Talking To Strangers

I used to be the most promising composer of my generation. But while I was working on my latest piece, my husband Charles Lambert's childhood friend destroyed everything I had. She slashed my face, stole my compositions, and set fire to my house—leaving me to burn alive alongside the kitten I'd just adopted. Then, as if my death were just a spark for her success, she posted my compositions online, claiming I'd plagiarized her. And people believed her. Everyone did. Strangers on the internet sneered and spat my name, and my own husband, Charles, chose to believe her over me. Even the International Musical Society rescinded my award and handed it to her without a second thought. My students, who once followed me loyally, were now fawning over her. I became the laughingstock of the entire internet—mocked, discredited, erased. It wasn't until a week later, when someone stumbled upon the charred remains of my lakeside studio, that they found what was left of me.

What Jaxson assumed was his son in his fiance's womb turned out to be his step brother's child. After being deceived by the two people he trusted, Jaxson drowned himself in alcohol out of devastation. Cattleya happened to be at the same club where he was, filling a job given to her by a friend. When their paths collide, Jaxson fabricates an unexpected ploy inside his mind. He offered Cattleya a job. It was to be his play date and pretend to be Jaxson's new girlfriend so that he could show his family and ex-fiance that he was unharmed and quickly moved on; for fear of being an embarrassment. Despite her hesitation, Cattleya was persuaded to accept Jaxson's offer due to the money and benefits offered. It will be extremely beneficial to her education as well as her brother's medical assistance. The two strangers attended the Madrigal family dinner as new lovers regardless of knowing nothing about each other. What they weren't expecting, was Jaxson's father's immediate order to marry Cattleya in exchange for an offer they could never reject.

Zara Queen lives her life in bold colors. She dances for a living—literally—as one of the top performers at Club Mirage. Fierce, flirty, and unapologetically herself, she’s used to being wanted… but never truly seen. When her apartment floods, she ends up crashing with Liam Carter, a grumpy, emotionally closed-off single dad who thinks Zara is the human equivalent of chaos. He wants silence. She lives out loud. "You don’t belong in my world, Zara." “Then why do you keep looking at me like I’m the only thing keeping you alive?" Their roommate agreement had one rule: no touching. But rules were made to be broken, especially when sparks start flying and hearts start healing. "You strip for strangers, but the way you look at me... it’s like I’m the only one who’s ever seen you." As the lines blur between comfort and desire, Liam and Zara must ask themselves: can love grow in the space between damage and desire?

My wedding to Don Lorenzo Corsica was always 'almost.' Five years engaged. Thirty-two weddings. Every single one crashed and burned. Then came number thirty-three. Halfway through, the chapel wall caved in. I landed in the ICU. Skull fracture. Major concussion. A dozen critical alerts. Two months stuck between life and death. Then I clawed my way back. On discharge day, I caught him talking to his right-hand guy. "Don, if you're really into that scholarship girl, just dump Ms. Mortoro," the guy said. "Corsicas can kill gossip. No need for staged accidents... She nearly died." Lorenzo went quiet. Then finally, "I owed her parents. They died for me. Marrying her was the only way to repay that. But I love Sofia. She's the one I want." I looked down at my stitched-up body and cried without a sound. So it wasn't fate that wrecked me. It was him. If he couldn't choose, I'd do it for him.

“You’re getting engaged tomorrow.” My father said blandly as if he was talking about the weather. But that wasn't my problem. The problem is I’ve only met the girl once… and I don’t even like girls. No one knows I’m gay. Not even my father. So, the night before the big party, I did something stupid. I went to a bar. I got drunk. And I kissed a stranger. He was hot and dangerous in the best way. We had a one night stand. One night. That’s all it was supposed to be. Until the next day... when he walked into my engagement party. My fiancée turned to me and smiled. “Meet my brother.” I looked at him, frozen. And then he said, with a smirk— “Nice to meet you.” My heart dropped. This wasn’t just a one-night mistake anymore. Now, it’s the beginning of something dangerous... and maybe something real. Something I wanted.

Screw standard blurbs. This isn't an ordinary book... This is a paranormal romance, with a reverse harem feel. Addictive as crack, and I'm not talking old, hairy builders crack either. Don't expect any fluff or happy endings, because what you'll actually get is bad attitudes, foul language, and men so damn hot, they'll melt your panties off with just one look. Read the book. Let me pull you in and make you fall in love, before viciously ripping out your heart, just because I can. By the end of the book, expect to be ugly crying, while you plot my slow, yet painful death. As tempted as you are, do not throw your tablet at the wall. I promise I'll send one of my hunks to rescue you from that cliff you're currently hanging from by your bra straps. You're welcome. I'll see you in the next book, sweetcheeks.

Our daughter was diagnosed with a genetic illness. To save her, my husband founded a charity in her name. To raise the funds, he pushed himself to the brink—working three hundred days straight, surviving on three hours of sleep a night. His relentless drive moved countless people. The media hailed him as "Father of the Year." Everyone congratulated me on having such a devoted partner. Then came the day he rallied the entire nation, securing pledges for millions in donations to fund our daughter's cure. At the gala, with over ten million dollars moments from being transferred, I suddenly hit the pause button. "And now, we'll take a brief intermission for a signing," I announced. The room erupted. They shouted at me, called me selfish, a monster. My husband stared at me, utterly stunned. "Have you lost your mind? Children around the world are waiting on this money to survive! What in God's name are you talking about?" I lifted my gaze to meet his. "A divorce agreement."

It was the day of my return. The city was talking about the birthday party my husband was throwing for me. He was a lawyer. But the night before the big day, a message popped up on my husband's cell phone. 'It's been five years. I've been waiting for far too long.' My husband pushed me away, though his face was smeared with guilt. "I'm sorry, honey. The GM wants me on a last-minute work trip. I can't make it in time for your birthday." He left without even missing a beat. I opened up the GPS app and watched the red dot move away. That was him. I got an Uber and tailed him right away. His GM was me. I just got the job, and I approved his leave for my birthday. And then he told me, in my face, that I assigned him on a last-minute work trip when I did no such thing. It was midnight. And I was going to find out who this man was meeting at this witching hour.

Khalid is a model and also the co-owner of their modeling company. When he lost the first woman he ever loved due to an unexpected incident, Khalid became a workaholic. On the first anniversary of the death of his first love, Khalid saw a strange woman talking to a drunk woman who had her head in the trash bin. That was the first time that Khalid’s lips broke into a smile. But then, fate is truly unpredictable. Khalid’s parents asked him to do a marriage interview (as they always asked him to do-with different women) with her. WITH HER. Khalid fell in love with her deeply. But, what was fate really want? When things between them finally went smoothly, another problem appeared. What was Khalid supposed to do, then? Is fate playing tricks on him? Well, he’s not gonna let fate win the game. Whatever happens, he will make sure that Alelie ends up with him and he will also make sure that she does not leave his side. No. Never.

When Joy Staton, my adoptive sister, fainted in the freezer on her birthday, William Staton, my brother, checked on the security footage in rage. The moment he saw that I was the one who took Joy into the freezer, he kicked me inside without hesitation. Before shutting the door, he stared at me in disgust. “You’ve been pushing your luck a lot these days, huh? If I’d been a second too late, Joy would’ve died!” I wanted to defend myself, but William refused to listen and slammed the door shut. I heard him talking to the bodyguards outside. “If she doesn’t apologize, don’t let her out!” But he did not know that Joy had set the freezer to –58 °F. I did not even have the strength to complain about the freezer being cold. William did not know that the sister he once loved dearly had stopped breathing in the freezer. He had killed his only blood relative left in the world.