Bare Minimum

On the day of the wedding, Galen Shaw forces me to crack walnuts with my bare hands for his so-called female buddy. My expression goes cold, and I refuse outright. "My hands are for holding a scalpel, not cracking walnuts for her!" He only chuckles and orders someone to hold me down. Then, he glues the walnuts to my palms himself. One by one, he slams them against the ground. "You cheated while studying medicine. Now that you've married me, forget about ever being a doctor again!" I grit my teeth through the pain. My fingers are aching, but I try to explain. "I went abroad to study medicine for you!" His so-called female buddy sneers in a shrill voice. "All that talk about the Shaw family's hereditary disease is nonsense! Galen has been perfectly healthy for over 20 years. Don't tell me you just want another excuse to cozy up with your precious senior?" The moment those words leave her lips, the faint thought of having someone bandage my hand disappears. A shadow crosses Galen's face. "Looks like you haven't learned your lesson!" He throws me into the basement and locks me there for three days. By the time I crawl out, my hands are completely ruined. Later, when Galen's hereditary disease finally surfaces, the doctor tries to comfort him. "This disease may be terminal, but there is still a way. Dr. Robinson has just returned from overseas. She's the only one in the world who can perform this surgery. "I hear that she's your wife."

“The Rossellinis are to the Mahonnas what the Montagues are to the Capulets, sworn enemies bound by years of feud that fuels hatred and bitter rivalry. In summary, the man standing beside me, the man who I just said my vows to, is my father’s archenemy.” *** When Marco Rossellini, a ruthless Mafia boss, feared and respected in the underground world kidnaps Vienna’s husband-to-be on her wedding day, and forces her to marry him as an act of revenge against her father, she is trapped under the painful existence of being married to a man as cold as ice. As they navigate through the stormy waters of hate and the treacherous landscape of mafia politics, Vienna is torn between loyalty to her father and the growing feelings for the man who married her as an act of revenge. But can she trust Marco, or will his vendetta against her family shatter her into a thousand broken pieces beyond repair? *** All his life, Marco has only wanted one thing - vengeance against the man who wronged his family. What better way to get back at Daniello Mahonnas than taking away his most prized treasure, right underneath his nose in one calculated move? Marriage to the beautiful Vienna was supposed to be an act of revenge, a genius move that will bring the Mahonnas down on their knees, pleading for his mercy. But with every banter, with every smile she sends his way, every heated kiss and stolen passion, she chips away at his icy exterior, leaving him bare, vulnerable and worst – in love. Will he be able to move past his vendetta and love her the way his heart wants or will those eyes staring back at him remind him more of his past than he ever wanted?

The cold breeze in my face, clinging tightly to my bare arms. My arms wrapped around my torso in an attempt to keep me warm. Tears streaming down my face as memories of Harry's cruel betrayal flood my mind. Of all days, he chose my birthday to hurt me. My red pumps creating a gentle click sound with every contact it made with the tarred road. Creating the only sound the night breeze brings to my ears. Asides my sobs and the distant barks of the neighborhood dogs. My third sense is sudden activated as I sense I'm being followed. I smell danger. Walking alone on such desolate streets doesn't seem like the best idea I could have come up with. I wasn't thinking straight when I made that choice. I should have called my driver to come get me!. This creepy feeling becomes more intense and I decide to do the one thing I know I'm good at; run!. I throw my purse and phone away as I begin to run in frenzy I feel something hot on my trail, when I look back, all I see is dark fog. The more reason to run faster. The road fairly lit by moonlight, my heart in my mouth and prayers of help and mercy escaping my lips. Finally, I hear music playing from loud speakers. I'm close to civilization!. I keep running frantically.... Tales of missing children are considered a fallacy till teenage Sonia goes missing... Follow Sonia on her desperate quest to break free... And bring the truth to light

"Strip." "What?" "I said you should strip... You've lost your courage so fast?" Mavis stutters, colour flooding her cheeks. He takes a step further, coming to stand right behind her. he pushes her hair to one side, leaving her left shoulder bare save for the strap of the flimsy red dress. With a deep inhale, he picks the one strap and tugs on it until it slides down her arm, loose. "I am paying you Ten Million Dollars, I should at least have some fun." When the tip of his fingers touch her skin again, it slides dangerously close to her cleavage, and maybe, just maybe, she'd like to have his palms cup her breasts the same way they'd done all those years ago. ********************* It took Seven whole years for her to reappear in his world, and when she did, she did not come alone. She'd had a baby for him seven years before, and that jewel is on the edge of death... For the same child, she'd decided to grovel or worship him and do whatever he wants for a week, just like all those years before. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? This time, she thinks she can run from Lance Wesker? with the child that looks suspiciously like him? And worst of all, now knowing that Lance Wesker is not a nobody... He is not just the World's Most Eligible Bachelor, he is also her best friend's Elder Brother? Things are about to unravel in the best and messiest way possible, because with Lance and Mavis, nothing is ever going the right way!

