Gilded

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.

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.

"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?

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.

Five years ago, Elena Carter made the mistake of a lifetime — participating in the ruthless billionaire’s smokescreen, Damian Sinclair. A night to remember, never to forget, and then she slipped away, taking a secret that could tear apart his world. Now, intent on revealing a scandal, Elena reimmerses herself in Damian’s world. But when he learns the truth — that she kept his son from him — he is furious, possessive, and unwilling to let her slip away again. He gives an ultimatum: split the year with him or lose everything. Stuck in his frigid, gilded universe, Elena fights against his hold, yet the spark between them won't extinguish. With secrets unraveling and enemies closing in, Damian and Elena find themselves in a deadly

Amelia seems to have it all - beauty, wealth, and a handsome boyfriend from an influential family. But her gilded life shatters when she learns her boyfriend Alexander has been cheating with her own stepsister. Devastated, things go from bad to worse when Amelia's parents announce they are marrying her off to Harrison, the son of a disgraced billionaire family, while giving control of the family company to her backstabbing stepsister. Amelia is distraught, feeling utterly betrayed by those closest to her. The only person she has left is Martha, the kind maid who is more of a mother to Amelia than her own ever was. But Martha falls gravely ill, leaving Amelia desperate to get the funds for her medical treatment. Forced to go through with the engagement for Martha's sake, Amelia steels herself to marry Harrison. Yet upon meeting Harrison, Amelia is surprised to find herself intrigued by this handsome, down-to-earth stranger. As they continue to connect, she realizes there may be more to him than just his family name and reputation. But Amelia remains wary, focused on securing her independence and caring for Martha. As the wedding looms closer, a whirlwind of shocking revelations and twists will turn Amelia's world upside down once more. Will she find an unexpected saving grace in her marriage to Harrison? Or will sinister secrets beneath the surface threaten to destroy her world yet again? Little did she know, she was going to get married to the conqueror, the one who had conquered everything.

Serena Hale was never meant to belong in a world of diamonds, monogrammed robes, and dinner parties soaked in judgment. Once a humble bakery girl, she eloped into a whirlwind marriage with billionaire James Hale, trading flour-dusted dreams for gilded heartbreak. Now, Savannah’s back. James’s sophisticated, pregnant ex-fiancée has returned like a ghost wearing pearls, slipping seamlessly into his life, his home, and maybe… his heart. As Savannah moves into their world like she never left, Serena is forced to smile through whispers and cold stares. James’s mother, ice-blooded and brutal, now she’s made her message clear: Serena was the wrong choice. The second choice. And she better not get pregnant again. But it’s already too late. Serena is carrying James’s child again, a fragile, impossible hope tucked beneath her still flat stomach. He says he loves her. He swears he chose her. But he didn’t come home last night. And Serena is no longer sure if James is lying to her… or to himself. As secrets build and the tide turns against her, Serena must decide if love is enough to hold onto a marriage that may have never truly been hers before the truth rips everything apart again. Because this time, it’s not just her heart at stake. She has a baby to think of.

Two marriages. Four lives. One tangled web of betrayal, secrets, and revenge. Justin and Kyla were once college sweethearts who had nothing but love and ambition. Together, they built everything from the ground up—a business, a home, a life that seemed unbreakable. Ella and Zach, on the other hand, were forced into a loveless marriage to merge empires and protect family wealth. With money to burn but no affection between them, their union was a gilded cage. One summer, a chance meeting between Justin and Ella at a luxury hotel ignites a reckless affair. What should have been a fleeting fling spirals into something darker—an obsession neither of them can walk away from. But when Kyla and Zach cross paths—two wounded hearts bonded by betrayal—their cold business deal begins to spark with unexpected fire. They both want justice. They both want payback. But what if, in the process of destroying the people who broke them, they find something neither expected? Something dangerously close to love. But could anything happen between these two?