11 Minutes Paulo Coelho

“Noo!!! This can't be happening!!” I screamed silently, my eyes shut tight, praying that the nightmare would dissipate when I opened them. But the cruel reality remained. Asher, my husband, held Theresa, my best friend, in his arms, his hands tenderly caressing her swollen belly. I felt my world shattering, my mind reeling in shock. Minutes ticked by like an eternity as I lay there, unconscious, but Asher's concern wasn't for me – it was for his unborn child. The word "barren" still echoed in my mind, a painful reminder of how he saw me. I had been blind to his desperation for a child, oblivious to the fact that I was just a means to an end. As I struggled to stand, my body felt weak, my mind racing with the betrayal. The memories of our three-year relationship, the two and a half years of supposed love, and the six months of deceit flooded my mind. It was too cruel to be true. * Alexandra's perfect life crumbles when she catches her husband, Asher, cheating on her with her best friend, Theresa. Labeled as barren and discarded, she later discovers she's pregnant – but Asher refuses to believe her. Seeking refuge with her parents, she faces heartbreak when her baby dies. Years later, Alexandra rebuilds her life, unknowingly falling for Asher's rival, Ethan Blackwood. But just as things start to look up, dark secrets begin to surface, threatening to destroy her newfound happiness.

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.

Suzan, 11, is trick-or-treating with her friends when Simon dares them to visit the haunted witch’s cabin. Although she’s scared, Suzan refuses to go with them and heads home. Later, she learns from her friends that after they knocked on the door, a window shattered, and they ran in fear. Later, Suzan returns home, only to be comforted by her mom after losing her candy. At home, Suzan is comforted by her mom after losing her candy. However, strange whispers and scratching sounds soon disturb her. When her brother Luke checks, he reassures her, but the noises return, and Suzan spots glowing eyes in her closet. The figure grabs her by the hair, draining her life force before dragging her out the window, leaving her family helpless.

Camile always thought she was the bane to Trevor’s existence but everything takes a dark turn when Vanessa, a woman she had never known existed came into the picture. In a matter of minutes, she finds herself bleeding profusely in the middle of the road and when help found her? It’s in the form of a man she thought she had buried forever but he gives her a choice; take back what was stolen from her or walk away. Gone are the days where she was weak. She was taking everything back!

In her right state of mind, she would never have even been in a strangers car more less kissing him deeply at the backseat, but she wasn't in her right state of mind. Jeff's hand came down her face, to her neck, he held her waist gently and she let out a soft moan. She had nothing on but a silk gown that had thin straps. “Sir, ma'm we're here" Walter said out loud. They hadn't noticed the car had stopped some minutes ago. Emily's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she quickly sat upright, and picked her purse and heels. …. They had a misunderstanding when they met, an intimate moment the second time they met. All a big misunderstanding and they swore to never cross paths again. Little did Emily know Jeff was her new boss and the first son of Frank Aston, Billionaire and Head of Aston corporations. Third time’s the charm, but not for these two who knew they had fallen for each other but couldn’t be together.

“We didn’t say a word before we both crashed into each other’s arms and started making out. I jumped on him, and he grabbed me. We barely made it to the bed before we started tearing each other apart. It was wild. It was intense. And I didn’t want it to end. For about twenty minutes, he did things to me that had me screaming until my voice gave out, and I passed out. The next time I opened my eyes, it was morning. I was sober again... but I had no idea what a naked stranger was doing in my bed!” Viola Sterling is a billionaire heiress whose life suddenly takes a hit when her family goes bankrupt. She becomes homeless, and as if that isn't enough, she catches her boyfriend cheating the very same day. Heartbroken and drunk, she tries to numb the pain… only to wake up the next morning with a naked stranger in her bed. Turns out, he’s a billionaire who couldn’t afford a scandal. He arrogantly pays her for her silence and disappears, leaving her embarrassed. She thinks that’s the end of it until she turns up at her new guardian’s house and gets the shock of her life. The naked stranger? He’s their son. They vow to remain strangers. But when Viola discovers she’s pregnant, everything changes. To protect their families' reputations, they agree to marry. To their families, it’s an arranged marriage. To them, it’s a contract, strictly business. And it comes with just a rule… Never to fall in love!

My husband, Alex Walter, was the head of the Bodyguard Association. When I was about to be killed by the kidnappers, he was comforting his childhood crush, Susan Miller, who was sobbing in his arms. While the kidnappers stopped for a meal, I called Alex five times calmly. He was angry when he finally answered. "Susan was just rescued from the kidnappers, and she needs me. If you want me to come home, stop using your own kidnapping as some excuse to compete for attention. It is pathetic!" Hearing Susan's sweet and delicate voice in the background, I had no time to argue with him. Instead, I called the Bodyguard Association. The operator informed me that Alex had pulled all the city's bodyguards away thirty minutes earlier to rescue Susan. When the kidnappers returned, they mocked Alex's heroic efforts to save Susan, mobilizing the entire force for her. If I remember correctly, this was Susan's twenty-eighth kidnapping this month. As the kidnappers approached me with guns and tasers, I closed my eyes in despair. Before I died, I used all my strength to send Alex one last text message, [No matter what, I loved you. Move on from me.]

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.

She stripped herself naked before him, baring not just her body but whatever it was left of her dignity. "Isn't this what you wanted, like all the other Alphas?" She asked him, her voice trembling with pain and contempt. He stood frozen as he beheld the figure before him. And after a few minutes, picked up her robe and wrapped it gently around her. Then he walked away. She wasn't just a woman and her body which he had just seen was a sin - the kind that made time pause and had men under it's hypnotic influence. And for the first time in his life, he had felt something stir within him. His body had betrayed him, rising with a hunger that terrified him. It wasn’t just lust. It was raw and ferocious. For her and only her… his desire finally woke up. --- They say the Bloodmoon brings out the worst in beasts. For him, it made him Alpha. For me, it made me hunted. When I was chosen as a tribute to the Bloodmoon Hunt, I expected to finally have a mate. After being rejected five times by my previous ones. But what I didn't expect... was it to be him. Alpha Denzel: brutal, cold and cursed by the moon itself. Everyone fears him. They say he's unlovable and untamable. Because of his tyranny. But I’m not everyone. And I’ve got a beast of my own. That beast of an Alpha is mine to tame. Or destroy. Whichever comes first.

It was finally the day of the auction "And now we are presented with a human who looks a little unkempt right now, but with a little care from her owner would be as good as new" the hosts voice rang over the speakers in what seemed like a dungeon used for illegal gambling. But I couldn't look much, being locked in a basement for three months without any form of light coming in, and suddenly being on stage where all attention and the center light was on me was enough to just make me shut my eyes and wait for what was to come. "We'll start with $25,000" is that really my worth. Do I really amount to nothing, that I have to be sold at an auction. "$26,000" "$26,500" "$30,000" "$30,000, is there anyone who wants to bid higher? Going once, going twice... This went in for a few more minutes and I gave up hope. This was it, this is where my life journey ends. I will get sold here then if my buyer is an organ trafficker he would probably kill me and sell off my organs. "Five hundred million dollars" a deep manly voice grunted from the corner of the room "Wow that's a very high bid...I doubt if anyone is willing to go higher than that. Going once, going twice, sold. Congratulations Mr Jimmie Hendrix, you just won yourself a hot looking toy...everyone is left to wonder what you will be doing with her tonight." Jimmie who was sitting in a dark corner of the room gave a sinister smirk and uttered under his breath "Found you!!!"