Grayslake Public Library

“You took a photo of me without my permission.” “Then why do you look like you want to be seen?” Elliot Marlowe is a struggling photographer living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny New York apartment. One accidental photo in Central Park changes everything—a haunting shot of a mysterious, brooding man who turns out to be none other than Damien Whitlock, the untouchable billionaire tech mogul with a reputation as cold as his fortune. Instead of suing, Damien makes Elliot an offer: become his personal photographer. It's the beginning of a dangerous game—one filled with stolen glances, unspoken truths, and a fake relationship meant to protect Damien’s public image. But behind Damien’s icy exterior lies an artist scarred by betrayal, and behind Elliot’s lens is a man desperate to feel seen for the first time. As the line between performance and passion begins to blur, secrets unravel. A fake kiss becomes real. A lie about love becomes a truth too big to silence. And when heartbreak and ambition threaten to tear them apart, both must choose between fear and vulnerability, between survival and surrender. In a world where image is everything, can two men find the courage to be each other’s truth? Or will the picture-perfect illusion destroy them both?

“In his world, love is a luxury she can’t afford… but he’s made sure she pays the price anyway.” Liara Kane is drowning—her younger brother teeters between life and death, and every bank account is bone-dry. When ruthless billionaire Asher Kane reappears under the hospital’s flickering lights, he offers her a deal darker than the storm raging around them: one year of marriage in exchange for two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of life-saving surgery, a lavish penthouse, and a monthly allowance that could erase her debts. No vows. No emotions. Just a contract. But Asher never does anything by halves. With boardroom pressure and a family hungry for scandal underfoot, he demands compliance in public and possession in private. As Liara signs away her freedom, she ignites a fire in Asher’s cold heart—one he didn’t know existed. Torn between desperation, defiance, and a dangerous attraction, Liara must decide: is salvation worth a lifetime of chains?

After a tragic accident killed her father and made her mother unconscious, Anna was thinking about how to raise money for her mother's treatment when she met Lewis Cole, an intelligent billionaire who needs a wife to secure his inheritance before his thirty-second birthday. Anna seems to be a perfect candidate, but she was not interested in Lewis because she has a crush on Lewis’s brother, Stefan. Desperate, Anna takes Lewis’s one-year contract marriage offer. She soon finds out that living with a traumatized man is not easy, especially when his presence awakens feelings she never knew she had. Lewis shows her affection in public but is cold in private. He tries to keep their relationship professional, but the woman he once kissed in a drunken state turns out to be more than a convenient bride. Their budding relationship was ruined when Annabelle was discovered pregnant... and Lewis is not the one responsible. An anonymous envelope of unexpected truths and plots of manipulation and betrayal comes to further shake the foundation of their trust. Can a marriage built on contract survive the truth, or will their pasts destroy their chance at a real future? Will they find love after marriage or separate and become strangers?

Knile Monte Forteros, a CEO at the renowned Fragments Fox Newspapers and Magazines Company and hailing from a wealthy family, was about to marry his fiancée, Cayleigh Shaine Montemayor, who also came from a family of business owners and owned the Hotel de Montemayor, but it was thwarted due to an accident. Akira Rodrigo Salamanca, a fashion designer and owner of the famous Magic Fashion Boutique, was the one who hit Knile's fiancee, Cayleigh, causing her to lose both legs. Out of anger, Knile imprisoned Aki and hid the events from the public using his high position in society. Seeing no other hope, Aki made a deal to be Cayleigh's aide for life in exchange for his freedom. Aki became Cayleigh's legs and eyes, which also led to frequent interactions between him and Knile. But if the heart of the oppressed falls into false love, is the feeling of the heart heavier than the depth of gratitude? Is it wrong to fall in love with a conqueror? Maybe so, but it's worse to fall in love secretly.

Leo Moretti lives a life of obscene luxury and crushing isolation. Trapped in a marriage to the powerful, volatile Dominic Rossi, Leo exists as a beautiful ornament, polished for public view and bruised in private. His only constant is Silas Vance, his stoic, ex-military bodyguard – a silent sentinel against the world, and against Dominic's unpredictable rage. When a moment of shared vulnerability ignites a forbidden spark, Leo and Silas plunge into a desperate, secret affair. Their stolen moments are electric, a dangerous lifeline in Leo's gilded prison. But as their passion deepens, so does the risk. Dominic Rossi doesn't share what's his, and when he discovers his beautiful husband's betrayal with the man hired to protect him, the gilded cage becomes a deadly trap. Leo and Silas must fight not just for their love, but for their very lives.

Summer spent her life blaming herself for her dad's death until she started to get bullied at school by Freya. Freya was a well known bully and then she set up her boyfriend Ashton to ask Summer for a date, therefore making Summer a public disgrace. A masked fellow took shelter in her room on that same night she was humiliated and it turns out that the masked fellow was her mate. Next day at school, Summer was saved by Trey Moonshine the school hottest guy who asked her to fake date with him. She agreed after some thinking.... But heavens know that more is waiting for her.

