Talent Caché

Le jour de notre septième anniversaire de mariage, j'étais à califourchon sur mon mari mafieux, Lucien, et je l'embrassais profondément. Mes doigts fouillaient dans la poche de ma robe de soie hors de prix, à la recherche du test de grossesse que j'y avais caché. Je voulais garder la nouvelle de ma grossesse inattendue pour la fin de la soirée. Marc, le second de Lucian, a demandé avec un sourire suggestif en italien : « Don, ton nouveau petit canari, Sophie. Comment est-elle ? » Le rire moqueur de Lucien a vibré sur ma poitrine et m'a fait froid dans le dos. Il a répondu, toujours en italien : « Comme une pêche pas mûre, fraîche et tendre. » Sa main caressait toujours ma taille, mais son regard était distant. « Garde ça entre nous. Si ma Donna le découvre, je suis un homme mort. » L'homme a gloussé d'un air entendu, levant son verre et jurant de garder le silence. La chaleur de mon sang s'est transformée progressivement pour devenir glaciale. La seule chose qu'ils ignoraient, c'était que ma grand-mère était originaire de Sicile, et que je comprenais donc chaque mot. Je me forçais de rester calme, fixant sur mon visage le sourire parfait de Donna, mais la main qui tenait ma flûte de champagne a tremblé. Au lieu de faire une scène, j'ai ouvert mon téléphone, trouvé l'invitation que j'avais reçue il y a quelques jours pour un projet international privé de recherche médicale, et j'ai tapé « Accepter ». Dans trois jours, je disparaîtrais complètement du monde de Lucien.

Nikita Pierrat a fait une fausse couche et a perdu l'enfant qu'elle attendait de son mari, Lucrèce Castex. Elle l'avait aimé pendant dix ans, avait abandonné ses études en deuxième année d'université pour l'épouser, et pendant trois ans de mariage, s'était dévouée sans compter. Jusqu'au jour où la découverte d'un document caché lui a révélé qu'elle n'avait été qu'un obstacle dans la relation entre cet homme et son premier amour. Dans la chambre d'hôpital, apprenant que les deux étaient partis pêcher en mer, Nikita a demandé le divorce. L'ancienne femme au foyer que tout le monde méprisait s'est alors métamorphosée : elle est devenue la maître designer d'une maison de joaillerie de luxe, l'unique enseignante d'un pianiste virtuose acclamé dans le monde entier, la déesse des circuits automobiles, la fille du ministre des Affaires étrangères, et la PDG d'une entreprise valorisée en bourse valant des milliards… Alors que les prétendants autour de Nikita se multipliaient, Lucrèce a commencé à s'accrocher à elle sans relâche. Excédée, Nikita a simulé sa propre mort pour lui échapper. Nuit après nuit, Lucrèce a veillé seul devant sa tombe vide, jusqu'à s'en user les genoux à force d'agenouillements. Jusqu'au jour où il a croisé par hasard son ex-femme « ressuscitée », les yeux rougis par l'émotion. « Chérie, recommençons, je t'en supplie… », a-t-il murmuré, éperdu. Nikita a souri, distante : « Attention à tes paroles. Dois-je te rappeler que nous sommes déjà divorcés ? »

She was the clumsiest girl, with no particular talent or ambition, yet she was special—at least to him. He adored her, silently protecting her from the dangers of the world. But his complicated family past kept him from confessing his love. Little did he know, his hesitation would cost him dearly. In his absence, a mysterious and dangerous man would enter her life, turning everything upside down. This unexpected intruder was fierce, dark, and ruthless—nothing like the gentle protection she had known. She tried to resist him, to escape the chaos he brought into her world, but fate had other plans. Despite her hatred, she was drawn deeper into his life, bound by a connection she couldn’t sever. To the world, he was cold and unfeeling, but for her, he was the only one who embraced her flaws without question. Yet, beneath his cold exterior, he carried scars deeper than hers. As their lives became entangled, love, hate, misunderstandings, and bloodshed tore at their fragile bond..Secrets surfaced, and the line between friendship and love blurred. Faced with the choice between the comfort of a friendship left behind or the uncertain, intense love of the one who now possessed her heart, which path would she take? Could she survive the turmoil and find her true happiness, or would she let fate decide her future? ~It's an unedited book. Mistakes are common, there might be some grammatical errors....so please read at your own risk..

