Nine Perfect Strangers

Oscar Chamberlain once believed he was the happiest man alive. He had nine extraordinary sisters who adored him and never hesitated to show it. Then the Chamberlain family found their long-lost biological heir, and everything changed. Overnight, Oscar became nothing more than a temporary stand-in, easily replaced. For years, he had worked tirelessly for the Chamberlain family, giving them his loyalty and effort without question. Yet on the day their true heir returned, they cast him out without hesitation. He did not even have the chance to show them the diagnosis clutched in his hand: brain cancer, two years left to live. … After the nine sisters drove Oscar away, they began, one by one, to sense that something was wrong. The eldest no longer carried her commanding confidence. The second lost the sharp decisiveness that had once made her seem unstoppable. The third found her inspiration drained, her once-celebrated talent slipping into mediocrity. And the new young heir, when measured against Oscar, fell painfully short. Only much later did they understand what Oscar had truly meant to the Chamberlain family. By then, regret had come too late. When they accidentally discovered that he had brain cancer, the news struck them like thunder from a clear sky. In the pouring rain, they knelt before him, weeping and begging for forgiveness. This time, however, Oscar chose himself. "Sorry," he said calmly. "You've already taken back the Chamberlain name. I don't know you anymore."

No connection. No acquaintance. In one night of passion with no expectations, strangers become intimately acquainted. Will one night of lust turn into their happy ever after? Is it simply lust or could it possibly be love at first site? A collection of short stories: four couples, one day, twenty-four passionate hours. "Strangers" is created by Stephanie Walls, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

One heart is broken and one heart is just finding for lust and heat, the two of them met in an unexpected place—wherein the undeniably insane connection and lust between them started. *** Eura Vegaz was a widow for two years. After her husband’s unexpected death she found it hard to fix her broken self. She decided to have a trip to gather herself again. Then, she found herself in El Paraiso, a small town with breathtaking beauty. El Paraiso was ruled by the Saldieguez, from politics to business. Her path crossed to the CEO of Nirvana Hotel and the youngest of Saldieguez named Luther. In Paradise Club, where all fantasies happened, the two of them had an agreement—to be “Strangers with Benefits”. With Eura being a brokenhearted widow and Luther as a troublesome playboy CEO, will things work between the both of them? Will the “Strangers with Benefits” contract between them work? Because the both of them know, at the end of the day . . . they’re just strangers to each other.

At seventeen, Emma's life was decided by everyone except herself. Raised in a family that believed tradition should never be questioned, she was forced into an arranged marriage before she was old enough to understand what love truly meant. By the time she finally escaped the life she never chose, she had already learned that some memories never stop haunting you. Three years later, Emma is twenty-one, an ordinary college student determined to leave the past where it belongs. Hoping for a fresh start, she joins a dating app under a fake age, convinced that a small lie is easier than explaining the truth. That's where she meets Daniel. Thirty-five, thoughtful, endlessly patient, and claiming to be nothing more than an ordinary office worker, Daniel is unlike anyone Emma has ever known. What begins as late-night conversations soon turns into something neither of them expected—a love built on comfort, trust, and the courage to begin again. But Daniel is hiding more than his true identity. No one knows he was once married. No one knows his wife died years ago. To the world, he has always been a successful bachelor. Only Daniel knows the truth-and he's determined to keep it buried forever. As Emma and Daniel grow closer, the lies they've told—and the truths they've buried—begin to catch up with them. The more they fall in love, the more their carefully guarded worlds begin to unravel. Because some pasts refuse to stay buried. Some secrets are worth killing for. And sometimes, the person who feels safest to love is the one hiding the darkest scars.

Living with my aunt and her family was meant to be a temporary, quiet arrangement just helping out and keeping to myself. On the first day of the new year, while everyone else was out celebrating, I stayed home, enjoying the rare silence and catching up on sleep. But when we ran out of water, I reluctantly stepped outside to fetch some, and that’s when I saw him. He stood by the gate of the house next door, effortlessly commanding attention with just a glance. A smirk played on his lips, and a flicker of amusement danced in his eyes behind his blue-ray glasses. At that moment, he was impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, I felt disheveled and barely awake, my hair was a mess and still shaking off sleep. But he didn’t seem to mind. There was something about him an air of mystery that made me wonder who he was and why he was there. Before I could look away, he spoke, “Hi.” Caught off guard, I managed a quick, “Hi,” while trying to pull myself together. “Can I know your name?” he asked. I hesitated but replied, “I’m Clara,” and kept walking. “Can I have your number?” he called after me. “Just as friends.” I almost refused but reluctantly agreed, entering my number into his phone. “There,” I said, handing it back. “I’ll call you,” he promised with a smile, as I turned to leave. What began as a chance encounter soon became an inexplicable connection. He had secrets, but there was something about him that saw through me, understanding things no one else did. The man I met next door wasn’t just a fleeting stranger,he became the reason I started questioning everything I thought I wanted.

Missing the last bus home shouldn’t have mattered. For Daniel Rogers, however, it’s about to matter a lot more. When Daniel is picked up by a stranger, Adrian Williams, while walking home one rainy night, he doesn’t think much of it. Polite, observant, and uncomfortably familiar, Adrian is a man Daniel can’t quite place. It’s supposed to end there, of course. But then Daniel meets Adrian again. And then again. Until Daniel realizes that these meetings aren’t quite so coincidental. Adrian doesn’t just see Daniel, Adrian understands Daniel. Too well, if you ask Daniel. As if Adrian knows Daniel’s deepest, darkest secrets, the ones Daniel keeps locked safely away from prying eyes. Caught up despite himself, Daniel finds himself opening up to Adrian, feeling something he hasn’t felt in years: seen, understood, desired. But Daniel can’t shake off the feeling that something is terribly wrong, that Adrian Williams, while not quite a stranger, is definitely not quite a friend. Is Daniel to walk away from something he doesn’t fully understand, or risk everything for someone who makes him feel like he’s found home? Some people don’t just show up by accident. They show up to stay.