Novel & Cerita The Cost Of Delayed Affection

After I shared my five-million-dollar commission with my department colleagues, they drag me to a hotel and celebrate with me for three days straight. But when I walk past the bathroom, I overhear a conversation between two of my colleagues that stops me cold. "Have the results of the vote come out yet?" What vote? Confused, I check my phone and find that I've been removed from the Project Department's group chat. "Who else could it be? Our hero, Zane Carter, received eleven votes. It was unanimous, and the motion was passed." "Serves him right. I've never liked him anyway." I freeze. I can't believe that my colleagues would betray me after what I've done for them. After taking a moment to calm down, I immediately decide to resign. The next thing I know, I receive a call from the company chairman, Wilson Smith. "Have you made up your mind? Quitting now would breach your contract. As a result, your five-million-dollar commission would be revoked. "You're also a key technical staff member. If you leave, your entire department would most likely be dismissed. Once that happens, your colleagues will end up unemployed. Are you sure about this?" I lower my gaze and let out a cold laugh. "Absolutely."

​“One night, one price. After that, you are mine until the debt is paid.” ​Ava Williams was the “No-Extras” girl at the Velvet Room Spa...until the $180,000 bill for her grandmother’s life-saving surgery landed on her desk. Desperate and out of options, she walks into the lion’s den: the penthouse of Nico Jordan. ​Nico is the city’s most ruthless billionaire, a man with a heart of stone and a back covered in scars he allows no one to see. Their first meeting ended with Ava’s hand across his face and a fire in her eyes that Nico hasn’t been able to forget. He doesn’t want her apology. He wants a contract. ​ The Rules are simple: ​She lives in his home. ​She obeys his commands. ​She must never fall in love. ​But as the "contract" unfolds, the cold transaction turns into a burning obsession. Ava discovers that the dominant man who "bought" her is the same broken boy she saved from a horrific fire years ago. Just as she begins to see the man behind the monster, the billionaire's elite world conspires to tear her down. ​Between a jealous socialite ex-fiancée determined to humiliate the "spa girl" and the sudden return of Ava’s first love…now a wealthy rival out for Nico’s blood. Ava is caught in a web of betrayal. ​But Nico Jordan and his enemies have made one fatal mistake: they think Ava is just a pawn. They don’t know about the secret bloodline running through her veins or the inheritance that is about to make her the most powerful woman in New York. ​He bought her for a night. He’ll have to crawl to keep her for a lifetime. WARNING!!! FOR MATURE READERS ONLY.

Rekindling the love that once burned bright is no easy feat when memories of betrayal linger. Aurora Graves was born to be Luna, a perfect match for her husband, Alpha Alexander Thorn. Their union was destined, their bloodlines powerful, and their marriage unbreakable. Or so she thought. When Aurora suffers a heartbreaking miscarriage during a grand ball meant to honor their unborn child, her world crumbles. But the most painful wound isn’t the loss, it’s Alexander’s cold treatment. While she mourns, he moves on as if nothing happened. And when rumors of his growing distance—and his refusal to share a bed with her—spread like wildfire, Aurora realizes she is teetering on the edge of losing everything. But betrayal runs deeper than she ever imagined. As Alexander's mistress rises in power, a web of deceit unfolds; secrets of poisoned love, a stolen fate, and a sinister plot that is ruining the perfect life she had. When Aurora learns she's carrying Alexander’s child, she faces an impossible choice: fight for a man who shattered her or embrace the one who offers her freedom. When truth and treachery collide, will love be enough to mend their broken hearts, or will vengeance tear them apart forever?

In the third year of my relationship with Dante Santoro, heir to the Santoro family fortune, I got pregnant. The night before the Don's birthday banquet, he finally brought me home as his girlfriend. Giulia Costa, the housekeeper's daughter, smiled sweetly and asked about my food allergies. I mentioned I was allergic to truffles. In the end, every dish at dinner was loaded with truffles. I swallowed my irritation and grabbed a slice of cake that looked safe. Two bites in, I heard her laugh. "I got creative and mixed truffle powder into the frosting. How is it?" Before I could answer, my throat closed up and I could not breathe. Giulia gasped and covered her mouth. "Ms. Leone, your skin is turning purple! Do you have some kind of contagious disease?" Everyone watched as I was carried out like trash. The moment my allergic reaction cleared up, Giulia insisted on helping me pack. I told her multiple times not to touch my ring. In the few minutes I spent in the bathroom, she "accidentally" knocked it down the drain. That was the wedding ring Dante gave me. I lost my temper and confronted her, but Dante just laughed it off. "She's jealous of your pretty ring. Don't be so petty." That night, Giulia brought sleep-aid drinks to my room as an apology. Dante convinced me to accept her peace offering. I drank a few cups and felt drowsy almost immediately. When Giulia walked me back to my room, I told her to lock the door behind her. Ten minutes later, a group of men shoved their way inside and beat my stomach until I miscarried. The baby was gone. Giulia's eyes filled with tears as she claimed she never saw anyone enter. She said I never wanted the Santoro family to have an heir and had orchestrated my own abortion. Dante went white with rage and ordered his men to dump me in the ocean. When I opened my eyes again, it was the night before the banquet.

