11 Minutes

Two ancient royal bloodlines survived the fall of empires — not in castles or crowns, but in billion-dollar corporations and global influence. In the dazzling metropolis of Aurora Country, the Vale and Albourne families remain as symbols of wealth, power, and legacy. Bound by a centuries-old friendship, their alliance is now cemented in secret: a marriage contract between their only heirs. Valerie Vale, 22, the unseen princess, lives quietly as a team leader in the creative design department at AV Tech, the flagship company owned by both families. Free-spirited, bright, and hidden from the public to protect her rare lineage, she loves her ordinary life — and has no plans to give it up. Leon Albourne, 23, is Aurora’s golden boy. Nicknamed “The Perfect Prince,” he’s admired for his brilliance, composure, and leadership. Every move he makes is under scrutiny — except the most important one of all: marrying Valerie Vale in secret, on the eve of her 23rd birthday. Now, they must live together under one roof. To the world, Leon is married — but no one knows to whom. To each other, they are bound by duty — and three house rules. But behind Leon’s cold gaze is a truth hidden for 11 years — he’s loved Valerie since the moment they met. And now, the game begins.

Jason Trujilo employs Cara Thompson as a worker in his exclusive club in order to pay back the money her father owed. Once she paid off the debt, Jason tells Cara that she is free to go. Six months later, Cara is doing well for herself, until Jason comes crashing back into her life, demanding that she leave with him. Cara refuses to leave her new life, and Jason is hell bent on having Cara under his control. So how will this story end? ------------------------------------------------- SNEAK PEEK: Thirty minutes prior to lunchtime, Cara knocked on Jason's office, and after given permission, she entered the office with a stapled packet. Jason looked at Cara swiftly before focusing back on the blank screen of his laptop. She sat on one of the chairs, and stared at him from behind her glasses, waiting to be acknowledged. A princess she was, but Jason didn't care to be her knight in shining armor. No. He would rather be the villain who trapped her in a tower and punished her for being so innocent and yet spoiled and self-centered and confident.

"Within two minutes, if my men don't hear anything back from me, they'll be pulling out your parents' life support." "Y-You can't do that!" I shouted at him. "You can try me, little kitten." He smirked at me. "It's either you sign it or your parents will die." *** Schuyler Savannah was in desperate need of money, she would do everything just to earn it. She doesn't care how she'll have it as long as she can use it to pay for her parent's finances, but never in her wildest dreams did she ever see selling herself in marriage just to have what she needed. For her, it was the lowest of the low and she'd never stoop that far. Not until she was forced into a marriage she wouldn't be able to escape after witnessing that night. Ezekiel Riego is beyond her reach, so for him to come to her must've meant something, but would Schuyler even be ready to know everything? Or would she decide to leave as more lies surround her?

I was the girl Ian Sutherland, the underworld boss himself, personally picked to be a shield for his beloved. By the third year of our marriage, I'd been kidnapped by his enemies for the eighth time. When Ian came with his men to rescue me, the negotiation hadn't even lasted five minutes before the girl called him. "Ian, I lost a dare and have to kiss one of the guys here. But I want my first kiss to be yours. Can you come get me?" … The moment Ian left without a second thought, a knife plunged into my abdomen, and blood gushed out. His men handled it the same way they had the last seven times—paying off whoever they had to, then sending me to the hospital. In the ambulance, I heard someone wondering if I'd live long enough to see the day that girl could stand on her own. They burst out laughing, while I was the only one crying. My mission to save the underworld boss had failed, and I was about to be erased by the system. Ian, I wouldn't live to see that day.

One impetuous night gave them a gem and a lifetime of happiness. Izabelle had one-time sex with her crush, her cousin’s bestfriend after he was drugged. Later learning that she was pregnant, a misunderstanding flared where he believed that she had it all planned out. He agreed on taking responsibility but Izabelle’s desire was not to get into a loveless marriage and so she gathered her belongings and fled the country. Five years later, he saved a cute little bunny from child traffickers at the airport not knowing that the child was his. “You look like me, see? We have same eye colour,” the child pointed out. Then again, few minutes later when her Mother walked in, ‘Mommy, look I found daddy.” She raised her head to meet those icy familiar dark eyes. All Izabelle wanted was to keep her child away from Marcel but what about the sweet little thing holding onto his legs out of nowhere, batting her eyes at him and asking. “Will you be my daddy?”

