Melissa Aphmau

I gave a stranger my panties on a plane. Not because I'm reckless. Not because I do things like this. But because Damien Cross looked at me like I was something worth destroying himself over, and I wanted to be devoured. Four hours at 30,000 feet. That's all it took for him to unravel every careful thread of the life I'd built. One look. One touch. One whispered promise that I was his. Then he vanished. No calls. No texts. Just a breaking news report showing him married to someone else, while I stood in a hotel bathroom staring at a positive pregnancy test. Six years later, I've rebuilt myself. I'm a mother. A success. I've learned to survive without him. Until he walks into my photoshoot and recognizes the birthmark he once traced with his tongue. He says he never stopped looking for me. That his marriage was a cage he's finally escaped. That the twin boys I've been raising alone are his sons, and he wants his family back. But Damien Cross is a man who deals in empires and enemies. Someone close to him wants me gone. The threats start. The danger escalates. And I realize that loving Damien means walking into a war I never signed up for. He says he'll burn the world down to keep us safe. I'm terrified he means it. Some men are worth the fall but men are the wreckage. But Damien is both.

In Meridian City, life moves fast and ambition drives the elite. At the top of the corporate food chain is Adrian Langston, a charismatic yet ruthless CEO of a multinational tech company. His success and wealth are unrivaled, and he is accustomed to getting what he wants—until he meets Isabella "Bella" Martinez, a fiercely independent freelance graphic designer. Bella is focused on her career and family, with a vibrant personality that is both charming and down-to-earth. She navigates the hectic city life with a sense of humor and a strong moral compass. Despite her attraction to Adrian's charisma, she's determined not to be swept into his world of power plays and high-stakes business. Adrian, on the other hand, is intrigued by Bella's resistance to his usual charm. He's used to closing deals and winning over people with ease, but Bella proves to be a challenge. What starts as a simple business proposition soon turns into a complex game of cat-and-mouse, with Adrian trying to earn Bella's trust and Bella questioning whether she can believe his intentions.

Je suis la meilleure faussaire d'art et spécialiste du renseignement de Chicago. Et je suis tombée amoureuse de l'homme qui possédait tout, Don Vincenzo Russo. Pendant dix ans, j'ai été son secret, son arme, et sa femme. J'ai bâti son empire depuis l'ombre. Je pensais obtenir une bague. Après tout, chaque nuit qu'il passait dans cette ville, il était enfoui en moi, prenant son plaisir. Il murmurait que j'étais à lui, que personne d'autre ne lui procurait autant de plaisir. Mais cette fois, après en avoir fini avec moi, il a annoncé qu'il épousait la princesse de la Bratva russe, Katerina Petrov. C'est à ce moment-là que j'ai su. Je n'étais pas sa femme. J'étais juste un corps. Pour une alliance, pour elle, il m'a sacrifiée. Il m'a laissée mourir. Alors j'ai détruit chaque élément de la vie qu'il m'avait donné. J'ai passé un appel à mon père en Italie. Et puis, j'ai disparu. Mais quand le Parrain qui possédait Chicago n'a pas pu retrouver son jouet préféré… il est devenu fou.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Saat ulang tahunku, Mon Devan, memberiku kalung mutiara almarhum istrinya yang meninggal. Aku memakainya untuk makan malam. Putra tiriku, Liam, sangat marah dan menyiramku dengan anggur merah. Aku pun menjadi lelucon dalam pesta itu. "Dasar pelacur." Dia mendesis. "Kamu pikir karena memakai perhiasan ibuku, kamu bisa jadi dirinya?" Dia menatapku dengan tatapan sedingin es. Lalu berteriak, "Keluar dari rumahku!" Ibunya meninggal saat dia masih bayi, aku yang membesarkannya. Seseorang pasti sudah memengaruhinya. Mereka memberitahunya kalau akulah yang membunuh ibunya. Sekarang, dia berpikir akulah pelacur berakal busuk yang menjebak ayahnya. Dan bagaimana dengan ayahnya? Suamiku? Dia tidak pernah melihatku. Dia hanya melihat hantu Karina. Hatiku tidak hanya retak, tapi hancur. Mereka tidak mencintaiku, tidak juga peduli padaku, jadi aku pergi. Lalu kenapa... Setelah aku sepenuhnya pergi, mereka merangkak memohon padaku untuk kembali?

Ich bin die beste Kunstfälscherin und Informationsspezialistin in ganz Chicago. Und ich verliebte mich in den Mann, dem die ganze Stadt gehörte – Don Vincenzo Russo. Zehn Jahre lang war ich sein Geheimnis, seine Waffe und seine Geliebte. Ich baute sein Imperium aus dem Schatten heraus auf. Ich dachte, ich würde einen Ring bekommen. Schließlich war er jede Nacht, die er in der Stadt verbrachte, in mir versunken und nahm sich seinen Vergnügen. Er flüsterte, ich gehöre ihm, dass es sich mit niemand anderem so gut anfühlen würde. Doch dieses Mal, nachdem er mit mir fertig war, verkündete er, dass er die russische Bratva-Prinzessin Katerina Petrov heiraten werde. Da wusste ich es. Ich war nicht seine Geliebte. Ich war nur ein Körper. Für ein Bündnis, für sie, opferte er mich. Er ließ mich sterben. Also zerstörte ich jedes Stück des Lebens, das er mir gegeben hatte. Ich machte einen einzigen Anruf bei meinem Vater in Italien. Und dann verschwand ich. Doch als der Don, der Chicago beherrschte, sein Lieblingsspielzeug nicht mehr finden konnte … wurde er wahnsinnig.

