Barely Synonym

On the eve of his 26th birthday, Luca Virelli, heir to a multi billion dollar empire is set to announce his engagement to a woman he barely knows. It’s a merger of dynasties, a flawless public image, and a life scripted to perfection. There's only one problem: Luca is gay, and no one knows, least of all his ruthless, image obsessed father. Drowning in guilt, silence, and a future he never chose, Luca does the unthinkable: he gets drunk, kisses a stranger in a crowded club, and spends one unforgettable night in a hotel room with him. No names. No faces. No future. Just escape. But fate has other plans. The next day, as Luca meets his fiancée at their engagement party, that same stranger appears, standing calmly at her side. He’s her brother. Asher Hartwell. And he’s supposed to be straight. As worlds collide, desire smolders in the shadows. But love this dangerous can’t stay secret for long. When lies unravel and the cost of freedom means losing everything, family, power, legacy, Luca and Asher must decide: is the wrong kind of love worth everything it will destroy?

After her parents' separation and her Dad remarriage, Siren became an abandoned child. Everybody treats her like an outcast and though she was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, she merely lack of everything. Being expelled from college, no one wants to keep her company. And everyone looks at her like a mess. So at the age of nineteen,having her fake identity, she ran away. ------------------- Although he was already rich, Conrad still pushing everything he can to become a wealthy man at his age. His ambition motivates him to keep himself away from falling in love into random girls he met. For him, you can only call yourself a real person if everyone knows who you are. And only money can do that. That's why he hates people who barely dreams for their future and contented as what they are. Just like their household staff, Reena. Everything about her makes his blood boil. Yet also makes his body burn and aches in a thought of having her...

SofiaI’ve made it a point to steer clear of the men who work for my father.  I have no intention of getting tangled up in that lifestyle.  But there’s something about Roman, an irrepressible energy that snaps and sizzles between us.  From the moment we met, his dislike was palpable.  And nothing has changed in the three years I’ve known him.  If I were smart, I’d stay away. But I’m not smart. RomanThe moment I saw her, I knew she had the power to destroy everything I’d spent years trying to accomplish.  I can’t allow that to happen.  Most days, I’m barely civil to her, because I know all hell will break loose once the floodgates open.  Nothing I’ve found douses the combustible energy that flares to life between us.  It’s as frustrating as it is dangerous.  One of these days I’m going to get burned. Or end up with a bullet in my head.Claiming What's Mine was created by Jennifer Sucevic, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Everyone knew I, Isabella Marino, was Vince Moretti's greatest weakness—the one thing the mafia boss would never tolerate being touched. Years ago, when I was kidnapped, Vince disarmed himself at gunpoint, risking death to get me back, even paying his entire fortune for my ransom. To keep me from harm, he walked a razor's edge, navigating danger at every turn. After I got pregnant, he waited on me hand and foot, barely letting my feet touch the ground. There were rumors that he kept a pampered mistress outside—some woman he spoiled rotten. I never believed them. But then she flaunted herself in front of me. To beg for my forgiveness, Vince cut off his own finger. The next day, that woman slapped her pregnancy test results in my face, sneering, "Vince wanted a baby with me so badly, he just couldn't help himself!" I was already frail. The shock and rage sent me into a miscarriage.

At 22, as the Santoro heiress, I'm choosing a husband out of the three Guerra brothers to honor the marriage pact between our families. I pass on Aurelio Guerra and choose the eldest brother, Cesare Guerra, the one with the burn scar on his face, leaving everyone in the Mafia reeling. Everyone knows I put aside my pride as a perfumer for Aurelio and shrank myself until I barely exist. For him, I even leaned on the Santoros' muscle to build his power base. In my last life, I married him, just like I'd always wanted. With the Santoros behind him, he became the youngest Don in the Mafia. After he was established, he hooked up with my stepsister, Maeve Santoro. Together, they stole the new perfume I created, "Reverie", locked me in the lab, and set the place ablaze, reducing me to ash. Now that I've been reborn, I decide to drag those two cheaters to hell myself. But then Aurelio comes back too, carrying the memories of our last life.

