Response To Grand Rising

Leon Vincent, the shark of Warren Street, is the one who raised me. Twelve years ago, a fire tore through the orphanage and took everything from me. He was the one who pulled me out of the flames and gave me a second chance at life. To repay him, we make a weird deal—a 99-debt contract. I have to either obey him or be abandoned 99 times. After that, the debt will be cleared. Every time he goes on a date with some high-society socialite, he'll toss another insanely expensive piece of jewelry into my safe. In just two short years after turning 18, I've accumulated 96 diamonds in my safe, each one marking the 96 times he's cast me aside. One day, his fiancee, Elena Harrington, sends me a provocative email. "Dearest Isabelle, Leon and I are finalizing the wedding invitations. Do you think velvet with gold foil or matte leather would be more elegant? The ceremony's early next month. Can't wait to see you there! Love, Elena." Right after that, Leon calls, asking me to pack his bags for the summit in Parienne tomorrow. I simply send the wedding gift I've prepared in advance—a seven-figure emerald necklace—straight to his darling Elena without any words. That night, Leon returns to the apartment and finds out what I've done. He praises me for being considerate. Late into the night, he pulls me into his arms with rare tenderness. Nothing is left between us; no clothes, no holding back. He whispers that he wants to give me a special kind of reward, one that only I can carry. Somehow, Elena discovers my pregnancy. She stands on the balcony of Vincent Estate, screaming like her life depends on it. "Leon, I'm begging you! Don't let her have that baby! If you do, I'll jump!" The cold and proud Leon begs me, for the first time, to get rid of the baby. Everyone at the party awaits my breakdown, but I just smile softly and nod. "Alright. I will." He whispers in my ear, "Our marriage is just a business arrangement. I don't even like her. Once we're divorced, I'll give you another baby." What he fails to realize is that it was never in my plans to keep this one. There are only three more times left before I pay off this life debt from when he pulled me out of that fire all those years ago. After the 99th time, I board a ship bound for Azara to join a medical research mission. From that moment on, my life will be mine alone to live for.

Love leads to madness. Killian Benjamin Archer watched it happen to his father after his cherished wife's death. But when his elderly father arranges to marry flame-haired golddigger, Skye Sinclair, Ben, as he is known to his friends, is compelled to take drastic measures to stop the stunning beauty from taking advantage of the old business mogul. A marriage of mutual pleasure could be convenient, indeed … as long as unwanted feelings don't interfere. Desperation forced Skye to agree to marry an old madman. The arrangement will offer the protection she needs. Or so she believes until the billionaire's distractingly handsome son looks closer at the fine print of the contract… and takes his father's place ! Now, the easy, boring and, more importantly, secure union Skye planned, has been exchanged for one simmering with wicked temptation and potential heartbreak. Because as she begins to fall for her devilishly seductive husband, her dark secrets surface and threaten to ruin them both … unless Ben is willing to risk all and open his heart to love.

In the face of an arranged marriage with lycan, Selena decided to elope with her boyfriend, Ethan. However, on the night of elopement, she found her scumbag boyfriend had an affair with her stepsister! She changed her mind, and agreed to marry her arranged husband. Selena ghosted Ethan, who was awaiting her the whole night for elopement. Knowing Selena was to marry someone else, he was shocked, and felt regretful for his adultery with Elsa, Selena's step sister. Selena honored the agreement of marriage, and moved in lycan's pack as his fiancee. But quickly she found the lycan king was entangled with his first love, and what was worse: her to-be-husband's twin brother — Axel, that is the lycan king, was her fated mate! What will happen next? Will Axel be able to make his brother’s arranged bride his luna? Who will Selena choose especially when Ethan will stop at nothing to have her back?

Blanche Lucille Emerson, a relentless and calculating Captain haunted by the loss of her wife, Venus, in a mysterious accident. Now driven by a thirst for vengeance, Blanche navigates a world of secrets, betrayal, and political machinations as she digs into the layers of deceit that surround her family's powerful pharmaceutical empire. Alongside her, Yama Laine, a trusted ally, and Cessair, her estranged sister, reveal their own hidden agendas. Blanche uncovers a vast conspiracy linked to General Grey and an underground organization known as the Black Spectre, which her father, Silas Grey, once controlled. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes that not only her wife’s death but also her parents' and countless others' were orchestrated to protect a dark secret connected to her family. As Blanche takes calculated risks and enlists Yama’s help, her plan teeters between survival and self-destruction. Along the way, her encounters with spies like Aracelli and the revelation of her sister Cessair’s resentment deepen the conflict. Old alliances crumble, as personal motivations clash, and long-buried truths about her family and its ties to the Black Market come to light. All the while, Blanche's mind is torn between her mission and her lingering love for Venus. With a final showdown on the horizon, the question remains: Can Blanche take down the enemy and clear her family’s name, or will the weight of the past bury her alive? Catch-22: To Die is To Live Hard is a story of revenge, loyalty, and the heavy price of uncovering the truth.

