Chloe Baker 소설 & 이야기

"Answer me, Aveline. Is it me or him?" Luca demanded harshly. His glassy green eyes shimmered with unshed tears that threatened to fall any moment from now. I tried to hold his hand but he snatched it away. "Luca please...I need time to think about this—" "It's him isn't it? You love him more than me!" Luca turned his back to me as tears ran down my cheeks like a waterfall. I had just lost my only friend all because of a stupid crush. "Luca please no...Luca come back please!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Seventeen year old Aveline Baker has no choice but to move to Europe and start all over again after her uncle bagged a job at a government mining agency. Having lost both parents to fate, she saw this as a new opportunity. An excuse to let go of the past. Aveline immediately settles down in her new place. What she saw as her biggest insecurity made her stand out mostly because of her unique blonde hair and different colored eyes. Nevertheless, there was one person who never took notice of her: Leonardo Ricci-Santoro, a biker with a dark complexity who is two years older than she is. He lives on the other side of the street with his twin, Luca. Aveline's school life and friendship with Luca who secretly nurtures a deep crush for her which Aveline knows nothing about is threatened when Leonardo confesses to her first. Luca finds out, he too confesses his feelings to Aveline, leading a huge fight to breaking out between the two brothers. Aveline must now choose between her first crush and her only true friend knowing fully well that a wrong choice will leave her with nothing in the end.

At the ceremony where my father, Robert Clarke, is promoted to the position as the pack elder, my mate, Alpha Ethan Thornfield, raises the wine glass in his hand while smiling at him. "Elder Robert, there's this question which has been bothering me for the longest time. Does shamelessness run in the Clarke family's genetics? Otherwise, how are you able to raise a she-wolf as stubborn and defiant as Isabella who keeps pestering me the whole time?" Dad's wine glass is suspended in mid-air. All the wolves turn to look at us. I place the napkin on the table before meeting Ethan's gaze calmly. "Stop barking like a mad dog, Ethan. I agree to sever our mate bond. That way, you and that mistress of yours can finally get together." Ethan replies softly, "It's wonderful to see you making that decision with a sound mind." On the night the ceremony ends, a mate bond severance agreement, which is prepared in advance, is passed to me. Silently, I drop my signature on the last page of the document. Ethan and that Omega, Chloe Stonehart, have started their affair a year ago. He started forcing me to sever our mate bond six months ago. Since he craves freedom that much, I shall grant it to him. I just hope that he won't regret his decision at all when he loses everything he treasures.

Ever wished life could be more interesting? Then be careful about what you wish for... Chloe Tennyson is an 18-year-old wolf-less spoilt princess who had everything easy for her until one day a heartbreak leads her to commit a grave sin by sending some Rogues to kill her frenemy all because she and her boyfriend were fated mates and not her... But when the cruel deed is done, and the Alpha her father finds out what she has done. He immediately sends her away from the pack to a ruthless friend Alpha for disciplinary action and protection from the rebelling pack mates... But things don't go as planned because it seems the ruthless older unmated Alpha is attracted to the spoilt princess... His wolf won't give him a break. *** "Behave," he said icily when I grabbed his crotch. "What is it? Can't handle a sexy woman like me, AlPHA?" I mocked haughtily. He scoffed. A smirk crossed my lips when I felt him grow under my palm. He grabbed my throat and squeezed, earning a gasp from me. "Continue teasing me like that and I'll make you beg me to f**k you." I huffed a laugh while rolling my eyes, "I've never begged for anything in my life... Instead, you will beg me to f**k you."

