Nothing Serious

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

Millie Caldwell fails to win Winston Greer's heart despite them being married for three years. They get married after a misunderstanding, and Millie goes back to being the princess of the Caldwell family.Her father asks, "When are you going to inherit my billions, sweetheart?"Her mother beams. "Be a designer like me! You're bound to become famous with me backing you up!"Her grandmother says sternly, "Mills has to take up medicine. Think about her prowess in the medical field—it'd be a waste not to use her skills!"Millie asks her grandfather, "What do you think, Grandpa?"He looks pleased. "How about we drink some tea and plant some flowers? You can enjoy your retirement before you're due for it."Millie thinks this is the best her life can get… until Winston latches onto her and refuses to let go."I regret everything, Mills." He holds her tightly after getting drunk. His eyes are red, and he chokes up as he says, "Can you call me your husband just one more time?"Millie smiles. "Have some shame, jerkface."Jerkface says, "Being shamed means nothing compared to having you as my wife."

Elizabeth would still not believe her eyes as she stared down the contract she was about to sign her whole life to. She was the secretary to Cole , the rich billionaire who she had been working for for three good year. She had been the perfect robotic secretary, so it came as a shock to her when her boss suddenly tells her that he would like for her to get married to him, in a contract marriage. Beth was the only child fending for herself. And the money had been really enriching, so she decides to take on the job. It would hurt nothing. It was only perfect for Cole because he had to get married so he could prove to his business partners that he was serious enough, and was no longer the player he was rumoured to be. Hence, he approaches elle with a contract marriage. A marriage that was to last for ten good months. Just enough time to have sealed the contract. It was going to be satisfying on his own side, and he was not ready to get into a commitment.

In a world where power is forged from ruthlessness, Mario reigns as the unyielding mafia king. When tragedy strikes and he loses a sister to cold-blooded murder, he takes Gia, the daughter of his enemy, hostage—not just to punish her father, but to bind her heart to his in a twisted pact sealed with marriage. Gia finds herself trapped in a life she despises, harboring a deep-seated hatred for the man who stole everything from her. Yet amidst the darkness of captivity, a flicker of something unexpected begins to ignite between them. As the walls close in and the intensity of their shared space compels them to confront their feelings, Gia finds herself torn between escape and the emotions that bind her to Mario. As she plots her escape, a secret unfolds—one that will change everything. A baby is growing within her, a symbol of both uncertainty and hope. With the stakes higher than ever, Mario must decide if he can truly win her heart after the pain he has inflicted or if he is doomed to forfeit love in pursuit of his revenge. Will Gia and Mario discover a way to heal their broken past? Can their shared destiny be forged from the ashes of betrayal? As they navigate the treacherous waters of their intertwined fates, brace yourself for a gripping tale of resilience and the profound power of love that might just redeem them both, if only they can find the courage to embrace it. *** "I'm sorry... That guy meant nothing to me." My voice trembled. "I don't care if it meant nothing to you. I don't want another man's hands on you," he said firmly. I nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." "It can't happen again, Gia, because you are mine."

Spoiled Alpha's son, Caleb Grant, is shocked to discover his fated mate roaming lost and alone in the forest. She's human, and she's still a child. Confused and disappointed, Caleb is compelled to protect the vulnerable human, who assumes he's nothing more than a regular wolf. In this tale of fantasy and adventure, Caleb learns to appreciate that soulmates can be friends before they can become lovers, leading a double life as Alpha to the Lakewood pack, and Ruby's beloved pet, Storm. Tragedy forces them apart, and as Ruby reaches her 18th birthday, the time has come for Caleb to reveal his secret. Will Ruby accept the man as she did the wolf, or is their love doomed to fail?

Take her! She is ours! The little wolf in front of me seemed as frozen as me, but that ancient old need only turned stronger now that she stood in front of me. I reached out and grabbed her by her neck. She gasped, shocked, and then I pushed her backwards, closing the door behind us and locking it. Yes, she was trapped now with the big, bad lycan king. *** Anastasia lost everything when she was a young child. Her entire family was killed by mysterious lycans. It leaves her scarred for life and burned after a violent fire takes her home from her. Anastasia swore revenge after she is found by her aunt and taken in. She will find the lycans who took her family from her and end them all. At a party where the lycan King Roman will introduce his new queen, Anastasia runs into the lycan king after he finds her in a bathroom. Suddenly he becomes the center of her world. But can she trust him when she has sworn she hates all lycans? Roman never wants to fall in love or even meet his mate. He chooses a queen. A friend he has known for many years, but at the very party where he is going to present her to all wolves and lycans, he runs into Anastasia. She is like no other woman he has met, and while he knows he must have her, Ana wants nothing to do with any lycan. Can Roman convince her to trust him? Or will Ana keep her heart closed forever? The scars on her body tell her never to let anyone in, but the lycan king's hands on her make her feel so warm. *Book 1*

“You are nothing but a slave, do you understand?” Alpha Alexei said, glaring at Scarlett whose eyes hardened in anger. “That is where you are wrong” Scarlett said, glaring at the Alpha. His eyes were fixed on hers, waiting to hear what she had to say “I am no slave, Alpha Alexei, and whether or not you are Alpha, you are not my Alpha” ************************ Sold, beaten, and taken advantage of. Scarlett has fought for her life to stand strong and not give into the pain. But when she is sold to the Alpha, the Russian Pakhan , her life takes a turn like no other. Would Scarlett give into the cold Alpha, or would the Alpha soften to the girl who he saw as nothing but a slave?

With her first mating ball coming up, Summer is unusually nervous. She is scared of not meeting her mate, but at the same time she is scared of meeting her mate. But when she heard that word 'MATE' she was relieved that he was nothing like she thought. But when he doesn't want her to tell her father about their mating, she becomes suspicious. Something isn't right there, and she knows that there's something that she doesn't know from the past. When she is being forced to marry a different Alpha, her mate comes to her rescue and hoping to live happily ever after. But that isn't so much the case when her father won't accept them being mates and does everything he can to stop them from being together. Little does he know that she has plans of her own.

Elara: Sold at birth, is a servant to Alpha Draven. Elara was claimed and bitten by Alpha Draven at a young age and had her wolf removed from her. With no wolf and no power, she is stuck under his power and control. When an announcement comes out about Alpha Prime Darius looking for his Luna, Elara sneaks an entry in for herself. While hiding the fact that she is always claimed and bitten. Expecting to never hear of it again, she is shocked when the Alpha Prime Soldiers arrive to collect her. While Alpha Draven wishes to refuse and keep her, he's powerless and has to follow the order and let her leave. When Elara arrives at the castle, she finds herself standing among other potential Lunas and quickly realises that this competition was never intended to find Alpha Prime's true mate but the best candidate to be Luna. Without a wolf, she is sure she will be gone within the first round. However, she becomes shocked when she isn't sent home, but her being there is nothing more than publicity. Things become more tangled when Alpha Prime Draven chooses a Luna, and on the same day, Elara's wolf is returned to her.

When Katrina Jones started working as Lucas Evans Secretary she never envisioned falling for the handsome but arrogant CEO. But as she worked alongside him she discovered that there is a lot more to him than he let the world see. Her heart couldn't help but fall for him. But Lucas saw her as just his secretary and nothing more. ......Or so she thought....