Louise Penny A World Of Curiosities

Indebted to the Mafia Blurb “Well, are you going to do it or not?” I keep my chin held high, but inside, I’m trembling. “Do what?’ the mafia king asks me, a smug look on his face. “What you paid for.” I bite my bottom lip, wondering if I can handle him. I am a virgin, after all. He snickers at me, and then, his mouth is on mine, and he’s taking every penny’s worth. *** Eleni I’d do anything to keep my family safe. When I find out a mobster is trying to kill everyone I love because of a debt, I sacrifice myself and end up on an auction block. When I find myself owned by Dante Cattaneo, I don’t know if I’ve been saved or sent straight to hell. Dante She’s gorgeous and scares as hell, even though she’s trying not to show it. My number one rule is to never let my weakness show, but from the moment I see her face, I know I have to have her. And if anyone finds out how I feel about her, I’m screwed. Dive into this steamy, dark, mafia romance now!

Celine and Franco had been married for a year, but Celine was completely unaware of the true reason behind Franco's decision to marry her. Following the passing of Franco's grandfather, he became more distant and cold towards her. Until one day, Franco shockingly filed for divorce and revealed that he had only married her to secure his inheritance from his grandfather. He even went as far as accusing her of being a gold digger and introduced another woman to her. Driven by anger, pain, and resentment, Celine signed the divorce papers and left without taking a single penny from Franco. She wanted to prove that she was not after his money. Just at that time, she discovered she was pregnant, and she made a promise to herself to protect her child from her ex-husband. After dedicating five years of hard work to building her own business, Celine turn up as a successful CEO, a powerful and influential woman known worldwide. She had risen to power and independently raised her son. However, one day, Franco expressed his desire to win her back and be a father to their son. The question remained: would she allow him to enter her life again?, or would she make him suffer for causing her pain?

In her past life, when a truck barreled toward them, Lillian Hogan instinctively pushed Elton Ruiz out of harm's way. She paid the price with both her legs crushed. When she woke up in the hospital, the aloof, noble man lowered his head for the first time. Standing by her bedside, he promised to marry her. Tearfully, she accepted the proposal from the man she'd loved since she was eight. But after the wedding, Elton often stayed out all night. His attitude toward her grew cold and harsh. When an infection from her injuries left her on the brink of death, the billionaire didn't spare a single penny for her care. "I never thanked you for saving my life," he said. "Our marriage was a mistake from the start. Let me go." His face grim, he pulled out her oxygen tube. Lillian's eyes widened in shock. In the agony of betrayal and heartbreak, she took her last breath. If she could do it all over again, she vowed never to love Elton again.

Alternate Universe to "The Fate of the Alpha's Orphaned Daughter" and "The Lost Graystone Princess" TRIGGER WARNING: This novel contains scenes depicting physical and emotional abuse Daisy Louise Harmony Thompson lives a carefully constructed lie. Hidden within a human community under witness protection, she works at her Uncle Mateo's Sneakz Burger Emporium while concealing a truth that could get her killed—she's the orphaned daughter of a murdered Alpha wolf, protected only by a mysterious pendant she must never draw attention to. When strange wolves begin appearing at the diner—including a suspicious couple ordering the potentially lethal "Volcanic Sauce"—Daisy's carefully maintained world begins to unravel. The Steel twins, Alphas Maison and Jackson, frequent the diner with their pack members who mock and torment Daisy, unaware of her true identity. But Maison's inexplicable fixation on her suggests something deeper at play. As rogue wolves increasingly breach territory boundaries and whispers of a "rogue king" circulate, Daisy finds herself caught between warring wolf factions. When an unexpected physical connection with Maison triggers dormant wolf instincts she's spent years suppressing, Daisy discovers shocking truths about her lineage and the pendant she carries. Forced to flee her adoptive home, Daisy must navigate brutal pack politics while confronting years of abuse at the hands of those meant to protect her. The bonds forming between her and the Steel twins—particularly the enigmatic Maison—complicate her plans to remain hidden. With enemies closing in and her identity exposed, Daisy must embrace her heritage and the power she's denied for so long. Only by forging new bonds under the moonlight can she hope to survive a conspiracy that reaches back to her parents' mysterious deaths and threatens to ignite an all-out war between packs.

Penny! Lol. The woman of the brothel named me after the money they found tucked in my clothes when I was just 3 days old and was left dying at their gates. Wondering what kind of mother, and father do this. Well, I guess the kind mine were. I hate them, they could have placed me in an underdeveloped, or bad orphanage and I would have not complained. But despite that choice, they left me here at a brothel. I strip for a living, attracting customers to the real business of the almighty Alpha of our pack, and everything I do drains me. Try having sex with werewolves, when you are a mere wolfless being and you would know what I mean. But everything changed that night when fate decided to plant before me not one, but two Alphas. One notorious, the other mysterious, and most importantly the future alphas of the Dark Night Pack. One took interest in the shackle pierced on my leg, and the other in the curves of my body, and I don't know how to keep myself away from them. This is my story, of how the shackled, wolf-less being, turned out to be a mate of the two most powerful Alpha's, and it does not end here. I have secrets, secrets too cruel to be true, and my fate too complicated.

