Staring Contest

The world snapped back into focus, the memories of my brutal end crashing into the present. I was back—right here, right now, the exact moment Jarrold Jameson was trying to hand me that obscenely expensive purse. In my past life, he'd had a nasty fight with his precious Cindy Mayford. To make her jealous, he decided to use me as his pawn. I'd been stupid enough to love him once, but my pride had revolted. I'd refused to be a stand-in. It didn't matter. He kept engineering "accidental" run-ins, crafting one public misunderstanding after another, all to get a reaction from Cindy. I had done nothing wrong. I gained nothing. But I became Cindy's enemy. Her jealousy festered until it turned lethal. She had me kidnapped. The men she hired left my body shattered and broken. And Jarrold? He held his sobbing darling close and whispered those unforgettable words, "She got what she deserved." In the end, they stepped right over what was left of me and walked off into their picture-perfect life. Now, staring into his smug face, a cold clarity settled over me. This time, everything would be different. I snatched the handbag from his grasp. "A present for me?" I asked, my voice sweet, a sharp, calculated smile on my lips. "I love it. But just so you know, for next time… I've always preferred the classic design from her family's brand. That's the one you should be buying me."

Housing prices collapsed. My parents ran a real estate business. They and their long-time family friend, the Goodwin family, went into bankruptcy. My parents had me and my younger sister draw lots to decide who would marry into the Goodwin family to fulfill an old engagement. In my previous life, I drew the short stick. From that moment, I became a slave to both families. During the day, I needed to work to pay off the Goodwin family’s debt. At night, I needed to deliver food to cover my parents’ financial losses. I survived on scraps and slept in the cold. I continued to work even when I coughed up blood. That day, I went all out and finally secured a multimillion-dollar business deal. My heart burst with excitement. I was eager to tell them the good news. Across the street, I saw my parents get off a Rolls-Royce with wide grins. They dressed up in luxury brands from head to toe. Then, I saw my husband, Alfred, gently wrap one of his arms around my glamorous sister’s shoulder. I wanted to rush over and question them. But a speeding truck slammed into me and sent me flying away. I lay in a pool of blood while staring at them indignantly. I heard them chuckle softly. “What a pity… She was so close to enjoying a good life.” When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the day I drew the lots. Since they liked to pretend to be broke, I would make it a reality!

"What gives you the right to think you can control me?" I fumed, feeling the anger rising in me. Before I could react, he had me pinned against the wall, his eyes staring into mine. “Go ahead and deny it all you want but this body of yours belongs to me completely. Like hell I'd let anyone touch you this way.” Violet Murray had always longed for the day she would find her mate. She doesn’t expect the painful rejection and humiliation that comes from the Alpha. Tired of everything she’d been forced to endure; she does the most reasonable thing anyone would do in her shoes. Strike a deal with his long-time rival, Lucian Sinclair. They form an alliance under the guise of a fake relationship. She swears she has no feelings for him. When their fake relationship bleeds into something else, she finds herself questioning everything, including her growing feelings. Lucian Sinclair had one simple aim; completely destroying the one thorn in his flesh, Tristan Black, along with his bleeding pack. He finds an opportunity in the person of Violet who bears a grudge against Tristan and her former pack for all she’d been put through. They agree to form an alliance for the sole purpose of taking their mutual enemy down. It was meant to be no feelings attached. When the lines start to blur, her finds herself unable to deny the feelings he has for her. When different enemies threaten to tear them apart, they must decide if their love is worth fighting for.

