When We Were Bright And Beautiful

It's wrong what we do but each time it's stronger than us, it's deliciously and perfectly wrong the future husband of my former friend is my ultimate sin

Arielle Santos 24 years old never imagined that her life would be written for her — even her love story. She was raised in a modest family, a dreamer who painted her hopes in colors only she could see. But one evening, her world collapsed when her parents revealed the truth: to save their family from bankruptcy, she had to marry the son of their business partner — Evan Monteverde, the 28 years old, cold and distant heir of one of the country’s most powerful companies. Evan didn’t believe in love. To him, emotions were distractions — weaknesses that could ruin a man. He had long promised himself never to trust feelings again after being betrayed by someone he once loved. So when his father announced his arranged marriage with a woman he barely knew, he didn’t protest for love’s sake — only to end the endless lectures about “duty” and “family legacy.” Their wedding day was perfect — at least in the eyes of the guests. But behind the veil and the smiles, two strangers stood at the altar, reciting vows they didn’t mean. The words “I do”echoed in the church, but neither of them truly did. After the ceremony, they made a deal — they would live together for one year, play their roles for the sake of appearances, and then quietly separate. No love. No expectations. Just peace. But peace was harder to keep than they thought.

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.

Pertama kali mereka bertemu, Febrian dan Adam sama-sama berada dalam titik terendah hidup mereka. Febrian kehilangan arah setelah keluarganya mengalami kebangkrutan sementara Adam dengan ajaib selamat dari kecelakaan maut yang menewaskan tunangannya. Mereka sama-sama mengharapkan pertemuan kedua. Hanya saja tidak ada satu pun di antara mereka yang memintanya. Kedua kali mereka bertemu, situasinya sedikit rumit. Mereka bertemu tepat sehari sebelum hari pernikahan Adam digelar. Febrian punya banyak alasan untuk tidak memusingkan itu. Begitu pula dengan Adam. Namun semuanya berubah saat mereka kembali membicarakan pertemuan pertama mereka.

“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.

Ophelia Martins was once the girl everyone wanted to be—charming, magnetic, untouchable. But when betrayal rips through her inner circle and the ones she trusted most reveal their darkest sides, her world shatters. From best friends turned enemies to ex-lovers hiding cruel secrets, Lia is left to rebuild her life from the ruins of public humiliation and heartbreak. As she struggles to find her footing, Tyler Reed, her childhood friend with a mysterious past, steps in. But Tyler’s return isn't just timely… it's calculated. Beneath his easy smile lies a vendetta years in the making, and Lia might be the one piece in a revenge game she doesn’t even know she’s playing. Secrets run deep in Crestwood High. Everyone has something to lose. Everyone has something to hide. And just when Lia thinks she’s taking back control, a buried truth about her identity threatens to unravel everything. Love. Lies. Legacy. In a world where betrayal feels like love and revenge wears a charming face, can Lia survive the truth long enough to reclaim her own story?

Celeste's family owns a lot. They are the second richest in all of asia. And she is also the Heiress of their Empire. The Young Empire. But what if the story of her life was just beginning when everything suddenly changed? When she opened her two eyes, she will be surrounded by lies. Everything around her has a secret of which she did not know. There was only one thing she wanted. The Revenge. But after she took revenge, that was her last day with the person she loved. She did not think that even in the next life the man he loved would be ready to follow her. A promise that till death do us part. I love you until my last breathe even if you're the one that kills me.

Every Thanksgiving, my husband, Salvatore, brings home a showgirl from one of his clubs. He makes me kneel and serve them drinks. A lesson, he calls it, in how to please a man. This was the eighth Thanksgiving, and this time, he brought back a girl poured into a tight leather dress. "She doesn't have any decent jewelry," Salvatore announced. "Give her your heirloom diamond ring. Your grandmother's pearl earrings, too. And take off that silk choker for her." He smirked. "And listen, she's young, doesn't know the rules. You'll have to show her the ropes. Especially how to handle a man in bed." Every member of the Genovese family was watching, waiting for my humiliation. I didn't disappoint. I opened my mouth and asked Salvatore for a divorce. Salvatore let out a sharp, ugly laugh, his eyes full of contempt. "Francesca, you pull this same shit every time," he jeered. "Your act is pathetic. Even more dramatic than your performance in bed." He leaned in. "You really want to divorce me? Fine. I'll give you five million in cash if you actually walk out that door." The living room erupted in laughter. They all said I was playing hard to get, that I didn't know my place. But they didn't know. This was the 88th time I had asked for a divorce, and it was the first time I truly meant it.

“It’s her I want”. Aurelius, the ruthless alpha of the Crescent Pack was pointing directly at me. His eyes, piercing and intense, locked onto mine in a challenging manner. Seraphine Everhart’s family had been massacred when she was barely six years during a pack war between her pack and the Nightshade Pack. Aurelius Vortigen, the alpha of the most ancient and feared Crescent Pack is cold, cruel and didn’t have a problem living up to his title as the ‘Ferocious Alpha’ even when Seraphine waltzed into his life. Seraphine who was lucky to survive and work as a slave in the Nightshade Pack had everything she needed, a decent boyfriend, a woman that loved her like a daughter and amazing friends but when the alpha plans to form an alliance with the Crescent Pack, everything she had spent 15 years building came crashing down from the storm of Aurelius’ presence. She hated him from their first meeting and when he selected her as a gift, she rejected him as her mate. He also didn’t want her, but he didn’t want to let her go. Suspending on an empty space, that was how he kept her, a pawn in a game she never wanted to play. “I, Seraphine Everhart, reject you as my mate”, my voice was firm and loud. Enough for Aurelius to hear, but not quite enough for him to take me seriously. He let out a cold laugh that made me flinch in fear. Then he finally said, “I, Aurelius Vortigen, alpha of the Crescent Pack, do not accept your rejection.” “Don’t you get it love, you’re mine and you can’t let go of me that easily”. On saying that, he grabbed my chin firmly and smashed his lip against mine.

The day she was forced by her parents to give up the man she loved to her own sister, Charlotte Dean realized her life had returned to its cruel beginning. After a fatal accident that left Nathan in a coma, she stood by him for two years, at the hospital until he woke up. Nathan Mills was once her refuge, her promise. “I will always love and protect you.” He’d once said. “Nothing will come between us.” But when he finally woke up, the first face he saw wasn't not hers. “Oh, thank goodness you’re awake, Mr. Mills,” Her mother cried. Then her expression hardened. “Charlotte? That useless girl ran off with another man just a day after you were admitted.” Her parents and her sister took everything Charlie ever shared with him at that instant. And he believed them. From that moment, Charlotte’s world collapsed piece by piece. When the truth finally came to light, Charlotte was gone. Filled with regrets and fear, Nathan was ready to give up his life to find her.