Measure Of A Man Ao3 Novels & Stories

For the hundredth time, my dad hints at us that he really wants to become a grandfather during New Year Eve's dinner. Lydia Cooper, my wife who has insisted on living a childless life for the past decade, just smiles before placing more food on his plate. After dinner, she ducks out to the balcony and murmurs into her phone, "Be good, now. Mommy will visit you a few days later." I can feel my blood running cold in my veins as I stand in the living room with a glass of water. As I approach Lydia, I do my best to keep my voice light and teasing. "I just heard you say the word 'mommy.' Do you have an illegitimate child out there somewhere?" Lydia rubs her nose, her tone now awkward. "You might be hearing things. It was just my friend's child…" My heart plunges into my stomach pit at her words. I've been in love with Lydia for ten years. It's only natural that I know how she acts whenever she's lying.

John Handful’s first client is a member of the local Polish community wanted by the police for the disappearance of his pregnant wife. A new miracle cancer drug is stolen from a pharmaceutical complex located on a shingle spit, just off the Suffolk coast. A wealthy local financier is blackmailed, and a ripple of malice spreads across the village of Oxmarket. Each household of a cul-de-sac have a secret that could point to them being the murderer of a man found shot dead in his bedroom.A perplexing case unfolds with the revelation of secret lovers, flowers from the garden and a death that is not as it appears.John Handful finds himself enmeshed in a violent, multi-layered plot at a luxury hotel on a remote island. A man kills himself despite receiving the good news that his lover’s husband has agreed to a divorce.A woman is witnessed shooting herself by her husband even though she had already been dead several hours.A man has been found shot through the head in a locked room with suicide well and truly ruled out. How did he die?Severed limbs in a concrete block, leads, John Handful to believe that a cold calculated killer with a thirst for revenge is on the loose. Ten cases, one connection. What is it?

Liya Glensdale would never have thought that her once peaceful life would one day end in a marriage with the feared and dangerous Aldo Marino. Caught in a deal to save her careless brother, Liya is forced into a crime world filled with power struggles, betrayal and shocking secrets. Aldo, a powerful businessman and crime boss known for his ruthlessness sees Liya as merely a tool in a game against his rival, Damian Viktor. But as time evolves, their once-cold relationship grows into more than an alliance that neither of them could see coming. As tension continues to grow and dangers mount, Liya must learn to sail the difficult and dangerous game while acknowledging the growing feelings between her and Aldo. Together, they’ll face their enemies hiding in the dark but their greatest troubles may be the feelings they refuse to acknowledge.

In "Desperate Measures," Reina Jackson finds herself in dire straits after her mother's passing and mounting college debt. Working at a coffee shop only adds to her troubles, as she constantly gets into trouble with customers and coworkers alike. Her only focus is on earning enough money to support her younger brothers, until she receives a shocking diagnosis. With her chances of survival slim, Reina meets Ian Bladell, a wealthy businessman who may be able to help her. Despite her desperation leading her to blackmail him, Ian is drawn to Reina's plight and her bravery in the face of her illness. As the two work together to fulfill each other's needs, they both find something unexpected: love. "Desperate Measures" is a heartwarming tale of two people from opposite worlds coming together to support each other and find happiness in the face of adversity.

Luka was the best Alpha the Brightwater Pack ever had. That is, until he loses his mate and everything comes crashing down. Having lost everything he loved and his one real reason for living, he attempts suicide on a human territory, when Victoria intervenes and ruin his plans. She makes it her duty to help the man that 'couldn't be saved', after he constantly refuses her help. What happens when she uncovers his secrets one by one? Will Victoria give up on him, or will she surprise them both? Who would've thought that she could save him just in the nick of time? Or does she....

The strongest Alpha—undefeated in battle. But fate plays a cruel joke when his fated mate turns out to be a simple human girl. Can he win the hardest fight of all… when his greatest enemy is his own beast? This is the story of Alina—a girl who once lost her faith in love and closed her heart for years. On her very first day at a new job, she manages to mess up in front of the one man she should have feared most: the cold and fearsome Alpha Wayland. But what begins as punishment from the Alpha takes an unexpected turn. Will the powerful leader be able to break his own rules and accept a human as his true mate? Passion, humor, danger, harsh words, steamy scenes (18+), and a love that refuses to be denied.

Lillian Carter's life did not follow the path it was meant to. She was supposed to be normal and just like any other human, completely oblivious to the supernatural world. Yet in a cruel twist of fate she was snatched from her mother's side just a few hours after birth and experiment on like a lab rat. She grew up in a world she was not suppose to know about experienced pain no one person could endure and done things more horrifying than you could ever imagined. Always battered and abused only being regarded as a tool in service of someone else's selfish desires, been used, experimented on and sold. Then one day Lillian was finally free or so she thought. Now in a world where danger lurked at every corner and monsters dwelling in the shadows young lily has to be constantly running and fighting for her life especially with a curse coursing through her veins that seems to be attracting everyone she runs into. Trying to find a place for herself in this world lilly wants to live the life she should have, she wants to be the one thing she never felt like she was in all her years of life the thing she was meant to be, she wanted to be Human.

Arabella is a female werewolf who is mated to Lucas,a man she had no feelings for, she was mated to him only because he had saved her life. They had no feelings for each other, she was with him for survival. When she felt,she could survive on her own,she took off from his pack, abandoning the mate and the rough pack. Arabella moved into a new town where she met Micheal, a tall handsome man,whom she fell in love with, but they couldn't be together because she is a werewolf and he is human and she was already mated to Lucas who she was sure would come looking for her soon. Despite the obstacles to their love, their love grew stronger and forged on until Lucas arrived in town to destroy their relationship. Will their human-werewolf relationship survive the angry Lucas?

When Nala enters her room, she is startled by a man behind her blanket. Named Raymond, whose purpose of arrival was to keep Nala who was just an ordinary human being. It was pictured with a large tattoo bearing Nala's name on his chest. Nala wants to report it to the police but undoes her intentions when she finds out there's a big secret they have to cover up about Raymond coming out of nowhere. It's added that Raymond's behavior is like that of a child under five who breaks down in tears. What surprised Nala was that he had wings. Yes. The wings are large, black, and soft, coming out of his back. Where Nala realizes that Raymond showed up is because of her, with a birthday candle. And again Raymond always fires scents that almost make Nala lose her mind. Who exactly is Raymond? What's the real purpose? Why does he keep calling himself a failed half-human elf?

On the day she gave birth to twins, Ava expected love… not betrayal. “Do a DNA test,” his mother said coldly. “Those children cannot belong to my son.” Humiliated, heartbroken, and abandoned by the man she sacrificed everything for, Ava disappears without a trace. Five years later, she returns—stronger, richer, and untouchable. But when Lucas sees her again… with two children who look exactly like him, regret hits too late. Now he wants his family back. Too bad Ava is no longer the woman he once broke