Administrative Theories In Public Administration

“Don’t you want to see how manly your husband is, honey?” he whispered huskily, his voice tinged with seduction. Even in his madness, he licked the tip of her ear as he nibbled it gently. His breath was hot, and the tip of his tongue was rough, sending shivers down her spine. She tried to break free, but it seemed that her strength was no match for his. “You’re hurting me, Ace!” she snapped as she squirmed. Seizing the opportunity from his loosening grip to escape from him. However, before she could spin around, he slammed her body violently against the glass wall again, causing her to whimper as her nose hit the glass. He was nothing but a heartless fucking gay man. *********************************************** Sierra Carlson is a hot and gorgeous model trapped in a loveless marriage with Ace Valentino, a man who keeps a shocking secret of being gay and will never love her. Forced to marry Ace solely to cover up his dark side, Sierra feels her life has been taken hostage by a twisted, possessive man who is arrogant and has a hidden agenda for himself. Ace Valentino is the CEO of Valentino Enterprise, known for his public image as a man of mystery. No one knows that he secretly identifies as gay. He even forces Sierra, a model under his own company, into a loveless marriage, and even worse, he has a secret lover working under the same company. Will she be able to win over her gay husband, or will she and Ace forever be stuck in this ridiculous marriage filled with drama and lies?

After discovering that she’s pregnant, Luna Deandra of the Dagger Pack throws her husband a surprise party to break the news to him but instead of the happy ending she had been expecting, she gets her heart broken when she receives evidence of husband’s infidelity with his childhood friend. Heartbroken, Deandra drinks herself to sleep after crying and wakes up the next morning worried about her child’s life. On her way back from the hospital, she runs into a mystery man who saves her from a public confrontation with Daniel, her husband and his childhood friend, Hope. He proposes a possible alliance and promises to help her get back at Daniel and Hope for the betrayal. But Deandra doesn’t know him and is worried about his intentions. However, after facing further humiliation from Daniel’s family and Hope, who is also pregnant with his child, she makes up her mind and aligns herself with the mystery man who turns out to be Daniel’s estranged half-brother, Ryder. Years later, Deandra is now a mother to three children and is married to Ryder, who is now Alpha of the Stone Pack. She is back and ready to get her revenge on Daniel and Hope and Ryder is more than happy to help her as well as get his own pound of flesh. But will Daniel simply accept defeat or will he fight to get Deandra back? And what will happen to the Alpha title of the Dagger pack? Who will become the Alpha int the end?

My husband, Adrian Cross, was a high-profile lawyer. We'd been married for seven years. I'd always wanted a child of our own, but he had never touched me because his heart belonged to someone else. Not long ago, I got into a car accident trying to save him. He promised he would grant me any wish. Everyone assumed I would ask him to have a child with me, but I calmly asked for a divorce. Adrian laughed, a cruel, public sneer on his face. "Don't pretend," he mocked. "I've never met anyone as shameless as you. You'd risk your life for me, yet you think you could ever leave me?" My heart, long hardened, turned even colder. He had no idea that I had been given a second chance. … In my previous life, I finally became pregnant with his child. But his obsession, the one he couldn't forget, took her own life. All his rage fell on me. On the day I went into labor, he locked me in the basement and forced me to swallow a massive dose of abortion drugs. As blood gushed from me, he laughed like a madman. "Ella died because of you and that wretched child you're carrying. For the pain she endured, you will pay twice over!" I died from hemorrhaging. And he went on to hold a wedding at the grave of his lost love. But reborn, I returned to the day of the car accident, ready to see their doomed love come to its bitter end.

Nadia Wilde, the once docile daughter of a wealthy and famous pastor who is loved by the public, has her life turned upside down when she’s sent to prevent her hidden and rebellious step sister from showing up at a one-night stand that could jeopardize her father’s reputation. But in the process, Nadia ends up on the hotel bed instead of Ava and is unable to stop what happens next because, deep down, she’s never been the good girl everyone has always adored. Six years later, Russell Lane, a young CEO whose automobile company is taking over the industry, develops the need for a contract wife, and Nadia, the perfect candidate, falls prey to his trap. With only flaming eyes to remember each other since that fateful day, Nadia recollects who he is, and Russell can’t seem to take his mind off the mysteriously familiar woman. Oblivious to the fact that he’s the father of Nadia’s twins, Russell wants her as his contract wife, and he plans to get her by any means, regardless of what she wants. Can Nadia keep up with a powerful family that tramples down on the likes of her and use this god-given opportunity to climb back up the social ladder? Will Russell be able to overcome the obstacles and keep his company away from the hands of his overambitious brothers and sisters? Most importantly… Will Nadia and Russell make what started as an accidental one-night stand thrive into something much more real, or will their contract marriage, along with everything else, end just as it was supposed to?

