The Paying Guests Novels & Stories

By the time Nolan is five, I finally see the truth clearly. My husband, Justin Ford, does not love our son or me. Determined to end this disastrous marriage, I decide to leave with Nolan. But fate has other plans. A car accident leaves me with a lost kidney and Nolan missing an eye. In our darkest hour, the cold, indifferent Justin kneels in public, begging for forgiveness, promising to be a lifelong support for both our son and me. Nolan and I decide to give him a trial period of 100 days. If he passes, we will stay. On the 99th day, we stumble upon him speaking with the attending doctor. "Mr. Ford, you caused the accident on purpose to save Ms. Lloyd's child while taking organs from Mrs. Ford and Nolan. Was it really worth all that?" "It's worth it. I'll do whatever makes Suzanne happy." "What if Mrs. Ford and Mr. Nolan find out?" Justin falls silent for a moment, then instinctively touches his wedding ring. "They must never find out. All they want is a family, and I'll do everything I can to make it right," he says coldly. It turns out his entire act of repentance was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated lie. The happiness Nolan and I believed in was merely an illusion, designed to protect the one he truly cared for. Every gift came with a secret cost, and now, we are paying the price.

Blurb "Sign the papers, Celeste." I wiped the blood from my nose, my hands trembling as I handed my husband the contract I had worked tirelessly to finalize for him. But instead of gratitude, he shoved divorce papers in my face. And beside him, smirking in triumph, was the woman he had replaced me with—the daughter of his boss. Five years of sacrifice, of love, of loyalty… all reduced to nothing. Ethan Carter had used me, discarded me, and now he was climbing higher on the back of another woman. I thought that was the end of my story. Until he appeared. Damien Sinclair—the youngest billionaire in the country, ruthless in business, feared by his enemies, and a man who never gave without taking something in return. And he wanted me. Overnight, I went from the forgotten ex-wife to the envy of high society, the woman draped in luxury, held in the arms of a man who commanded the world. But Damien’s interest in me wasn’t coincidence. He knew my past. He knew my pain. And when he whispered my childhood nickname in his sleep, I realized… he knew me. Now, I must uncover the truth before I lose myself in the passion, the power, and the dangerous game I never saw coming. Because in Damien’s world, love is just another negotiation—and I might be the one paying the ultimate price.

Eric Winter controls everything around him with obsessive precision: businesses, contracts, people… and most of all, his own emotions. To him, relationships have always been simple. Desire. Clear rules. No room for attachment. That’s exactly why the contracts exist. Stevan, on the other hand, has spent most of his life surviving. By day, he endures an abusive boss inside the multinational company where he works. At night, he takes jobs he never imagined he’d accept just to keep paying for his sick mother’s treatment. Quiet, insecure, and far too used to swallowing humiliation in silence, Stevan has never believed he was the kind of man someone would truly choose. But everything changes the night Eric finds him in a VIP room. What should have been just another proposition quickly turns into something dangerous. Because Stevan doesn’t respond to Eric the way other men do. And for the first time in years, Eric loses control of himself. Between lingering stares, restrained desire, and rules breaking one by one, the two of them become trapped in a relationship that was never supposed to go beyond the limits of a contract. The problem is, some feelings don’t obey clauses. And Eric realizes far too late that maybe he doesn’t just want Stevan’s body. Maybe he wants all of him.

The first time I saw Daniel, I did not think he would become the man who would change everything. It was a quiet evening, the kind where the sky looked tired and the wind carried the scent of rain. I had gone to the café only to escape my thoughts. Love and I had never been on good terms, and I had long decided that my heart was safer when it belonged only to me. Then he walked in. He wasn’t loud or dramatic. In fact, if you weren’t paying attention, you might have missed him completely. But there was something about the way he moved—calm, steady, like a man who understood the rhythm of life. When his eyes met mine, he smiled. Not the kind of smile men give when they want something from you. No. This one was different. It was warm, patient… almost like he already knew my story. I looked away quickly, pretending to read my phone, but my heart betrayed me. It beat faster, louder, as if it was whispering a secret I was not ready to hear. That night, I didn’t know his name. I didn’t know his voice. But somehow, in the quiet space between strangers, something had already begun. And before long, Daniel would teach me something I had spent years running from: What it truly means to love… and to be loved to the full.

In the bustling city of New York, Mary Jane Carter lives in a rundown apartment with her mother, Lynn Carter. She works a thousand different jobs just to make ends meet but her major job is a daytime job as a barrister in the biggest café in town- la petite bean. She works very diligently, not paying much attention to the fun of life and the people around her. Ever since her father died life has been hard for both herself and her mother, she vowed to make things better for her mother and she works everyday towards achieving that goal. Ethan Cogsworth on the other hand is a rich CEO born into the wealth of Cogsworth enterprises. Although he tends to be rather introvertive, he used to have a lively frivolous past. By fate or coincidence, his path crosses with Mary Jane’s when he comes to have coffee at the café she works with his best friend Clifford Mann. She catches his eye and he begins to chase after her in hopes of winning her heart. It takes a while but Mary Jane eventually decides to give him a chance. Their seemingly perfect love story is put to the test when she finds out about Ethan’s dreadful past. Can they overcome the wrongs and learn to love each other through their hurt? Or will the truth Mary Jane learns of be the end of their relationship as well as Ethan Cogsworth entire career?....

