The Invitation Explained

"Look, if I told you I loved you, it would be a lie," I said to him. "But I love you, Anika," he responded, his eyes filled with sadness. "I don't feel the same way. I am content with my life as it is. I don't believe in love, and I value my freedom too much to give it up," I explained to him, hoping he would understand. "Please, just give me a chance. I promise I'll make you happy," he pleaded. "Stop..." I interrupted, feeling exhausted by his continuous pleading. "I'll do whatever you ask, I'll even change-" "Just stop!" I finally yelled, unable to tolerate any more of his words. "Why would you love me when I clearly stated my aversion to relationships?" I screamed in frustration. "I thought we could give our friendship a try, but you ruined it all by falling in love with me. Let's not see each other again," I firmly stated and walked away. *** Anika Rebecca Downs, a 23-year-old woman, appears to have it all. She possesses beauty, a charismatic figure, wealth, popularity, and all the good things one could desire. However, there is one crucial thing missing from her life – love. This absence stems from her past experiences of being used by men who were drawn to her wealth. Fed up with the constant disappointment, Anika vowed to never fall in love again. But what happens when Kelvin Birtch enters the picture? Kelvin was an appealing man who works for her company. At first, she tries to deny the growing attraction she feels towards him. However, how long can she suppress her feelings? And what will happen when her manipulating ex resurfaces in her life? To uncover the answers to these questions and more, delve into the rest of the book... :)

“And what you tried today,” I winced in pain as he held my nape from behind before turning me around. I peered up at him in fear while he stared down at me with his intimidating eyes. His eyes were thundering. Leaning down further, he made my pulse rise. Being so close to him— a man, no less, I could see the clear spec of blackness inside his dark eyes. They were so raw and so dark and so piercing. “I would suggest you not try it again,” he added, his bottomless brooding eyes burned into mine, “because no matter how hard you are going to try, you are never going to get out of here without my permission. Away from my sight,” he vowed in a menacing tone that had no expression at all. “Don't get your hopes high.” Tears split down my eyes while he studied my face. “You like escaping. Don't you?” He explained to me in a condescending tone. “Let's see how you are going to try now with my eyes on you— all the time." “You can try all you want, but you can never break my spirits!” I looked at him, directly in his eyes without blinking. His eyes were still focussed on my face as he slowly stepped around me. “Do you mean it?” His voice was strangely soft, “Maybe I cannot. But.. ” Adding to his intimidating aura. Shaur. “No.. ” I whispered. “I can break him.” His gaze met mine in an instant. “You seem to have forgotten your own mental capacity of understanding certain situations. Let me refresh it for you.” His eyes seemed to burn holes at me. “I'd rather not get blood on your dress.” WARNING: This book contains strong language, dubious situations, deception issues, manipulations, abduction and dark romance.

“My lawyer will bring the divorce papers tomorrow and you can sign it. Once it's a month, I will have it delivered to the court." Liam explained with calmness. “Fine, but you will have to act according to my rules now," I said, and Liam looked at me with eyebrows furrowed. “I have conditions I would like you to pay keen attention to it." Liam didn't pry too much, and instead, he told me to go ahead. “Okay. I would like to have my separate room." “Fine," Liam agreed without batting an eyelid. “I don't want to share meals with you or anything. I will walk the way I want and do everything I want in my way." “Accepted," Liam replied. I released my hands under my bosom and clasped them together. I bit my lips in nervousness and braced myself. I'm no longer a teenager. “I don't want us having s*x," I said, looking at the wall. A blush crept to my cheeks which made me shut my eyes tight, muttering some curses under my breath. * * * * * * * * Emily had an arranged marriage to Liam Nolan, the ruthless billionaire in Los Angeles. Although she always had a crush on him Liam never recuperated her feelings. Despite the love she has for him, Liam didn't hesitate to treat her like trash. Betrayed by her sister, Emily's life was cruelly cut short. However, she was granted a second chance and this time, Emily swore to not repeat the same mistake she made in her past life. What happens when she realizes her ruthless husband has no intention of letting her go in this lifetime? Would she find the strength to break free, or would Liam's relentless pursuit rekindle the flames of their passionate yet toxic love?

