Stunned Thesaurus

After our eighty-eighth canceled wedding, I called my business partner. "I'm taking the Haviana market project." There was a beat of stunned silence. "Seriously? That's ten years overseas. You just got married—well, weren't you? Does your husband even know? What about your parents? You always said staying close to them was everything." I glanced around the empty church and let out a sharp laugh. "There was no wedding. No husband. And my parents? They've got Cindy. That's all they need." Another pause. "Alright. Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow." After the call, I ran a hand down my wedding dress. One last tear slipped out, quiet and pointless. Cindy had another "episode" today. Claimed she'd off herself. Andrew canceled—again. I'd looked at him, drained. "It's the eighty-eighth time." He dropped his head, guilt all over him. "Just a little more time, Viv. She's been off since the accident. I'm scared she'll actually do it. I swear, I'll talk to her. For real this time. Then we'll get married. Promise." My parents didn't hesitate. "Vivian, let Andrew go. If Cindy hadn't gotten kidnapped trying to save you, she wouldn't have these breakdowns. Are you really putting a wedding over your sister's life?" "How could you be so selfish?" I'd heard it all before. Used to fight it. Not this time. If neither my fiancé nor my parents wanted me around, then fine. I'd leave.

An arranged bride. An accidental claim. A love worth defying everything for. — When nerdy, bookish Elizabeth “Lizzie” Foster sets her eyes on Reese Blackwood at a wedding, she makes a wildly uncharacteristic decision. He’s going to be her first. Reese is charming, sexy, reckless, and far too attractive for his own good—the notorious son of a billionaire who’s never had to chase anyone in his life. But after one unforgettable moment, Lizzie thanks him politely… and tells him she hopes they never see each other again. For the first time, Reese is the one left wanting more. Fate, however, has other plans. Desperate to escape her controlling mother and finally claim her independence, Lizzie attempts a daring escape—only to be cornered at the airport before she can board her flight. With security closing in and her future slipping away, she does the only thing that comes to mind. She grabs Reese Blackwood after seeing him in the crowd, kisses him senseless, and announces to her mother and the world: “Meet my boyfriend. We’re getting married… and I’m pregnant.” Stunned—but spotting the perfect opportunity to defy his ruthless father and an arranged marriage with an unbearable woman he never wanted—Reese plays along. Now bound by a scandalous lie, a fake relationship, and a very public fake “pregnancy,” Lizzie and Reese are forced into a dangerous game of pretence. He’s hiding secrets that could destroy them both. She’s fighting for freedom she’s never had. And neither of them expected the biggest complication of all— Falling for each other might be the one lie they can’t survive. What could possibly go right?

In the city of New York, Darltech has become a global brand known by many nations with its headquarters in New York. Duncan built the company under his sweat and leaves it on to his daughter, his only flesh and blood. On the death of her husband, she realizes she’s alone in the cold world. Her mother not being literate in the business world, increased the pressure for her takeover. Kesa Duncan is the heir to Darltech, one of the largest business enterprises in New York. Her father is gone and she steps in to take charge of the company. Her two kids, Debbie and Tyler need to be taken care of properly. They miss the warmth of having a father. With running a multi billion dollar company and two overactive children, she will need all the help she can get. Mason Greenwood is a divorcee with many bills piled up for him, so he needs a job. His ex wife Tania, left him high and dry. When the opportunity calls for him to fill in for another person who rejected the job, he rushes for it.. Kesa is a hard nut to crack and a determined young woman. Ignoring her horror, he instills a sizzling seduction at their first encounter, taking all choices—leaving her stunned and wanting more. Mason has shown her how to embrace her feminine side. She finds that it doesn't limit her—it expands her perspective. She is respected by all her employees. She likes who she sees standing before her The pair begin with fighting the mutual attraction.They seek help and solace amongst themselves. Will their past let them move on to the future or will they be dragged along to pay for their mistakes?

