Novel & Cerita The Summer That Changed Everything

After the college entrance exams are over, I buy a flight ticket to Carula for my graduation trip. In fact, I refuse to return to my country despite everyone's attempts to contact me. I spend the next two months in bliss. Meanwhile, Zachary Fuller, the campus hunk who keeps brainwashing me that Carula is filled with murderers, starts to panic. In my previous life, after I graduated from high school, Zachary had hired the entire class to work at his family's factory during the summer break while promising them lucrative wages. He even promised everyone that once they went through their summer jobs, they'd be able to join Zachary's company as senior executives as soon as they graduated from college. But two days after I started my job at the factory, a machine went into malfunction, resulting in my limbs getting mangled and severed. Even after I got sent to the hospital, the doctors couldn't do anything about my condition. When my parents sought out Zachary, he didn't show an ounce of guilt at all. "I already told Adrian not to touch the machinery. He's the one to be blamed for being clumsy and idiotic in the first place." My childhood friend, Natania Sutton, also took Zachary's side. "The rest of the class is fine, making Adrian the only handicapped one. He must be trying to scam money from your family, Zachary!" The rest of my classmates, who had received their share of my lucrative compensation, were quick to forge their witness statements just to help Zachary. My parents believed their version of the twisted truth. Thinking that I brought them endless shame, they left my corpse to rot in the morgue without a care in the world. In fact, they even gave their assets to Zachary to compensate for his emotional distress. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Zachary has hired us to work at his factory during the summer break while promising us lucrative wages.

When I inherited the title of Alpha Female, the Witch prophesied that my pack would fall within eight years. Only finding my fated mate could avert the coming disaster. I searched for eight long years. With just seven days left before the prophecy's deadline, I received word that our sacred altar had been bombed. The one responsible was Lucian Grey — the same man who had tried to poison me. When I confronted him, he had only one thing to say: "I'm from the real world. I'm here to save you." In that moment, I knew — my fated mate had finally found me.

I've worked with my wife, Naomi Prescott, for seven long years. Yet, she refuses to make my identity public in the company. Naomi claims that she's worried that the entire company might think of me as a man who relies on his partner. Believing her excuse, I stick to myself and keep a low profile all this time. But on the day my project team secures a ten-million-dollar business deal, Naomi is quick to make me give the credit to her childhood friend, Matthias Crowell. When faced with my questions, Naomi retorts in a matter-of-fact tone, "Matt is new to the company. Can't a veteran employee like you take care of him at work?" I'm furious, to say the least. "What if I say no?" Naomi throws a resignation letter at my face. "Well then, you can pack up and get lost, you pathetic loser!" I pack my belongings calmly and leave the company afterward. Three days later, Naomi's company is on the brink of bankruptcy. She sobs loudly as she begs me to return with her. I produce a business card and give it to her. "Sorry, but I prefer being the boss of my own company. It so happens that my company still needs a janitor. I suppose I can reserve that position for you, seeing as we used to be married and all."

My husband was working over the holidays, again. He’d been sent out of town to oversee one of the Family’s dock operations and a string of gambling houses.. I decided to buy a ticket and surprise him. Only business class was left. Staring at the five-figure price, I gritted my teeth and spent a year’s worth of savings. Then I couldn’t even figure out how to pull down the damn tray table. The socialite seated next to me let out a cold laugh. “Never flown business class before?” I forced an awkward smile. “My apologies. You must be… important. You have that aura.” “Oh, me? No. The man who keeps me is important. He’d charter a private jet if I asked. Business class is practically slumming it.” I blinked. “A… keeper? That’s rare.” “Not really. I’m his secretary. I mess up a lot. Cost him a fortune. He yells at me until I cry. And then, well… crying leads to other things.” She winked. “You know how it is.” “Funny,” I said, my voice tight. “My husband has an assistant who helps him manage accounts for the docks. She’s always messing things up too.” “You’re married?” She looked me over, head to toe. “My man has a wife about your age. Says he’s sick of her. That touching her is boring. Says I’m more exciting just brushing my hair out of my face.” She leaned closer. “I told him I wanted to see him for New Year’s. So he told the wife he had to work.” The diamond on her finger caught the light. It was identical to the wedding band I’d lost. My body went cold. No. Matteo was just a low-level enforcer. A foot soldier the Family occasionally trusted with small operations—dock shipments, backroom gambling, nothing more. When did he become a Don?

Aurora Valenmoor was never meant to exist. Born as an illegitimate child into a powerful acting family, she grew up under cold stares, whispered insults, and a stepmother who treated her like a stain that refused to disappear. In the glittering yet rotten world of entertainment, Her stepsister beautiful, loud, and painfully untalented was pushed into the spotlight as a rising B-list actress, while Aurora, despite her hard work and skill, was deliberately buried and labeled nothing more than a D-lister. Even the engagement left behind by her late father,an alliance meant to secure her future was something her stepsister coveted.Then came one night. Drugged and betrayed by the very woman who raised her, Aurora was meant to be ruined so her stepsister could steal her engagement. But fate twisted cruelly and unexpectedly. Instead of ruin, Aurora woke in the bed of Reuben Blackwood, the cold, ruthless CEO of Blackwood Global Entertainment, the most powerful entertainment empire in Hibiscus City. A man feared by the industry. A man no one dared to touch. One mistake. One night.And everything changed. When Aurora discovers she is pregnant, the world closes in once more until Reuben makes her an offer no one could refuse. 100 million as a wedding gift. A contract marriage. And the power to burn everyone who ever hurt her. In a world built on lies, scandals, and ambition, Aurora’s fall becomes her rise and revenge begins wearing a diamond ring.

