Clifford Hardwick Iii Novels & Stories

At the banquet hall, I refuse to let my adopted twin pups eat the walnut cake. Ivana Lamont—the childhood sweetheart of my mate, Luther Hardwick—chokes up dramatically. She cries accusingly, "Yara, they may not be yours biologically, but you can't abuse them! Why won't you even let them have a slice of cake?" I'm just about to explain that the twins are allergic to nuts, but they point at me and complain in aggrieved voices. "Mommy often doesn't give us food. We never have enough to eat!" With that, I'm unceremoniously driven out of the banquet hall by the host. When I go to look for my mate to talk about it, I accidentally overhear his conversation with a friend. "Alpha Luther, it's been eight years. Are you still not going to mark Yara?" "There's no rush. I'll wait until the kids are a little older. We love each other very much, so it's fine even if I don't mark her." His friend responds disapprovingly, "You've been hiding from her that the twins are actually your and Ivana's pups. Aren't you afraid she may leave in anger if she finds out?" Luther shakes his head and replies with certainty, "She won't. Yara is an orphan, so she has no family. If she leaves me, where else can she go?" The ugly truth causes me to freeze on the spot. It turns out the pups I've loved for eight years were born to my mate and another she-wolf. What I thought was a happy life is nothing but a cold, heartless deception! I touch my belly, thinking of the pup I just conceived. My tears fall like a relentless downpour. In the shadows, I say inaudibly, "You're wrong, Luther. In fact, I found my birth parents three days ago. I just haven't had the chance to tell you. But it doesn't matter now because you don't need to know about that anymore." I have Luther sign the mate bond dissolution agreement before finalizing my withdrawal from the Sharp Teeth pack. Two days later, I give both my mate and the pups to Ivana. With the pup that Luther has never known or laid his eyes on, I disappear from his world forever.

When I head over to my daughter, Hannah Westfield's place for dinner during Christmas Eve, I specifically wear a wool coat for the occasion. Unexpectedly, when Hannah sees me, she pushes me out of the front door instantly. "Mom, why must you buy the same coat as my mother-in-law did? Don't you know that she hates it when others imitate her? Hurry up and take off the coat before she sees you!" Meanwhile, my son-in-law, Thomas Clifford, digs out an old coat and puts it on me. "Mom, there are many relatives visiting our house today. Please spare my mom her pride and don't steal her thunder, okay?" Seeing how sincere Thomas looks, I decide to yield. But as soon as I take my seat, Giselle Johnson chortles in amusement as she stares at the old coat I'm wearing. "Oh Fiona, if you like my clothes, you could've just said so, and I'd give it to you. It's bad if you just steal my old coat from me and wear it, you know? Besides, don't you know that those who imitate always do a bad job at it?" Furious, I'm about to up and leave when Giselle grabs the coat and blocks my way. "I placed two money envelopes in the coat pockets a few days ago. There are 20 thousand dollars in there. Why are they gone after you've worn it? "I don't mind you wearing my coat behind my back, but you must return the money to me right now!"

Natasha Raymond’s life is upended when her father’s failing empire forces her into a marriage of convenience with Lucas Salvador, a self made billionaire determined to rebuild his family’s reputation. Their arrangement is simple; save her family’s legacy, maintain a public facade, and in return, she becomes his wife in name only. But Lucas has darker motives. A decade ago, his parents died in a tragic accident one orchestrated by Clifford Raymond, Natasha’s father. For years, Lucas has plotted revenge, and marrying Natasha is just another move in his game. As they spend more time together, their fake marriage starts to blur. Genuine feelings develop between them, complicating Lucas’s plan. Just when Natasha begins to feel at home in Lucas’s world, a mysterious flash drive arrives, exposing a web of lies, including a birth certificate connecting her father to a woman named Amelia Raymond. With her identity in question, Natasha begins investigating. Her search brings her to Derrick Watson, her childhood friend now working as a physician at Silver Point Medical Center. Derrick uncovers startling genetic similarities between Natasha and a patient file from years ago Amelia Raymond. Natasha’s world shatters as she learns the truth, she’s not the daughter she thought she was but a pawn in a family legacy of betrayal, tied by blood to the very family Lucas is determined to destroy. As Natasha and Lucas grow closer, they must confront the lies that bind them. Lucas’s resolve weakens as he falls for the woman he intended to destroy. Natasha faces an agonizing choice cling to the man she loves or expose the truth that could tear their worlds apart. The Billionaire’s Dark Side is a gripping tale of love, revenge & the devastating cost of betrayal.