Dax abandoned Ruby when she needed him most and eight years later, he claimed he still loved her but all Ruby wanted... was revenge. ******************************************************** Ruby got dumped by her billionaire fiance, Dax, only a few minutes before their pre-wedding photoshoot over the phone. Then she got cut off by her adoptive father because he claimed she had no use for him anymore and when she thought it couldn't get any worse, she found out she was carrying her ex-fiance’s child. Ruby was enraged. She thought it wasn't fair to be used and dumped so cruelly so she vowed to take revenge and eight years later, at her adoptive father’s funeral, Dax returned, saying he still loved her and wanted her back. It was a perfect opportunity for Ruby to get her revenge but was she ever going to tell Dax that he had a child? Or was she going to keep it a secret and avenge herself? Would Ruby ever fall for Dax again or would her heart remain hardened until the end?

Ellie Reigns is the only child of her father, a notorious Mafia Boss. She was raised under a roof of strict rules and regulations. She is his prized possession, his precious rose. When Ellie’s mother gave birth to her, something tragic happened: she died minutes later, not even getting the chance to hold her child in her arms. Ellie is now 19 years old, yet her father keeps her hidden from the world, afraid that he would lose her as he did her mother. Because of this, she has zero experience with love. She is deprived of the normalcy of a teenager. A day came when Ellie got sick of being locked away from the outside world, and that was when she met Dexter Mill. He is known as a bad boy and a player, but to Ellie, he becomes known as the guy that took her breath away; the one that raised goosebumps on her skin. Dexter becomes known to her as the boy with mesmerizing eyes. Maybe it was love at first sight, but it only took a second for Ellie to see eternity in those green eyes of his.

The last thing Vaelora Hugo expected, was to find her mate in bed with another woman. Heartbroken and furious, she rejects him on the spot, only to find her second chance mate just minutes later! But fate has a cruel sense of humor. Her second chance mate is none other than Alpha King Draekon Noir. The cold and ruthless ruler of the werewolf kingdom. A living myth, feared by all. Worse still, Draekon happens to be the older brother of the mate she just rejected. But Vaelora HATES Draekon. He was the man who murdered her father. The monster she swore to hate forever. A DragonBorn-Werewolf hybrid, the first and only one of his kind. Draekon is just as feared, as he is untouchable. After the death of his first mate, he descended into MADNESS. He never expected to find another mate, because DragonBorns only got one soulbound in a lifetime. Until her. Vaelora Hugo. Will Vaelora reject him too? Or will her hatred for him give way to something far more dangerous? Like the irresistible pull towards the same man she swore to despise.

It's 11:30 pm. Home alone, I decide to order some takeout. When the map shows the delivery guy is zero miles away, I receive a call from him. I pick up, only to hear unsettling silence from the other end. I hang up, annoyed. The next moment, the guy texts me, "Sorry, I'm hearing-impaired and unable to speak. I called to notify you to pick up your food as soon as possible. I can't explain things over the phone, and I apologize for that." Then comes another text. "You must've been waiting for a long time. I've left your order at your door, so please pick it up as soon as you can." Just as I prepare to open the door, I see bars of live comments—reminiscent of livestream chats—floating right before my eyes. "Don't open the door! That dude isn't a delivery guy at all! He's a murderer!" "He called you to check if you're a woman living alone!" "Seriously, why are all thriller story protagonists always so dumb? The delivery guy is obviously suspicious, yet she still wants to open the door."

During a game of truth or dare, my boyfriend, Ryan Patel, chose to kiss his childhood friend, Michelle Woods, for three minutes to save her from a penalty. When I found out, I was furious. I called him in tears, confronting him about the unbearable intimacy between them. He remained silent for a long time before speaking coldly, "Are you done crying?" Then, he drove Michelle home. I crouched in the rain, watching couples huddle under umbrellas, and from that moment on, I never contacted Ryan again. Three months later, at an auction, I bought a men's wristwatch. When Ryan heard about it, he chuckled. "Forget it. In three days, I'll go and coax her back myself. She just needs a way out." His friends all sent me messages, congratulating me on how well I had him wrapped around my finger. I didn’t reply to any of them. I simply posted a picture in my feed—my newly issued marriage certificate.