Hidden Ruins: Chapter 4

Anita didn't want her father's wealth to fall into the hands of her half-brother and stepmother. Marriage was the prerequisite for holding company shares. Anita ultimately chose a random man she met at the hospital. He needed money because his face was disfigured and deformed. "I'll pay for the hospital bills, but you have to be my husband." Anita married him, regardless of his bandaged face. Marriage wasn't important to Anita, as long as she could get all her family's wealth back. A mysterious man smiled with satisfaction at Anita's crazy request to marry him. To hide his identity, he accepted her crazy offer. "Okay, let's get married, honey." The mysterious man smiled meaningfully. If he knew her identity, she would surely regret marrying him. Who exactly was Anita's husband? What would happen to Anita after she found out who her secret husband was? Would she truly regret it?

"Why can’t you just leave me alone?" Valentina snarled, breath hitching as she shoved against the bark of the tree behind her. He stepped closer, eyes glowing with an untamed hunger. In one swift, possessive motion, he pinned her hands above her head, his lips grazing the pulse at her neck—dangerously close to the spot only a mate should touch. “Because, little wolf,” he whispered, his voice dark velvet against her skin, “you belong to me—and I’m done pretending otherwise.” _______ Stabbed by the man she once loved and betrayed by the friend she trusted most, Valentina was reborn in the ashes of heartbreak. No longer the obedient luna of the Shadow Crust pack, she rises from the shadows to reclaim her life—and her power. But home is no longer safe. Her pack is in ruins. Her father? Bewitched by a mysterious woman named Carmella. And fate? Cruel, as always. Because waiting for her in the heart of the storm is the man she should never desire—Andres Donovan, the cold and dangerously obsessive Lycan King… and her second-chance mate. He watches her with eyes full of secrets, speaks in riddles that echo of a past she can’t remember, and touches her like he’s been starving for centuries. But as enemies close in, alliances fracture, and war brews over the divine blood flowing in her veins, Valentina must decide: Will she fight fate again… Or surrender to the one man who could ruin her—or save her?

A highly contagious virus broke out in the city. My entire family was infected—only I was spared. To eliminate the virus as quickly as possible, I, a specialist in the field, secretly volunteered for a classified human experiment without telling anyone. However, on the day the miracle cure was finally developed, I realized I could no longer speak.

Amaka Richard fell pregnant out of wedlock and was sent away from her parents' home. Five years later, she met her baby daddy, but he denied knowing her. "Joseph, my child is yours, the same face, nose, and mouth," she confronted him, but he refused to acknowledge her or his child. Amaka moved on, now, Joseph is back at her doorstep, begging for forgiveness. Should she forgive him and accept him back? Find out.

⚠️ CONTENT WARNING ⚠️ This book contains explicit sexual content, including detailed descriptions of consensual sex between adult men. >>>>>>>>> Nikolai pins Aiden to the cadaver table, shoves his hand into his pants, and fists his throbbing cock with one ruthless stroke. Aiden’s head slams back, a broken moan ripping free as Nikolai jacks his dick raw and fast, his thumb grinding the slick head until Aiden’s hips fuck helplessly into his grip. “Fuckkkk...” >>>>>>>>> Aiden Cross who grew up dirt-poor clawed his way into the nation’s top medical school with nothing but his brilliance, every perfect grade is another step toward the day he’ll destroy the father who abandoned him and his family. Then Nikolai Serrano shows up: filthy-rich, unfairly beautiful, and somehow able to match Aiden’s perfect scores without breaking a sweat. He invades Aiden’s classes, his space, his every thought, until the tension between them detonates in the dead of night. ❗Scenes include oral sex, anal sex, manual stimulation, dirty talk, praise kink, light possessive/dominant behavior, and semi-public/risky sexual situations. If these dynamics upset you, close the book now.

I was in the middle of hosting an important international meeting when my younger brother’s sudden call interrupted me. On the other end, his voice was low and trembling. "Matt, someone took my spot for the exchange student program." I rushed to his school right away, only to find him cornered in an office, his eyes slightly red. A cocky-looking boy was pointing at Tim’s nose, his face full of arrogance. "You want to compete with me? I’m the heir of the Smiths in Ardenford. My mom just donated an entire lab building to the school! Who do you think you are?" Even the teacher nearby spoke up in support of him. "Timothy, the Smiths are one of our school’s major benefactors. You’d better be sensible and not cause any trouble." I was about to step forward and confront them when those words—the Smiths in Ardenford—made me stop cold. The Smiths in Ardenford? Since when did my mom have a third son besides me and my brother, Timothy? I immediately dialed her number, a cold laugh slipping from my lips. "Mom, when did you have another son behind Dad’s back?"

