7 Minutes

“Tyler Brooke, do you take Miss Becky Smith as your lawfully wedded wife?” “Yes, I do” I replied so firmly with a smile on my face. “And do you, Miss Becky Smith, do you take Tyler Brooke, as your lawfully wedded husband?” One minute, two, and some more minutes passed as she looked around. I wasn’t worried because i knew she had no choice, this wedding had to happen or she would lose everything. Becky's father asked her to get married to their gardener — a gardener she hired by herself to tend to the garden in her father's mansion. Of course, you wouldn't expect a classy woman like her, who has eyes for wealthy men, to accept a classless gardener as her husband, especially when she already has a fiancé. But what happens when her father uses her love for money against her by taking all her assets, putting her in a tight spot and leaving her with only one choice — to marry the poor gardener. What happens when she realizes that this poor gardener had a secret that could either make or destroy her marriage to him? She hates him, but he isn't ready to let her go. Will they be able to stand the test of time, or will they be overwhelmed by the dangers that lurked at every turn they took?

When Harper wakes up that morning with a headache and prepares to get dressed to go to her little brother's graduation ceremony, she does not imagine that that same day, a handsome gentleman with an enigmatic look and a flirtatious smile will cross her path and that will dazzle her completely as soon as she sees him sitting in that subway car. One thing will lead to another, and in a matter of minutes, a pair of new acquaintances will surrender to their desires, in the bathroom of a subway station. For him, Daniel Ansdell, it will be one more experience, one of so many he has had throughout his life. He is a very confident man, with extensive experience in lovemaking arts, with a strong obsession for sex. He is uninhibited, cheeky and very direct when it comes to asking for what he wants. And although in the eyes of any lady he is perfect, he is not the type of man that a father would wish for his daughter. For her part, Harper is not a white dove, but she is not a veteran in love matters either. Her complicated life has led her to consider a couple of priorities. And having a romantic relationship is not among them. She is a fun woman, without prejudice, but with many responsibilities. Together they will have to face a series of emotions and feelings that will emerge in the midst of a whirlwind of passions. She will not be able to understand why that man awakens her most primitive side. It will be very difficult for him to recognize that she has taken over his thoughts and his will.

After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.

Lorenzo De Angelis is an Italian tycoon who runs his empire with an iron fist. He is gorgeous, powerful, young, and very wealthy. His enemies are several and quite ferocious, so Lorenzo trusts no one. This is why when he discovers a woman hiding in his office, listening to some important and extremely confidential information, his first instinct is to keep her ‘prisoner’ for a few days while trying to discover who is this beautiful ‘spy’. She is Phoebe Stone and she is just doing her job cleaning offices, without knowing she is ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’. So, in a matter of minutes, against her wishes, she will start a thrilling adventure, next to a stunning but frightening man. This adventure will change both their lives forever. (Excerpt) The reality hit her hard. She was standing in a dimly lit room, half naked in front of the man who kidnapped her… who threatened her... The most beautiful man in the world. He lifted her hands and put them on him as if it was the most natural thing in the world that she should touch him. She caressed him again, just to make sure he was really there. He covered her small hands with his and stood perfectly still. “If you want me to stop, I will. If you want me to leave this room, I will. ‘Piccola’ (Ita. Baby), the decision is yours.” “Don’t stop, please… I just want to be yours tonight… and always…”

[Wanna do it?] I accidentally sent the message meant for my bestie to her brother, Gerald Cooper. Ten minutes later, I received his reply. [In the Maybach downstairs. Come down.] To my surprise, her brother was very well endowed too. That night, things got heated and we almost lost control. When we sobered up, he promised me that he would bear responsibility for his actions. He treated me well and doted on me, giving me anything I asked for. However, there was only one rule: I must never admit in public that I was his girlfriend. Five years later, he brought another woman home. With his arm wrapped around the woman, he told me that she was his girlfriend. I confronted him, asking, "If she's your girlfriend, then what would that make me? I waited five long years for you!" He chuckled indifferently and said something that chilled me to my bone. "Wait for me? Did I tell you to wait? Nyssa Bennett, don't ever fall in love with someone so desperately. It's terrifying." So it turned out that my love for him was nothing but trouble. From then on, I tried to live without him, let go of my feelings, and finally left him. But one week later, when I was exchanging my vows with another man, Gerald was standing there in the aisle, looking up at me with reddened eyes.