"Holy crap, you are so boring!" He pushed her against the wall, placing his hands on either side of her and staring into her eyes in frustration. He is shirtless and has flat abs touching her body, which is giving her goosebumps. "I don't know how to kiss." She looked at the man, pouting her lips. He scoffed at her boring reply. "Teach me how to kiss." She mumbled, licking her lips, and grabbed his attention. He looked down at her and stroked his hair with his fingers, pulling her close by her waist. "Stand on my toes." He smirked, sending chills down her spine. She climbed over, placing both feet on his toes. "Look into my eyes." He grabbed her chin and make her look into his eyes. She looked into his green-pricing eyes, rolling her fingers on his trimmed beard. "Concentrate on my lips." He synced, licking his lips. Her heart skipped a beat as he pressed her thin lips between his thumbs. And she moaned in response, rolling her eyes at his lips. "Seal your lips on mine and chew it up like an ice cream." He explained the first step, bending his head to seal her lips. "Aaaachuuuuu!!" She sneezed loudly before he sealed her lips. "ANGELINA." He yelled at the top of his lungs. "I’m sorry, hubby." Angelina closed her eyes, covering them with both hands. Angelina is a twenty-year-old college student with lots of goals in life, but she doesn't have parents to give her pocket money and support her financially. But one day, she married a billionaire and then her tragic life turned into a romantic one. Now the question is - how will Angelina satisfy her husband and his desires when she has only experienced struggles in her past life?

When disgraced journalist Elliot Dorne receives an anonymous invitation to Wintercroft Hall—a decaying mansion on a fog-shrouded island—he is promised the story of a lifetime. But upon his arrival, Elliot finds himself among six strangers, each with their own shadowy past. Their enigmatic host, the frail and reclusive Vivienne Ashworth, claims she has summoned them to reveal a deadly truth about the Ashworth family legacy. Before she can confess, Vivienne collapses, and chaos ensues. A violent storm traps the guests on the island, and the discovery of a gruesome murder sets paranoia ablaze. As Elliot uncovers cryptic messages, hidden rooms, and a chilling photograph that ties him to the Ashworth family, he realizes that nothing about this gathering is random. With the mansion’s dark history unraveling and secrets surfacing at every turn, Elliot must confront the ghosts of his own past to survive. But the deeper he digs, the clearer it becomes—someone inside Wintercroft Hall is playing a deadly game, and not everyone will make it out alive. When disgraced journalist Elliot Dorne is invited to the remote and crumbling Wintercroft Hall, he’s promised the story that could save his career. But the mansion’s sinister halls conceal more than just secrets—they harbor a legacy of betrayal, murder, and lies. Elliot is joined by six strangers, all summoned by the enigmatic Vivienne Ashworth. Frail and reclusive, she claims to know the truth about their darkest sins. Before she can reveal anything, a violent storm cuts them off from the outside world—and the first body is discovered. As cryptic messages and chilling clues emerge, Elliot realizes that his connection to the Ashworth family runs deeper than he could have imagined. Someone in Wintercroft Hall knows the truth about his past, and they’ll stop at nothing .

Sequel to "Forced Marriage With CEO." The story revolves around Aaron Black, the son of Myra and Austin Black. The heartless, rude, and arrogant CEO of the Black empire was forced to marry a sweet girl. He loves only his family. "Who is he?" A man in his mid-fifties asked the bride, who was trembling at her place. "Aaron," She retorted. Aaron was surprised at how she knew him. "How could you do this, Elaina? On your wedding day, you are running away with this guy?" The man shouted angrily. "Dad, I love him." "What the fuck?" Aaron screamed. "I don't know her; who are you fucking bitch?" Aaron shouted. "I just met you fifteen minutes ago; how could you say that?" "Shut up, young man." "Call your parents," The man roared angrily. "Hey, Mom, I'm stuck in a problem. I need... ," He tried to explain but the man snatched his phone. "Hello, I'm Subhash Malhotra; your son tried to take away my daughter on the day of her wedding," Mr. Malhotra said with a sigh. When Myra came, the man explained her what happened here. "What do you want us to do?" Myra asked. "My reputation is at stake. I want your son to get married to my daughter now," Mr. Malhotra said firmly. "What the fuck," Aaron roared and shouted, "Mom, you know me. I didn't do anything. She is trapping me." "Aaron... marry her," Myra's words broke him completely. "Mom..." He shouted from the depth of his lungs. Myra closed her eyes, and silent tears escaped from her eyes. During the wedding rituals, when her hand was given to his, he whispered, squeezing it roughly, " You are going to regret messing up with the great AARON BLACK." She whined in pain and thought, "I won't."

