Long Shadows David Baldacci

Chuck Bassett, heir to an Urbington East fortune in Nuvark City, has dated 42 girlfriends—all foreign, all in white dresses, every single one with a mole at the corner of her eyebrow. People joke about his obsession, saying he'll never get over his first love, Lylith Fowler. Then, Lorrie Scarrow shows up. She's sharp, short-haired, hates dresses, and her eyes are clear and bright. She's nothing like the women he's dated before. Chuck buys her a private island. When she mentions how much she loves the stars, he fills the sky above their estate with millions of drones, crafting a shimmering galaxy just for her. He even gets her initial tattooed beneath his collarbone. Everyone is amazed. Chuck has finally moved on from the past. Even Lorrie starts to believe it. Until she spots him in the red-light district, shelling out a fortune to book a hostess for a whole month. The woman has short hair and a button-down shirt. She looks just like Lorrie. Chuck's friends are floored. "Have you lost your mind? Lylith changed her look, and now you're after someone who looks even more like her? Remember how she dumped you for that wealthy foreign businessman when she thought you were broke? "She only came crawling back after she found out you're the heir to one of the Four Great Families. You've always said there's nothing you hate more than women like that!" Chuck knocks back the shot. "I hate her, and I love her. She pulled me out of a fire ten years ago. No one else can ever replace her in my heart." "And what about Lorrie? You proposed to her! She gave up a career at one of the world's top design firms for you. Aren't you worried she'll walk away when she finds out?" Chuck leans back on the couch, his expression cold. "I won't marry a traitor. Lorrie's pure, innocent—the closest thing to how Lylith used to be. So I'll still marry her. She loves me too much to walk away." Unseen in the shadows, Lorrie stands frozen, her heart plummeting. Turns out, she's just another her.

When I was five months pregnant, I was kidnapped by a group of thugs. They used my phone to call my brother, Jeremy Wirkola, and my husband, Grant Sanders, to demand a ransom of ten million, but no one answered. I was tortured and assaulted until I was barely alive. When I was finally rescued, Jeremy cried and promised to avenge me. Grant was in tears too. He vowed to get me treated. However, while under the haze of anesthesia, I overheard Grant's cold voice outside the door. “Jessie is waiting for a bone marrow, but don’t forget to remove Ashlyn’s uterus. Just tell her the injuries were too severe to save it. Oh, and get the best surgeon for her. She’s afraid of pain.” His assistant hesitated. He was clearly uncomfortable. “Mr. Sanders, isn’t this going too far?” Grant paused for a second before he replied firmly. “She refused to donate her bone marrow to Jessie and even used the baby as an excuse. She’s selfish. Besides, if we don’t do this, how can I bring back Jessie and our child into the family? As for Ashlyn, she’s my wife. I’ll make it up to her for the rest of my life. She used to bully Jessie with her status, which resulted in Jessie suffering from depression and almost killing herself. It’s time she paid the price for it.” As I listened to his heartless words, something inside me shattered completely. Since they had chosen to sacrifice me for Jessie, let them have what they wanted then.

In a world of covens and vampires, plus-size witch Evelyn is trapped in a loveless engagement with unfaithful Calous for political reasons. Her only comfort is her best friend Jules. Everything changes when she meets Damien, a vampire tasked with connecting their worlds. Despite the historical hatred between their kinds, Evelyn and Damien fall into a forbidden romance. Evelyn faces the threat of a blood contract binding her to Calous, which could have dire consequences if broken. Amid political turmoil, Damien offers her a glimpse of love and freedom. Together, they seek to nullify the contract and forge a new path. As alliances waver and betrayal looms, Evelyn and Damien must decide if their love is worth the risk. Their journey of self-discovery and empowerment challenges the fabric of their societies as they race against time to secure their future. "The Forbidden Shadows of Love" is a tale of forbidden romance and the power of love in a world that seeks to keep them apart.

Uang yang banyak tak cukup membuat Fani setia pada Bima. Bahkan, dia malah membeli laki-laki lain dengan uang pemberian suaminya itu. Fani mengira cinta yang baru akan membawanya lebih bahagia. Hingga dia nekat mendua dari Bima. Namun ternyata bagi Dika, istrinya lah pemenangnya. Bagaimanakah nasib Fani selanjutnya, saat Dika tak mau bertanggung jawab. Yuuuk simak cerita lengkapnya.

She thinks he’s a monster. He thinks she’s fate. And she ran. But what if the real danger was yet to be unleashed? Trigger Warning: This book contains morally gray werewolves, aggressive mate bonds, and a love interest who doesn’t understand the concept of personal space. Forced intimacy? Physical, magical, boy on girl, girl on girl... Dubious consent? Why stop at the MMC? If you like your romance with a side of "this is probably a red flag," proceed with caution (and maybe a glass of wine). A fantasy adventure steeped in dark romance, where a haunted warrior may be the submissive heroine’s greatest protector—or her ruin. She ran from him once, but fate, magic, and desire dragged her back. He destroyed her life, and now, with the future of the world at stake, he can’t trust himself not to destroy her again. CHAPTER PREVIEW: Lyra swallowed hard, her throat dry, but the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. “I’m a reject,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “The man who was supposed to be my mate chose my sister instead.” His palms slammed the wall beside her head as his roar blew the hair out of her face. Lyra flinched, recoiling. His growl deepened, reverberating through the small space. “Whoever rejected you is irrelevant,” he snarled, his voice dripping with finality. “You. Belong. To me.”

