Novel & Cerita If He Had Been With Me Plot

Right after I am done with a meeting, I scroll through social media and come across a warning post with my company's location tagged. The title reads, "Avoid this place! Anyone who comes here is a sucker. The company is so stingy that it can't even provide decent snacks." The photos show the Starbucks drinks and five-star desserts I just asked my assistant to distribute to everyone. I frown and tag everyone in the group chat, asking for suggestions about the teatime snacks. A Gen Z intern, Alice Grimes, immediately sends a voice message, "No offense, Ms. Knox, but these mass-produced desserts are full of trans fats. Even dogs wouldn't eat them. A good company would hire Kitchelin chefs to cook on-site. Now that's called having true respect for employees." I laugh in disbelief. My company spends 50 dollars per person on daily tea time, which is considered top-tier in the industry. So, I reply, "Since it's hard to please everyone, we'll cancel teatime from now on and convert it into a cash allowance for everyone." Less than five minutes later, there is a new update in the social media post. "Guys, you won't believe this. I made a reasonable suggestion, and the petty boss just cut our teatime perk! This is how a typical capitalist behaves. They can't handle any honest feedback."

He was the only man Adrian Vale could never beat. For years, Adrian and Lucien Moreau stood at the top rivals in power, money, and control. When Lucien’s empire suddenly collapses, Adrian finally gets what he’s been waiting for: the chance to watch him fall. But Lucien doesn’t beg. He doesn’t break. And worst of all… he agrees to every demand Adrian makes. Determined to prove his dominance once and for all, Adrian pushes further than he ever has blurring the line between control and something far more dangerous. What starts as a game of power turns into something neither of them planned… and Adrian soon realizes he may not be the one in charge after all. Because Lucien isn’t losing. He’s waiting. As secrets come to light and the truth behind the “collapse” unfolds, Adrian is forced to face the one thing he never expected: his own feelings. Pride turns into obsession. Control turns into surrender. And the man he wanted to destroy becomes the one he can’t walk away from. In the end, there’s only one question left: Was Adrian ever winning… or did Lucien let him believe he was? A sharp, addictive rivals-to-lovers romance filled with power, tension, and a love that refuses to lose.

Just because I refused to let my husband, Timothy Blackwood, bring his late friend's widow, Gracie Morgan, home to live with us, he started spreading vicious rumors about me everywhere. Overnight, my reputation was completely ruined, and scandalous photos of me barely dressed spread all over town. Customers stormed into my restaurant and dumped food on me in disgust. "You're disgusting! Who would dare eat here now? Who knows where your filthy hands have been?!" One shouted, "Restaurant owner during the day, sleeping around in God knows whose bed by night!" ... Timothy had hired all of these people just to make the rumors seem real. Crying, I finally agreed to let Gracie move into our home. I begged Timothy to clear my name, but Timothy kicked me hard in disgust and hissed coldly, "You made Gracie cry for three straight days. Her eyes are swollen from it, so how am I supposed to face my dead friend? This time, you need to learn your lesson." Later, I became exactly what he wanted, broken down into a harmless nothing who could never threaten Gracie again. Just when he was about to let up, he got a panicked call from his friend. "Alyssa Winter jumped off a building!"

I was once the beloved daughter of the powerful Alpha and Luna of The Midnight Ridge Pack. I thought I had everything—a loving family, a protective brother, and a perfect fated mate—Steve Dolton, the strongest Beta of The Midnight Ridge Pack and the man I had loved for eighteen years. But when I turned eighteen, my world shattered. I discovered that I had been switched at birth and that Penny was the true heir of the pack. In an instant, I became the most awkward existence within The Midnight Ridge Pack. Though my parents promised I would always be their daughter, when Penny offended The Rogue King, they didn’t hesitate to make me take the blame and threw me into the infamous rogue den. I endured torture from silver chains and wolfsbane, my body covered in scars, becoming the lowest slave in the rogue den. It wasn’t until the fifth year that my brother-Alpha Joe and my former fiancé- Steve, came to the rogue den to take me back to The Midnight Ridge Pack. I overheard the casual chatter of the servants. "Does she seriously think she can come back?" "She made Miss Penny suffer outside for over a decade, stole ten years of happiness from her, and now she has the audacity to return and keep taking what belongs to Miss Penny. Shameless." "I heard that bringing her back this time is to help Miss Penny..." My throat tightened, and my palms grew cold. "Julia, come back home with us. We were wrong about you!" "Steve and I will treat you twice as well. You're still our precious little princess!" Amid their urging and apologies, I loosened my hand grip on the tattered hem of my dress. I had already promised to marry the son of The Rogue King. Our wedding was just around the corner.

