We Live And Die In The Shadows

“Fine,” I heard myself say, the word tasting like rust. “You want an open marriage? We’ll do open.” A slow smile curved his mouth—victory, not warmth. “Good girl. Then I suppose you won’t mind if I reintroduce Kisha.” The camera panned. There she was, curled on what I now realized was our hotel suite couch, her legs tucked under a cashmere throw that used to be mine. She waved, manicured nails glinting, belly softly rounded under a silk camisole. My world tilted. I forced a smile that felt like glass. “So she’s your girlfriend?” Daniel’s hand settled possessively on that gentle swell. “Not just my girlfriend,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “The mother of my unborn child.” Jayla Carmichael smiles for the cameras as the perfect senator's wife while her world burns. But queens don't kneel. They conquer. Fueled by whiskey and wrath, Jayla ensnares Warren Christopher, a brooding billionaire CEO, after saving his empire in a bar-side twist of fate. Love was the first lie. Revenge is the foreplay, and the truth? it's coming for them all...naked, ruthless and dripping in karma. Will Jayla's vengeance destroy her soul or will warrens fire forge something eternal?. This book isn't just romance, it's war with benefits.

In "Fated Encounter: We Meet Again," Annabelle's sole purpose is to seek justice against those who tore her family apart. However, when she encounters the enigmatic and attractive Xander Lennox, she becomes determined to conquer his heart. Little does she know that Xander holds secrets about her past, leading her to question whether to choose love or pursue her quest for justice. Xander is portrayed as a loving brother and son, yet he conceals a ruthless side of being a mafia boss. He shields Annabelle from the truth, fearing it may jeopardize their bond. But as the saying goes, the truth always finds its way to the surface. If you're intrigued by this tale of love, justice, and hidden truths, consider adding it to your library. I would greatly appreciate your comments and reviews. Please note that the cover image belongs to the author. Do not use it!!

“You've read the contract, I assume?” His tone was soft but firm. His eyes, however, were fixated on her lips. “Every word.” Aurora hesitated, fingers brushing against the folder's edge. Michael furrowed his brows, gauging her expression. “Are you sure you want this? You can say no, and we’ll simply pretend this never happened.” “No,” Aurora said firmly, gripping the edges of her skirt. Her entire body pulsed with need for him, so how could she disagree? “I want this.” She quickly signed the contract. His hands left her jaw, reaching down to pull her up and against his office table. His hands slowly reached under her skirt. “Well, then. Let us begin, shall we?” *** Aurora Lane thought the worst day of her life was catching her boyfriend trying to sneak off on a hotel trip with her best friend, using her money. She was wrong. Booking the suite solo, she never expected to find a stranger already there. Tall, brooding, and infuriatingly magnetic. Michael Carson, a billionaire hotel mogul who lives for control, should’ve thrown her out. Instead, one night of passion turned into something neither could forget. When fate brings them together again, their simmering chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. A secret “no-strings” contract should have kept their hearts safe, but the more they try to resist, the deeper they fall. Then the past returns to destroy everything. A jealous ex. A web of lies. A powerful family that will do anything to keep them apart. And when a shocking betrayal turns deadly, Aurora must decide whether love is worth risking everything for… even her life. In a world of money, manipulation, and impossible love, can two broken hearts rewrite their destiny, or will the secrets between them burn it all down?

"I need to see Mr. Winchester! Please! My father--my father is dying I need..." "The world knows you are his mistress but Mr. Winchester does not entertain mistresses when he's working. Have some dignity and leave." ┌ Olivia Cabello has been the mistress to Ryat Winchester for two years. For two years she fools herself that the billionaire who's stone cold demeanor is well known by the press will one day love her and treat her more than just a plaything. She gets the shock of her life when Ryat gets engaged to a billionaire heiress and she is declared the other woman. A loose woman, they call her. A woman with no morals, they say. When the two red parallel lines on the pregnancy stick slap her with the bitter truth; it's time for Olivia to choose herself first. Except Ryat Winchester isn't letting go anytime soon. Not in this lifetime at least.

Theo Oblinger can't be arsed to admit that he feels a bit stuck. At 26, he's in the middle of finishing his PhD, thinks love just isn’t for him and plays the piano at an exclusive Club during the weekends. On a bleak Saturday night, he meets the owner’s son, Sam Wilcox, who might just help him get out of that place.