My mother-in-law, Kylie McGowan, told me that she wanted to experience the life of the younger crowd, so I took her to my husband Jerome Callen's newly opened upscale bar for a quiet drink. I had just ordered her a signature cocktail when a woman from the booth across the aisle sauntered over, wine glass in hand. Her eyes flicked over the menu on our table, and she laughed mockingly. "Seriously? You ordered the cheapest drink on the menu? Did you bring this old lady here just to enjoy the free AC? People like you should stay in the gutter. This place isn't meant for penniless people!" I rose to my feet, holding back my temper. "We're paying for our drinks here. What does our drink choice have to do with you?" But she suddenly snapped, grabbed a half-finished beer bottle off a nearby table, and swung it at my head. "My husband's the owner of this bar! I could smash your skull in and still afford the damages! Get out, you pauper! Don't be an eyesore here!" I wiped the liquor off my face as my entire body shook with anger. Then I turned away, started my livestream, and spoke directly to my followers. "Look here, everyone! I'm going live to catch a cheater. Let's go explore my husband's other home."

"There are only two categories of women I sleep with. The ones I'm paying and the ones I'm dating," Kachi stated. "And I don't fall among the category of women you want to date?" Aria asked in disbelief. "You don't." "You're a real bastard. Why would I agree to sleep with you if I know you have no intention of dating me?" "Because I want you. And I know that you want me too." Aria stared at him, hating that he was right and hating herself for letting it be. From the first time she had met him, she'd known that she would wreck herself to have this man. *** Onyekachi Obiagu is looking for a distraction to ease his already stressful days. Then he met her, Zariah, the girl that always has a response for almost everything he says. He's determined to have her so he proposes a deal she can't possibly refuse. Zariah Okoye is suffering through her days, hoping to one day lessen the mountain of debt on her head. Then she meets arrogant billionaire, Kachi, who proposes a deal that seems to be the answer to her prayers. Secrets, conspiracies and betrayals follow and they have to fight family, friends and foes whilst fighting the attraction brewing between them. Do I need to say more? Start reading ❤️ WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATURE THEMES INTENDED FOR AN 18+ AUDIENCE. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU'RE UNDERAGE.

I loved Adriano Ferraro—yeah, that Don—for five freaking years. He wasn't just my fiancé; he was my anchor in a world where loyalty got tested, and weakness got you killed. We had it all mapped out—dreams, plans, a future we actually thought we owned. Until I lost our baby. I reached for him, shaking, desperate for anything. But comfort never came. Instead, it was her. His stepsister, propped up. "Don't buy her act. She's just fishing for attention—again." That snake smiled like she just won a prize for emotional torture, dripping venom while fanning the flames. And Adriano? He bought it. He turned away. In that moment, it hit me—I wasn't just grieving. I was completely alone. The kid I carried, the future I built in my head? Gone. And so was I. I walked out. On him. On the Ferraro Family I was stupid enough to think I could belong to. All I left behind was silence. Empty space where we used to be. Now Adriano's drowning in regret, but it's too damn late. The life we should've had, the love we should've built? Dust. And her? The stepsister who ruined it all? She's paying for every lie.

After the death of her mother, one year ago, Cordovia is finally ready to meet her father. Bouncing from foster home to foster home was getting restless, and she needed a stable environment. Finally meeting her father, she learns that she is not what she had been told she is. The word human, never once came up. She was a different type of species. Some would call her a heretic, though others would refer to her as a hybrid. Being half witch and half werewolf, she moved in with her father to learn. More about her mark. And more about who she actually was. When she moves to a new school, that's when she meets eighteen year old, Nikolias Bentwoode. The senior class president of The Donatus Academy, who shows her to the same class he was currently headed to. And instantly, she has this feeling in her heart, she cannot explain. But only before she could learn, her father's illness took a turn for the worst. Leading him to the grave, Cordovia was once again left alone. But this time, she had a place to live after her father died. Coming to give their condolences at the funeral, she once again runs into Nikolias; who was with his father. As guests had began to leave the cemetery grounds, she meets Maxton Blake, a former worker for her father. He demands money from her, for the work he did for her father. Said to be nineteen, this boy was a drop-out from The Donatus Academy, and the local bad boy all the girls drooled over. And then too, she could feel a twinge in her heart for him. Which Maxton was able to take notice to, without her knowledge. And how betrayal and love can be twisted and romantic, all in the same sense.

I ran into my boss when I was complaining to my best friend about how he actively made the workplace hostile for me. He fired off a barrage of questions, "Where's the annual report? Where's the script for the speech? I can't believe you have the gall to enjoy a meal when you have a mountain of work to do!" That was it. I slammed the table. "It's due tomorrow! What's the rush? Are you going to hold a funeral for yourself tomorrow?" My boss stormed off in a huff. I asked for the bill, but the waiter came with two. My table came up to 60 dollars, but the other ran up to 3,750. "Your boyfriend said you're paying for both. Cash or credit, miss?" Shawn Goodall put that impossible bill on my tab and called himself my boyfriend? Unbelievable! I called him, utterly incensed. Yet, he had the gall to say, "Get the receipt and claim it from finance." Then, he hung up. The waiter was going to call the cops if I didn't pay up, so I had no choice but to accept this bitter defeat. I was trying to claim the money the next day, but the cops arrested me instead. "Shawn Goodall died at midnight and was found in his house. You're his girlfriend and the last person he met. You're coming with us."