The Matter With Things

Alyssa Hart is out of options. Drowning in medical debt, with her mother’s life hanging in the balance, she’s desperate for a solution. When an unexpected email offers her an interview at the mysterious Valentino Enterprises, she doesn’t hesitate. But what she walks into isn’t a job opportunity... it’s a marriage contract. The powerful and feared Valentino Crime family needs a wife for their heir, Stephano Valentino. Cold, ruthless, and utterly uninterested in love, Stephano has discarded every woman his parents have introduced him to. They don’t expect Alyssa to be any different. The deal is simple: marry Stephano, bear his heir, and in two years, she’ll be free, with enough money to ensure her mother’s survival. There’s only one rule: this is not a real marriage. Stephano can do as he pleases, but Alyssa is bound to him alone. She should hate him. He gives her every reason to. But the longer she stays, the more she begins to see through the cracks in his armour. Beneath his icy exterior is something broken, something she can’t help but want to fix. And Stephano, who swore he would never care, finds himself drawn to the woman he was never meant to love. But in their world, love is a weakness, and breaking the rules always comes with a price...

Isabella Harrods is a young journalist who meets Terrence Langston, the CEO of Langston's jewelry and the son of the most notorious mafia lord, who was assassinated by his own son, Terrence. Following their meeting, a serial killer imitating Terrence's father's killing pattern emerges, triggering Terrence's PTSD. Even though there is a serial killer on the loose, their hate-to-love relationship blossoms. Terrence forces her to sign a blood contract stating that only death can keep them apart. As the murder rate and Terrence's recurring PTSD skyrocket, Isabella decides to track down the perpetrator. Having sealed a blood deal with him, what happens when she walks in on him while carrying a severed human head?

Dahil sa kawalang bayag ng kaniyang ama at pang-aapi ng kaniyang madrasta, napilitan si Natalie na magpakasal kay Mateo Garcia, isa sa mga pinakamakapangyarihang tao sa San Jose. Sa araw ng kanilang kasal, natuklasan ng kaniyang asawa na hindi na siya birhen bago pa man sila ikasal, na siyang nagpatibay ng paniniwala nito na isa siyang maduming babae na may magulong buhay. Matapos dalhin ang bata sa loob ng kaniyang sinapupunan sa loob ng siyam na buwan, iniluwal ni Natalie ang kaniyang anak, pinirmahan ang annulment papers na inihain sa kaniya ng kaniyang asawa, at saka naglaho na parang bula. Makalipas ang ilang taon, nagbalik si Natalie sa San Jose kasama ang isang bata. "Mr. Garcia, balita ko ay naghahanap kayo ng personal doctor?" Malugod na pumayag si Mateo. "Tanggap ka na." May bali-balitang kumakalat na walang asawa, ni kalandian si Mr. Garcia. Ngunit para siyang Isang tutang naglalambing sa kaniyang personal doctor at itinuturing ang anak nito, na hindi pa alam kung sino ang tunay na ama, na parang sarili niyang anak.

Glamour was thrown into a world she was not prepared for after playing a game that forced her into signing a contract. And as if marrying a stranger wasn't enough, she finds out he was a vampire. Would she run for her life or would love bloom?

'Let's forget this ever happened!' A note laid by her side the next morning, with a $50,000 cheque associated to it. "What?!" Her eyes widened in shock as the reality of life dawned on her. ****** Meet Clarissa Wayne, a new graduate who set out with her best friend to celebrate their academic success. She came across Aiden Carter; a sinfully handsome billionaire who was celebrating his latest deal alongside his friend. He was tempted by his friend to lure Clarissa in dating him for a week, as compensation he was going to reward him with $10,000,000. Aiden accepted the deal, but things took another turn when they mistakenly had a one-night stand. It was the first time she ever got intimate with a man. This was happening with a stranger she met just two hours ago. She had set her hopes high as she thought this one-night stand was the beginning of something big, between her and this stranger. She was shocked when she got up the next morning, and the only thing left of him in the room was his sweet cologne which intoxicated the atmosphere. Two months later, Clarissa discovers she's carrying a stranger's baby in her stomach. What happens when she one day falls on the billionaire who shattered her future? "I accept the pregnancy to be mine, but we will never be a couple." Does this statement of Aiden Carter last for long?

