Shining Brightly

As I head to see my boyfriend, Howard Schultz, who is working late, I get into a car accident. I call him dozens of times for help, but he doesn't answer a single one. Staring at his brightly lit office building not far away, I sink into despair. When I wake up in the hospital, I see a post from his subordinate. It's a picture showing the reflection of the two of them in the glass door, standing far closer than they should, with the caption, "What do I do when my boss is scolding me late at night?" Unwilling to believe it, I call him again. This time, he finally answers. My voice trembles. "Howard, I got into a car accident…" "Celine, I'm still working. I'll send my assistant to take care of it, okay? Be good. I'll see you after I come back from my business trip." I try to say more, but his angry shout suddenly cuts through the line. "Crystal Jennings! You're only allowed to bring one suitcase for this trip. Why do you have three? Do you think we're going on vacation?" Crystal Jennings—the new intern Howard just hired. I stare at the disconnected call, tears drying on my cheeks. I then call my parents instead. "I agree to the engagement you arranged."

The music made the speakers tremble, the floor vibrated with the rumble of the sound and the jumps of the crazy people. Each one in their own world, dancing together, dancing separately. Enjoying music, company and alcohol. I danced alone, with a drink in hand. Gliding, moving my hips to the rhythm of the music, not paying much attention to anything or anyone around me. Just enjoying that moment of inner peace that I was needing and he was giving it to me. It was a respite, a window that I opened myself in my own cage to let in air and I knew that as soon as I left the club the window would close and I would lock myself back in my world without fresh air. Therefore, he enjoyed everything he could. Alone. With eyes closed. Sweating the bad energy that others left me and breathing the good vibes that I had to give myself. They were approaching me. I drove them away. They invited me. I rejected them. they spoke to me I silenced them. I just wanted to dance and they were going to have to respect that. It was amazing how loud music could be my oxygen tank. It silenced my thoughts, freed me from tensions. There was nothing more relaxing in my life than dancing with my eyes closed and the volume turned up to a thousand. I twirled, I jumped, I wiggled, I hummed, and I sang. The brightly colored lights flickered making it difficult to see, but it was what I liked the most, going blind for an instant, forgetting that I had the ability to see the world, a false, disastrous and difficult world.

"Please turn the lamp off, Maximilian. You do not want to see my stomach under this bright light," I whispered, pulling the heavy blanket over my chest. "I am never turning the lamps off again, Alexandra," Maximilian replied. He gently pulled the blanket out of my hands and tossed it aside. "Your ex-boyfriend was a blind fool. I want to look at every single inch of you. I am absolutely obsessed with your full hips, your thick thighs, and your soft stomach." For two years, data intern Alexandra Petrov believed her boyfriend turned the bedroom lights off because he was traditional. On the night of their second anniversary, she discovers the devastating truth. She finds him fully naked in their brightly lit apartment with her painfully thin older sister. He explicitly confesses that he only demands darkness because he is completely disgusted by Alexandra's heavy, curvy body. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alexandra runs into the freezing Chicago rain and directly crosses paths with Maximilian Volkov. He is the ruthless billionaire CEO of Volkov Industries, and he is secretly her ultimate boss. Maximilian is instantly captivated by her gorgeous face and her plump figure. He moves her into his highly secure penthouse and establishes a strict physical rule. There will be absolutely no hiding in his home. Maximilian will use his massive wealth to ruin the people who destroyed her self-esteem, and he will spend every single night worshipping her beautiful curves with all the bedroom lamps blazing brightly.

Turns out being abandoned at the altar isn’t the worst thing that could happen to a person. Tessa’s life is about to take an unexpected turn when she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens her life. In her quest to seek protection, she crosses paths with the Beta of the Silver pack, Ronan Wraith. Wraith, infamously known as The Enforcer, is no knight in shining armor. On the contrary, he is darkness itself. A mate is the last thing he wants, but fate is about to play a very cruel game when he is being granted one who was… human. ~ “Tell me, what’s your plan for the human?” the man asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity. “Lock her up. F*ck her. Make her my breeder. It’s none of your goddamn business what I do with my mate.” ~ What Tessa doesn’t realize is that she is nothing but a pawn in a grand scheme, and the Beta, Wraith, might just have other plans for keeping her.

