Shutting Down

Justine Elle Pollo is a princess to her family and friends. She is a bird left in a cage for a long time, and all she ever wanted was for her to spread her wings and explore the world. Yet now that fate permits it to happen, everything turned upside down. She met Pierre Monteblanco, the ruthless Mafia Lord. What could go wrong? Excerpt: Pierre's eyes grew darker as if he had been triumphant. He slowly walked closer, closing the small gap between us. My feet were trembling as his musk scent was corrupting my innocent mind. "Good answer Justine..." he said while grasping the tip of my hair. I swallowed hard at his very touch, feeling the sweat trailing its way down on the side of my face. My heart thumped when he suddenly leaned closer, shutting each of our intimate spaces. "So then...I'll let you be, my sweet," he whispered roughly into my ears leaving me confused and uneasy.

There was a girl that was ready to face her death without having any regrets by shutting everyone down. She had not experienced falling in love with a person and taking risks. However, when she decided to go to college, she met a guy. And without any notice, her life was slowly changing. Is she finally willing to take the risk even if she knew their end game?

My mom ran a clinic her whole life, charging just five dollars for cold medicine. After I took over the clinic, I followed her teachings closely, doing my best to care for the folks in our community. However, after I charged an influencer 30 dollars for medication, I got blasted online as a scam clinic that was out to rob people blind. The entire town showed up at my door, young and old alike, demanding I return the 'overcharged' fees. I gave them exactly what they wanted and refunded every penny before shutting down the clinic for good. "There you go, just like you wanted. The clinic's closed. From now on, if you've got health concerns, feel free to drive 30 miles to the county hospital for consultation. I wish you all good health." The very next day, they were back at my door again. Only this time, they were begging me to reopen.

I was slowly dying from Silverthorn Wolfsbane, and there was only one cure—the Miracle Elixir. But my mate, Leo Ashford, bought it and gave it to my adoptive sister, Jane Smith. He did it because he thought I was faking my illness. I gave up on the treatment and swallowed a potent painkiller instead. It would kill me in three days by shutting down my organs. In those three days, I gave up everything. I handed over the fur manufacturing business I built from the ground up to Jane, and my parents praised me for caring about my sister. I offered to sever our mate bond, and Leo praised me for finally being sensible. When I told my son he could call Jane "mommy", he happily said that his new mommy was the best! I transferred all my savings to Jane, and no one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary. They were just pleased with my "better behavior". "Viola is finally not so bad." I wondered—would they regret it after I was gone?

Edde Loxley a handsome young business man meets a crazy fan girl Elizabeth Albie in a bar as they both got drunk and went to bed together. After realizing she lost her virginity to him and got pregnant for him, she comes back to him with a treat of exposing the pregnancy to the world. Edde Loxley strikes a deal with her shutting her mouth up with a huge sum of money. What could the deal be about? Will she accept the deal?.

Ellie is a shy, lanky teenager, thrust into a world she doesn't belong in; a place whose students are worth more than their weight in gold. So Ellie 's plan is simple; keep her head down and focus on her studies. Be invisible. But her plan shatters the moment she spills grape juice on Carter; the school’s golden boy, untouchable because of the power his family name possesses. Ellie 's life implodes. What begins as an accident quickly spirals into a literal nightmare. Carter makes Ellie his target, and the torment rapidly escalates until one evening they reach a humiliating agreement. Over time, lines blur adding a delicious layer of confusion to their twisted dynamic, one that neither of them care for. But just when she thinks he can't take it anymore, salvation comes from an unlikely source; her favorite teacher, one he has secretly admired. As this forbidden relationship blooms and Carter is fended off, Ellie can take a deep breath again. Everything is finally ok. Until it isn't. The ultimate betrayal leaves Ellie shattered, sitting amidst the broken pieces of her recently found happiness. She becomes a shell of her former self, shutting out everyone trying to reach her, which shockingly includes Carter. Why? Why is he suddenly desperate to get in touch with Ellie ? And will he succeed? Or will it not matter anyway because she's too far gone?

