Eleven Minutes

Liliana Patrick, a twenty three years old timid and clumsy lady who lost everything in a blink of an eye. Suffer was an understatement in her case, she had nothing, no shelter, no friends, no family. But when she steps her leg in to Kings Company, she was introduced to another world she never knew about. Nicholas King, an example of rude and arrogant, cold, dominant, commanding and heartless. The thirty years took over his late father's property after he passed away, he shows no mercy to his workers, he can fire you with just a little mistake. But when his eyes roam her body as she walks into his office, he claimed her as his. I took a seat in front of him. "Good morning Sir-" I greeted but he cuts me off. "Did I ask you to seat?" His voice, so raspy, so deep, so sensual, so husky and so......British? I never knew the Kings were British. But what took my attention were those words he said. "Uhh....." I stood up immediately. "I'm sorry" I apologize but he looks angry or something. "You came sixteen minutes late, left my door opened, sat on the chair like you own the place" he snarled at me..... okay, Mr rude. "I.....I said I was sorry" I look away from him, he shuffle and his cologne filled my nostrils, sandalwood and lavender oil. "You are not to talk back till I ask you to. Sit" he ordered and I did. He grabs what looks like my resumè, he looks at me in an instant. His blue orbs holds no emotions in his eyes as he stares at me, but what was so intriguing was the fact that he's intimidating me really bad.

My in-laws, Melvin Gardner and Sharon Murphy, kept it a secret from us and traveled all the way to Metoville to surprise their daughter, Vivian Gardner. I brought them to the restaurant where Vivian worked as head chef, thinking she would give them a proper welcome and a great meal. However, Vivian called over her favorite pretty-boy apprentice, Tyler Lambert, and had him handle a batch of wild-harvested oysters from the deep sea. These rare specimens were notorious because they may carry Tetrodotoxin if not purged with extreme precision—a high-stakes task that even the seasoned chefs usually avoided. Tyler frowned and whined at her, "Oh come on, Chef, these oysters are so tricky to prepare. I'm not sure I can handle them..." Vivian just laughed it off. "Just give them a quick rinse, and you're done. They're just a couple of old country folks. There's no need to fuss." Melvin and Sharon ate the oysters. Within ten minutes, they were foaming at the mouth and collapsed on the table. When Vivian rushed over, she did not even bother to look at the two elderly people. Instead, she was busy comforting Tyler, who had gone pale and fallen into her arms. She said, "If they got food poisoning, send them to the hospital. But make sure they sign a liability waiver before they leave." She glanced at me casually, her tone suggesting the poisoned elderly couple had nothing to do with her. "Your parents are from the countryside, so they're probably not used to city food. Don't try to pin this on the restaurant or Tyler!" It hit me that she still had not realized the people who had collapsed at the table were her own parents. I looked at her helplessly and confirmed, "Are you sure you want to clear 'Tyler' of all responsibility?"

In a dark world Aliyah stumbles on her mate in the midst of her troubled world and ex. He is a protector, mysterious and dangerous man. In the midst of unsettledness and wars Don Alessandro finds his mate. With the confusion and secrets it's extremely difficult for everything to work out as planned. Every danger makes them come out stronger or does it? Excerpt from story... As soon as Alessandro left my room, I devised a plan which I have to put into motion tonight. Around 10pm, I snuck out. I tried to sneak into Alessandro’s room. I was almost there when a bodyguard caught me of course. So I went for plan B. “Ooops.” I said dropping my coat and showing my see through nightee. “I will tell him you stared at my nakedness.” I said. “I am sorry.” He said shivering and scurried away. That was easy. Probably not the best idea but it worked. After a few minutes I kind of heard them talking about it. Seriously they should shut up. That guard went to tell his friends about it. How stupid. I thought they don’t talk. “You stared at who?” I heard Alessandro say angrily. Sorry to them no one asked them to gossip. This also means he will be coming soon… I have to find… Bingo! I can probably find something there. He thought keeping me away from his room will keep him safe. As soon as I put my hand in his jacket he called me. “Aliyah you don’t want to do that.” He said. Enemies in the mafia and pack can't wait to tear them to shreds. Danger always looms and in addition secrets cause distrust. Will the secrets break them or make them stronger.