Newly graduated Audrey becomes the new assistant to Joaquim, a billionaire and the CEO of a start-up software company. The role is previously handled by Joaquim's ex-girlfriend who also used to live within the mansion compound. She makes it clear that she will stay in the office, not in the mansion to do her job where she works with Bobby, Joaquim's loyal right hand man who she wishes is her boss. Audrey is in the mansion for her regular task when the strict implementation of the lock down is suddenly enforced leaving her no choice but to stay there until she gets her permit to go out. She and Joaquim bond naturally after they are left alone in the compound for a few weeks. He grows fond of her stories, which he prefers over his boring sentiments making him more relax and smile easily. On the other hand, she knows him better now and changes her mind about living in the mansion with him. Eventually, she goes home to her family and sees Bobby as well. This turns the bond between them back to being purely professional. Audrey recommends Bella, her former classmate to be the new cook for Joaquim, who after knowing him tries to win his heart. Later on, they discover that she is pregnant. Thinking it is Joaquim's baby, Audrey resigns and begins to date Bobby. Joaquim loses focus on an important project that compels Bobby to step in making Joaquim suspicious of his motives. They have an argument causing Bobby to leave the company too. Two years later, the two meet in an event. Joaquim shares his life changing experiences during the pandemic including some losses in his own business to which Audrey reminds him that she still does not want to live with a billionaire.

The Ashford family opposed my relationship with Everett Ashford. To separate us, they drugged him, and his fiancée ended up pregnant with twins. Everett threatened suicide if I left him. He begged me to stay, swearing he would never see them again. He even told me the pregnancy had been terminated. Three years later, I spotted him at a parent-teacher conference. Enraged, I kept the twins after school and, on their way home, they were kidnapped. Everett blamed me for everything. To force me to reveal where the twins were, he strapped my mother onto a high tower ride. However, my mother had a heart condition. I sobbed that I did not know anything. Everett screamed at me. "I've been good enough to you! Why the hell would you go after those kids? Tell me where they are right now or I swear I'll push your mother off this thing!" He shoved her toward the platform's edge. The safety harness hung loose on her frail body. I had no idea where the twins were. Everett shoved my mother off anyway. Just then, someone found the twins. Everett walked away without looking back, leaving my mother dying of a heart attack. While he rushed to pick up his children, I stood in a hospital room pulling a white sheet over my mother's face. That was the moment I finally stopped loving him.

When my son asked me about his father while crying once again, I pointed at the television. Samuel Shaw, who had just made it into the top three of the wealth rankings, was being interviewed. He said he had achieved fame and success, and the person he hated most was his childhood sweetheart and ex-wife. “She abandoned me when I was gravely ill, all for the sake of money. But it was that very betrayal that pushed me to rise from the ashes in my darkest hour.” The reporters grew excited and suggested contacting me on the spot. "She must be filled with regret, begging Mr. Shaw to take her back!" My phone rang right then. I answered and immediately asked for money. "Samuel, my son is sick. Could you lend me sixty thousand dollars?" He abruptly hung up the phone and said with a cold laugh, "Knowing she's living so miserably gives me peace of mind." Looking at the kidney failure report in my hand, I silently wept. Six years ago, I secretly donated one of my kidneys to Samuel. Now, his son was suffering from the same disease and didn't have much time left.

I was with Marco, the New York Mafia heir, for seven years. He never told his family about me. But when I walked in on a wedding rehearsal and saw the groom embracing the bride-to-be. It was Marco! "Her fiancé's held up in Italy. I'm just a stand-in," he told me, but his eyes never left her. "You're the best wedding planner in New York. This wedding has to be flawless." But I saw something in his eyes I'd never seen before. A possessiveness that bordered on resentment. Isabella, the bride, hated every idea I had for her. In the end, Marco told me to give her the wedding I'd spent five years designing for myself. "Our wedding can wait. I'll give you something bigger, I promise. It's just a plan, Sophia. It's what you do. Giving it to a client should be easy, right?" He didn't know. It wasn't just a plan. It was my dying wish. In the end, I gave him what he wanted, quietly preparing to die. Later, he went mad, kidnapping the world’s best doctors—risking a global manhunt—all to save me.

An ambitious human journalist, investigating a series of gruesome murders linked to a powerful but secretive family, finds herself drawn into the orbit of their ruthless and dominant alpha. He offers her protection and exclusive access, but his help comes at a price: she must submit to his control, all while trying to uncover the truth about his pack's dark secrets and the brutal murder of her own sister.