Terms Of Endearment Larry Mcmurtry の小説・ストーリー

She was a deal. Until she became his obsession. Until he became her ruin. Until the lines blur. Alina Carter has three things left: a mother in a hospital bed, an eviction notice, and twenty-four hours to find a miracle. The miracle arrives in a black car, with an envelope, and a name she already knows to fear. Adrian Voss. Billionaire. Ruthless. The kind of man people warn you about in the same breath they describe a natural disaster. His offer is simple. Move into his penthouse. Attend his events. Play the role his world requires. In return, every debt is cleared, her mother is taken care of, and she walks away in six months with her life restored. What he doesn't tell her is the truth behind the offer. That she is not a solution to his problem. She is the problem. Three years ago, Alina unknowingly destroyed one of his most important business deals — and Adrian Voss has never forgotten a debt. She was chosen. She was arranged. She was bought. But somewhere between the cold terms of the contract and the man who keeps protecting her when he doesn't have to, the lines begin to blur. Adrian begins to feel things he didn't plan for. Alina begins to see a person underneath the control she didn't expect to find. And then the truth comes out — all of it. The revenge. The manipulation. The years of planning. when they are both in danger. The only person Adrian trusts with her safety is himself. And the only question that matters is the one neither of them has an answer to yet: Can something real grow from a foundation built entirely on revenge? Or will the truth destroy them both before they get the chance to find out?

Amara Kol endured three years of Kalus Mike's compliant, subservient wife, enduring his chilly disdain silently while reserving his affection for herself. But when he serves her with a divorce notice, eager to wed his long-time sweetheart Lydia Osita, Amara is confronted with harsh reality: the union, to him, had been three years and a mistake that could not be erased. Heartbroken and spurned, Amara vanishes into thin air, leaving only tears-soaked divorce papers behind. What Kalus fails to know, however, is that Amara Kol was never the woman he thought she was. She is actually Dera Denz, only child and heiress of the powerful Denz clan—a woman infinitely wealthier and more powerful than he could ever imagine. By the time Dera re-emerges as the gorgeous, hot, and untouchable CEO of Zz Group, she is no longer the modest wife who pleaded with him to love her. She is a queen on her own terms, determined to get everything that had been lost—her dignity as well. Now Kalus is haunted by guilt, unable to shake the memory of the woman he spurned. But Dera is gone—and doesn't want to come back. As he watches her climb to the top, with a clique of powerful acquaintances surrounding her—including Frank Denz, ominously guarding over her—Kalus learns too late: The woman he had cast aside is the one he can't do without. But Dera isn't that woman who asked him to stay once before. It is his turn now. Will Kalus reclaim the love he never cherished, or will Dera depart leaving him where he so rightly belongs, in the past?

Tessa and Raymond’s marriage was never about love, it was convenience, appearances, and expectations. Raymond, with his conventional charm and striking handsomeness, was admired by everyone, but his heart was never fully hers. He had always been drawn to Danielle Green. He claimed she was just a friend, but Tessa knew better. Every secret outing, every hidden smile all carved wounds into Tessa’s heart, leaving her feeling invisible in her own marriage. The tipping point comes when Tessa stumbles upon a post online, a wave of public scolding aimed at her for supposedly breaking the home, for being the obstacle to Danielle. In a blaze of frustration and humiliation, she serves Raymond divorce papers. But instead of freeing her, Raymond refuses. He offers her silly, manipulative terms to meet him, seduces, and taunts her, proving he will never let her go easily. Fueled by a mix of rage and determination, Tessa begins to reclaim her power. She finds herself drawn into a complicated dynamic with Derek, Raymond’s best friend, a man with his own history of tension with Raymond and secret feelings for Tessa. The attention stirs something in her: attraction, validation, a hint of revenge. It ignites a spark Raymond cannot ignore. For Raymond, it is only the beginning. The thought of losing her shook him to the core. He begins to fight for her in ways he never has, even as his love twists into jealousy and obsession. When Raymond finally drops the mask, revealing the man beneath the arrogance, the man terrified of losing her, Tessa is forced to ask herself the question she swore she’d buried: Can love truly be reborn in the depth of hate, or is his devotion just another chain designed to keep her bound?

