Example Of Picaresque

At three in the morning, I stare at the unknown transaction record on my phone screen, my fingertips turning cold. The record is for a payment of 2980 dollars, made for an executive suite at the Wisteria. The time of payment was 8:00 pm last night. My husband, Tristan Griffin, is a detective. He was on the night shift last night. I clutch my phone, my knuckles turning white as I text Tristan, "I just saw your credit card bill for a hotel stay last night. What's up with that?" His reply is instant. "Our team had to work overtime at the last minute, so they put us up at the hotel. I forgot to tell you about it." I scan the text and sputter. The Wisteria is located in the western region of the city, which is on the other end from where his squad is stationed. I don't press him for more details and click on the bank app on my phone. Having found the vendor's address through the payment record, I sent it to my best friend, Rowena Sheffield, who works as a private detective. She replies instantly with an "OK" emoji and follows up with, "Give me a second. I'll find out everything you want in a jiffy!"

When I was eight months pregnant, my husband's foster sister invited me to hike a snow-covered mountain. Midway up, an avalanche hit. We were both buried. My husband rushed to the scene, but before I could utter a word, his sister accused me: "She planned this! She tricked me into coming today!" I tried desperately to explain. He didn't listen. Instead, he lashed out at me. "Sandra doesn't know any better, but you should! So what if she's blunt? Is this your petty revenge? Your pathetic life couldn't even begin to repay hers if she'd been hurt!" Then he left. Took her hand. Walked away. I screamed after him, begging him to save our baby. He didn't even glance back. Worse, he unhooked my safety harness and shoved me out of the rescue group. "Since you're so clever, find your own way down." Not long after, another avalanche hit. This time, I couldn't get back up. Three hours later, Sandra was in a car accident. She needed a blood transfusion. That's when he finally thought of me. But by then, he didn't know—I was already gone. Me, and the child I'd never hold, were still buried under the snow.

“Kage, what are you…” “What am I doing?” His voice taunting. “I am going to destroy you, Avyanna. Once I am done, you will never be able to have another man.” “Kage…” Beyond what I can even restrain myself, my moans are nothing but a symphony to his ears. But as he feels my body surrender, he pulls his hungry lips away, “Do you really think I am going to give you all that you want, Avyanna?” “Kage…” My voice turning to a whimper. “Please, I am sorry.” “Not as sorry as what you are going to be,” his growls ripple to every inch of every crack and crevice. “You messed up, princess. You just lost the only man that will ever satisfy you.” Avyanna Tate left her small-town home of Jackson ten years ago in pursuit of a modeling career in the big city. When a tragedy strikes in her family, she is forced to return home. Years ago, she left the Xavier brothers behind her, they not only destroyed her life but broke her heart. Destined to only one of them, she could never make the choice and decided to run away instead. Now she is back, and her path is bound to cross with Niko, Slater, and Kage once again. But the boys have done some growing up. If she thought then that one choice between them was not easy, this time around it is going to be near damn impossible. Ten years ago, they were only boys, but now they are the Alphas that run Jackson. The Xavier brothers known for their reign of anarchy have waited in anticipation for Avyanna’s return and this time there is no escaping them.

Daphne has fought her whole life to survive. After escaping an abusive marriage, she made sure to protect her child, even if it means taking risks. So, when an opportunity comes her way, she doesn’t hesitate, ready to do whatever it takes.Arthur,proud and used to getting everything his way, has always been in control of his life. But when his father, on his deathbed, refuses to hand over his shares unless Arthur is married, his world starts to fall apart. Marrying a woman he barely knows seems like the solution. A simple arrangement, nothing attached. But one wild night changes everything.Suddenly, their marriage is under threat from secrets and Arthur is forced to face a future he never wanted. Daphne faces a choice that could change everything, either keep the baby, and risk everything she’s worked so hard for, or walk away . As if things weren’t complicated enough, Arthur falls seriously ill. For the first time, the proud man who’s always relied on himself is forced to lean on someone else. Despite her past, Daphne’s emotional self step’s up to care for him and shows a side of herself Arthur never saw coming. What started as a pen in paper marriage begins to look like something deeper.As they push through their connection, they struggle to admit their feelings. Arthur’s fear of being seen as vulnerable. The contract that brought them together no longer feels simple but complicated.With Daphne’s past threatening to tear them apart and Arthur’s health hanging by a thread, their marriage is put to the test. Will they survive the effect of the secrets ? Or will their differences destroy what little connection they’ve found? In the end, can they find something real?

