Victorian Housekeeper

I came home a day early from my business trip and hid in the closet to surprise Eric Carter. At seven, he told the housekeeper to cook several dishes. At nine, he told me hoarsely that he had taken a bath and changed the bedsheets in my room. He was sure that I would love it. I did not believe him because I had heard him moaning in bed with Willow Summers for three hours from the closet. Willow Summers was his childhood sweetheart and my sister. I clicked on a webpage from my cell without hesitation. "Miss Summers, your appointment for creating a fake death has been confirmed. Time of Death: One week later Location of Death: The wedding hall on the top floor of the Century Building Cause of Death: Suicide from jumping off a building!"

Samantha Hale thought she had it all — a perfect marriage, a thriving career as a software engineer, and the kind of life that looked flawless from the outside. Until she discovers her husband is cheating on her… with her sister. And that her sister is pregnant. Betrayed. Homeless. Broke. One night, Samantha enters a radio contest on a whim — and wins an old Victorian mansion in a forgotten countryside town called Willow Creek. It’s supposed to be her new beginning. But the house has a secret buried deep beneath its foundations. When she unlocks the door to the basement, Samantha finds two stone coffins — and accidentally awakens Lucien Varyn, the long-lost King of Vampires, and his enigmatic right hand, Sebastian. Lucien is dark, magnetic, and far too dangerous. Sebastian is cold, calculating, and hiding something behind his icy loyalty. Both are bound to her by an ancient prophecy neither of them expected to come true. As strange events unfold and old powers stir, Samantha must decide who to trust — and who to love — before the house claims her soul… Because in Willow Creek, under the glow of the Blood Moon, the past isn’t dead. It’s just waiting to be awakened.

The day I got back from a trip, my housekeeper filed a lawsuit against my father and me. In court, she stood with her visibly pregnant belly, her voice shaking with anguish. "Jethro Roberts and his son are nothing but monsters. They tricked me into moving into their home under the excuse of offering me a job as a housekeeper. They tied me to a bed and abused me. "The baby I am carrying belongs to Jethro Roberts." Her mother wept hard, nearly collapsing from the strain. "These two monsters destroyed my daughter's life! They should pay with their lives." As soon as she spoke, the courtroom burst into an uproar. "Shameless criminals! The dad couldn't even be bothered to appear in court. They must be punished severely!" "That's right. Look at the son. He's actually smiling. He has no conscience! They both deserve to pay for what they did." Then, I calmly stepped forward and presented my evidence. A stunned silence swept through the courtroom.

Katherine Mayers never saw herself as a spy, but when the FBI recruits her to go undercover as a housekeeper for Carson Cooper—a ruthless arms dealer—she has no choice but to dive in. Her mission: gain his trust, gather intel, and stay alive. But Carson isn't just dangerous—he’s also dangerously irresistible. As Katy’s cover deepens, so do her feelings for Carson. Torn between her mission and her heart, she’s hiding more than just government secrets. When a deadly business deal goes wrong, and Carson’s life is on the line, Katy must risk it all to save him—while keeping her own identity hidden. But when Carson uncovers her betrayal, a shocking twist changes everything. He’s been undercover too. Now, with their trust shattered, can they work together to stop a bigger threat, or will the secrets between them destroy their only chance at love?

I was raised by my mother, a single parent who never revealed the identity of my father. For years, that part of my life remained a mystery until her final moments. With her last breath, she asked me to find him. I shared this with my best friend, who had never known her own parents. With tears in her eyes, she confided in me that she longed for a father, too. She tried to manipulate me, suggesting I work as a housekeeper for my father so she could claim him as her own. Soft-hearted, I agreed to the plan. When I finally met him, he was stunned. The resemblance between me and his first love was undeniable. He wanted to take me under his wing as his mistress. "Come to my room tonight and wear something… revealing," he said. To protect myself, I laid all my cards on the table.

After Jacob Locke brings up breaking up with me once again, I don't wait for him to say anything else. I pack up my things and move out on my own, then quietly cut ties with our past. On the first day, I cancel the wedding planner I booked three years ago but kept delaying. On the second day, I turn off the automatic payments for his mother's treatment. I also politely refuse his sister when she reaches out for money. On the third day, I accept my superior's transfer proposal and get ready to settle down in a southern city. The moment I board the plane, I suddenly get curious. Without me, the free housekeeper who hasn't taken a break in the past decade and the always-on ATM, how will Jacob fare? How will he care for his paralyzed mother, deal with his vain sister, and face his precious junior who's the apple of his eye?

I filed to leave Doctors Without Borders a year in advance, just so I could return home, keep my promise, and marry Dennis McMillan. But by the time I got back, Dennis was already a father. I overheard him telling the housekeeper, "Let Anna stay abroad a little longer. Best if she doesn't come back at all. If she finds out I have a son now, she'll definitely cause a scene." It was only then that I understood—he had deceived me. Three years ago, he said to me, "Go spend three years with Doctors Without Borders. Toughen yourself up. Once you are more mature, you'll be ready to be my wife." And I was mature now. I wasn't the same girl who used to break down in tears whenever something went wrong. My tastes had changed too. And now, I wasn't interested in someone like him anymore.

Neville Campbell, a soon to be twenty-two-year-old man, is back home from backpacking in Europe when he learns that a mysterious wolf-hunter from a former rogue pack has killed his father. He's unsure of who he is, but he suspects infiltration in his own pack and is out for blood. One day, while shopping for necessities in a supermarket, he runs into Amelia Mune, a twenty-year-old woman unable to cope with inner turmoil in her life, as she needs money to pay for her mom's medical treatment. Neville loves how she looks from the get-go and is attracted to her, so he offers her a contract to be his secretary to manage his father's estate and act as a housekeeper when he's gone for international business meetings. The pack finds out about Neville's new love interest and Jean advises him to stay away from Amelia and not initiate her into a world full of chaos, lies, and political turmoil, but Neville has his own plans for his future.

When Evan Sterling discovered Estera Roberts lurking in the shadows of his father's mansion in Charlestown he thought she was a trespasser and a thief. But not the kind he had feared… Drawn to the seventeen-year-old orphan who was the niece of their housekeeper, Evan tried to stay away from her to douse the simmering desire to possess the innocent who had unknowingly come to live in an opulent world of infidelity, wealth, and sinful indulgence. She was a minor and he was eight years older than her. He knew he must stay away from her – an easier concept than reality. The two formed a bond so strong it was almost impossible to break, but then life happens. Torn apart by deceit and marriage of convenience, Evan and Estera tried to live the life destiny dealt them. But when their paths crossed again, they had a glimpse of what a life together would look like. But then to attain their dreams, they must face hurting the ones in their lives, and risk death to expose a sinister plot designed to hide a damning secret at their expense, or accept that the saying 'love conquers all' is nothing but a cruel illusion.

Three days after my father’s death, I was home, planning his funeral. A woman and a group of bodyguards stormed in. She shoved me, hard. "Who the hell do you think you are?" she screamed. "Get out of my house! Now!" I froze, stunned. A new housekeeper? Maybe my brother Liam hired her. I kept my voice calm. "This house is mine. Liam knows that. If you have a problem, take it up with him." Her face twisted into a mask of rage. Then she slapped me. "Yours?" She scoffed, looking me up and down with disgust. "This is my boyfriend Liam's house. And you look like you don't belong here. I don't know if you're the new maid or the cook, but I don't care. Get the hell out. Now." My blood ran cold. I pulled out my phone and texted my assistant. [Tell Liam to get home and handle his girlfriend. Now. Or he won't see a dime of the family money.]