Someone started a thread on a forum asking, [Do men become stingy with their wives after marriage?] The replies were full of women complaining about how cheap and calculating their husbands were. My husband, however, went in the opposite direction. After we got married, he handed me his payroll card to manage and kept only a few dozen dollars a month for his own expenses, as though he had truly given everything to me and to this family. I shook my head and was about to respond when my mother-in-law's call interrupted me. "Chloe, Josh's god sister is sick. She needs $4,500." My husband immediately slipped an arm around my shoulders and assured me, "Don't worry. We'll use my salary. You won't have to pay a cent." "Alright," I said. Seeing how certain he was, I transferred one dollar to him on the spot and added a note: Medical expenses transferred. When my mother-in-law saw the transfer, she flew into a rage, sharply accusing me of being jealous and petty, even withholding money meant to save a life. I remained unmoved. "That's all there is on the card." She completely lost her temper, threatening to come over and audit how many kickbacks I had supposedly pocketed over the years. I agreed to settle the accounts. That was when my husband suddenly lost his enthusiasm.

To protect my boyfriend, Nico, the illegitimate son of our allies, the Moretti family, from their internal power struggles, I agreed to leave New York with him. But on the eve of my adoptive father, the Don of the Falcone family, signing our transfer orders, he backed out. Through the hidden door of the cigar lounge, I heard his right-hand man tease him: "So you really kept up that act for three months just to get rid of the princess?" "But she's your childhood sweetheart. You really have the heart to some miserable fishing village in the Baltics all by herself?" Nico's voice was nonchalant. "It's just an outpost across the pond. How far can it be?" "Scarlett is too controlling. If I don't get her out of the picture, how am I supposed to get any breathing room? Besides, I need to put Chloe at ease." I stood behind that hidden door for a long time that night, my grip on the doorknob tightening until my knuckles were white, before I finally let go. I turned and walked away, pulling out my tablet to change my flight plan. I changed the destination from the official plan of that desolate Baltic outpost to a seat at the High Table in Sicily, which is the absolute center of old-world Mafia power. Everyone seemed to have forgotten. I am the princess of the Falcone family. And he is nothing but filth from the gutter. We were never a match.

Damon said nothing, but his eyes were hooded and heavy. “Just one kiss, Wendy. Just one. I have to kiss you. It’s all I’ll demand for now, and then he put his arms around her. She stood frozen in the circle of them as his heavy dark gaze followed the line of her throat Without waiting her consent, he swept his mouth over hers. Finally. Her sweetness exploded onto his tongue the moment he licked over her lips. . It was everything she’d dreamt about, their kiss. The taste, the feel, the joy at the sheer fineness of Damon Paige, in all his tall, beautifully built splendor, thrilled her and filled her with exquisite sensations. And for that moment, all the complications of getting involved with Damon melted away as if they’d never existed…. When he raised his head abruptly, she thought it was so he could say something personal and intimate. He didn’t. He stared down at her, and she could see his tortured expression before he closed his eyes briefly and then put her away from him. The look in his eyes was brooding and somber. “I should never have done that.” he said. ---------------------- Wendy Morgan relocates to New York and reunites with Deborah Paige, her best friend from high school, despite the fact that her father disagrees with her decision. But Wendy is tired of letting her father dictate every aspect of her life, especially now that he has arranged for her to marry Jordan Baker, so she is convinced that she has made the right decision by leaving. Soon, Wendy finds herself in the same situation with Damon Paige.... Will she walk away this time? She only has to pretend to be Damon's fiance for a while though.... She could do that. What could possibly go wrong?

I never in my wildest imagination thought that my life would one day take such a huge turn: signing a marriage contract with Jonathan Wells, the coldest billionaire in Wells Enterprise, so my sister could stay alive. It was supposed to be cut and dry: I’d be his wife on paper, and in return, he would take care of my sister’s medical bill and promise our future. No attachments. No strings. Business only. But life rarely adheres to a simple script, does it? Pulled into his ruthless world, secrets of my past start to resurface, putting everything in jeopardy. I, Chloe Jackson, was the illegitimate daughter of his biggest competitor-a man I had been running from my whole life. Now my estranged father wants me back under his control, just when I’m starting to see that maybe Jonathan isn’t as heartless as he seems. Torn between the board’s merciless scrutiny, Jonathan’s mistrust, and a corporate war driven by my father, I’m adrift in a maelstrom of power, betrayal, and something even more dangerous—love. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. I wasn’t supposed to care. But in the end, it might not be the contract that keeps our worlds apart-but rather the very thing that could mend my heart. Because Jonathan Wells isn’t just a billionaire. He’s the only man who can break me-or save me.

