The Paying Guests Novels & Stories

It was not easy for me to be home for the long holidays, but my father ordered me to do the dishes after dinner. I was taken aback. "Don't you have a caregiver at home?" My mother frowned. "It's been hard on Harry to be taking care of us every day. Since you're home, you should let him take a rest, and do all the housework." I could not understand this. "But I paid a lot of money to hire him to take care of you and the housework. Why am I doing the work I paid him to do?" My words caused Harry Lambert to tear up, and they angered my parents as well. My mother frowned. "What's the point of bringing you up when we hardly see you in a year. At least Harry is considerate enough to stay by our side and take care of us." As for my father, he pointed at my nose. "You don't need to waste your time coming back anymore. Harry will be our son from now on! You can just get out and do whatever you want!" I smiled in exasperation. Work had been extremely busy for me, but I still gave my parents a handsome monthly allowance. Even the caregiver cost a lot of money, but they ended up treating him like he was something precious. If that were the case, I would stop paying for everything. I wanted to see if the caregiver would still be willing to act as their son and work for free.

The music made the speakers tremble, the floor vibrated with the rumble of the sound and the jumps of the crazy people. Each one in their own world, dancing together, dancing separately. Enjoying music, company and alcohol. I danced alone, with a drink in hand. Gliding, moving my hips to the rhythm of the music, not paying much attention to anything or anyone around me. Just enjoying that moment of inner peace that I was needing and he was giving it to me. It was a respite, a window that I opened myself in my own cage to let in air and I knew that as soon as I left the club the window would close and I would lock myself back in my world without fresh air. Therefore, he enjoyed everything he could. Alone. With eyes closed. Sweating the bad energy that others left me and breathing the good vibes that I had to give myself. They were approaching me. I drove them away. They invited me. I rejected them. they spoke to me I silenced them. I just wanted to dance and they were going to have to respect that. It was amazing how loud music could be my oxygen tank. It silenced my thoughts, freed me from tensions. There was nothing more relaxing in my life than dancing with my eyes closed and the volume turned up to a thousand. I twirled, I jumped, I wiggled, I hummed, and I sang. The brightly colored lights flickered making it difficult to see, but it was what I liked the most, going blind for an instant, forgetting that I had the ability to see the world, a false, disastrous and difficult world.

"W-what are you doing?" I stammered, my eyes widening as he closed the distance between us. "Weren't you doing all that—biting your lips—just to get my attention? To seduce me?" His hot breath fanned against my face as he leaned in closer. I instinctively shifted back, but before I could react further, his hand wrapped firmly around my waist, pulling me impossibly close as his gaze dropped to my lips. "How about I bite them for you?" Before I could process his words, our lips met in a . It was too fast, too sudden. He started to pull away, but I couldn’t let him go. Something deep inside me clung to him, and before I knew it, I was deepening the . I didn’t understand why I couldn’t let him pull back—I only knew that I didn’t want to. ....... Klein has three talents: finding trouble, running his mouth and driving his infuriating hot yet ice-cold boss, Silvio Alvarez, completely insane. But when Silvio starts paying him unusual attention—watching him a little too closely and asking questions that feel a little too personal—Klein begins to suspect that his boss is hiding something far bigger than a bad temper. Klein is determined to crack the stone-hearted CEO. But the more he learns about Silvio, the stranger things get. His boss doesn’t just seem otherworldly—he might actually 'be' otherworldly.

After being reborn, the first thing I do is bind myself to a transfer system and agree to my mother's proposal that the whole family splits expenses equally. It is because in my previous life, after I refuse the transfer system, my mother throws a bill at me and demands repayment. The bill lists every expense from my childhood to adulthood. There are small things like the cost of an eraser or a pencil, as well as big ones like tuition and living costs. "The total cost of raising you is one million dollars. On top of that, the money your brother needs for his wedding, car, and house are all family matters. So, we will split them equally. Taking all those into account, you need to repay us three million dollars in total." So right after graduating, I fall into a massive debt of three million dollars. I do not finish paying it off until I am 38. Just when I try to break away from my family and look for my own happiness, my parents start a livestream and curse me for being a terrible daughter. They claim that I abandon them in our hometown while running off to a big city to chase my own freedom. As a result, I face overwhelming criticism online. I fall into depression for two years, and on my 40th birthday, I accidentally fall from a building after getting drunk. When I open my eyes again, I am back to the moment when the transfer system first appears. This time, I say firmly, "Bind me to the system."

Five years ago, Aleksandr Volkov, alpha of the Silver Eclipse Pack, tragically lost his mate. Just as he begins to find his way back to "normal" he is blessed with a second chance mate. But did the Moon Goddess make a mistake? As a human who doesn't even believe werewolves exist, Rieka's kids are her world. When she learns that these impossible creatures are real--and that she is mated to their Alpha--she's faced with a love she didn't ask for, and world she doesn't understand. Plagued with guilt for what this could do to her children, Rieka resists the bond and avoids Aleksandr. But just when Rieka begins to come around, they are betrayed, and Rieka's worst fears come true as her children are forced to face the possibility of losing her. Can Aleksandr and Rieka overcome UNCERTAINTY and BETRAYAL to rule the pack together? Or will both of them face the ultimate loss? *** I know this novel might have a slightly slower start than some others, but that's why I offer so many free chapters before you have to begin paying to unlock them. Read the reviews written by other readers, it's worth it. *** This is a slow burn romance, so please be prepared. The book is marked completed, however, I did continue Aleksandr and Rieka’s story in another book titled “The Luna’s Family Secret.” My other book “Going Rogue” is the story of Gina (a side character in this book), but can be read independently. Each book has some spoilers for the other because of how the timelines overlap.

