Dirty Thirty

BLURB Maya Blackwood has spent five years as the perfect wife to a man who doesn't love her. But when a terminal diagnosis gives her only six months to live, Maya finally finds the courage to demand what she's never had: one month of being Alexander's real wife. Alexander Blackwood has spent those same five years resenting the arrangement that tore him from his true love, Isabelle Chen. Now that Isabelle has returned to claim him, he's ready to file for divorce—until Maya makes him an offer he can't refuse without risking a scandal that could destroy his family's reputation. Thirty days. One month to discover whether a loveless marriage can become something real before time runs out. But as Maya and Alexander begin to truly see each other for the first time, secrets, lies, and the manipulations of those who want them apart threaten to steal even this brief chance at happiness. And when Alexander finally learns the devastating truth Maya has been hiding, he must face an impossible question: Is one month enough time to fall in love with someone you've already lost?

Riley thought her mother’s new marriage would bring stability. Instead, it led her straight into danger. Her new stepbrother, Noah, is everything she should fear. He is tattooed, ruthless, involved with the mafia, and dangerous in ways she can’t resist. His grey eyes promise destruction. But Noah isn’t the only threat in the mansion. David, her mother’s husband and Noah’s guardian, is the most ruthless mafia boss of all. He married for one reason: revenge. And Riley is the perfect pawn. Now, trapped between a stepfather who wants to ruin her and a stepbrother who will kill to keep her, Riley’s heart is caught in a fight of loyalty, and forbidden desire. He’s her salvation. He’s her stepbrother. Loving him might cost her life. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• “Look at your phone, princess. You see the black Jeep across the street? I’m in it. You’ve got thirty seconds to walk out on your own, or Im going come in and carry you out over my shoulder in front of every single one of your little friends. And Ethan gets to learn what happens when he puts his mouth where it doesn’t belong. Clock’s ticking.”

I gave everything to save my fated mate, Alpha Austen. I even lost our pups. Twice. But he gave all the credit to his adoptive sister, Seraphina. He called me weak. Useless. He always chose her tears over my scars. He even stood by as her poison shattered my wolf spirit. As I lay dying, I watched him hold my killer and whisper, “I know it wasn’t your fault. This was her fate.” Then I opened my eyes. And I was back. Back before it all went wrong. This time, I’m done explaining. Done sacrificing. Right in front of him, I disguised a potion that would sever our mate bond as a "blessing elixir" and held it to his lips. “My love,” I said, “drink this. It’ll help you comfort your poor little sister.” He drank it without a second thought. In thirty days, under the Blood Moon, our mate bond will be severed for good. But only when I was truly gone did he finally regret it. He knelt before me, again and again, calling himself my fated mate. Begging me to take him back.

For over thirty years, my wife Janet faked being broke—for her flimsy ex. When our son Asher landed in the hospital, I begged and borrowed from everyone I knew. Still came up fifty bucks short. Janet? Said she was tapped out. So my mom sold off her own meds to cover the bill—never told me. She died without treatment. I handled my mom's funeral alone. When I went to pick up Asher from the hospital, I found a stash of Janet's old shopping receipts. Custom suits. Million-dollar watches. A damn private jet. I grabbed them and stormed off to confront her. Asher cut me off. "Dad, Mr. Sackett's sick. Mom's just helping him out. Why are you freaking out?" I stared at the kid who only lived because my mom died. It felt like something cracked inside me. Janet barely looked up. "Connor's educated. He deserves the finer things. Unlike you—crying over fifty bucks like some househusband. See? I didn't give you the money, and Asher's fine." Fine. If that's how they see it, I'm done with this family.

After Celine Anderson let her newly-promoted assistant take credit for my billion-dollar project for the ninth time, I handed in my resignation letter. I also refused to show up in the same place as her. Whenever she was interviewed by talk shows as a public figure, I would switch off all the screens in the building. I also got the security guard to stop her from entering even if she brought me a cup of coffee in the middle of a tornado. To see me, she purposely rescheduled three virtual meetings with foreign companies. So, I immediately bought air tickets to leave the country. I blocked her everywhere and formatted the hard disk that contained all of our memories from the past decade. When I was twenty, I studied with her in the university library. When I was twenty-five, I ate the cheapest bread with her when she first started her company. When I was thirty, I finally knew how to let go of things that no longer serve me. On the ninth time I was accused of sleeping my way up, I came across a photo of her and her assistant kissing. Meanwhile, I was sitting at our dining table with food that had turned cold. It turned out that our decade-long relationship had been a joke. However, it was fine. It was not too late to come to my senses.