WARNING ⚠️ PG 18 THIS BOOK CONTAINS SENSITIVE CONTENT, READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED. “Quiet!” he snapped. In an instant, he grabbed me by the waist, lifting me onto the desk. My protests died in my throat as he tore through the fragile boundaries I’d tried to set. “Marcus, stop!” I managed. But my breath had grown heavy. Warmth was already pooling between my legs. Marcus ignored me, his hand trailing over the bare skin of my arms with a possessive dominance that left me breathless—not with desire, but with rage and humiliation. I wanted him to touch me all over, and at the same time it made me so angry with myself. ***************************************** Cassandra found herself entangled with her professor after a one night stand. She was forced to enter into a contract with him. Unknowingly for her, she signed off her sovereignty forever. Betrayed, Cursed, and Banished by the moon goddess and pack, Alpha Marcus found himself trapped in the human world. After a one night stand with Cassandra, he discovered she was his key in getting his title, and throne. After several attempts to escape from Alpha Marcus, Cassandra finally got the freedom she had longed for. Bounded by Obsession, Marcus was willing to chase her to the end of the earth, just to get her back. Few years later, Cassandra strived to develop herself, climbing the ladder of success. The very day she was supposed to accept a marriage proposal from her fiance, her past came calling on her. Marcus came back to find her. Just when she began to accept her fate, A hidden secret that could change her existence was uncovered. Leaving Cassandra caught between Accepting Alpha Marcus or getting her revenge.

"You're one interesting girl my princess," he said. At the same time, his eyes peered into mine as his hands slipped into my dress tracing my legs up to my upper thigh. My bare back pressed against the wall feeling the touch of his palm on my skin which sent tingling shivers down my spine and for some reason, I felt a smile creep up on my lips. "And you aren't a Saint either". __ Jade Flores who works part-time at the infamous Red bar, had just graduated and is looking to make her life better. She's innocent, makes impulsive decision sometimes and just wishes to continue hiding from her wicked uncle. Saint Gennaro Guerra, the city's infamous Mafia lord. He's Stoic, stern, dominant and of course, handsome. No one who has ever crossed him made it out of the 'dead hole'. The two cross paths when one of Saint's men who betrayed him happens to be Jade's cousin, Marcel popularly known as 'Tequila'. Saint rescues her from his archenemy, Matrix who is also in search of Tequila. Saint then holds Jade as his property when he cannot find Tequila. Jade starts to fall hard for him and in as much as he pushes her away each time and keeps his walls high, she doesn't stop trying to break his walls. What happens when the city's infamous man keeps facing different situations with the girl who works at the infamous bar? Will they have themselves to fall back to? Will Saint reciprocate her feelings?

“Where’s your fight now, wife?” Dominic's breath ghosted across my bare skin. “Let me go. I’m warning you,” I hissed, struggling against his wrist that held both my hands above my head. “Funny... Your upper and lower lips seem to be contradicting each other. I don’t know which to trust… maybe I should kiss both, see which one’s lying.” “Fuck you!” I spat—only it came out more like a moan I couldn’t control. “Yeah…” His hand tightened, holding me just enough to make my pulse pound. “Yeah… you will. You’ll beg for it.” “You'll scream it out to the world. Tell them who you belong to,” And it should’ve been a joke. A sick one. Because Dominic Cantrell wasn’t someone girls like me belonged to. He was the billionaire’s heir with a reputation that could ruin cities and rebuild them. I was a mere cleaner with a brother in debt. But when a series of mistakes; one fight, one night, one kiss; pulls us into a contract that binds me to him for 365 days, survival becomes something I have to earn… under him. The devil thinks I’m a pawn. He thinks he can own me, bend me, break me. He’s so wrong. Because I'm not one of his bimbos. I'm his Kryptonite. And one day? I’ll make the devil kneel. WARNING: Contains high R-rated explicit scenes.

