Of Mice And Men Final Scene

My name is Evelyn Brown. I represent the company in the IPO bidding process. Halfway through my presentation, I notice everyone in the room staring at me with puzzled expressions. In that instant, I realize my PowerPoint slides have been swapped for a "Paid Surrogate" advertisement. The wording is utterly humiliating. "I've lived the first 20 years of my life in a poor mountain village. I'm healthy and can promise a son. My price is negotiable." I rush backstage, only to see the impoverished student my father, Eric Brown, has sponsored for years laughing uncontrollably. Leaning against my fiance, Dwayne Woodruff, Katherine Cadwell says, "Oh, Ms. Brown, don't be upset! I was just teasing you to lighten the mood. You just got back home. Don't stress yourself out so much." I grab her arm, insisting she come out and explain herself. But out of nowhere, Dwayne shoves me to the floor. "You've just returned," he says. "We only pulled a little prank on you because we didn't want you to be too tense. If you can't handle even this amount of pressure, how can you be expected to take over the company?" I can't help but scoff. Right in front of them, I send the live recording straight to my father, the CEO. Without a second thought, I dial his number. "Dad, look at what your 'star scholarship student' just pulled. Can we have her and Dwayne kicked out of the company?"

On the night Valen Varesi's dying first love went into labor, his parents stationed armed men outside my suite to make sure I stayed far away from the private maternity floor and the birth of the Varesi family's heir. I never gave them the scene they were expecting. Not when Sabina Orsini was taken into surgery, not when the baby's first cry carried through the corridor, and not when the whole family finally relaxed. His mother sat beside Sabina's bed, clutching her hand with relief. "As long as we're here," she said, "that barren wife of his won't get anywhere near you or the baby." Valen stood at Sabina's side, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a tenderness I had once believed was mine. "Don't worry," he said. "My father has men covering every exit. If Nerina tries anything, she'll be gone before the night is over." Only then did he finally let himself breathe. As far as Valen was concerned, he had done nothing unforgivable. He had granted a dying woman one final wish and secured the bloodline his family had demanded for years. I was the one refusing to be reasonable. He had even decided that if I came later, apologized to Sabina, and stopped fighting him, he might be generous enough to let me raise the boy in name and keep my place as Mrs. Varesi. What never crossed his mind was that I had already made my decision. By the time Valen finally opens the "gift" I left for his heir ceremony, I will already be gone. And the only thing waiting for him inside is a divorce notice, a twin pregnancy report— and the truth that the children carrying his real bloodline will never call him father.

Lucy Quinn has only loved one man her entire life, Adrian Matthews. Adrian is her childhood sweetheart and they’ve been betrothed since she was sixteen. But in the final year of college, just when they were supposed to get married, Adrian changes and starts treating her coldly. She is devastated and soon falls in love with the new transfer student. Now she is torn between two men, one that loves her and another that can save her father’s dying business. Who will she choose?

Selina Morrison was a Tomboy to the bones. She was repulsed by men but not until she met Brian Rivers. Brian swung into her life like a knight and melted down the walls of her cold heart. Selina couldn’t help falling in love with him. She gave up her fortune just to be with him and helped him rise to a prestigious CEO. After three years when Selina was expecting Brian to sweep her off her feet and give her a ring, she walked into a public scene of her boyfriend kissing another woman. That woman was her best friend. Torn by Brian’s and her friend's cruel betrayer, Selina swore off loving another man. She returned to a Die-hard tomboy and vowed revenge on Brian. But what if bedding the hot sexy Billionaire Travis Scott, seems to be the only way to achieve the revenge she so much desired?

Maximus Carter is an outstanding detective in the city of St. Valen appointed to the cases of a notorious syndicate called "Nightcrawlers". In his chase to catch the bad men lurking in the shadows—Iris Dane Anderson—the most powerful member of the Nightcrawlers, came in the scene dressed in sheep's clothing to offer her help to be his co-detective. Masked like a friend, but a foe from behind—Iris Dane dragged him to the dark world she's living at. Soon, Maximus finds out her true motives, along with the great catastrophes she have up on her sleeves.

