Trace

Four years into her marriage, when the dazzling woman from her husband’s past returned, Alyssa Jones finally understood the truth. Her husband, Justin Scott, was not cold by nature; he had withheld both affection and intimacy, saving them for his first love. He gave Alyssa a monthly allowance of six hundred dollars yet spent six hundred thousand dollars on research for the woman he truly cherished. The difference between being loved and being ignored was revealed in the most humiliating way. Justin claimed he couldn’t bear to let his “true love” be worn down by the trivialities of marriage. Yet he demanded that Alyssa quit her one-thousand-a-month job and settle into the role of a full-time housewife, willingly fading into obscurity. What Justin never knew was that Alyssa was no ordinary employee. For four years, she had been in charge of a nationally classified research project. Her clearance was so high that even the woman he idolized was qualified only to work under her. What he also never realized was that the document he signed so casually was the divorce agreement that ended their marriage. One month later, Alyssa’s identity as a leading scientific authority was made public and the finalized divorce certificate was delivered to Justin. The CEO who had always been gentle and composed tore it apart, disbelief turning into red-eyed fury. “Other than me, who would want a divorced woman like her?” Yet the one who spoke so harshly was also the one who later knelt, begging for reconciliation. When they met again, Alyssa appeared with her arm lightly linked through the hand of Lucien Wells, the man in control of one of the most powerful elite families. She looked at her ex-husband without the slightest trace of emotion. Lucien raised an eyebrow and calmly produced a marriage certificate. “Mind your manners, Mr. Scott. You should address her as Mrs. Wells.”

Camilla walks into my study, and the air shifts. She's a distraction I can't afford, but fuck if I can resist her. Her fingers trace the edge of my desk, her eyes locked onto mine. "What are you doing, Camilla?" I growl, my control already fraying. She's a walking temptation, and she knows it. She smirks, her voice a sultry whisper, already undoing me. "Pushing your buttons, Zeke. Seeing how far I can go before you snap." My control falters. I spin her around, pressing her against the desk. My hands roam over her body, and I can feel her submitting. "You want this?" I ask, my voice a low growl. "You want to see the beast you're unleashing?" *** Camilla Dawson never expected to see the sinfully hot stranger she once hooked up with in a public washroom ever again. But fate—or rather, a father she never knew existed—has other plans. Now, she's bound and delivered as payment for a debt, straight into the hands of none other than Zeke Russell—the ruthless kingpin who always gets what he wants. Zeke built his empire on power and control, and he never takes no for an answer. Business or pleasure, the rules are his. It’s been years, but he’s never forgotten the woman who left him wanting more. Now, with Camilla thrust into his world as a replacement for his promised bride, everything spirals into chaos. She was never supposed to matter. Yet somehow, she’s slipping past his defenses, unearthing secrets he’s buried deep—and igniting a dangerous obsession. And when enemies close in, there’s nothing he won’t do to keep her. After all, what’s one more crime in the name of love?

The day before my wedding, I went to our cathedral early to get familiar with the place. Instead, I found my fiancé and my stepsister, Isabella fucking on the altar. Our altar. I caught them. He didn't even apologize and just threw me out into the storm. I collapsed in the pouring rain. That’s when he found me. Alistair, the Vampire Prince. He moved like a god through the storm. He pulled me from the mud, and gave me a palace. He told the world I was his soulmate. The one he’d spent centuries searching for. His one and only. For five years, his devotion made me the envy of the supernatural world. I thought I was the one exception in his eternal life. Until I found his secret room. My fingers brushed against an ancient scroll. The script was written in blood. The first line was her name: Isabella. Beneath it, in Alistair's own hand: “Absolute priority. Above all else.” Underneath was a healer's log I’d never seen before. A vampire's healing log. The date was from the night I found out I was pregnant. The night I was attacked by werewolves. They brought me back to the castle, covered in blood. The healers never came for me. I woke up alone. The baby was gone. Our child. His blood, my blood—gone. And my clothes were soaked in what was left of it. I cleaned every trace of it. When he came home, I broke down in his arms. I never told him. I couldn’t bear for him to feel the pain I felt. Now I understood. That same night, Isabella was also being attacked by werewolves. And Alistair’s order to his council was: “Send every healer. Isabella is the priority.” My heart stopped. Despair was a poison in my veins. “If I was never the one... then you can keep your eternity. I want no part of it.”

