A Soft Murmur

On our tenth wedding anniversary, I made a special trip to the salon to have my hair done. While settling the bill, I noticed an extra charge on my account. It was a coloring and perm package. Judging by the price, it was a package meant for waist-length hair. Mine had been cropped short for seven or eight years. I called my husband, Jason Moore. "Have you used my salon membership card recently?" There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he laughed lightly, "Oh, I lent it to Quincy a few days ago." Quincy Hahn was his business partner, a fine arts student with long hair. She treasured her natural curls more than anything. She would never be willing to dye or perm it. More importantly, her elder sister was a major shareholder of this salon. Why would she ever need to use my card? I said nothing more and ended the call. Then, I headed straight to a location displayed on my phone. In the cafe, a long-haired lady was nestled in Jason's arms. Her freshly permed curls were soft and bouncy, framing her blushed face with certain demureness. Jason had always complained that my short hair made me look rough and manly. I lacked gentleness and charm. It seemed this long-haired lady suited his tastes perfectly.

**This book is the second book in the Billionaire series. It can be read as a standalone novel, but it is highly suggested that you read The Billionaire’s First Glance prior to this novel.** I, Zander Cavanaugh, the all-American football quarterback, have done something that could get me killed. I fell in love with the brilliant, curvy mafia princess Isabella Aventini at first sight. Everything about Isabella called to me: her captivating blue eyes, her soft caramel skin, every dip and curve of her voluptuous body was just the start. Isabella was smart, kind, and funny. The kind of girl you can’t help but fall in love with. I know she felt the same way as I did. We were drawn together like magnets, but that’s not how the mafia works. Isabella is a commodity to be sold or brokered for the sake of alliances and has been promised to the ruthless and cutthroat DeMarco family since birth — a fate she neither wants nor needs. Isabella’s father, Mafia Don Salvatore Aventini, has managed to keep us apart by sending Isabella away to finish high school. However, when fates aligned, Isabella not only ended up attending the same university as me, but she’s also my college-assigned tutor. I know there is no chance for us, and still I fell in love with her, knowing it could mean my death.

The day I was released from prison was New Year's Eve. My fiancée had promised to pick me up. Instead, she was busy ringing in the New Year with the man she had always loved. By the time I found my way back home from memory, she was in the middle of a cheering crowd, wrapped in his arms. "Nancy, Samuel's getting out today. Aren't you going to pick him up?" someone asked. Nancy Wheeler let out a soft laugh, her red lips curling slightly. "Pick him up? What's more important, him or New Year's? He's been in there for years. One more day won't kill him." "Aren't you afraid he'll be angry?" Colder than the wind and snow outside were Nancy's indifferent words. "He's the one who made a mistake. What right does he have to be angry? The fact that I was still willing to be with him was already a mercy." As the words left her mouth, she lifted her gaze, only to meet mine. The smile froze on her face. The cold light from inside fell across me, and something in my heart froze with it. She said she was still willing to have me. However, I no longer wanted her.

Will is a boy trapped in a goblin world. Blood, all he saw was blood. Will was paralyzed in fear, he couldn't even scream. This was the first time he had seen so much blood in his life. He heard a splat next to him and saw a small wrinkly thing land next to him. This time will screamed, the thing got up on its knees and immediately started gnawing on whatever soft surface they had landed on. Will was horrified and tried getting away while screaming, but his body was still weak, so all he could do was crawl. He started screaming even louder when he saw his own arms clawing at the surface, they were also green. He had a pair of short stubby arms with three claw like fingers coming out at the end. He stopped all his activity and just sat down in a daze. More and more green things were thrown in the area around him, and like the first one they all started eating whatever it was they were on. Will focused on his surroundings this time, taking in all the information he could. He had realized that no matter what was happening, he needed to understand the situation he was in, and since it seemed he wasn't in any immediate danger, he had decided to calm down and focus.

“Why didn’t you tell me you are the mother of my kids, Emma?” His countenance is soft but stern. “It was a contract.” My voice falters. He didn’t choose fatherhood. She didn’t choose him. But destiny and betrayal leave them with no choice at all. Billionaire Alexander Willoughby built his empire on control. Then his grandparents stole his DNA to create the heir he never asked for. Betrayed and furious, Alexander vowed never to be manipulated again. Emma Johnson thought the surrogacy contract was simple: carry a baby, save her mother, keep her sister in school, and walk away. She never planned to meet the children she birthed. She never planned to fall in love with them—or with their father. Now, as the nanny to twins Bernard and Bernice, Emma’s secret has exploded. Alexander feels deceived. Emma feels cornered. And circling them both is Sophia, Alexander’s ex and Emma’s stepsister, who is determined to tear them apart and claim the life she thinks she deserves. Neither planned this bond. Neither wanted these stakes. But the twins they share will tie them together in ways neither can escape. When secrets ignite, pride shatters, and desire grows impossible to resist, walking away may no longer be an option. A story of power, betrayal, sacrifice and a love neither of them saw coming.

