Lies Before Kisses

Three days before my wedding with Luca D'Angelo, I accidentally stumble upon him having an affair with my best friend, Delila Rusconi. Delila can be seen sitting on Luca's lap in his office. She caresses his chin in a seductive manner. "Delila, I told you before that Katerina must never find out about our affair!" Luca pinches Delila's fingers together, his voice carrying a strong hint of warning. Delila just giggles before kissing his hand. She replies flippantly, "I know, I know. You have no choice but to marry her in order to gain control over the coastal port trades. I completely understand." I inhale sharply before fleeing the scene in panic. Tears brim in my eyes instantly. I can't believe that Luca, the man who's loved and doted on me for three whole years, has chosen to marry me solely just to make more profits despite the fact that we only get to know each other because of a marriage alliance. The future plans I have in store for us, as well as my rose-tinted fantasies about romance, are completely shattered because of the scene I've just witnessed. Tears continue to stream down my cheeks as I call my dad on the phone. "Papa, I'll heed your order and give up on the marriage alliance with the D'Angelos. I'll return to Chitchily in three days and carry out my responsibilities as a family member."

His hand clamped around my chin, rough and unrelenting, sending a sharp ache through my jaw. His eyes bored into mine, dark and merciless, as if he could strip away my very soul. “You belong to me now,” he snarled, his voice low and venomous. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat a desperate plea to escape. --- Nyx Caprienne was feared by all, known as “The Queen of Death.” A mercenary without equal, she moved like a shadow, silent and lethal, leaving destruction in her wake. Her latest mission was simple. To hunt down a man who seemed untouchable. A man drenched in blood and power, his name whispered with fear. To Nyx, he was just another target. Another job. But this time, fate turned the game against her. This man was more than she’d anticipated. Beneath his wealth and charm was something far darker, a predator who thrived on chaos. He wasn’t just dangerous; he was the devil himself. And now, Nyx was caught in his web, realizing too late that this was a fight she might not survive.

(ONGOING) 2022 Working in the underground archive of Hills Inc. a company that took over her father's, Caroline Ann Wright, a beautiful black woman experiences much more than she ever thought she would in her lifetime. ***** Caroline Ann Wright lost her parents in a plane crash when she was just seven years old. Her Aunt took her in because of the fortune her parents had left behind. At eighteen, she was abandoned to live on the streets. Twenty four years old, she works at Hills Inc. a building where her father once ran his company, now taken over by a new one. It didn't matter to her, not as long as she gets paid. Later on, she realizes her job in the underground archive is much more than bookkeeping. Instead, she is to ensure the secret door containing the company's secrets is not breached by outsiders. Fate aligns her meeting with the cocky playboy CEO, Dawn Hills who had lost his mother to cancer, and has quite a strained relationship with his father. At first, he lied about his true position in the company just to know her. In his words, Caroline seems rigid and makes his curiosity swell. Their story breaks into a full blown romance. However, like the saying goes...it is not always sunshine and rainbows.

BLURB Zara Winterborn believed that marrying Adrian Leighhton was a dream come true and the best thing that had ever happened to her broken childhood. Instead, it tied her to a man whose love hid a dark truth that burned her to ashes. She overhears a phone call on their honeymoon that shatters her whole world. The love of her life is already married. Feeling betrayed and desperate after learning she's pregnant, she makes some unthinkable decisions. She fakes an abortion, fakes a miscarriage, and disappears from her old life. Five years later, she returns as a renowned architect. Not as Zara but Aria Sterling with a secret daughter. Adrian sees her at a gala and his regret transforms into obsession as he hires investigators to dig deeper. He will tear everything down, even his empire and his blood just to win her forgiveness again. But Adrian isn't the only one who becomes obsessed with her. Even Damien, the stranger who helped her disappear to punish her, has his own plans and wants to use Zara as a weapon for revenge. As secrets of stolen embryos, hidden mothers, children, unknown siblings, and bloodlines twisted by lies, come to light, Zara must choose. Does she stick with Damien and destroy Adrian forever or does she forgive Adrian and let him into their lives? She vanished before. Can she disappear again when things get tough?

I was not expecting to pick the wrong man to marry even after I had a chance to redo my life. In my previous life, I chose to marry James Howard, my then fiance. But he cheated on me with Verde Sala, a fake heiress, for three years. They even had a child together. For her sake, he broke my legs so that I would hand over my role as the principal dancer to her. This time, I chose to marry Elwood Howard, James’s uncle. I thought that this meant that I had escaped my fate and could fulfill my dreams, but on the day the principal dancer was supposed to be picked, I got into an accident again. After learning about this, Elwood sent Verde to jail, even if it meant offending all of the powerful people in the city. I was touched and thought that I had made the right choice in this life. That lasted for five years until I heard Elwood’s conversation with our son. “Dad, Verde said that you only married Mom so that you could provide a letter of forgiveness as the victim’s family. “Since Verde is out, could you divorce Mom? I want Verde to be my mother.” Upon hearing that, Elwood remembered my trust in him and shook his head. “No. I’ve betrayed your mother by destroying the evidence and giving Verde a new identity to avoid being indicted, so I’m going to make it up to her for the rest of her life. “She will always be my wife. Don’t ever say such things to your mother and make her sad.” The pain from before could not compare to the pain in my heart at that moment. Our marriage was just a scheme to protect Verde? Elwood only loved Verde? And my son was the same? If that was the case, I did not want Elwood anymore. Nor my son.