"Marriage was never meant to be a love story. It was simply a transaction. But the heart doesn’t follow the rules." Eliza Foster thought she had no choice. With a sick mother and debts swallowing her family whole, she sees a marriage to Maximilian Grey, a ruthless billionaire, as the only way to survive. Cold, calculating, and emotionally closed off, Maximilian has no use for love. To him, Eliza is nothing more than a pawn in his high-stakes game, a tool to further his empire. But as they begin to live under the same roof, something unexpected stirs between them. Eliza, initially weak and defeated, slowly uncovers a hidden strength that even Maximilian can’t ignore. He begins to see more in her than the fragile woman he thought she was—her tenderness, resilience, and the quiet love she offers without expecting anything in return. As Eliza begins to understand the layers of pain Maximilian hides beneath his cold exterior, questioning everything. Can she continue loving a man who may never return her feelings? Or will Maximilian’s painful past shatter what they are beginning to build? Their marriage was never meant to be about love—but sometimes, the heart has a way of rewriting the rules. Will Maximilian allow himself to love, or will his dark past destroy their chance at happiness? Read now to discover whether love will win or if Eliza’s heart will be left broken.

Fate seems to have it out for Camille Gallagher. In 24 hours, she wakes up from a one-night stand with a stranger and discovers her parents aren't really her parents. Finding out she is the true daughter of a powerful Alpha does not seem to make life easier for her in the coming months as she is treated like dirt by her new family, discovers her mate is cheating on her with the girl that stole her life and that she is pregnant from her one night stand. It then all comes into full circle when the man from that night turns out to be Dimitri Galdina, a Lycan King who needs her to survive. What's a girl gotta do?

Luke Sebastian and Athalia Patricia Ramos are friends since childhood. But they're separated because Luke's parents decided to migrate to America. They want Luke to study there for his High School Year and College degree. Ten years had passed, Luke and his mother together with his girlfriend which is Mickaela Romano who's a model go back to the Philippines. Since childhood, Athalia had an attraction toward Luke and she was hoping that he comes back. Her feeling for him has a response. But she was wrong because Luke has a girlfriend. Athalia decided to move on. She wants to forget her feelings for Luke. She met this guy named Charles Andrew at the Welcome Party for Luke and his mother. Charles started to woo her, and she let herself be in a relationship with Charles Andrew. Months passes by, and Athalia started to like Charles. And a piece of news came to her, that Luke and Mickaela broke up, and she is the reason why Luke decided to cut his relationship with Mickaela. Is Athalia willing to follow her heart's desires and let herself hurt the man who's still there for her no matter what?

On the eve of the wedding, my fiancé's adopted sister was drugged at a bar and called for help. Her body was burning with fever. I grabbed my fiancé as he was about to rush out. "Take her to the hospital. Doctors have proper antidotes." Julian Zane slapped me for suggesting that. There was a savagery in his eyes I had never seen before. "Nora, do you have any conscience at all? Elena is suffering a fate worse than death, and you're still nitpicking?" He yanked off his tie and spoke in a hoarse tone. "She's the sister I've cherished since childhood. I will save her even if I have to sacrifice myself to do it." I watched him undo his shirt buttons with his trembling fingers. Elena, flushed and feverish, fell into his arms. The private room door slammed shut in front of me. The sounds of passion inside struck me like blow after blow, shattering five years of blind devotion into dust.

The news came that Raymond had been shot. I was seven months pregnant, but I flew straight across the country to the family's East Coast compound—and got detained the moment I stepped inside. “Never heard of the Don having a fiancée, and pregnant no less. You've got some nerve running a con on Carraso turf.” The barrel of a gun pressed cold against my temple. My heart was clawing its way up my throat when I caught sight of a familiar figure across the room. “Raffina,” I shouted, “tell them I'm your brother-in-law's fiancée.” Raffina gave a small wave of her hand, and the man holding the gun immediately bent at the waist. “Donna, I didn't know she was a friend of yours. My mistake.” I stared with wide eyes, unable to make sense of what I was seeing. Inside the compound, the same man crossed to where Raymond sat on the couch without a scratch on him, and gave a formal nod. “Don, she claims she's your fiancée.” Raymond took a slow sip of his whiskey and shook his head, just barely. They dragged me out, and on the way the man slapped me across the face, warning me not to try my con act anywhere near the family again. I pulled the engagement ring off my finger and went straight to International Financial Tower.

I was once the cherished princess of the Silver Moon Pack, adored by all. Back then, I fell for Kael, one of the pack's rogues. But when I grew bored of our little fling, I cast him aside without a second thought. Years later, my pack was destroyed and my parents were killed. Kael, however, had risen to become the Alpha of a powerful new pack. He claimed me, forcing me to become his Luna. Everyone said I was lucky, but they didn't know the truth. They didn't know that he brought different she-wolves back to our territory every night. And through our mate bond, every moment of their intimacy seared my soul like a blazing fire. I never cried, never protested, simply enduring it all in silence. But my silence only made Kael more volatile. This time, he went a step further. He got his Beta, Chole, pregnant. Still, I remained calm. Enraged, Kael slammed me against a rough stone wall. "Elara, do you love me or not?" I had thought his outbursts were a twisted sign of his love, that he was waiting for me to break. But then, Chole and I went into labor at the same time. I begged him to take me to the pack hospital first, and wanted to tell him that I had no choice when I rejected him back then. He pulled me into a tight embrace, only to shove me away moments later. "See? I knew you would break." "Drop the act. Do you really think you're still that high and mighty princess?" He ignored my pleas, ignored the life of his own pup inside me. He swept Chole into his arms and left without a backward glance. His cold voice echoed through our mind-link. "Don't worry, I'm not abandoning you." "You deserve to feel a fraction of the pain I felt when you cast me aside. Savor it."