Blinded by the past, she was rescued from the tremendous tragedy. Annabeth Lacson was comatose for almost 5 years. She doesn't have any idea about what happened to her when she was only 16 years old and has a vague memory of everything that happened, including the person who saved her, whose face she could barely remember. Because of this, Annabeth Lacson became too dependent on her older brother, Inigo Lacson, as she suffered from a fear of being alone called autophobia. On the other hand, she was not on good terms with her other older brother, which is Red Duncan Lacson, the younger brother of Blue Inigo, and she doesn't even have an idea about how it was started. She just woke up one day from a coma after 5 years that her other brother was pissed at her for a reason that she doesn't have an idea. But when the secret of the past slowly unfolds in Annabeth's eyes, will she be able to make everything right after knowing that her life was a big lie?

{Warning: R-18} "No, please don't do this to me," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "Have I ever shown mercy to anyone, my dear Mate? Why should you be an exception?" he retorted, his voice oozing with malice. "Please, I beg you, don't do this to me," she pleaded, her words barely audible amidst her sobs,"Why are you doing this? It's so painful. I hate you. Please stop." "How dare you try to escape from me? Do you think you have the courage to defy me?" he snarled, his voice dripping with venomous rage. "I'm sorry, please, I promise I won't repeat this mistake. Please, have mercy," she pleaded, her words forming a desperate melody. "Your begging is like sweet music to my ears, Angel," he taunted, his voice filled with sadistic pleasure,"You dared to run away from our marriage. Today, I am going to show you the extent of my power." "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Tammie Daniels never imagined her life would come to this: marrying a man she barely knows to save her family's business. Raised in a world where independence was her most prized possession, Tammie now looks down on the impossible an arranged marriage to billionaire Collins Blackwood, a man with a reputation as cold as his fortune is vast. Since he was young, Collins hasn't been about anything but building his empire. Love and marriage never came, and quite frankly, he never thought they would, until a promise made to his dying father forces his hand. He has to marry Tammie to secure a deal that will expand his empire. Neither of them anticipated anything more than a business agreement, and Tammie and Collins couldn't be further apart. Lives are shared, and the fire sparks fly: less expectedly, feelings grow, and the boundaries between business and pleasure blur. In a world where one can hardly trust anyone and love is a crapshoot, can two people bound by duty and honor find something real, or was this truly a contract with no heart?

Community Service. Two words I should be thankful for, but I’m not. I resent the hours it’s away from building my business. When they push the little girl into the room, her crazy curls barely held back by the barrette in her hair, and studious glasses on her face, I can tell she’s scared. Something inside of me breaks, and I want this girl to feel wanted again. What I’m unprepared for is meeting her mom. The second our hands touch, there are fireworks, bright lights, and a picture of the future I could one day have. The future I’ve never allowed myself to wish for. Community service becomes more than a chore. In the months that follow, I realize they’re just like me: they’ve been abandoned, left behind by the world, forgotten by those who should love them. Thanks to the one last hope in both our lives - we found the light in the darkness we’d been searching for.Trick is created by Laramie Briscoe, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

As the most eligible bachelor in Rivenhold, Alex Ye is engrossed in his work and shows no interest in women. One day, due to family pressure, Mr. Ye reluctantly went on a blind date. He had to convince himself, 'I might as well get married, have a child, and live a normal life.’ However, after the date, he was informed that he has a three-year-old daughter. Alex was shocked: “How can this be?!" ----------- One morning, Michelle Xia awoke to find a three-year-old child running a fever beside her, as well as a pile of messy overdue bills scattered around. Staring at her bank book, with a balance barely in double digits, Michelle realized she didn't even have enough to get the child to a doctor. Deep in thought, Michelle weighed her limited options. It didn't take her long to come to a decision. "To avoid the child's fever causing any brain damage," she mused with a hint of mischief, "perhaps I'll just have to interrupt the secondary male lead, who might be on a date with the heroine right now (^_^)."