Burt Ward

“Don’t moan too loud, angel.” Cassian’s voice was a husky whisper against Seraphina’s ear, his fingers moving deep inside her as her back arched helplessly against the wall. The air was thick, the danger sharper than the pleasure tearing through her body. Her husband was only a room away. “Be a good little slut for me,” Cassian murmured, lips brushing her throat, “or Lucian will hear you, and then he’ll know exactly who owns you.” Seraphina bit down on her lip, muffling the cry that threatened to break free. Her heart hammered in her chest - guilt, desire, fear - all colliding at once. It was madness, sin, everything she swore she’d never do… and yet she couldn’t stop. Not when Cassian’s touch felt like salvation. **** Seraphina thought she had married her dream man. Lucian Veyron, the dazzling billionaire who swept her into a fairytale romance, promised her forever. But after the vows, he became a stranger - cold, cruel, and determined to make her life miserable. Then the accident happened. Seraphina wakes in a private ward, nursed by gentle hands and soothed by a voice that calls her beautiful, a man who worships her body like she’s his only prayer. But he isn’t her husband. He’s Lucian’s identical twin - Cassian Veyron. Cassian is everything his brother isn’t - tender, protective, dangerously addictive. When she's stronger, they return home with Lucian confined to a wheelchair, Cassian moves into their mansion to help. Now Seraphina is forced to live under one roof with the husband who broke her… and the brother who makes her burn. Every glance across the dinner table is fire. Every secret touch in the hallway is temptation. Every stolen night feels like a sin she never wants to escape.

When Tessa Shoreman read Henry Jennings' cancer report, she immediately paid her hard-earned money of sixty thousand to the hospital. She had saved the money from working part-time while she was in university. However, she was worried the money was not enough, so she held back her fear as she sold a kidney to the black market to get more. As she walked to the ward door with a heavy bag filled with cash, she heard shrill laughter coming from inside. "That cheap woman, Tessa Shoreman, got tricked by us again. Haha!" Tessa's hand gave pause right when she was about to push the door open. What did he mean by saying she was tricked? Tessa looked through the glass on the door to see inside the ward. When she left, the man looked extremely weak, but he was now sitting up lazily in bed. Henry had a cigarette in his mouth, and he was blowing smoke rings nonchalantly. He did not look like a cancer patient at all. "It's been two years, and that woman still has no idea." "If she hadn't beaten Serene to first place, Henry would never have left behind his life as a rich heir and planned such an elaborate scheme to become a working-class man living in a cheap rental home. The way that cheap, penniless woman looks at Henry is so amusing." "We agreed that the punishment ends when Henry and Serene get engaged. It looks like time is almost up. We've probably punished her 108 times in the past two years." "The first time was lying to her that Henry didn't have a suit for a job interview. She worked tirelessly for 72 hours straight before she earned enough money for one, but that suit was given to the domestic help to use as a cleaning cloth. The second time was tricking her into believing Henry had a high fever. She forfeited during the finals of a scientific research competition to race home and take care of Henry in the hospital…" "Sigh. Too bad it's coming to an end. I'm going to miss entertaining myself with her."

Everyone thought Stellar Rivers was a fraud—a fake heiress thrown out by the powerful Harlow family. They believed her real parents were supposedly poor nobodies from the countryside. With nowhere else to go, she clung to Percy Moore, the youngest heir of the illustrious Moore family. Try as they might, no one could drive her away. But when Stellar overheard that Percy planned to marry the Harlow family’s true heiress, her lifelong rival, everything changed. Fine, he could have his perfect match. Stellar wasn’t going to waste another moment on someone who didn’t value her. Instead, she turned her back on him and reclaimed the life that had always been hers. A country bumpkin? Hardly. It turned out Stellar’s real family was wealthier and more powerful than anyone could imagine. With four influential uncles showering her with love and protection, she was ready to take the world by storm. And while she believed in playing fair, she also knew one thing: revenge was best served by her own hand. Meanwhile, Percy’s perfect world began to unravel. Without Stellar, his life was a mess—his business floundered, his fiancée’s reputation crumbled, and his carefully constructed future came crashing down. Desperate and full of regret, he showed up at Stellar’s doorstep, begging her to come back. But Stellar only smirked, casually leaning onto the tall, devastatingly handsome man at her side. “Sorry, Percy. I don’t take back what I’ve already let go.” As if that wasn’t enough, Stellar even dismissed the powerful man standing beside her, leaving him in the dust. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again—I don’t go back to what’s already behind me.” Even Stephen Ward, who broken off their engagement before they ever met, found himself on his knees, pleading, “Honey, I was wrong. Please, give me another chance!”