My fated mate rejected me, but Roman Blackwood the bad boy alpha rejected his fated mate for me. "You're mine Mirabelle." A jolting pleasure skidded down my spine as his deep rough voice sounded beside my ear along with his searing breath that set my skin ablaze.  My breath was heavy, my senses incredibly heightened, I was cornered against the wall staring into the deepest grey eyes. I could smell him, feel him, my heart was racing and my wolf was responding. Jitters of heat trailed my skin, I could feel them deep in my veins knotting down in my stomach. The red moon had passed, and the heat was rising among the clan, it was the season to breed, and my body was extremely sensitive especially in the presence of this werewolf. "You can't run from it, you can't deny it, you're mine." His rough fingers grazed my face and I shuddered shutting my eyes to hide the turmoil of emotions within. "I'm not your mate Rome." My wolf made a protest within. I wasn't his mate, but my heart body and soul wanted him! His arms lowered down, I could feel them wound around my waist aggressively pulling me towards him. 'Please don't do this...' I wanted to plead, 'I can't hold back!' "Look at me fawn" My heartbeat skipped, his intoxicating scent drew me in with an undeniably captivating allure, I couldn't look away, nor could I deny the strong emotions binding me to him. I was his...how could I keep denying that? "I told you last time, deny me again and I'll let the whole world know that you're mine." But even though my body ached for him... I'd have to turn away, for Roman Blackwood was the only man I couldn't have.

To the Valencia family, love is a weakness that cannot be accepted, and happiness is just an illusion that can be bought with money. This was the way Ashley was brought up, and she has to follow this way of the Valencia’s because expecting love or happiness is like she is trying to be ungrateful to her family since they adopted her when she was just 3. What will she do when the self-made billionaire and CEO of Stone Tech Ltd., Liam Abbot, wants her? She has been so used to shutting everyone off that she doesn’t know how to deal with the fact that someone actually wants her even if he only wants her contract marriage with her. Will she give in to him or is her quiet and lonely life as the Valencia's adopted daughter too good to pass up?

I'd been gone three months, growing our turf. Came home to find some chick in my robe, on my couch, sipping my wine. I called security. Lesson time. Then Damon—my husband, who only mattered because he married me—jumped in front of her. "It was a drunken mistake. She's just some poor girl. You're not seriously gonna flip over this, right?" I slapped him. "A trophy like you thinks he gets a say now?" Instead of shutting up, he asked for a divorce. For her. Cool. I said yes. He thought ditching me meant freedom. What he didn't get? Without me, he was nobody.

Aurora “Rorie” Montgomery never expected to wake up married to a billionaire, but when she impulsively takes the place of an heiress forced into an arranged marriage, she finds herself trapped in a world of power, contracts, and ruthless business deals. Nathan Westfield, CEO and notorious workaholic, agreed to marry for convenience—not love. His only conditions? His wife must be discreet, loyal, and provide a future heir. Rorie has secrets. Nathan has rules. And neither of them expected to actually want this marriage to work. From the moment she steps into Nathan’s world, Rorie challenges him at every turn. She’s nothing like the obedient wife he anticipated, and she refuses to be a silent player in his life. But when Nathan discovers her true identity, instead of walking away, he protects her—publicly and mercilessly shutting down anyone who dares to question her place at his side. As past betrayals resurface and enemies threaten to unravel their carefully crafted arrangement, Rorie realizes the greatest danger isn’t losing her secret—it’s losing her heart. Because somewhere between the heated arguments, the stolen glances, and the moments where Nathan looks at her like she’s his entire world, she starts to wonder… What happens when a marriage built on lies starts to feel real? Perfect for fans of slow-burn romance, enemies-to-lovers tension, and billionaire love stories with high stakes and sizzling chemistry, The Last Minute Bride is a tale of deception, power, and a love that refuses to be just another deal.