Luca - I saw her sitting in the booth at a cafe I was a regular at and knew she was different from other humans. There was something about her that spoke to me and my inner soul. We both wanted her from that moment on. I am the vampire king, and she will be my queen. She is stunningly beautiful with those emerald eyes and hair that reminds me of the sunrise. Something was nagging at my mind telling me she reminded me of someone. I felt someone nudge me, and I knew it was time for me to go. I knew that I would be here more because there was no way I was leaving her alone and unguarded from this moment on. Sienna - I was sitting at my usual table in the cafe when I felt the weight of someone's eyes on me. I looked up and into the most amazing pair of golden eyes I had ever seen. I can only describe them as fire since they have flecks of red within them. He was staring at me, and I found it incredibly difficult to look away. I shook my head and looked away. He might have been the gorgeous man I have ever seen, but I have more important things to worry about. I needed to finish college and secure my place in the world. I didn’t know then that he would become one of the most important people in my life, and he would help me discover what and who I am.

"I won't let them hurt you," Jade vowed, staring intently into Kalista's tearful eyes. "I will protect you with my life, even if I have to choose you over my own pack" Kalista felt her heart flutter at his words. She tried to smile as he wiped her tears. "You would do that for me?" she whispered. "I will do whatever it takes to protect you," Jade replied and gently kissed her. ... Kalista, leading a quiet life in the human world changes her fate when she discovers a mysterious gem in the forest. This discovery unveils her true identity as a halfblood; a forbidden creature that isn't meant to exist; half-human, half-werewolf, mated to Jade, the Alpha Prince. Alpha Jade, the most powerful and strongest lycan ever, lost his parents to his evil uncle and now, avenging their death is the only thing he can think of. On his quest to find the Soul Gem that was stolen, he finds his mate, a halfblood who possesses part of the powers of the gem. She becomes his obsession and he was prepared to destroy the entire realm to keep her safe. As both humans and werewolves pose a threat to her due to the gem's powers she possesses, and her forbidden existence, Kalista has no one to rely on for protection except her mate. But when trials and conspiracies arise against them, with Jade's evil uncle threatening to destroy the entire world with the Soul Gem he stole, only one thing can save them both, and the world. The sacrifice of a halfblood. Will Jade stand back and watch his mate give her life to save the world?

After being left at the alter shattered and heartbroken. Frederico DELUCA vowed to never get involved with any other woman in his life . He became cold and heartless and a heartbreaker. With their family being one of the leading crime families in Italy and as the second in command of the mafia, he is not a man to be messed with, but what happens when he meets her again. Aria Esposito The woman who took his heart in her hands and shred it into million pieces without remorse. After almost six years of being apart , they are brought together by faithand both wants nothing to do with each other. But when Frederico finds out about his son with Aria, he is willing to go to any length to keep his son even if it means walking down the alter with the woman he wants nothing to do with. EXTRACT " Let me go Fred, I said leave me " I yelled at him as i tried to free my wrist from his grip. ' Frederico DELUCA, i said let me go ' I screamed angrily as he threw me on the bed and lit up a cigarette whilst staring as my dress moved up. My heart beat against my chest crazily. " Where is my son?" " He's my son Frederico" I screamed in panic. " I won't repeat myself woman, tell me where Red is before I.............." He trailed. " You are a criminal, you are a criminal" I said as my breathing came out in cuts. " You should have thought twice before letting a criminal fuck you " he spat and i froze at his raw use in language. He's a criminal.....! I knew the DELUCA, they are all criminals

A year ago, when Bailey Knight's side girl, Lucy Day, showed up in front of me, causing a scene, he had his people beat her until she lost the baby and tossed her out. Then he groveled before me for three straight hours, begging me to forgive him. Looking at the man I'd loved for ten years, looking so pitiful and broken, I eventually caved. Later, I caught Lucy sneaking around Bailey's villa in the suburbs, so I had her thrown out again. Three days before our wedding, Bailey grabbed me by the neck and shoved me up against the railing on the second-floor balcony, yelling so hard that his voice broke. "We already took Lucy's baby once! She can't handle it happening again. She's fragile. You're a woman—how can you not understand that? "I've given you the title of Mrs. Knight. I'd give you my life. Isn't that enough? Why can't you just accept her?" The next second, his secretary ran up to say they'd found Lucy. He shoved me down the stairs. The pain when my arm snapped made me feel like my whole body was being torn apart. But he didn't even look back. Staring at the cold, heartless man in front of me, I felt something inside me go completely dead. I picked up my phone and called Arnold Greenwood. "I don't wanna marry him anymore. Come get me."