"Akin ka lang, Ninang Ruth! Walang ibang magmamay-ari sa’yo kundi ako!" Ramdam ko ang panginginig ng kanyang kamay habang hinawakan ko ito. Nanlilisik ang mga mata ko, puno ng pagnanasa at pag-angkin. Pero sa halip na matakot, marahan lang siyang ngumiti—isang ngiting may halong pangamba… at pagnanasa rin. "Wag ako, Ace," mahinahon niyang tugon, pilit tinatago ang emosyon sa kanyang tinig. "I’m older than you. I’m thirty… habang ikaw, twenty-five pa lang." Ngunit sino bang makakapigil sa puso? Ako si Ace Pattern, dalawampu’t limang taong gulang, isang business tycoon na sanay makuha ang gusto. Lahat ng gusto ko… maliban sa kanya. Si Ninang Ruth. Ang babaeng pinagbabawal mahalin. Ang babaeng dapat kong irespeto, pero mas gusto kong angkinin. Masama bang magmahal sa isang Ninang? Sabi nila, mas masarap daw ang bawal. At ngayong naranasan ko na siya… handa akong sirain ang lahat — kahit ang sarili kong pagkatao —mapasaakin lang siya.

He chose his mistress on our anniversary. He didn't know I was already planning my funeral. For three years, I was the perfect wife. I swallowed the insults from his family. I bore the guilt of our daughter’s death. Everyone blamed me. Yet, I loved Mateo Santiago with everything I had. Until the day I found out the truth. On the same day I discovered I was pregnant again, I learned my husband was expecting a child with another woman: my own step-aunt, Valentina. And worse? I finally discovered that he was the one responsible for our first daughter's death, not me. I didn't scream. I didn't fight. I simply texted him: "Your birthday is in a month. I’ll prepare a gift you’ll never forget." Thirty days later, Mateo Santiago watched my car burn at the bottom of a cliff. He buried an empty casket and cried for a wife he thought he loved. But Isabella Romano didn't die that day. She just disappeared. I was not alone anymore. I had another life growing inside me but then I stumbled upon a stranger. A stranger shadows feared. Dante Galante.

️ WARNING This story contains explicit adult themes, steamy scenes, and a heroine who teaches pleasure for a living. If bold romance is not your taste, stop here. If it is, welcome. 18+ She is the expert. He is the virgin. Together they break every rule. Dr. Delilah Santos built her empire on desire. A world famous sex therapist who trusts skill over love, control over emotion, and success over vulnerability. Her heart is locked. Her reputation is flawless. Dr. Elliot Hayes is a genius physicist with one secret that could ruin his image. At thirty, he has never been touched. One accidental lecture leads to one reckless confession and a request that changes both their lives. Teach me everything. Their private lessons ignite a hunger neither expected. Professional boundaries blur. Obsession replaces caution. And when their arrangement explodes into public scandal, the world turns vicious. Enemies circle. Careers hang by a thread. The media tears them apart. But their connection refuses to break. A virgin who becomes dangerously confident. A woman who finally risks her heart. Forbidden lessons behind closed doors. Courtrooms, headlines, and a war for their future. Pregnancy. Marriage. Power. Forever. From secret desire to unstoppable partnership, this is the story of two people who gamble everything and build an empire from passion.

•Two brothers, one mate, a curse that binds all three. The goddess plays a cruel trick on Selena, pairing her with two mates who are brothers and bitter rivals. When Alpha Tristan comes to take her as his mate, Selena refuses to go because she has heard horrible rumours about the alpha. Her outright refusal enrages him and he disfigures her face as punishment and takes her captive. Selena is subjected to a lot of abuse at the home of the alpha, but she glimpses her first ray of hope when Zander, the Tristan's older brother, comes back home. Burdened by a curse, Zander has been driven by bloodlust all his life. What he does best is killing and plundering... Until he meets Selena and becomes immensely obsessed with her in all the dark, dirty ways he shouldn't. Would she be the one to tame him or will she pick his brother over her?

She sexted a stranger. She craved his filthy promises. She never knew he was her stepbrother. Zara Cole’s dirty secret unravels in a snowbound mansion. Kayden, her intense stepbrother, is the man behind her late-night texts. Their forbidden affair flares up, but it’s wrong—so wrong. Her boyfriend, Adrian, demands her loyalty. Her other stepbrother, Liam, steals her heart. Hidden cameras watch her every move. A twisted impostor threatens her life. Christmas Eve sparkles with secrets and desire. Zara’s pregnant—with twins—and the fathers could tear her world apart. One’s Kayden. One’s Liam. And her stepfather’s schemes could destroy them all. She was meant to be in control… Now she’s lost in their touch. Because when the truth spills, someone’s going down— Her family, her lovers, or her future.