The Housekeeper

**She thought she knew the man she loved. She was wrong about everything.** Vanessa Rodriguez's perfect life shatters in a single morning when she overhears her boyfriend Marcus discussing "loose ends" and how to "handle" her. The sweet daycare teacher who thought she was dating a banker suddenly finds herself running from a man she no longer recognizes—and straight into the arms of the most dangerous man in the city. **Alexander De Luca doesn't trust anyone. He can't afford to.** The ruthless mafia don has built an empire on fear and blood, but his six-month-old daughter Aria is his only weakness. When his longtime housekeeper can no longer care for the baby, Alexander needs a nanny he can trust. What he gets is a woman with secrets as dark as his own. **Some lies are worth dying for. Others are worth killing for.** When Marcus is gunned down in what appears to be a random mob hit, Vanessa has nowhere to turn except the penthouse of the man who just hired her. But as she settles into life caring for Aria, Alexander begins to suspect his new nanny isn't the innocent woman she appears to be. **In a world where trust is a luxury and love is a weapon, Vanessa and Alexander must decide what they're willing to sacrifice for the truth.** *Because some secrets are too dangerous to keep... and too deadly to tell.* --- *A dark mafia romance filled with betrayal, passion, and the kind of love that's worth going to war for.*

I've been in a relationship with my brother's best friend, Emilio Slater, for three years, but he's never been willing to make our relationship public. Still, I never doubt his love for me. After all, he's been with 99 women before, yet he stops looking at anyone else because of me. Even if I have a slight cold, he drops billion-dollar projects and rushes home to take care of me. But on my birthday, when I'm excitedly preparing to share the news of my pregnancy with Emilio, he forgets my birthday for the first time and vanishes without a trace. The housekeeper tells me he's gone to pick up someone important from the airport. I rush there and see him holding flowers, his face full of nervous anticipation, waiting for a woman—one who looks strikingly like me. Later, my brother tells me she's Emilio's first love, the one he can never forget. Emilio defied his parents for her, and he fell apart after she dumped him. He sought out 99 women who resembled her to fill the void. My brother speaks with admiration for Emilio's deep devotion, unaware that I'm one of those stand-ins. I watch Emilio and his first love for a long, long time. Then, I return to the hospital without hesitation. "Doctor, I don't want this child anymore."

It is payback time! Cynthia Lauren’s comeback is fueled by heartbreak… and a love that won’t let go. The day she was told she had six months to live, her husband’s betrayal cut deeper than any diagnosis. While grappling with a brain tumor, Cynthia overheard her stepsister’s cruel confession: “I’m pregnant.” One look at her husband’s face told her the truth — the affair was real, and the baby was his. Eight years of marriage, discarded like trash. Her pleas were met with her mother-in-law’s venom who saw her only as a nanny, a cook, a housekeeper, a cleaner – never a daughter-in-law and her eight-year-old son’s chilling wish for a “new mom.” Broken and abandoned, Cynthia vanished to France, ready to die. But fate had other plans. In France, three men of immense power burst into her life, claiming to be her brothers and vowed to protect her at all costs. Titans of industry, speed, and medicine, they rebuilt Cynthia from the ground up. Now, as the Michelin-starred queen of Maison Cynclair, Cynthia returns to the city that destroyed her. Her ex-husband falls to his knees. “We’re still married,” he pleads. Her son cries, “Mom, don’t you love me anymore?” The woman they once broke is gone. “Thank you for your betrayal,” she replied, calm and clear. “It made me a hundred-million-dollar woman.” A man’s love fades. An empire? Never.

Marcus Donnelly at twenty-six is one of the most successful and famous painters in the whole country. His masterpieces on contemporary art have sold for millions making him quite a well-known figure in the world of Fine Arts. However, after a mishap, two years ago, he develops a painter’s block which he’s unable to overcome. He has almost given up hope when he lands up at a beautiful beach house on Long Island. The positive atmosphere in the house coupled with the presence of a young, delicate girl willing to work as his housekeeper, compels him to buy the property. Will he be able to get over his block? What will happen when he falls head over heels in love with the young girl? Can he control his feelings when they turn into an obsession? What will happen when he uncovers secrets of her past life that drive her away from him? Cara Rose Sullivan is a sweet, eighteen-year-old, school dropout who is struggling to make ends meet after her parents' death. The sole breadwinner of her family, she is somehow providing for her three small siblings by taking up odd jobs. So when the very attractive Marcus Donnelly offers her a permanent job, can she decline it? Can she stop her heart from beating fast every time he’s near her? What will she do when he seems to be always near her? What will she do when he seems to invade her dreams as well? Read this heart-stopping, emotional roller-coaster of a love story that will keep you spell-bound!

He wanted a housekeeper not a tainted virgin.What Damien found was purity begging to be tainted. Now, he’ll ruin her, softly, cruelly, completely. Barely nineteen and untouched, Elara never thought her first job would place her inside the fortress of a man like him. Damien kael doesn’t request. He commands. And the innocent little maid is about to learn what obedience costs, one breathless gasp, one sinful punishment, one wicked whisper at a time. Dark. Seductive. Obsessive. She thought she was hired to clean his home. She didn’t realize she was stepping into his lair. Elara is broke and desperate, so when a maid position opens in a billionaire’s estate, she takes it, unaware that Damien kael is a man who doesn’t believe in boundaries. He’s older, merciless, and dangerously magnetic. She tries to leave, but he isn’t letting go. He doesn’t want love. He wants loyalty. And she’s about to learn what it means to kneel. As their twisted bond deepens, pleasure collides with punishment, fear tangles with desire, and innocence becomes his obsession. But Damien’s darkness runs deeper than she imagined and claiming his virgin maid isn’t about breaking her body… It’s about owning her soul. Mature Content Warning: This book features explicit sexual content, dark dominant/submissive dynamics, psychological tension, and a dangerously obsessive hero. For readers 18+ who crave power, seduction, and raw intensity.