After I've completed 98 tasks for my fiancee, Cheryl Landeau, she finally agrees to marry me once I've completed the 99th task for her. For that task, I'm required to pick her up outside her company. On the day I stand outside Cheryl's company with a huge flower bouquet in my arms, I don't see her at all despite having waited till late night. Soon after, I get hospitalized due to a high fever. When I tap on my phone, the first thing I see is a photo of the marriage certificate belonging to Cheryl and her assistant, Jason York. Jason even includes a caption with the photo. "My mom is very satisfied with her daughter-in-law. Please take good care of me from now on, my dear wife." The next day, I hang a banner outside the company. "May Ms. Landeau and Mr. York grow old in harmony and be blessed with children." All of my colleagues are stunned, to say the least. At that moment, Cheryl quickly pulls me into her office. She then explains, "Jason's mom is severely ill. Her death wish is watch him get married. What's wrong with me fulfilling her wish? Can't you show more kindness toward Jason? "Now, stop throwing that tantrum of yours and get rid of the banner. Once Jason's mom passes away, I'll file for a divorce from him." I just smile as I set off more fireworks at the doorway. "Oh, you don't have to bother with a divorce. I'm worried that his mom might come back to life soon. Let's just end things here."

[ WARNING: !! Mature Content 18+ !! ] “Heather... I finally found you, after centuries of waiting,” Conrad whispered through her ears, smelling the vanilla scent of his long, gone mate. “What are you talking about?! I am not Heather! I’m Agatha!” the human protested, but her strength was not enough for the devil to stop. “No, my love. It’s you. You may not remember who am I but I’m sure that it was you. Now come and surrender to me. Surrender to your master now.” The devil hunter started to kiss her neck, leaving her with nothing else to do but to just stand there, frozen and stunned by the sudden turn of events as she was about to give in to his inevitable and forbidden desires. Agatha is a mortal human who seeks revenge for the death of her beloved parents. In order to do that, she has to enter Morelli University, a mysterious place lurking with vampires and other creatures. While on the mission, she will meet their evil leader who wanted nothing more but to find his dead mate once again. After centuries of waiting, Conrad finally found his resurrected mate. But there is only one problem in that. She is now a fragile, mortal human with a beating heart and blood flowing through her veins. Not only that. Their enemies, the werewolves, lead by Lucian, the unforgiving and heartless alpha, was about to attack and invade the human world. Two different worlds collided. Both are hungry for power, love, and even blood. Darkness looms and a war suddenly broke out. During the process, death is inevitable and love will blossoms. Who will win in Agatha’s heart? The ruthless alpha? Or her devil vampire mate? Read and find out.

Daisy - Her parents sold her as a child to gain money, locked into a life under contracts she finds herself sold from one owner to the next. Her final owner: Dean, uses her in a way none of her previous owners have, and his gambling addiction has the whole house of slaves moving from city to city. Their final stop is in the Devil's city, and there is where Daisy first meets Demitri Devil, and he learns that Dean is not a man that his brothers want in their city. However, Daisy isn't weak and isn't afraid to fight for what she wants. Demitri Devil - Meets Daisy at a brothel, where he pays extensive amounts to have her. Only once in the room, he isn't after sex, instead, he asks her why she is doing it, telling her there surely is another way. He never goes there to buy women but to try to show them they can survive another way. Only he is stunned to find out Daisy makes no money from her time in those rooms. The second time he finds her there, she looks ready to drop and surprises his brothers when he arrives home with her for the night. Marcello Devil - He told Demitri he was crazy for bringing her home and buying her for the night to give her a break. Only he goes one further and he finds her in another business, he offers her a week away from Dean. Dean is all too pleased to take the money. Calix Devil - Seems to be the only one making his brothers realise they can't keep paying to keep Daisy for the weekend to get rest, but that goes wrong when they decide to buy her whole contract.

In the neon-lit shadows of Novela, Isabella Hart, a red-haired outcast, is drowning in betrayal. Bullied at school and abused by her family, her world shatters when her boyfriend spreads fake nude photos, driving her into the arms of a mysterious stranger for a reckless one-night stand. The next day, she’s stunned to find him—Sebastian Wolfe, a smouldering history professor and Lycan—standing at her lecture podium, his green eyes taunting her with their shared secret. But her life is about to get even worse as Caleb Reed, a charismatic senior with a demonic edge, who hides a deadly mission behind his seductive smile walks into her life. Both men are mated to Bella by the Moon Goddess, their rivalry igniting a lustful, dangerous love triangle. As Bella navigates forbidden passion and relentless torment, she uncovers a shocking truth: she’s a half-werewolf Moonborn, her red hair a mark of a rare lineage destined to destroy the BloodMoon pack’s evil Alpha, Marcus, and his Beta, Veron—Sebastian’s father. With Caleb’s obsession turning violent and Sebastian’s secrets threatening their love, Bella must embrace her powers to survive kidnappings, near-death ambushes, and betrayals that tear her heart apart. When her long-lost father resurfaces, Bella’s fight for her throne becomes a battle for survival, love, and redemption. In a city where werewolves lurk beneath skyscrapers, Bella’s destiny will burn bright—or consume them all. The Professor’s Mate is a dark, sensual werewolf romance, weaving lust, betrayal, and supernatural intrigue in a novel saga of a common human girl rising from ashes to claim her power as an Alpha in the werewolf realm.