Zara Mensah did not walk into WolfeGroup Holdings looking for love. She walked in looking for a fight. Her contract had been cancelled without warning, her money was on the line, and she had sixteen days to fix everything before her business collapsed around her. She was prepared for corporate stonewalling. She was prepared for lawyers and fine print and men in expensive suits who thought small business owners could be brushed aside without consequence. She was not prepared for Damien Wolfe. Cold. Controlled. Devastatingly attractive in the way that dangerous things always are. He gave her everything she asked for in under ten minutes and then offered her a year-long contract she had no rational reason to refuse. She told herself it was just good business. She told herself the way he looked at her meant nothing. She told herself the strange warmth she felt every time he was near her was just nerves. She was wrong about all of it. Damien has spent six years building walls around himself so high that even his own pack stopped trying to reach him. He lost someone once. He blamed himself. He decided he was done. Then Zara walked through his door and the mate bond he never wanted snapped into place before he could stop it. Now he is caught between what he feels and what he swore he would never feel again. Between a woman who deserves the full truth and a secret that could change everything she thinks she knows. Between the pack demanding he step up and a council meeting that is coming whether he is ready or not. And in the shadows, a man named Victor Graves is watching all of it with a smile that does not reach his eyes, waiting for the perfect time

BOOK #1 MARINOS' MAYHEM SERIES "I said 'act like my boyfriend' for just five minutes, not 'act like my fucking husband' for the rest of your life!" Adrian Price half-yelled, his fingers curled into a tight fist as he glared at the terrifying, yet super gorgeous man in front of him. Giovanni Marino blinked slowly, taking his time to register every detail of Adrian's figure into his memory, not minding that he was disturbing his work at all. "I don't see a big difference between the two." "Oh, for fuck sake! You're a thug, but surely you're not dumb, are you? Do you not know when to stop?" Adrian scoffed, his anger growing thicker. "Sadly, I don't seem to know what 'stop' means. You made the idea of being someone's boyfriend sound so great now I don't think I wanna stop." Adrian Price knew asking a mobster to fake being his boyfriend would get a lot of unnecessary attention from lustful eyes off him, but what he never knew was that the man he had just picked was no different from the unwanted pests that lingered around him, wanting to have a taste of him. Giovanni Marino enjoyed clubbing as much as he enjoyed killing; however, despite this, he was extremely lonely. Now, the big bad man had found a toy he could play with, and he was having the best fun of his life. Would he ever stop and return to his lonely life? That, he wasn't sure he could do that. Not even when he realized Adrian was his enemy's son. He needed Adrian, either to break him or to make him.

Mon petit ami était officier de police. Je me suis retrouvée menacée par des agresseurs et la bombe fixée à mon corps était sur le point d’exploser. Il ne me restait plus que dix minutes à vivre. L’un des agresseurs, dans son froideur calculée, m’a ordonné d’appeler mon petit ami. Mais lorsqu’il a pris l’appel, c’était un déluge de mots cruels qui m’a frappée de plein fouet : « Romy, tu es folle ou quoi ? Es-tu prête à tout sacrifier pour capter mon attention ? Tu sais, le chat de Sylvie est coincé dans un arbre depuis trois jours, et elle l’aime plus que tout, comme si sa vie en dépendait ! Si tu me fais encore perdre une seconde, sache que tu es une meurtrière ! » Dans le même instant, une voix claire et douce, celle d’une jeune fille, s’est glissée dans le combiné : « Merci, Liam, tu es vraiment incroyable. » Et cette femme n’était autre que l'amie de mon petit ami depuis leur enfance... Alors que la bombe menaçait de tout engloutir, dans un dernier geste désespéré, j’ai envoyé un message à Liam : « Adieu, je crois qu’il vaut mieux que nos chemins ne se croisent plus jamais, même dans une autre vie. »

The crowd starts a countdown to midnight like New Year’s Eve. I close my eyes and smile, holding Liam’s hand tightly. Everyone yells “ONE!” and cheers. I open my eyes and see the iridescent liquid light of the full moon pouring out of the giant orb flowing down over us. People around us ooh and ahh at the beautiful sight.  When the first rays of moonlight cascade over my skin, I feel a heat inside me turn into a burning fire. I gasp and look up at Liam. He looks at me with wide, surprised eyes. “Mate,” he murmurs and squeezes my hand tighter. It isn’t a comforting feeling. There are no sparks like people describe when they touch their mate. Maybe it takes a few minutes to develop. I smile and try to admire Liam, but I don't want to say it back. Nothing feels different. I still love him, but he’s not the one. Liam is looking at me, but it isn’t a look of true love. It’s lustful and carnal. I feel a pit in my stomach. Liam isn’t my mate. How can this be? And how was he able to call me his mate if he’s not mine? “Zara,” a woman’s voice says in my head, “My name is Lavender. I’m your wolf and you’re in grave danger, my dear. You need to run. You need to run now. Your life depends on it.” “My… wolf?” With everything that happened the past couple of hours, I forgot she was waking up. “L-Lavender, what’s happening? What do you know?” Lavender repeats her order. “Zara, you need to run. I can explain later. I’m so sorry this is happening to you, sweet girl.”