They've called me a lot of things; Desperate, reckless and stupid. My name is Arthur Rowen, and three months ago, my world ended. My father was murdered—skull branded on his forehead like a sick calling card, Lionel family signature marking him as a traitor. My twin brother Asher vanished the same night without a trace, like he never existed. The police won't help because Lionel's own them. So I did what any desperate, reckless, stupid person would do: I got myself hired at The Pit of Lust, the Lionel family's underground sex club. The plan was simple: infiltrate, investigate, find Asher, get out. Then Andreas Lionel noticed me. Seven years older, dangerously beautiful, rumored to have appetites that would make a devil blush. The man who might have signed my father's death warrant. He wants me in his private suite, in his bed and under his control. Maybe I should run and while I'm at it, I should remember why I'm here but Andreas touches me like I'm something precious, not another pretty body in his collection. Fucks me like he's trying to ruin me for anyone else, while somehow making me feel whole for the first time in my life. The worst part? It's working and my legs are spreading with each passing night shamelessly. I'm falling for the man who destroyed my family. My brother is still missing and my father is still dead. And I'm still lying to the one person who's made me feel alive. They say revenge is a dish best served cold. No one warned me it would taste like whiskey and sin on Andreas Lionel's tongue Or that I'd crave the flavor like an additive.

My mother is the Royal duchy and I am her sole heir. My mother was once deceived by my father, which nearly bankrupted our family. That bastard father of mine disappeared without a trace, taking the fortune he'd stolen from my mother and running off with his mistress. To prevent me from falling for the same kind of man in the future—to keep me from being fooled and robbed blind—my mother adopted two war orphans. She planned to raise them as potential husband candidates for me. But mother never knew the truth. These two men appeared respectful and obedient to her arrangements on the surface. But privately, they were both infatuated with my maid Josie. They constantly neglected me and made my life difficult, all to win her favor. My favorite, Marcus Reed, even gave up his own last name. He changed it to Josie's—Marcus Thompson. The betrayal cut deeper than I'd expected. Before mother died, she asked me the question I'd been dreading. "Which one do you want to choose as your husband?" But I had heard something interesting lately. There was a mafia heir—Vincent Rossi—who was notorious for his violence. He'd killed innocent people. Years of brutal fighting had left him severely injured. The doctors said he had less than six months to live. The mafia Rossi family wanted to marry him to a noblewoman before he died. I didn't hesitate to reach out to him. I offered an alliance through marriage. To my surprise, the Rossi family agreed. But on my wedding day, Marcus and the other candidate burst into the ceremony. They begged me to reconsider. "Please, don't do this!" Marcus shouted, his face desperate. "You can't marry him!" I stood there in my wedding dress, looking at the two men who had spent years ignoring me for my maid. Now they wanted me back? How interesting.

Couronné Roi Alpha à seulement treize ans, Liam Guillermo a grandi avec du sang sur les mains et la vengeance dans le cœur. Impitoyable et craint de tous, il a juré de ne jamais aimer, de ne jamais faire confiance—même lorsque le destin l’a lié à une âme sœur. Olivia Noah n’a connu que la douleur. Trahie par sa propre famille, moquée pour sa silhouette et forcée d’entrer au palais contre sa volonté, elle devient la seule chose que Liam n’a jamais voulue : sa compagne. Méprisée, humiliée et utilisée uniquement pour lui donner un héritier, Olivia découvre qu’elle porte l’enfant du Roi Alpha. Mais lorsque sa trahison la plus sombre éclate au grand jour, elle s’enfuit—jurant de protéger son bébé, même si cela signifie abandonner le lien d’âme sœur. Trois ans plus tard, Olivia a reconstruit sa vie en tant que mère forte et épanouie dans une meute lointaine. Elle a juré de ne jamais pardonner à Liam. Mais lorsque le Roi Alpha retrouve sa trace ainsi que celle de leur fils, il est déterminé à regagner sa confiance et l’amour qu’il a détruit—même si cela implique d’affronter un Alpha rival qui la désire en secret depuis toujours. Dans un monde de trahison, de pouvoir et de vengeance, Olivia doit choisir : protéger son cœur, ou tout risquer pour une seconde chance d’amour avec l’âme sœur qui l’a autrefois brisé ?

Despite having been married for 25 years now, my wife, Sasha Fuller, and I have done it less than ten times. During our 25th wedding anniversary, however, Sasha, who has always claimed to be uninterested in intimacy, ends up doing it 30 times with a male escort at a clubhouse. The couch ends up completely drenched. This is when I realize just how wrong I've been all along. Even after her betrayal is exposed, Sasha adamantly refuses to admit to any wrongdoing. On the contrary, she starts condemning me. Hurt and upset, I proceed to spend three days arguing with her about it. Even my friends and relatives try to talk me down. "You two have been married for over 20 years now. She's even the CEO of Fuller Group. What's the big deal if she sleeps with a male escort? Don't end your marriage over something this trivial." "All these years, a live-in son-in-law like you only managed to establish yourself with the help of the Fuller family anyway. Don't be so ungrateful." With my heart in anguish, I look at Sasha and say, "Cut off all contact with him, and things between us can go back to the way they used to be." However, Sasha retrieves a pregnancy test report from her briefcase and silently takes off her wedding ring. "Colin, I'm already 45 years old. Even if you can't have children, you can't expect me to go my whole life without one as well, right?" She strokes her belly without the slightest trace of guilt in her eyes. "If you insist on making a big deal over this, then I have no choice but to divorce you." My hands, hidden by my sleeves, clench into fists briefly before falling lax again. "Let's get a divorce then." Not only am I going to get a divorce, but I'm going to give Sasha and her affair partner a big surprise.