Verena isn't Alpha Elijah’s first mate; instead, she is his second chance mate—a rarity blessed by the Goddess. Despite being an orphan omega who hasn't shifted, Verena found herself married to Alpha Elijah, who chose her as his Luna. Their relationship is complicated by Elijah's past love, but Verena holds onto hope as the cold and merciless Alpha begins to warm up to her. However, their idyllic life is shattered when Elijah's first mate returns to the pack. He rejects Verena, breaking her heart, and she's left with no choice but to leave, carrying their unborn child. As Elijah starts to uncover the truth about his first mate and realizes the depth of Verena's love for him, he deeply regrets rejecting her. Despite his past mistakes, he longs for her return, knowing that she has always been there for him, loving him unconditionally. Meanwhile, on the very day of her rejection, Verena encounters Alpha Carlisle, who offers her a chance at a new beginning. Caught in a power struggle between two Alphas and with her future uncertain, Verena faces a difficult decision. As dark forces conspire against her and her loved ones, including the unborn child she carries, she must uncover the truth about her own heritage, which could change her fate entirely. Will Verena be able to protect her family and find happiness with the man of her choice? Or will she lose everything she holds dear? Can Elijah win back Verena's love and the child he unknowingly rejected, or will his actions lead him down a path of regret and self-destruction?

Harriet thought the worst thing she’d done this December was surrender to a stranger in a dark room one reckless night that left her shaking, breathless, and certain she’d never see him again. She was wrong. The next morning, she arrives home for Christmas only to learn her parents have rushed off on an emergency trip, leaving her alone to supervise the renovation of their house. Except… she’s not alone. Devon, the boy who grew up in their home like family, the “almost-brother” she hasn’t seen in years, opens the door older now, broader, too handsome for her peace of mind. And when he looks at her, she feels it in her bones. Because he isn’t just Devon. He’s the stranger from last night. The man who took her virginity. The man she swore she’d forget. Now they’re trapped in the same house for the holidays, two people who should never have crossed that line, pretending not to remember the way his hands fit her body, the way she whispered his name without knowing it was his.

The world got swallowed by a massive game, and half the population walked right in. Only the first person to reach the top of the spender leaderboard could bring someone back to reality. Fail a level three times, and monsters tear you apart into code. Nolan dropped a billion dollars and took the #1 spot. Between me and his childhood friend Bianca, he didn't even hesitate. He picked her. When Nolan saw me, his voice went ice-cold. "I already dumped everything I have into this. Wait till I recharge again. I'll bring you back." I smiled. Didn't buy it for a second. He'd never cared about me. Still didn't realize I was the one who built this game. They had no clue staying on top meant constant recharges. Slip once, and you get dragged back in. And every dollar he spent? Straight into my account. When Nolan got pulled back again, he sneered at me. "Damn it. Still stuck with you. Bianca's coming to save me. You're pathetic. Without me, just stand here and wait to die." I wondered if that childhood friend of his would ditch her rich sugar daddy and burn everything just to save him.

After her parents set up their daughter to marry an old CEO, Lara runs away from her home with the help of her friends. Lara goes to a bar with her friends and in a simple game of truth and dare, she kisses a handsome stranger. Next moment she finds herself in his arms, as he kidnaps her! The girl tries her best to escape his mansion but Kareem would do anything to keep her close to him, even if it means marrying her. Will Lara ever accept Kareem as her husband?

A campus love story about trust, betrayal, and discovering the strength within yourself. How much can you endure when the one you love is not fully yours

On the highway, when the vehicles of drivers on the same stretch of road went out of control and rushed towards us, Wynn Lloyd protected me by holding me close beneath him. As a result, he ended up in the emergency room, battered.In the hospital ward, a friend praised, "Your husband is really good to you. When the car came crashing, he protected you with his life, not caring about his own."I remained silent.Indeed, he was good, but it didn't stop him from liking someone else.Wynn and I had known each other since childhood, for over a decade, and everyone said he loved me to death.But who would have thought that such a person had a mistress on the side?He pampered her in every possible way, indulging her to the extreme.