Closed Mindedness

Jace Maddox is a billionaire tech CEO known for his cold heart and strict routines. Behind closed doors, he's a man haunted by betrayal, grief, and secrets too heavy to share. River Hale is an ex-military bodyguard with nothing left to lose. Disgraced and angry, he’s hired to protect the one man he can’t stand, Jace Maddox. When a dangerous scandal threatens to destroy Jace’s empire, the only way to survive is a fake relationship. A staged romance to control the media. But fake feelings start to feel real. As secrets unravel and enemies close in, both men must face their pasts, and the truth about what they’ve come to mean to each other.

"You sure wanna taste me?" He laughed. That was the first time, he had smiled. "Wow, you are laughing now.." "Only you make me" My heart raced again, beating my eardrums in its intensity, "Ugh, how do you make me like this?" He came closer, pushing my back to the wall. We were inches apart, our bodies almost sticking to each other and his breath on my lips. "You make me so numb, that I fail to say what I always wanted to" I held my breath. His breathing accelerated, "Only you, Anna. Only you" And the space closed with a kiss.

"Wanna lie on it?" Diam husked, his breath fanning her neck. He'd caught her staring at the bed. Wouldn't be a bad idea if she lies on it. Baby quickly moved away from him. Her cheeks, she knew, were flushed from embarrassment. "Where's my room-Sir Diam?" He closed up the little distance between them. She squirmed at their proximity but it only aroused him more. Her boobs rubbed against his hard chest, tingling all the hairs in the region to life. Her mould was pressed against his thighs. He wound an arm around her waist, pulling her to himself. "Your room...is right here, Baby."

Celia Johnson, my boss's sister-in-law, joined the company as the finance director and announced that all reimbursements must strictly follow the standards. I spent an entire week running around for the company and finally closed a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal. Because the client had used two extra packs of paper towels, the per-person amount for their meal ended up eight dollars over the limit. Celia folded her arms, glanced at the reimbursement form on my desk, and sneered. "Five hundred and eight dollars?" "Yes. Last night at The Peak Restaurant, where we closed Richard's deal. Zack was there too," I explained patiently. "Eight dollars over the per-person limit. Not reimbursable," Celia said coldly. I tried to reason with her. "This was a special case. The client is high-level, and the deal amount is large, and Zack personally said it would be fully reimbursed last night." She returned the reimbursement form to me. "I don't care who said that. Don't think closing a five-hundred-thousand-dollar contract lets you ignore company rules. Reimbursements must all follow policies. Everyone will follow them to the letter." I took a deep breath. I knew arguing with her head-on would get me nowhere, so I called Zack directly. Zack said, "I did say it would be reimbursed, but I never said company rules could be ignored. It's just five hundred. And you still get commission from closing the deal. You young people need to have perspective." I stopped arguing. I turned around and refused the delivery containing the hard copy of the five-hundred-thousand-dollar cooperation contract, smiling as I explained, "Company rules say all cash on delivery packages must be refused. "Also, today is my last day here. Starting tomorrow, I work for Richard's company. As the client, I will be setting the rules this time."

A chorus of howls interrupted my thoughts as I closed my eyes and prayed they wouldn’t find me. But then, I caught his scent, making Rayne surge forward. “Mila?” His voice came out in ragged breaths and sent a shiver down my spine. “Are you okay?” I turned to see Tyler stumbling into the entrance in all his glory. Even like this, I couldn’t help but marvel at his physique. If I didn’t want him, I was doing a terrible job at showing it. I closed my eyes to stop from staring, but even then images of him appeared in my mind. “Please,” I begged. “Just leave me alone!” “You know I can’t do that,” Tyler growled softly. “Let me help you. You’re in he–” “I don’t care!” I screamed. I shivered, not from being cold but from the sweat building all over me. I knew Tyler was moving closer to me, his scent making me dizzy. I wrapped my arms around myself. I’d never experienced anything like this before. It was all-consuming and I needed relief immediately. “Please,” I pleaded with both of them, but slowly lost the battle the moment I felt my hands moving between my legs. **** After enduring not one, but two rejections, Mila decides her only option is to leave before she’s swallowed by the darkness. Years later, Mila mysteriously returns home, her heart consumed by a thirst for vengeance. She uncovers a web of betrayal, lies, and twisted desires threatening to consume her. Bound by a dark romance that ignites forbidden passions, she must navigate a treacherous path filled with danger, where every ally could be an enemy in disguise. What dark secrets will Mila uncover? Get ready for rejections, desire, and revenge.

Margarette "Maggie" Sandoval, at the age of 25 and as the breadwinner of the family, she already put a name in the fashion industry. Everyone praised her for her impressive designs and also how successful she is in her career. She is closed to a perfect type of woman. Now that she gave her family a better life that they deserve, she wishes to settle down for good and get married. So when her long-time boyfriend proposed to her, she didn't hesitate to say yes. But her world turned upside-down when she woke up in a different room beside a hot guy —Trevor Dickinson, and learned that she accidentally married him. Things get worst when it turns out that he was her fiancé's older brother.

Laverna Hansley was not only a model known for her charity works but also a master of disguise and a feared assassin behind closed doors. She may be a curse anyone wanted to avoid to keep their life, yet she was also a magnet of troublesome men who found pleasure and entertainment in pushing her to her greatest downfall. Falling victim to the false love and comfort she sought, Laverna found herself at rock bottom after failing to protect those she desperately did not want to lose. Vengeance. She hungered for it so badly that she swore to swallow her pride and every sort of humiliation just to shove pain and destruction a hundredfold to the people who ruined her. However, how will she do that when she claims to have no recollection of her past?

Deborah grew up as the only girl among six overprotective brothers, each powerful, intimidating, and fiercely loyal. In their eyes, no man is ever good enough for their sister. They swore that only they would choose the man worthy of her hand. But Deborah has a secret that could destroy everything. Behind closed doors and hidden glances, she’s been having an affair with Luther Cain, the cold, enigmatic CEO of one of the country’s most powerful companies… the Cain Industry….. and the very man her brothers consider their greatest rival. As their forbidden relationship deepens, passion turns into danger. Lies begin to unravel. And when her brothers discover the truth, Deborah must choose between the family that raised her, and the man she’s willing to burn the world for.

Taking his place on the throne, the King crowned his golden girl his queen. I, on the other hand, was granted two choices—retire from court with a hefty fortune or be his kept mistress in the dark. Choosing neither, I hung myself on the clothesline right outside the laundress quarters. I had been sent back twenty years in time, tasked by the System to conquer four targets. I’d just blown the last target and my final chance to complete the quest. The System notified me that following the death of my flesh, my consciousness would return to the modern world, back to the arms of my family. Just as I closed my eyes, the desperate cries of my name caught my attention.

For Alina, the worse has already happened and no longer she closed herself in the chains of the past. She got everything a girl could ask for. A boy who loved her, parents back to normal and the new start. For Kabir, the worse he could see had happened, the love he desired was back to him and at last, he moved on from the haunted past and failure. He got everything a boy could ask for. A girl who loved him and the new start with her. But they forgot new starts are not easy when your past is still there, haunting and crushing you. Maybe this new start wasn't a lovely one but the one to push them back to the start. Maybe they would learn love is not forever. Second part of published book 'Breaking Myself'