Private Moscow

At three in the morning, I stare at the unknown transaction record on my phone screen, my fingertips turning cold. The record is for a payment of 2980 dollars, made for an executive suite at the Wisteria. The time of payment was 8:00 pm last night. My husband, Tristan Griffin, is a detective. He was on the night shift last night. I clutch my phone, my knuckles turning white as I text Tristan, "I just saw your credit card bill for a hotel stay last night. What's up with that?" His reply is instant. "Our team had to work overtime at the last minute, so they put us up at the hotel. I forgot to tell you about it." I scan the text and sputter. The Wisteria is located in the western region of the city, which is on the other end from where his squad is stationed. I don't press him for more details and click on the bank app on my phone. Having found the vendor's address through the payment record, I sent it to my best friend, Rowena Sheffield, who works as a private detective. She replies instantly with an "OK" emoji and follows up with, "Give me a second. I'll find out everything you want in a jiffy!"

On my birthday, my fiancé used his supermarket points to get me a pair of dishwashing gloves. But at an auction, he bought a five-million-dollar gem for his first love. I was mad, confronting him, but he called me a gold digger. "I've been giving you money to spend. Isn't it only right that you take care of me? This was supposed to be my final test for you. If you passed, we'd get married. You've let me down big time." I broke up with him. He turned around and proposed to his first love. Five years later, we ran into each other on a private vacation island. Alex Thompson saw me in the workers' uniform picking up trash on the beach. He mocked me on the spot. "You turned your nose up at the gloves I got you, and here you are, scavenging garbage. Now, even if you begged me, I wouldn't give you a second glance." I ignored him. My son's social studies project was to clean up the backyard with a parent. His dad had expanded the yard all the way to the beach. Cleaning it up was exhausting.

My husband's gym was celebrating its grand opening, so I grabbed my best friend and headed over under the guise of "checking the place out," armed with a $10 trial class we had snagged from a group deal. I never once mentioned that I was the owner's wife. The moment we wrapped up the workout, a female trainer slapped a price sheet into our hands and gave us a look that could cut glass. "Let me guess, you two came here to milk the freebies? Our private training sessions cost hundreds. They're not here for people like you to exploit." I let out a disbelieving laugh. "We bought a perfectly valid trial class. How does that make us freeloaders? Get your manager." She rolled her eyes, acting like she was the rules. "Call whoever you want! The owner is my boyfriend, and he can't stand penny-pinchers who show up trying to mooch off his gym." Then, right in front of us, she called him—voice raised, dramatic, dripping with fake indignation. "Babe, there are two cheapskates in your gym demanding the manager. Come deal with them for me!"

She runs into a man's private room as she's being chased down by someone, and she becomes his cure. After a night of passion, she stabs the man in the chest without hesitation before fleeing. Unexpectedly, the man becomes addicted to her and chases her all the way to Jipsfort. He pulls all sorts of tricks to lure her into his trap of lust. "What is it about me that attracts you so, Xavier?" Quinn Jowell asks. Xavier Patterson answers, "Your beautiful eyes, dainty nose, slender waist, and the way you look underneath me…" "You just want to get into my pants. Let's break up." He pulls her into his arms and seals her lips with his. "Over my dead body. Don't even dream about breaking up with me in your next lifetime, let alone this one." Everyone says that Xavier, the heir of the Patterson family, isn't interested in women. Quinn, whose legs are trembling, looks at Xavier while he lies in bed, looking sated. She can't help but think everyone is blind. Xavier is nothing but a monster who can never get his fill of her!

On New Year's Eve, my husband, Max Davis, took me to a private dinner hosted by a big industry player. We had barely made our way around the room when a strange woman suddenly shoved me into the pool. When I insisted on checking the surveillance footage and calling the police, Max firmly held me back. He warned me to "remember my place" and not embarrass him in front of everyone. In the brief time I changed into another gown, I returned to find that same woman perched on my husband's lap, her red lipstick leaving traces on his collar. "Max, you're right! That nasty scar on her stomach really does look like a centipede. It's so hideous!" She giggled with mock innocence, adding, "It's been so fun messing with your wife. Next time, can I slap her when no one's looking?" Meanwhile, Max gazed at her like she was the only woman in the world, gently tracing his finger over her nose. "Of course, you can," he replied, eyes still locked on hers. "I'll even tie her hands behind her back for you."