Two years after her sister vanished without a trace, Sera Duvall is barely surviving emotionally and financially. But when a chance encounter leads her into the arms of Lucien Calder, the tech billionaire who was the last known person to see her sister, she makes a dangerous choice: infiltrate his world and expose the truth from within. Lucien is controlled, powerful, and hiding something behind every careful word. He offers her a deal: stay with him for one week, and he’ll give her what she wants. But the closer Sera gets to uncovering what happened, the more tangled she becomes in a web of secrets, emotional manipulation, and a slow-burning desire she didn’t see coming. And in a world where love is leverage and lies are currency, the truth may destroy them both.

My billionaire dad chooses a husband for me. People claim that Sebastian Lambert is a fine gentleman who's absolutely in awe of me. He seems easy enough to deal with, so I agree to the marriage. The wedding is held at the biggest hotel my family owns. On the big day, as I push open the doors in my wedding dress, a bucket of foul-smelling blood comes crashing down on me. The scene inside is even more horrifying. What was supposed to be a pure and romantic ceremony is now decorated with giant spiders and cockroaches. Grotesque clown faces grin at me from the walls. At the altar, there's a black coffin. Sebastian's adoptive sister, Ruth Lambert, strolls over with a group of people. She covers her mouth in fake surprise as she remarks, "Oh my, Claudia, you look like a pathetic mutt right now!" Laughter erupts around me. Holding my anger back, I coldly reply, "All of you, get out." She crosses her arms, arrogantly looking down at me as if she's on some pedestal. "Come on, Claudia. Seb personally asked me to surprise you. I put in a lot of effort to decorate your little wedding. You're telling me to get out? I don't even get a 'thank you'? Do you need me to teach you some manners?" She signals to the people next to her, and two of them step forward, trying to force me to my knees. Stunned for a few seconds, I pull out my phone and call Sebastian. "Is this the so-called surprise you had your sister prepare for me? Forcing me to kneel before her?"

Kara Hatchett once dreamed of Derrick Whitney’s love. Why shouldn’t she? He married her after all. But three years have passed since her secret marriage to the billionaire, and Derrick seems to dislike her more than ever. Even worse, his ex-college sweetheart, Jade Black is back in town after breaking his heart and stealing from his family before she left, but Derrick seems to have forgiven her. Even worse, he’s publicly in love with her, and acting like the doting boyfriend even if he refuses to acknowledge her as his girlfriend. So, with only two months left in their contract, Kara knows their marriage is over. She’s ready to bury the remnants of her unrequited love for him and move on with her life, ready to divorce Derrick and leave him without looking back. But Derrick isn’t letting her go…

An arranged bride. An accidental claim. A love worth defying everything for. — When nerdy, bookish Elizabeth “Lizzie” Foster sets her eyes on Reese Blackwood at a wedding, she makes a wildly uncharacteristic decision. He’s going to be her first. Reese is charming, sexy, reckless, and far too attractive for his own good—the notorious son of a billionaire who’s never had to chase anyone in his life. But after one unforgettable moment, Lizzie thanks him politely… and tells him she hopes they never see each other again. For the first time, Reese is the one left wanting more. Fate, however, has other plans. Desperate to escape her controlling mother and finally claim her independence, Lizzie attempts a daring escape—only to be cornered at the airport before she can board her flight. With security closing in and her future slipping away, she does the only thing that comes to mind. She grabs Reese Blackwood after seeing him in the crowd, kisses him senseless, and announces to her mother and the world: “Meet my boyfriend. We’re getting married… and I’m pregnant.” Stunned—but spotting the perfect opportunity to defy his ruthless father and an arranged marriage with an unbearable woman he never wanted—Reese plays along. Now bound by a scandalous lie, a fake relationship, and a very public fake “pregnancy,” Lizzie and Reese are forced into a dangerous game of pretence. He’s hiding secrets that could destroy them both. She’s fighting for freedom she’s never had. And neither of them expected the biggest complication of all— Falling for each other might be the one lie they can’t survive. What could possibly go right?

there are two collage students who have different populations in life, natasha kim santos is a kind girl and have a secret in her life but what if she meets a guy she use to call ace? Will he still hide his most hidden secret even from his family? Will she walk away or tell him the truth?