The day I found out I was pregnant with twins, I saw my mate, Alpha Viggo, bringing another she-wolf to her prenatal check-up. I froze on the spot, the pregnancy report crumpling in my fist. That night, he looked at me with ice in his eyes. The same man who once kissed every inch of my body. The same man who swore he was mine and mine alone. “She’s carrying my pup. Her wolf is unstable. You will brew her calming tonics. Every single day.” “She's sensitive. She can't sleep without my scent. So move your things to the west wing. Make room for her.” The huge villa fell deathly silent. My wolf howled—a sharp, wounded cry. Pain from our mate bond ripped through my soul. But I didn't shed a single tear. I just calmly grabbed the suitcase I’d already packed and walked toward the door. The guards tried to stop me, but Viggo didn’t even glance up. “She’ll be back,” he said, swirling the wine in his glass, his Alpha arrogance on full display. “Three days. That’s all she’ll last. Her wolf will drive her mad without my touch. She’ll come crawling back, begging.” The pack members and allies who had come for our ceremony erupted in laughter. A few of them even made a bet right in front of me, wagering a million-dollar aurora ore mine. They bet I’d be torn apart by the fear of going rogue and be on my knees by midnight, begging Viggo to let me back in. But they had no idea. My birth father had already secretly sent our family token. My pack was already waiting. This time, I would shatter our bond for good.

“Is this what you wanted?” He sneers, eyes cold and unforgiving. It was as if I was looking into the eyes of a stranger. He looks down on me due to his tall stature. “To be the ‘pathetic’ whiny burden you have always been?” I flinch at his words. No, this cannot be, this cannot be happening. This is not my Nate, my Nathaniel. I struggle to maintain my composure. My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one a painful reminder of the betrayal that had brought me to this breaking point.  ********* At just five years old, she was abducted and replaced to protect her family’s reputation, as it would have been scandalous for her influential father to have a kidnapped child. Returning home, she felt like a stranger in a place where her parents had long forgotten their love for her. Nate her husband, was her knight in shining armor… or so she thought. Betrayed and left to die by the people she trusted. What happens when life gives her and her unborn child a second chance?

At seventeen, my life was a masterpiece of precision and envy. I had the "Golden Girl" title to my name: a perfect family who adored me, a circle of loyal friends I’d known since childhood, and a straight shot to Yale University. To top it off, I was moments away from making it official with Sean—the wealthiest, most sought-after guy in school. My world was a fortress of safety and success, but I didn't realize how easily a fortress could be infiltrated from the inside. Everything shattered the moment Ginger McKenna walked through my front door. A "distant cousin" with the face of an angel and the soul of a viper, she dismantled my perfect life in less than forty-eight hours. With calculated tears and expert lies, she turned my parents into strangers, my friends into critics, and my teachers into skeptics. She didn't just want a place to stay; she wanted to wear my skin, steal my boy, and claim my future. But Ginger made one fatal mistake: she mistook my silence for defeat. She thinks she’s the only one who knows how to play a part, but I’ve been the lead in this story for years. To win this war, I’m bringing in my secret weapon—Declan Johnson. He’s the boy from the shadows of my childhood, the only person who truly knows me, and the only person Ginger won't see coming. If she wants to take everything I cherish, I’ll give her the ultimate bait. She wants to play the victim? I’ll play the villain. One thing they are right about is that I always get what I want. If she wants to play games, I am also in; it takes two to play the game.

For three years, I’d used my family’s connections to bring the company hundreds of millions in revenue. But at the quarterly meeting, the new intern stood before everyone, displaying my attendance and expense reports, and accused me of “unexcused absences” and “squandering company funds.” “These high-end clubs, these restaurants…” she declared, her voice ringing with self-righteousness. “She spends thousands of dollars every time! These are completely unnecessary expenses.” “I strongly advise the CEO to fire her immediately and save the company’s cash flow.” I glanced at Claude, the CEO. My old classmate. He knew exactly how much revenue each of those meetings generated. He also knew that when I wasn't in the office, I was at some bar, negotiating with investors, sometimes drinking until my stomach turned. But he just stared at me coldly. “Caroline, what’s your explanation for the absences and expenses Lia has presented?” I smiled. “I have nothing to explain.” They would all learn, very soon, the consequences of this little stunt.

Five years ago, when my boyfriend's small company was on the brink of bankruptcy I stepped in to save him, quietly supporting him from the shadows. Without revealing my identity, I became the company’s largest shareholder. Five years later, the night before his company was set to go public, he held me in his arms and said, "Emma, after the company goes public tomorrow, don’t leave. I have a surprise for you." At that moment, I was swept away by the idea of his "surprise," my mind racing with the hopeful thought that he might propose. I didn’t notice the cold glint of malice lurking in his eyes. The next day, as his company went public, he slapped me across the face and sneered, "Do you even see what kind of person you are? Did you really think someone like you could marry me?" He grabbed me by the hair and dragged both me and my best friend in front of a crowd of thugs and beggars he’d gathered. “These worthless cast-offs aren’t good enough for me anymore. Consider them my gift to you. Do whatever you like with them!”