Stepped Up Synonym

Meg and Charlie meet on Titanic, but their lives were intertwined long before they ever stepped foot on the doomed ship. Follow their story from the very beginning. Prelude After Meg's father dies, her life spirals out of control. Her mother is mean, her uncle abusive. When she discovers she’s been promised to a wealthy American, she’ll do whatever she must to flee Southampton, hoping for a new life in America and a chance to start over. Charles Ashton knows that his father arranged for him to marry Meg. Even though the temptations of being young and rich beckon him, he believes in keeping promises. However, his attempts at meeting Meg are thwarted and eventually, Charlie wonders if Meg exists at all. Ultimately, destiny’s plan will be revealed and their worlds will collide aboard a ship named Titanic. Titanic Meg never dreamt she would find herself aboard Titanic. Now that she finally has the opportunity to escape it all, she realizes the man she's engaged to is also aboard the ship. If Charlie discovers her identity, she will end up breaking his heart all over again. Will Meg find a way to reveal her identity without destroying their relationship, or will her last chance at true love end up in the abyss? Residuum The survivors of Titanic arrive in New York, but being back on dry land doesn't end the terror, and for some of the passengers, the nightmares are just beginning. Having escaped her haunting past, Meg knows she should be excited to start her new life as millionaire Charlie Ashton's fiancée. However, Titanic has scarred both of them, and part of her wants to escape into the night. Will she stay by Charlie's side? The voices in Charlie's head are ever-present. Will he lose Meg all over again?

Ashley Smichtt fled from home because she couldn't stand to be married to a stranger. She loved being the princess and did all her duties, but love was her biggest fantasy and she wasn't letting that crash it. On the night she fled from home, she ran into a sign board that presented an opportunity to change her life. Ashley took this opportunity, completely changing her identity to fit into the crowd. Her goal had changed from being loved, to proving that she was just as good for the position of Alpha. As she struggles to find her path as a new person, she counters Vance Louis, who is both her destiny and her doom. Ashley has to decide which he becomes, bearing in mind that he is her mate, who had never really met her for who she is. Placed in the position of power by the one she loves, Ashley has to decide if some points are worthy of proving.

Jane walked towards the forbidden building with a clenched fist. She looked scared at first but that didn't stop her curiosity about looking into the building she had been forbidden to reach. She looked back to see if any of the men were around to know of her sudden disappearance but nobody seemed to know since the alarm bells hadn't rung. She breathe out heavily and touched the door knob but before she could twist it open, her hand was yanked off it and she was pushed backward. She looked up only to meet the face of one person she had been trying to avoid. Allen stared coldly at the woman in front of him and stepped forward like a lion trying to stalk its prey. Jane looked terrified and gulped down with uneasiness. " What are you doing here? " Allen asked with his usual cold tone. " I was...uhm...just... " " Haven't I warned you not to step closer to this building huh? But it seems you are the stubborn pet. " Allen interrupted while continuing his walk towards her. " No...no, I was just being curious, that's all. " Jane replied as her back hits the wall. Allen trapped her in between. " Have you ever heard that curiosity kills the cat? " Allen smirked dangerously and Jane knew that she was in a long torture for the night. ______________ Don't miss out on this book. You will love it.

His lips neared mine and for a moment, I thought we were going to kiss. My lips followed his but he stepped back. I swallowed as my eyes remained glued to his face, I was scared of my gaze dropping lower. But I took bold steps forward to close the space between us. I could tell that he was surprised as he looked down at me. His fingers raised to my face and trailed my face slowly leaving a train of sweetness. He lifted my face up to his and sucked on my neck slowly. “What is it that you want Alana?” He asked me as he nibbled on my ears gently. Thrills moved down my spine and I could feel giddy and wanting already. I was already getting excited down there. “Tell me what you want.” His whisper came again. “I want you.” I whispered back weakly in a surrender. Alana is very shy and introverted but she has had her eyes set on the Most Popular Bad Boy, Atlas. Atlas is the boy every girl in Gold Valley City wants to have by all means but what happens when he notices and has his eye set a one good girl who is below his class? Will they build together an unbreakable bond amid societal and financial differences or will Alana’s submission be the begining to an unending rollercoaster of hurt and pain?

Divorced and remarried—I've lost count of how many times Aaron and I stepped in and out of marriage. He once treated me like something precious, but less than a year after our wedding, he asked for our first divorce. The reason was simple, Vivian was coming back. "Vivian's a public figure," he told me. "I don't want anyone thinking she's involved with a married man." That third-tier actress had nothing but her father's sacrifice to her name. He had taken a bullet for Aaron—a life for a life. And because of that, Aaron believed he owed her everything. Every time Vivian returned to the country, Aaron divorced me. And every time she left, we remarried. The first time we split, I drowned my tears in whiskey and stumbled back to his house half-drunk. The lights inside were warm. He was with her. And I stood outside, shivering through the night. The second time, I tracked his every move—restaurants, auctions, charity galas—just to "accidentally" run into him again. Later, I learned better. The moment he mentioned divorce, I would quietly pack my suitcase and disappear from his mansion. My love and humiliation kept me trapped in that endless cycle of breaking up and coming back together. But this time, when Aaron waited for me at City Hall to remarry, I never showed up.

