Sun-in For Black Hair

My girlfriend keeps saying that she comes from a poor family, but she gives her childhood sweetheart a yacht on our anniversary. I text her to ask about this, but all she does is berate me. "Who do you think you are? How dare you stick your nose into my business! I'll give anyone whatever I want. My money, my call. Get lost!" Unbeknownst to her, I'm covered in blood on the other end of the line.

In my parents' hearts, there was always a "perfect son" who died too soon. I was just his flawed substitute, while my younger brother was their new hope. They pretended to be poor for 20 years, secretly funneling all their resources to him. While I was in the final stages of stomach cancer, writhing in pain, they were spending millions of dollars to build him a state-of-the-art study room. When the doctor told me to notify my family about hospital bills, I felt helpless, thinking they were just ordinary, broke workers. When my mom finally showed up at the hospital, she grabbed my hand, not out of concern. "Neville is under so much stress with his college entrance exams. Can you not die right now? He can't take it." My dad stood by, wearing a stern expression. "David was way more sensible than you."

When struggling waitress Elira Cruz was forced into entering a contract marriage with cold, ruthless billionaire Caelan Ferrer, she thought she was sealing just another business deal: one year, no emotions, no strings. But behind that icy stare lay hurtful memories Elira unknowingly played a part in. Snowed in by her messy kindness, the man who swore never to love again slowly began to thaw. Secrets begin to unfold underneath. A hidden link ties them much closer than either one would have imagined. Will their fake marriage survive the truth...or will love become the price of revenge?

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

For eight years, I was the ghost in Lorenzo Valenti's empire. By day, I was his executive assistant, the engine of his criminal enterprise. By night, I was the most submissive bird in his gilded cage, and the nameless body in his bed. I loved him with a devotion that bordered on madness, a foolish flame I'd nurtured since I was a scholarship student pulled into his orbit. I believed my quiet love could one day melt the ice around his heart. I was wrong. The day his unforgettable first love, Isabella, returned, the man I knew vanished. The rare smiles once reserved for me were now all for her. My presence by his side was erased, replaced by hers. Even when she framed me, he believed her without hesitation. He chose her, again and again. I submitted my resignation. He signed it without looking. He thought I'd crawl back, broken and begging. He was wrong. While he was busy playing house with his "cuore mio", I was quietly packing away my life, preparing to vanish from his world forever.

Elena Hart once had everything, money, beauty, and a kind heart that trusted too easily. But her perfect marriage to the charming Liam Blackwood ended in betrayal and even murder, planned by him and her best friend, Serena Cole. Her whole world fell apart. Yet death wasn't the end for her. One day, Elena woke up in her 22 year old body, seven years before the day she was meant to die. Her memories were broken, but she was filled with a strong will: this time, she would write her own ending. Reborn, Elena was no helpless princess. With the knowledge of what was to come and a clever, quick mind, she stepped into a world of secret business deals, hidden family stories, and a love triangle that made her quest for revenge even more complicated. There was Adrian Voss, the mysterious rival CEO whose cold look hid a past linked to hers, and Noah Grant, her childhood friend whose quiet loyalty showed deep, unspoken love. As Elena fought against Liam and Serena's evil plans, she uncovered even darker secrets, Hart Industries was really a front for a criminal empire, her mother's death was no accident, and maybe her second chance at life was part of a strange, bigger bargain. With every twist and turn, Elena had to choose between seeking revenge or forgiving, between following love or standing on her own. But in a game where enemies wear smiles and allies hide daggers, trust could be her downfall... or her redemption.

At the team dinner, everyone started hyping Peggy Madoff and me up to call our partners. Before I could even move, Peggy—runner-up to my top spot—whipped out her phone. "Babe, everyone's making me call you!" she giggled. On the line? Gerard Busch. Yeah, the CEO. He laughed. "Guess I'll be counting on you all to look after Peggy," he said. Cue the gasps and cheers. I just kept downing my wine. Because Gerard? He was my husband.

!R18+ Contains matured content. Viewers Discretion is advised.! "Do you, perhaps, have a wife or a fiance at home?" I inquired. He blinked at me once before he shook his head negatively. "Oh great! This is great." I mumbled and my eyes looked to his navy blue Armani Suit and with a nod, I added, "Your outfit is perfect as well." "Perfect for what?" He asked. "A wedding. We're getting married. Let's get married." "What?" ••• What would you do when, on your wedding day, you find your so-called fiance in his dressing room with his manhood buried deep in between another woman's thigh? Call off the wedding and leave, right? That's when you're free to make your own decisions though. It's not the same for Avery Roosevelt, the hidden heiress of The Roosevelts. This, however, is the sticky situation she finds herself in. Livid with anger, she grabs the first man in front of the hotel reception and proposes marriage to him. But when she finally discovers the man she had proposed marriage to was the CEO of the company her Family has been in rivalry with for ages? And when the secret behind her birth is revealed to the world? Would her husband stand by her or let her go? And when another secret is unveiled to the couple? A secret that depended on their future together. Would they drift apart or would love prevail? "Hubby, I slapped Eleanor Roosevelt for badmouthing you. Did I do wrong?" "Of course not. Let me see your wrist... Does it hurt you?" "Hubby, I cursed at the wife of your business partner for calling me a b*tch." "It's fine. I don't plan on working with them anyway." "Hubby..." •••

Their contract had expired a week ago and considering the fact that Miller's long term crush, Alexia was back from her six months trip, Miller decides to bring her back into the pack. Hurt and betrayed, Summer tries to reject him knowing she'd rather die than become his breeder, “I, Summer Dubios, reject…” Miller's cold voice cut her short instantly, “Summer! Are you out of your mind? You have no right to reject your mate! I’m not done with you yet. I alone have the right to reject you as my mate. Not until I am satisfied with the pleasure you bring, you're still my mate and you'll remain here till I have no use for you and that's final!”

I didn’t marry him for love. I married Ethan Blake because my brother was dying, and he needed a wife to secure his inheritance. It was supposed to be a simple deal—one year. No feelings. No expectations. On our wedding night, he didn’t touch me. Didn’t even pretend to try. “You are not her,” Ethan said quietly, adjusting his cufflinks like I wasn’t even worth looking at. I told myself I could survive that. I told myself I wouldn’t fall for a man who was still holding onto someone else. But living in Ethan Blake’s world was a different kind of loneliness. Because he didn’t love me, yet, he watched me when I wasn’t looking and kept his distance. Yet, no one else was allowed to get close to me. And slowly, against my better judgment… I started hoping. Hoping that one day, he would see me. I was wrong. The day she came back, everything changed. The woman he had been waiting for. The woman I was meant to replace. In front of everyone, Ethan didn’t hesitate. He chose her. And in that moment, something inside me broke so quietly that no one noticed except me. So I left. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone. I thought that would be the end of it. Until Ethan Blake came back into my life, like losing me was the one thing he couldn’t afford. But I’m not the same woman he married. And this time? He’s the one chasing He’s the one breaking while I decide if he deserves a second chance—or if I should finally choose myself.