Katelyn Grey, an 18-year-old girl with a feisty spirit and an iron will, finds herself caught up in a destiny she never desired. After being thrown out of her Colorado home, where she lived under her sister’s shadow and was a constant source of disappointment and irritation for her parents, she ends up in Oregon at the River Gorge Pack. This was supposed to be a new start for her, a chance to spread her wings and be herself without constantly feeling like a failure to her family, but life has other plans in store for her. She arrives just in time for the Annual Mating Celebration, but Katelyn refuses to attend, viewing the practice as outdated and a violation of one's freewill. Fate has other plans in store for her though. While nursing a broken heart, she unintentionally meets her mate, Tyler, causing Katelyn to question her preconceived notions and wonder whether she was the one who had been naive. Tyler Valentine is the future Alpha of the River Gorge Pack, which would make Katelyn the future Luna, a title she isn't eager to accept. But as if that wasn't enough, fate has a cruel twist in store for Katelyn, and she discovers that she is also mated to Tyler's twin brother, Ryder. Ryder is the chaos that cuts through the calm. While Tyler is thoughtful and composed, Ryder is reckless and impulsive, leaving Katelyn to navigate the complexities of these two very different men. While trying to come to terms with this new reality, Katelyn discovers her own hidden strengths, but this only adds another layer of complication to an already complicated situation. Then, just as she feels like she's starting to get some kind of control of her life once more, her past comes calling.

For seven years, Sharon Spark has lived in exile—beyond the brutal tyranny of the Yellow Pack and the man who'd made her his mate. In a secluded cottage, hidden by anonymity and guarded by silence, she's constructed an uncertain peace for herself and her son, Alexander, a son born of secrets and sacrifice. But tranquility is destroyed the moment Luthor Michaels—the powerful, stubborn Alpha of the Tenzclaw Pack—discovers them. Driven by obligation, custom, and a possessive grasp he will not let go of, Luthor drags Sharon and Alexander back to the world she fled, insisting on making them both pack members. and a part of him. Forced into a union ritual she did not want, Sharon is thrust into the arena of political intrigue, whispered threats, and unadorned, unresolved feelings. She refuses to play the docile Omega. Yet in Luthor's gaze, she sees something deeper than domination—something which awakens the passion they once shared, and hungers for forgiveness. As Alexander comes to terms with his shifter heritage within the pack's shielding embrace, Sharon stands on the edge of preservation or release. With her possible protectors as unexpected as Deborah, Luthor's steel-spined cousin, and dangers in the form of rogue shifters on their borders, Sharon must decide: will she protect her son by running again… or battle for a home she never thought could ever be hers? Uncertain between the woman she once was and the mother she has become, Sharon must reconcile with the past she abandoned and the Alpha who never let her go. Trust being a vulnerability—and in a world where power is currency and war is love—building a future may demand more from either of them than they are willing to give up.

The carnivorous ways of the Aswang leave little room for love - much less a forbidden one between a queen and human girl. Little did Aswang Queen Catarina know, soon, her life would be changed by a plucky American biologist. A blue eyed, blonde adventurer, Rose Smith from California, who would make Catarina question all she knew, and want to make a human Her Aswang Woman King. ___ Catarina Rosales Marquez, 26, is the Aswang Queen of the Domminga Mountains, but she abhors eating humans. She has genetically engineered the fruits of her goddess Ikapati to produce human proteins in order to bring peace to Mindanao - but the Aswang do not trust this revolutionary, peaceful Queen - and are wary of the American biologist she has taken under her wing. Rose Smith is a German-American biologist doing her dissertation on the elusive, endangered Phillippines Eagle. Having studied the Tarsier in her undergraduate semester abroad in Manila, she fell in love with chicken adobo, pandesal - and Filipina women. Eager to be the first American biologist to do a longitudinal study of the Phillipines Eagle, she sets out into the Domminga Mountains on a bus with a one-way ticket - not afraid of the local's warnings of the rabid Iktapati Aswang Clan that eats humans, and roving bands of Tikbalang werehorses that stampede trespassers to death. When Catarina and Rose collide, it is oil and flame. Catarina, expected to marry a King, finds herself questioning the very cosmos of relationships - can she take a Queen, and a feisty American grad student at that? And can Rose come to terms with the elusive, seductive courts of the Vampiric Aswang? When the Iktapati clan rebels, the Tikbalang war, and the wind spirits coquette, Rose and Catarina must team up to save the humans of Mindanao - and the Phillipines eagle!