Aku didiagnosis menderita lupus eritematosus sistemik stadium berat dan akan meninggal tiga hari lagi. Setelah 188 kali telepon permintaan tolongku ditolak suamiku, aku membawa hasil pemeriksaan dan melangkah masuk ke kantor pelayanan perawatan akhir hayat. “Halo, tolong bantu jadwalkan proses kremasiku dan ajukan juga bantuan subsidi dari pemerintah.” Sepuluh menit kemudian, mereka datang. Belum sempat aku bicara, suamiku yang seorang pengacara langsung menamparku tanpa ekspresi. “Demi merebut perhatian dari Penny, kamu pura-pura sakit parah?” Kakakku yang seorang dokter merebut hasil pemeriksaanku, lalu membuka dan menatapku, sambil mencibir, “Lupus? Kalau mau pura-pura sakit, setidaknya yang masuk akal. Penyakit seperti ini hanya diderita satu dari sejuta orang.” Aku menahan rasa sakit di tubuhku, lalu kembali ke meja petugas dan menyerahkan formulir, serta hasil medis lagi. Melihat ruam berbentuk kupu-kupu di pergelangan tanganku, petugas itu tampak iba. “Aku sudah nggak punya keluarga lagi.” “Aku ingin mendaftar layanan kremasi tiga hari lagi, lokasinya bebas. Aku hanya berharap kematianku nggak menjadi beban bagi siapapun.”

Karen had invested her last penny in the business she had recently established and was eagerly awaiting the promised funds from her benefactor to take it to the next level. "Maybe he forgot. I should remind him," she thought, and promptly sent a text message: ‘I hate to sound desperate, but my finances are tight.’ After sending the message, she realized she had used the wrong number. She quickly started typing, ‘Please ignore the...’ when an alert popped up on her phone: ‘Five billion dollars transferred to you by Roger Dawson.’ Roger? The first name sent a chill down her spine, but the last name left her puzzled. "Roger? Could it be Tonia's bodyguard?" That was his number, but when did his name change? Her phone rang immediately, and the name she had feared for months echoed in her ears, his voice filled with emotion yet calm like a winter breeze. "Karen, stay put, I'm on my way to you." The call ended before she could process it. He was the reason she had fled, refusing to sign the divorce papers. Her love for him was unrequited, his heart belonging to her adopted sister, but what hurt more was the feeling of being traded between friends like a commodity. She would rather die than return.

There's this unspoken rule in werewolf high society: no matter how tight the mate bond is, business banquets mean booking a hostess. Six years into our bond, my Alpha mate—Brian Stormclaw—met one. Louise. A scrappy Omega with too much pride and not enough sense. When he offered her his black card, she pushed it back and said, "I'm not some Alpha's pampered pet." Brian? Instantly hooked. Like the Moon Goddess herself had dropped her in his lap. He chased her like he wanted her mark on every pack crest. But he forgot something—I was the Luna he wrote ninety-nine love letters to before I said yes. I didn't beg. Didn't snap. Every time he chose her over me, I lit another letter. First one burned on our anniversary—he bailed to wait outside Louise's flower shop, just to walk her home. Letter thirty-four? He left me stranded in a dangerous hunting ground to keep her company. Said she was scared of the dark. Fifty-two? Torched the second he replaced our wedding photo with some sketch she made on. ... And when the ninety-ninth turned to ash, so did whatever was left of us. I walked away. For good.

He raised one eyebrow and leaned down. "Is that a yes to my question or to my proposal?" His eyes were focused on my lips and I struggled to concentrate, but I nodded. "Yes." I looked into his eyes that were hazy with lust, and I nodded again. "It's a yes to the both of them." He tipped my face to him and pressed a hard kiss on my lips. "Good girl." He whispered. And as I shuddered at the praise, I had no idea I just sealed my fate with the devil. ~~~~~~ Kayla, twenty-two-years-old and a single mum, has only ever wanted to be loved, even though her parents never shared the same sentiments with her. But that changed when her boyfriend eloped, leaving her nineteen-year-old self with an unwanted pregnancy and nothing but a penny to her name. Years later, the word love left a bitter taste in her mouth. Until she meets Gabriel. Gabriel Marcello, a thirty-five-year-old cold-hearted billionaire, who is still reeling from his past, does not care about anyone but his daughter... until the night Kayla Warner ends up in his arms. It was only meant to be an innocent one-night stand. She was only meant to be his for the night. Until he wanted more. Until they both needed more. Will they be able to conquer all obstacles as many secrets unfold? Will they be willing to get over their past and love each other without bounds?

'Siya ang asawa pero hindi siya ang mahal. Siya ang pinakasalan pero ibang babae ang inaalagaan at pinapahalagahan ng kanyang asawa...' Pilit na ipinakasal ng kanyang mga magulang si Cyanelle Louise Natividad kay Zach Khaleed Samaniego bilang pambayad ng malaking utang nila sa pamilya ng lalaki. Subalit sa loob ng dalawang taon nilang pagsasama, hindi siya kailanman tiningnan ni Zach bilang babae at nagkaroon pa ito ng kabít kung saan ang babae rin ang nais ng anak ni Zach na maging ina nito kaysa sa kanya. Nang mapagtanto niyang wala ng patutunguhan ang relasyon nila, napagpasyahan niyang tuluyan ng hiwalayan ang lalaki. Subalit kung kailan naisipan na niyang sumuko at iwan ang asawa, isang trahedya ang magpapabalik sa kanya sa piling nito. Matutunan na kaya siyang mahalin ni Zach at matugunan ang damdamin niya para sa lalaki? O mabibigo siyang magkaroon ng puwang sa puso nito sa ikalawang pagkakataon at mauuwi lang sa wala ang lahat...