Drowning In Heartache

"I don't do love. I do contracts." Billionaire Adrian Blackwell has everything money can buy—except the one thing his family's fortune demands: an heir. When his grandfather's will threatens to strip him of his empire unless he produces a child within a year, Adrian makes a calculated decision. No messy emotions, no gold-digging wives—just a simple business transaction with a surrogate. Elena Martinez is drowning in debt, working three jobs to save her father from deportation and pay for his cancer treatment. When a mysterious contract offers her half a million dollars to carry a stranger's baby, she knows it's her only chance to save her family. But their "simple" arrangement becomes dangerously complicated when Elena discovers she's not just carrying Adrian's child—she's carrying the key to a conspiracy that could destroy them both. And as passion ignites between them, they'll learn that some contracts can't contain the heart. In a world where money talks and love whispers, will they risk everything for a chance at something real?

Elin was supposed to marry the crown prince and become the queen. That's what her father the duke had always told her, and that's what everyone believed. That is until the day the crown prince mysteriously loses his life in a tragic event leaving Elin drowning in grief, anger, and guilt. Fingers point out at her in suspicion as the next in line for the throne. As the conflict between noble parties began she's thrown into a fight for succession with her cousin and childhood friend, Louis. That's when the king interfered, sending Elin to study with her cousin at the royal academy postponing the announcement of the next heir, and giving her the perfect chance to realize her goals. Taking that as her chance, Elin begins to orchestrate her plans to investigate who killed her fiance while looking for a way to let her cousin win the succession battle. If only they would let her step down from the throne. She didn't expect that Louis too had his own plans in all this madness. And that she would meet someone else who would make her reconsider her decision and shake the fragile balance she was standing on.

I’d just bonded with my mate, Alpha Damien, when he brought home an orphan to repay a “life debt.” From that day on, I came second to the girl, Lila. Always. Lila framed me, claiming I forced her to lose control of her wolf. For that, Damien locked me in the silver cells for three days and three nights. "The silver will teach you how to be a tolerant Luna!" Silver poisoning is torture. My wolf withered. I begged for mercy, drowning in agony. Lila just snuggled up to him, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Serena is your mate, after all. When she's in pain, you're in pain. It hurts me to see you suffer." Later, to make Lila happy, Damien publicly gave my seat on the Pack Council to her—a girl who knew nothing. This time, I said nothing. I just severed our mate bond. Days later, while he was writhing in the agony of our broken bond, he finally heard the news. I had joined the royal’s elite unit, The Talons. And I was never coming back. He shattered.

On the day of the Sacred Forest Rite, my Alpha father and Luna mother were mysteriously murdered. Soon after, my fiancé Jem abruptly broke off our engagement and held a bonding ceremony with his childhood friend, Sarah. While I was still drowning in grief, Jem's elder brother, Nom, came to me with a proposal. He swore he would uncover the truth and bring my parents' murderer to justice. So I married him—and brought what was left of my pack into his. Seven years passed. No killer was found. No justice delivered. Then today, I overheard a conversation between Nom and his Beta outside the study. I learned the truth. Someone had seen Sarah at the scene of my parents' deaths during the Sacred Forest Rite. However, Nom silenced that witness. He shut down the investigation, convinced Sarah was innocent—that her presence was nothing more than a coincidence. However, my mother died with Sarah's earring clenched in her hand. It was never justice. It was a cover-up. Seven years of marriage, built on a lie—his way of protecting the one truly responsible. This time, I will take vengeance into my own hands. Alone.

He demoted me. Humiliated me. Made my life a living hell. And now, he's claimed me as his. When ruthless billionaire Nathan Bryant bought the company I worked for, I became his favorite target. One day I had a promotion waiting—the next, I was nothing but a data entry clerk beneath his cold, piercing gaze. I should have quit. I should have run away and never looked back. But I couldn't afford to. So I stayed, enduring his cruelty, surviving his games... until the night everything changed. The night he saved me. The night he kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him alive. Now I'm trapped between his arms and his secrets, drowning in a love I never saw coming. There was just one tiny problem: He's the stepbrother of my best friend—the girl who was betrayed by his family. Loving him means losing her forever. And when the war for control turns deadly, I'm caught in the crossfire. But will our love be enough to survive the wreckage? Or will we both burn in the flames of forbidden desire?

Ayana Rivers had spent the last three years working as the secretary to the CEO and cofounder of Sterling conglomerate the most powerful tech force in Los Angeles. Working schedules, running after and clearing Ruan’s public messes was not new to her but what Ayana doesn’t know is that Ruan Sterling’s life doesn’t end in boardrooms, fancy newsletters and red carpets. By day he is the CEO of Sterling Conglomerate. By night he is an Alpha, one bound by ancient pack laws that threatens to strip his entire lineage and him of the throne and alpha title if he does not take a wife. When Ayana’s family is drowning in debt and every door closes on her, Ruan offers Ayana instead of help, a marriage, Ruan has no interest in Ayana beyond the contract. She is human, harmless, ordinary, and perfect for protecting his secret. A wife on paper. Nothing more. When Ruan’s dark world creeps into Ayana’s carefully controlled life. Desires beyond control and heat amidst silence grow between them. Except secrets have a way of unraveling especially when she discovers that the man she married is not the most dangerous secret in the house. She is.

