Ulterior Motive

Dante Moretti, the ruthless Billionaire CEO, hungers for power and control. Cold, calculated, he sends shivers down his rivals' spines with his cold, calculated way into any business deal that might pop up in his way. But inside the steely exterior of this man, a traumatic past torments him to have left him detached and numb as regards love. His goal is simple: solidify his control and paramountcy and build on an empire. Lyra Caine grew up privileged in a family that had disintegrated; the fortune of her father, Richard Caine, once a strong king of finance, had shrunk due to a number of bad investments. She needed to be married off to Dante Moretti, a man rumored never to have shied away from getting ruthless in whatever business dealings he had, so that their name would not be utterly ruined. Lyra had lived her whole life by what this great shadow of a father expected from her: fragile, with this inner fire barely apparent in herself. But here is the kicker that makes it even more twisted: Dante isn't marrying Lyra out of love or even because of business needs. He has an ulterior motive linked to her father's long-buried secrets, one that could totally unravel her family should it come to light.

Sophia never expected her investigative work to lead to the altar. When her stepsister vanishes under suspicious circumstances, Sophia is thrust into an arranged marriage with Ricci Russo—a billionaire, as ruthless as he is mysterious. Ironically, he also happens to be the subject of her next exposé. Ricci, a cold and calculating investor, demands Gerald Williams's daughter as collateral for a high-stakes deal. But when the intended bride disappears, he is given Sophia instead. What he doesn't know is that she's not just an unwilling bride—she's also a journalist determined to uncover his secrets. Trapped in a marriage built on deception and ulterior motives, Sophia and Ricci are drawn into a dangerous game of power, secrets, and unexpected desires. As tension brews and the lines between truth and lies blur, one question remains: Will their forced union spark a love undying or will the weight of their secrets be their own destruction?

“You have this last case to prove yourself miss!" Mr Troy said with a fixed cold stare at Jessica. Jessica is a detective of the state agency who struggles evidently in solving cases. Now on a high-profile case involving a billionaire philanthropist and benefactor named Liam, assigned to her after much plea from being terminated, by her boss, Mr. Troy. Liam's family is known for their legacy and questionable wealth, with his mother ever cunning to protect the family legacy since the sudden disappearance of his father. To investigate Liam, Jessica takes up the role of his new secretary but Liam has ulterior motives for hiring her too. Jessica struggles through the new phase of her life as she tries to uncover troubling family history and questionable business dealings but she's caught in a dilemma as tension grows between her suspect and herself. As she delves deeper into the case, she is faced with new challenges, putting her in a pool of hard decisions and possible emotional vulnerability. Wavering through, she's taken by what she finds out about herself, her job, and her case.

Undercover Hearts is a contemporary romance thriller featuring two professional liars who find themselves investigating the same crime from opposite sides. Sophia Chen is an investigative journalist who goes undercover as "Sophia Sterling.” She poses as a wealthy tech heiress to infiltrate Platinum Connections. An exclusive matchmaking service where wealthy clients are mysteriously dying or losing their fortunes. She believes owner Marcus Blackwood is running a blackmail and murder scheme. Marcus Blackwood is an undercover FBI agent. He co-owns the business as part of a long-term federal operation, with his childhood friend Elena Vasquez handling day-to-day operations. When Sophia appears, Marcus suspects she has ulterior motives. Neither realizes they're both good guys pursuing the same case—or that Elena is the real villain orchestrating everything from the shadows. The story follows their immediate, intense attraction as they circle each other with growing suspicion and undeniable chemistry. Both are expert lie-detectors thrown off balance by someone who matches their intelligence and perception. Through disastrous client dates, psychological evaluations, and increasingly personal conversations, they engage in a dangerous dance of deception while fighting feelings that threaten to compromise their respective missions.

Serafine was used as a tool for peace by her pack with their rival pack. She was given an ultimatum, either she accepts the Alpha of pack Lucid as her husband or she becomes a rogue. Alcide developed a trauma; he could not stand the touch of women due to his bad past. He is to marry the daughter of Pack Brawl as a tool for a truce. Serafine is given only three months by her pack to make Alpha Alcide fall in love with her or else there could be a future war occurrence between both packs, but how can she do this when the alpha avoids her like a plague? Jenna, Alcide’s childhood friend and Lucian, Alcide’s step brother would do all in their power to bring both of them down, each with a different motive in mind. Will they succeed in bringing them down or would Serafine succeed in winning Alcide’s heart before the three months deadline?

On the night Layla was sent away by her cruel aunt, she was abducted and captured by the Vampires in Danic Castle, one of the most deadly places ever. Layla was abducted as a victim, though their initial motive was using her as a sacrificial lamb, her courage, boldness, ss, and bravery made lord Duncan, the vampire's Lord, change his mind. She was sent on a thirty-day mission to detect the deadly secret that has kept lord Tyrrell, the Alpha of Wolfhaven pack, for over 290 years. Seeing that Layla was a human without a wolf but possessed great powers, She steeled herself and set out for her task before the thirty days elapsed and the wrath of the great lord incurred on her. For Layla’s mission to be successful, she has to reincarnate to Alpha Tyrrell’s sister who was mated to another Alpha in another pack. This, however, became a smooth operation for Layla to fulfill the mission set before her. All efforts to make Alpha Tyrrell believe that Layla was Mia, his sister proved abortive until he found out the truth about her secret mission. Instead of killing Layla, Alpha Tyrrell turned her to his maid. Along the line, they fell for each other, and just while their love blossomed, she appeared to be Tyrrell's Mate, mated to him by the moon's goodness. What happened to Layla's mission? Will she abort it because of their love? What will also happen when the two worlds, the Vampire and the wolves, cross paths? Will their love still strive amid woes and foes?