“Mate.” He says. I stand there staring at the incredibly gorgeous male in front of me. I blink when what he says sinks in. There is no way this is possible. My beloved died 300 years ago. I felt the pain of losing him, even if I had no idea why I was in such severe pain then. I turn around and run. Kynessie - I might have been born a princess, but I never felt like it, and I knew this life wasn’t for me. I stayed for my family, but I can’t stay any longer. They knew I needed to leave and have never tried to force me to stay. As soon as I step off the plane and take a deep breath of the Louisianna air, it feels like I am home. Tiernan - My Lycan has been restless this entire trip. We are both anxious to get home. A rogue attack might have drawn us home earlier than expected, but something else is pulling us back to the pack. The girl in the background caught our attention, but that night's scent was the nail in the coffin. Now I need to wait for her to come back. She is the vampire princess, and he is the Lycan King. Two souls are brought together because of something that happened in her past. What happens when Kynessie runs into an old friend, and the truth comes to light? Will she give Tiernan a chance or walk away from their bond? What will he do when he finds out his mate has a very rare and unique gift that has only been seen one other time? Can he accept her, or will he reject his Heart Of Darkness?

SPIN- OFF TO SECRET OBSESSION. Ben x Beatrice's Story. You can read this book as a stand-alone novel. WARNING: This book contains Matured and Explicit content, with triggering emotions, strictly for 18+ and the above... You've been warned!!! After leaving him for years to Study in a faraway country, Beatrice returned to work as a Personal assistant in one of the famous and prestigious technology companies in New York. Everything was going on smoothly in her life when she returned to New York only for her to wake up and resume work as she does normally, then to found out the company where she was working was bought completely by a famous and popular private company named ClAK limited. Saddened that her lovely and caring old boss will have to leave her behind, she got the shock of her life when she saw who the new CEO would be, the one person she deserted in high school to purposely study in another country. It was no other than Benjamin Clarke... How could things go this way for her? She left him because she wasn't the one to be in an earnest relationship when she could still enjoy and have fun with her life. Find out what happens when she realized that Ben wasn't the loving and caring guy she used to know in high school days but nothing as a dominant and obsessed, cold, and arrogant bossy guy who would put her life in chaos... "You left me shattered Beatrice but I'll make sure to make your life a living hell," He said coldly as a devilish chuckle escaped his lips while his eyes grew dark staring at her tremulous state.

I, alpha Connor Tomson, reject you, Elara Silvius, as -," he stops, and a wicked smile forms on his full lips, " I won't reject you. You'll carry around the bond and get to suffer with it. It is payback for what your family did to mine," He sneers, staring at me with a penetrating gaze. Am I imagining this? What is happening right now? I can't speak. I'm too shocked. The room is spinning, and my heart is pounding against my chest. ... Alpha Connor has one thing he wants more than anything. To make the family responsible for his sister's death pay. He plans to kidnap and torture their beloved daughter, Elara, and it seems luck is on his side when he finds out she's his mate. Elara is beautiful and strong but the strenuous treachery from her mate crippled her heart. Alpha Connor slept with another woman to cause her pain. Gathering her strength, she decides to run from his pack. However, she did not expect to meet Zuriel, a man who made her heart beat faster and faster since she was a child. Zuriel's heart is cold and isolated from the world. He is dangerous, broken, and the only one of his kind. He meets Elara when he is about to plummet fully into darkness. No one has ever challenged him but her. Elara is rebellious and tests his patience, but he opens up to her. However, everything gets complicated when Elara's mate appears in her life, and Zuriel's dark, concealed past catches up to him. Follow my instagram- authorsunshine97