Gilded Antonym

"What do you want, Lila?" he asked, his voice dropping as he took in her confident posture. It was a question filled with both dread and anticipation. She smiled, a slow, seductive curl of her lips. "I've shown you how much I care about you. I want you to give me what I deserve." She stepped back, her hand reaching behind her to unzip her uniform. She slid it down her shoulders and let the dress pool at her feet. She stood in her lace undergarments, watching as his eyes raked her body. " I want you to fuck me, Alexander." In the gilded halls of the Harrington estate, appearances are everything. Victoria Harrington is the perfect wife, and Alexander Harrington is the epitome of success. But beneath the surface of their flawless lives, secrets fester in the shadows. When Lila Evans, a quiet and unassuming waiting lady, enters their world, the delicate balance of power begins to shift. What starts as a dangerous attraction soon spirals into a web of lies, betrayal, and scandal that threatens to unravel the very fabric of the Harrington’s’ carefully curated existence. As hidden truths come to light and past sins resurface, loyalties will be tested, and no one will escape unscathed. In a world where trust is fragile and deception is the norm, one wrong move could bring it all crashing down. How far will they go to protect their secrets? And who will be left standing when the dust settles?

Layla, a shy nobody, dared to dream of the Alpha's son, Magnus. Yet, he belonged to Mia, a gilded beauty from another powerful pack. Mia was everything Layla was not. But on Layla's 18th birthday, fate throws her a bone: she's Magnus's fated mate. Whisked away to train as Luna, Layla's future glitters under the moon. She and Magnus are perfect, destined to ascend as Alpha and Luna. But the night before their coronation, Layla stumbles upon a truth that shatters her world. Magnus and Mia, never truly parted, lie in bed in betrayal. Layla's heart bleeds as she faces rejection, then vanishes, hunted by shadows. The Moon Goddess, however, has other plans. Reborn as the Duchess of a rival pack, Layla finds herself bound to Duke Carlisle, her former pack's sworn enemy. Now, vengeance burns in her veins, fueled by the ghosts of her past. But a forbidden spark ignites with the Duke, threatening to rewrite her destiny. Will Layla ignite a war for the man who shattered her heart? Can love bloom from the ashes of betrayal, or will duty condemn them to a cruel fate?

Rafael DeLuca is a man forged in blood and betrayal. Once the rightful heir to a powerful mafia empire, he lost everything when his family was slaughtered in an act of treachery. For years, he rebuilt his power from the shadows, rising as the most feared mafia strategist in the underworld. Now, the time for vengeance has come, and his enemy’s greatest weakness is within his grasp—Sophia Romano. Sophia has spent her life in a gilded cage, unaware of the sins that stain her last name. Sheltered and untouched by the violent world her father commands, she believes she is destined for an ordinary life. But when she is kidnapped by a man as dangerous as he is captivating, her world shatters. Rafael is her captor, her tormentor, and her only protector in a world far darker than she ever imagined. What begins as a calculated act of revenge soon turns into something Rafael never anticipated—obsession. Sophia’s innocence should make her easy to break, yet her quiet defiance ignites something primal within him. He tells himself she is only a pawn, a means to an end, but with every glance, every forbidden touch, she threatens to unravel his carefully crafted plans. As hidden truths come to light and past betrayals resurface, Rafael is forced to make an impossible choice: will he sacrifice the one woman who has become his greatest weakness, or will he forsake his vengeance for a love that could destroy them both? In a world where love is as deadly as betrayal, Rafael and Sophia will have to decide—will their obsession ruin them, or will it be the only thing that saves them?

"When Sophia's father falls deeply in debt to the ruthless billionaire Marcus Thompson, she's forced to pay the price. Taken from her home and held captive in Marcus's opulent mansion, Sophia must navigate the treacherous world of wealth and power. But as Marcus's gaze lingers on Sophia's beauty, he begins to realize that his desire for her goes far beyond mere possession. He's falling deeply in love with her, and will stop at nothing to make her his own. As Sophia struggles to escape her gilded cage, she must confront the darkness of Marcus's past and the depths of his obsession. Will she be able to break free from his grasp, or will she become the billionaire's captive forever?"

