Sudden Drop Crossword Clue Novels & Stories

She lost her job, her love, and her home until the man who fired her offered her a lifeline… in the form of a contract marriage.When loyal secretary Natasha Hills is wrongly accused of corporate betrayal, she’s cast out by billionaire CEO Bruce Stamford and left broken by the sudden disappearance of her scheming boyfriend. But everything changes when Bruce, desperate to fulfill his dying grandmother’s last wish, proposes a marriage of convenience.Their deal is strictly business… until emotions blur, secrets unravel, and enemies close in. In a world of power, lies, and betrayal, can fake vows turn into real love before everything crashes down?

“ Daddy had given me a set rules to follow. And I plan to disobey every single one of them.” Alec’s entire life was flipped by the mystery man who sipped on slowly on scotch. Three days was all it took to get him hooked and needing more. And then all of a sudden, mystery man disappears, leaving behind a fake name, and bundles of cash, like Alec was some sort of call boy. But Alec  cannot stop thinking about him. So he follows the thin trail he left behind, the need to find him and prove something to him was primal. After all, Daddy had called him, his little good boy. But could Alec handle all of him?

Part One:When Jamie Dalton moved into the house her grandparents left her she was just looking to reconnect with her past and settle in familiar surroundings. Digging through the attic for treasures, she found a nearly life-sized statue of a wolf and a very old, very strange book, Legends of the Werewolf. She was shocked when her new neighbor, Mike Volka, introduced himself and the eyes watching her looked just like the wolf in the book. Using the hypnotic power of the shifter, he draws her into his web and they have sex so hot it nearly burns down the house.Part TwoShifter Lia Popescue is desperate to find the book, Legends of the Werewolf, her only clue as to what happened to her pack. Her attempts to recover it bring her into contact with Riley Morgan, a contact that explodes with sexual chemistry. When she loses her heart to the sexy detective, she wonders how he will handle knowing the truth about her.USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.Wolf Tales is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

My name is Eleanor Keating. In my past life, my older sister—Alice Keating—and I were entrusted to the McKellen family in Arborhill by our parents for arranged marriages. I married John McKellen, the eldest son. While he might not be conventionally handsome, his calm demeanor and unwavering reliability stood out. Alice married Xavier McKellen, the younger son. Handsome as he was, he was equally carefree and unpredictable in his actions. Eager for a grandchild, the family patriarch—Henry McKellen—made a promise. The first to bear a child would have their offspring named the next heir of the family. After our wedding, John and I conceived. Our child was naturally declared the next heir, and with that, John and I gained influence and power within the family. Tensions between Alice and Xavier escalated into frequent fights. Eventually, both had affairs, and their marriage ended in a bitter divorce. Believing they had dishonored the family, John banished them from the household. Blinded by jealousy, Alice poisoned me and my child, ending both our lives. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the first day I arrived at the McKellen residence. But this time, Alice makes the first move and sleeps with John. In that moment, I realize she, too, has been given a second chance at life. Unfortunately, she has no clue that John is a twisted man. Not only is he devoid of love, but he also sees women as mere stepping stones in his relentless pursuit of power.

In a world where ancient treaties keep monsters in check, Lyra Hale has spent her life hiding what she is. A human witch born of a forbidden bloodline, Lyra’s magic first awakened in childhood, wild, powerful, and dangerous enough to draw the attention of forces her mother spent years running from. When her mother vanishes without a trace, Lyra follows the only clue left behind to Transylvania, a land ruled by vampires and werewolves haunted by the aftermath of forbidden magic. Her arrival does not go unnoticed. Once human, once powerless, Caspian has built his reign on control and fear of vulnerability. Lyra’s magic, ancient, untamed, and resistant to domination, becomes both his greatest threat and his darkest obsession. As witches, vampires, and werewolves close in, Lyra is pulled into a hidden war between covens, courts, and prophecies long buried. Ancient elders awaken, feral creatures stalk the shadows, and whispers of a forbidden creation resurface, proof of what happens when love and power cross sacred lines. Bound to Caspian by dangerous magic neither fully understands, Lyra must choose whether to submit to the laws that seek to control her… or defy them and risk destroying the fragile balance holding the supernatural world together. Because in a realm built on blood and fear, purity is a provocation, love is rebellion, and some bonds were never meant to exist, yet refuse to be broken.