13 years ago, she was a naive, innocent, bubbly girl who fell in love with her senior and wrote a love letter to him in her diary, 'You are the most handsome person I've ever met. Uhm... My brother is also handsome but he is my brother. So, let us get back to the point. Since you are so good-looking, I feel like I'm in love. How about I marry you after growing up? Won't you consider yourself lucky?' 13 years later, she was referred to as a demoness; she was way too cold, no longer the naive girl she used to be, she has become a mystery that people spoke of but no one has ever seen. But in all these circumstances, what remained the same was that the little girl in her memory was as narcissistic as the adult who proposed to a stranger, 'Let's get married, I'm a goddess, you know?' So, where did her usual aloof self go? Was it because handsome men were her weakness? Or was it just that one man?! ... Out of nowhere, Tang Li proposed marriage to a stranger she’d met just 15 minutes ago. Confident and quirky, she called herself a one-in-a-million goddess and offered him a carefree life as her househusband. Stunned but intrigued, he asked, “Why me?” She simply said he pleased her pretty eyes. His heart skipped a beat as he replied, “Only if you take no concubines.” Tang Li, a beautiful woman with breathtaking black long hair and hazel eyes, everyone talks about but no one’s seen, just stunned Mo Yuhan, the hot and happening CEO of Mo Empires and the most eligible bachelor...Cold? No, he is a thousand-year-old iceberg..... But what happens when Miss Mystery proposes to Mr. CEO...?

My sister-in-law sent me a photo of her kissing my husband on the beach. Just a few minutes later, she deleted the photo and sent me a text saying, “Oops, sent to the wrong person. Lol.” I knew it was deliberate. It was never a mistake. She wanted me to see how happy my husband was with her. Clara was never my sister-in-law. Three years ago, my husband had lied about her, claiming she was his younger sister, and I believed him. But after five years of marriage, I discovered—far too late—that Clara was never his sister. She was his mistress, his childhood lover, the woman he had been sleeping with under the same roof as me while making me serve her as if she were truly my sister-in-law. And now what? He had lied again… said he was going on a business trip. Yet Clara had just sent me a picture—a cute, sickening picture—of my husband happily kissing the very woman he had once claimed was his younger sister. The photo carried a timestamp showing the exact time and location. It was real. There was no denying it. They were in Hawaii, on a beach, laughing, kissing, and having the time of their lives… while he had made me believe he was away on business. Without saying a word, I saved the picture and posted it straight to Instagram, captioning it: "Congratulations to my sister-in-law… on finally becoming the official wife.” Then I turned off my phone and went to bed. The next morning, after having breakfast with my cat, Lulu, and taking the warmest bath ever, I turned my phone back on—and froze. Over 200 missed calls were waiting for me. Notifications exploded across my phone. And it didn’t stop there—the number of unattended messages kept climbing past 250.

Scarlett; Minutes after I had given birth to his kids, he walked into the ward and announced our divorce, claiming that I betrayed him. Accused of infidelity, I was heartbroken when he chose to disbelieve me even when it was obvious that I was framed. Despite giving birth to his twins, I was forced to part with one of my children. As if that wasn't enough, even my own family discarded me, revealing that I was adopted. In a state of irreparable heartbreak, I managed to flee to New York with my remaining child, eager to start afresh. But that decision I made changed my life forever. I uncovered my true heritage and it turns out I'm a part of Hollywood royalty, a celebrity heiress with a legacy of stardom. One stunning twist threw everything off balance. I crossed paths with Ethan once again and this time around, he's desperate to correct all his wrongs. But can I ever forgive him? Ethan: Despite our marriage being arranged, I've grown to love Scarlett. I've come to develop feelings for her, but she ended up betraying me. I divorced her and took my son away from her but I regret my actions. I searched the entire city for her but my efforts to find her were futile. My son was desperately sick and needed a maternal figure. With no other option, I had to agree to Jasmine's proposal so we could provide the parental support he needed. Just as I thought she'd vanished from my life forever, she walked into that event, and the revelation of her true identity left me stunned – a famous celebrity and the long-lost heiress of the iconic Scott family. Now I want her back but will she ever forgive me? Or will I lose her forever?