Lila Reid’s life of privilege has always felt like a gilded cage. As the wallflower daughter of the powerful Richard Reid, she has always shy away from the cameras due to her traumatic experience when she was a kid. But when a series of sinister threats against her family emerge, her father hires his best friend, Caleb Marshall to be her bodyguard. Caleb Marshall with his commanding presence and rugged good looks, awakens something dark and primal within Lila. She can't help but be drawn to the way his eyes linger on her, the subtle brush of his hand against hers that sends shivers down her spine. The forbidden nature of their attraction only intensifies her desire. Every stolen glance and accidental touch fuels a hunger she’s never felt before, a need she knows is dangerous but impossible to resist. Caleb Marshall known in his other life as Alpha Marshall has always been a man of honor, fiercely loyal to his best friend Richard Reid. Protecting Richard’s daughter, Lila, was supposed to be a straightforward task, but the moment he saw her, he felt an overwhelming pull. She is his second chance mate, a bond he thought he’d never feel again. The fact that Lila is human and already promised to another man only adds to the torment. Every moment he spends with Lila is a test of his restraint. Her scent, her closeness, the way she looks at him with a mix of innocence and desire—it drives him to the edge. He is consumed by a dark, primal need to claim her, to mark her as his despite knowing the consequences. The forbidden nature of their attraction gnaws at his control, making every touch, every heated gaze a battle against his deepest instincts

“Are you here to save me?” I asked bitterly, thinking of the look in my father’s eyes as he tried to wring the life out of me. “Or are you just here to bring me gifts and false hope?”The stranger didn’t answer, but I could feel his presence as he approached. Still, I didn’t turn to face him, even when I felt a warm, gentle hand squeeze my shoulder.Abused. Neglected. Caged. That’s how Princess Ember, the daughter of the Alpha King of Allusia, has spent her young life. Sold like chattel to another Alpha in exchange for the promise of warriors for her father against an uprising, Ember’s life feels like it might be over. But a stranger comes to her in the night, her only refuge from the daily attacks from her father. Will he be her savior? Or will she just find herself in another gilded cage?An Alpha for the Stolen Princess is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.

"In the gilded halls of wealth, bloodlines twist and fray, tangled by greed. It’s not legacy that binds them—it's the ruthless hunger to take what can never truly be theirs." Raelynn Winters is an orphan who grew up under the stress of Harlem; she is a girl who is content with what she has until she accidentally enters the world of the Montgomery family after saving a stranger. What begins as an innocent act of kindness becomes a game of power, betrayal, and manipulation. And just when her life can't get any harder, she is made heir to the Montgomery family empire and now she is the target of hungry and caged tigers.

Trapped in a gilded cage, a defiant artist becomes entangled with a ruthless mafia Don. Valentina, a talented artist and stripper struggling to survive in the city's underbelly, witnesses a brutal act that plunges her into a world of danger. Captured by Dante Russo, the enigmatic head of the Russo famiglia, she finds herself a prisoner in his opulent mansion. Haunted by a violent past, Dante is a man shrouded in secrets, ruling with an iron fist and a hidden vulnerability. As tensions rise between rival factions vying for control of the city, an unlikely bond sparks between Valentina and Dante. She uses her art to capture the brutality and fleeting moments of tenderness within his world. But their connection is a dangerous dance. Can they navigate a web of deceit and betrayal, or will the city's dark secrets consume them both?

Athena's last memory is a terrifying plunge from a rooftop, the gunshot that killed her—her husband Austin's gunshot—echoing in her ears. She impossibly wakes on her wedding day, reliving the marriage that led to her death. Trapped in a time loop, she must escape Austin's planned murder. Her arranged marriage is a gilded cage, a death sentence disguised as family duty, escape seemingly impossible. A glimmer of hope arises at the concurrent engagement party of billionaire Kael Visconti and her cousin, Arabella. Rumors swirl around Kael, whispering of underworld ties and his reputation as a ruthless mafia don—a truth he carefully conceals, adding to his aura of power and intrigue. Knowing of Arabella's affair, Athena proposes a risky deal: information on the infidelity in exchange for help escaping her wedding. They strike a bargain: Kael will publicly disrupt the wedding, posing as her lover, in exchange for a sham marriage. The plan succeeds. Kael's dramatic intervention creates chaos; Athena escapes. Their flight becomes a media sensation, thrusting Athena into a public engagement with Kael. But this salvation turns terrifying. A violent confrontation with Arabella and her lover reveals Kael's true nature: he's not just a billionaire but the ruthless head of an extensive underworld organization. The shot is precise, swift, and utterly ruthless; the man falls with horrifying finality. Athena sees the cold calculation in Kael's eyes, a terrifying glimpse into his cruelty. She's traded one dangerous man for another, far more powerful and unpredictable. Her fight for survival against a man far more dangerous than Austin has only just begun. The city's most dangerous man is now her soon-to-be husband.

Delphine isn’t sure how she ended up in this position- a song bird with clipped wings and a gilded cage. Where did everything go wrong? The answer is the man who commands her to sing.