Who Wrote The Novel The Company You Keep And Why Does It Matter?

Three days into the silent treatment, Derrick—my fiancé and CEO—greenlit his assistant's pitch for a self-driving road trip. He expected me to flip, like always. I didn't. A month later, he came back and saw it—I wasn't the same. He backed Molly, stole my project, and thought I'd explode. I didn't. I just helped her draft the proposal. He trashed everything I built, just so she could snag her year-end bonus. I didn't fight back. Took the blame, took the hit. Molly was all smug. "See? Told you. You can't go at Yara head-on. Give her the silent treatment—she folds. She's scared of losing you. That's why she's playing nice." Derrick ate it up. Called her smart. Then he pulled me aside—offered a raise, a promotion, even a fancy wedding. First time he'd ever brought it up. But he missed one detail: he'd already signed off on my resignation while he was off playing road trip king. And I'd already dumped him. That was it. Clean cut. Nothing left.

Callahan Hastings is relentless when it comes to getting what he wants, and what he wants is me–to be his private chef in the Hamptons for the summer. My dream job served to me on a silver platter by one of the wealthiest members of Pembroke Hills Country Club. The only catch? He’s my ex-boyfriend’s older brother with a reputation for being as charming as he is cunning. But Cal doesn’t take no for an answer. He draws you in with flirty smiles and extravagant promises. I should have seen him coming, but I didn’t. I should have stayed away, but I couldn’t. His playful touches and burning gaze have ignited a fire in me. The more I resist him, the more irresistible he becomes. I've always known there's an expiration date on the job–an expiration date on us. But leaving isn't going to be easy with Cal on his knees, begging me to stay...

"Call me only as Sir, or I will spank you hard." He continues, moving his lips down to my neck. The heat from his touch is like an inferno that builds inside me. One night of surrender. Only names. No promises. No restraint. She gives herself to a stranger who knows exactly how to take control; commanding, intoxicating, unforgettable. Until she’s summoned to the CEO’s office. The man waiting for her is the billionaire founder of More, a global meal-kit empire. A visionary chef with a flawless public image, a ruthless business mind… and the same commanding presence that once had her kneeling to his rules. He’s her boss. And he remembers everything. As the company’s marketing manager, she should keep her distance. But his authority extends far beyond the boardroom, and every order, every glance, every quiet moment behind closed doors reminds her how easily she gave him her control. Because beneath the tailored suits and culinary fame is a man who thrives on dominance and a dirty secret that could destroy his empire if exposed. She should walk away. Instead, she’s tempted to submit again. And this time, the cost of giving in could be far more than her heart. A dark, seductive billionaire workplace romance filled with power, control, forbidden desire, and secrets that taste far too good to resist

Violet Harlow is out of options when she signs a one-year contract to work inside Cain House, the private estate of billionaire CEO and widower Theodore Cain. The offer sounds like survival: high pay, housing, protection, and a chance to finally breathe. But Cain House is no ordinary mansion, and Theodore is no ordinary man. Cold, dominant, and dangerously controlled, he gives Violet rules she is expected to obey. But Violet is independent, stubborn, and terrible at surviving quietly. What she does not know is that the contract was written by Theodore’s dead wife, Eleanor Cain. Hidden inside it is a clause that could make Violet trustee of the Widow’s Fund, a billion-dollar foundation holding the Cain family’s darkest secrets. If Violet lasts one year, she gains control of the one thing the family would kill to protect. Everyone wants Violet gone. Theodore needs her to stay. But he cannot tell her why. In this dark romance filled with mystery, steamy forbidden love, betrayal, and shocking twists, Violet realizes Theodore may not be the monster in the story. He may be the prisoner. And saving him could destroy them both. #DarkRomance #Steamy #Mystery #CEO #Dominant #Independent #ContractMarriage #ForbiddenLove #Twist #Billionaire #Widower #Betrayal #FamilySecrets #Possessive #GothicRomance

The day my father slid that contract across the table, I should have walked away. I didn't. Instead, I signed my name next to his: Damien Blackwood. The most feared man in the city. Cold. Ruthless. The kind of man who buys companies for sport and destroys lives before breakfast. I told myself it was survival. That I was signing to save my mother and protect what was left of my family. But Damien Blackwood didn't choose me by accident. He chose me because he knew exactly who I was. Because he had been watching me for three years. Because the secret buried between our families goes deeper and darker than anything I was prepared to find. He says this is a partnership. He says we both want the same thing, to burn our fathers' empires to the ground. He says this is strictly business. But the man who shows up at my mother's hospital without being asked, the man who tucks my hair back in a dark car park and calls at midnight just to hear my voice, the man who kept a seven year old photograph and a handwritten note that says she is the one. That man isn't doing business. And neither am I. We started as enemies. We signed a contract. We were supposed to use each other and walk away. But somewhere between the revenge and the secrets, we forgot to stay on opposite sides. It was never just business. It was never going to be.

“Relax. It was meaningless. It didn’t mean a thing.” Three years. That’s how long Lena Carter loved Evan Brooks—three years of loyalty, late nights, and believing she was building a future with him. Until she finds him in a hotel suite bathroom, hands braced against marble, whispering excuses while her cousin—and closest friend—fixes her lipstick in the mirror. All this happens during Lena’s promotion celebration. Lena should be home, crying into cheap wine and shattered dreams. Instead, she’s stranded on a quiet Los Angeles street at midnight, phone dead, heels in hand, with a group of drunk men circling closer than comfort allows. Then a black luxury sedan pulls up. The man who steps out wears a tailored suit, calm eyes, and an authority that makes the street go silent. Mason Hart. Billionaire. Tech CEO. And—unknown to him—the elusive owner of the company where Lena works as an executive assistant two floors below the C-suite. He offers her a ride. She hesitates. She takes it. That single decision rewrites her life. Mason doesn’t mix business with emotions. He doesn’t date employees. And he definitely doesn’t rescue strangers with haunted eyes. But Lena’s quiet strength, the way she refuses pity, the way pain sharpens her instead of breaking her—it gets under his skin. Lena just wants to forget the man who betrayed her. Mason offers distraction. Protection. Desire without promises. But Evan refuses to let go, spreading lies and suddenly desperate to “fix things.” Her cousin is determined to destroy what little Lena has left. And the closer Lena grows to the powerful CEO who signs her company’s paychecks, the more dangerous her heart becomes. Because falling for a billionaire who doesn’t believe in love might hurt worse than betrayal.