Pampering Myself Quotes

"Marry me. Twelve months. No feelings. Just business." Lucas Anderson, billionaire CEO and certified cold-hearted jerk, just offered me a deal I can't afford to refuse. But here's the problem. Lucas is the man who ruined my life. He doesn’t recognize me, not as Mia, the girl he once loved and left behind. Now I’m Emma Smith, his assistant. And future fake wife. I should hate him. I promised myself I would. But every time he looks at me like I still matter, it gets harder to keep my secret… and even harder to keep my heart.

"Bless me daddy, for I have sinned." Geoff Vasily was a sick bastard. He was depraved. I knew something was off about him the moment I saw his slicked golden hair and stony gray eyes. I used to live a cheap, albeit independent life supporting myself and my mother, despite my eighteen years of existence. The day he walked into the cafè, I knew the Devil had just walked into our lives. I told her not to take the card, but she didn't listen. Now, he doesn't even look at my mother. He's fixated on me. My stepfather. My doom.

I am Elias Vance, and my life is a well-oiled lie. I don’t build empires; I dismantle them. For years, I’ve served the shadowy organization known only as The Syndicate, trained to be their most effective weapon—a corporate ghost who infiltrates, exploits, and destroys. My latest target is Thorne Corp, a multi-billion-dollar tech conglomerate, and the man at its helm: Julian Thorne. Julian is everything I despise on principle: cold, impossibly wealthy, and guarded by a fortress of privilege. He is also the key to The Syndicate’s grand prize, and my mission is simple: get close, expose his vulnerabilities, and trigger a catastrophic failure that leaves Thorne Corp in ashes. The plan was airtight until I saw the cracks in his perfect facade. The closer I get, the more I realize the aloof CEO is carrying a burden heavier than his fortune—a legacy steeped in secrets and a profound, aching loneliness that mirrors my own. Every late night in his office, every accidental touch, every shared secret drags me deeper into the man I’m supposed to hate. The line between my duty and my desire doesn't just blur; it dissolves entirely. Now, The Syndicate is closing in, demanding the destruction I promised. I have access codes, damning information, and a clear shot to finish the mission. But completing it means condemning Julian and myself to a future where trust is impossible. To save him, I have to betray my masters. To save myself, I have to risk everything I know. In this game of corporate war, I am the obsidian proxy, caught between two powerful forces, and my only way out is a choice that will either end a dynasty or cost me my life.

It's the final round of this year's Pack Pup Tournament. I can't take my eyes off my pup, Patrick Grant, as he wins the title. When the host calls Patrick's parents onstage to celebrate, I leap up, thrilled. But then I see Nicholas Grant, my Alpha mate, walk up with his secretary, Natalia Lawson. They stand side by side under the spotlight, kissing Patrick on both cheeks. It's as if Natalia is the mother, as if she's the Luna of our pack, as if they're the perfect family. I can only stand there in the audience, feeling the weight of countless startled stares, too ashamed to lift my head. Later, Nicholas brushes the incident off. "You were seated farther back. It was easier to bring Natalia up on stage," he explains. Easier? I swallow the humiliation and force myself to believe it was just an unfortunate coincidence—until today, that is. I sense through our blood bond that something's wrong with Patrick, so I drop everything and race to the pack hospital. But when I arrive, Patrick is lying in Natalia's lap, whining to her in a soft voice. I step forward to introduce myself, but the healer only looks surprised. "The emergency contact form lists Natalia as his mom, though." It turns out Patrick himself had stripped me of my role as his mother. And Nicholas didn't stop him. I finally understand. I don't belong in this family anymore. That night, I tell Nicholas I want to dissolve the mate bond between us. He doesn't even look up as he says, "Don't be dramatic. You'd dissolve our bond over a single name on a form?" "Yes."