Willow Anberline has an unfortunate experience on the eve of her daughter Zoey's sixth birthday. The nanny is killed on the scene, and her only daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious Lycan pack. Even more shocking, the dog in Willow's house, Alpha, suddenly turns into a lycan and saves Willow from danger. A handsome man named Kyler reveals himself to be the proper form of Alpha, who has been in disguise all along. That's not the only problem Willow has to deal with. The appearance of Zoey's father, Willow's first love, puts her between a rock and a hard place. Willow is on two tracks, which confuses her because these two men move in their own way to save Zoey. Meanwhile, both make Willow's heart flutter with their kindness and care. To save Zoey, and later, who knows which love Willow will have to choose.

Wendy Lloyd's first love, Hudson Clark, treats me like a walking blood bank. Because of that, I end up dying in the rented apartment Wendy has given to me out of contemptuous pity. Today is the third day of my death. My six-year-old son, Terry Heath, finally realizes that something is wrong with me. When he accidentally cuts his finger from playing with his toys, I don't coax him at all. When he tears open a pack of cookies and feeds one to me, I don't stop him at all. When he lies in my arms and grips me by the hem of my shirt while calling out to me softly, I don't respond to him at all. Feeling rather uneasy, Terry finds my phone and calls Wendy. "Mommy, why is Daddy still asleep?" Wendy responds by sending a photo of her and Hudson enjoying a holiday feast together. She then says coldly, "He's just asleep, not dead. Today is Christmas Eve, so I'm very busy right now. "Tell that arrogant father of yours that he's only free to visit me whenever he's ready to acknowledge his mistakes." After that, the call ends. Terry is left feeling stunned for a long time. Finally, he digs out the last cookie from the trash can and snaps it in half. Then, he feeds it to me again. "Daddy, let's eat."

Veronica, a musician in a band, finds herself on a sticky wicket when she realizes that the man of her dreams—Théo Reynaud—is an elaborate masquerade to his danger-seeking alter ego. As she tries to stay relevant in the music scene, she battles depression and bouts of anxiety while dealing with a dysfunctional long-distance relationship. Théo is a fashion model striving to make a good living in the cutthroat industry while moonlighting as an informant. After a vindictive crime boss endangers his family, he is tasked to complete his final assignment to keep his loved ones out of harm's way, and be with the woman he loves. ▬▬▬▬▬▬ genres: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE, CRIME, DRAMA ▬▬▬▬▬▬ This is a work of fiction. Places, characters, dialogues, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. This story contains profanity, sexual themes, drug usage, and some violence intended for mature readers. Read at your own risk. [DISCLAIMER: The author does not own the original images on the book cover.]

“Love was never part of the deal." When Lila Voss inherits a mysterious estate, she doesn’t expect to find six men already living there; each more captivating than the last. Among them is Shay, the gentle writer who steals her heart. But when he dies under suspicious circumstances, Lila uncovers a shocking truth: All six men “made a deal with the estate” for their wealth, talents, and power in exchange for binding themselves to her. They were never free to love her. They were pawns in a deadly curse, and her stepmother has been pulling the strings all along. Now, heartbroken and furious, Lila must decide: Will she destroy them all in revenge? Or will one of them prove his love was real? But the mansion won’t let her leave... and the curse demands a final sacrifice.

*** What would you do if you were adopted by one of the wealthiest and most prestigious families in New York City, only to be treated like garbage for ten years just because you’re diagnosed with dyslexia? What would you do if on the third anniversary of your marriage, you find out that your dearly beloved husband is not only cheating on you with your spoiled, bratty adopted sister, but he also asks her to marry him behind your back? In Astrid’s case, she’s furious and heartbroken. All she wants is revenge. So she accepts a stranger’s invitation to a sex club and ends up enjoying a rough, passionate night with Silvan Rourke, the ruthless demon king of Wall Street… and her step brother. When Astrid finds out that she’s the heir to a winery company worth millions of dollars, she flees New York City but makes a grand return five years later to exact her revenge on the Montessori family for the years of abuse she suffered in their home. This time, she’s not alone. Astrid returns with little twin girls — the results of her passionate night with Silvan. But there’s a problem. The girls bear a striking resemblance to Silvan Rourke and the grumpy billionaire is starting to suspect that they might be his. Ultimately, Astrid has two missions: she must exact her revenge on the Montessori family and also prevent Silvan from finding out that Zoey and Zahra are his children. Will she succeed, or will forbidden chemistry spark between the step-siblings once again? Only one way to find out!!