Metaphysical Properties Of Onyx

I was born with a rare condition. My blood carried healing properties strong enough to neutralize any poison. When Garrett Frank, the young heir from Osbury, was bitten by a venomous snake, he was hanging by a thread. In that desperate moment, I slit my wrist and used my blood to cleanse the venom from his body. Only later did I find out that whoever saved Garrett's life would become the future Mrs. Frank. But after Garrett took over the family business, the first thing he did was drain every drop of blood from my body and have me chopped up and fed to his dogs. "At that time, Loretta had already brought the antidote," he had said coldly. "If you had just waited another five minutes, I could've married her openly and honorably. "But you had to interfere. You stole her place as Mrs. Frank, drove her into despair, and pushed her to take her own life. Since you claim your blood can cure any poison, let's see how much antidote it can make." They bled me dry and threw me into a cage for his dogs. I died there, torn apart and unrecognizable. Afterward, my parents went bankrupt because of the Franks. Both of them took poison and died together. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Garrett had been bitten by the snake. Michelle Frank, Garrett's mother, looked at me with desperate hope. "I heard you have that rare healing blood," she said. "Will you please save my son?" I quickly shook my head. "That's just a rumor, Mrs. Frank. And honestly, using blood as medicine sounds pretty unsanitary. Please don't worry. I heard Ms. Huber is on her way with a special antidote. Your son will be fine!" Still, a small part of me couldn't help looking forward to what would happen. If I didn't step in this time, Garrett wouldn't just fail to inherit the family business—he'd be lucky to live another month!

PLEASE DON'T READ (Under major editing*) He stepped closer if that was even possible at this point. "I want you, Melanie." He rasped beneath his breath, his gaze falling to mouth. I hated the way I shivered visibly at his words. "So much." He ran his thumb along the inside of my elbow, closing his lips over mine again. One minute we were trying to kiss slowly. The next he was parting my lips and we were back to devouring each other. Our lips stayed locked even as he moved his fingers higher and higher. **** Melanie Steele and Damon Trent were practically the two opposite poles of a magnet. They had almost nothing in common. She liked her solitude, he liked being in the spotlight. She loved living for herself and being comfortable. He was in a constant competition with nobody. She hated attention, he craved it like the oxygen he breathed. They could never work... Or could they? When Damon finds out that he had to be married to get possession of his late father's properties, he let his friends talk him into putting up an ad in the News Paper and making a public spectacle to look for his future wife. What he didn't see coming was Melanie signing up for the competition. Somehow along the way, lines are not just crossed they're being completely erased. He's broken all his rules with her and she's thrown way her sanity when it comes to him. They find themselves battling an attraction that was slowly becoming something more. What happens when Damon's secret gets out? Would Melanie be able to forgive him? Or will their story end before it even has a chance to begin?

Every time my husband, Dave Tarrett, spent the night at his ex Maggie Gorringe's place, he bought me another building. Two years into our marriage, I owned 285 commercial properties across the country. Which also meant Dave had screwed me over 285 times. After the deed to property number 286 landed in my hands, Maggie sent me another smug little video. "So what if Dave throws money at you? I'm the one who gets his body and his heart. You might be some international supermodel, but you still can't get your own husband into bed." I didn't bother arguing. Instead, I mailed her the newest Victoria's Secret set from my latest runway show. When Dave found out how "generous" I'd been, he rewarded me by taking me to some elite social event. During a party game, Maggie lost three rounds straight and got dared to lick whipped cream off some playboy's thigh. She grabbed a wine bottle, smashed it, and shoved the jagged edge against her neck. "Dave, I'm not letting anyone humiliate me like this!" Dave—usually cold as ice—instantly panicked. Then he turned to me. Of course he did. "It's just whipped cream," he said softly. "Do this for her. I swear I'll go home with you after." Everyone waited for me to lose it. But I stayed calm and agreed without a word. He didn't know this was the 287th time he'd hurt me. And I was done being his pet. Once I paid back the debt I owed him for saving my life, we'd be done for good.

“We ain't divorced yet, Gabriella and you are already cheating. Is this why you wanted a divorce? Cutting me off from your business? Just to bring in someone and you didn't even do that alone but my uncle? Doing shit with my uncle?” My eyes widened more and more until I understood what was happening. For three years, Gabriella thought she had it all, a loyal husband, a growing interior design business, and a best friend she’d known since college living under their roof “just until she got back on her feet.” When her friend announced a surprise pregnancy, Gabriella celebrated, until she discovered the father was her own husband. The betrayal slices deeper when Gabriella learns the affair began long before the baby, and worse, her husband signed over half of their joint properties to the friend in secret. Now publicly humiliated and privately devastated, Gabriella refuses to be the woman who begs to be chosen. Divorce is not just a choice, it’s survival. Enter Aidan Voss, her newest client: a reclusive billionaire known for designing luxury hotels and for ruthlessly dismantling the competition. He’s charming, calculated, and hiding scars of his own. He offers her a high-stakes design contract that would put her business back on the map, but his interest in her is anything but professional. What she didn't know was that the newest client was her ex-husband's uncle. But Gabriella made a vow: never to lose herself in a man again. Not even one who seems to see past the ruins she hides behind polished smiles. And certainly not one who might just be planning revenge on the man who broke her, because Aidan has his own unfinished business with her ex-husband.