Been Like This Doja

“I’ll come back, Akiro,” Heli’s cold voice was calm, making him sound even more dangerous. The Crystal of Fate had appeared again after years of waiting. With it came the last chosen mate of the Regia Solaria royal family. The youngest prince—Helios—was the only one unhappy about the Crystal’s return because he hated having his fate dictated by anything or anyone. Determined to resist, he left, refusing to succumb to the Crystal’s power. But when things began to spiral out of control, Helios realised the Crystal was to blame. By the time he saw who his mate was, it was too late—he had already been tricked. And just like everyone else, he was instantly captivated by his mate's beauty. Akiro Valerian Freniere was a simple human being—perhaps too good-looking for his own good, too kind, and far too hormonal. He attracted attention and admirers everywhere he went but had never been in a relationship in his nineteen years of life. He knew where his interests lay, but society wasn’t always kind to people like him. So what would he do when, one day, a persistent and strangely intense man approached him, claiming they were mates? A man with near otherworldly visuals—platinum blonde hair and red eyes that burned with intensity whenever they looked at Akiro. Oh, and one more thing: the man was also a vampire.

Catherine Turner was the naive young lady of the Turner family. She should be loved and treated like a precious jewel but the wrong marriage with Billy Rodriguez - the young master of the Rodriguez family - had brought her down to hell. Her beloved husband had an affair with her soulmate and planned to get the Turner family down. He took Turner Group as his property, made her mother and father die in an accident. Her eldest brother had been taken to a mental hospital. Catherine had lost everything, then she decided to risk her life to drag those two ungrateful people to the grave. After all her efforts, she failed and she was killed. When she was near death, she prayed to Mighty God that if she had a chance to do it again, if she could be reborn in a new life, she would change everything. She would stay away from these bad people who just used her like an ugly doll. She would take revenge for what they had done to her. And if she had the last chance, she would find him, Christoper Harris Borrisons. She would appreciate him - the one who did everything for her but did not want her to return anything, even though she had been cruel to him all the time. If there's an afterlife, I will find you and make up for everything that I owed you. And… if there's any chance, I will be truthful to myself, not living a lie anymore.

"Althea." I still. I shiver. He says my name like it's sacred, like it's an oath he's swearing. He tilts his head to the side, eyes roaming over my face. "Tell me," he murmurs, "what do you want me to call you?" My eyes slowly meet his, confused by his question. "What do you want to call me?" "I want to call you mine.” *** Althea Gray is a bullied omega who has fought for survival at every turn of her entire life. When she discovers her boyfriend of three years has been cheating on her, heartbreak is the least of her problems. She's been chosen for the deadly Mate Games, a brutal competition where females from all parts of the kingdom, fight for the chance to win the favor and heart of the ruthless Alpha prince. Prince Asher Valebrook is as cold as his ice-blue stare, and he has no interest in love. Althea knows better than to want him, but a reckless one-night stand might seal her fate. Though she and Asher claim to hate each other, the line between love and hate is dangerously thin. With betrayals lurking in every shadow and survival far from guaranteed, Althea must play the game wisely. But in a palace built on blood and lies, winning Asher's heart might be the deadliest challenge of all.

Vivian Kane is a ghost in the digital underworld, slipping into Alessandro Costello’s world like she’s always been there. She lifts his wallet with a swipe of her fingers, and just like that, she’s not only hacked his systems—she’s hacked his life. Alessandro Costello doesn’t do forgiveness. She’s made it personal, and now he’s out for blood. He’s ready to turn her life into a living nightmare, using every dirty trick he knows to make her regret ever crossing him. What starts as a simple theft quickly spirals into something far darker. They’re trapped in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, where every touch and taunt turns up the heat until it’s a steamy, no-holds-barred battle of lust and dirty games. In this twisted mind-fuck, trust is a luxury neither can afford.

