Preferential Treatment

Luciano De La Vega, known as Diablo, is a cold and untouchable billionaire. Feared by his employees and misunderstood by the world, he hides a devastating truth: a fatal heart condition with no cure. To protect others from grief, Luciano builds walls so high that no one can reach him. Camila Torres never imagined her path would cross with the infamous Diablo, until a heated argument over a taxi ride pits her fiery temper against his ruthless arrogance. Days later, their families force them into a contract marriage: for her, a desperate attempt to save her father’s bankrupt business; for him, a duty to his family legacy. Bound by resentment, their union is anything but loving. Yet when a vengeful former employee threatens their lives, the fire between them sparks into an unexpected passion. In Camila, Luciano discovers not just a partner, but a reason to live again. Her pregnancy gives him hope, pushing him to seek treatment for his failing heart. But joy turns to heartbreak when Luciano’s bitter step-sister poisons their newborn son, shattering their world. Grief threatens to tear them apart, but through pain and healing, they learn that love is the strongest heartbeat of all. The Diablo’s Heartbeat is a sweeping tale of power, passion, and redemption proving that even the coldest heart can be revived by love.

After a venomous snake bites me, my husband, Daniel Dawson, injects the only antivenom into my adopted sister, Grace Winton. Before I black out, I see my parents, Daniel, and my son, Ethan Dawson, all gathered around Grace, while I lie alone on the grass, completely ignored. When I come to, my colleague shakes his head and tells me the toxin has already spread. Within 48 hours, my body will begin to rot from the inside, and I'll die in unbearable pain. I give up the conservative plan and swallow a potent painkiller instead. Over the next two days, I transfer the hospital my grandfather gave me and every asset in my name to Grace. I divorce Daniel and place both his and Ethan's hands into Grace's. When I put Grace's name on the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis treatment protocol I've spent five years developing, they finally smile, hold my hand, and tell me we're finally a real family. I stay silent and only smile at them. I wonder what their faces will look like two days later when they see my body.

Reader Warning: This book contains explicit erotic content, including BDSM elements, power exchange, dominance and submission, rough intimacy, and mature themes. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Reader discretion is strongly advised. Blurb “I want you to be mine, Andrea.” A gasp leaves my mouth. “W-what did you say?” “I want to offer you the life you’re pretending to have. I can clear your family’s debt in one call and pay for your brother’s treatment while you live the life you’ve been faking.” “I don’t understand… why me?” “You walked into a room full of people who would have devoured you and almost held it together perfectly,” he says. “I find that interesting.” When the devil disguised as Tristan Hale offers desperate Andrea a one-year contract to be his, under his rules, in his bed, with no love, no promises, and no future... she accepts, hoping to clear her family’s crushing debt and save her brother’s life. But what happens when pretending starts to feel real, when survival turns into burning desire, and when the man who was never meant to keep her becomes the one she cannot walk away from?

To save my family, I was dying of silver poisoning, my fiancé Marcus, the Alpha who had promised to never abandon me, now wanted to harvest my healthy kidney for my parents' adopted daughter, Celeste. Nobody cares if I live or die So I refused the conservative treatment plan. I injected myself with the witch's life potion. The price? In 72 hours, I would die from complete organ failure. In those three days, I gave my private healing center—the one I'd built with my own hands—to Celeste. Mom and Dad beamed with joy. "Good girl, you've finally grown up. You're taking care of your sister now." Marcus wanted to postpone our wedding to care for Celeste. I accepted it calmly. He praised me for finally being understanding. I even gave up my position as the pack's chief healer to Celeste. My parents and Marcus were so excited they planned to throw her a grand celebration ball. They invited every important person with status in the pack to honor her new role. I was just curious about one thing. After I died, would they shed a single tear for me?

Avery's world is shattered when her pack is raided by the bloodhounds, and she's thrust into a living nightmare of slavery. Torn from everything she's ever known, Avery must endure unimaginable torment, her spirit tested to the limits of human endurance. Yet, even as pain and betrayal haunt her every step, a glimmer of hope sustains her - the promise of a special life awaiting her. When Avery is finally brought face-to-face with the enigmatic Red Alpha, a man of untamed power and lethal charm, her world is shaken once more. Despite her wild fear of him, Avery feels an undeniable passion ignite between them, a connection that's both exhilarating and terrifying. But the Red Alpha is a complex and conflicted figure, hot and cold in his treatment of Avery. His tender moments only deepen her torment, his cruelty a brutal reminder of her captivity. Desperate for freedom, Avery escapes, only to discover that betrayal and manipulation extend far beyond her prison walls. As Avery navigates a treacherous landscape of ancient secrets, buried prophecies, and powerful enemies, she must rise above her suffering to unlock a strength she never knew she had. But will Avery conquer the darkness and take back what is rightfully hers? Or will the pain of her past and the wrath of her enemies destroy her chance at redemption?

