Where The Heart Is Chapter 1

In the heart of New York City, where power is traded like gold and ambition can break you, Lily James is caught between two worlds. By day, she’s the epitome of grace, a picture-perfect heiress to the sprawling James family airline empire, bound by a legacy that stifles her every move. By night, under the cover of darkness, she sheds her delicate persona, becoming a fierce and untamed spirit—a woman who longs to break free from the chains of her family’s expectations. Her carefully curated life shatters when she is thrust into an arranged marriage with Vandaulf Claude Carlston, the cold, calculating CEO of Carlston Architectural Firm and ruthless heir to the rival Carlston real estate dynasty. To him, their union is nothing more than a business transaction, a means to strengthen their family empires. He dismisses Lily as fragile and unworthy of respect. But Lily isn't the meek woman he believes her to be—beneath her exterior burns an undeniable fire. At a Halloween party, fate intervenes. Lily, shedding her refined persona for the night, crosses paths with Vandaulf in the form of a bold, liberated woman he cannot resist. Neither knows the true identity of the other, and a night of passionate recklessness ensues. The consequences are shattering—Lily is pregnant. When she reveals the truth, Vandaulf’s response is cruel and devastating. He denies any involvement, accusing her of manipulation and deceit. His cold rejection cuts deeper than she could have imagined, leaving her shattered but resolute. In this world of power, deceit, and dangerous alliances, Lily and Vandaulf must decide: will they allow their differences to tear them apart, or risk everything to uncover the truth? The ultimate question remains: will Vandaulf ever acknowledge Lily's pregnancy as his own, or will their fragile truce crumble forever?

She gave him her youth, her loyalty, her love, and in return, he gave her betrayal. For eight years, Nora Song believed in her marriage to Chance Hart, until his first love, Jenny Young, returned from abroad. He brought Jenny home on their wedding anniversary, and handed Nora the divorce papers. He asked her to step aside, just so he could fulfill Jenny's dying wishes. He unreasonably wanted her to be understanding, so she calmly packed up to leave. However, walking away was not an option. Bound by the crushing debts of her parents, Nora was forced to remain in the Hart household as nothing more than a servant. She was a proud world-class pianist, but she had to endure the humiliation of being mocked and belittled in her own home. That was until she discovered something that could change everything, eighty percent of the Hart family's shares, was signed over to her by the man who once saved her life. She would not leave empty-handed. She thought to herself, 'If Chance thinks I'm still the same woman who loves him unconditionally, he's about to learn just how cold a broken heart can be.'

A town with a strange past. A group of teenagers with secrets to hide. A world inside a box and a man who should no longer exist. Will they ever find out where they truly belong?

When my husband once again chooses to abandon me to celebrate his true love's birthday, I finally let go. He takes his true love stargazing; I don't cause a fuss. He buys her an expensive scarf, but all I do is smile. I even tell him to buy another hat—it's pretty cold. He thinks I've finally learned to be obedient. However, he has no idea I've secretly renounced my citizenship to join Doctors Without Borders. By the time he comes to his senses, I've vanished without a trace.

I never should have given him the time of day yet somehow, he found a way to earn my attention. He bothered me enough to want to strangle him but he didn't care. Wesley Adams didn't care anymore and that made everyone to take notice. He wanted to hide away but it was near impossible, due to him being the name that easily slipped from everyone's lips. Many fall from the throne but he left it. He wanted to be the forgotten and be amongst us, the unknowns. And it would have been easier, if only he simply left me alone. But ofcourse, he is Wesley Adams and is the most stubborn person, I've come to know. Hi stubbornness has made him look the other way and let his heart to take over. That's what he told me, he's claimed me as his, for his heart was mine. *********************************"** This is a story of two confused teens, trying to figure things out as they go.

I was the heiress switched at birth by a nanny. It was not until I turned eighteen that my biological parents finally found me, and traded me back for the girl they had raised and loved as their own. However, fate played a cruel joke that very same week. My parents died in a car accident. The family business collapsed. In one night, I lost everything. My older brother survived, but his kidneys failed. I did not hesitate. I gave him mine. However, grief broke something in him. Blaming me for our parents' deaths, he spiraled into madness. "You killed Mom and Dad! Why wasn't it you who died instead?" he screamed. I gave up college and took on three jobs a day just to pay for his treatment. Years passed. One day, while cleaning a mansion as a housekeeper, I saw her, the "sister" I was traded for, gliding through a lavish party, dressed in designer clothes and dripping in jewels. I froze when I heard the voices I had long thought silenced. My parents, alive, speaking to her as gently as ever: "Jasmine, you're so compassionate… agreeing to end Helen's punishment early." My brother, the one who should still be seeing a therapist, frowned and objected. "No. Not even a day less. Just because she suffers a little doesn't mean she deserves to live." I glanced down at the medical report still warm in my hands. For the first time in years, I smiled. "Perfect," I whispered. "Now I can finally die like I wanted to."

"Darby.” My name comes out as a low snarl and I struggle to think. “I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Alpha.”"That's how I like you.” This almost purrs. He shifts his weight to the thigh between mine, brushing against my clit and I tremble as agonizing pleasure spirals through me. His nostrils flare with his next breath and the purr is a low sensual growl. “The better to see to every pleasurable need you have.”Big bad devilishly sexy wolf. Oh shit.

On the day of Lucas' engagement, he managed to get a few lackeys to keep me occupied, and by the time I stepped out the police station, done with questioning, it was already dark outside. Arriving home, I stood there on the doorstep and eavesdropped on Lucas and his friends talking about me. "I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I got her to spend the whole day at the police station. I made sure that everything would be set in stone by the time she got out." Shaking my head with a bitter laugh, I blocked all of Lucas' contacts and went overseas without any hesitation. That night, Lucas lost all his composure, kicking over a table and smashing a bottle of liquor, sending glass shards flying all over the floor. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she's jealous… She'll come back once she gets over it…" What he didn't realize, then, was that this wasn't just a fit of anger or a petty tantrum. This time, I truly didn't want him anymore.

I, Darcy Cowell, have been secretly married to my husband, Frank Winston, for seven years. He is the president of a company and has just hired a new assistant. The new assistant, Johanna Scott, is well-behaved and has a voluptuous figure. Scandalous rumors about her and Frank quickly spread throughout the company. Feeling uneasy, I seek Frank out for answers, only to overhear him telling his good friend over the phone. "I'm not interested in her. My wife, Darcy, will always be my only love." I am filled with warmth and relief at those words. A fire suddenly breaks out at the company banquet, and I get crushed under a falling cabinet. Yet, as my life hangs in the balance, Frank turns to run toward Johanna. When I next regain consciousness, I find that I have survived but lost my unborn child forever. This time, I truly lose all faith in Frank. Our child is gone, and I want him gone from my life as well.

When three best friends find out they are in fact all three supernaturals in disguise, life can only become more interesting in the human world. In this first book in the series, Gabriella has to return home to her pack after living life as a human for a while and her friends go with her. She meets the enigmatic leader of her warriors who has also secretly been spying on her while she was living in the city. Will she forgive him his sins when she realizes he is her mate? Or will she banish him from their pack?