Elle avait tout pour briller : un talent rare, un avenir prometteur, une lumière que personne ne pouvait ignorer. Mais par amour, elle a tout sacrifié. Pour lui, elle s'est effacée. Pour lui, elle a renoncé à ses rêves. Pendant cinq ans, elle est devenue l'épouse silencieuse, discrète, transparente. Celle qui attend patiemment un regard, un geste, un mot tendre qui ne vient jamais. Il ne l'a jamais vraiment aimée. Elle n'était qu'un réconfort, un visage familier en attendant le retour de l'autre. Quand son ex-petite amie refait surface, il la rejette sans hésitation. « Divorçons. Tu n'as jamais été qu'un substitut. » Mais la douleur lui révèle l'horreur : les « vitamines » qu'il lui donnait chaque jour n'étaient que des pilules contraceptives. Il lui a volé bien plus que son temps. Il lui a volé son choix. Elle part sans un cri, sans une larme. Et des années plus tard, elle renaît. Brillante. Libre. Accomplie. Lui ? Il regrette. Il la cherche. Il veut la reconquérir. Mais comment rattraper celle qu'on a laissée partir… quand elle n'a plus aucune raison de revenir ?

“Name your price,” he said, that arrogant smirk still intact. “Do you want your job back?” I didn’t hesitate. “Make me a director. Only then will I pretend to be your loving girlfriend.” I thought he’d laugh. I didn’t expect him to say yes. “Deal,” he replied, his gaze locking on mine. “Just remember, Amaris Kennerly once you sign that contract, you belong to me.” ***** I’ve always wondered if I was cursed from birth because the kind of bad luck that haunts me feels almost supernatural. People call me a computer genius, but my real talent is something no one sees. They say I’m beautiful, yet I bury that behind oversized clothes and a mountain of insecurities. After dumping my cheating boyfriend, the only steady thing left in my life was my soul-sucking job until I lost that too. And the man responsible? Theron Lockhart.——My high school bully didn’t just return, he returned as the new CEO of my company. And his first executive move? Firing me and my entire department, like history repeating itself in the cruelest way. He didn’t recognize me, which should’ve felt like relief. But fate clearly wasn’t done toying with me. One moment, he was rescuing me from a run-in with my ex. The next, a rumor had spread: I was his girlfriend. And then the tables turned because Theron needed to avoid a scandal, and I was his best option.

Xenia Lewis, the nepotism junior, is eager to craft an image of herself as a prodigy. To prove her talent, she requests to take the lead in court. But when confronted by the plaintiff's attorney's sharp questioning, she falters. Our defense unravels, instantly putting us at a disadvantage. After the verdict is announced, Xenia tearfully throws herself into the arms of my fiance, Zayne Scott. Her voice trembles with excuses. "The plaintiff's attorney was too harsh. It was my first time in court, and I was just too nervous!" Due to her incompetence, the defendant, who could have been acquitted, ends up behind bars. Yet, Zayne and my junior colleague, Hugo Wilkinson, indulge her with comforting words. "Don't be upset. No one wins every case." "With your cleverness, Xenia, you'll surely hold your own next time." Furious, I snap, "The court is a place to seek truth and uphold justice. It's not a playground for make-believe. Because of your mistake, an innocent person has been wronged. How can you live with yourself?" Feeling humiliated, Xenia breaks down, sobbing and threatening to harm herself. Resentful that I've hurt her, Zayne and Hugo distort the truth, shifting all the blame onto me. I end up as the scapegoat for her mistakes. Not only am I forced to resign in disgrace, but I also face disbarment. With nowhere to turn, my spirit shatters. While crossing the street, distraught and distracted, I'm hit by a car and killed. Then, when I wake up, I find myself reborn on the very day Xenia and I are set to appear in court.

