Alice Masquerade

After five years of marriage, my wife’s childhood friend posted a photo of a property deed in his social media circle with the caption, [Thank you, Miss CEO, for transferring the house to me.] I was stunned when I saw the address on the deed—it was my home. Confused, I left a comment. [?] Almost immediately, my wife, Alice, called and scolded me. "He’s a single dad, so pitiful! I only transferred the house to his name to make it easier for his daughter to attend school. It doesn’t affect us living there. How can you be so heartless and lack even a shred of compassion?" In the background, I could hear her childhood friend complaining bitterly. Half an hour later, he posted on social media again and tagged me. This time, he showed off a $150,000 sports car with the caption, [Paid in full! As the saying goes, where a woman spends her money is where her heart lies.] I knew it was my wife who bought him the car to make up for upsetting him. But this time, I’ve made up my mind—I’m filing for divorce.

“No one touches what is mine and gets to live,” he replies firmly, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Alessandro, I am not yours. I am not anyone’s property,” I argue. He laughs softly. “Okay,” he says casually, as if what I said doesn't matter. “I mean it; I will never be yours—not your property, not your plaything, and certainly not your mistress,” I've already made it clear that I won't be his mistress; I don’t know why he can’t seem to accept that. His jaw tightens, then he scoffs. “He threatened you, he touched you,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “It really didn’t matter if the device was his or not; he knew what was coming for him.” In search of her missing father, Renée, a 24 year old boudoir photographer, moves to a new country and makes a deal with the FBI. She helps them bring down the most feared Mafia Don in the country, and they help her find her father. All she has to do is seduce him and get him to lower his guard—easy. Alessandro has been married for three years to the perfect wife, the princess of the East Mafia dome. That kind of marriage makes Alessandro the leader of both the South and the East of the Mafia dome and untouchable, Ruthless. Then one night at a masquerade ball, he meets her, the seductive stranger with a different accent. She looks like the typical type of woman he would make his mistress. But is that enough? Will his world accept a woman like her? It has been a rule for as long as he can remember that certain races can't mix, at least not from where he stands. Plus, he is a married man. Everything about her is forbidden.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ This Book Contains Matured Contents, reader's discretion is advised. ***EXTRACT*** “Do you have any idea how much I want to be inside you right now?” he asked, standing to his feet. “Then why aren’t you?” I responded, loving the feel of him pressed so close, my back to the mirror. But even still, in some far corner of my lust-fogged mind, I realized that we were still in a bathroom. Anyone could walk in and see us. The thought of getting discovered was scary and same time, erotic. “Oh, we're not done. Spread your legs a bit for me, Kitten." He commanded. I did as he instructed and he settled between my legs again. “Now close your eyes. And try not to move.” Dominic Rutherford murmured. I drew in a sharp breath as his fingers slipped into me with a silky, wet ease. First one. Then another. A feverish tide rose inside me, and I groaned. I jerked in response, causing me to unconsciously move my hips towards his teasing hand, seeking more. “Ohh—” My body trembled under his touch. “Please…” ****** Ruby escapes a stifling marriage filled with betrayal, eager to reclaim her freedom. At a masquerade ball, she meets Dominic, a mysterious older man always wearing a mask and has a complex past. Their intense attraction ignites a passionate and dangerous affair. Dominic, who was tasked by Ruby's unknown brother to find her, is captivated by her defiant spirit. As Ruby gets entangled in Dominic’s dark world and faces threats from her vengeful former husband and an enemy within, she struggles with her fear of love. Will Ruby and Dominic overcome their pasts and the secrets that threaten to tear them apart? Can Ruby submit to love even after the truth is revealed?

"I would take a bullet for you, but I never thought you will end up being the one holding the gun." *** Alice Deborah Quinto, an extrovert, strong-confident woman. A woman who will never lower her guard down to anyone. Halos perpekto na ang kanyang buhay. Ngunit sa kasamaang palad, magbabago ang kanyang landas. Upang mapanatili ang negosyo ng kanilang pamilya, nagtakda ang kanyang mga magulang na ipakasal siya sa anak na tagapagmana ng isa sa pinakamaipluwensyang negosyante sa bansa. Dean Larry Valerco, a goody-two-shoes introvert man. Siya ay isang taong may matigas na puso. Mas gustong manatili sa bahay kaysa gumala at mag-party kung saan-saan. But as the heir of their family, he needs to remain his communicating and socializing with people. Palagi siyang nakabuntot sa kanyang mga magulang, kaya hindi na siya nag-abala na ipasok siya ng kanyang mga magulang sa isang political marriage. An extrovert vs an introvert. Isa nga bang delubyo ang pagtatagpo ng dalawa?

It started with the most annoying encounter at the mall. One glance at him, she wished she never crossed paths with him again, He wished so too. Not until fate brought them back again. At her father's party. Something about her pulled him slowly and deeply without warning. He tried to shrug it off but he couldn't. Then one night, Alex had too many drinks and Alice is to meet her friend at the hotel when she walked into the room where he is...and they crossed a line they aren't meant to. During the act, he made it clear: He never wanted kids. She nodded, not until her test results came back positive. Years later, their paths cross again. He sees a little boy with his hair type....and he demands to know who he is. But the man beside her, Chris Wales, holds secrets darker than anyone suspected. Secrets that tie him to her blood in the most twisted way. Can a child mend what fate once broke? Or will secrets tear them apart once more? Or will secrets, lies, and a mother’s manipulations tear them apart once more?