My father suffered a heart attack and collapsed. Emergency treatment required the installation of a cardiac stent. I asked my husband to approve an expense of 10 thousand dollars for the surgery. Cameron Lister, the CEO, refused coldly, "The company and family accounts have been frozen recently because of a major project. Your father has medical insurance, so just use a cost-effective domestic stent for now." He was the sole administrator of all the bank cards in my family. His reply made me sorrowfully realize something. Even though I was a genius architectural designer with an annual income of 600 thousand dollars, I was still not worthy of choosing a better life-saving device for my own father. It was a Twitter post forwarded by a colleague, freshly and gleefully posted by the company intern Wendy. [Cameron is so nice. I just said I liked painting, and he gave me a million dollars to organize an art exhibition. I love him so much!] I looked at my father lying on an extra bed in the hospital corridor, groaning in pain, and then looked at the photo of them sweetly embracing each other. I finally understood that Cameron had perhaps never truly loved me. He had only treated me as a stepping stone for his soaring career, and as a tool for him to exploit without limits. 'If this is what you want, Cameron, then don't blame me for being ruthless,' I said inwardly.

After a fire broke out at the company, I shoved the only rescue rope into the hands of my husband, Peyton Shepherd. However, he yanked the smoke mask off my face and turned to secure it on his secretary, Hannah Russell, instead. Peyton escaped using the rescue rope, and Hannah remained unharmed thanks to the mask. I collapsed from inhaling toxic smoke, and then a falling pillar crashed into my stomach. Blood pooled beneath me. Just as the firefighters lifted me onto a stretcher, Peyton grabbed me and pulled me back down. "Serena, it's just a minor injury. Why are you lying on the stretcher? Let Hannah go to the hospital first. Her condition is serious, and she needs a comprehensive medical exam!" The firefighters and paramedics stared in shock. They looked at my blood-soaked dress, then Hannah crying pitifully over her blistered hand. My colleagues tried to intervene. "But Mr. Shepherd, Serena's injuries are clearly more severe!" Peyton snarled through gritted teeth. "Enough! I'm Serena's husband. Don't you think I know her condition? If Hannah's treatment gets delayed because of this, none of you will escape the consequences!" I pressed my hand against my slightly swollen lower abdomen and nodded, agreeing to let Hannah take the ambulance first. I decided that from this moment forward, neither I nor my unborn child owed Peyton anything.

I accidentally saw a notification pop up on my husband’s phone saying that an automatic transfer had been completed when I was using it for navigation. Immediately after that, his ex-girlfriend, Wanda Blake, sent him a message on WhatsApp: [I’ve received this month’s 10,000 dollars for child support. Thank you, Koah. I don't know what I would have done without you.] I froze. “Child support? “Koah, you told me that the money you send every month was for medical expenses for your mother’s treatment!” Koah Quinn’s expression stiffened as he explained, “Honey, don’t misunderstand. I just felt that life has become really hard for her because she’s a woman raising a child on her own. Her ex-husband refuses to pay child support, so I wanted to help her out…” I touched the old watch on my wrist. The one I had not replaced in years to save money, and felt extremely disappointed. “Your monthly salary is only 6,000 dollars. Where did you get so much money to send her?” He was silent for some time before finally admitting. “I used the money we had set aside for the new house’s downpayment.” I was stunned. He had taken the money my parents had scrimped and saved for decades for me as downpayment for a home and then transferred it to his ex-girlfriend as child support.

Yvanna Summer dreamed of marrying a billionaire as it was the only way she could think of she could be of help to her deprived family. Indeed she married one, Norman Paul dela Vega, who inherited his grandfather's multi-billion corporation. She endured her ruthless and cold-hearted mother-in-law and busy husband. Living with Norman for the past seven years, Yvanna kept her mouth shut despite the unfair treatment she received from everyone in the mansion. One morning, Norman came home from his one-week election campaign and handed her a duly signed divorce agreement. His reason? Yvanna failed to do her job being his wife. But that was not the case for her. She knew deep inside, that she was the wife material for every man. "Five million dollars for those who can give me the exact address of my wife's whereabouts!" He announced with conviction in the middle of his press conference. "Another five million dollars for those who can bring her to me alive and unscratched." Norman found her, wearing an elegant evening gown, and was the most gorgeous woman who joined the festival pageant. Without wasting a second of his time, Norman bought her flowering offer worth ten million dollars, in exchange, SAVING THE LAST DANCE for him. They got the chance to talk and claimed her to be his wife. Unfortunately, Yvanna remembers nothing about him. What would Norman do in this kind of situation?

Raising your own child was natural. But raising another’s child was totally different. When Hannah wholeheartedly played the mommy and daddy role to Elisha, it had been her greatest fear to one day have the child’s real parents knocking on her door to take their unwanted baby back. But for four years, Hannah and Elisha managed to live peacefully. Just when Elisha’s real parents, Olive and Nate were about to tie the knot, Olive was found pregnant with another man. To be able to have her freedom, she told Nate, who surprisingly had no knowledge that he fathered a child, about Elisha. Furious that his daughter was kept secret from him for years, Nate took Elisha from Hannah. But up to what lengths could a mother go to keep her child? Even if Hannah didn’t give birth to Elisha, she’d do everything in her capacity to fight for her daughter. Even if it would mean going against the heartless and dangerous Billionaire, Nate Sarmiento in the process. Even if it seemed like she didn’t have a right, Hannah still raised his child and that’s an irreversible fact. But would Hannah survive the harsh treatment before she could even see Elisha again? If she would, what about from Nate’s charms? Could her inexperienced heart handle the danger of falling in love with a man who loves someone else?