Tightened Synonym

I had been on a business trip overseas for less than six months when I suddenly received a call from the hospital. "Mr. Jones, your wife is having a difficult labor. Should we proceed with a C-section or try to continue with a natural delivery?" The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen. When I left, my wife had not shown any sign of pregnancy. How could she be giving birth less than six months later? I quickly dialed her number. The moment the call connected, I heard her cries of pain. "Honey, what's wrong?" From the other end of the line, I could hear a nurse urging her to push harder. However, my wife forced her voice to sound calm. "Sweetheart, I just slipped and fell a moment ago. It's nothing serious. You should keep focusing on your business trip. Don't worry about me." As I listened, the faint sound of a baby crying filtered through the phone. My grip tightened so hard around the phone that it nearly cracked. "Is that so? Then, get some rest," I said calmly. After hanging up, I immediately called my father, the richest man in the country. "Dad, Rebecca's cheating on me. She's in the delivery room right now, having another man's child. Stop all investments in the Harris family immediately. I want her thrown out with nothing to her name."

“Please,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. His smirk widened, turning dangerous, and my heart skipped a beat. “Please what?” he asked, his tone mocking, daring. Heat flushed through me, my body betraying me under the weight of his gaze. My fingers tightened on his wrist, and I took a shaky breath before whispering, “Please make me come.” His eyes darkened further. He leaned in closer, his voice a low growl that sent a shiver through me. “With pleasure,” he murmured, and then his lips crashed back onto mine. --- She’s a brilliant doctor and the heiress to a powerful family, but she remembers nothing about her past—or the father of her twin sons. Still, an unshakable need for revenge lingers in her heart. Her world takes an unexpected twist when three powerful men step into her life. “Take me back, Astrid. I’ll do anything—please. I can’t live without you,” one begs, his voice trembling. “Miss Aurora,” another says with a soft smile, lowering himself to one knee. “Would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” But unlike the others, his cold, unfeeling eyes pin her in place. “I don’t care about anything else. If it’s revenge you want, use me as you please, dear wife.” Aurora must decide: uncover the truth about her past and risk losing everything, or protect the life she’s built for her family. Will exposing her secrets bring the revenge she craves—or destroy everything she holds dear?

I masterminded a half-billion-dollar art auction to wash money for Miles’s family. But at the celebration party, Miles gave all the credit to Rebecca. His childhood friend. The daughter of the family’s consigliere. I stormed into his study. “Miles, head curator was Rebecca? Are you sure about that?” He looked up from a cloud of smoke, pulling me into his arms. His voice was a low, soothing rumble. “Valerie, I know you want to prove yourself, but this was all Rebecca. Especially the Caravaggio. The real one, worth three hundred million. She’s the one who pulled it off.” His lips brushed my forehead, his breath hot. “I don’t love you because you can fix some old paintings. You’re my queen, always. My girl. You don’t have to worry about her.” I almost laughed. The anger was choking me. “She can’t tell the difference between oil and acrylic. How the hell would she know a real from a fake?” “Enough!” Miles cut me off, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I know what Rebecca can do. Don’t make a scene just because you’re jealous.” His hands tightened, trapping me in his smoky embrace. “Don’t disappoint me, Valerie.” But he already had. When I’d had enough of his favoritism and his blindness, I walked. And that's when he went crazy. Scoured the earth looking for me. Begging me to come back, saying he was blind, that he’d been wrong about everything.

"If I have to shoot you to save the lives of myriad, I will without a second thought." His grip tightened on my throat as he leaned forward, mere centimeters away from me, his warm breath licking my face. "Try it, love." "I will. Just you wait." *** Ambition or Love, what will win? A plague has enveloped the whole world into a tight embrace. Just few at different corners of the world succeeded at surviving; including them are the 94 people belonging to Charleston, Carolina. Among these survivors are two doctors; Amelia and her Junior, Erin. Amelia does not only play the part of being a doctor and an amiable friend, but also as a huntress who sets off to a menacing journey to hunt for the daily requirements. Everyday, when the sun sets off and the darkness drinks in the place, silence is followed and not even a whisper is heard as the 'Infected Creatures' starts to crawl out, bringing danger along. Whoever gets bitten by these creatures also gets infected, threatening the life. Unfortunately for The Beasts, (the group of humans with demon like minds and behind the commencement of the plague) the leader of their group, Jake gets bitten by his very own plagued creature. Emergency calls for a rush. This results in Amelia to get kidnapped in order to cure Jake, whom she abhors to her full, for being the cause of the almost ending of the world. She is forced to cure him, which she does, but in between sparks fly and heat intensifies. Jake helplessly falls in love with Amelia. With thousands of lives at risk, both of theirs desire of love keeps getting denser. Will Amelia be able to seal her desire and work on her ambition? What or Who will hinder her mission? Time to dig into the book!