Marrying Lucas Darken, son of the wealthiest IT company CEO in the city, was all Taya had dreamed about since their first meeting. But the pride and joy of marrying Lucas turned into a disaster, after Taya discovered the affair Lucas had been hiding. To her surprise, the girl Lucas had been having an affair with was none other than her so called best friend. Damaged, Taya tried hard to cover her unbearable pain, but deep inside, she swore that Lucas would suffer way worse than she did. Being drained mentally and emotionally, Taya eventually decided to leave her bitter life behind, moving away to a small town, hoping for a new adventure all her own. Her journey led to her meeting the attractively secretive Declan Mercer, a man with deep deep pocket, who changed Taya's life completely. Declan helped with her transformation from a meek, soft spoken, heart-broken girl, into a tough, blunt woman. However, as Taya got closer to Declan, she learned that he was in fact the most feared mob boss in history. Further, with Lucas' reappearance and Declan claiming Taya to be his one and only, along with Ella showing up that she dragged Taya through another level of hell, could Taya survive this time?

On the road, I met a woman unlike anyone I had ever seen before. Her name was Janet Smith. She seemed slow and almost childlike, yet she had been wandering alone for two years without ever going home. Even with one leg crippled, she had forced herself to climb the Highveil Mountains. This time, however, she was caught in a blizzard. Injured and stranded, she could no longer make her way down. As her vision blurred and her strength slipped away, tears covered her face. She placed a pair of small handmade clay dolls in my hands. "I'm probably going to die here," she murmured. "Please give these to my adoptive brother, Chester Graham." She was clearly at death's door, yet her smile was soft and unexpectedly serene. "Tell him I've seen enough of the world. I don't love him anymore. And tell him he doesn't need to worry. I'm not so foolish now. I won't cause trouble for anyone again." Chester? At the sound of his name, I stood rooted to the spot. In Riverton City, everyone who worked at the harbor knew him, the so-called Ship King. Right before I left for the mountains, news of his engagement had been everywhere.

"It hurts…" Joanna Horton clutched her swollen belly in agony, a deep, wrenching pain twisting through her that words couldn't describe. Terror filled her voice as she cried out, "It hurts so bad… Theo… please, save our baby…" But outside, there was only silence—except for the soft, steady sounds of prayers and chanting from the next room. That was where her monk husband, Theo Brook, was, praying for the soul of his long-dead first love. Ever since Sharon Cooper jumped off that building, Theo had been grief-stricken. He left everything behind and became a monk, never missing a single night of chanting for her. People said he had the heart of a saint, that he was devoted and had never stopped loving her. But they didn't know that just on the other side of that wall was Joanna—his lawfully wedded wife, the one he had once married in a grand ceremony. Joanna was burning up with fever, her eyes barely open, her face pale and tired. A few days ago, she had made Theo angry. Since then, no matter how much she cried out in pain, he ignored her. Another sharp wave of pain hit, and suddenly, a rush of blood spilled from between her legs. The baby inside her stopped moving. She knew then—her child was gone.

"If you are my fated then who am I to disagree?" He whispered more to himself than to me but I caught every word.Guilt began to stir within. I held back the tear that threatened to roll down my paled cheeks as I uttered the next words, "And what if I'm not?" I began but was immediately cut off by a set of soft lips claiming my own._______________What would you do if your fate had already been written out for you? Meet Zion Collins. A 17 year old going 18 who is the strongest and most powerful being within the three realms. His life had always been filled with immense hatred which would lead to catastrophic destruction. His prophecy had been written ions before his birth but his parents, Phoenix and Ciana Collins, kept it from him for his own safety. When Alina Hart stumbles into Zion's life he notices a change within himself. This love was bound to find him because if it didn't there would be dire consequences. It is up to Zion whether he wants to accept this love or fall pray to the darkness and let hatred consume him. What Zion didn't bargain for was that Alina has a secret of her own which would either break Zion or allow him to fall deeper in love with her!

When the soft and caring Emmalyn marries Kelvin Price, the cold and ruthless Alpha, to save her father’s pack, she does not expect to fall in love with a man who had always thought of her as a second choice and a weakling. An unexpected turn of events takes place, pulling the couple closer but can a love founded on lies, betrayal, and deceit ever survive in the cruel werewolf world where enemies looked forward to destroying them? **** When Emma’s older sister, Tiana, runs away from her arranged wedding to Kelvin Price, Emma is forced to marry him in her place to save her parents’ faces and the pack. Kelvin Price is known to be a cold and elusive Alpha who Emma did not think she could end up falling in love with. She was more content with her sweet boyfriend, Marcus. She knew she would only have herself to blame if she expects a life full of roses when she returns with him. What happens when an unexpected turn of events takes place, forcing the couple closer? As they grow closer, they must fight the demons of their past and of the lives that once left them- especially when her sister, Tiana, returns with just one aim. To snatch back what was once hers. Kelvin Price.