Catherine Zoe Aragon was born with a silver spoon. She was one of the princesses of the Aragon Empire, envied by everyone, but unlike what they see in public, no one but the sisters knew the hardships they were put through to maintain their family's reputation. After years of putting up with all the rules and restrictions, she finally had enough. Cath was determined to leave her life behind and start anew, doing the thing that she loves, writing stories and drawing. She cut ties with her family except for her younger sister, leaving all the perks, wealth, and glamour that she was accustomed to all of her life. Eventually, she became a successful comic book editor, hiding the gravity of her last name. She was living her life the way she wanted to and it was wonderful, except for one thing, her creepy pervert boss. Luckily, he finally got his karma and was let go and that's when she met Mr. Gavin Mitchel, her new boss. Gavin came from the world that she escaped from a few years ago. He was a man trying to heal his broken heart by putting all of his time and attention to his work after a brutal break-up with his ex-fiance. When, or if they fall in love could they accept each other's pasts and baggage? What would they do with their pasts hunting them? Could their love conquer it all? Love triangles, family drama, friendship, and office romances... Would they get through it all? Fate might have planned a love story for you, but no one said that it was flowers and rainbows.

The world snapped back into focus, the memories of my brutal end crashing into the present. I was back—right here, right now, the exact moment Jarrold Jameson was trying to hand me that obscenely expensive purse. In my past life, he'd had a nasty fight with his precious Cindy Mayford. To make her jealous, he decided to use me as his pawn. I'd been stupid enough to love him once, but my pride had revolted. I'd refused to be a stand-in. It didn't matter. He kept engineering "accidental" run-ins, crafting one public misunderstanding after another, all to get a reaction from Cindy. I had done nothing wrong. I gained nothing. But I became Cindy's enemy. Her jealousy festered until it turned lethal. She had me kidnapped. The men she hired left my body shattered and broken. And Jarrold? He held his sobbing darling close and whispered those unforgettable words, "She got what she deserved." In the end, they stepped right over what was left of me and walked off into their picture-perfect life. Now, staring into his smug face, a cold clarity settled over me. This time, everything would be different. I snatched the handbag from his grasp. "A present for me?" I asked, my voice sweet, a sharp, calculated smile on my lips. "I love it. But just so you know, for next time… I've always preferred the classic design from her family's brand. That's the one you should be buying me."

'"Tell me what you want, Amara,” Zane said, voice like silk over fire. His lips were a whisper from mine. I could feel the tension in his body. The restraint. The raw, maddening awareness. He dragged a finger down my cheek. “To be touched? Or to be remembered?” I stared at him. “Neither. I just want you gone.” “You don’t mean that,” he said, leaning in just a fraction closer. “I do,” I lied. His breath fanned my lips. His nose grazed mine. I felt every inch of my body coil, traitorous and trembling. I wanted him to kiss me. But it would be wrong. He was engaged to someone else.' *** He is the bridegroom. She is the wedding planner. He doesn’t seem to remember her. Or so he says. Five years ago, wedding planner Amara Ibe was madly in love with her fiancé, Zane Blackwood. Until she exposed a massive corruption scandal that was tied to Zane’s father’s company, to which Zane was the primary heir. Her whistleblower tip destroyed Zane’s career, or so she thought. Now Zane is back, bigger and better than ever, and about to marry someone else in the wedding of the century. The catch? Amara has been hired to plan the wedding. And Zane doesn’t seem to remember her. Behind the luxury wedding, perfect vows and Zane’s strangely elusive fiancée, nothing is what it seems. Everyone has secrets, and Amara gradually realizes that everything the couple sells out to the public is a lie. And loving this man could destroy her… again.