In a world where her kind is feared for their special skills, all eighteen-year-old Claire Larry really wanted was to be on her own, but it seemed the alpha’s son was just sent to torment her. However, her act of revenge turns into a fate-controlled situation when she discovers he is her mate. Repelled by the idea, she rejects him in front of their peers. In anger, he beats her close to unconsciousness with every intention to make her a rogue werewolf. Luckily, her second chance mate comes to her rescue, saving her from a future full of pain and regret. Wanting to get away from her pack, she follows him back home to become his Luna. Though she had escaped problems from her pack, she is faced with a set of new ones, ranging from making her relationship with the alpha work to being accepted by her new pack and stopping those who are out to destroy her new home. In this spellbinding tale of salvation, second chances, and love, how will Claire make the alpha fall in love with her even when he is against the very notion? How will the young Luna get her new pack to acknowledge and accept her despite her unique talent? Moreover, will she be able to protect her new home from those determined to take it away? Find out only in this book, which promises you nothing but pleasure as you accompany Claire on her quest to achieve all her goals despite the odds against her.

Pia Bellucci descends from the slums in Hughlin. Orphans like her are supposed to spend their lives struggling in the bottom rung of society. They are meant to live in the darkness till they draw their last breaths. But the appearance of Vito Castaldo, the Don of the Castaldo family, has completely rewritten Pia's fate. Thanks to Pia's resilience and talent, she fights against all odds and becomes Vito's personal bodyguard. She takes it upon herself to block all harm coming his way and resolve deadly crises for him. Once, when Pia gets kidnapped by Vito's rivals in his stead and almost dies in that ordeal, Vito confesses his feelings to her after rescuing her. After that, he holds an engagement banquet and slides a diamond ring onto her finger before making his vow. "Once I become the Don of Nework, you shall become the Donna." Pia is grateful to Vito for saving her life while showering her with love and affection. It's only natural that she's willing to sacrifice everything for his sake. From then, she works even harder in striking more dangerous deals and wrapping up the most brutal negotiations on Vito's behalf. She practically puts herself at risk just to get rid of all obstacles in his way until his strongest foes are dead. But when Pia thinks her dream is about to come true, she stumbles upon the cruelest truth. It turns out that she's nothing but a tool for Vito to wield from the start till the end.

Kate Taylor spent seven years being the perfect wife. She gave up her dreams of becoming a celebrated chef, abandoned her culinary career, and molded herself into exactly what her husband David wanted—quiet, obedient, and invisible. When she finally decided to get her life together, he refused. She got tired of the humiliation after he refused her from taking an offer as a chef. Kate files for divorce and returns to the only thing that ever made her feel alive—cooking. She takes the job at Morrison's, the most prestigious restaurant in New York, under Chef Henri Laurent and his son Alex. Her talent explodes back to life. Critics rave about her dishes and her name starts trending. She's finally remembering who she was before David made her forget. But David won't let her go without a fight. He weaponizes their children against her, turns their son Theo against her, threatens her career, and parades Sarah around like she's already his wife. He wants to destroy everything Kate is building. Then she finds out a secret David had been hiding for six years, Sarah was more than his secretary. As custody battles turn vicious, family secrets surface, and old enemies join forces, Kate must decide: will she let the past control her future, or will she finally claim the empire she deserves? Some women fall apart after betrayal but Kate Taylor will build an empire.

Jaxon Carter has everything a man could want—talent, fame, and a multimillion-dollar contract with the Titans almost within his grasp. The only problem? His reckless lifestyle stands between him and the contract. But his agency has told him that he can salvage the contract by cleaning up his image. Sienna Blake has two things in life she held dear —her ballet career and her house she grew up creating memories in. But when the bank forecloses her house and her ballet career barely covers her bills, she turns to her agency, only to be coldly rejected. When their paths cross at the agency, Jax sees an opportunity. She needs money. He needs stability. The solution? A fake relationship. He offers to clear her debts in exchange for playing the perfect doting girlfriend—just long enough it's beneficial to them. But what starts as a transaction soon spirals into something neither of them expected. Public appearances turn into stolen moments and close proximate intimacy blurs into something more. They find themselves trapped in a dangerous game—one where the greatest risk isn’t losing a contract or a house… but losing their hearts. And just when Sienna is ready to confess the biggest secret of all, Jax's past comes haunting them. Hurt and betrayed, she walks away without a second glance, choosing to protect her heart and her unborn child. Will Jax fight for what they had? Will he risk everything—including his career—to fight for the only thing that ever truly mattered?