For months Alex has watched Olivia as she calls out to every protective instinct he possesses. When Olivia's life hits rock bottom as a result of her mother's Alzheimer's, Alex sees his opportunity to insert himself into Olivia's life. Knowing how vulnerable she is, her acceptance of his proposal is inevitable; spend one year as his wife in return for paying off her debts and her mother's care fees. Unfortunately, the foundation of their marriage is based on a secret that Alex is determined to protect from both his family and Olivia; his BDSM lifestyle as a Dom. However, when Olivia uncovers Alex's secret, instead of the disgust Alex is anticipating, Olivia embraces his dominant side and slowly begins to explore her own sexuality. Unfortunately, their happiness is threatened by a plot between Alex's unstable ex-submissive and Liv's deadbeat alcoholic father who abandoned her and her mother when she was young. When they fail to extort Alex for money over his lifestyle, they turn to exposing Olivia and Alex's fake marriage to his mother. A final showdown between Olivia and Alex's ex-submissive finally exposes how Alex's mother was sent their pre-nuptial agreement and the key players in the plot are held accountable. Olivia also forces Alex to confront some home truths about his journey into the BDSM world. In the end, both Alex and Olivia find their happy ending by embracing both their love for each other and learning to love themselves.

"Sign this," I said, handing him the papers. He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Can't this wait? Rowena is hurt." I did not answer. "Fine. Give me the pen." He signed. Just like that, three years ended in five seconds. "Won't you read it?" I asked softly He glanced at me over his shoulder. "Other than signing checks and paying bills... What else is there to sign?" --------- Harper Campbell handed her husband, Alexander, divorce papers on their anniversary. He signed without reading. He never knew she was pregnant. He never knew she had twins. And he never knew his former first love stole one of them. Four years later, Harper has rebuilt her life around her son, Ethan. Then she sees a boy who looks exactly like him, standing beside Alexander. To get her other son back, Harper goes undercover as a nanny in the Banks household. But stepping back into Alexander's world means facing the man who destroyed her and the woman who replaced her. Then there's Liam Russo. Alexander's enemy. He offers her safety. Protection. A future without pain. But Liam doesn't just want to help her. He wants to own her. In a war built on secrets, lies, and stolen blood… How do you choose between the father of your children and the man who saved you when you had nothing left?

My husband died in a fire trying to save me, leaving behind a mountain of debt and a newborn child. I worked hard to pay off the debt while raising the child, only to unintentionally discover that my husband hadn’t died at all. Instead, he was sleeping with my cousin. “Honey, you’re so clever. You transferred all the company funds and faked your death, leaving that stupid wife of yours to shoulder all the debt. “She’s so clueless that she doesn’t even realize the son she’s raising isn’t hers, that I swapped him out. Once she’s done paying off the debts, the three of us can live a great life together.” I silently sneered, pretending I knew nothing, and continued to raise the child. Twenty years later, my son returned home after studying abroad. The company went public in New York. On the day of the IPO, my cousin appeared arm in arm with my husband, holding a paternity test. “Claire, your husband never died. We’ve been together all these years. Alex is my son. Now that you’ve been his mother for so long, isn’t it time to return him to me?” My husband also presented a divorce agreement. “I built this company from scratch. It’s premarital property. Sign the divorce papers, walk away with nothing, and you can leave now.” I smiled and told him, “I’ve prepared a special gift for you too. I wonder if you’ll like it."

When I go home for the holidays, I find out that my dad has installed a facial recognition machine at the front door. "You'll have to pay an entry fee of 50 thousand dollars. Will you be paying by card or payment code?" I thought my dad was joking at first. As I laugh, I attempt to walk through the front door while pushing my luggage forward. But my mom passes me a price list with an icy look. "That'll be 200 dollars for dragging stuff across the floor. You'll also be charged 1,000 dollars per hour for using up the air." I'm stunned by her words. "Mom, stop messing around already!" But when I walk into the house, I realize that the air inside has disappeared. Unable to breathe, my face soon turns bright red out of suffocation as I kneel down on the floor. My mom huffs coldly again. "If you want to live, then pay up!" With great difficulty, I dig out my phone and pay the fees. Once the transaction is done, I can feel air rushing through my nostrils and into my lungs. For a few moments, I pant heavily. As I stare at my cold-looking parents, I finally feel that something is off. So, I scramble up to my feet and rush for the door. But that's when I find out that the front door is already welded shut. There's a payment code pasted on the door as well as a message. "Exit fee. One million dollars."

Juliet Fredrick has spent her life staying unnoticed. Working the night shift at a fast-food chain, paying her mother’s hospital bills, keeping her younger sister safe. She knows how the world works: nobody saves you. You save yourself. But everything changes the night she crosses paths with Ejike Olatunji. He is more than the richest man in Africa. He is a man whispered about. Ruthless in business. Untouchable in power. Unbreakable in will. And he has just made Juliet an offer that sounds like salvation: Marry him. Play the loyal wife. Protect his public image. In exchange, he will save her family. Juliet steps into a life she has never imagined: penthouses, private jets, global boardrooms, and people who smile at her while planning her destruction. Because Ejike has enemies. And now, so does she. A jealous socialite who refuses to be replaced. A rival billionaire who plays mind games with a smile. A former partner who wants the empire burned to the ground. The closer Juliet gets to Ejike, the more she realizes something is wrong. He is not just closed off. He is watching. He is waiting. And he is hiding a secret dangerous enough to shatter them both. Someone is lying. Someone is hunting them. And the only person Juliet can trust is the man she was never supposed to love. A marriage built on survival is becoming something else. But love, here, is not tender. Love is a battlefield. And the first mistake could be fatal.