Octane And Lifeline

He shattered her heart to avenge a past that wasn’t hers. Now he desires her in his bed—as his wife. Marceline Valino once believed in love. She gave her heart—and her innocence—to Cross Dejava, the boy who whispered promises in the dark, igniting dreams of a forever that felt so real. But by morning, her world was left in ruins. Private photos were leaked, her name dragged through the mud, and at the eye of the storm? Cross, smirking, cold, and ruthless. “You mean nothing to me,” he said, delivering a blow that would leave scars. “You’re just the bastard daughter of my father’s mistress.” His vengeance had never aimed at her heart; it was meant to punish the daughter for her mother’s sins—an ex-lover who had torn his family apart. Pregnant and abandoned, Marceline begged for mercy, but all she received was the echo of his silence. When she lost the child, she lost every last piece of the girl she used to be. Now, five years later, she’s preparing to return—broke, desperate, and willing to do anything to save her ailing mother. Anything… except this. Because the man extending a lifeline isn’t a savior. It’s Cross. And he has no desire for her heartfelt apologies; he craves her complete submission. A contract marriage awaits her. No love. No escape. No mercy. But Marceline isn’t the naive girl he once broke. She’s a woman who has risen from the ashes, ready to play his game. And as the pieces of their lives fall into place, she’s determining when—exactly—she will ignite a fire that could burn it all down. The future promises a reckoning, and she's preparing to seize it.

Elena Marlowe never imagined one night could change everything. At a mask gala event, she let herself forget the rules of her life. One dance led to one kiss... and then a night she swore would never leave the shadows. She didn't even know his name... only the storm in his grey eyes and the way he made her feel like someone else for once, like someone free. But secrets have a way of catching up. Weeks later, two pink lines shatter her illusion of escape. With no way to find the man who disappeared with the dawn, Elena chooses silence. She walks away from the life she knew, determined to protect her baby and her heart. Until fate intervenes. Her new job is a lifeline, a chance to start over. But her new boss? Cassian Wolfe, The Billionaire CEO. Who is sharp, ruthless and unmistakably the man from that night. He doesn't recognize her or so she hopes. But Cassian Wolfe didn't build an empire by being blind. The moment Elena steps into his office, something shifts. A flicker of familiarity. A tension neither of them can name. Elena fights to keep her secret buried. Cassian fights to uncover it. But when the truth begins to unravel, lines blur in between past and present, between power and vulnerability, between fear and the one thing Elena vowed never to feel again: love. Now Cassian wants answers. He wants control. And maybe... just maybe, he wants her. But some secrets are too big to stay hidden. And some hearts are too fragile to risk shattering again. Will Elena protect the life she's built? Or will the father of her child claim more than just the truth?

So there I was, stuck in this dark Victorian mansion for a whole freaking century, thinking I'd never get out. Then, out of nowhere, these two gorgeous girls swoop in and rescue me! I couldn't believe it, and we instantly hit it off. They showed me a whole new world I'd only ever imagined, and I was all about living a normal human life.   But just when I thought things were looking up, this vampire named Vivaldi pops up out of thin air, grinning like a possessed Jack-o'-lantern. I mean, a name like Vivaldi is bound to give you the creeps, right? He claimed I had some ancient first blood running through my veins and demanded that I sign some crazy blood contract with him—the kind of deal that comes with some seriously freaky consequences.   Vivaldi was trying to sell me the idea that this blood contract was his only lifeline, the only way to save his skin from something worse than death. But I wasn't some clueless newborn vamp; I knew better than to just dive into something as serious as a blood contract. Those things come with some heavy consequences, and I wasn't about to sign up for that without a second thought.   The problem was, if I didn't go along with his messed-up plan, he promised to make my friends' lives a living hell—the very people I'd started to care about. I was trapped between a rock and a hard place. If I decided to team up with Vivaldi, I'd be keeping him around, which is far from ideal. But if I refused, my friends and the whole town of Shadowvale would be in serious danger.    It felt like I was caught in this impossible situation, like I was trying to choose between two rotten apples.

She needed one night. He needed one woman. Drowning in debts and desperate to survive, Ana Thompson agrees to a one-time job as a stripper. It’s supposed to be just one night, a quick way to pay off her stepmother’s endless demands. But that night, she collides with Fred Nork, the cold-hearted billionaire CEO of Majesties, a luxury women’s brand that thrives on elegance. Haunted by her past and overwhelmed by shame, Ana disappears before morning, leaving behind only a bloodstained sheet and the memory of her first time. Fred wakes up alone, confused, and with an unfamiliar ache in his chest. He doesn’t know her name. Weeks later, Ana’s world spirals further out of control. Homeless, pregnant, and rejected, she clutches the only lifeline she has, Fred’s business card, slipped into her bag the night they met. But when she walks into Majesties, hoping for help, she finds him… announcing his engagement to Tiana Monroe, a viciously poised heiress with a heart of ice. Shattered but not broken, Ana does the unthinkable. She applies for a cleaning job at Majesties. She begins working at the bottom rung of Fred’s empire. But Fred notices her. He doesn’t recognize the woman who once lit his world on fire, but something about Ana pulls him in again. Now, with the world watching, Fred must make an impossible choice: cling to the legacy he’s built with Tiana by his side, or risk it all for the mysterious woman who slipped away. Ana has a choice too: can she trust the man who once seemed so cold with her heart… and her child’s life? In a world where love is a weakness and power means everything, can a single night rewrite destiny?

Sienna Calder swore she’d never touch her father’s world—Dorian Ashford, shipping mogul and billionaire king, left her mom to rot while he built his empire. She’s there to curse his grave when he dies, not to claim a dime. But his will traps her, naming her co-heir to his $50 billion legacy alongside Roman Valtieri, the brooding, hard-edged protégé who’s clawed his way into Dorian’s shadow—and now into hers. They’re to run the empire together or lose it all, and Sienna hates him for it: too slick, too close, every look a spark she doesn’t want. Then a letter from Dorian’s cold hand ignites the fire—he was murdered, and Roman’s name’s scratched beside the truth. A silver key and a vial of blood—hers, his—drag her deeper, promising answers locked in Ashford estate.But the walls crash in fast: Ezra Locke, a scarred snake with a grin like a blade, wants that key, and he’ll drown the place to get it. Roman’s her lifeline—gun drawn, hands steady, pulling her from the flood—and she loathes how his touch burns, how his voice steadies her when the water’s at her throat. Caught between rage and a pull she can’t name, Sienna fights the heat growing with every near miss—Roman’s too damn solid, too damn close, and she’s torn between shoving him away and pulling him in. The empire’s crumbling, the cliff’s falling, and Ezra’s not the only shadow circling—something darker watches, waiting. Love’s a gamble when blood’s the stake, and Sienna’s playing with a deck her father rigged. Can she trust Roman’s hands to hold her up, or will the crown they’re fighting for crush them both in its ashes?