Hopeless Pursuit

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

In a world where power is forged from ruthlessness, Mario reigns as the unyielding mafia king. When tragedy strikes and he loses a sister to cold-blooded murder, he takes Gia, the daughter of his enemy, hostage—not just to punish her father, but to bind her heart to his in a twisted pact sealed with marriage. Gia finds herself trapped in a life she despises, harboring a deep-seated hatred for the man who stole everything from her. Yet amidst the darkness of captivity, a flicker of something unexpected begins to ignite between them. As the walls close in and the intensity of their shared space compels them to confront their feelings, Gia finds herself torn between escape and the emotions that bind her to Mario. As she plots her escape, a secret unfolds—one that will change everything. A baby is growing within her, a symbol of both uncertainty and hope. With the stakes higher than ever, Mario must decide if he can truly win her heart after the pain he has inflicted or if he is doomed to forfeit love in pursuit of his revenge. Will Gia and Mario discover a way to heal their broken past? Can their shared destiny be forged from the ashes of betrayal? As they navigate the treacherous waters of their intertwined fates, brace yourself for a gripping tale of resilience and the profound power of love that might just redeem them both, if only they can find the courage to embrace it. *** "I'm sorry... That guy meant nothing to me." My voice trembled. "I don't care if it meant nothing to you. I don't want another man's hands on you," he said firmly. I nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." "It can't happen again, Gia, because you are mine."

"Your husband is so wild in bed!" On the eve of my childbirth, I received a provocative video from my husband's mistress, flaunting their affair.In the video, my supposedly loyal husband, Max Jennings, and his mistress were entangled in a hotel bed, exchanging dirty talk and engaging in various sexual positions.The shock of it all triggered premature labor, resulting in a stillbirth that left me utterly devastated.Max, consumed by guilt, fell to his knees before me, tears streaming down his face. Desperately, he begged for my forgiveness. Little did he know, I had already uncovered all his schemes - the secret transfer of his assets, the signing of substantial life insurance policies, and the true cause of our baby's tragic demise.I clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably, like a typical housewife shattered by her husband's betrayal.But in the depths of my heart, a grim thought emerged: "Max, since you won't agree to a divorce, it seems that becoming a widow is my only way out."During this tumultuous period in my life, I met Luke Walker.The people in our town describe Luke as an angel who has fallen to Earth—an honorable and composed beacon of light. Yet, somehow, he took an interest in me—a woman scorned and deemed hopeless after a failed second marriage.No one understands the truth. It was Luke who relentlessly pursued me, drawing me deeper into a complex relationship!

"Make sure you wipe the counter," I remind him while wearing my panties. "With my tongue?" "Sure, if you wipe again with disinfectant after that." "Awww my little girl all grown up, using the word disinfectant and all. Bet you're getting deflowered any day now!" I smack his head while he laughs, thinking it's funny to keep on teasing me since last week. "I hope his willy isn't as big as mine," okay what now, "so he won't hurt your flower." I wanted to be mad at him, I do, but I laugh instead, stupid Toffer and his little boy talk. *** 30 year old Nina is confused with her hopeless love life. While her best friend pleasures women in the next room, she remains in her space keeping her virginity in-tact, wondering if she’s meant to be with her first love or she needs to move on to find her true soulmate. It takes my first love to end my dating strike. But will it take my first love to end my virginity?

Book One in De Niro Series but can be read as standalone. After being thrown into a hell by her family where vultures in men's skin were waiting for her to reach at a ripe age, Destiny Carter somehow escaped the hell she had been living for over a decade only to be chased and recaptured by those monsters but her destiny was with her in the night when she was saved by Him. Her knight in shining armour: Stefano De Niro,whom the whole country feared. He is ruthless, cruel and human form of Satan as his prey describes him.He is known to leave people in fear by only giving a look upon them and when his eyes landed on the most innocent and pure soul lying unconscious in his arms,he knew that he was never going to let her go. What happens when she find herself in his empire? All about him screams danger to her, then how she is ever going to let him come near her and show her the side of him that no one has ever see? Stefano,the mafia heir to the De Niro clan, wants a scared and hopeless yet full of light Destiny Carter all for himself as after years she awakened his hibernated heart that started beating...for her!

Lana had always been in the shadow of her powerful twin sister, Dana. Being a Chosen One in the Mage Society makes you become like a God. And that’s what Dana is. She was treated like a God while Lana was treated like a nobody despite being her twin. Lana convinced herself not to care, Dana has it all, but at least Lana has her best friend Nori. Her Nori. The one who had been by her side ever since they were kids. But Lana’s dream gets shattered when Nori announces her sister as his Chosen Mate. She wanted to shout and scream and break down, but people around her just told her to let go. Heartbroken, Lana went to a bar away from all the pain, where she met Seth, a hypnotizing Alpha who fell for her at first sight. Seth quickly started a passionate pursuit, and in the end, he found out that Lana is his Fated Mate. It all seems that the Moon Goddess was telling her to start over. That was until Nori, who's already with Lana's sister, also finds out Lana is his mate. Just when everything seems to go smoothly, once again begins to fall apart. Family, Love, Secret, and the emerging plot against Purple Hill... Where would destiny take Lana and who would she choose? Read and find out.

