Barbaric Proposal

Pagkatapos ng tatlong taon naming pagdadate ni Nathan Foster, inakala kong alam ko na kung saan kami tutungo. Pero hindi siya kailanman nagpropose sa akin. At sa halip ay nagawa pa niyang malove at first sight sa aking stepsister. Naging direkta at walang tigil ang ginawa niyang panliligaw dito na hindi nagiwan ng pagdadalawang isip sa aking isipan. Pero sa pagkakataong ito, hindi na ako nagbreakdown o naghintay pa sa mga mangyayari habang umaasa na babalik pa siya gaya noon. Napagdesisyunan ko nang makipaghiwalay. Itinapon ko ang lahat ng regalo niya sa akin, pinagpunit punit ko rin ang wedding dress na lihim kong binili at noong kaniyang kaarawan, iniwan ko sa aking nakaraan ang Riverdale. Nang sasakay na ako sa aking flight, nagmessage si Nathan sa akin: “Nasaan ka na? Hinihintay ka ng lahat.” Ngumiti ako, pero na ako nagreply sa kaniya habang binoblock ko siya sa bawat platform. Wala siyang ideya na dalawang linggo na ang nakalilipas mula noong tanggapin ko ang proposal ng aking college senior na si Eustace Cooper. Nang lumapag ang eroplano sa bagong siyudad na aking titirhan, nakahanda na kami ni Eustace na simulan ang bagong yugto ng aming mga buhay nang magkasama—bilang magasawa.

"You're mine Ariella Vandenberg" his hand firmly wraps around her slender waist, pulling her closer to him. "Jay...I..I hate you... so much" he smirked and without permission, smashed his cold lips unto hers, enveloping in a passionate kiss. "We Both know that's a lie..". * *. * * Following a painful breakup with her fiancé, Arielle Vandenberg finds sanctuary in a darkly lit club, her thoughts clouded by sadness. But when she crosses paths with Jay Sinclair, a dangerously charming billionaire, her night takes an unexpected turn. Jay Sinclair is the last man Arielle shouldn't be engaged with, given his vicious reputation and untouchable status. But, when a controversy threatens Arielle's future, Jay makes her an attractive proposal: a contract marriage to solve both of their issues. The rules are simple: no strings, no love, just business. But when she starts to unwind, she finds out the awful truth: Jay has been using her from the start. Their terrible encounter at the bar wasn't a coincidence; rather, a deliberate plot to wreak revenge on her family's betrayal done years back, which she knows nothing of. However, with her heart now on the line, she must decide between walking away from the only person who can save her and her family and trusting the guy who fooled her. will Arielle find out even more devastating details about the guy she thought she knew, or will love be able to endure betrayal?.

Kyla Adams is a workaholic. I mean, who wouldn't be when you're working your dream job? She is one of the many writers for a startup business in North Carolina called "Clicked," where the focus is writing about hot gossip, new trends, and out of the ordinary experiences. Think of this social media app as an online magazine, where the workers are gossip hungry millennials and Gen Z'ers all trying to top one another. And the best part- Dakota Kramer; the hot young CEO at the top floor of the office building. Kyla is the job. She thrives on gossip and is a phenomenal writer, but lately her articles have been dryer than her dating life. After Dakota threatens to fire her if she doesn't step out of her comfort zone, Kyla and her friends drunkenly email Dakota an exciting new article proposal titled "EleDATE." What does the hell does this mean? Kyla must ride the elevator every morning, starting from floor 1 up to floor 50-the top floor- with a hand picked single guy from the office. The catch? She's blindfolded. She must rely on her instincts about the "bachelors" and the impressions they make during their limited time riding together- and they must remain anonymous. With over 100 employees in the building, 50 floors, and 20 single men willing to participate, this will sure make for an intriguing article and a literal make or break career moment. And let's face it... there's just something about elevators.