Just one week before my marking ceremony with Lucien, I discovered his heart already belonged to someone else. His secretary, Anika, walked out of his office with a smirk that was a little too knowing. Her blouse was askew, her usually neat hair a tangled mess, and only the faintest trace of her crimson lipstick remained. My heart seized in my chest, and my fingers went cold on the doorknob. Two years ago, she had been a timid girl fresh from the countryside. All that pretense of innocence had vanished, replaced by a brazen ambition written across her face. Her relentless eagerness around Lucien had always grated on my nerves, and I had asked him more than once. "Lucien, can't you replace her?" His smile would always fade. "Anika saved my life," he'd say. "I can't be so heartless." Now, that single triumphant smirk was all it took for me to understand. What others once envied in me had already been trampled beneath her heels. My phone vibrated. It was a new proposal from the event planner. [The marking ceremony plan is nearly perfect. Can we finalize it?] I refused to be consumed by sorrow. I wiped a tear from my cheek and made one last adjustment to the document.——Replaced the bride's name withAnika I didn't want a false love, or a fake Alpha Lucien. Let them have the marking ceremony. Let Anika stand at his side as his Luna, his chosen mate. In seven days, I would be gone with my pup.

What is the taste of betrayal? It’s bitter, like the fading fragrance of wilted roses. Camille, a talented yet proud perfumer, suddenly loses her sense of smell after a fateful accident. On the verge of despair and the collapse of her family’s fragrance brand, she is forced to collaborate with Antoine Moreau, a digital scent developer. Amidst the splendor of Paris, in a clash between tradition and technology, new scents begin to emerge – not only from the perfume bottles but also from Camille's heart, which she thought had long been closed.

In a world where one's identity is tied to the strength of one's wolf, Athena faces a tough reality, living without this vital companion. Rejected by her mate and betrayed by her cousin, she not only battles with an unjust sentence of death but betrayal. As Athena daringly escapes the grips of her fate, the journey takes an unexpected turn. Amid the chaos and uncertainty, she tries to seek a love that transcends the boundaries of her troubled existence. Will she unravel the mysteries of her identity and dormant powers, all while discovering the profound depths of love that eluded her in the face of hardship? The answers unfold in a tale of strength, self-discovery, and the enduring quest for love in the most unexpected places…

Aurora is a calm and patient girl, incredibly beautiful that her beauty will put the moon to the shame, leaving her life with books and in solitude until she crosses the paths with the devil himself on a stormy night. She helps him not even thinking that it's going to change her life forever. Rafael Delgado! The Spanish mafia kings get captivated by the beauty at first glance and then what, the game of Obsession begins. Will Aurora survive his wicked games or will lose her mind to the devil? Will Rafael change his ways for her or will destroy her like every other thing in his life?

She had been attacked, raped and left for dead in the street, but the moment she woke up, she discovered she now had the combined experience of two very different people from very different lifetimes in her head, as well as a mysterious mark branded onto her body and power within her blood. Now, follow Nya as she navigates the strange new galaxy she finds herself in, encountering allies and enemies across the stars and amassing wealth, power and status as she aims to be ruler of it all. [P.S. the cover is NOT mine]

Selected, Laurent's Lab" The invitation came several days later, after I had given up all hope of ever earning an internship. An invitation to work for the King of Vampires. The most revered vampire in all of Moon City, and the only vampire still linked to Royal blood. ~~~~~ When Dalia was accepted to work in Laurent's Inc, she didn't expect to ever meet the King of Vampires, not until she finds that the gorgeous, cocky, ancient vampire had been the blue eyed tormentor of her wet dreams. The most ruthless of all vampires in Moon City, Jacob St. Laurent didn't get the title "King of Vampires" by being easily swayed or by falling in love. He would do anything in his power not to see that happen. But fate always had a way of being a b*tch