I’m trapped, trapped in a mate bond I hate. Will I ever escape its hold on me? “I, Than Sable, Alpha of the Amber Desert Pack, reject you Kaia Glace as my Luna.” I remember his cruel cutting words as if they were only yesterday. Our mate bond is non-existent. That’s a lie, it exists but Than doesn’t allow himself to get close to me…to be alone in a room with me. It’s as if I disgust him. He has reduced me to nothing. A shadow of a mate and I hate him for it. I can’t keep living like this, waiting… I am Kaia Glace, the rightful Luna of the Amber Desert pack. Yet my mate, Alpha Than, refuses to let me rule by his side. I feel cheated by the mate bond, unwanted by my own mate. Years I’ve spent trying to get him to love me…to see me…but how can I? When he has another…. I can’t stay, it isn’t safe for me anymore or my unborn child. A child created by force. I have to leave…to runaway and find my Father. He is the only lifeline I have. However, he was last seen at the enemy pack, the Dark Phantom pack. A notorious pack with a cold and scheming Alpha, who doesn’t take kindly to outsiders. It is said, those who enter the pack are never seen again. But I have no choice…into the enemy pack I must go to rid myself of my mate bond. Only, I myself find another. Another that dooms me to the same trickery of the mate bond.

‘Do you really think you own me?’ ‘Yes, yes I do.’ Running away isn’t an option now. I brought this upon myself by signing that document. She agreed to the marriage to make the only family she has happy. He agreed because it made business sense. However, buried beneath the polished smiles and diamond ring lies a secret soaked in betrayal. Alana Voss thinks she’s marrying to save her family’s legacy. Rafael D’Angelo thinks the lady he is marrying is just a pawn. Neither of them know that they’re walking into a trap set decades ago by one woman playing them both - Lucia Voss. It all started with a scent and a broken promise.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Emilia wondered, a cacophony of feelings turning inside her – bewilderment, rage, and something else she was not yet prepared to acknowledge. "Honestly? I wasn't sure how,” Alexander admitted. “And then everything with NexGen started unfolding, and I… I tried to convince myself it was better if we left things professional. Emilia made a small, cynical noise that was almost a laugh. "Professional? After we… after we…. you… promoted me to your personal assistant..." "Right after the most passionate night of my life?” Alexander completed. ... After a single night of heated passion, environmental engineer Emilia Thatcher was promoted to be the personal assistant of Trident Holdings' CEO, AlexandeKane. But she had no idea she's stepping into a carefully orchestrated trap.

"Previously published as Abducted by K.I. LynnThe mafia never lets you go.I thought I was safe, free, but I never expected to find myself locked in a cage.I’m in his territory. His prison.The beast.A fate worse than death awaits me if I can’t get away, so when the opportunity of salvation presents itself I grab it, even if I’m not sure I can trust the hand I’m holding.The only way out is through, exposing secrets and spilling blood.Things aren’t how they appear. Nobody is what they seem.Not even me.**Due to the dark and explicit nature of this book, it is recommended for mature audiences only as some scenes may be particularly disturbing. There are triggers.**"

Growing up, I always knew supernatural creatures were real. I could spot a vampire in an instant, or sense when something otherworldly was near. What baffled me was that I was stronger than all of them. At first, I believed I was one of them, but the more I learned about their kind, the more I doubted I belonged to any of their races. Eventually, I gave up searching for answers and settled into a human life, hiding in plain sight. Everything changed the day I met my mate—a warlock from the witches' coven and a notorious mermaid hunter. Through him, I began to unravel the truth about myself and discovered a destiny far greater than I could have imagined.

As long as I can remember, I've been plagued by strange dreams. He comes to me when I sleep, calling out to me with such love. His face is so familiar yet strange to my eyes. Every dream was just that, a dream, until a family heirloom was handed down to me. With the book now open, the man I yearned to see in my sleep... is now real. Thrown back into the 1800's I find myself having to solve the mystery behind the screams that haunted me, and the loving touch from my dreams. How can I save the love that calls to me when my mind is torn between right and wrong? Or will the past make its way to my present world before I can stop it?