Thirteen Fifty

“You love the way I touch you, don’t you, kitten? You can’t hide it. Tell me to stop, and I will do that immediately?” I couldn’t say anything; I was a complete wreck of nerves. He inched his face closer, and I arched my back so that it pushed my chest towards him.  I couldn’t control myself. I just wanted him to touch me. Needed him to touch me.   “Do you still think that this is a mistake?” He asked, his lips curved in a teasing smirk.  However, I was far too gone to argue.  “I’m not going to touch you until you beg me.” He stepped even closer. “Now, kitten, do you still think that this is a mistake?” *** *** *** **** In one single day, my entire life is turned upside down when Dad is brought back to the pack, lifeless and dead in every way. However, the last thing I would have expected was my mother to show up on our doorstep after thirteen years to take me in. Or maybe not, because nothing else can beat the insane attraction that I feel to this man. This man walking down the stairs and looking every bit like some Greek god of seduction. “Olivia, my husband, André.” Wait… He’s my stepfather?

Betrayed by her husband, broken by his lies, Serena Caldwell’s world shatters when a car crash steals her three-year-old son, Liam. Pleading for help, she calls Ethan Warrick fifty times, only to hear his cruel dismissal: “I’m at your sister’s kid’s party. Call me when you’re dead.” Left bleeding, her son dying, Serena learns Ethan’s cheating with her sister Mia—the same sister who planned the crash with their scheming mother to bury dark secrets. As Liam’s life fades, Ethan refuses to save him, his cold voice sealing her grief: “I’ll plan the funeral.” Saved by a blood transfusion from Lucas, Ethan’s “evil” stepbrother and sworn rival, Serena wakes to a fire for revenge. Uncovering lies—her husband’s affair, her son’s murder, her own sold-at-birth past—she teams with Lucas, whose dangerous gaze ignites forbidden sparks. But as secrets unravel and their passion burns, can Serena destroy Ethan’s billionaire empire without losing her heart to the one man she shouldn’t want?

Stubborn, secretive and an impossible flirt, Ashton Pierce has all the qualities that should prompt Hayley Barclay to run a mile away from him. Maybe the bad boy aura he exudes is too much for her to resist! Orphaned at thirteen, Ashton would have gone astray had Daniel Van Every, his best friend’s father, not adopted him and brought him home. Ever since, a close relationship develops between him and the Van Every children, Alexander and Alyssa. As Alyssa close friend, Hayley meets Ashton almost every day. Can she resist his charm? With a mile-wide ego, Ashton refuses to acknowledge Hayley who is six years younger. Even when they grow up, Ashton doesn’t “do" dating, especially not with a multi-billionairess, who’s the sole heiress to her family’s fortune. What happens when Hayley grows up into a bombshell? What happens when she pursues him every where? What happens when the dark secrets of his past doesn’t affect her? Can he resist her? Read this fifth book of the temptation series to find out!

Agustin DeLuca looked at the photos infront of him, rage burning through his veins, as he watched his wife in someone else's arms.~~~~He was one of the most renowned businessman of the country, know for his ruthlessnes and arrogance. He prided himself for being good at reading people like an open book, he thought nothing goes unseen from his scrutinizing eyes, yet the irony, he couldn't see the truth of his own wife when innocence was written all over her face, vulnerability swirling in her doe eyes, silently begging for him to believe her.He lost everything that mattered to him two years back, because he chose to trust the wrong person, but now that he knows the truth, there is nothing he won't do to get her back, nothing.'Get ready Onika DeLuca , I am coming,' he said to himself, determination shining in his orbs, holding a dark promise.~~~~"I promise you, the face I remember before dying will be yours, the last thing I will wish to see will be you, whether it is today, tomorrow or fifty years from now.It will always be you, Onika".-Agustin DeLuca.

“When we grow up, you should fall in love with me, woo me, propose to me, marry me, and love and cherish me for the rest of your life. You must treat me like a Queen.” Lil told the brooding, handsome boy. “But these are all the things I should do. What will you do?” Nat asked the chirpy little girl in front of him. “I will grow up to be an outstanding lady and give you a happy family so you can smile every day,” She replied matter-of-factly. Thirteen years later, on the day of their marriage, he whispered to her, “Did you think you could be my wife because you schemed and trapped me into this? You can enjoy the vacant position of Mrs. Smith that you covet so much. But you will never have a place in my heart and life.” She disappeared the day after their marriage. What will happen when they cross paths seven years later as spouses turned strangers turned business partners? He has already forgotten he was even married. But she could never forget him, try as she may. But she has her secrets to protect and can’t tell him who he is to her as he tries to navigate his feelings.