When I drink the amber-colored poisonous wine, I can hear the joyful melody of a toast song coming from the manor. The wedding between Emanuela Romano and my ex-fiance, Benedetto Martini, is being held there right now. The elderly butler, Vincenzo Romano, puts away the wine glass with a blank expression. The way he speaks is as somber as one sounds when they give a speech at a funeral. "You know the Don's will very well, Ms. Andreotti. Five years are officially up, yet neither Mr. Andreotti, Mr. Martini, nor Dr. Foscari is willing to pledge their loyalty to you via the blood vow. According to the rules, you must take your own life within seven days. "The Don had left the Ashwine to you as a means of protecting… what little pride you have." Scorching pain begins spreading from my throat. I just smile at Vincenzo in return. Pride? Does a bastard spawn of a loose Iernian woman deserve to retain pride of any sort in the cruel Andreotti family? I begin making my way toward the banquet hall, which is brightly lit. As I walk past the shimmering waters of the pond in the family garden, I can tell that the waters are insanely cold. Then again, nothing is as cold as my icy heart right now. After taking a deep breath, I fall face-first into the pond… only to feel an iron-clad grip wrenching me backward. As such, I collapse onto the lawn heavily. My older brother, Alessandro Andreotti, has bits of grass covering his expensive suit. Disgust is written all over his handsome face. "Eva!" he grits out through his teeth, his voice lowered. "Must you spoil the mood on Emanuela's big day?" He then scoots closer to me, his alcohol-tinged breath fanning over my face. "You want to die, huh? Go ahead and do that, but can you die somewhere further? Don't stain the Andreotti land!" Alessandro turns to walk in the direction of the radiant lights, leaving me on the lawn, completely covered in mud. I can feel the countdown of my lifespan burning my insides. Seven days… I only have seven days to live. Meanwhile, my very own brother wants me to die somewhere further away.

I was born a male Omega, but raised as a Beta. I had no scent, no voice, and no freedom. My uncle had killed my parents to seize their company, and I was spared only to serve as a puppet heir. But when my suppressed heat broke through during a public gala, the ruthless Alpha Prince of the North caught my scent. And he didn’t just recognize it. He claimed me. Now, with the kingdom watching, he won’t let me go. But if he learns who I really am… He might protect me—or finish what my uncle started.

Merida has always just tried to make it through the day without drawing any unwanted attention, given she is about to face the scariest thing in her short life. The man she once loved, who tried to kill her. Only now she is faced with a new revelation. That there are other individuals that want her dead, all because of who she is. Yet who is she? For she doesn't think it is the 14-year-old human girl, nor are her friends who she thought they were. Nothing is as it seems! Not even her family! Plus, there is the strange new man in her life, who promises to never leave her side. As well as this dark shadow that seems to follow her everywhere and in every ERA.

Synopsis: Shattered Vows: The Hidden Heiress's Coldest Return "I gave you four years of my life, my genius, and my heart. You gave me a divorce settlement and a motel room. Now, I’m taking back the throne you didn't even know I owned." For four years, Elena was the perfect "charity bride" to Grant Thorne. She lived in the shadows, wore shapeless sweaters, and secretly saved his failing company from bankruptcy using her hidden genius. She endured his coldness and his mother’s cruelty, believing she was an orphan who owed him her life. But on their anniversary, the illusion shatters. Grant serves her divorce papers to marry a "high-society" mistress, mocking Elena for being "small" and "statusless." Little does he know, Elena isn't a beggar she is the long-lost heiress of the Valerius Empire, the most powerful conglomerate in the city. The car accident that "orphaned" her wasn't an accident at all; it was a lethal trap set by those she trusted most. Stepping back into the world as the Ice Queen of Valerius, Elena sheds her mousey persona for 30-inch silk hair, designer armor, and a heart made of diamond. She isn't just coming for her crown; she’s coming to erase every person who stepped on her. Standing in her way or perhaps beside her is Dante Blackwood, the "King of the North" and her family’s greatest rival. He’s a man who has been watching her from the shadows for years, holding a secret contract that claims her as his own. In a world of high-stakes auctions, corporate massacres, and blood-stained legacies, Elena must decide: Will she destroy the man who broke her heart, or will she burn the whole world down with the wolf who’s been waiting for her to wake up?