Alpha Prince Valen, the next in-line to be Alpha King, has been Raina's childhood crush. For years she yearned for the attention that he never gave. Surprisingly, she got her wolf at age sixteen, which was the same day of Valen’s eighteenth birthday party. Among the pack members, family and friends, he looked her dead in the eyes and publicly denied finding his mate. - Distraught, ashamed and heartbroken, Raina kept the secret of being mated to Valen, until circumstances forced him to finally acknowledge their bond. - Sadly, things went downhill because something was devastatingly wrong with their bond. The old books declared them as unfortunate soulmates. A glimpse of the future has left her torn between the desire for her mate and the doom of their fate. - Forced to reject her and sever the bond, the painful separation exposed Raina to numerous challenges and dangers. - Will Raina and Valen have their happy ending or did the moon goddess have something else in store for them? Should she fight for her mate, or let the course of destiny unfold? - Find out as Raina embarks on a journey filled with heartache, revelation, and an uncertain future. - This is Book 2 from the Mates series. This might be read as a standalone, however, to understand the characters, you might want to read Book 1 - Mates: Regrets and Redemption © All rights reserved. - EXCERPT: He chuckled and lewdly continued, “Mmmmmm….right there....it will hit all those spots over and over." "Valen, stop." I breathlessly moaned and blushed. A rush of heat pulsed through my body. "Or when I put one hand around your throat…” He did the action, moving his lips to brush on mine. “.....and the other grips your hair, then your inner thigh, and then your cumming p**sy."

Stranger at day, fuck buddy at night, this isn't a sweet love story, it is a kind of story where lust meets love. Maya came from a small rural village, working as a dancer in a downtown bar just to afford her younger brother’s medication. Life had been nothing but struggle a relentless cycle of poverty and heartache she endured alone. On her very first night at the bar, Atlas Volkov watched from the shadows of a VIP sit. The billionaire CEO was known for ruthless business tactics and a cold, unforgiving empire. But as he looked at her, he didn’t see a dancer; he saw something he was determined to possess. He summoned her to his private space, the air thick with tension. “I can pull you out of this place,” he said, his voice smooth and dangerous. “But there’s a condition. You’ll be mine—a companion behind closed doors. Sign the contract, follow my rules, and you’ll be paid more than you’ve ever imagined.” Maya’s heart raced. She’d heard stories of the urban elite—their world built on rivalry and power. Getting involved with a Volkov was like walking into a hurricane. Yet the image of her brother “How much?” she whispered. “Two years. Ten million dollars.” The number stunned her more than she could earn in a hundred lifetimes, but desperation won out. “Deal,” she said, her voice shaky Atlas brought her to the Volkov Villa a sprawling estate where staff bowed in unison, he ordered her to undress. “No,” she snapped. “No contract means nothing.” He tossed her a folder. “Sign it. Now.” Her hand trembled as she scrawled her name.

When the past collides with the present, the heart can't be ignored. Darla thought her arranged marriage to the billionaire, and magnetic Elijah Houston was behind her. After all, what were forgotten vows and buried feelings in the face of new beginnings? But returning to Atlanta as his business partner, she discovers that some flames refuse to die out. Elijah is relentless in his pursuit of Darla, but as the stakes rise, their rekindled feelings threaten not just their careers but the very people they hold dear. Torn between ambition and affection, they face a heart-wrenching dilemma: choose each other and risk hurting others, or protect their loved ones and shatter their own hearts once more. Join a journey of second chances, heartache, and the fierce power of love that proves sometimes, letting go can be just as hard as holding on. Will they find their way back to happiness, or will the weight of their decisions tear them apart for good? *** "Are you going to say it?" "Fuck you!" I snapped. "You left and abandoned me when I was pregnant with your kids! How dare you think that you can come back into my life, and I'll just forgive you as if you didn't leave me to be with another woman?! You're a motherfucking cunt, Mr. Houston!" "I know that I lied, cheated, and divorced you on claims that Abigail was pregnant! I know that I was an asshole who doesn't deserve sympathy from you, but I love you!" He sighed. "I love you with all my heart, and nothing makes sense to me more than you." He breathed. "You're the only thing that wakes me up at night. Day and night, you're the only thing that I think about."

" Please." she croaked out, the pain slowly paralyzing her body. " No! I can't marry you anymore, Sage. You're broken, used, and tainted. How am I supposed to marry you now knowing so many men used you like a fucking public property?" Enrique snapped, glaring at his fiance who was on the hospital bed. " She was raped, Enrique. How can you say this?" Sabrina growled, not believing what he just said. " Not my fault but I can't marry her now. I can't even look at her after knowing how dirty she is. I'm sorry Sage but our story has to come to an end here." Enrique looked at his childhood love, on the bed helplessly drowning in her own tears as he walked out of the room. --- Love lasts all fights but unfortunately, Enrique's love couldn't. He walked out on the very first step leaving Sage to deal with herself. Two years later, he is back in the same town only to marry Sage's sister. Will he regret his decision or will it be too late? Read to find it all out.