Lingering Antonym

Behind every great Queen stands no one; something Miliani Hwang learned from the early age of ten after she was forced to take over the Hwang Family Mafia when her parents died in a murder-suicide. In light of their tragic end, she built herself up from the ground for 11 years, trusting no man to stand behind or even beside her. The sheer sound of her name was enough to have even the toughest men on their knees and despite not ever taking a life with her own hands, everyone in the crime world knew they should never cross The Great Miliani Hwang. It doesn't surprise her when she is betrayed on her 21st birthday but she never expected her own blood to be the mastermind. She flees to Sicily with the help of the Ravello Crime Family, where she learns many secrets about her lineage and starts falling for the smug Vincenzo Ravello. Now a disgraced mob boss with nothing but her name and rage a lingering question lingered in the back of her mind; who was she now if not The Great Miliani Hwang? Vincenzo Ravello, the eldest son of the Ravello Crime Family knew all too well about the dangers that come with his title as heir to the Cosa Nostra. He's spent the past few years of his life reminding his enemies time and time again that he wasn't a man they wanted to mess with. His heart was made of stone and women, to him were nothing more than playthings until her. He would do anything for her. Every Queen needs a King to avenge her and Miliani must learn to trust her heart to stand beside hers because he will burn the whole world until all her enemies bow at her feet.

Sophia Hayes is thrilled when she wins a ticket for the exclusive boat cruise she's dreamed of all her life. But her excitement is dampened by a rumor from a trusted source: her millionaire ex-boyfriend, Charles, will also be attending. Determined to avoid the humiliation of facing him single, Sophia convinces her high school friend Robert, a wealthy playboy, to pose as her boyfriend. Robert agrees, eager to shed his notorious reputation and fend off gold diggers, while also seeking to placate his meddling family. On the lavish cruise, Sophia and Robert's convincing act as a couple quickly captures the attention of social media and the city's gossip columns. However, things take a turn when Robert detects Sophia's lingering feelings for Charles, and Sophia realizes Robert might never give up his playboy ways. A misunderstanding leads Robert into a one-night stand, while Sophia finds herself dancing with Charles. When Charles publicly declares his love for Sophia, she humiliates him, igniting his desire for revenge. After the cruise, Sophia and Robert must continue their fake relationship to maintain appearances. The situation becomes increasingly toxic as an anonymous threat promises to expose their charade and Robert's one-night stand results in a pregnancy scare. Forced to take a family vacation together, Sophia and Robert must navigate their fake relationship in close quarters. As they act intimately to maintain the facade, they begin to confront their true feelings for one another.

Phoenix’s life takes a disastrous turn when she wakes up in a grimy hotel room just two days before her mating ceremony. Her life is ruined, and she didn’t need a soothsayer to tell her because not only is their a lingering smell on the sheet, which indicates that she has been unfaithful, Dylan is in the hotel room yelling profanities at her. By her unexplained actions, she has become disgraced, banished, and may have sparked a war between her pack and Dylan’s. Werewolves mate for a life, and a broken mating arrangement is an unforgivable sin. At 16, Phoenix was promised to Dylan as a way to unify their packs after years of rivalry. An alliance now broken by her infidelity. Although she would have preferred to wait for her chosen mate, she has long accepted that being Dylan’s chosen mate and Luna of his pack is a fate she can endure. Now branded as a disgrace and banished, Phoenix has been replaced by her half sister as Dylan’s mate. Exiled from the home she has always known, Phoenix is left to wander the forests as a rogue. Her central thought is to survive and navigate life alone whilst looking for a pack that will take her in, but she must face all her fears one at a time. Her life in exile takes an unexpected twist when she finds her true mate in the most unexpected way. How does she keep the secret of being the fated golden wolf? How does she stay away from her chosen mate to keep her secret? Will she learn to harness her powers and save her kind from a looming war with the hunters? Like her name, will she rise from the ashes?

"Why do you hate me so much?" Amara asked, her voice shaking. "I've never done anything to you." Where power, passion, and painful memories collide, Amara Denz never imagined the same man who made her life a living hell at Lyons College would be her ruthless, charismatic boss. Now CEO of a thriving tech empire, CEO Leo reigns with cool efficiency—but beneath his shining exterior blazes an undeniable, forbidden desire for the very woman he once tormented. Amara Denz is desperate. Desperate to find employment to pay for the mounting bills, desperate to bury the pain of her abused past, and desperate to preserve her shattered pride in a company where every glance from Leo sends unspoken tension her way. Torn between old wounds and an incendiary attraction that she cannot deny or manage, Amara must navigate a landscape of office politics and personal demons. “Work hard, be loyal, and maybe you’ll earn my respect,” Leo declares with a provocative smile during their first meeting. But as the day unfolds, every accidental brush, every lingering look, transforms the mundane into a battlefield of raw emotion and sensual challenge. Set against the high-stakes halls of Baze, this scorching dual-perspective story of redemption and revenge tracks two individuals whose entwined destinies compel them to confront a past defined by brutality—and a present filled with desire. Can Leo demonstrate that he's reformed, or will the wounds of their past continue to keep them apart? And will Amara's need to transcend her past enable her to gamble everything on a second chance at love?

