Spoiling Myself

I was sold to pay off my father’s debt. But instead of freedom, I found myself owned by a monster in a suit. Emilia never expected her life to be torn apart overnight. Quiet, soft-spoken, and painfully naïve, she was handed over like a transaction, to the most feared Mafia Lord in the city. Lucien Moretti is powerful, ruthless, and cold as ice. He doesn’t need her love, just her obedience. But Emilia isn’t prepared for the way his eyes burn when someone else touches her. Or the way her heart races when he lowers his walls, if only for a second. Everyone says Lucien has no soul. But monsters don’t protect girls like her. And they definitely don’t bleed. As secrets unravel and blood debts resurface, Emilia must decide: is Lucien her captor… or her only chance at survival? In a world of betrayal and danger, she was sold to the devil. But the devil might just be falling for her.

The night my parents were kidnapped, my brother—who happened to be a police officer—chose to go bungee jumping with the fake heiress. I didn't stop him. Instead, I called the police and began preparing the ransom. In my previous life, my brother had forgone the outing to rescue our parents. As a result, the rope snapped during her jump, sending her plummeting into the abyss. Her body was never recovered. He never spoke a word about it afterward. On my birthday, he drugged me and dragged me to that very cliff. "You orchestrated the kidnapping! You'd go this far for their attention? You're nothing but a monster! Lillian is dead. You don't deserve to live either!" When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the night my parents were kidnapped. This time, my brother didn't rush to their rescue. Instead, he ran to the fake heiress. But in the end, he regretted it so much that he nearly lost his mind.

“I've never loved you. You were just a warm body I used to pass time. Lilith is the one I love!” Those are the words my ex spat at my face on the day I proposed to him after dating for 6 years. Instead of the loving surprise I planned, I catch him cheating on me instead. He throws me out of his apartment with a sneer. Unable to take it anymore, I get drunk and find myself in the bed of another man. Deimos Escarrá, my ex's uncle. A billionaire CEO who proposes a contract marriage and more money than I could ever need. After all the things I went through, I won't let them get away so easily. It's my turn to come out on top and show the Escarrás that I won't be pushed around. If it's a wife he wants, then I'll be The Billionaire's Naughty Christmas Bride.

"Miss Camille Davidson, what a small world?" A chill went through me when I heard his dark, yet sexy, voice. I lifted my chin to look at him. Once my eyes locked with his, I couldn't stop myself from shivering. He was no longer the man he was eight years ago. He appeared to be formidable and cruel. His blue eyes nearly looked dark due to rage. As I gripped the serving tray, I retreated my steps, my cheeks burning from humiliation. Everyone was watching us with keen interest. There was a time when Scott Martinez used to work for me, and now I am working for him. I was fully aware of his intentions. I knew why he was there and what he wanted from me. This time he would never let me go after all I was the one who had destroyed his small world. I murdered his brother.

Being the only daughter of the Calhoun family, a mafia family in Merovia, I am doted on like a princess. This changes when I turn 18, when Mom dies. On the way back from a family meeting, the car blows up, and Mom shields me beneath her. Even as she lies in a pool of blood, her gaze is tender as she says to me, "Don't blame yourself, sweetheart. I love you." Still, after Mom's death, everyone in the family starts blaming me for what happened, including Dad and my older brother, William Calhoun. I go from being the princess of the family to the jinx that everyone hates. Soon after that, Dad brings home a new adopted daughter, Juliet Calhoun. William favors her and detests me. Even my childhood sweetheart, Shawn Kramer, takes a liking to her and ignores me. Dad says his new adopted daughter is way better than his biological one. They all agree to attend my college graduation ceremony. But on the day, they end up taking Juliet onto our family's yacht and holding a cocktail party out on the water to celebrate the official addition of a new family heir. This is the 100th time they ditch me for her. Unable to stop myself from an emotional breakdown, I cry out, "I'm the one who's related to you by blood!" Dad shields Juliet, who backs away from me out of fear. Then, he slaps me on the face. "I wish I'd never had you." "Who wants to have a younger sister like you? I wish you'd died with Mom!" William roars in contempt. This time, I've decided to let it all go. I call Aunt Marissa, Mom's sister. She's the founder and a therapist at MindCare Treatment Center. "Come here. This is your home now." I know that Mom's death was a conspiracy. This isn't just me leaving, but withdrawing myself from the family entirely. I hope that the next time I meet the Calhouns, there won't be tears on my end. Instead, judgment will befall them.