I loved him with all my heart but I only received pain and betrayal. The door didn't open. I tried multiple times but the door never opened. Anger rushed inside my veins. I turned back only to see Dylan standing there on the spot, his eyes glued on the shining marble floor. "DYLAN, OPEN THE DOOR!! LET ME GO!!" I yelled furiously as I glared him with pure hatred and disgust. "Never", he mumbled in an inaudible voice. My blood boiled seeing his audacity still I calm myself down and looked at him in anger. "Why?", I gritted. He finally looked at me. His eyes turned darker as he smirked menacingly. "Because you're my wife, Evelyn Black" This story deals with the struggles of Evelyn Clarke, an intelligent and innocent girl who tries to stand for herself as she gets betrayed by the love of her life Dylan Black when she comes to know about his dark, cruel intentions behind their marriage....

The day before the semester began, my childhood friend Daniel Carter asked if he could borrow my private jet. Thinking he'd finally changed his ways, I agreed without a second thought. A moment later, he transferred a single dollar, calling it rent because he couldn't stand the thought of freeloading. The quirky amount said more than words ever could. I smiled and accepted it. On the first day of school, I kept things low-key, taking a cab back to campus. But when I arrived, there it was, my private jet parked right in the middle of the quad. The jet had been decked out in bubblegum pink, and students crowded around, their eyes shining with envy. My heart leapt. For once, I thought Daniel had finally figured it out. Beaming, I braced myself for his surprise. But as I drew closer, my smile froze. Sitting barefoot in the pilot's seat, my seat, was Clara West, the campus' queen bee.

My fiancé dumped me the moment he found out about my rare blood type. "That condition of yours? Yeah, it'd just drain my wallet." I was spiraling when Vincent showed up—like some knight in shining armor, pulling me out of the wreckage. He didn't care about my blood type. We barely dated before he proposed, and for a while, married life felt perfect. Until a year later, when I overheard him talking to a doctor. "Vincent, you already took 400 milliliters of Sophia's blood last month, and now you want another 200? Are you insane? Even if you love Emma, you can't just drain an innocent woman dry for her!" "A little more won't kill her. Stop overreacting." My head spun. My whole body went cold. That's when it hit me—our perfect marriage had been a lie from the start.

Dark Romance; A spoiled girl’s game leads her into the arms of an attractive, no-nonsense man. Logline: After playing a reckless game, a spoiled and gullible girl did not expect to find herself in a serious relationship with an intriguing and no-nonsense guy who starts to discipline her. Excerpt: She listened as he stepped forward with his belt, moving closer to her and crowding her with the musky scent he was wearing. She fought to hold back her fear as finally, he came to stand behind her. She felt his fingers gently combing her hair down over her shoulders. Then he started speaking slowly, his deep voice starting to shake her demeanor as he talked to her."You didn't marry a soft knight in shining armor that will cuddle, ignore and pet you every time you choose to deliberately get out of line. I will punish you thoroughly for your disobedience..." WARNING! This is Dark Romance. Do not read if you find the theme offensive.

“Is this what you wanted?” He sneers, eyes cold and unforgiving. It was as if I was looking into the eyes of a stranger. He looks down on me due to his tall stature. “To be the ‘pathetic’ whiny burden you have always been?” I flinch at his words. No, this cannot be, this cannot be happening. This is not my Nate, my Nathaniel. I struggle to maintain my composure. My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one a painful reminder of the betrayal that had brought me to this breaking point.  ********* At just five years old, she was abducted and replaced to protect her family’s reputation, as it would have been scandalous for her influential father to have a kidnapped child. Returning home, she felt like a stranger in a place where her parents had long forgotten their love for her. Nate her husband, was her knight in shining armor… or so she thought. Betrayed and left to die by the people she trusted. What happens when life gives her and her unborn child a second chance?

“I thought you were going to propose to me just like you said.” Nicole’s voice barely made it past her throat. A part of her still needed an explanation from Rowan. “You must be out of your godforsaken mind if you actually believed that.” That was how Rowan—the former all-time quarterback star, the guy she thought was her ‘supposed’ boyfriend chose to humiliate her in front of everyone at the hockey field. And instead, he picked another girl… someone he felt was more worth it. Just when Nicole thought she had lost it all, a voice rose from the crowd. “I scored that touchdown for you, for being the prettiest girl here.” It was Brad. The newly transferred, insanely hot quarterback star, standing up for her when no one else did. What Nicole didn’t realize, though, was that Brad was actually “Jill”—the same boy from the orphanage who had once promised to be her knight in shining armor. Check out my other book: The Mafia's Undercover Princess.