Vincenzo Costa and I have been in love with each other for eight years. Everyone knows that the heir of the Costa family loves me more than life itself. In order to marry me—an orphan—Vincenzo has knelt outside Costa Estate for three days and three nights. At the same time, he has received 99 whips from his father, the Don of the Costa family, which almost kills him. In the end, Don Edmondo Costa finally agrees to let Vincenzo marry me. But the catch is, Vincenzo must date Sofia Camorra, the Principessa of the Camorra family, and have an heir with her. So, Vincenzo tells me to wait for him for a little longer. I end up waiting for a very long time while watching him traveling to Sofia's villa time and again. At first, Vincenzo still takes three showers and scrubs his skin so much that it turns red. He tells me that once Sofia has given birth to the child, which allows him to fulfill the promise he has made to the Costa family, he'll whisk me far away from the violence and spend the rest of his life with me. Alas, everything has changed. Vincenzo no longer showers frequently. He constantly smells like Sofia's perfume now. He doesn't inform in advance whenever he goes on dates with Sofia. To make things worse, there's nothing but affection in his eyes whenever he looks at her. When Sofia burns up from a fever during her pregnancy, Vincenzo doesn't leave her side at all. She pretends to be gracious by telling him about how understanding she is about his situation. Because of that, Vincenzo wastes no time in admonishing me for being spoiled and pampered. Through the gap in the ward door, I can hear how close and intimate Vincenzo and Sofia are. At the same time, I notice the flash of provocation in Sofia's eyes. Vincenzo has made me wait year after year, not knowing that my biological parents have already found me. They want me to go home with them so that they can give me a real home. That's why this time, I won't be waiting for Vincenzo anymore.

Damien and his ex-wife got divorced five years ago, and then he married me. When I married him, he had a 13-year-old adopted daughter named Lily. After our marriage, Damien treated me exceptionally well and I always treated Lily like my own daughter, even when she occasionally showed hostility towards me, I didn't mind. That's normal for a teenage girl. Until my father was accidentally hit by a car and left in a vegetative state, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Damien and his assistant. "Boss, I don't get it. Why block the craniotomy?" the assistant asked, sounding confused. "The doctors say there’s a high chance he could recover. Why are you insisting on conservative treatment?" "He can't wake up," Damien’s voice was suppressed with pain. "He saw Lily's face." I clamped my hand over my mouth, my fingernails digging deep into my flesh. Lily is the adopted daughter of Damien and his late ex-wife, Sarah. Sarah died saving Damien, so he has always treated Lily with a mix of guilt and utter indulgence. Damien continued, his tone incredibly conflicted. " But Lily didn't do it on purpose! She is only thirteen... If she gets a criminal record, her life is over. Sarah’s only dying wish was for me to take care of Lily and see her grow up safe and sound. I can't give up on her." The assistant fell silent for a few seconds. "And what about your wife?" "I’ll make it up to her," Damien’s voice softened. "I’ll provide her with the most prosperous life, and secure the largest private ward along with the best caregivers for her father who’s suffered from the car accident. I don’t care how much it costs." My heart sank completely. Just because you feel guilty towards Sarah and Lily, you're going to sacrifice my father? With trembling hands, I saved the recording and had my lawyer prepare the divorce papers. But when I completely disappeared, the once powerful CEO went mad.

