Sinking Spring Public Library Novels & Stories

In a tale of revenge, rebirth, and romance, Ashlyn Knight rises from the ashes of public humiliation to become one of the most powerful figures in the business world. After being betrayed at her wedding by her fiancé Christopher White and his mistress Penelope, Ashlyn transforms through a strategic marriage to mysterious billionaire Richard Walker, who shares a connection to her past life as a military commander named Hannah. Ashlyn methodically dismantles the White and Knight families' empires, revealing dark secrets including Penelope's involvement in her mother's death and Christopher's illegitimate status. Her revenge plot takes an unexpected turn when she discovers she's actually Steven White's granddaughter through his illegitimate daughter, giving her a legitimate claim to both family empires. Richard, initially a partner in her revenge scheme, proves to be more than just an ally. Their marriage of convenience evolves into a powerful love story as they discover their shared past lives - he was a fellow commander who failed to protect Hannah in their previous existence and has spent this life making amends. The story climaxes at the International Business Summit, where Christopher's desperate attempt to destroy the couple backfires spectacularly. Multiple confrontations lead to Penelope's arrest, Christopher's imprisonment, and the public recognition of Ashlyn's birthright. In a dramatic moment, Richard renews their vows, transforming their tactical alliance into a declaration of true love. The narrative concludes with Ashlyn and Richard's unified empire becoming a model of ethical business leadership. They establish a foundation in her mother's name, helping others who face similar injustices. Their story becomes legendary in both business and social circles, proving that the sweetest revenge isn't just in destroying enemies, but in building something greater from the ashes of trauma while finding true love along the way.

My name is Mara Park, and I am a twenty-three-year-old fresh graduate taking up business administration from a public school in my province.  I don't know that when you graduate from a public school, especially when your school is unknown to anyone in a big city, even though you have a diploma, it is hard to find a job, most of all when you don't have any work experience. I am an orphan and living alone. No one will provide for my needs if I don't find a job. I know no one in this place. No, I have one. I smiled, Jared. He has been my boyfriend for almost four years now. I didn't tell him I followed him after my graduation. I wanted to surprise him after I found a decent job. The last time I talked to him, he told me he was working at a big company as a finance manager, and I'm so proud of him. So here I am, struggling to find a job. I disregarded my diploma and applied as a waitress in a diner near the Fernandez Corporation building, hoping one day I could snatch a job in that company, even if it was just as a receptionist. It would be a huge achievement for me. I'd been working in the restaurant for a month when I saw an older man pass out near my workplace. He begged me to bring him home because he had forgotten where he lived and his name. I couldn't bear to leave him alone in the middle of the night, so I brought him home, and my life turned upside down after that when I found that he was the grandfather of the owner of Fernandez Corporation. That led me to find out my real identity.

Welcome to Blackwood University, where the tuition costs a fortune, but the secrets cost your life. I thought a scholarship to the country’s most elite university was my ticket out of the shadows. I was wrong. I didn’t just walk into a school; I walked into a lion’s den. And sitting on the throne is Niccolò De Luca. Nico is beautiful, brilliant, and brutal. He is the heir to the most powerful crime syndicate on the East Coast, and he runs this campus like his personal kingdom. He breaks hearts, he breaks bones, and now, he’s decided to break me. Not because I’m the scholarship case. But because he knows who I really am. I am the daughter of the man who stole millions from the De Luca family and vanished. Nico intends to use me to lure my father out of hiding. His plan is simple: torment me until I break, make my life a living hell, and keep me under his thumb until the debt is paid in blood. But the line between hate and obsession is razor-thin. When his torment turns into possessiveness, and his taunts turn into touches I can’t refuse, the game changes. I was supposed to be his pawn, but I’m becoming his weakness. Now, with a rival family closing in on campus and my father’s enemies circling, Nico has to make a choice: Hand me over to settle the score... or burn the world down to keep me. "You think you can hide from me in the library, little mouse?" Nico whispered, his breath hot against the shell of my ear as he pinned me against the stacks. "You are living on borrowed time. And unfortunately for you, I’m the one collecting the interest."

