Equal Rites

There's about half a month to our wedding when Daniel Bradshaw and I get into a horrible fight. The reason? He wants to have a child with his mentor's daughter. "We're only going to do IVF—it's not like we're doing anything else! My mentor is gravely ill now, and his only wish is to see Phoebe have someone she can rely on!" Daniel sounds indifferent, but my blood runs cold. "It's half a month to our wedding, yet you're going to have a child with another woman. Don't you find that ridiculous?" I watch as he storms off and slams the door shut behind him. Then, I update my social media. "I'm getting married in half a month, but I need a new groom. Is anyone up for it?"

Niyi Omobowale has everything a teenager could ever want. She's beautiful, intelligent, and has extremely loving parents that would do anything for their first daughter. In addition, she attends Achievers High School, the most elite school in Lagos, where she is admired by all the students. However, she has a crippling insecurity, one that overshadows her interaction with other people and makes her wonder if she would find love when she's older: she is blind. Handsome and aloof, Bolaji Akinwande draws the attention of every girl in the school by simply existing. When his friends dare him to date Niyi as a prank, Bolaji obliges. Niyi now has to decide between dating Bolaji or facing the wrath of Amanda, Bolaji's queen bee ex girlfriend.

Before Lillian, Leander, Luther and Lorcan, there was Orrin and Anja. Orrin Dalgaard is the King of Zidiah, still to find his mate when many believe the Moon Goddess doesn't favour him; therefore, he doesn't have a mate. In Dalgaard forest, Orrin bumps into the princess of Kulumi. Kulumi is Bear territory, yet Anja has wandered onto Wolf territory. Orrin instantly knows that he's met his mate, but she won't make it easy for him to catch her. Anja was recently thrown out of the only home she's ever known. On the night of her first transformation, it turns out that she's not the daughter of the King of bears after all. No, Anja is a wolf and has no idea how it's possible. When Anja finally accepts Orrin as her mate, more drama and pain than Anja can hold comes to light. Nothing is as it seems, and only Orrin can save the mate he would die for - The question is, will he be able to save his mate from his enemies, but most of all, herself?

In the third year of my relationship with Dante Santoro, heir to the Santoro family fortune, I got pregnant. The night before the Don's birthday banquet, he finally brought me home as his girlfriend. Giulia Costa, the housekeeper's daughter, smiled sweetly and asked about my food allergies. I mentioned I was allergic to truffles. In the end, every dish at dinner was loaded with truffles. I swallowed my irritation and grabbed a slice of cake that looked safe. Two bites in, I heard her laugh. "I got creative and mixed truffle powder into the frosting. How is it?" Before I could answer, my throat closed up and I could not breathe. Giulia gasped and covered her mouth. "Ms. Leone, your skin is turning purple! Do you have some kind of contagious disease?" Everyone watched as I was carried out like trash. The moment my allergic reaction cleared up, Giulia insisted on helping me pack. I told her multiple times not to touch my ring. In the few minutes I spent in the bathroom, she "accidentally" knocked it down the drain. That was the wedding ring Dante gave me. I lost my temper and confronted her, but Dante just laughed it off. "She's jealous of your pretty ring. Don't be so petty." That night, Giulia brought sleep-aid drinks to my room as an apology. Dante convinced me to accept her peace offering. I drank a few cups and felt drowsy almost immediately. When Giulia walked me back to my room, I told her to lock the door behind her. Ten minutes later, a group of men shoved their way inside and beat my stomach until I miscarried. The baby was gone. Giulia's eyes filled with tears as she claimed she never saw anyone enter. She said I never wanted the Santoro family to have an heir and had orchestrated my own abortion. Dante went white with rage and ordered his men to dump me in the ocean. When I opened my eyes again, it was the night before the banquet.

My mom was a brilliant programmer. She created an app called "Shake for Allowance." After my brother and I downloaded it, she told us, "From now on, this is how you'll get your living expenses. On the first of every month, just shake your phone. Whatever number you get is the amount you'll receive. "The range is from zero to ten thousand dollars." At first, I was excited. Every month, I shook my phone with anticipation. However, every time, the result was the same: 0 dollars. My brother, meanwhile, always landed the highest amount. "Wow, sis, your luck really sucks," he said. Even when he showed me the transfer record for ten thousand dollars, there was a smug smile on his face. When I confronted Mom, she brushed it off, saying my luck was bad and that no one else was to blame. With no other choice, I worked three part-time jobs just to support myself while studying. On the night before my final exams, I collapsed from exhaustion and died. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the very day my mom created the "Shake for Allowance" app.

Notice: This Book Contains Two Separate Books That Can Be Read As A Standalone! The first Novel features Samantha, who saves a bleeding, disoriented stranger who collapses in her arms. To keep him calm, she tells a lie that spirals into something far deeper. With him, Samantha rediscovers the kind of warmth she thought she’d lost forever. But love built on borrowed truth has an expiration date. When the truth about his real identity surfaces, their fragile world crumbles—revealing a past powerful enough to destroy them both. Because the man she thought she saved… might be the one who was never meant to be found.