Romantic Paint

On the day of Zephyr’s art exhibition, I saw people stand around a portrait of myself. My cheeks were flushed, and I was bare. My posture was the one we used in bed last week for fun. Zephyr even got the mole on my chest right. As people stared at me mockingly, I demanded, “Why did you do this to me?” He was unbothered. “It’s not as if I asked you to sleep with someone else.” But he did let people see how I looked when I was having an intimate moment with my own boyfriend! “It’s just a painting. Why are you being so petty?” I was stunned by the mockery in Zephyr’s gaze. Then, I called my assistant. “I’m attending the international art festival as the organizer.”

I married my vampire husband ten years ago and gave him a half-blood heir, abandoning my career as a painter to become a full-time mother. Fortunately, my son inherited my talent. At just six years old, he held his first solo art exhibition, inspired by the theme "My Mother." But he never let me attend, and he never let me see his paintings. My husband said my presence would make Luke nervous---that I should stay home and do the housework as a good wife and mother, and wait for them to come back. I told myself he was just young and didn't know better, that he was only pushing back against my discipline, not truly rejecting me. Until the day I snuck into the gallery wearing a surgical mask pulled low. In the center of the crowd, my husband held our son's hand while tenderly pulling a woman in a red dress into his arms. He turned to the guests and announced: "This is Luke's mother---my wife." The three of them stood together, beaming with perfect happiness. And I---the one who'd stayed up all night setting up this exhibition---stood before the paintings while not a single person recognized me. That was when I finally understood. My seemingly gentle, caring vampire husband had long ago given our son a replacement mother. And I was nothing more than the human nanny who'd served her purpose by producing an heir.

My boyfriend said that art held no restrictions, so he used my provocative paintings to enter a competition. Amidst a row of classic ceramic figurines, I became famous. He shot to fame, landing in the top ten of trending searches, while I was humiliated by the entire internet and mocked as a “ceramic influencer.” When I confronted him, he looked at me with disappointment. “They don’t understand art, and neither do you? I thought you would support my work, but I didn’t expect you to stir trouble! You’re so immature!”

Moving to a new town with her only family, after a haunting incident seemed like a good idea to Iris. Iris is a black girl with a sad past. She's your average book nerd and can be nice when she wants to be. She doesn't believe in true love or happy endings but is a sucker for some good ol' romcoms. She hates badboys and finds them completely clichè. Here Luca comes into the picture. Luca is not your everyday bad boy. He is broken and is considered the town's brute or beast rather. With tattoos, piercings and a glare that wards people off. Unfortunately, Iris becomes drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And almost immediately, Luca is pulled to her quirky, sassy and stubborn self. (Although the list could go on.) With his possessive and overprotective behaviour, Luca isn't one to let go of what makes him happy. And Iris makes him happy. What happens when their pasts comes to haunt them? Will these two broken souls fight their way through every barrier just to be with each other? This is the story of two broken souls trying to find solace within themselves.

*Excerpt* “You don't understand, Xavier," I take a step back, “Brandon will find me. He always does. And when he finds me this time, he'll kill you. As much as I want to be free of him, this isn't the way.” “I'll protect you–” “You're not listening to me. I'm not worried about me. If he catches us, he'll just punish me but he won't kill me. I'm too important to him. But you…” My throat closes up as I turn to leave, but Xavier grabs me by the elbow as I push back the door. I turn to look at him, my heart aching for us. There's a cold indifference in his eyes though, and for the first time ever, I'm scared of what he's capable of. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Audrey. All I know is that I'm not leaving you here.” *** Audrey Watson has been scared of dreaming about a better life, because as the saying goes, dreams are for losers. But Xavier came to the scene as her knight, albeit one with rude behavior. This was it, her better life. Or so she thought. Little did she know that this was basically a new chapter of hard decisions and regrets. They always say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade out of them. But what if life gives you bitter kola instead? How do you go about making it into something sweet? Find out more about Audrey and Xavier's journey in this captivating novel.

Alpha Ares was vicious and heartless. Driven by the need to be at the top, his pack– the Coldcrest pack, was a no-nonsense pack. It was the largest of them all, and it was comprised of brutal and strong warriors who were drilled to come back triumphant after every battle. They were terrified by all. The sheer mention of his name would have the other packs trembling in fear. Infuriated by the demise of his parents, who were both slaughtered by wolf-hunters, Alpha Ares had only one rule – No pack member of his was to be mated to a human. Anyone who was to be painstakingly blessed with a human mate had to be killed or exiled, no matter their rank in the pack. And this rule was never to be broken. Appalled by his harsh judgment and vicious ways, the Moon goddess decided to bless him in the cruellest of ways. She gave him a mate, after so many years spent by Alpha Ares yearning for one. The only problem was, she gave him a human mate. A timid human mate named Akira.

Nicholas becomes a lone wolf at the age of eighteen. His parents were murdered because of the power of truth he possesses against their alpha pack. Wolfless and mateless, he was despised by all. He melted his wolf in the human world and used his ability who knows the truth against humans in exchange for money. Misses no one, corrupt government officials, wealthy murderers, and ordinary ones. Their truth and lies are his survival. Then he came to a point when is he knowing the truth about everyone he could meet a gift or a curse?

He raised one eyebrow and leaned down. "Is that a yes to my question or to my proposal?" His eyes were focused on my lips and I struggled to concentrate, but I nodded. "Yes." I looked into his eyes that were hazy with lust, and I nodded again. "It's a yes to the both of them." He tipped my face to him and pressed a hard kiss on my lips. "Good girl." He whispered. And as I shuddered at the praise, I had no idea I just sealed my fate with the devil. ~~~~~~ Kayla, twenty-two-years-old and a single mum, has only ever wanted to be loved, even though her parents never shared the same sentiments with her. But that changed when her boyfriend eloped, leaving her nineteen-year-old self with an unwanted pregnancy and nothing but a penny to her name. Years later, the word love left a bitter taste in her mouth. Until she meets Gabriel. Gabriel Marcello, a thirty-five-year-old cold-hearted billionaire, who is still reeling from his past, does not care about anyone but his daughter... until the night Kayla Warner ends up in his arms. It was only meant to be an innocent one-night stand. She was only meant to be his for the night. Until he wanted more. Until they both needed more. Will they be able to conquer all obstacles as many secrets unfold? Will they be willing to get over their past and love each other without bounds?

"I still love her, Brother Ezra. And I can't live without her." Razel's tears began flooding his cheeks. "But she loves me, Razel. And I love her too." I replied with conviction. "I am done swallowing my pride. I love you because you are my stepbrother. But that doesn't mean I will always let you have what you desire. Can you just be happy for us?" "Can you give her back to me, huh?" to my surprise, Razel dropped his knees on the ground. "She loves me first, remember?" Fated to my Stepbrother's Mate is packed with love and betrayal. Two men fell in love with one woman and are willing to bend the written rules of the werewolf world. Kill for Love. Betrayal for Love. Who will have her in the END? The older brother who prefers BLOOD than WATER? Or the younger brother who prefers WATER than BLOOD?

Elena Carter was supposed to paint her future in color. Instead, she’s trapped in a marriage built on power, legacy, and lies. Forced to wed billionaire playboy Julian Blackwood to secure a family alliance, Elena finds herself in a cold, loveless union with a man who barely looks at her—let alone cares. But Elena is a hopeless romantic, a dreamer clinging to the memory of a boy who once promised her the world. And Julian is distant and indifferent, has no interest in love or fairy tales. As Elena tries to make the impossible work, secrets begin to stir beneath the surface of their fractured marriage. And karma always finds its way home.