Common French Names

"Mrs. Sterling, are you sure you're ready to end this marriage of twenty years and give up the custody?" "Yes. File it. I’m done." I said calmly through the phone as I scrubbed at a stubborn grease stain on the granite island. For twenty years, I poured my entire being into this family. I managed the households, handled the children's education , and stood by my husband's side, supporting his rise in the syndicate without complaint. But my husband Alexander brought his young adopted sister Chloe to the interview, saying, "My success today is all thanks to my adopted sister." Even my own children looked down on me, calling me common and crude housewife. They had formed an alliance with his ever-present "auntie," the woman who seemed to think she was the true lady of the house. I signed the divorce papers and walked away, leaving them to become the "perfect family" they clearly wanted. But that when the family panicked…

It was our wedding anniversary when my husband's high school sweetheart posted a sonogram picture on her social media, with her captioning a public thank-you to my husband: [Thank you to the man who's been there for me for ten years, and for giving me a son.] The room spun, and anger surged through me as I quickly commented: [So, you're proud of being a homewrecker?] Almost immediately, my husband called, his voice full of rage. "How can you think such disgusting things? All I did was help her with IVF, fulfilling her dream of becoming a single mom. "And by the way, Ruby only needed one try to get pregnant, while you’ve been through three rounds with nothing. Your body is useless!" Just three days ago, he told me he was going abroad for business—ignoring my calls and messages the entire time. I thought he was just busy. However, it turned out he was with her, attending her prenatal checkup. Half an hour later, Ruby posted again, showing off a table full of delicious food. [I got tired of French food, so Ash made me all my favorite dishes. He’s the best!] I stared at the pregnancy test in my hand, the joy I had felt earlier now completely gone. After eight years of love and six years of swallowing my pride just to keep the marriage alive, I’m finally ready to let go.

"Sir, the divorce agreement from the safe." On their fifth wedding anniversary, in a dimly-lit restaurant, Xavier Hampton's secretary placed the divorce papers in front of him. Five years ago, on the day Elizabeth Eaton and he registered their marriage— She had loved him deeply. So deeply that she had prepared the divorce agreement in advance, signed her name, and locked it away in the safe. If she ever betrayed him, all he had to do was sign. Xavier picked up the pen and swiftly signed his name. Across from him, the empty seat seemed heavier than any presence. His gaze dimmed. "Send the divorce papers to Attorney Harvey," he said, his voice calm, almost detached. "Then book a hotel and have the wedding venue set up in advance." The secretary hesitated for a moment before carefully asking, "Whose names should I write as the bride and groom?" "Elizabeth Eaton and Connor Walker."

Marcus Adrian Lee. Adrian. Just saying your name makes my heart race so fast that I could barely breathe. I never wanted to fall for you...but I did. It was a cliché really, but I just couldn't help myself. I'm not sure if was your subtle charm or that certain sadness in your voice that drew me to you but all I know is that you're a habit that I could never kick. Will you ever see me the way that I saw you? Will I ever have the courage to finally admit my unrequited feelings? And will the day ever come when I'll finally be able to hear the words, "Madison Rain Rivera, I am in love with you, too."? Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

“Omega, in about an hour, you’ll feel warm, dizzy, and overcome with hormones in your body.” I paled. “What happens after it takes effect?” “Then an alpha in the surrounding area will react to your scent.” After an hour, the nurse popped her head in. She had a strange look in her eyes and I didn’t like it. “So he is out there?” The nurse’s smile fell, “No, not one.” My eyes widened. “two?” “No, you have four mates.” I shook my head. “No, that’s not possible!” She sighed and opened her phone. “Your mates are as follows; Colby Mcgrath, Rain Kim, Matthew Clark, and Jade Johnson.” When she said the first name I started to feel faint but then the nurse kept rattling off all the names of my tormenters for years. How could I be tied to all of my brother’s friends? My panties got wet, I refused to accept that this was a hormonal reaction.

