Checkmate Painting

"How can I marry a man I do not know?" "You can't possibly do this." "Your father is the one who decides what can possibly happen." "Why do I have to marry him?" "Your father wants to do business with him, and it is so much that it would take us from top twenty to top ten." Nirelle’s fate is sealed. After a life of endless scrubbing, suffering, and silence, her father decides her worth lies in securing a business deal. A deal so massive, it promises to thrust their family into elite status—at the cost of her freedom. Married off to a man cloaked in more secrets than the night sky, Nirelle wants to run. But there's nowhere to go. With every ounce of strength she has left, she chooses to shift prisons—from her father’s oppressive home to her new husband’s mansion. Lucien Vexley is nothing like she expected. The name alone strikes fear on the streets, the rumours painting him as a shadowy, ruthless enigma. Yet the man sitting across from her at the dining table, caring for her in ways she’s never known, is nothing like the beast they described. Lucien is a mystery she can’t seem to solve. "You are handsome?" "It seems you were expecting me to be a beast?" "Well, according to the rumours," "Am I not here as a scapegoat for something?" Nirelle doesn’t understand the warmth beginning to stir in her chest, the way her stomach flutters when he's near. But something is changing. Something deep. Something dangerous. She’s not just learning how to survive anymore— She’s learning how to become her.

Lunavia Luminari is someone who has spent the most of her life inside, reading and painting her inner thoughts. What she wants is to read her favorite romance book, bask in the sun and paint. But her peaceful life is destroyed when her family suddenly goes bankrupt and her Fiancee broke up with her and got together with her cousin. With the responsibility to help her family get back to her feet, she had no other option but to set herself up with the most dangerous man in the country who is 10 years older than her. It was at that time her life seems to have a new start, with a child that came suddenly and a husband, Luna has to protect herself, help her family rise to the top again and get rid of this marriage. But without realizing it, she already set herself up for a lifetime contract. Will she successfully get her desires without losing herself in the process? How would she cope with the new life that is placed in front of her? With a child between them, will she finally accept him as part of her life?

Sloan Vale isn’t just a billionaire—he’s a king in a world built on whispered names, silk-bound power, and decadent sin. By day, he’s untouchable. Polished. Controlled. But by night, he rules The Crimson Order, a secret society where the elite indulge their darkest desires and make deals sealed with blood and pleasure. He’s never had a reason to break his own rules. Until her. Ivy Sinclair is a broke, brilliant art student just trying to survive. When she delivers a painting to an exclusive event, she stumbles into a hidden world she was never meant to see. Sloan’s world. The moment he lays eyes on her, he knows she doesn’t belong. Too innocent. Too pure. Too tempting. She should have run. He should have let her. But instead, he offers her a choice: walk away and forget what she saw… or surrender to him and learn just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Ivy agrees but she’s not as innocent as she seems. As Sloan draws her deeper into his dangerous orbit, he finds himself addicted to her softness, her fire, her secrets. She awakens something in him that’s been dormant far too long. Obsession. Protection. Lust. But Ivy didn’t stumble into his world by accident. She’s running from something darker. Something deadly. And when her past collides with his empire, both of them will have to decide what’s worth more: power or passion. Vengeance or love. In a world where everything comes with a price… will she be his salvation, or his ultimate ruin?

Amanda thought her biggest heartbreak was losing the man she loved to her best friend. But life had more cruel twists in store. After years of betrayal, shattered trust, and painful goodbyes, Amanda is finally rebuilding her life — one brushstroke at a time. But just as healing begins, secrets resurface. Nathan, the man who once broke her heart to protect his own, is back... carrying a past darker than she ever imagined. And Sabrina — her once best friend, now a manipulative ex-wife — isn’t done playing dangerous games. As Amanda’s art gains the attention of the world — and a mysterious new admirer with secrets of his own — she must decide: Does love deserve a second chance, or is she better off painting her future without the shadows of her past?

Arthia Violette, a Fine Arts student, majoring in Painting, has always been sure that her sole purpose in this life is to become a wife. She would always cry over proposals and wedding scenes in movies or books. She believes in marriage and has always been so fond of marrying in her early 20's. But at 20, she still has the NBSB badge. And just when she had already given up dating and just decided to wait for what we call in God's time, Antonio Nicholas, an Architecture student, suddenly slid through her Instagram DM's. Not only that, he slid into her DM's, but he also turns out to be the son of her father's colleague, and Av being a die-hard fan of destiny, thought that maybe it was her shot at it. It was the start of everything. And finally, at 21, Av got a boyfriend! And at 23, she got married to the man of her dreams. At 24, she had her gallery, art workshop, and art store. She had her first successful major exhibit. She's living the life she has always dreamed of. What could possibly go wrong?