Anaïs Iluak has always dreamed of becoming a supermodel, but her father’s terminal illness and her impoverished upbringing leave her with no choice but to set those aspirations aside. Out of desperation, she accepts an extraordinarily lucrative surrogacy contract from an anonymous client. What Anaïs doesn’t know is that her client, Cael Moriane, is the enigmatic heir to the nation’s most powerful entertainment empire. As their worlds intertwine, a shocking truth about Anaïs’s true ancestry comes to light: she was born alongside Lilith Amaruq, the spoiled daughter of the wealthy family she was meant to belong to. As love, jealousy, betrayal, and ambition collide, Anaïs must navigate the schemes of a jealous rival and uncover the secrets of her past while finding her rightful place in this new reality.

In a world which is filled with evil, where the powerful rules the city,where power and danger mean the same thing, a beautiful young woman called Alexandra finds herself in love with a man who seemed like the man of her dreams. With him,she feels like a woman and for a second,she thought that he was all a dream which she wishes never to wake up from. Luca, the mysterious man who captured her frail heart,hides a very deep secret from her as he fears that revealing it to her would make her distance herself from him. He is the feared leader of a very powerful mafia group. Never having time for love, he finds himself confused as he falls for Alexandra. He refuses to let her go even though he knew that she would be safe away from him. As the love between them blooms, Luca finds it difficult to protect Alexandra as her colorful life contrasts with the dark, corrupt world in which he belonged. Can their love stand strong against the weight of his secret and the danger that comes with them?

Izobel Rodriguez, a hybrid, has always been unsure of what she will become. For years, she discovered she possessed greater strength, power, and abilities than her siblings. Coming from a line of descent powerful families of vampires and werewolves, they were always in hiding, their story was never told and they must never be discovered. Until she met Ethan, their annoying neighbor, who awakened her inner self, making her fall in love. Only then does she realize that the connection Ethan and she created brought disaster and jeopardy to the secret they have been protecting for a very long time.

Zoe Reed’s life shattered the day Alpha Philip’s darkness ripped her family apart. Barely escaping with her life, a cryptic heirloom, and her mother’s dying words, Zoe returns to Nighthaven Academy, a school for supernatural beings, with one goal: vengeance. But as she uncovers the truth about her unique bloodline, she realizes she’s more than a werewolf - she’s also part witch, marked by ancient magic that could save her world… or destroy it. Amid the chaos, Zoe finds her heart caught in a battle as fierce as the one for her life. Dominic, a brooding and fiercely loyal werewolf, stirs something wild in her soul. But then there’s Cassius, an enigmatic vampire with a haunting past, whose intensity pulls her toward the darkness she fears and the power she craves. Both men understand the shadows she walks better than anyone, yet their loyalties threaten to unravel everything Zoe is fighting for. As the danger surrounding Nighthaven deepens, Zoe must confront secrets that link her family’s murder, Alpha Philip’s rise, and a prophecy that could bring about the end of the supernatural world. In a battle of light and darkness, love and betrayal, Zoe is forced to make impossible choices: Will she embrace her legacy and fight for justice, even if it means losing those she loves? Or will the pull of forbidden love and untamed power consume her? Shadow of Heart: The Awakening is a spellbinding journey through a world of ancient rivalries, forbidden romance, and the unyielding power of the heart. Fans of gripping supernatural dramas, star-crossed lovers, and fierce heroines will be captivated by this tale of resilience, passion, and the fight for destiny.

Cerita tentang Rania untuk menyadari bahwa kebahagiaan masih ada dalam hidupnya walau dengan liku yang panjang. Orang tua dan kedua adiknya meninggal bersama, pada hari dan waktu yang sama. Dia diangkat anak oleh adik dari ibunya yang seorang petinggi militer saat berusia 18 tahun. Keluarga kandung dari ayahnya menuduh Rania tak lagi ingat mereka karena sudah ada dalam keluarga ‘berada’. Orang-orang di sekitarnya tak pernah menghargai kerja kerasnya untuk meraih cita-cita karena di anggap menumpang nama dari Mama angkat yang berasal dari keluarga produser film. Keinginan untuk menikahi teman masa kecilnya harus pupus saat ia gugur dalam tugasnya sebagai abdi negara. Inilah kisah Rania Aprilia saat mencari alasan mengapa ia tetap dihidupkan saat semua alasannya untuk hidup diambil darinya. Bergembiralah, Orang yang meninggal tidak ingin mereka yang ditinggal menderita terlalu lama.” (Lim Ju-Kyung – True Beauty 2020)