Furina Dunne has never gotten it easy in life. After her mother left her and her dad to marry a rich billionaire, Furina went on a trip to Paris with her friends and drank her pain away. She ended up waking up in a hotel room, stark naked next to a French man. Upon being treated like a prostitute, she had her sweet revenge on that man and moved on with her life. Five years later, she found out that her dad had been beaten up by a loan shark whom her father had borrowed money for his medical bills. Furina moved back in with her dad and helped him. When she received an invitation from her now-rich mother to attend a dinner gala, she attended with one purpose: to borrow money so she could pay the loan shark. Her mother treated her like dirt and she ended up leaving the gala. On her way out, she stumbled into a gorgeous fine specimen of a man, Diluc Ragnvindr Neuvillette. She jumped into his limousine to get away from her mother, not knowing that this man was the same man she’d spent a drunken one-night-stand five years ago and that he was also her stepbrother. The danger was now that Diluc finally had her again, there was no way he would ever let her go … and the dangerous liaison shall commence along with its consequences. 👠👠👠 The moment Diluc spotted her alone at the party, he pulled her into a corner and kissed her. “We’re in a public place,” she said, pulling away from him. His finger dipped lower, “Yeah? Is that why you’re so wet?”

Katherine Danvers grew up in a pack where she was treated like an outcast, her small size and status as a common Omega making her a target of ridicule. She clung to the belief that her mate would one day come and love her unconditionally. On her 18th birthday, her dreams were shattered when she learned she had been mated to Alpha Nathaniel Hawthorne, the most feared and ruthless alpha of the woodland pack. Nathaniel had made it clear he never wanted a mate, viewing them as weaknesses. He was already engaged to Emilia Danvers, Katherine's very own half-sister. Torn between her desire for love and acceptance, and the reality of Nathaniel's ruthless nature, Katherine must confront the truth: Can she truly find happiness as the mate of a man who sees her as nothing more than a burden, or will she risk everything to seek a future where she is valued for who she truly is?

I killed my mate on the same day my Alpha father put me up as a price for our pack’s werewolf power competition. It was a mistake. Borne by my defiance against the pack's law that a woman cannot reject a man, even if he's stuck his d**k in EVERY hole under a skirt available to him, else something tragic is going to happen. Because of that, I was stripped of my title as princess, degraded to a common slave and declared a surrogate to an alpha whose name is the only thing I know about him. Alpha Demorath of Blackwood pack. His name states exactly what he is. A demon alpha who is not just going to be my master – the one who my father strongly believes can TAME me – but also the father of my unborn child. But Demorath and I are like fire and poison, two elements that work so well together. Only if you consider our intentions.

The story of Sienna Zannotti and Eric Connall is not your typical love story. They are the leaders of rival mafia organizations, and when fate brings them together in an arranged marriage, sparks fly. Sienna is a fierce and unforgiving Don, while Eric is just as ruthless in his leadership of the American mafia. They both resist the idea of a marriage, but their parent's wishes leave them no choice. As they meet for the first time, they each find themselves drawn to the unexpected qualities of the other. Eric discovers a captivating woman in Sienna, and she finds him attractive despite his leadership position. But can two powerful and dominant mafia lords make a marriage work? Will they succumb to their differences and go their separate ways, or will they be able to find a common ground to build from? A Love So Dangerous is a journey through the obstacles of love and power, as Sienna and Eric navigate their way through their arranged marriage. Is their love powerful enough to withstand the forces surrounding them, or will the dangers of their worlds prove too much to bear?

Some families run from their past. The Hawkins siblings hunt it down. Katherine Hawkins never asked to grow up in a world where demons were real and survival meant learning how to fight them. Alongside her brothers—William and Alex—she’s spent years tracking the things that live in the dark. But when an old exorcism tape surfaces and names from a forgotten case start resurfacing—Malcolm Smith, Matthew Conner, Gabriel Spender—their past begins catching up with them fast. Secrets their father kept buried are beginning to unravel. And the deeper they dig, the clearer it becomes: the monsters they’re chasing now are connected to something older, something unfinished… something personal. Now, with danger closing in and trust wearing thin, the Hawkins siblings must head straight into the heart of a mystery that could shatter everything they thought they knew—about their family, their history, and the war they were born into. Because sometimes, the real fight doesn’t start until after the ghosts come back.