Books That Everyone Should Read At Least Once

Just as Justin proposed to me, a phone call interrupted him. Standing close by, I clearly heard the voice on the other end of the line. “Justin, I’m hurt. My leg hurts so much!” Justin snapped the ring box shut and looked at me. “Alice is injured. I’ll have to do this another time.” With those words, he sprinted away, leaving everyone around us staring in astonishment. I had never met Alice, but her presence lingered in every corner of our lives.  At meals, Justin would mention her fondness for sweet desserts.  When I dressed, I came to know her love for soft lavender hues. I argued, I wept, I lashed out, but Justin always countered with the same line. “You’re so jealous. Everyone has their first love. She’s my past, but you’re my future.” So, I turned to a man who had once called me his first love—Quentin—and made a bold proposition. “Let’s get married.”

At the company's annual party, my fiancée, the CEO, was chosen for a game called "opposite-gender squats." With the whole room cheering, she did not hesitate. She jumped onto a young male intern and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. He held her by the hips as he lifted and lowered her again and again, while she laughed as if she did not have a care in the world. Then came the second round: blindfolded face recognition. When her hands reached the intern, her fingers lingered on his lips and traced them slowly. He suddenly licked her fingertips. Right there, in front of everyone, he smirked. "Miss Smith, your hands are really soft. The way you touched my lips just now… that felt amazing. This kind of perk beats any year-end bonus. You smell incredible, Andrea." Her face flushed red, but she did not deny it. She only smiled, shy and pleased. That was when I let out a cold laugh. "If you like it that much, I will assign you as the CEO's assistant. All business trips next year, you two can go together." Her expression changed instantly. "Daniel, what is with the attitude? Can't you handle a game? It's just for fun. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Who is going to dare play with me after this?" "Fine. If you enjoy playing so much, then go play with him. Because that CEO seat is about to belong to someone else," I muttered.

My girlfriend, Clara Sutton, had severe mysophobia. Before every intimate moment we shared, she required me to disinfect myself thoroughly in advance. She even set strict rules about how often we could kiss or sleep together, and how long it could last. Without her permission, I was not allowed to touch her. I had always believed she treated everyone this way. I even secretly felt relieved, thinking that I must have been somewhat special to her. Then came that night at the bar. During a party, her childhood friend, Ethan Ford, drew a dare in a game of truth or dare. Then, in front of everyone, he leaned in and kissed Clara. Although it was supposedly a punishment for losing, they kissed deeply for a full five minutes. Our friends laughed and jostled one another as they turned to look at me. Only then did I realize that Clara’s obsession with cleanliness had never been a universal rule. It had existed simply because she did not like me. Disheartened, I asked for a breakup. But Clara soon regretted it. With reddened eyes, she begged me not to leave.

I thought I was just an ordinary girl in a quiet town. Then I met Aiden Wolfe. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever known quiet, mysterious, and hiding something wild beneath his skin. I should’ve stayed away. Everyone warned me. But something about him pulled me in… and when he bit me, my whole world changed. Now I feel fire in my veins. I see things I shouldn’t. Creatures that shouldn’t exist. I’m being hunted for something I don’t even understand and Aiden may be the only one who can help me survive. This isn’t the life I chose. But the fire? The fire chose me.

On New Year's Eve, I prepare a feast. The clock strikes twelve, but my husband, Vincent Porter, still isn't home. My daughter, Lorelei Porter, tugs at my sleeve and holds up my phone. "Look Mommy, Daddy is at this lady's house!" Vincent has posted an update on Twitter. He is with Christine Snow, his childhood sweetheart. They are smiling at the camera, with a boy who looks about ten standing between them. In front of them sits a swan-shaped cake. The caption reads, "The most special day for the most special you." My heart sinks into my stomach. A marriage that came later in life can never compete with a pair of childhood sweethearts. I accept defeat.

On my birthday, my fiancé used his supermarket points to get me a pair of dishwashing gloves. But at an auction, he bought a five-million-dollar gem for his first love. I was mad, confronting him, but he called me a gold digger. "I've been giving you money to spend. Isn't it only right that you take care of me? This was supposed to be my final test for you. If you passed, we'd get married. You've let me down big time." I broke up with him. He turned around and proposed to his first love. Five years later, we ran into each other on a private vacation island. Alex Thompson saw me in the workers' uniform picking up trash on the beach. He mocked me on the spot. "You turned your nose up at the gloves I got you, and here you are, scavenging garbage. Now, even if you begged me, I wouldn't give you a second glance." I ignored him. My son's social studies project was to clean up the backyard with a parent. His dad had expanded the yard all the way to the beach. Cleaning it up was exhausting.

When Elara Whitmore discovered her husband in bed with the one woman she was never supposed to compete with—his adopted sister—her world shattered in a single night. But betrayal wasn’t the worst part. They wanted her gone. Pregnant and alone, Elara overhears the sister’s plan to eliminate both her and the unborn child standing in the way of their twisted future. Instead of fighting back, she does something far more dangerous. She pretends to lose. With forged medical records claiming her baby is dead and divorce papers served without a word of protest, Elara disappears from their lives forever. Or so they believe. A chance encounter with a dying billionaire changes everything. Months later, Elara rises from the ashes as the sole heiress to a global empire worth billions. While her ex-husband’s world collapses under the manipulations of the very woman he chose over her, a silent observer begins pulling strings from the shadows. A brilliant young boy. A boy with her eyes. A boy with his blood. Years later, when the truth finally surfaces, the man who once discarded his wife will face the cruelest revelation of all— The child who destroyed his empire… is the son he tried to erase. And this time, there will be no forgiveness

Who knew a single lie could ruin a life this much? Natalie Rossi, a scholarship student from a poor background pretends to be rich to survive among Italy's elites. But when she names Leonardo Moretti as her boyfriend during a party game, the lie escalates into something more dangerous. Because Leonardo is real, and isn't a man whose name can be used easily without consequences. Overnight, Natalie becomes a target meant to be cleared off. Hunted, shamed and stripped of everything she has worked for, Natalie watches her world crumble until an unseen hand begins to shield her from chaos. Will Natalie pay the full price of her lies, or accept the hand reaching for her… and everything that comes with it?

Althea Summer Velazquez is known as an attitude nerd in their school. Attitude and cold sometimes, what she wants is to study and doesn't want to be disturbed but because of Kenneth, she can't focus. Kenneth Lazaro is a typical playboy type but the only girl he truly likes is Althea. Even when they were children, he already like her even though she always ignore him. He promised himself that no matter which woman came into his life, he would date them, but the woman he would marry was Althea. No matter what attention he does, Althea just ignores him until he begs his mommy to let Althea marry them because their parents are good friends, and she agrees. But what about Althea? What if she hates their wishes? But what if you have no choice but to follow your parents? How can Kenneth get Althea's trust despite her experience with men? How can Althea love Kenneth if his twin raped her?

Jackson Sterling, a ruthless billionaire businessman with a fractured past, needs a wife to secure his family’s legacy and save his crumbling empire. Savannah Montgomery, a kind-hearted but financially struggling woman, finds herself forced into a marriage contract with Jackson to escape the clutches of debt. As the two grow closer, their marriage of convenience begins to spark real emotions, secrets, power plays, and hidden desires threaten to tear them apart. Can they overcome their pasts and learn to love, or will their contract only bind them to a future of regret?