broadcasted event where the last girl remaining gets to become the Queen of an empire. The most beautiful, talented and accomplished girls from all over the world apply, but only 50 will be chosen as Nominees. Valery considers herself none of those and does not understand why her name was even on the list. Unfortunately the whole world seems to be conspiring against her, because despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding her nomination, her uncle actually insists that she participate in the occasion. So, she resigns herself once more to the King's whims and tries not to be too resentful about it. Fortunately she has her masked stranger, who she strikes and unexpected friendship with, to anonymously confide her injustices to. As fate would have it, the masked stranger is the very prince she will be competing for in a few months, but what she doesn't know can't hurt her right? Right?

King Lucien as decided that he wasn't going to wait for his counsel of elders to look for another bride for him since the first one they choose cheated, he decided that he would marry one of his people be it a noble or a commoner, all he wanted was a queen to seat on the vacant throne so his counsel of elders will get off his back. So he decided to hold a competition for all eligible maiden wanting to be the next Queen. Rosy is a small town girl living with her mum, after going through the betrayal of her bestfriend and boyfriend she decided that she needed space and closure and she saw the competition as a perfect opportunity to go away for some time, so she decided to join the competition not to be Queen but to move away from her current place so she will hurt less and also to help her mum in paying up their debt with the allowance that will be sent to her mum while she was in the palace.

Prince Christian is temptation in royal form—tall, commanding, heartbreakingly beautiful. Jessica is his maid. His best friend. The girl who has loved him in silence for years. In the kingdom of Orlander, the royal family announces a Royal Selection to find the future princess. Christian wants nothing to do with it. His heart is still bruised from Mirabelle, the woman who left him. But the king and queen are determined. The kingdom needs a bride. The prince must choose. Christian agrees only under one condition—he will end the selection if he feels nothing. On the day of the ceremony, he draws twenty names. Mirabelle’s. A mysterious girl named Evelyn Hunter—whose name makes him smile for the first time in months. And Jessica watches the man she loves prepare to choose someone else. She is the maid no one notices. The best friend who is always at his side. The girl who knows him better than anyone… except the one thing she can never tell him. He is searching for love. She is standing right there. But in a palace full of glittering gowns, secrets, royal duty, and heartbreak… she might be the only girl he never sees. This is a forbidden romance, best friends-to-lovers, royal drama, and slow-burn heartbreak where loyalty, destiny, and hidden love collide.

I had not asked my mother for money in three months. She thought I had finally learned to be a good, obedient son and, in a rare act of mercy, sent me a message. "I already had Calvin pay the registration fee. Learn to be more sensible from now on. Stop thinking about scamming money from the family. "I know your dad is having a hard time right now, but since you chose to stay with me, you need to be on the same side as me." When she said this, she did not yet know that I had already transferred my in-state residency out. No one believed that I, Miles Hart, who appeared on the surface to be the young master of a wealthy family, had a closet filled entirely with clothes bought before my parents’ divorce. For three full years, there was not a single new piece of clothing. Every dollar I spent privately had to be submitted through an internal approval system, with a written application and justification. Even fees for school activities required screenshots of official notices and formal quotations. All expenses had to pass the review of my stepfather, Calvin Pierce. Just because my mother constantly suspected I was siding with my father and was afraid I would secretly funnel money to him. A month ago, I needed $500 for a math competition registration fee. Calvin rejected the request again and again. "There isn't enough justification. "Why do you have to participate in this competition? "Wait until the end of the month for unified approval." By the time approval finally came through, the registration window had already closed. Mom did not know that I had endured these three years for only one reason: an in-state residency, which would make college admissions easier. Now, I was officially recommended for admission to a top university. This family was no longer a place I needed to stay in.