Athena's last memory is a terrifying plunge from a rooftop, the gunshot that killed her—her husband Austin's gunshot—echoing in her ears. She impossibly wakes on her wedding day, reliving the marriage that led to her death. Trapped in a time loop, she must escape Austin's planned murder. Her arranged marriage is a gilded cage, a death sentence disguised as family duty, escape seemingly impossible. A glimmer of hope arises at the concurrent engagement party of billionaire Kael Visconti and her cousin, Arabella. Rumors swirl around Kael, whispering of underworld ties and his reputation as a ruthless mafia don—a truth he carefully conceals, adding to his aura of power and intrigue. Knowing of Arabella's affair, Athena proposes a risky deal: information on the infidelity in exchange for help escaping her wedding. They strike a bargain: Kael will publicly disrupt the wedding, posing as her lover, in exchange for a sham marriage. The plan succeeds. Kael's dramatic intervention creates chaos; Athena escapes. Their flight becomes a media sensation, thrusting Athena into a public engagement with Kael. But this salvation turns terrifying. A violent confrontation with Arabella and her lover reveals Kael's true nature: he's not just a billionaire but the ruthless head of an extensive underworld organization. The shot is precise, swift, and utterly ruthless; the man falls with horrifying finality. Athena sees the cold calculation in Kael's eyes, a terrifying glimpse into his cruelty. She's traded one dangerous man for another, far more powerful and unpredictable. Her fight for survival against a man far more dangerous than Austin has only just begun. The city's most dangerous man is now her soon-to-be husband.

The once-revered socialite, Adora Matthews, was abducted for three years. After escaping death and making her way back, she thought the nightmare was finally over, only to plunge into yet another abyss. Her once-doting parents now treated her like a plague. Her fiercely protective older brother loathed her to the core. The adopted sister she once cared for mocked her with cutting remarks. Even her childhood sweetheart, who once sworn eternal love, was now engaged to that very sister, wishing for her death. All because of the rumors that she had contracted a vile disease, given birth to an old man’s child, and disgraced the Matthews family. With no other choice, she severed all ties and walked away, secretly carrying a fortune worth millions. Without hesitation, she entered a flash marriage with Louis Walker. Everyone knew Louis Walker was a surgical prodigy—young, brilliant, and from a prestigious family. Yet, no one dared to approach him, let alone propose marriage. His temperament was unpredictable, his moods volatile—genius and madness teetering on the edge. But after marrying the disgraced heiress of the Matthews family, Louis transformed into the ultimate doting husband, flaunting his love in public and clinging to her in private. As the Matthews family faced imminent bankruptcy with no way out, they turned to their son-in-law as a last resort. "For the sake of the family, help us find the mastermind who ruined us..." Louis, holding his wife in his arms, kissed her delicate fingers and smirked. "My dear Adora has such beautiful hands. Tell me, how did these flawless hands of hers manage to ruin you?" The Matthews family stood frozen in shock. "Adora... it was you?!"

There are creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to struck fear to their preys, one of the elusive ones is the King of the shifters, Ruler of the Werewolf Realm, Alpha of the Alphas. Alpha Alexander, a man who bends for nothing and no one ...... That is until he met his mate. A woman destined to bring him to his knees. YOU CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST DESTINY. Humans have always been so oblivious to the world that they live in. They think that they are at the top of the food chain well infact they are and will always be our preys. 2 decades ago when creatures of the night emerged from the shadows and showed themselves out in a public eye. What human believed as myths were actually living with them all along. The reality is way harsher than it seems. ****** I could feel his lips against my neck as he trailed kisses, possibly leaving marks on his path. My hands were pinned by his left hand above my head while his other hand is busy roaming my body. His body was flushed against mine as my back is firmly planted against the wall. I could feel his arousal pressed against mine. His kisses were like a drug, I could feel my body responding to him. Just as I was about to let out a breathy moan I was shaken out of my reverie. Knowing that I am letting my enemy violate me was enough to make my blood boil. "Let me go! I swear to the moon goddess if I break free from your grip, I will chop off your balls and feed them to the oooomp-" I was cut off mid sentence when his lips crashed down to mine. ******