The Illusion Of Choice

She wanted the life. The money. The power. The man. Mara Collins is tired of counting tips and pretending her dreams don’t reach beyond the coffee shop counter. When the bills pile higher than her hope, she decides it’s time to stop waiting for luck—and start creating it. All she needs is one man. One chance. One lie. Her plan is simple: learn how the rich play their games, then beat them at it. With a fake designer dress, a new name, and a heart of steel, she slips into the city’s most exclusive events—until she catches the eye of Adrian Holt, a man who has everything she’s ever wanted. Charming. Ruthless. Obsessively private. Adrian isn’t the kind of man you play with… but Mara’s willing to risk everything to make him hers. But the higher she climbs, the more fragile her lies become. And when Adrian discovers who she truly is, the illusion shatters—leaving behind nothing but betrayal, anger, and obsession… and a love that should never have existed in the first place. Now love becomes a weapon, and every night in his sheets feels like a war between truth and desire.

Natalie Taylor has one goal when she signs up as a companion at Dreams: to make a shit ton of money and get out fast. She's not looking for adventure or hoping for love and romance. But days into her moonlighting job, her quiet determination is shaken when she confronts her biggest problem yet—Levi Van Holt, heir to a mega-billion hotel chain and CEO of a gaming startup. Levi is everything she wants in a man. Gorgeous, wealthy and generous to boot. There's just one problem. He's her new boss... Harbouring a dark secret and nursing wounds from his past, Levi has one rule and one rule only for his companion: no falling in love. But with his desires continually tested, the more time he spends with Natalie, it doesn't take long for both their lives, real and secret, to converge, the lines between illusion and reality begin to blur, and the temptation to break his only rule becomes harder to resist. © 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.

"I'll give you a choice, Kara! Be mine, or you will die? Kara, choose wisely."- Brandon Acosta Nagiging mabait si Brandon, kapag lumalabas ang alter ego niya na si Grand. He was diagnosed with DID or split personality. Simple lang ang buhay na mayroon si Kara, pero ang tahimik niyang buhay ay nagulo nang ginawa siyang pambayad utang nang kinilala niyang ama sa isang notorious na syndicate group. Sa takot na masaktan ang pamilya niya ay pumayag siya. Takot siya sa lider ng grupo dahil wala itong awa at kung tumitig ay parang gusto siya nitong patayin. Paano kung matuklasan niya ang iniingatan nitong sekreto? She was given a choice, isang choice na pwedeng makapagpabago ng kanyang buhay. Ano ang pipiliin niya? Ang makasama ito o ang mamatay.

When her mother got hospitalized and her father left them, Dahlia Ramirez had no other choice but to work numerous jobs to provide for her family. In the middle of her miserable life, a man named Azriel Soriano, a rich mobster, suddenly comes in and offers her a wedding proposal in which she declines immediately. But sudden problems flood in until Dahlia is left with no choice but to sign the contract. Will she regret her decision and leave him? Or will she fall in love and stay by his side as THE MOBSTER's EMPRESS?

After transferring to an isolated private Academy on his best friends request, Jason steps into a world he never expected to be in. Dealing with flirty teachers and students is a normal occurrence and one he's been good at forever because all his life he’s distanced himself from the illusion of love. Until he meets her. The Aloof Mystery Student. Never before has his resolve been tested in such a way and he finds himself disturbed by her presence and the strange familiar calmness she brings him. Are the strings of fate being mischievous? Could a teacher x student relationship be his downfall? For as long as Atlas could remember, her life's been a series of hurdles and vast walls she had to overcome. After the death of her Grandmother, she's thrown into a game orchestrated by her selfish father. She must fight not only the hatred of her brother, but the disapproving adults all around her. Meeting the annoying Jason Fairchild throws everything off the rails and she finally finds herself. Together, they stand a greater chance to overcome all internal and external wars they've been fighting. Will they be victorious or succumb to the harsh fates that have been written for them? Only Silence will tell...