At our daughter’s three-month milestone party, my husband Garrett’s so-called "best friend" publicly humiliated me. “Hey, Vivian. I heard you're a little loose down there after popping out the kid.” "If it's that bad, you better get some tightening surgery quick—don't wanna mess up your marriage vibes!" Garrett shot her a playful glare and snapped, "Knock it off, Scarlett! You can't just say whatever pops into your head." Then he turned to me with a breezy shrug. "She's just like that—total tomboy. We grew up together; she means no harm." Scarlett shook her half-exposed breast and pouted, "Oh, come on, don't take it personally, Vivian. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of you." "See, my problem is the opposite. I'm way too tight—hurts like hell during my period. No clue who's gonna get lucky with this later." Then she cut her eyes toward Garrett with a playful wink. " Oh right, you've tried it before, haven't you?" The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes drifted toward me, barely concealing their curiosity. I smiled, set down my wine glass, and looked at Scarlett with fake concern. "That's strange. I don't remember making it that tight when I did your surgery."

On her wedding day, Isla faced a series of disasters no bride could ever imagine. Her fiancé, Jeremy, dropped a bombshell in front of the entire congregation, revealing an explicit video of her and another man—a video she had no knowledge of or clue how it came to be. To make matters worse, Jeremy took things further by proposing to her sister right then and there. Devastated beyond belief, Isla ran out of the chapel—and his life—without looking back. She swore never to let herself be humiliated like that again and decided that love was no longer worth the risk. With her heart in pieces, she headed to the nearest bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol, where, in a haze of pain and anger, she met a handsome stranger. What was meant to be a fleeting escape turned into a one-night stand. She disappeared without a trace, determined to sever all ties with Jeremy. That included quitting her job at his father’s company—she didn’t want anything to do with him or his family anymore. As she searched for a new beginning, fate led her into the path of Jaxon Waverly. Jaxon Waverly—a billionaire CEO by day and a fearless Mafia leader by night. Isla becomes his secretary, unknown to her and Jaxon himself that she is Jaxon’s long-lost love and unforgettable one-night-stand. Determined to win her over, Jaxon will stop at nothing to make her his wife.

Three years married to Victor, the Don, and as far as New York was concerned, we were untouchable. Until my own car was in the shop, so I took his daily driver from the garage. On the way, I activated the car's smart system and said, "Navigate home." But the screen pinpointed a place I had never seen before — a villa in the suburbs. Then, a sugary-sweet voice floated from the speakers: "Okay! Setting course for Victor and Mia's secret castle." My stomach dropped. Who was Mia? And what secret castle? Without a second thought, I dialed his number. "The home address is set to some strange place." He just laughed it off. "Oh, that. One of my guys' car broke down the other day. I let him use mine to drop someone off." "Okay, no problem," I said, smiling into the phone. I ended the call and pulled up the navigation history. That villa address was listed seventeen times, every single one on a day Victor was supposedly "out of town on business." I fired up the engine and drove.

The Lombardos' long-lost son turned out to be some "scam-busting" influencer. He stormed into the company with my fiancée, cut me off mid–quarterly report, pointed straight at me, and went live. "Drop a comment if you're watching. Blow this up. I'm exposing a fake heir who stole someone else's life!" His crew dragged me offstage, ripped my suit, and shoved me into a neon vest stamped with "FAKE." "A fake's always fake. Never real. I'm ripping off your mask. If you're smart, get on your knees, hand over the CEO seat, and get lost!" I glanced at his parents—faces drained—and gave him one warning. "You don't get to call me a fraud. For their sake, apologize now, and I'll let it go." The room buzzed. Everyone thought I'd snapped, waiting for the "fake heir" to crash and burn. They had no clue. I wasn't the fake. I was the one the whole family answered to.

For four years, Sylvia blindly loved Carl, dreaming of becoming his Luna. But on her 21st birthday, her fated mate rewarded her devotion with a brutal rejection and a dagger coated in wolfsbane, driven into her heart by her best friend. But death wasn't the end. Resurrected by a mysterious drop of Phoenix Blood, Sylvia wakes up exactly one year before her betrayal. This time, she swears to make them pay. However, her perfect revenge plan hits an unexpected snag when her strict father brings pack a guest - Alaric. He is her father’s best friend, ten years her senior, and completely mute. Falling for an older, forbidden guest could get her exiled. But why does his scent trigger the ultimate mate bond? And why does this "mute tutor" project the terrifying, dominant aura of the legendary Lycan King? When her cheating ex comes crawling back, he has no idea that the girl he plans to use is about to become the most powerful Luna Queen in history.