Finally it was time to give her the ring, and Sue didnt hide her disappointment when she saw it. "Told you," Justin whispered. Jake simply smiled and slipped it on her finger. "I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher said. "You may kiss the bride." He lifted the veil and was struck that she would wear so little make up and still look stunning. She really does have simple but elegant taste. She"s going to throw a fit when she sees her new wardrobe. He already knew he would be assigning Mrs. Parker and her team of seamstresses with a new wardrobe. This time he would have to let Sue talk to her about what she wanted. He didn"t know whether to be relieved or annoyed. As he bent to kiss her on the lips, she gave a slight turn of her head so he kissed the side of her mouth instead. "Well honey, aren"t you full of surprises today," he teased. Having managed to catch her off guard, he wrapped her in his arms and gave her a long kiss on the mouth. She was too stunned to react in time to stop him. Several men chuckled and the single women sighed as if imagining he was kissing them. When Jake let go of her, he shot her a triumphant look. She looked flustered and then furious. They turned to the people as the preacher announced, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Jake Mitchell." She was reluctant to walk down the aisle with him so he gently led her by the arm. "We don"t want to disappoint the people. Remember, it"s only for six months." She sighed and started walking with him.

My in-laws, who have flown back to the country for the Christmas holidays, visit my home on Christmas Eve for dinner. But Selena Collins, the housekeeper, has only prepared two plates of cold shrimp ravioli despite the fact that I've specifically reminded her about my mother-in-law, Lora Fischer's allergy to shrimps. Selena just tells me in a stoic manner, "Mrs. Peterson, I know that you country bumpkins love taking advantage of everything. So, I completely understand that your parents want to mooch off a meal from the Peterson family during the holidays. "But as Mr. Peterson's most caring housekeeper, I have the right to protect the Petersons' assets from getting leeched by outsiders. Yes, this includes a regular meal. "Then again, I have a heart of gold, you see. I won't starve the elders at all. These are leftover shrimp ravioli from last year. Your parents should hurry up and leave after polishing the ravioli off. "Mr. Peterson is very busy with his work. I can't let him deal with your impoverished parents after getting home from a stressful day at work." I'm stunned at first, but I soon realize that Selena has mistaken my in-laws for my parents. She's purposefully causing me trouble as always. I'm about to explain the truth to Selena when I see my enraged in-laws turning to leave. But Selena wastes no time in calling the bodyguards over to stop them. "I completely understand that country bumpkins like you two have poor character, but wasting food is a really bad trait. "Since the shrimp ravioli is already prepared for you, please finish them all before leaving."

Stranger at day, fuck buddy at night, this isn't a sweet love story, it is a kind of story where lust meets love. Maya came from a small rural village, working as a dancer in a downtown bar just to afford her younger brother’s medication. Life had been nothing but struggle a relentless cycle of poverty and heartache she endured alone. On her very first night at the bar, Atlas Volkov watched from the shadows of a VIP sit. The billionaire CEO was known for ruthless business tactics and a cold, unforgiving empire. But as he looked at her, he didn’t see a dancer; he saw something he was determined to possess. He summoned her to his private space, the air thick with tension. “I can pull you out of this place,” he said, his voice smooth and dangerous. “But there’s a condition. You’ll be mine—a companion behind closed doors. Sign the contract, follow my rules, and you’ll be paid more than you’ve ever imagined.” Maya’s heart raced. She’d heard stories of the urban elite—their world built on rivalry and power. Getting involved with a Volkov was like walking into a hurricane. Yet the image of her brother “How much?” she whispered. “Two years. Ten million dollars.” The number stunned her more than she could earn in a hundred lifetimes, but desperation won out. “Deal,” she said, her voice shaky Atlas brought her to the Volkov Villa a sprawling estate where staff bowed in unison, he ordered her to undress. “No,” she snapped. “No contract means nothing.” He tossed her a folder. “Sign it. Now.” Her hand trembled as she scrawled her name.