I am heading to my job interview when my close friend, Thomas Lang—the same guy who always cautions me about meddling in other people's business—suddenly throws caution to the wind and sprints toward the wrecked limousine. I instantly realize that Thomas has been reborn, too. In my past life, Thomas and I were the top two graduates of the finance department, both making it to the final round of interviews at a Fortune 500 conglomerate. Yet, on the day of the interview, we suddenly came across the CEO, Ruth Gibson, who had just gotten involved in a car crash. I abandoned the interview to save her, while Thomas hurried off to the interview. In the end, Thomas landed the offer, while I lost my shot at working at the top conglomerate. I received sympathy from everyone around me. However, Ruth sought me out eventually, and in the spirit of profound gratitude, she presented me with an immediate proposal of marriage. I became the man who would marry Thomas' superior, achieving incredible status overnight. Meanwhile, Thomas stayed an ordinary worker, perpetually crushed by impossible metrics and corporate pressure. I was enjoying the heights of my privilege at the annual dinner, standing beside Ruth, while Thomas lurked in the background. He was a miserable face lost among the nameless guests. Consumed by jealousy, he brandished a knife and stabbed me to death right there. I suddenly open my eyes and realize we are both back at this single, pivotal day of Ruth's accident.

For months Alex has watched Olivia as she calls out to every protective instinct he possesses. When Olivia's life hits rock bottom as a result of her mother's Alzheimer's, Alex sees his opportunity to insert himself into Olivia's life. Knowing how vulnerable she is, her acceptance of his proposal is inevitable; spend one year as his wife in return for paying off her debts and her mother's care fees. Unfortunately, the foundation of their marriage is based on a secret that Alex is determined to protect from both his family and Olivia; his BDSM lifestyle as a Dom. However, when Olivia uncovers Alex's secret, instead of the disgust Alex is anticipating, Olivia embraces his dominant side and slowly begins to explore her own sexuality. Unfortunately, their happiness is threatened by a plot between Alex's unstable ex-submissive and Liv's deadbeat alcoholic father who abandoned her and her mother when she was young. When they fail to extort Alex for money over his lifestyle, they turn to exposing Olivia and Alex's fake marriage to his mother. A final showdown between Olivia and Alex's ex-submissive finally exposes how Alex's mother was sent their pre-nuptial agreement and the key players in the plot are held accountable. Olivia also forces Alex to confront some home truths about his journey into the BDSM world. In the end, both Alex and Olivia find their happy ending by embracing both their love for each other and learning to love themselves.

My childhood sweetheart who promised to marry me the moment I graduated proposed to Camille Willow, my sister, during my graduation ceremony. At that moment, Dennis Malcolm, the most eligible and admired bachelor in Blington City's elite circle, stepped forward and confessed his love for me immediately after my childhood sweetheart's proposal was accepted. For five years after our marriage, Dennis showered me with devotion, treating me with such tenderness that it felt as though I were the center of his world. But everything shattered the day I overheard a conversation between him and his close friend. "Dennis, now that Camille's on top, are you really going to keep pretending with Tracy?" "It doesn't matter. I'll never have Camille. Besides, as long as I'm here, she'll never disrupt Camille's happiness," he answered. The paper notes he held dear, each one carefully preserved, revealed a harsh truth. Each one carried her name, accompanied by heartfelt wishes: "May Camille be released from her burdens. May she find peace within herself." "May Camille achieve all she dreams of, and may her heart love freely." "Camille, we were never meant to be together in this life. I can only hope that in another, we will walk side by side." … Five years of devotion shattered in a single moment of clarity. I crafted a false identity and planned an elaborate drowning to vanish without a trace. From this day forward, in this life and all others, we shall never cross paths again.

Akiyama, Fumiya Harah is a Japanese who was abandoned in an orphanage by their Filipino mother. Harah grew up with her sister, Aryah in an Orphanage, where they were taken in by Rosemarie and Anthony Coleman. Jack Coleman's parents. Harah grew up in the Coleman family and Jack fell in love with Harah. Later their love for each other developed and became even closer to each other. Later on, they decided to get married. That's why on the very day of Harah and Jack's wedding, Harah was sabotaged by her sister, Aryah. She added an Aphrodisiac to Harah's water and drank it then due to the effect of the Aphrodisiac. Harah went into the wrong room. Aryah makes herself an unknown sender and she deliver the photos and videos she took at the Coleman Mansion and pretended to be innocent. Jack's entire clan hated Harah and banished her. Aryah stole Jack from Harah. When Harah was expelled from the Coleman's Abode, Harah became a beggar, there she met her real father and his father helped her. Only a few years later, Harah returned to the Philippines with her triplets to attend the wedding of her sister, Aryah, and her ex-boyfriend, Jack. Aryah insulted and humiliated Harah to the core as well as Jack's relatives. Shawn came there to save Harah with their triplets. Harah and other people didn't quite think that the man she was with that night was none other than Shawn Ezekiel Peñafranco, a hot billionaires. What if Shawn asked Harah for a marriage? Will she accept his marriage proposal despite the suffering she experienced just because of one night's mistake?