I'm Sophie Gould, the only daughter of the wealthiest man in Arberton. My mother doesn't like me, though. She treats her niece, Tanya Hall, like her own and allows her to take over my identity. At a banquet where all affluent families are gathered, Tanya takes my seat before I can. Then, she says in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "You wouldn't even be here if not for Mom wanting me to show you around so you can expand your horizons, Sophie. "Remember this—you might not be a member of the Gould family, but your actions are linked to us. Don't disgrace us." In the past, I would've stood there with my eyes red, at a loss for what to do. It was too bad I'd been reborn. I smile icily at Tanya and kick her off my throne. "I should've expected this of an impostor. To think an insignificant banquet like this is enough to make you act so obnoxiously! And did you say you're part of the Gould family? You have no idea the sort of trouble you'll be getting yourself into!"

My name is Ember Haiven. I’ve been alone and on the run my entire life. Everything changed when I became Kieran’s surrogate in exchange for his protection. I had no idea that I would fall in love with this dragon shifter and enter a world that I believed existed only in my dreams. “Is that what you want?” he asked. “Yes…” I said feeling myself go breathless in his arms. “I never thought I’d be able to touch another person like this and now, I just don’t want this feeling to end.” He kissed me sweetly, pulling me closer and then rested his forehead against mine. I could see the color drain from his face and his shoulders sag like I’d ripped the heart from his chest. And maybe I had. It felt like my own was trying to claw its way from my skin. He moved to take a step forward but then thought better of it. Surrogate of the Sleeping Dragon is written by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

It was Christmas Eve. Once again, my parents left me alone at home, chasing triple pay at work. However, after twenty years of the same lonely holiday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to sit in the quiet house by myself again, so I packed up some sandwiches and went to them. What I didn’t expect was to see them stepping out of a luxury car, arms linked with a boy who looked about my age, laughing like they didn’t have a care in the world, heading straight into a five-star hotel. “Mom, Dad, is it okay to leave Suzie all alone at home like that?” My mom waved it off and said, “It’s fine. She’s used to it.” My dad just brushed it off with a chuckle. “She’s nothing like you. You're our real treasure.” Upon hearing that, I turned and walked away. They'd been pretending to be broke all these years, lying to me about working overtime, about scraping by. Well, fine. If they don’t want me, I’m done wanting them, too.

When the ruthless heir of a crime syndicate comes to collect an old debt, Jade's world shatters. His father owes money he can't repay, and his desperate solution is unthinkable. He offers Jade's underaged sister as a bride to the merciless Salvatore Domenico. But Jade won't let his sister be sacrificed. Instead, he steps forward, offering himself in her place. What Jade doesn't know is that Salvatore has been waiting for this moment. Years ago, Jade's powerful family branded Salvatore's father a traitor and had him killed. Now, Salvatore has returned, not for money, but for revenge. Taking Jade into his world of blood, loyalty, and violence should have been the perfect punishment. Yet, the closer Salvatore draws him into the shadows, the more the line between vengeance and desire blurs. Revenge was supposed to be sweet. But Jade tastes like something far more dangerous.

I took a deep breath and spoke up. "No, I don't," I took a pause before continuing, "because I can't marry a blind person." Aria Watson, a girl born with treacher collins comes from a highly respectable wealthy family. She has everything money has to offer except for happiness. Aria has never been happy, she has never had friends mostly because she was homeschooled her entire life, and mostly spends her time indoors. That is until she met Axel Campbell, an optimistic boy from a high class family just like hers. Axel taught Aria the meaning of life and happiness. He sees the world from a different angle despite being born blind. The two instantly fall in love and Aria has never been happier. What happens when Aria find out that her family is using her for their own personal gain? Read to find out.

We had been together for seven years, yet my CEO boyfriend canceled our marriage registration 99 times. The first time, his newly hired assistant got locked in the office. He rushed back to deal with it, leaving me standing outside the County Clerk's Office until midnight. The fifth time, we were about to sign when he heard his assistant had been harassed by a client. He left me there and ran off to "rescue" her, while I was left behind, humiliated and laughed at by others. After that, no matter when we scheduled our registration, there was always some emergency with his assistant that needed him more. Eventually, I gave up completely and chose to leave. However, after I moved away from Twilight City, he spent the next five years desperately searching for me, like a man who had finally lost his mind.