Pendant dix ans, j'ai versé mon sang pour mon compagnon destiné, Damian. Je l'ai façonné jusqu'à en faire un Alpha. J'ai bâti sa meute à partir de rien. Mais, à la veille de notre cérémonie de la Lune de Sang, il l'a choisie, elle. Il a fait de sa première amante, Isla — celle qui l'avait abandonné — la Grande Prêtresse. Pas moi. Il pensait que je n'étais qu'une simple renégate douée pour la magie. Il croyait pouvoir puiser ma puissance, me rejeter, et revendiquer Isla comme sa véritable compagne. Mais il a oublié qui je suis. C'est moi qui ai négocié les traités. C'est moi qui ai organisé les échanges. C'est moi qui ai érigé les barrières magiques qui les protégeaient tous. Lui et sa meute ont salué Isla comme leur sauveuse. Ils se sont prosternés à ses pieds. Ils ont voulu se débarrasser de moi. Leur plan ? Me forcer à escorter un démon jusqu'à l'Abîme de l'Exil. Mais il n'a jamais su mon secret. Je ne suis pas une renégate. Je suis la plus jeune fille du Roi des Alphas. Je suis de sang royal. Alors je leur ai donné ce qu'ils voulaient : je suis partie. Et ils n'ont commencé à paniquer que lorsque mes protections se sont effondrées, et que leurs terres ont été envahies.

Melarikan diri dari one night stand dengan seseorang aki-aki tua, Melissa ketiban musibah memilukan. Sebuah mobil mewah milik seorang Ceo muda, menabrak tubuhnya. Akibat peristiwa itu, kedua belah kaki Melissa diamputasi. Mengharuskannya berjalan dengan menggunakan alat bantu. Si penabrak tidak tinggal diam. Nadir Lifali Harun, membawa Melissa ke rumahnya dan menjadikannya istri sebagai bentuk tanggung jawabnya. Akan tetapi, keadaan Melissa yang cacat, tidak mendapatkan perhatian khusus dari ibu mertua dan adik bungsu Nadir. Namun masih ada orang yang baik kepadanya di rumah besar itu. Erik Lifali Harun, anak kedua setelah Nadir. Dia menerima Melissa dengan baik di rumah. Bahkan sekian lama bersama, Erik mencintai Melissa secara diam-diam. Apakah Melissa akan kuat tinggal satu atap dengan mertuanya yang tidak menerima?

Nervously anticipating the Moonlight Ball, Ariana 'Ria' Ashford hopes for a mate that wouldn't take her too far from her younger sisters, who have no family other than her, and the order of blue moon, of which she is the leader. Made an Alpha at the age of 14, Magnus Adamos attends the mating ball to find the mate he does not want. But an alpha's wants are of no concern in comparison to the pack needs. The pack needs a Luna. Opposite to the core, they never expected to be the mates. Regarded unfit to be by his side, can he ever accept her to be his Luna. Unwilling to move on from her past life, will she open her heart to a pack with bloody history, an alpha with a little son and a broken heart?

For ten years, I bled for my fated mate, Damian. I forged him into an Alpha. I built his pack from nothing. But on the eve of our Blood Moon ceremony, he chose her. He made his first love, Isla—the one who abandoned him—the High Priestess. Not me. He thought I was just some rogue with a knack for magic. He thought he could drain my power, cast me aside, and claim Isla as his true mate. But he forgot who I am. I brokered the treaties. I negotiated the trades. I built the wards that kept them all alive. He and his pack hailed Isla as their savior. They groveled at her feet. They tried to get rid of me. Their plan? Force me to escort a demon to the Abyss of Exile. But he never knew my secret. I'm no rogue. I am the youngest daughter of the Alpha King. I am royalty. So I gave them what they wanted. I walked away. They only started to panic when my wards shattered and their lands were overrun.

Meu marido, o Sr. Damien, me deu as pérolas de sua falecida esposa no meu aniversário e eu as usei no jantar. Meu enteado Leo, enfurecido, me jogou vinho tinto. Virei a piada da festa. — Vadia! — Ele falou com os dentes cerrados. — Acha que usar as joias da minha mãe te faz virar ela? Ele me encarou, seus olhos frios como gelo. E então ele gritou: — Saia da minha casa. Só que a mãe dele morreu quando ele ainda era um bebê. Eu que o criei. Alguém falou mal de mim pra ele. Disseram que eu matei a mãe dele. Agora ele acha que sou uma golpista que enganou o meu marido? Ele nunca me enxergou. Ele só enxergava o fantasma da Krista. Meu coração não partiu. Ele despedaçou. Eles não me amavam. Nunca se importaram. Então eu fui embora. Então por que, depois que finalmente fui embora, eles voltaram rastejando, implorando para eu voltar?