"I can't tell what is real and what is a dream," I murmur, looking up to his silver eyes, glistening mist swirling within his irises. "But I know I can't hold myself back from you any longer. Luella has been having the same dreams every night involving two silver eyed men, who remain elusive during the day, but come alive from the shadows by night. After visiting a therapist who tips Luella off on what could be the cause of these dreams, the start to become more frequent, to the point she can no long tell the difference between dream and reality. Who are these silver eyed men? One wants her desperately until he doesn't, while the other is always there when she needs him, until he is not. That is, until she swears she is seeing them in her waking life. And suddenly, her dreams might just be coming to life.

Jeremy's high school has always been a nightmare because of the school's heartthrob, Steve, who never missed a chance to bully him. But things take a surprising turn when Steve unexpectedly falls head over heels in love with Jeremy. The twist? Steve's younger brother has had a crush on Jeremy since childhood. Now, both brothers are in love with Jeremy, and a complicated love triangle is in the making. Who will Jeremy choose; the bully or his best friend? The stakes are high, and the drama is intense. *** "I love you, Jer." Steve said, coming uncomfortably close to me. "I wanna hug you and tell everyone you are mine," he whispered in my ear. "I am not yours. I hate you so much, Steve, and I'll make sure to take revenge on you for bullying me and torturing me." I turned away from him, determined to stand up for myself and put an end to his harassment.

I was raised by my mother, a single parent who never revealed the identity of my father. For years, that part of my life remained a mystery until her final moments. With her last breath, she asked me to find him. I shared this with my best friend, who had never known her own parents. With tears in her eyes, she confided in me that she longed for a father, too. She tried to manipulate me, suggesting I work as a housekeeper for my father so she could claim him as her own. Soft-hearted, I agreed to the plan. When I finally met him, he was stunned. The resemblance between me and his first love was undeniable. He wanted to take me under his wing as his mistress. "Come to my room tonight and wear something… revealing," he said. To protect myself, I laid all my cards on the table.

The Beast locked me up in his fake castle. As the daughter of one of the most dangerous Bratva bosses in the underworld, I uncovered a secret so deadly, I fled Russia and escaped to America. But my high school enemy, the Beast, kidnapped me and trapped me on his island with no way to escape. And without my medication, I had no control over the heat that consumed me as an Omega. His rough hands made me crave things I never wanted before. I was powerless to resist him. The Beast. My Mate. With my life on the line, I tried to resist my dark, dangerous captor, yet I found myself drawn to him. The truth was supposed to set me free, but in the Bratva world, the only freedom was death. Author's Note: Beast is a stand-alone novel. It is a steamy dark Russian mafia enemies-to-lovers standalone novel with some trigger warnings! There's no cheating or cliffhangers, and always a guaranteed HEA

I was Randy Johnson's contract wife. For five years, I tried every possible way to make him fall in love with me. But aside from showing me concern in bed, he ignored me the rest of the time. When a piece of equipment at the amusement park fell and struck me, the first thing he did was rush to his beloved first love. She was startled but unscathed. Yet, he rushed her straight to the hospital. When a towering cake display collapsed on me, leaving blood streaming down my arm, he still chose to comfort his first love, who merely had a stomachache. Since he loved her so deeply, there was no reason for me, his contract wife, to stay. So I let him go and freed myself in the process. I chose to study abroad, vowing never to see him again for the rest of my life. I never expected… this time, he would be the one to regret it.