EXCERPT. "This cock was the reason you killed my wife, now ride it till it bruises you," Lucien hissed as he tightened his hold around my neck. "You are a bad girl Bambina mia, how can your mouth be watering for my dick?" Don Luciano, my father-in-law, chuckled as he gently rubbed my bruised lips. ...... ...... Despite being the only daughter of a Mafia Lord, Aria had been pampered and hidden all her life, she knew no violence until her 18th birthday. Drugged and miraculously ending up in bed with her cousin's husband, she triggered her death and realized she had no choice but to marry him (her cousin's husband). But Lucien, the head of the largest Mafia syndicate, hated her; he believed she was the reason why the woman he loved died, so he agreed to marry her to torment her. War was brewing but so was sexual desire between the people who claimed to hate one another. Tormented and battered, Aria sought comfort in her favorite popstar, a mysterious, famous, masked singer, Michell Blaze, who didn't scream danger, but Aria soon realized how wrong she was. She thought her father-in-law irritated her but she soon found herself begging for his assault. When the mask fell, Aria realized that she was not only trapped in-between the men who had ruined her peaceful life but also the man who healed and destroyed her. WARNING: RATED 18 FOR THIS BOOK CONTAINS BOTH VIOLENCE AND MATURE SCENES. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, for it is a dark romance, so you might see stuff that might be triggering, so please proceed with caution

“Fuck, Princess, you’re driving me wild,” Silas growled, his voice thick, almost desperate. His hand tightened in my hair, urging me on, but his words steadied me. “Don’t stop, just like that.” “Imogen,” he rasped, my name a warning and a plea But his hand stayed steady in my hair, not forcing but grounding me. “Easy, Princess,” he murmured, voice rough but soothing, even as his body shook with his release. “You’ve got this.” “Fuck, Imogen,” he said, voice low and warm, a smile tugging at his lips. “You’re incredible.” ************** When love turns toxic, desperation takes over. Imogen's marriage to wealthy Perry was supposed to be a fairytale, but behind the glamour, she's suffocating. Caught in a web of lies and infidelity, Imogen's last hope is a romantic trip to Rome. But when she catches Perry cheating, her world crashes down. Enter Silas Moretti - mysterious, charming, and passionate. As Imogen's secret affair with Silas ignites, she finds herself trapped between two worlds: one of luxury and lies, the other of forbidden desire and danger. When murder entwines their lives, Perry becomes the prime suspect. Imogen's dark secrets surface, and Silas promises to help. But as their romance intensifies, Imogen realizes she may have traded one cage for another. Will she escape the deadly trap of her own making, or will her quest for revenge consume her? Dive into this twisted game of love, lies, and betrayal, where nothing is as it seems, and the line between freedom and captivity blurs. Can Imogen break free, or will she become the next victim?

Have you ever had the same dream so often that it starts to blur into reality? The same man. The same scent. The same fire, except every night, it’s a different position, a different fantasy… and by morning, it all slips away. That has been my life for weeks, until everything changed. Just when I thought I could finally get over the stranger in my dreams, I convinced myself that my new boss might be the distraction I needed. A way out of my sex-starved world of fantasies. Then he walked in. Hotter than my imagination ever allowed. Sharper. Darker. Dangerous. And with one look, I knew. It was him. The man who owned my nights. But who was he? And why was he suddenly here in my reality? “I own this place,” he growled, his deep voice making my knees weak as his grip tightened around my wrist. “I own this motherfucker you call a boss… and I own you too.” His black eyes locked on mine, dark and unreadable. “So you better start walking before I take you right here and now.” He meant every word. He dragged me out with him, and everything I thought I knew cracked open. Was this the beginning of my love story with the man they called the Mafia Boss? Were my dreams finally becoming real? But with constant gunshots, threats, and attempted abductions… I’m starting to realize this might not be the fairytale I imagined. And my life may never go back to normal. Not ever again. But I don’t seem to mind anymore.