“It won’t be a straight death from where you’re standing.” I blink, turning around. “What?” But he doesn’t give me a reply. At least not yet. Instead, he takes hold of my arms in his large, gloved hands, and pulls me to him so that we are standing toe to toe. “What are you doing?” I whisper. This new position has brought us closer. So close that if I stand on my toes, and he dips his head down a bit, I’d probably have the best kiss… “If you fall from here, the possibility of you dying immediately is 98% at the very least,” He begins as I stare at him with my mouth slightly agape. “Falling from where you stood before is about 35% lesser. You’d die eventually, maybe after a night or two of trying to revive your shattered bones, but not immediately.” Having made his point, he steps back from me and climbs down the somewhat elevated platform. “Did you just make way for me to kill myself?” I murmur, feeling like I’m losing my mind all over again. What kind of a man is this? *** Sonia’s life is going great one minute and then takes a spin for the worse when she is betrayed, gets pregnant and worse, is told that she will be getting married to Italian mafia heir, Anthony Romero, who doesn’t mind raising another man’s child. She abhors the idea, but having also recently been disowned by her father, she has no choice but to accept the marriage proposal if she wants protection for herself and her child. But she has questions. Why would a sane man from her world want to raise a child that isn’t his? Surely they’re ulterior motives in play.

Ember Leander, an omega is betrothed to Lucas Ardolf, the alpha of her pack. Ember has no interest in getting married to Lucas, she meets Thorne Wright of the blood moon pack in the most overwhelming of circumstances. He proposes an arranged marriage. He will gain influence across the two packs as a result of this. Ember agrees to Thorne's proposal and rejects Lucas who threatens the safety of her parents. To appease him, she seduces him and they have a one night stand, only to find out that Lucas killed her parents anyway. What is worse? The one night stand produces a secret baby as well. With nothing more to loose, Ember goes on with the plans to marry Thorne. Thorne's mother, Augusta soon figures out that Ember is pregnant and not for her son. Out of fear and desperation to keep her secret, Ember kills Augusta. She then runs away in fear. The belief in the pack is that both Ember and Augusta were killed by rival pack members, but Thorne had a feeling that Ember was still alive. So he sent Asher, a devoted member of the pack to go in search for her. It took him a while, but Asher did find Ember and convinced her to trturn to the pack. So far her secret was still unknown, but then she is betrayed ny her former best friend, Beatrice. The only other soul who knew the truth about everything. Beatrice tells Lucas and he uses it as blackmail to get Ember to help him overthrow Thorne and get dominion of the two packs. The story goes on with many more twists and turns, including the return of Miguel, Thorne's father who will pose as a repentant man meanwhile he has ulterior motives overthrow Thorne.

I Nicholas Dawson, hate marriage; my only motive is to earn and take care of my sick father. I am content with my money and the hookups with no strings attached. Emotions make people weak so I cannot afford to have that- that's what I initially thought anyway until I was arranged to marry Miss Naomi Gellar to keep my father's last wish. Naomi Gellar is the type of woman I actively avoid. Loud-Childish-Shy and innocent. But soon I was proved wrong and before I could tell how much I loved her She was gone. I want my wife back but what to do if she is dead? or is it not? ************************************************************************************* I didn't want to marry Nicholas he wasn't an idle man to get married. A ruthless businessman with a habit of a playboy. I was however being forced by my father to get married. But I didn't know I would do anything to protect him in the future even if it meant i had to hide a secret. But little did I know it would become the poison in our marriage. ************************************************************************************ Its a story of finding love again, fighting past traumas, and how secrets and traumas often break a relationship is what you will read in this book. Nicholas and Naomi both are stubborn and have past traumas, we will have to see whether they overcome their past and move on or let the past break them.

When the Sanchez clan was on the verge of vanishing in the Mafia world, Adira Dawn Sanchez, tightened the line, protecting her falling clan. After all the attacks from big clans, trying to erase them, the fierce and fearless Adira managed to carry the Sanchez.  However, the two desperate brothers: Oliver and Otis Oliveros, came into the picture with the motive to kill Adira in order to erase the Sanchez. Having their own plans, they chased after Adira.  When Adira is looking for a bodyguard, Oliver sees his chance to enter the cave of Sanchez, while Otis befriends Adira.  But, what would the two of them do when instead of killing her, they ended up falling for her? How would Oliver kill Adira Sanchez when she was captivated by her? Playing the role as Adira’s bodyguard, Oliver ended up guarding her heart instead of ending her life.