Esther, who gave up the inheritance of her father's company to get married to Michael, the love of her life, unfortunately caught her husband cheating with her best friend, Maya. She was framed by Maya and her husband, and no one believed her. She was forced to divorce Michael. Esther got involved in a car accident which made her lose her unborn child and her womb; she was told that she couldn't give birth again. Heartbroken, Esther went back home and took her rightful inheritance of her father's company. Esther made a promise to be man-free for the rest of her life and vowed to take revenge on her ex-husband and ex-best friend. After Esther became the CEO of her family's company, John came to Esther, demanding the fifty million dollars her late father owed him. He gave Esther an option to choose between paying off the debt within 3 weeks, or he would sign a marriage contract with her, and after she gave birth to him, the contract would be over. Esther was devastated, knowing she couldn't pay the debt in less than 3 weeks, and she couldn't give birth again. Will Esther pay him off within 3 weeks? Or will she go against the promise she made to herself?

I had been dating Andy Lawson for five years. He had gone bankrupt, and during the worst of it, we had to sleep in parks and scavenge leftovers for food. After a hundred days of that life, I was just going to the blackmarket to sell some blood for money when someone sent me a video. [Surprise.] It was a livestream site, set up for rich kids to prank the common folk—and a video of me was pinned to the top. My finger trembling, I tapped on it and saw myself hidden in a corner of a park, munching on leftovers to nourish my frail body. On the split video, Andy was reclining against the armchair of a five-star hotel and savoring his gourmet menu. "Oh, this is amazing! All Andy has to do is say that he's sick, and she's selling her blood for him!" "On the sixteenth prank, she fell into the ocean… And on the fifteenth, she was sent flying in a car crash! Why is she so hard to kill?" "Well, Andy already made it clear that if she survives until the end, he will marry her and swear off women!" "One month to go! Will she die from the pranks, or marry into the Lawson family with pomp and circumstance?" "I'm betting fifty mil that she dies tragically! Hahaha!"

He caught hold of her leg and yanked backwards. She hung on and flailed both legs, kicking him in the head, the face. He fought to hold her legs down. Sweat lathered her hands. They slipped from the post. He yanked again. She rolled over to face him and punched with both fists. Her right fist caught him in the eye. He growled in pain, then threw himself on top of her, pinning her arms and legs. She screamed.She strained to free herself, lunged up to bite him. He jerked backwards. They slid down one stair. She tried to scream again. He slapped a palm over her mouth, his breath hot on her face.She fought him until they had tumbled down every stair. By the time they reached the bottom, every ligament burned. She stared at him wide-eyed, gasping for breath between his bruising fingers.She trembled violently, longed to run again but knew it would do no good. He stood at a good seven inches taller and outweighed her by at least fifty pounds. She didn't stand a chance.All she could do now was placate him. Do what he wanted... no matter what it was!

After my husband died in a car accident, I worked tirelessly running a small restaurant to raise my son, Henry. Right before Henry's wedding, I won eight million in the lottery. Thrilled, I decided to sell the restaurant and finally enjoy retirement. So, I called to tell Henry about selling the restaurant, his usually polite fiancée turned hostile. "You're not expecting us to support you, are you? We've barely started working!" She even warned Henry, "If you spend any of our money on your mom, the wedding's off!" Henry argued with her but then reassured me, promising, "You've worked hard enough, Mom. I'll take care of you." Feeling pretty good, I planned to give him two million to start a business. The next day, I got a call saying Henry had been in a serious car accident and urgently needed fifty thousand for surgery. I sent the money immediately, but afterward, Henry vanished. Desperate, I braved a storm to find him in his city, only to walk into a wedding at some fancy hotel. There's Henry, giving a toast and calling another woman "Mom." And, oh, sitting beside her? My "dead" husband from ten years ago.

As I was about to leave my brother’s restaurant, the female manager stopped me. "Miss, excuse me, but you haven’t paid your bill." I looked at the unfamiliar face and thought that she was probably new and didn’t recognize me, so I explained politely, "Just put it on the owner’s tab. He knows me." The manager shot me a disdainful look. "Miss, this is a Michelin three-star restaurant. We don’t let just anyone run up a tab." She handed me a printed bill. I glanced at it. Fifty thousand dollars for one meal. Three thousand for tableware maintenance, five thousand for exclusive air purification, ten thousand for a VIP mood-calming service fee, and a bunch of other ridiculous charges. I didn’t even know my brother’s place was such a scam. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. "I’m the owner’s sister. If there’s a problem, tell him to talk to me at home." But she just wouldn’t drop it. "If you can’t afford it, stop acting like you can. And don’t act like you know Mr. White, either." I fired off a quick text to my secretary. 【Tell my brother to either fire this manager or I’m pulling my investment.】