“Where’s your fight now, wife?” Dominic's breath ghosted across my bare skin. “Let me go. I’m warning you,” I hissed, struggling against his wrist that held both my hands above my head. “Funny... Your upper and lower lips seem to be contradicting each other. I don’t know which to trust… maybe I should kiss both, see which one’s lying.” “Fuck you!” I spat—only it came out more like a moan I couldn’t control. “Yeah…” His hand tightened, holding me just enough to make my pulse pound. “Yeah… you will. You’ll beg for it.” “You'll scream it out to the world. Tell them who you belong to,” And it should’ve been a joke. A sick one. Because Dominic Cantrell wasn’t someone girls like me belonged to. He was the billionaire’s heir with a reputation that could ruin cities and rebuild them. I was a mere cleaner with a brother in debt. But when a series of mistakes; one fight, one night, one kiss; pulls us into a contract that binds me to him for 365 days, survival becomes something I have to earn… under him. The devil thinks I’m a pawn. He thinks he can own me, bend me, break me. He’s so wrong. Because I'm not one of his bimbos. I'm his Kryptonite. And one day? I’ll make the devil kneel. WARNING: Contains high R-rated explicit scenes.

"Are you a good girl?" He asked in a husky voice reserved only for her. "Yes." She could barely calm her erratic breathing to squeeze that out. "Yes, What?" He loosened his chokehold on her neck in an uninterested manner, making her squirm underneath him impatiently. "Yes, Alpha!" She moaned as he tightened his grip on her neck, not too much to restrict breathing, but just enough to show who was in control. "Now, tell me what would you like me to do to you. Say it in detail." He leaned closer and his hot breath fanned her ear, sending delicious tingles down her body. What had she gotten herself into? . Zoe Simmons had a good life. She was the Beta's daughter, in love with her boyfriend. She didn't get her wolf at sixteen like normal werewolves which was stressful, but she stayed hopeful. She trained well and was looking forward to a happily ever after. That was until a new girl was introduced to the pack at the weekly meeting and Zoe noticed how her long-term boyfriend, John, couldn't keep his eyes off of her. But that was only the beginning of her troubles. John replaced her father as the next beta and framed him for embezzlement. Began blatantly cheating on her and then broke off their relationship, only to invite her to his engagement. Heartbroken and lonely, Zoe bumped into a mysterious stranger who reeked of power. Read to find where one night of passion can lead to. What happens when one finds their mate but loses them to their own indecision an then has to run after them to seek forgiveness and a second chance?

“There’s something else, and I’m curious to know what it is.” His face inched closer to my neck, and he inhaled deeply. My grip on my purse tightened, my heart pounding against my chest as I fought the urge to whimper and curl into his chest. “There’s something about you that entrances me, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” “If this is an attempt to coax me into accepting your proposal, you’re wasting your time. I will not marry you.” ~ ‘Alphas are heartless and egoistic creatures. They view us, omegas, as mere playthings for their twisted desires. You must never, under any circumstances, associate yourself with an alpha. It’s better to be dead than to cross paths with one.’ Those words were Arielle’s guiding principle in a ruthless world where Alphas dominated, Betas served, and Omegas—despite their intimate connection with the Alphas—were treated as nothing more than objects of desire. But when Alpha Raphael materializes out of thin air and offers her a substantial sum of money to be his contractual bride, Arielle is torn between holding onto her beliefs and sacrificing them to save her ailing mother. Arielle is left with no choice but to marry him, and although she is determined to harbor animosity towards her new spouse, there’s something about him that draws her in. However, when demonic creatures hellbent on destruction threaten her new life, will Arielle put her resentment towards Raphael aside and assist him? And what dark secret does her mother keep hidden that ensures the death of all her loved ones with each passing day?