Emberleigh, a 21-year-old woman, became an outcast when her parents were killed by the most powerful wolf pack when she was thirteen. She is a human and her mate, Maximus, is an Alpha with a large pack. He arrives with his three best friends three weeks before he and his chosen mate, Tiffany, are due to be mated. Emberleigh is pure, even though she works as a dancer at a local club and is one of the most popular dancers there. When he sees her, he feels the mate bond pull. Feeling rage and jealousy of other men watching, he orders a private dance for himself. She is wary of the wolves and despises them. She believes that the wolf pack, which happens to be Maximus', is the reason she has been orphaned. He must win her trust, her heart, and end the ceremony with Tiffany. Tiffany, heartbroken and enraged, seeks revenge against the human who replaced her as the pack's Luna. In order to tarnish Emberleigh's reputation, she is resorting to hiring external sources outside the pack. When she is left for dead in the middle of the forest, Maximus arrives just in time, finding Emberleigh unconscious and injured. With a mixture of fear and desperation, he carries her back to his pack's territory, vowing to protect her at all costs. As Emberleigh slowly regains consciousness, she finds herself torn between her lingering distrust for wolves and the undeniable connection she feels towards Maximus, who is determined to prove his love and loyalty to her.

She was born of two worlds… and belonged to none. Wolfless and rejected by her own kind, Freya, the hybrid daughter of a witch and a wolf, was sold by her father to the most feared Alpha in the land—Logan of the Northridge Pack. Her only purpose? To bear his heir and strengthen his bloodline. But love was never part of the deal. Torn between his lingering feelings for his first love, Lucia, and the bond he cannot deny with Freya, Alpha Logan spirals—cold, cruel, and indifferent. And when tragedy strikes and Freya loses the baby, his words cut deeper than any blade: “You’re just a breeder.” Shattered and betrayed, Freya flees to the human world with the help of a mysterious ally. There, she finds peace… and perhaps a new beginning in Daniel, a kind stranger who sees her as more than just a tool. But fate isn’t done with her yet. A prophecy looms. A war brews. And when Logan’s brother returns to claim the throne, only Freya—his true mate and the key to his power—can save his legacy. But will she ever come back to the mate who broke her heart… or choose a new path, and a new love, forever?

Devin, the Alpha's ruthless Beta is everything Ayra despises — arrogant, cold, and dangerously powerful. But there is one problem... She can't ignore the way he makes her feel. Devin has spent years building his reputation as the pack's enforcer, showing no weakness, no hesitation. But Ayra? She's off-limits. A distraction. His stepsister. The attraction between them is undeniable, but giving in would ruin everything. Their forbidden connection turns into a twisted game — one of stolen glances, lingering touches, and unspoken desires. But when Ayra becomes a pawn in the pack's dangerous power struggle, Devin must make a choice: Protect his ambition or the one girl he was never meant to love.

I gasp, surprised and he leans towards me. I catch the scent of his cologne and the faint scent of the cigarette smoke, lingering around him. But underneath it, there’s the scent of earth and rain. I see his muscles flexing under the thin linen of the shirt. I also notice the outlines of a scar, running down his forearm. I imagine his hands on me, his lips on mine. What is happening… Why am I thinking this? “Oh, don’t worry, Lily. “ his smile is canine, the words that come out of his mouth are a snarl, “I won’t touch you. I don’t want to. “ When her mother got sick, Lily had no choice but to marry a man she never met. At that time she didn’t know Arthur Stark was not only beautiful but as cruel as the rumours said. Her husband is a cold billionaire involved with the mafia. He never touches anyone. Not even his own mate.

Elena Russo is a master thief and assassin, driven by revenge. Her mission is to infiltrate the life of mafia billionaire Lorenzo Salvatore, whom she believes is responsible for her father’s murder. Under the guise of an art dealer, Elena enters his world, but the lines between duty and desire blur as she uncovers hidden truths, including Lorenzo’s vulnerability and complex relations. When sparks fly between them, Elena finds herself caught between duty and desire. As she uncovers his deepest secrets, including a hidden child and a dangerous rival bent on his destruction, Elena realizes that her enemy is not the man she thought he was. Torn between her lingering feelings for Ethan, the FBI informant with his own dark agenda, and her undeniable attraction to Lorenzo, Elena must decide: can she risk her heart to get her revenge, or will she lose everything in the heist of her life? In a world of betrayals, lies, and shattered loyalties, love may be the deadliest game of all.

One unforgettable night. Two men. A choice to make Lila Bennett’s life is turned upside down when a one-night stand with the emotionally cold billionaire Drew Sinclair leads to a shocking pregnancy. Fearing rejection for the second time, Lila keeps the pregnancy a secret, believing Drew would never accept her or the child. But when Lila’s old friend Max, a successful art mogul, finds out, he offers to marry her and take care of the baby. Lila is torn, She still has lingering feelings for Drew who's cold and has made it clear that the encounter with her was a mistake and there's Max who's offering all the support she needs. Who will she choose? Could there be more to what Lila is seeing on the surface? Find out in this thrilling and exciting book.