“ The price for saving you... Do you know what it is?” Adrian's hoarse voice entered her ears. “ W-what...?” Estelle's heart pounded faster and faster. She felt a looming sense of trepidation. The Alpha of her enemy's territory leaned forward slightly, his pale blue eyes never left hers. “ It is for you to become my Luna. My mate, Estelle.” Estelle felt something go off in her head. Her mind blanked out. She took a step back in disbelief. Her mind struggling to come in terms with what she heard. Estelle Winterbourne was the heir of Silvervale and was one of the strongest werewolves in the pack. As daughter of the alpha and bonded to Darius Hale, her father’s chosen successor, her path seemed set. Until she became the problem. Her father wanted a docile and foolishly obedient daughter . And her Darius wanted her title, not her. She was framed and betrayed by her own father and mate. Who sentenced her to the White Exile. They stripped her of rank, carved the traitor’s mark into her skin, and left her chained in the Deadfall — a frozen wasteland where no wolf survives a night. She would have died if not for him. Adrian Lykas, The Alpha of Frostveil. The “Ice Devil.” Her family’s sworn enemy. The man she was raised to hate. He finds her half-dead, more frost than flesh, and does the unthinkable: He saved her life. But that came with a huge cost. Estelle must pretend to love the very man she was raised to hate and be his mate in public. To her, that was the worst punishment she could receive. For Adrian was a man she loathed. However... Slowly, Estelle began to discover that Adrian wasn't as bad as her family made him to be.

Evelyn Larson's nephew, Maxwell Larson, has been staying at my home for 12 years. On top of sponsoring everything he has in life, I even view him as my own son. Heck, I'm the one who paid the down payment for Maxwell's new family home. But on the night we're having a holiday dinner, he throws me a list in front of everyone. "Uncle Lawrence, I've already hashed out the details with my fiancee's family. We'll be giving her family 700 thousand dollars as a wedding gift. You've raised me for so many years, so you need to prepare this amount for me." I frown instantly. "Didn't I just settle your down payment for you? Besides, Tiffany's about to get married soon. I need to save some money for her own wedding gift." But Maxwell instantly smashes a plate out of anger. "Since she's marrying into another family, that means she's no longer a part of this family! Are you saying that you're willing to give your money to an outsider rather than your own nephew? "If you refuse to agree to my terms, I'll make Aunt Evelyn divorce you right now!" I turn to look at Evelyn out of instinct, only to see her pulling out a gift agreement that she has already drafted. "We don't need to prepare any wedding gifts for Tiffany, seeing as she's the one marrying into another family. Max, on the other hand, is the only son of the Larson family. You should give your money to him instead."

She needs freedom and he needs a wife for convenience. They both agree to have a fake marriage by mutual consent, something that would benefit them both in their lives, without even foreseeing the mess they were getting into. Brenda Harper thinks there is no worse place than her home, where her overprotective parents suffocate her with rather backward ideas about marriage and life. That's why she decides to find a prospect for herself before her parents choose a repulsive old man for her. Giovanni Romano is an old family friend, although the last time they saw each other they were children, but thanks to Giovanni's mother, they arranged a date where they talked about their interests and desires, something they had in common and led them to a brief marriage of convenience. Living together begins, where they have to adapt to each other's routines and comply with the terms they both set for their marriage, although it becomes increasingly difficult for them to be apart from each other's lives. Brenda starts feeling jealous, which is a problem since Giovanni clarified that he had his sexual life covered, although he hadn't told her that he had a special woman he planned to marry after finishing the deal with her. Things go wrong when the sexual attraction they feel leads them to a night of passion, but the intrigues of Fiorella, Giovanni's love, and misunderstandings, separate them and Brenda discovers shortly afterward that she is pregnant, so she leaves for another country without saying anything. The problem is that Giovanni realizes his feelings and goes to look for her, which causes a lot of tension between them when a third party appears on the scene.

Lady Clara's life is forever changed when she is forced to marry the ruthless mafia billionaire, Alexandro, to save her family from financial ruin. With no other options, she becomes his wife, hoping to find a way out of the mess her father's gambling debts have caused. As she navigates her new life, Clara quickly learns that Alexandro is not someone to be trifled with. He rules his empire with an iron fist, and anyone who crosses him is met with swift and brutal consequences. Despite her initial fear, Clara is determined to make the best of her situation and protect her family from harm. However, things take a surprising turn when Alexandro falls into a coma. Clara is left alone to navigate the dangerous world of the mafia, with no one to turn to but herself. To make matters worse, she discovers that she is pregnant with Alexandro's child. As she struggles to come to terms with her new reality, Clara is hit with another bombshell. Alexandro's accusations of infidelity and theft have left her reputation in tatters. Even worse, her friend, who has always been jealous of her, has gotten engaged to Alexandro. Determined to clear her name and prove her innocence, Clara embarks on a perilous journey to uncover the truth. Along the way, she discovers that her feelings for Alexandro run deeper than she ever imagined, and she must decide whether to trust him or risk losing everything. With danger lurking around every corner, Clara must fight to protect the ones she loves and find a way to overcome the obstacles in her path. Will she be able to clear her name and find true love with the billionaire mafia boss, or will her dreams be shattered forever?