For six years after their marriage, Miranda Stone devoted herself wholeheartedly to being Mrs. Gibson. She only found out later that while he was abroad, Felix Gibson had been secretly keeping his first love by his side. Miranda had once believed that even the coldest heart would eventually warm if she just loved hard enough. But that belief shattered the day his beloved first love won an international award and threw a lavish celebration—while their daughter was being wheeled into a freezing cold operating room. That was the moment Miranda finally woke up. She took back her worthless love, filed for divorce, and walked away with her daughter without ever looking back. Once she picked up her career again, the woman who used to be a stay-at-home wife transformed into one of the most sought-after experts in the medical field. Her research papers were published in top international journals. Her breakthroughs won prestigious awards across countries. When she stepped back into the spotlight, glowing with confidence and ready to give herself another chance at happiness, the man who had always held himself above everyone else—so composed and restrained—finally broke. He lost it completely. His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse with desperation. He dropped to his knees in front of her, pleading like a man who had lost everything. “Mira, please don’t leave me.”

PLEASE DON'T READ (Under major editing*) He stepped closer if that was even possible at this point. "I want you, Melanie." He rasped beneath his breath, his gaze falling to mouth. I hated the way I shivered visibly at his words. "So much." He ran his thumb along the inside of my elbow, closing his lips over mine again. One minute we were trying to kiss slowly. The next he was parting my lips and we were back to devouring each other. Our lips stayed locked even as he moved his fingers higher and higher. **** Melanie Steele and Damon Trent were practically the two opposite poles of a magnet. They had almost nothing in common. She liked her solitude, he liked being in the spotlight. She loved living for herself and being comfortable. He was in a constant competition with nobody. She hated attention, he craved it like the oxygen he breathed. They could never work... Or could they? When Damon finds out that he had to be married to get possession of his late father's properties, he let his friends talk him into putting up an ad in the News Paper and making a public spectacle to look for his future wife. What he didn't see coming was Melanie signing up for the competition. Somehow along the way, lines are not just crossed they're being completely erased. He's broken all his rules with her and she's thrown way her sanity when it comes to him. They find themselves battling an attraction that was slowly becoming something more. What happens when Damon's secret gets out? Would Melanie be able to forgive him? Or will their story end before it even has a chance to begin?

“I'm going to miss this place, I'm going to miss you." He pushed himself up from the leaner of the couch and approached her, So I thought, why not make one last memory, one last good memory." He took her hands in his and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pushed play on the remote. A Moment Like This by Leona Lewis sounded through the speaker and his gaze locked with hers. Slowly he swayed them from side to side, softly singing the song to her as he did, every word laced with love and promise. That moment would be one she cherished forever because in that one moment his eyes said to her everything his lips never did, and strangely enough, she felt content. They would always have the memories they made together. “You are the world and more Sierra Brightly." He whispered when the song softened to a close. “Thank you for every laugh, for every memory, for every moment you gave me, Roman. Meeting you will always be my life's greatest adventure." She reached up and placed a lingering on his cheek, feeling tears burn the back of her eyes as she did. “Ready to go?" He asked when she stepped back. “Yeah, yeah I am." She in a deep breath and turned to the door. *** Sierra and Roman are two kindred spirits both hurt by love, sent halfway across the world for work. After a chance encounter over double chocolate ice cream, they make a deal to have an adventure in the six months which Sierra is posted there. The catch? No strings. No personal information. A clean break. Bound by loyalty and hurt by their past, join Roman as they navigate the budding romance between them and learn to uncross the stars…

My younger brother had opened a high-end beauty salon, so I took my mother there for a facial. We picked the most expensive package, but the moment the mask was applied, Mom's face began to burn. When we peeled it off, her entire face was covered in rashes. I called for the director, but she looked impatient. "Oh, that's just a normal detox reaction." I was stunned. "Her face is practically ruined! What products are you even using?" "Ruined?" She flared up like someone had stepped on her tail. "Your mom's skin is just too bad to handle premium nutrients! Once our products are opened, they're non-refundable—got it?" I pointed to the brochure. "It says right here—'gentle and non-irritating, full refund if any adverse reaction occurs.' Is this how Stellan Fallow taught you to run a business?" She crossed her arms and lifted her chin high. "I am the boss! You and your mother look broke as hell—clearly here to mooch a free treatment. Now that it didn't work, you're trying to scam us for money? "Let me tell you something—this set costs 38 thousand, and with my emotional damages and lost wages, that's a total of 100 thousand. If you don't pay up today, I'll have the police take you both in!" A hundred thousand for a product that ruined someone's face? It was no wonder Stellan suddenly wanted to open a salon—it turned out he and his girlfriend were running a scam together! I was about to call Stellan, but before I could, she hit the video dial first. "Bubby, get over here—two broke idiots tried to freeload a treatment and now they're trying to shake us down for money!"

When my best friend died, his wife, Mia Lewis, was eight months pregnant. Mia said she didn't want her baby growing up without a father. I owed my best friend my life. He saved me, literally pulled me from death's door. So I stepped up, marrying Mia and raising their son as my own. Mia loved her career, so I quit mine. Traded my job for diapers and school runs. For seven whole years, I cooked, cleaned, folded laundry, and handled the housework. Rain or shine, sickness or health, I was there—every single day. Mia, though? She stayed cold, distant. Her warmth only surfaced in the bedroom—and even then, it was a flicker, never a flame. Just soft sighs and breathy murmurs, like she was playing a role she couldn't wait to finish. Afterward, she would quietly check the condom, as if she couldn't trust me. Then came New Year's Eve. A snap. A tear. A broken condom. Her fury struck like a thunderclap. She locked me out on the balcony, left me standing in the freezing rain, soaked to the bone as the wind howled like a wounded beast. Teeth chattering, I shivered as I watched the door like a dog, waiting to be let in. Then I saw him. Our boy, Ethan Bailey. Six years old. My son, at least in name. He came running with an umbrella in his hand. For a second, my heart leapt. 'Maybe, just maybe…' But he didn't even look at me. Just walked past in silence and handed the umbrella to the nanny heading out. Right then and there, something inside me cracked. I knew it was time to go.