Six years of marriage, and I'm finally pregnant! My husband is an Alpha. To give him an heir, I had gone through countless rounds of ovulation shots, swallowed all sorts of herbal concoctions made by witch doctors, and even been forced to insert some strange things into my private parts! But now, it's worked! I planned a romantic road trip, hoping to surprise him when we got to the resort. Of course, he insisted we bring Kelly along. Kelly is his Beta—beautiful, tough, and a bit of a warrior. The heat was unbearable, so I went to the trunk to grab a soda from the small cooler, but Kelly accused me of trying to smash her with it. "Apologize to Kelly!" my husband ordered firmly. "No! I didn't do anything!" I protested. So, they both dumped me in the middle of nowhere. It took everything I had to escape the three Rogues who were after me. But when I finally made it back to the hotel, I found Kelly on top of my husband. "Ana, you can't have children. Kelly just wanted to help us have one," he said shamelessly.

“I spent years loving you in the shadows; you rewarded me by letting me burn.” Evelyn Vance was the quiet bride his grandfather to protect the family empire. While he gave his heart to another, Evelyn endured the cold distance, believing patience would one day soften him. Then the fire came. On the night she went into labor, flames swallowed the private hospital. Damian left her calls unanswered, choosing to protect Aria. The world believed Evelyn died in the blaze. She didn’t. Rescued by Damian’s most dangerous rival, Evelyn vanished and rebuilt herself from ash. Five years later, she returns as “The Queen,” a formidable mogul with the power to dismantle Blackwood Industries piece by piece. At her side stands Silas, a brilliant child who hides familiar violet eyes behind dark glasses. When a devastating accident reveals Silas carries Damian’s rare Rh-null “Golden Blood,” pride becomes a luxury Evelyn can no longer afford. To save her son, she must face the man who once let her burn. Will Damian finally earn her forgiveness, or will the Queen walk away forever?

"He was her protector by duty, and she became his downfall by fate, and the only man who could break her heart while trying to keep it safe." ~~~~~~~~~~ She was born into privilege. He was forged in blood. Their love was never meant to exist until it ignited a war. Fresh out of college and on the verge of launching her dream fashion brand, The Bella Versailles, Isabella Moretti is living every girl's dream until her powerful father reveals that their family is under threat, and she must hide. Furious and craving one last night of freedom, Isabella sneaks into her father’s exclusive nightclub and ends up in the arms of Nikolai Volkov, a dangerous, ruthless leader of the Russian mafia and her assigned protector. Trapped on a private island with him, Isabella’s defiance clashes with Nikolai’s control. But what begins as sparks turns into fire, and Isabella finds herself falling for the one man she’s been ordered to betray by feeding his secrets outside. And when Nikolai discovers the betrayal, their world comes crashing down leaving Isabella pregnant, heartbroken, and in the hands of an enemy who wants her dead. Will their love survive the empire that tried to destroy them both?

Seraphina Vale has always been a survivor. Bullied mercilessly by her affluent college classmates and betrayed by her closest friend, Isla Kensington, Seraphina has spent years hiding behind a quiet, unassuming façade. Her turning point comes when Isla’s ultimate betrayal, she leaked Seraphina’s private journal containing intimate reflections about her deceased mother and that led to a public humiliation so devastating that Seraphina ends up hospitalized. Emotionally shattered and at her lowest point, Seraphina stumbles upon Adrian Montclair, a charismatic yet ruthless Mafia boss who offers her an unexpected lifeline. Adrian, a man haunted by his own dark past, sees something in Seraphina that reminds him of the person he used to be: broken but not irreparable. He offers her a "contract." He will help her rebuild herself, reclaim her life, and exact justice against those who wronged her. In return, she must agree to one favor in the future, the nature of which he will not reveal. Desperate and with nothing to lose, Seraphina accepts, plunging herself into Adrian’s dangerous world.

For five years, I was Alpha Damon’s secret. On the surface, I was his personal Beta. His most trusted second-in-command. In private, I was his fated mate. The one he was obsessed with. He wanted to be inside me every night, to lose himself in my body forever. Then, I got pregnant. I was so excited to tell him we were starting a family. But when I went to find him, he had another she-wolf pinned to his desk. His bite marks littered her skin. "I waited ten years for my fated mate, but she never came," he growled. "Chloe. You will be my chosen mate. My only one." Her answering moan shattered my soul. My wolf howled in agony. The pain of his betrayal was so intense, I felt a horrible cramp. Then, blood. I lost our baby. When I woke up in the hospital, I made a call I hadn't made in five years. "Brother," I choked out. "That arranged mating with Alpha Ethan? I'll do it."