Stepped Up Synonym

After my family went bankrupt, I begged my fiancé Ryan to pump cash into our business. He didn't just refuse. He turned around and got engaged to someone else. When I was at the end of my rope, Ethan Brooks stepped up, tossing all his savings into my family's mess. Sadly, we missed our shot, and our company crashed. My parents couldn't handle it. They jumped off a building. Even so, I was thankful to Ethan and married him to pay him back. Three years later, at Lily Carter's birthday party, I overheard her talking to him. "You tanked the Harper family so I could win that bid. Won't Kelly blame you?" "For you, I'd give up everything. I'll just make it up to her." My blood ran cold as I realized our marriage was all a lie. The one he loved was Lily all along. I turned and left. If he was that hooked, I'd set him free.

My younger sister was crazy about novels and always envied the way ordinary heroines pick up penniless heroes and climb the social ladder. So, she started picking up men wherever she could. Until one day, a man with a face covered in sores collapsed at our doorstep. I instantly recognized the signs of syphilis and warned my sister repeatedly, and only then did she give up the idea. However, fate had other plans: my sister's best friend "picked him up" instead and married into a wealthy family. My sister held a grudge. On my birthday, she locked me in my room and set it on fire. No matter how desperately I begged, she refused to open the door. Outside, she sneered: "I know you're just scared I'll live better than you, so you want to drag me down into misery with you. People like you don't even deserve to be a sister!" I burned alive, my body reduced to nothing but ashes. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day my sister insisted on "picking up that man." This time, I quietly stepped back, letting her have her way—of course, I chose to let her succeed.

After taking a shower, I stepped barefoot onto the smart scale at home. A cheerful chime rang out. "Congratulations, Mia, you're in your second trimester. The baby weighs three pounds already!" I froze. I was pregnant? How did I not know? Heart pounding, I snatched up my phone and immediately called my husband. "What's going on with the scale at home? I'm pregnant?!" There was a moment of silence on the other end before his familiar, gentle chuckle came through. "Mila, it's just a scale. The data must be wrong. Maybe you're just too sensitive since you haven't been able to get pregnant." I hung up and connected the scale to Bluetooth. In the data log, I saw three months' worth of steadily increasing numbers. Grabbing my car keys, I headed straight for Mia Lane's university.

Hazel Jones slides on a beautiful red silk dress with a slit up to her curvy hip and black strappy heels. Her long, chocolate brown hair is up in an elegant style, exposing her neck. She applies mascara and matching red matte lipstick for the finishing touches. She studies herself in the mirror before leaving her apartment and getting into the limo. Hazel may never see her family again but missing the Mate Gala is not an option for her. -------- "How is this possible?" "I don't know, but she is mine too." King Octavius Storm and his mate, Valentina watches as their surprise mate makes her way to The Royals' table. She's a human, and they are the Lycan Royals. A Lycan King has never had more than one mate. It is normal in the Full-Blood District, but not in the Lycan Colony. What makes it even more unique, Octavius and Valentina both felt the mate bond before Hazel stepped foot in the ballroom.

Just for brushing against the hem of Eva Lawson, the heiress’s custom couture gown, Lucy Quinn's mother had her limbs broken, then thrown into the sea to die. The day Lucy dragged the arrogant heiress to court she thought that justice might finally be served. Eva was declared not guilty. Why? Because the defense attorney representing her was none other than Wyatt Grant, founder of the most untouchable law firm in River City, and Lucy Quinn’s husband. When the trial ended, the elegant and aloof man stepped down from the defense table and placed an apology letter in front of Lucy. "Lulu, sign it. You don’t want to be sued for defamation and end up in prison, do you?" His tone was calm and coaxing, but behind the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was cold as ice. Lucy, tears stubbornly clinging to her eyes, looked up at him and said with a trembling voice, "Why, Wyatt, Why?"

After running away from her abusive uncle, Elora Knightlock stepped on the Royal Cavern Pack and met her cold mate, Alpha King Dominic Ackerman. At first, Dominic couldn't accept that he was mated to a mere rogue, so he made Elora's life difficult. But as the mate bond became deeper, Dominic started to develop feelings toward his rogue mate. Eventually, he found out that Elora was more than just a lowly rogue with a horrible past she was desperately running away from. The Alpha King regretted his past actions and started to chase the love of his life. But it was already too late, as Elora already lost her faith in their predestined connection. But the Alpha King was not ready to give up just yet. He was willing to chase her runaway mate to the ends of the earth. But he had to hurry before Elora's dark past caught up on her before he does.

Freda Aton dream was about to come true; getting married to her mate and future Alpha until a strange mark deemed her cursed.  Rejected and abandoned by her pack, she ran into the Blood moon pack Alpha, Craig Redding, who kept his identity hidden from her. He knew about the cursed mark, and Freda would do anything to know about the mark that just ruined her life. Together they embarked on the journey to discover who Freda really was.  Is the truth about both their identities going to break or make them?

What if you really were transported to a fantasy world and expected to kill monsters to survive?No special abilities, no OP weapons, no status screen to boost your stats. Never mind finding the dragon's treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing: how to stay alive.All the people summoned form parties and set off on their adventures, leaving behind the people who nobody wants in their group.Story of my life, thinks Colin.

The Banished Alpha Heir x The Hybrid Vampire Princess Mate! Lucas cackled, high and insane in his mind. Our mate!! Daphne shrieked as the wolf leaped at her and tackled her to the ground. She stared up at the wolf looming over her, frozen in terror. She hissed at the pain in her neck as he removed its paw from her throat and stepped back just a bit. He growled, low and almost tender, “Mate.” Oh goddess, he was looking for his mate? He was going to kill her. “P-Please don’t k-kill me…” She pleaded, “P-Please, I…” The wolf flinched and trembled, “No. No. I wouldn’t-- Never-- I’m sorry…”

Fresh out of the National Research Institute, I loaded up on my wife's favorite snacks and ordered a vibrant bouquet of roses, eager to surprise her. I stashed the treats in her office, then stepped out to grab the flowers. But in those fleeting minutes, a stranger had ripped open every package and devoured everything. I glared at him. "Who gave you permission to touch those?" He shot me a look of pure disdain. "Buzz off, flower boy. Drop your crap and scram!" The secretary at the door snickered. "You heard the man. He's Ms. Bowman's husband. Better run before he leaves a bad review." I pulled out my phone and called my wife. "Who is this guy in your office?"