After a divorce from her billionaire husband following the return of his first love, Lana is left heartbroken, and confused,but also determined to get her father’s company from the hands of Andre and his family. With no one and nothing to fall back to, Lana decides to move to a new city far from Andre and his family. But the new life is more challenging than she thought, especially as a new and single mother. But Lana is determined to make things work for her and for her children. In her pursuit of a better life Lana runs into Cameron - a former college friend and love interest. Meeting Lana again after years of being apart reignites lost feelings in Cameron and he vows to win her love in any way he can even if it means fighting her enemies with her and helping her recover what she had lost. Will Lana, with the help of Cameron, recover her father’s company and finally accept his feelings for her or will she realize the honesty of her ex-husband’s feelings and finally forgive him?

“My lawyer will bring the divorce papers tomorrow and you can sign it. Once it's a month, I will have it delivered to the court." Liam explained with calmness. “Fine, but you will have to act according to my rules now," I said, and Liam looked at me with eyebrows furrowed. “I have conditions I would like you to pay keen attention to it." Liam didn't pry too much, and instead, he told me to go ahead. “Okay. I would like to have my separate room." “Fine," Liam agreed without batting an eyelid. “I don't want to share meals with you or anything. I will walk the way I want and do everything I want in my way." “Accepted," Liam replied. I released my hands under my bosom and clasped them together. I bit my lips in nervousness and braced myself. I'm no longer a teenager. “I don't want us having s*x," I said, looking at the wall. A blush crept to my cheeks which made me shut my eyes tight, muttering some curses under my breath. * * * * * * * * Emily had an arranged marriage to Liam Nolan, the ruthless billionaire in Los Angeles. Although she always had a crush on him Liam never recuperated her feelings. Despite the love she has for him, Liam didn't hesitate to treat her like trash. Betrayed by her sister, Emily's life was cruelly cut short. However, she was granted a second chance and this time, Emily swore to not repeat the same mistake she made in her past life. What happens when she realizes her ruthless husband has no intention of letting her go in this lifetime? Would she find the strength to break free, or would Liam's relentless pursuit rekindle the flames of their passionate yet toxic love?

“You will never be loved, never be good enough for anyone! I loathe you, Annabel, and I will kill you just to prove my point. You are mine, and no one will ever touch what is mine.” I only whimper from the pain. “You will never be free. Never! Do you hear me?” His face is so close I can feel the breath on my face. He grabs my hair, yanking me back, so I have to look at him. “You are my wife, and I will never let you go!” Annabel needs to save her own life, but the only way she can do that is to flee her hopeless situation. After a frightfull incident where her heart stops, she finally finds the strength to do what she hasn't been able to do ever since she was sold to her husband Bane. She runs away. What happens when Annabel disappears for good, and instead becomes Allison in an attempt to hide from her abusive husband? Is it fate leading her to her family's old town of Marigold? Can she face her demons when her old life catches up to her? And how about when she discovers the world is not as ordinary as she thinks? The werewolf world may seem frightening, but something shifts when Allison meets her new Alpha, Blake. Can he keep her safe or will Bane drag her back to her miserable prison as he promised?

MERGING BOOK 1 & 2 "Rainbow! You should be the one begging to stay! We both know that no one else would love you as I do! Who else is going to accept a scarred and wolf-less woman like you if not me?" Jean roared and shattered my heart. "You're so ugly that babies will take one look at you and scream! To top it up, you're wolf-less! You are an abomination!" Jasmine— Jean's supposed sister hurled hurtful words at me. _________________________________________ Wolf-less and Scarred; Unwanted and Ugly, will Rainbow ever find true love? Rainbow was once the eye of beauty itself until two days before her eighteenth birthday. A fire starts and in order to save her boyfriend— Jean, she jumps into the fire despite her wolf's warnings. In saving Jean, she suffers unimaginable burns and the pain is so unbearable that her wolf falls into a hopeless sleep. Therefore, causing her to be wolf-less. Due to her scars, she starts suffering abuses from her pack. The only thing that keeps her going is because she believes her boyfriend loves her despite her scars. Until she catches him cheating on her with his adoptive sister and instead of feeling remorseful, they hurl hurtful words at her because of her condition.This shatters her heart into pieces and when all hope seems lost, the goddess sends her another man in the form of the beautiful Alpha of the pack. Will she finally find true love and her place in the world?Or will she be mocked and played like Jean had done? Unbeknownst to her, her unpredictable journey just began. Follow Rainbow into this fantasy world and find out the twisted things that the goddess has in store for both her and her Alpha mate. NB: Not your typical werewolf story.