A year ago, my life was simple. I was just Ariel Anthony…a regular college student, cheerleader with decent grades, daughter of a struggling baker, and recently appointed step-sister to a guy I barely knew. Nothing special. Then came the storm. Not just the thunderstorm that trapped me in Professor Grayson's apartment that night, but the storm that followed. The one that's still raging around me, that I created. They don't warn you about men like Luther Grayson in freshman orientation. They don't tell you how a single glance from the right person can make you question everything you thought you knew about yourself. About what you want. About what you'd risk to get it. They also don't warn you about guys like Ethan Cross, with his perfect smile hiding something dark. The kind of guy who's used to getting what he wants and doesn't understand the meaning of the word "no." And no one, absolutely no one…prepares you for what it feels like when the person who's supposed to be your brother looks at you with something else in his eyes. Mom once said I had a gift for making complicated situations worse. If she only knew. My phone buzzed beside me, and I glanced down to see Luther's name on the screen. My heart still jumps every time, even when I'm aware of what could happen if people learned about the two of us. I should ignore it. I should block his number, focus on my classes, help Mom with the bakery, and pretend none of this ever happened. But I'm already reaching for the phone. That's the thing about crossing lines… once you step over them, it's almost impossible to step back. And I've crossed so many lines now, I can't even see where I started.

I came home from a night shift and caught my husband in bed with his secretary. After the screaming and the chaos, I ran out like a woman losing her mind. Derek chased after me. We ended up at the river, fighting. Somehow we both fell in. He nearly drowned trying to save me—the doctors said the oxygen deprivation had caused severe brain damage. When he woke up, he could barely function. No memory. No independence. He followed me around like a lost child. "Wifey, don't leave me. I'm scared." Looking at that helpless, broken man, I gritted my teeth and held this family together. The secretary vanished without a trace. Six years passed. Derek slowly seemed to recover. He was gentle with me, attentive, loving. I even got pregnant with our second child. Then came the family dinner. Derek knocked back two glasses of whiskey and suddenly slammed his hand on the table, his face twisted with frustration. "My oldest boy is already in first grade, and I haven't made it to a single parent-teacher conference!" I thought his brain was glitching again. MY sister-in-law Vanessa rushed to cover his mouth, but he shoved her away and let out a cold laugh. "You really thought the water scrambled my brains?" "Chloe gave me a son. I haven't forgotten about him for a single day!"

Ever since I can remember, I was Nina's blood bank. Nina was like a glass princess. One sneeze and she could break. She needed blood all the time just to stay okay. Mom had her tubes untied just to have me to save Nina. My arms were always full of needle marks. Mom and Dad looked at me like they felt bad. "Chloe, you're a good girl. Nina's sick. She doesn't mean it when she gets mad. Be patient with her." I made myself smile. "I know. You can take more. I'm not scared." They turned away and cried. I thought if I stayed good and didn't complain, they'd love me someday. Then I won first place in a painting contest. Nina ripped the bandage off her hand and started crying. "Why are you showing off? Why am I the sick one? I hate you!" Mom shoved me to the ground. "Your sister can't even go to school. What are you bragging about some dumb paper for? How can you be this mean? Why couldn't you be the sick one?" Dad carried Nina out. He didn't look at me. I ran after the car all the way to the hospital. I only heard the doctor say, "Without a full blood replacement, she won't make it three months." I looked at my arm. 'Nina, please don't hate me anymore. If I give you my life, will that be enough?'