Katherine Sutherland, the brilliant and powerful CEO of the Sutherland Group, once trusted the wrong man. In her previous life, she believed her childhood friend loved her. On the day she proposed marriage to him, her world shattered. Betrayed, murdered, and stripped of everything she owned, Katherine died watching the man she trusted steal her fortune, her company, and her life. But fate gives her a second chance. Katherine wakes up in the past on the very day she was meant to propose to the man who destroyed her. This time, she refuses to repeat her mistake. Instead of walking toward her childhood friend, Katherine enters a restaurant and makes a shocking decision. She proposes to a complete stranger. That stranger is Steve Armstrong, a legendary decorated soldier known in the military as The Phantom, a man feared by enemies and respected by allies. Fresh from a classified mission and raising his fifteen-year-old daughter alone after the death of his wife, Steve has no intention of accepting a sudden marriage proposal from a stranger. Until his daughter unexpectedly grabs Katherine’s hand and calls her “Mom.” Seeing the desperation in Katherine’s eyes—as if she is trying to rewrite a tragic past Steve makes an unexpected choice. He accepts. But what begins as a marriage of convenience soon becomes something far more complicated and far more dangerous. Because Katherine didn’t come back to simply live again. She came back for revenge. And this time, the man who betrayed her will lose everything.

I married a man just hours after being abandoned at the altar. Now I’m staring at a stranger who calls me his wife. Sofie Davis never imagined her perfect wedding would end in ruin, her white dress soaked by rain, her dreams shattered at her feet. Left behind on a day meant to honor her late parents, Sofie is drowning in heartbreak when James Alexander Reed steps forward with an impossible offer: a contract marriage. James, a powerful and emotionally walled-off billionaire, has watched Sofie from afar, drawn to the sincerity and compassion that set her apart from the world he knows. For him, the proposal is a shield against the fortune-seekers orbiting his wealth and a chance to finally get close to the woman he’s never forgotten. For Sofie, it’s a desperate attempt to reclaim her dignity, rewrite the ending, and survive the public humiliation she never asked for. As their fragile arrangement begins to blur, Sofie’s fire and empathy chip away at James’s defenses, revealing a tenderness even he didn’t know he still possessed. But both carry wounds that run deep: grief, betrayal, and the quiet ache of loneliness masked by control. Their journey is messy, tender, and slow-burning. And when love finally demands more than convenience, Sofie and James must decide if what’s growing between them is worth the risk or if it’s safer to walk away before their hearts are fully exposed. Unbound Desires is a story of second chances, healing, and the kind of intimacy that only blossoms when two people dare to be truly seen.

Just as she’s starting her new life in Las Vegas, she gets an urgent call to return home to Atlanta. Deila Barbson could be stubborn, witty…among other things but she wasn’t the rogue her family thought her to be so she answered with equal urgency oblivious to what awaited her— her past. She’s faced with the person that’s haunted her beautiful nightmares everyday for two years. Betrayed by her heart, she found herself running again from whom she still longed for as the very air she breaths. Breathing was as difficult as commitments. Would she stand unbroken or she melt under his touch? Time they said healed every wound so why did his heart still bleed at the sight of the woman that left him shattered sixteen months ago? Hard-headed as he was, James Martin felt open as if it were yesterday he got stood up on his planned proposal dinner. He wanted answers, from her, from himself; why didn’t he feel anger towards her for breaking his heart? Why was his heart still thudding with hope at the sight of her? Why did Deila still unman him as if he wasn’t the macho CEO that intimidated even the Mayor? And most importantly, why did she return? Behind the unwilling woman and broken man was the dark secret both their families shared. What would be keeping them apart? Their ego? Or the family secret? Warning: This book contains mature words and sexual encounters that aren't suitable for readers under the age of 18.