Zara Adigun never believed in fairy tales especially not the kind that involved arrogant billionaires and cold, calculated marriages. But when her father fell ill and her family is drowning in debt, she agrees to a one-year marriage contract with the most powerful and emotionally detached bachelor in Lagos (Dami Adeyemi). The deal is to pretend to be the perfect couple in public, live together under strict conditions that she must comply with, and leave when the contract ends with no strings and no emotions attached. But Dami’s icy rules begin to melt as Zara’s fire draws out the man he’s buried deep beneath his grief and guilt. The closer they get, the harder it becomes to stick to the rules, until secrets from the past threaten to destroy everything they were nurturing. Jide Adeyemi—Dami’s estranged brother and Zara’s first love came into the picture to reignite old flames and dark family secrets, Zara finds herself caught in a dangerous love triangle where trust is fragile, and the truth is a weapon. Now, she must decide: 1. To follow the terms of the contract. 2. Run back to the man who once broke her heart, or 3. Fight for a love that was never meant to happen. When hearts are bound by fate, will love survive the truth?

Lies Before Vows is a gripping billionaire romance about duty, deception, and the unexpected power of love. Damon Caldwell, heir to a vast empire, must marry by year’s end or lose everything. Cold and logical, Damon fabricates a relationship with his grounded, no-nonsense secretary, Sienna Blake, just to escape his family’s matchmaking pressure. Sienna, burdened by family debt, reluctantly agrees—only to find herself thrust into the spotlight as the “secret Cinderella.” As the charade deepens through galas, vacations, and public appearances, real emotions begin to surface. Sienna glimpses Damon’s hidden depth and vulnerability, while Damon falls for her quiet strength and resilience. But their growing bond is tested by a vindictive ex-fiancée, media scandals, and a betrayal from within Damon’s company that costs Sienna her job. When faced with choosing love or legacy, Damon shocks the world by walking away from his empire to win back the woman he truly loves. Together, they rebuild from scratch, creating a company—and a life—based on truth, respect, and love. In the end, it’s not power or wealth that defines Damon’s success, but the woman by his side and the life they chose—together, on their own terms.

Amara Georgia Musk, the 20-year-old granddaughter of the powerful tycoon Elton Musk, has returned to T City after years of being hidden away overseas. Labeled as "the retard" by her own family and sent away to protect the Musk legacy, no one expected her return much less her claim to the empire her late parents left behind. Amara, the daughter of a renowned traditional doctor and a wealthy businessman, carries a secret strength beneath her quiet and misunderstood exterior. But not everyone is pleased with her return. Her cunning adopted uncle, and his ambitious family will do anything to stop her from taking back her rightful place even if it means ending her life. To them, Amara is nothing more than a brainless obstacle standing in the way of power and wealth. Across the city, Zogo Walton, the ruthless 30-year-old CEO and infamous underworld mafia boss, is racing against time. His beloved mother is slowly dying from a rare, mysterious poison, and not even the best doctors can help her. Known for being cold, enigmatic, and allergic to female attention he once punched a woman for trying to cling to him......Zogo makes a desperate public plea. "Whoever can save his mother will be rewarded with unimaginable wealth." When fate throws Amara and Zogo into each other's world, secrets begin to unravel. For Amara it is not who the world thinks she is. Behind her soft gaze and clumsy steps lies a hidden identity......one that may be the key to saving Zogo's mother... and changing the destiny of the Musk family forever. But in a world ruled by greed, betrayal, and power... can a misunderstood girl and a heartless mafia boss survive each other?

Twenty-year-old Lyra Moreno appears to be nothing more than a cold, sleepy noble girl porcelain-doll beautiful, always wrapped in blankets, and seemingly uninterested in anything beyond her next nap. To her father, stepmother, and scheming stepsister, she's a burden. But beneath her drowsy charm lies a dangerous secret. Lyra is the anonymous founder of GALAXY, a covert hacker syndicate responsible for dismantling criminal empires from behind glowing screens. Living quietly under the doting care of her powerful grandparents, Lyra is named heir to their fortune but on one condition....she must marry Elias Vale, the ruthless, cold CEO of Vale Corp, who just so happens to be investigating Virgo.exe, her old hacker alias. Seven years older, Elias is brilliant, powerful, and emotionally walled off until fate throws him into the path of the sleepy girl he's been unknowingly watching. When her scheming stepmother and stepsister pay a criminal to ruin her, the two are dragged into a public relationship... and a private war they can't avoid. And even, secretly..... marriage. As they work together to uncover a traitor within Vale Corp, Elias begins to see the fierce strategist behind Lyra's sleepy façade. And Lyra, used to keeping the world at a distance, starts to wonder if she's finally found someone who sees all of her and wants her anyway. But with enemies in her own home and shadows from her past returning, Lyra must decide: can she let someone into her world, or is silence the only way to survive?