My name is Melanie Sutton. The moment I'm reborn, the first thing I do is scatter the "ashes" of my best friend, Helen Doyle. In my last life, she got pregnant before marriage and was abandoned by both her boyfriend and her family. She struggled alone all the way through childbirth, only to suffer massive bleeding in the delivery room. With her last breath, she begged me to adopt her son. I agreed out of pity. To raise the child, I fell behind in my studies and was forced to drop out of school. With no choice, I took my adopted son, Aidan Sutton, with me to work, enduring endless humiliation and cold stares. Finally, when he turned 18, a talent scout discovered him. One movie later, he became an overnight sensation and won Best Actor. At the awards ceremony, Helen, whom I watched die 18 years ago, entered arm in arm with my ex-boyfriend, Joe Shepherd. Stunned, I rushed forward to confront her. She only smiled at me. "Congratulations, you passed the test." I stood there in shock as Joe explained proudly, "Helen is the daughter of the richest man. Who knows if you got close to her for her money? "Since you've raised our son well, you can be her ordinary friend. If you raise him until he gets married and has kids, then you can become Helen's best friend." My mind exploded. As if I wanted to be her friend. That was 18 years of my life! Overwhelmed by fury and hurt, I lunged at the two of them with bloodshot eyes. But Aidan suddenly rushed down from the stage and shoved me hard. "Are you crazy? How dare you hurt my parents?" Anger rushed to my head, and I passed out right then and there. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day Helen goes into labor.

Kharris has the beauty, talent, and popularity but she seems to have no interest in it 'cause she only has eyes for her first love, Dos. But no matter how hard she tries, her love is unlikely to be reciprocatedㅡespecially when she received an invitation to his engagement party. Desperate to get over her unrequited feeling, she spends one passionate night with Dos' twin Uno; a billionaire and the firstborn son of a conglomerate of the mafia. The man who has his own unrequited love. Buong akala ni Kharris ay isang gabi ng kapusukan lamang ang nangyari ngunit hindi niya inaasahan na sa unang pagkakataon ay papayag siyang pumasok sa isang relasyon na purong pisikal lamang at walang attachment. Being friends with benefits. That was their original plan, but things began to change as Kharris and Uno's love-hate relationship grew stronger, and find themselves surrendering to a passionate love than they could have ever imagined. Nagbunga ang kanilang pagmamahalan, ngunit dahil sa isang pagkakamali at problema ay nagdesisyong lumayo si Kharris at palakihin nang mag-isa ang kanyang dinadala. 5 years later, iniwan si Kharris nang malaking utang ng kanyang ama matapos nitong magtago. To make it worse, ginawa pa siyang collateral kaya naman napilitin siyang magtrabaho bilang hostess sa isang high-end club na pagmamay-ari ng loan shark. At sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana dahil ang kauna-unahan niyang naging customer ay walang iba kung hindi si Uno, ang ama ng kanyang anak.

Furina Dunne has never gotten it easy in life. After her mother left her and her dad to marry a rich billionaire, Furina went on a trip to Paris with her friends and drank her pain away. She ended up waking up in a hotel room, stark naked next to a French man. Upon being treated like a prostitute, she had her sweet revenge on that man and moved on with her life. Five years later, she found out that her dad had been beaten up by a loan shark whom her father had borrowed money for his medical bills. Furina moved back in with her dad and helped him. When she received an invitation from her now-rich mother to attend a dinner gala, she attended with one purpose: to borrow money so she could pay the loan shark. Her mother treated her like dirt and she ended up leaving the gala. On her way out, she stumbled into a gorgeous fine specimen of a man, Diluc Ragnvindr Neuvillette. She jumped into his limousine to get away from her mother, not knowing that this man was the same man she’d spent a drunken one-night-stand five years ago and that he was also her stepbrother. The danger was now that Diluc finally had her again, there was no way he would ever let her go … and the dangerous liaison shall commence along with its consequences. 👠👠👠 The moment Diluc spotted her alone at the party, he pulled her into a corner and kissed her. “We’re in a public place,” she said, pulling away from him. His finger dipped lower, “Yeah? Is that why you’re so wet?”

My brother was a twisted, paranoid psychopath. When I was ten, my parents were murdered. Both my legs broke off while I tried to save my brother. I became his only family and also Achilles’ heel. Those who mocked me as a crippled would have their bones broken, and anyone who tried to hurt me would be smashed into a pulp. As he reclaimed our family’s fortune, he became “the Devil” in Amberwater, a man no one dared to offend. Yet, he alone spoiled me like I was a little princess. Everyone knew that Lucas’s sister was untouchable. He had sent me abroad to receive the best treatment. The day that I could finally stand up again, I received an invitation to my brother’s engagement banquet. “Veronica, we’re going to have a new family member soon.” I heard that his fiancee was the daughter of a wealthy family. She was gentle and virtuous. I dressed beautifully to meet her and planned to give her the jade bracelet that my mother had left behind. However, she had me kidnapped and taken to an abandoned construction building. “You lowly little witch. I’ll rip that face of yours since you’re such a seductress. I’ll see how you’ll steal my man now!” She crushed my mother’s heirloom, broke all my limbs, and ripped my face off. Then, she ordered a dozen men to torment me to death. In the end, she stuffed me into a gift box and sent it to my brother. “Dearest, this is your wedding gift. Do you like it?”