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

"So much fire, so much fury, but I knew you for ten years, and I never once saw it. Why?" Burke spat. "Because then I loved you.” Silver snapped, trying to push away from him, but Burke wasn't ready to let go. He jerked her closer. "And now?” He breathed against her lips. “Now I don't." She whispered, struggling to breath. He darted his tongue out and swept it over her lower lip. She shuddered, struggling to keep still. He nipped at the wet lip, and a moan escaped her mouth. Her eyes closed as she allowed herself surrender. Just this once. “Liar," He whispered, pushing her away. He stood up and towered over her with a mocking smile. “I'm all you'll ever love. The rest are just simple fuck and fruitless attempts to get over me, but you never will. I'm embedded in your soul. But go ahead, keep fooling yourself.” *********** Silver Loraine was just the housekeeper’s daughter until she married the billionaire heir, Burke Carrington. A year into the marriage, Burke divorces her in a fit of rage, believing she seduced his powerful father. Humiliated, heartbroken, and unknowingly pregnant, Silver disappears. Three years later, she returns as the surprise heiress to half of Carrington Enterprises, thanks to the very man who ruined her life: Bartholomew Carrington. His will has two conditions: Silver must live under the same roof with her ex-husband for 90days and also work side by side with him… or forfeit everything. To make matters worse, her son bears an uncanny resemblance to the late patriarch

I was the heiress switched at birth by a nanny. It was not until I turned eighteen that my biological parents finally found me, and traded me back for the girl they had raised and loved as their own. However, fate played a cruel joke that very same week. My parents died in a car accident. The family business collapsed. In one night, I lost everything. My older brother survived, but his kidneys failed. I did not hesitate. I gave him mine. However, grief broke something in him. Blaming me for our parents' deaths, he spiraled into madness. "You killed Mom and Dad! Why wasn't it you who died instead?" he screamed. I gave up college and took on three jobs a day just to pay for his treatment. Years passed. One day, while cleaning a mansion as a housekeeper, I saw her, the "sister" I was traded for, gliding through a lavish party, dressed in designer clothes and dripping in jewels. I froze when I heard the voices I had long thought silenced. My parents, alive, speaking to her as gently as ever: "Jasmine, you're so compassionate… agreeing to end Helen's punishment early." My brother, the one who should still be seeing a therapist, frowned and objected. "No. Not even a day less. Just because she suffers a little doesn't mean she deserves to live." I glanced down at the medical report still warm in my hands. For the first time in years, I smiled. "Perfect," I whispered. "Now I can finally die like I wanted to."

Two years ago, my entire family boarded a luxury cruise ship for an ocean getaway, only to be ambushed by abductors. My parents and younger brother were all murdered. Meanwhile, I leaped into the sea, fighting for my life. Nigel Heath was the one who saved me from the water. Before my family's bodies were even recovered, my relatives rushed in, trying to seize control of the company. Again, it was Nigel who helped me hold onto everything. He stood by me, supported me, and eventually proposed to me. I agreed with tears in my eyes. Two years have passed since we got married. One day, I catch Nigel fooling around with the housekeeper he's hired for a high sum. "When are you going to make me your wife, Nigel? When can I enter your room without having to sneak around?" He kisses her and laughs. "Running out of patience?" She complains, "Her company's almost yours, so what are you waiting for? Aren't you worried you'll lose everything when she finds out you killed her parents?" He immediately grips her neck tightly, his gaze turning frosty as he growls, "She won't know as long as you keep your mouth shut. Her father killed mine, so I'm going to keep her by my side forever and torment her for life. "I'll give you what you want once she transfers the final patent to me. Step a toe out of line, and you're getting nothing." I stand outside the door as tears silently stream down my face. My husband killed my parents and is even plotting to steal the company they established! The murderer has been by my side this whole time! My parents and brother died so horribly. How can I let Nigel get what he wants?

Lumaki sa hirap si Lyana Dela Merced kaya't maaga siyang namulat sa realidad. Hindi siya pinanagutan ng dating karelasyon at kapagkuwan ay namatay din ang anak niya dahil sa sakit. Mahirap mang tanggapin ang pagkamatay ng anak, pinilit pa rin ni Lyana na bumangon at huwag malugmok sa lungkot dahil sa kaniya umaasa ang kapatid na may sakit sa pag-iisip. Raket dito, raket doon-- lahat na ng trabahong maaari niyang mapagkuhanan ng pera sa legal na paraan ay natanggap na niya. Kaya naman nang isang gabi ay alukin siya ng kaibigang doktor ng trabaho para sa pamilya ng mga Tejada, agad niya itong tinanggap. Subalit mukhang nabahag ang buntot ni Lyana nang malamang hindi lamang simpleng trabaho ang inio-offer ng mga ito sa kaniya. Instead of being just a normal housekeeper, they want her to be a surrogate mother. Ayon sa kaibigang doktor, hindi magkaanak ang mag-asawa kaya't gusto siya ng mga itong kuhanin bilang surrogate. Would she accept the offer and be the billionaire's baby maker or just let the opportunity slip away because she's still longing for her child? Paano kung makalipas ang ilang taon ay muling pagtagpuin ng tadhana ang biyudong si Preston Tejada at ang naging surrogate ng anak nito na si Lyana Dela Merced? Maitatama kaya ni Lyana ang maling ginawa niya noon sa pamilya ng mga Tejada o unti-unti lamang mahuhulog ang loob niya sa binata?