"You heard me, Damon Jones," I replied after a few seconds of silence that was honoured with his confused gaze. "I want us to be together. I want us to have sizzling moments that only you and I would know about. I want us to hold each other, and sweaty as our needs grow. Not once, not twice, but for as long as possible." I surprised myself with the tone of my voice. His hands on his waist, the man scoffed. It was a loud one. After a few seconds of making his feet dance in the very spot he stood, he faced me, the tip of histongue probing the flesh of his upper lip. That was a nice sight. It made my eyes linger on his lips longer than I intended. As my eyes quickly traveled to his wet shirt which exposed the nudity that I keep wondering about, he said, "You must be out of your mind, Selena." ~ In life, mistakes happen. A mistake like taking the wrong file instead of the file that contains your CV and other important documents a job seeker needs to have. But, there's no going back because you have a great job opportunity right in front of you. An opportunity that could vanish before anyone can complete the words, Jack Robinson. And, mistakes can lead to a lot of things. Things you could never imagine would happen in even five lifetimes to come. Like making a dangerous deal with a Mafia Queen... [Mature scenes inclusive]

Nyra Hearthe is a brilliant scientist, forced into an arranged marriage to the fierce Vampire Lord Ardonis Stepanov. The vampire just wants her as a breeding vessel to get an heir so he can complete his bloodline and on their wedding-night, he took her virginity in the most humiliating way. Ardonis and his mistress Elara, plan to take the child away from Nyra when its born and divorce her. She learns about their plot when she catches them in bed together. Pregnant and heartbroken, she vanished without a trace. And now she’s back. As his new boss and the only scientist who can cure his deadly vampire illness that has infected him. He has just six months to live now. He needs her cure to survive. She needs his body to complete her research. And this time, he is at her mercy. Their son stands between them, a living reminder of the day she walked away. In the lab, power shifts and new desires surface, will Nyra save the man who broke her? Or make him suffer as she once did?

"Look, I understand you're married," he replied in the same low, calm baritone while we danced. "But burying your head in the sand does not change the facts. These things are out of our hands, you and I. We can't help what we feel, Keira. We should talk about it and try to resolve it." Resolve? Now he was being blatantly sex.ually suggestive? I was going to respond, but my mouth hung open as a gentle thumb brushed the flesh above my waist. That part of the dress had a small opening... **** On her thirteenth birthday, Kiera suffers an attack that leaves a lasting injury on her wolf and weakens her senses. When her father dies, as the only child, she succeeds him, becoming Luna of the Spring Moon pack despite her secret deformity. But her position and the secret of her wounded wolf are at stake if she remains unmarried. To earn the support of pack elders, her uncle arranges marriage with the most suitable candidate and her teenage crush, Liam Rudd. Despite the imperfections in her marriage, Keira is content with her life. Until their first wedding anniversary. Her husband begins to reveal his true colors while pack elders insist she remains in an unhappy marriage. To worsen the crisis, Alpha Nox, a notorious ruthless lycan, comes into the picture. He claims he's her fated mate, though her injured wolf is not able to confirm this. One kiss, a simple mistake, leads to Keira's undoing. The lycan learns her secret and becomes determined to claim what is rightfully his, no matter the cost. Will Keira be able to protect her pack from ruin and keep her title? What extent is Alpha Nox willing to go to get what he wants?

Lilliane’s life began to spiral into chaos and danger when her guardians forced her into an arranged marriage with 68-year-old media magnate Arnulfo Fuentes in order to save their company from bankruptcy. In desperation, unable to bear the thought of him benefiting from her young body, she made the decision to give herself to a much younger man. However, the consequences of that night were far more than Lilliane ever expected. Terrified of Mr. Fuentes, she broke the agreement. She fled from her ruthless guardians and the man she was supposed to marry. But neither her guardians nor Mr. Fuentes would stop searching for her, especially Fuentes, who would not rest until he had what he believed to be ‘his’. However, it wasn’t just her guardians and Mr. Fuentes who were after her; the handsome stranger to whom she had given her virginity was now also seeking her out after reading the article about her upcoming marriage to the famous media magnate. Intrigued by Lilliane’s intelligence, bravery, and remarkable skill in evading those hunting her, his interest in her only grew stronger. As her family’s business continued to crumble, Mathilda, her aunt, became even more determined to find her and push through with the arrangement that Lilliane was desperately trying to escape. But Lilliane could not allow that to happen, especially since everything was now at stake—her freedom, her future, and her baby. She had to fight to protect the things that mattered most. In a world ruled by power, money, greed, and betrayal, will Lilliane be able to overcome those who seek to control her for their own selfish gain, or will she fall into the hands of those she’s been running from—or into the arms of the father of her unborn child?

My body shook as I whispered, “Take me…” to a stranger, my lips crashing against his, my clut in a fire hotter than anything my husband ever gave me. Betrayed by my husband and best friend, I didn’t break, I acted. One reckless night, one stranger, one stolen passion… and the seed my husband made me carry unknowingly belonged to my ruthless one night stand. Alexander Blackwood: feared, cold, and dominant. Now I’m trapped in a contract marriage, carrying his child, and caught in a dangerous game of desire, power dynamic and revenge I can’t escape.