After working overtime every day for a month, I finally completed an important code that could save my company. Five minutes into my break, my team leader, Fiona Smith, suddenly hit me in the head with her file. “Because you spent so much time in the office, our electricity bill this month has increased by 15 kWh! Do you see this office as a free air-conditioning supplier?” I was about to defend myself when she angrily pointed at my cell phone and tablet on my desk. “You’re charging your devices here? You should charge them at home! Aren’t you aware of the company’s current condition?” I could no longer hold back my anger. “Fiona, I’ve been working overtime. I’m not here doing nothing!” “Can’t you do overtime at home instead? For a fresh graduate, you sure know how to exploit the company’s resources. Who knows what other despicable things you might be capable of doing in the future?!” Fiona yelled. I stared at her twisted expression and suddenly chuckled. If only my parents had seen me working so hard over such a trivial matter. They would have immediately asked me to quit and work in their company instead. I grabbed the flash drive with the important code and called my secretary. “Jane, I’d like to purchase Galaxy Corporation, and I want it to be the best in the industry.”

When the mafia heir, Marco Gallante, barged into the family vault with his mistress, I was standing before the Virgin Mary statue, cross-checking bloodstained ledgers. Fiore Albero cowered behind him, pointing at the ledgers in my hands and shrieking, "Marco, I'm scared..." I did not even bother looking up, just flicked the ash off my cigar. However, Marco kicked the desk over with one swift boot. "Chiara Moltisanti, Fiore can't stand the sight of all this blood and violence. Sign the divorce papers, now!" I stared at the mess scattered across the floor, thinking back to the pregnancy report the family doctor had handed me just ten minutes ago. The Gallante bloodline was dying out in this generation. Ever since the eldest son, Luca Gallante, died in that accident, Marco became the sole heir. The Don, Carmine Gallante, dreamed of nothing more than a legitimate boy of pure blood to carry on the family name and glory. So, I smiled, bright and sharp, with unmistakable mockery. "Perfect. Since you want true love, then the Don's throne will never be yours." Besides, I never wanted Marco, that useless fool. What I wanted was the Gallante empire, a mafia dynasty spanning three continents with 100 years of roots, and the control that left him with nowhere to run and no legs to stand on. This time, I would cut him out completely, keep the bloodline, and sit at the head of the family.

The past Day 159 after the first New Species were freed Joy tried to relax in the chair but worry over her client made her fidget. She glanced at the clock, noting he was late again. Minutes ticked by while her anger grew. It was the fourth session in a row that 466 had blown off. He did it on purpose. She knew he was going to be irate over what she’d done in retaliation but he’d left her with no choice. The loud sound of a menacing growl startled her. Her gaze flew to the door a second before it was thrown open. 466 hovered in the hallway, his rich brown hair messed up as if he’d dried it upside down with a blow dryer to give it that fullness. Rage showed in his narrowed, dark gaze. She guessed he’d been the source of the noise. He was pushed forward as one of the guards entered the office behind her client. “Here he is. He wasn’t happy but we got him.” The man shot a dirty look at 466. “Four of his men convinced him to come along or we would have had to drag his inside in shackles. He wanted to fight me.” She winced. “Please sit, 466.” “It seems I don’t have a choice.” He sauntered over to the chair in front of her desk and dropped his big body down hard enough to make the piece of furniture groan. “So much for saying we are free.”

Jake Ryan had been best friends with Jay Morgan since they were in middle school. Jake had always valued being an only sibling, especially when Jay’s younger sister, Rachel, was always in the picture. Her personality always rubbed Jake the wrong way, and the fact that she always had to butt into her big brother’s business annoyed him more than he could say. Rachel, on the other hand, had way too much fun bothering Jake, he let it be known that she always rubbed him wrong, and she took great joy in making sure to always let it happen. Even after their drunk, and oh stupid night, she still teased him. But when the Jake came to be her personal one man rescue mission to help her out of a blizzard, she wanted no part of it. And a few minutes too long of arguing and annoying each other meant that they were stuck in her family cabin until help came, if they came. What could happen with two people, who clearly hated each other, were forced to spend the unknown amount of hours together? Could they get over the bickering along enough to figure out how to get help? Could they actually pull together and work through their problems? Better yet, could they finally stop denying the attraction they’ve both buried since high school?

Alexander's mistress was pregnant. He turned his back on me without a shred of hesitation, canceled our marking ceremony, and brought her home instead. As he passed by, he didn't even look at me. He just left a brief order hanging in the air. "She's weak. You know medicine. From now on, you'll handle her meals." When he reached the first floor, he paused again. "She's pregnant. She can't be frightened, and she needs me to sleep beside her." His voice was flat, devoid of any feeling for me. "There are plenty of empty rooms. Move out of mine." I packed my things quietly, without a word, and walked out of the estate. The butler tried to stop me, but Alexander's voice cut through the hall, cold and final. "Let her go. Once she cools off, she'll come crawling back on her own." His men, watching the scene unfold, exchanged amused glances. They even placed bets right in front of me—how many minutes before I'd regret leaving and come running back. But none of them knew the truth. The Alpha King my parents had chosen for me had already sent a car to wait for me outside the gate. This time, I wasn't coming back.