Lorsque je suis allée refaire le certificat de liaison conjugale, l'agent du service administratif m'a annoncé : « Votre ancien certificat de liaison est un faux. Nous n'avons aucune trace de votre enregistrement ici. » Je n'en croyais pas mes oreilles et j'ai insisté : « Sébastien et moi sommes pourtant officiellement liés depuis cinq ans… Comment est-ce possible ? Pouvez-vous vérifier à nouveau, s'il vous plaît ? » Cyrille a compulsé une seconde fois nos dossiers et a conclu : « Les documents de l'Alpha Sébastien sont bien là… Mais selon nos archives, son partenaire officiel n'est pas vous. » Ma voix s'est brisée : « Qui, alors ? » « Lorie. » Sa réponse était nette. À ce nom, j'ai serré le dossier de la chaise jusqu'à blêmir, luttant pour ne pas m'effondrer. Avant que Cyrille ne prononce le nom de Lorie, j'espérais encore une erreur. Mais maintenant, tout prenait un sens terriblement cohérent. Lorie… n'était autre que l'amie d'enfance de Sébastien ! À cet instant, tant de choses trouvaient enfin une explication : ces cinq années passées comme son partenaire, sans qu'il ne me marque jamais. Notre cérémonie de liaison, cinq ans plus tôt, n'avait été qu'une mascarade. J'avais tout abandonné pour lui, croyant à un bonheur possible. Mais ces cinq années de « félicité » n'étaient qu'une illusion, soigneusement fabriquée par lui. Puisque rien de tout cela ne m'appartenait vraiment… il était temps de partir...

Lilith n'est plus qu'une ombre, un être brisé dont l'existence se résume à une douleur continue. Devenue l'enjeu d'une guerre impitoyable entre deux prédateurs, elle est tiraillée entre la possession glaciale de Damian, qui sculpte sa soumission par l'humiliation, et la passion dévorante de Cain, qui consume les derniers vestiges de son âme. Chaque frémissement, chaque regard, chaque marque sur sa peau attise leur jalousie maladive. Damian la punit pour la moindre émotion qu'elle ose montrer en présence de son rival. Cain, lui, use de violence pour effacer toute trace de l'autre, faisant de son corps le champ de bataille de leur conflit. L'affrontement ultime éclate : les deux hommes se livrent un duel presque mortel. C'est dans ce bain de sang que Lilith, brisée mais lucide, comprend qu'elle n'a qu'une issue : les détruire, ou périr. Des cendres de sa rage naît une femme nouvelle, froide et stratège. Elle apprend à retourner leur poison contre eux, manipulant leur jalousie avec une précision cruelle jusqu'à l'ultime confrontation. Damian tombe. Cain, quant à lui, transformé par la perte et fasciné par la force insoupçonnée de celle qu'il a martyrisée, demeure. Leur relation, née des cicatrices, se reconstruit sur les ruines de leur passé. Un amour dur comme l'acier, trempé dans le sang et la souffrance, émerge , aussi toxique que vital, aussi destructeur que salvateur.

My older sister, Jovina Valenti, catches the eye of the cold and ruthless mafia Don, Carlo Laguardia. However, she fears the danger that arises out of his identity and wants to go abroad to pursue a passionate romance. On the day Carlo sends his men to retrieve her, she drugs my drink and sends me to Carlo. After that, she leaves the country and disappears completely. I, Nerissa Valenti, am forced to become Carlo's wife. He treats me as nothing more than a pet. Despite being married, I ignore Carlo's existence and treat him as if he were invisible. He, on the other hand, continues to make me his pet. When he's pleased with me, he shows me affection. But when I upset him, what awaits me is either cold neglect or harsh reproach. After eight years of this, one day, Carlo suddenly orders that I be locked inside the freezing ice house. I tremble from the cold. When I see Jovina at his side, I realize belatedly that she has, for some reason, decided to return to the country. The first thing she does upon her return is seek Carlo out and lie to him that I drugged myself back then to take her place. Consequently, she was heartbroken and decided to go overseas. Jovina stresses that because of my interference, they spent eight long years being apart from each other. From that moment on, there isn't a trace of emotion left in Carlo's eyes when he looks at me. Under the excuse of visiting me, Jovina comes to the ice house and tampers with the settings. She puts the cold air on full blast at the lowest temperature. "Don't blame me for this, Nerissa. As long as you're alive, my lie will be exposed sooner or later," she says ruthlessly. I don't even last half a day before freezing to death miserably. When I open my eyes again, I return to the day Jovina first catches Carlo's attention. This time, I take the initiative to say, "Jovina, go abroad and look for your true love. I'll marry Carlo in your place." This time, the one Carlo loves will be me.