As the daughter of the Shadow Pack’s Beta, I was born with power, grace, and devotion. Justin, the future Alpha of the pack, was hailed as my fated mate from the moment our paths crossed. I once believed that we were meant to be. With the Moon Goddess bringing us together through a mate bond, even death could not tear us apart. Yet, the illusion was shattered three years ago. Justin pushed me away time and again in the name of repaying an obligation to Marissa, a rogue, for saving his life. Everything that should have been ours, he gave to her, be it our home, title, and our life plans together—all because she said she wasn’t happy. By the ninety-ninth time, the debt of gratitude was finally repaid. I stood at the mating ceremony venue in my gown, filled with anticipation that he would mark me. Alas, all my waiting ended with the news that he had given Marissa a top-tier moonstone, symbolizing eternal love. In that moment, all the pain I had held back came crashing down. My wolf howled in my mind with a voice so primal and sad. For once, I didn’t silence her. I believed it was time to make room for Justin and his lifesaver.

“You took a photo of me without my permission.” “Then why do you look like you want to be seen?” Elliot Marlowe is a struggling photographer living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny New York apartment. One accidental photo in Central Park changes everything—a haunting shot of a mysterious, brooding man who turns out to be none other than Damien Whitlock, the untouchable billionaire tech mogul with a reputation as cold as his fortune. Instead of suing, Damien makes Elliot an offer: become his personal photographer. It's the beginning of a dangerous game—one filled with stolen glances, unspoken truths, and a fake relationship meant to protect Damien’s public image. But behind Damien’s icy exterior lies an artist scarred by betrayal, and behind Elliot’s lens is a man desperate to feel seen for the first time. As the line between performance and passion begins to blur, secrets unravel. A fake kiss becomes real. A lie about love becomes a truth too big to silence. And when heartbreak and ambition threaten to tear them apart, both must choose between fear and vulnerability, between survival and surrender. In a world where image is everything, can two men find the courage to be each other’s truth? Or will the picture-perfect illusion destroy them both?

When Elena Russo's husband, the formidable mafia boss Lorenzo Russo, is brutally murdered, her life is shattered. But as she delved deeper into his past, she began to doubt all she thought she knew about him. Secrets emerge—dangerous ones—and she wonders if she ever truly knew the man she married. With each discovery, the distinctions between love, treachery, and revenge become less clear. Adrian DeLuca, a powerful rival with a personal vendetta, becomes the prime suspect. He not only owned a stake in Lorenzo’s casino but had a heated confrontation with him just a day before his death. But Adrian has his own demons—forever haunted by his mother’s brutal murder at the hands of his father’s enemies. Determined to prove himself to the man who never saw him as enough, Adrian sees Elena as both a key to the truth and the woman he’s secretly desired for years. With the truth emerging and unseen foes waiting in the shadows, Elena must decide if she can trust Adrian to help her solve the mystery of Lorenzo's death. But as the truth emerges, it threatens to shatter the illusion of the man she once loved, forcing her to choose between vengeance, survival, and a passion she never expected.

When her sister disappears on her wedding day, Olivia has no choice but to take her place at the altar and marry elusive billionaire Xavier Sinclair. Xavier has only ever had eyes for the eldest daughter of the Blackford household, but when she abandons him on their wedding day, he has no choice but to marry her younger sister, the one person he had sworn to stay away from. Finally married to him, Olivia is determined to do whatever it takes to win him over; after all, she loved him first, even if he didn’t know it.

When her sister disappears on her wedding day, Olivia has no choice but to take her place at the altar and marry elusive billionaire Xavier Sinclair. Xavier has only ever had eyes for the eldest daughter of the Blackford household, but when she abandons him on their wedding day, he has no choice but to marry her younger sister, the one person he had sworn to stay away from. Finally married to him, Olivia is determined to do whatever it takes to win him over; after all, she loved him first, even if he didn’t know it.