Für die Außenwelt war ich Frau Ward – die unantastbare Königin an der Seite des Mafia-Königs von New York, Elias Ward. Doch ich wusste: Mein Mann liebte mich nicht. Sein Herz hatte immer Harper Dinah gehört, der Frau seines Neffens. Und nachdem besagter Neffe auf einmal so passend starb, holte Elias sie in unsere Villa. „Ich will mich nur besser um sie kümmern“, sagte er. Sein Verständnis von „Fürsorge“ bestand darin, einen Mann von einer Party zu werfen, weil er es gewagt hatte, mit Harper zu flirten – und darin, sie selbst zu schwängern. Elias lobte mich gern in der Öffentlichkeit, als wäre ich die perfekte Ehefrau. Und das war ich auch. Ich half beim Aufbau seines Imperiums. Ich war diejenige, die lächelte und den Schein wahrte. Ich ließ sein Casino erstrahlen, während er Harper versteckte, als wäre sie etwas Heiliges. Wegen all dieses Lobes geriet ich ins Visier eines seiner Feinde. Sie entführten mich. Schickten Elias eine Nachricht, getränkt mit Blut und Drohungen: Zieh dich zurück. Verschwinde aus New York. Oder deine hübsche Frau stirbt. Natürlich entschied sich Elias nicht dafür, sich zurückzuziehen. „Warte einfach ab“, sagte er am Telefon. „Sie werden dir nichts tun, Noa. Du bist ihr Druckmittel. Halt einfach durch, bis Harper entbunden hat. Dann hole ich dich.“ Acht Monate lang wurde ich in einem dreckigen Loch festgehalten, ausgehungert, geschlagen, erniedrigt. Der Anführer der Bande vergewaltigte mich wieder und wieder. Trotzdem kam Elias nie. Schließlich entkam ich, als sie alle betrunken waren. Ich ging nach Hause, nur um meine Zwillinge im Dienstbotenzimmer schlafen zu finden, wo sie von Resten lebten – während Elias damit beschäftigt war, eine Party für sein Neugeborenes zu veranstalten. Ich stellte ihn nicht zur Rede. Ich packte einfach meine Babys und verschwand.

On the night of New Year's Eve, I wake up in a hospital ward with an IV drip connected to the back of my hand. A nurse passes me the hospital bill. "It's 300 dollars in total, including the emergency treatment fee and the cost for a bottle of glucose drips." When I turn on my phone, I feel my heart sinking. I only have 29.01 dollars left in my bank account. The wallpaper of my phone is a countdown of my family contract's app. Today is the date when I have to renew my family contract for the year. In order to accumulate enough money to go home, I've been working as a staff member in concert venues. Earlier, I had collapsed backstage, so I was quickly sent to the hospital. The dial tone keeps beeping for a long time. Finally, my mom answers my call in what seems to be a noisy background. "Mom, I'm at the hospital right now. I need 300 dollars to pay the hospital bill." "You're at the hospital?" Mom's voice turns shrill immediately. "Why did you visit the hospital during the holidays? You really are a jinx!" "I fainted earlier. I was working at a concert venue—" "What? So, you refused to do chores at home during the holidays! Instead, you decide to work at a concert venue?" Mom interrupts immediately. "I don't have 300 dollars on me! You'd better come up with a way to pay that bill of yours!" "Mom…" My hand tightens around my phone. "Today is the last day of my family contract's renewal period. I'll renew the contract once I pay the bill." "Renew the contract, huh?" Mom just sneers at me. "That's a part of your duties! How dare you use it against me! Helena Lambert, if you don't renew the contract today, you can forget about calling me 'Mom'!" After that, she ends the call. I can only grip my phone to the point that my fingers turn white. After that, I tap on a social media app in hopes that I can borrow money from my friends, only to see the latest post on the social media feed. My younger sister, Hannah Lambert, has posted a photo collage there. "I'm here with my parents to watch my favorite singer's concert! Snagging tickets to the first-row seats is definitely worth it!" The background of those photos is the same concert venue where I work part-time at. It's the most expensive venue in town. Apparently, tickets cost 2,900 dollars each.