The Retreat Sarah Pearse

Henry is known as the head of an investment firm in NYC, but his shadowed presence hides the fact that he is also the boss of a Mafia in Italy. Deep down, he carries the trauma left by his abusive, alcoholic father, making him reluctant to form relationships with anyone—except for one person, his childhood friend, Sarah. However, he left both his childhood and Sarah behind in a mysterious case. After an accidental meeting, his eyes catch that beloved silhouette, and he is drawn once again to her beauty and sweetness. On the other side, holding onto her dream of becoming a singer, Sarah has worked hard for her parents to fuel her journey. She wins an investment competition and is about to attend Harvard as part of the prize. Little does she know, the day she steps into her dream is also the day her future becomes intertwined with Henry, her first crush who had disappeared from her life. Will Sarah successfully hold onto him this time, or will he vanish once more into the darkness? How will the cruel cost of power affect the pure love they share?

Before our wedding, my fiancée, Sarah Hargrave—a professor of medieval history—held a private ceremony in a secluded chapel in the countryside. But not with me. Under the glow of candlelight, she cradled Benjamin Wheeler—her first love, his face gaunt from the cancer consuming him—in her arms. Her smile was soft, almost reverent, as she murmured, "In the eyes of God, vows made before the altar are the only ones that matter. Even if the law says I belong to Daniel, my soul was never his." And so, to the faint echo of hymns and the scent of old incense, they drank from the same silver cup, exchanged rings, and stepped together into the dimly lit sacristy—their makeshift bridal chamber. I watched. Silent. Motionless. No outbursts, no demands for explanation. Just the quiet dialing of a clinic to undo the vasectomy I'd gotten for our future. From fifteen to thirty, I had loved Sarah for fifteen long years. But in all that time, there'd never been room for me. That space had always belonged to Benjamin, my stepbrother. So I let her go. Afterward, I joined a geological research team bound for the isolation of Antarctica—a land cut off from the world, quiet and clean. Before I left, I handed Sarah a divorce agreement…and a final gift to mark the end. I never anticipated that Sarah, who'd always met my devotion with frosty detachment, who'd never once glanced back as I walked away, would look ten years older overnight.

Sarah Blake has always lived in her brother’s shadow, Henry, the school’s hockey team captain — charming, talented, and adored. She is the complete opposite: quiet, curvy, and invisible, working as the team’s intern just to feel close to something important. Then Xavier Cole transfers in. Gorgeous. Arrogant. Brilliant on the ice. And hiding a secret no one knows: He came to destroy her brother. Years ago, Sarah’s father ruined Xavier’s family. Now Xavier plans to get close to Henry… through Sarah. Use her. Break her. Break them all. But the plan changes when he starts falling for the girl he was supposed to ruin. When the truth explodes, Sarah is torn between the brother who overshadowed her… and the boy who only approached her for revenge. Then she learns the darkest truth of all: Her father didn’t just expose Xavier’s family—he caused their downfall. Now she must choose whose truth to believe. And Xavier must decide if revenge is worth losing the one girl who finally saw him?

My husband, Mark Thompson, and I went hiking. After eating some wild berries I picked, he was poisoned and died. When I got home, a woman named Sarah Miller and her son, Tommy Miller, showed up at my door. It turned out Mark had given them our house and car. On top of that, he owed them a huge amount of money. I ended up giving them all the savings I had. To care for my sick mother-in-law, Judith Thompson, I worked three jobs. I was surviving on basic meals like bread and butter. After years of exhausting work, I collapsed in the hospital. Judith told the doctors to stop my treatment. Just as I was about to die, Mark walked into the ward with Sarah and Tommy in his arms. He tossed five dollars at me. “Thanks for taking care of my mom all these years.” That was when I realized Mark had faked his death just to be with Sarah and their love child. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day we went hiking together.

I stand in the hospital after my two older brothers decline all 99 of my phone calls. They finally appear, bringing with them the biological sister they found. My gentle eldest brother, who had once rescued me from my so-called abusive parents, raises his hand and slaps me across the face. "Cynthia, you're actually pretending to have a terminal illness just to compete with Sarah for our affection? And you came to this kind of place to frighten us?" I clutch my swollen cheek and listen as my second brother, who always says he'll trust me no matter what, holds Sarah in his arms and laughs out loud. "Are you trying to fake being sick to get our attention after seeing that Sarah is in poor health? "Just cut the act. You've been living in luxury since childhood and have always been in perfect health. How could you possibly be ill?" Sarah Crawford speaks up thoughtfully, "Don't blame her, you two. I think she just feels like I've stolen away your love for her, which is why she has become so unreasonable..." I look at the two brothers who have doted on me for ten years and suddenly feel that nothing matters anymore. After all, I only have seven days left to live. In seven days, everything will return to normal after my departure. But by then, they'll be the ones unable to accept it.

Millianna convinced Sarah to marry Leon in her place since she didn't want to wed an illiterate man. Sarah was forced by her family to take Millianna's place to wed Leon. Leon is a wealthy man who was involved in a car accident, which caused him to lose his memories and became stupid. Sometime later, Leon regains his memory, but he still pretends to be a fool. Leon wants to find out the cause of the old accident. Who harmed Leon? And what does that person want? After Leon regains his memory, he begins a plan to take revenge on everyone who has harmed him.

"Look, Mi amor, I don't know what goes on in that crazy head of yours but what I do know is that we can both help each other," Nikolai said, running a hand across my cheek. "How?" I breathed. "Marry me." ****** After the death of her mother, Sarah DeVille has been encountering one problem after the other. From the taunting of the pack members to her fiance's betrayal, Sarah has finally had enough. When she decides to leave the pack for good, she is suddenly hit with news that would change her forever. "Nikolai Mezzeselma has arrived."

Winter thought the worst thing was being replaced with her cousin… until she crashed the company’s luxury retreat, almost drowned, and woke up pretending to have amnesia—right in front of the man who humiliated her. Now she’s stuck playing fake fiancée and sharing a room with a sexy stranger who clearly hates her guts… but can’t stop staring at her lips like he wants to ruin her. With an ex who suddenly cares way too much, her dream career on the line, and revenge heating up faster than the resort’s hot tubs, Winter is about to turn heartbreak into the most unforgettable comeback of the year. But there’s just one twist: her fake fiancé is actually the new billionaire chairman of the company… and he’s falling for her, hard.

The new intern, Cynthia Joller, had posted about me online, claiming the company had made them use their leave for team building. No one wanted to fly all the way to an island to spend time with colleagues. However, what the internet did not know was that our company's team-building tradition involved booking a top-notch five-star resort every year: all-inclusive, family-friendly, with an extra three days of paid leave, and a $30,000 budget per person. The whole internet dubbed me a cold-blooded capitalist, so I decided to give in to their demands and issued a notice. [In response to employee feedback and to honor personal time, this year's team-building retreat has been canceled. Instead, a $500 allowance for personal travel will be provided.] The notice stirred up a commotion in the company. Long-time employees gathered at my office door, pleading for the return of the sunny Madiles retreat.

Wham! A slap landed on my cheeks. It stung so hard, and I tasted blood. Tears slipped out of my eyes as her minions held me in place. "I hate you so much," my sister spat with venom in her voice "you stole my man from me and - I swear, I will make you experience hell!" ••• Sarah's life took an unexpected turn when her father arranged her marriage to billionaire artiste; Damian Delance. But Stephanie, Sarah's twin had always wanted Damian for herself. In this tale of sibling rivalry, who will win Damian's heart, and at what cost?