Vincent Isabella was offered a contract marriage worth 5 million dollars by a cold and ruthless billionaire given 30 days to marry or lose his Empire to his corrupt brother. She agreed only for her sick sister and her parents’ debt. “One year of contract marriage. No attachment. No feelings. No sex. Just public appearances.” But when Alexander Lucas demanded a child, she refused, and said “It wasn’t part of the deal”. Yet, she later agreed to help him secure the Empire. During childbirth, the baby died, and Mr. Alexander, the real owner of the Empire, rewarded Isabella by bequeathing the entire Empire to her. The Empire meant for Lucas or William now belonged to Isabella. Will the Alexander family watch as Isabella controls them?

SLOANE HOLBROOK is a thirty-five-year-old copywriter whose only commitment is to sarcasm, but every major holiday turns her into a single, pitiful spectacle for her judgmental family. Her solution? JACKSON, a charming, commitment-phobic Australian golf coach who needs a distraction just as badly as she does. They forge the "Holidate Pact" a year-long contract to be each other’s flawless, platonic plus-ones for every major event, with one rigid rule: zero feelings. But when a New Year's Eve kiss designed for public consumption feels startlingly real, Sloane and Jackson realize surviving the holiday calendar is easy; surviving the relentless, rule-breaking, undeniable attraction might be impossible. They signed up for a cynical transaction, but what happens when their fake relationship becomes the most honest thing in their lives?

During a public lecture on derivatives, I hurl my water bottle hard at the blackboard. Under the stunned gazes of the professor and my classmates, I stand up and say, "Seriously? Is there a need to explain a problem this simple? Move on to the next one. How did you bunch of idiots get into the accelerated program? How are you even worthy of sitting in the same classroom as me?" I turn my head and see my mother, who is standing outside the classroom to accompany me as I attend the lecture. She has a pleased and approving look on her face. A reporter sitting in the back quickly points the camera at me. I smile and call out toward the door, "Mom, I need to pee. Come take me to the restroom."

She signed her freedom away with a trembling hand and a heart full of rage. Two years as Lucien Cross's contracted wife, playing the role of loving spouse while he remained her enemy behind closed doors. Mara Quinn made a deal with the devil to save her family. He married her to claim his inheritance. Their marriage is a battlefield, their home a cage gilded in wealth she never wanted. But hate burns hot—and somewhere between the fights and the forced proximity, between the public kisses that mean nothing and the private moments that mean everything, the line between enemies and lovers begins to blur. She promised herself she'd walk away when the contract expired. He promised himself he'd never care. They were both wrong.

Bailey had always been infamous for her lack of filter for a mouth and her no-nonsense hot headed bravery. Her name had spread far and wide and if there was anyone who hated her more than the elders, it was Alpha Noah Sage. The Alpha hated women and Bailey was the perfect example of the kind of woman he loathed. So, when she gets picked at the ceremony to be the Beta's wife, everyone is appalled. After a public humiliation by the Beta, denying Bailey as his mate, her temper grows hot and she curses out the entire royal werewolf family and does the unspeakable — insults the Alpha himself. The last thing she would have ever thought was that the Alpha would force her into a marriage with his as punishment. … On the grounds that she will be executed on the 90th day.

My movie star husband's girlfriend suspected I was the other woman. She confronted me in public, beat me until I lost my child, and even left my face scarred beyond recognition. "You shameless homewrecker! How dare you seduce someone else's man—and even get pregnant?" she screamed in rage. "I'll send you and that child of yours straight to hell today!" And as for my husband, he didn't even spare me a glance. All he cared to say was, "Why did you bother hitting her yourself? Did your hand hurt?" But when he finally discovered that the woman his girlfriend had scarred and caused to miscarry was me, he lost his mind.

When Aria Collins’ father desperately needs an expensive experimental cancer treatment that she can’t afford, she becomes desperate and forms a contract with CEO Alexander Blackwood: She will be his wife for three years in exchange for him giving his medical care and his financial security. What it really is business -- separate bedrooms, public appearances and a marriage of convenience. As Aria moves from being a part of Alexander’s elite business venture to being part of him, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. When feelings neither of them bargained for to start to open up, they need to decide whether to live up to the contract’s terms or risk everything in search of something bigger than convenience. In this marriage of convenience, convenience was never meant to become love