Caroline just wanted to make it home for Christmas. Instead, she spun off the road in the ice-silent realm of the mountains and nearly died in the blizzard. When she opens her eyes, the first thing she sees is a tall, muscular man with jet-black hair, emerald-green eyes, and an intensity so visceral it steals her breath away. Rowan Blackthorn. The man who saved her and who looks at her as if he wants to drive her away and devour her all at once. Rowan is cold, arrogant, ruthless. He doesn’t ask, he doesn’t explain: he only commands. Every movement he makes is tense, dominant, dangerously masculine, and Caroline’s skin tingles at his every touch, as if her body recognizes some forbidden truth. The man clings to her with fury, yet desperately tries to keep her at a distance. But when Caroline simply walks past him, Rowan’s gaze rakes over her as if he could strip her bare with a single look. The tension between them is almost tactile, hotter than the fireplace flames in the mountain cabin where they are trapped by the storm. And while Rowan denies this desire with every fiber of his being, something dark and ancient stirs in the forest, reacting to Caroline’s presence. As if her arrival were more than a mere accident. As if she herself were the winter-bound secret that upends everything. Rowan says she brought danger with her. Caroline only feels one thing: the true danger is Rowan himself, and the fire his body ignites within her. One thing is certain: This holiday won't be about peace and joy. It will be about survival, the power of craving, and the fact that sometimes the most dangerous man is the one you most want to run from.

"I Alpha Enzo Draig of the Forestmoon pack, reject you Aespia Black, Daughter of the fallen MoonGrove pack, under the eye of the moon goddess. With the witness of everyone present here today, I strip you of all your titles; Luna and Mate. I revert you to what you formally were. A slave. This is the title you'll have when you are executed right in this same throne room tomorrow for the sins you have committed.." ******* All her life, she had always been at the mercy of men. First her ruthless Alpha of a father who used his own child for his own carnal pleasures. And then there was him. Her mate. Her protector. Her Alpha And her own fairytale prince who had rescued her from the depths of hell. The same man who turned her into a ragdoll just because she didn’t bare him a child. In the most unlikely way though. One she didn’t hesitate to take as anything was better than her current life. When she is pawned off in an auction in a bid to build connections by her own mate after facing a rejection, Aespia knows that she is doomed. That feeling grows when she catches the eye of the Alpha King. What she doesn’t expect is when the rumored king of darkness hands her a contract stating that so far, she can live as his breeder for a year, she would be free. Wait! He has been informed of her barren womb so why then does he insist that it must be her and only her? What could possibly be his real intentions? What happens when Aespia finds out that she has more power than she thought and that the her current misfortune is far from the truth?!

“Gabriel Bryce, how can you stand being so shameless?” Leonica asked, staring daggers at her atrocious husband and his mistress. “This is the house gifted to my by grandmother, yet you dare bring another woman into it? Aren’t you afraid that grandmother would be disappointed with you actions…?” Leonica’s words remained unfinished as an enraged Gabriel swung his hand through the air, smacking his palm clean on her left cheek. Leonica held her throbbing cheek, eyes wide and teary as she stared at her husband who glared down at her ferociously. “The nerves of you to mention my grandmother. You have no right to do so!” He spat, taking a step forward and jabbing his index finger painfully into her shoulder, making her take several steps back. “Bare this in mind, Leonica Romero, if not for the wishes of my late grandmother, I’d much rather be dead than associate myself with somebody like you.” *~*~* *~*~* Leonica Romero has always had a long time crush on Gabriel Bryce, CEO of Bryce Empire and Norway’s Business tyrant. Fortunately, at the request of his Ill grandmother, her family’s long time friend, Leonica gets the chance to marry her beloved. Feeling elated, she abandoned her position and dream job in the Romero household and becomes a humble housewife for Gabriel. However, Three years later, on the day of Gabriel’s grandmother’s funeral, Leonica is stunned speechless when he demands for a divorce, as his ex girlfriend Angelina Fernandez had suddenly returned, proclaiming her undying love for him. But that wasn’t the only shock Leonica received that day. Hours after Gabriel’s declaration for a divorce, Leonica wakes up in the hospital to a shocking news. She was two months pregnant. And Gabriel knew nothing about this!