The 7 Elements

Ofelia Rosario - I take pride in being smart, careful, and independent. Fostering a pregnant cat was supposed to be the one soft thing in my life—until the fire. I stayed too long trying to save Spitfire, and I nearly didn’t make it out. But Zach Dayton pulled me from the flames—calm, strong, and way too charming. He’s everything I shouldn’t want. Everything that scares me. But he keeps showing up, helping, and making me laugh when I want to cry. And Spitfire? She seems convinced we belong together. Maybe love isn’t something you can logic your way around. Maybe it’s something you lean into. Zach Dayton - Falling in love isn’t supposed to feel more dangerous than running into a burning building. But then there’s Ofelia—stubborn, guarded, beautiful Ofelia. I was just doing my job when I found her trying to shield a pregnant cat from the smoke. But the second I saw her, something shifted. I’ve always believed I’m not built for love—too much loss, too many close calls. But she makes me want to try anyway. The way she looks at me, the way she fights for that cat, for herself… she doesn’t need a hero. But maybe she’ll let me be hers anyway. Book 8 in the Ravenwood Series. It can be read as a standalone. However, to learn about the characters and past events that may be referenced, you should check out the rest of the series. Book 1 - The Princes of Ravenwood (Zach's first appearance) Book 2 - Chasing Kitsune Book 3 - Expect the Unexpected Book 4 - Out of My League Book 5 - Man's Best Wingman (Ofelia's first appearance) Book 6 - Troubled Heart Book 7 - A Bark in the Park

Emily Watson is the next heiress to a multi-billionaire industry company. Instead of taking her fortune and next step as royalty, she let it all go for a man she fell in love with for 7 years. Little did she know that the 3 years of her marriage was going to be cold and distant. Her husband has never touched her since that night, her mother-in-law hates her. Her life was miserable. Yet, she linger on because she loves him. Even if she watched him from a distance, it was fine with her for he was her every breath. Until one day he divorce her to be with the woman he loves. What's this? The woman is pregnant. Heartbroken she left her husband and the home she had called for so many years. 6 months later she showed up at the biggest and grandest Watson's ball. There Emily stood, the next heiress to the multi trillionaire of the century. Her ex-husband, Joshua MacClare was shocked that the woman he have divorce have made him yearend for her. His heart was beating rapidly for her, his eyes followed her every movement, his breathing was unsteady as she was close to him. He gulped as he wanted her. Wanted her as his wife again. "We're divorced," said Emily. "No, we're not," said Joshua. "Huh?" questioned Emily. Joshua smiled at her and said, "On that night, a rainy night if you have forgotten, the documents were destroyed." "What?" asked Emily. "You see, you threw our divorce paper into the stormy rain. So, the rain have washed away our prints." Emily's breath quickened. "So, since there is no legible signatures on the divorce paper, we're never divorce." Emily backed away from him. Joshua walked over to her and said, "You're still my wife."

My wife, Alisha West, has always been obsessively frugal. After marrying her, my single guilty pleasure became blowing money on luxury watches—almost like revenge for how absurdly tightfisted she was. By the time our daughter, Elyse Day, turned 7, she had inherited every bit of her mother’s penny-pinching nature. The two of them looked completely out of place in our sprawling mansion. And I loved it. I’d slip into my latest custom-tailored suits and watch them wince at my credit card statements, their expressions twisted in quiet pain. Until one day, lines of floating text suddenly appeared before my eyes. [This spendthrift idiot is still shopping? Doesn’t he know his wife’s company is about to go bankrupt?] [She’s been drained dry supporting this parasite. Her T-shirt collar is practically worn out from washing. Good thing the financially savvy male lead is about to show up and save her.] [Can’t wait for Alisha to file for divorce and kick this useless freeloader out. Let’s see how he survives fighting stray dogs for scraps under a bridge.] I slammed the limited-edition Richard Mille watch onto the table. Alisha, who was crouched on the floor breaking down delivery boxes for recycling, and Elyse, who was helping stomp them flat, both jumped in shock. A chill ran through me. I lunged forward, snatched the battered cardboard box from Elyse’s hands, and held it tightly against my chest. "No… no more buying. I’m returning this watch. "And these boxes… don’t sell them. I think we might need them someday… to lay out under a bridge when we’re sleeping outside…"

" You're mine, little bird." My blood thrummed loudly in my ears as I crawled away from him on the floor. With long strides, he was already standing above me. He pulled me up and covered my mouth with his palm. Panic set in, my limbs shaking in terror. "You need a reminder of who you belong to." His mismatched eyes boring into mine. I shook my head, violently, tears wetting his hand over my mouth. He brought the knife to my face." Tell your lover, Zayden, not to get involved. I already graced you with the wedding. Marry him, but 7 days after the wedding, come back to Denver, where you belong." I nodded desperately, hoping he wouldn't hurt me. " I'll leave a souvenir." He chuckled and then dug the pocket knife into my side. **** Lillain's life is a delicate mess. Having survived her traumatic childhood by suppressing her memories, she has to do everything to survive, which includes agreeing to a contract marriage with her boss to have access to his wealth. Engage to Enigmatic and wealthy Zayden, she hides a dark secret. She's been threatened by a mysterious figure from her past. Her past was coming back to haunt her. Zayden eventually discovers her secrets and confronts her. But Lillian can't confide in him - she's trapped in a web of fear and trauma, leaving Zayden devastated with the fear of losing her. The biggest shock comes when the mysterious figure appears, his menacing presence threatening to destroy Lillian's carefully constructed plans. With her world spinning out of control, Lillian must make a choice: confront her demons or risk losing everything including the man she had fallen in love with. But Little did she know that she wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Zayden had secrets, secrets darker than hers.

To transfer my sister, Suri Voss, who was 13 years younger than I was, to a new school district, I took 7 days of annual leave and went back to my hometown. I pulled strings, delivered gifts, called in favors, and finally forced a spot for her in the best middle school in the city. At last, when I could pause long enough to catch my breath, I told Mom, who was heading out to buy groceries, that I wanted grilled pork ribs for dinner. Suri walked over with a cold expression, then threw a full glass of icy water straight onto my head and pointed at my face as she exploded. "You country leech, mooching off our family for years, eating our food and living in our house whenever you feel like it. I let all that slide. Now you want to steal my mom too? Do you have any shame at all?! "Listen carefully, Mom only has one child. She will only ever love me!" I stood there, stunned. Suri had no idea I was Mom’s biological daughter, too. All this time, she had treated me as some freeloading relative. I looked toward the doorway, where Mom was changing her shoes to go out. She seemed not to have heard a single word of Suri’s disrespect. She merely said casually, "Suri doesn’t like ribs. Let’s have grilled shrimp instead." She had forgotten that I’ve been severely allergic to seafood since childhood. I lowered my head and let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh. Unbeknownst to them, if I could secure Suri a place in that school, I could just as easily make sure she lost it.