Luciano Everyone thought my wife was dead, but I never stopped searching for her. When I finally found her, the timid young woman I forced to marry me was all gone. In her place was a fiercely independent woman who hated my guts. I might have deserved it. But did it stop me from dragging her, her secret child and her best friend back to New York City with me? Absolutely not. My wife belonged with me and it was time I proved it to her. Grace Life on the run had some benefits. Your mobster husband could no longer use you. Nor could your rotten family who wanted you dead. Instead, I was living my best life ever in a tiny Sicilian village with my son and best friend. Until we were found. My husband dragged us all back, but this time I was determined to fight him. I wouldn’t fall for his charms and hot kisses again because I had so much more to lose this time around. If only my heart would get on board with my plans.

A betrayed politician’s wife. A rebel alpha with nothing to lose. A town crawling with secrets. And a war waiting to ignite between blood and fang. Calla Hart thought the worst thing her husband could do was cheat. She was wrong. After catching Senator Blake Hart in bed with a vampire and learning he’s part of the Crimson Order, a vampire mafia that wants her blood. Calla runs. Not for love but for survival. Because what’s in her veins isn’t normal. She hides in Ravenridge, a decaying supernatural border town where monsters walk like men and shadows bite back. A place where the veil between worlds is wearing thin. There, she crashes—literally—into Axel Cain, the 20-year-old Alpha of the Vanguard Pack, a feral biker gang that patrols Ravenridge like outlaw wolves. Axel doesn’t do politics. Doesn’t do mates. And definitely doesn’t do soft, wealthy women from the city. But something in Calla’s scent sets his wolf on fire. And when he learns who she’s running from—and what she really is—he makes a choice that will cost him everything: Keep her close. Claim her. And start a war that could burn the veil between their worlds. --- Extra Note for Readers This is a slow-burn paranormal romance with steamy heat, deep emotions, and an age-gap dynamic. She’s older, hunted, and secretly powerful. He’s younger, dominant, and doesn’t play nice. Together, they might save the town… or destroy it.

When her twin sister runs away on her wedding day, Elinra Cyrus is forced to take her place, to marry the cursed Alpha of the Zarek Pack. But the ceremony goes horribly wrong, binding her not to one… but three powerful hybrid Alphas. Trapped in a cold land ruled by secrets and moonlight, Elinra must navigate deadly passion, betrayal, and a curse born from forbidden love. As desire and danger intertwine, she discovers that one of the Alphas, the ruthless Kaelrix, might be her true mate… and the key to breaking the curse. But when betrayal comes from the people she loves most, Elinra must decide, surrender to fate, or rise against it and rewrite her destiny.

How do you survive when the only life you have known has been stolen from you? At six years old I was branded a murderer,blamed for what I knew nothing of and a slave to my cruel Aunt and Uncle. For fifteen years , I endured their abuse and believe the lies they told me. Until the day I was auctioned to the highest bidder: the arrogant Alpha Lukan. I thought being sold would only bring more misery, but instead it brought me to the powerful and mysterious Alpha of the Nightbane pack. He was ruthless yet kind , cold yet tender and seemed to promise me the love I have never known. But nothing is ever that simple. Why did he choose me? Why does he keep me close yet seem so distant, as if searching for something I can't see. But when the Moon Goddess decides to play chess with your life, you have no option but to move with the game. With every step I take, new secret stepped forward, eager to break the fragile happiness I have found. Now I must decide—am I just another pawn, or can I become the queen in a game I never choose to play

After a divorce from her billionaire husband following the return of his first love, Lana is left heartbroken, and confused,but also determined to get her father’s company from the hands of Andre and his family. With no one and nothing to fall back to, Lana decides to move to a new city far from Andre and his family. But the new life is more challenging than she thought, especially as a new and single mother. But Lana is determined to make things work for her and for her children. In her pursuit of a better life Lana runs into Cameron - a former college friend and love interest. Meeting Lana again after years of being apart reignites lost feelings in Cameron and he vows to win her love in any way he can even if it means fighting her enemies with her and helping her recover what she had lost. Will Lana, with the help of Cameron, recover her father’s company and finally accept his feelings for her or will she realize the honesty of her ex-husband’s feelings and finally forgive him?

"you will abort the baby" Anthony's voice was cold and rough. "I don't want a child" "I can't abort it" Avery's voice was small, fear hidden beneath it. Her hands went to her stomach instinctively and wrapped around it protectively. "It's not a request." Anthony's voice was calm but threatening and it stirred a warning inside Avery. A warning that he wasn't to be messed with. "It's an order. I own you for the next one year and you will do as I say" Avery wanted to yell at him but she couldn't. Even as he sat in a wheelchair, he still looked powerful and threatening. There was just something about him that scared people. "Now get lost" he rumbled and Avery's chest tightened. She couldn't bear to get rid of her only reason to hope. Her father kicked them out of the house months ago with no apparent means of survival and her mother had become gravely ill, bills piling up, and no one left to turn to, she agrees to the unthinkable. An arranged marriage to a dying billionaire she barely knows. He’s cold and cruel. And he makes it clear he wants nothing more than a convenient end to this marriage. But Avery’s not giving up that easily. If she’s going to sacrifice everything, she’s determined to make him fall for her, for hope and for the future neither of them planned