On our first wedding anniversary, my husband came home with a woman who was six months pregnant. He introduced her as his cousin, someone who had fallen on hard times, and asked me to take care of her. I was just about to agree when fragments of imaginary commentary floated through my mind: [She's just my 'cousin'. Uh-uh, that's a cliche.] [Poor supporting female character! A maid by day, the husband's bedwarmer by night.] [But she totally deserved it! If she hadn't broken up the main couple, they'd have a whole soccer team of kids by now!] Wait—what? Supporting female character? Me? And what's this about breaking them up? So now these two get to cheat under my roof, and somehow I'm the villain? Before I could process it all, my husband was already dragging her luggage inside. "Alice doesn't like fried food," he said matter-of-factly. "And nothing too salty or spicy. Make sure you keep that in mind when you're cooking. "Oh, and pregnant women love sweets. Go out now and buy a cherry cake. The one from that bakery in the suburbs."

My mate’s childhood sweetheart was throwing a tantrum again, so Henry wanted to break our mate bond once more. Though I felt despair, I still looked calmly at him as I said, “This is the eighth time you’ve broken our bond.” His eyes were full of guilt and helplessness as he gently cupped my face, pleading softly. “Nicole, you know I have no choice. Alice threatened to take her own life with a silver dagger again. I grew up with her. She’s like a sister to me. I can’t just leave her alone. “My love, don’t worry. I swear, once I’ve cheered her up, we’ll immediately re-establish our mate bond.” I stayed silent. He’d made this promise to me countless times, so much that we had formed a mate bond and broken it eight times. To the werewolf pack, a mate bond was sacred. But in his eyes, it was nothing. “Please, my love.” As he took out the potion to sever our bond, I quietly clenched my fists. “Okay.” After all, there won’t be a next time.

There is an adage that someone’s first love can never be forgotten, especially if it started from a childhood friendship up until them hating each other and not to forget the denial of one’s feelings. But one can only deny their feelings towards their other half, but can never deny the bond of a mate. Isabella Lenovo is Alpha Ledger’s sister and the childhood friend of Alpha Ryan. She has a twin sister who was also a childhood friend of Alpha Ryan and Alice, Alpha Ryan’s deceased sister. But an unfortunate accident broke the bonds between these friends. The once enviable friendship was now tainted with jealousy, envy, and resentment. The moon strikes back by making Ryan and Isabella mates. Would Isabella accept this and give in to the mate’s bond despite all odds? Ryan Stones, the alpha of pack Loren—a quick-witted man with soft features and a mind and will as hard as a stone—decided not to have anything to do with the Lenovo sisters after an accident that cost him something huge. He believes that the Lenovo sisters had a hand in this accident and he made a vow to get his revenge back on them. But would his plan waver when he figured out that Isabella was his mate or would he use that as an opportunity to get his revenge? Would their hidden love and bond for each other prevail, or would we say that the moon for once made a mistake?

Como minha irmã gêmea Ana sempre foi frágil, todos viviam mimando ela. No dia em que a nevasca isolou a montanha, o helicóptero de resgate tinha apenas uma vaga. Segurando meu diagnóstico de câncer terminal, quando eu estava prestes a entregar minha vaga para Ana, ela simplesmente levou a mão à cabeça, alegando tontura. Toda a família instantaneamente se aglomerou ao redor dela, carregando-a para dentro do helicóptero. Meu marido Heitor tocou meu braço fraturado e disse: — Alice, você terá que esperar pelo próximo. Minha filha Aurora até me atirou bolas de neve: — A tia Ana precisa mais do que você! Não monopolize! Só depois que o helicóptero decolou é que vi Ana mostrando a língua para mim triunfante pela janela — ela nunca tinha sentido tontura alguma. Depois de ser resgatada, descobri que tinha apenas três dias de vida. Para aqueles últimos dias, resolvi dar tudo de mim para trocar um pouquinho do amor da minha família.

WARNING CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND TRIGGERING SITUATIONS INCLUDING ABUSE, SUICIDE, AND RAPE ********************************** Blair Collins is a senior in high school with a long history of causing trouble. She is quite frankly over high school and just looking to have a fun time for her last year when an unexpected change happens at her school, a new and extremely attractive statistics teacher. Ms. Winters graduated at only sixteen and started teaching this year at the age of only twenty-two. Blair instantly takes a liking to her and accidentally wanders into her lawn drunk after a party one night. When both Blair and Ms. Winters start to develop a liking for one another will boundaries be crossed or will forbidden love prevail? It would seem that depends heavily on who finds out and how long their relationship can be kept secret. *********************************** She rolled her eyes turning me on even further "I think we both know this was bound to happen either way." "How do you figure?" I questioned slowly taking another sip of my drink She smiled confidently "Well Alice, I'd say there's been sexual tension between us from the moment I walked in for my first day of statistics, wouldn't you agree?" She was right "No." ********************************** Written By Morgan Giglio Cover designed by latteai on Fiverr