Opium Birds

“You're a long way from safe, Miss Allard,” he whispers, his fingers tracing the strap of my bra until I shiver. "If you want to turn around, I’d suggest you do so now.” I stare up at him, watching as his dilated grey eyes dip to my cleavage. “Where will I go, Mr. Sinclair?” I ask, pulling him closer until our lips are inches apart. “Where can I go that you won’t find me?” **** 24 year old Ava Jade Allard has a few problems, but like most issues, there’s nothing a little money can't fix. So when Ava attends an art show to sell a few of her paintings to some of the richest, high-society members of New York, she’s sure she can kill two birds with one very rich stone. In and out, just like she hoped. But New York seems set on eating Ava whole, and as one mess leads to another, she finds herself in the arms of Billionaire Leonel Sinclair, a ruthless CEO who is still dealing with the consequences of a scandal he was entangled in 4 years ago. Now more desperate than when she started, Ava reluctantly turns to this stone-cold, terrifying, but somehow insanely hot Billionaire to help her set right what was wronged 4 years ago, while somehow doing the same for him, and with one contract marriage, Ava signs away her single status, anonymity and possibly her soul. Will this contract fix the manytraumatic wrongs of her past, or will Ava crumble under the weight of her grey-eyed, stoic CEO, whom she seems less and less able to keep her body and heart away from with each passing day? What happens when Ava agrees to these reckless vows and emerges as the Billionaire’s Bride?

I'm eight months pregnant when I suddenly faint on the train. My husband panics and cries for help as he kneels beside me. An interning doctor hurries to me. She doesn't bother checking my condition before saying, "The patient needs to undergo a C-section! We have to get the baby out now, or it might die of suffocation!" Then, she slices me open with a fruit knife—she doesn't take any precautionary measures before doing so. She takes my child out. I'm in so much pain that I don't even have the strength to scream. My blood flows everywhere. Yet, a photo of her holding my baby while standing in a pool of blood goes viral. People call her the prettiest doctor alive. My husband and his family are eternally grateful to her. They don't go after her for causing my death; they even make her my child's godmother! Meanwhile, I'm given a simple cremation. No one cares about me. After my death, all my assets go to my husband and his family. Only then do I hear my husband and the doctor talking to each other, sounding smug. "This plan killed two birds with one stone. We got rid of that woman and made ourselves out to be heroes!" That's when I learn the interning doctor is my husband's junior from high school. They got together when he accompanied me to my prenatal checkups! She failed her internship, so my husband came up with this idea—he wanted to use my death to boost her reputation and help her! Even my child eventually died under their "care". When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day we get on the train.

Tyler Zimmerman had only 36 hours left to get married. Otherwise, his father’s business empire will be reduced to nothing by his step mother. However, his father added a stipulation in his will that he can marry anyone except Sophia. General Max came up with a solution, under the guise of marriage they're going to hit two birds with one stone. Protecting Jade to carry out her mission without being suspected as their informant and satisfying the conditions of his father's will to obtain his inheritance. Despite himself he married Jade Leitner, the expert hacker who wanted to avenge the death of her parents. But along their mission, an unexpected thing happened…. "What have I done to deserve this? What was my crime that you're punishing me for?" Jade eyed him, seeking an answer. "You left and robbed me." Jade's eyes grew wide in shock. "No, I didn't take anything from you, you must be wrong." With a smirk he said, "I'm an honest man and wouldn't fabricate a story." "What did I steal from you?" Jade shook her head, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "You stole my heart," Tyler bared his heart to her without holding back. Finding his confession ridiculous, Jade let out a humorless chuckle. "You made a mistake, Sophia is the real culprit." "I'm certain, you are the thief who stole my heart," Tyler insisted. "If you say so, I'm giving your heart back," Jade was stone-faced, her voice edged with scorn. "Don't give it back, I'll steal your heart and we'll get even," he said and reached out to caress her face but Jade dodged his touch. "You have nothing to steal from me anymore as I don't have my heart with me. I have given it away," Jade said emotionlessly.