Whiskey Lies

Betrayed. Framed. Fallen. Former CEO Aria Donovan rises from ruin to reclaim her empire and uncover the truth behind a deadly web of lies, corruption, and lost love. In The Price of Power, passion and betrayal collide where trust can cost everything.

My father died of esophageal cancer. For the final two years of his life, he could barely swallow anything. By the time he passed, he was nothing but skin and bones. The first New Year after his death, he came to my mother in a dream. "I'm starving," he said. "I just want to taste the thick-cut steak you used to make." My mother believed it without question. That very day, she pan-seared a large platter of steak and carried it to his grave. The next morning, she suffered a sudden heart attack and died on the spot. Devastated, I handled my mother's funeral together with my husband. That same night, my husband dreamed of my father as well. "Chester," he said, "I haven't eaten in so long. I want your pâté, served with some strong liquor." When my husband woke up, he bought the finest liver pâté, opened a bottle of single-malt whiskey, and went straight to the grave. However, not long after returning home, he collapsed from acute liver failure. He was rushed to the ICU and died three days later. I was on the brink of collapse myself. I left my daughter in the care of a close friend while I tried to handle the endless wave of tragedy. That evening, my daughter never came home from school. I searched everywhere, and finally, on the road to the cemetery, I found her. She was clutching a bowl of spicy stew, several grilled sausages floating in the broth. "Mom," she said, "Grandpa and I used to eat this all the time. I dreamed he said he was hungry." I finally lost it. I knocked the bowl from her hands and carried her home. That night, my father appeared in my dream once more. "I suffered so much while alive," he said. "Have some pity on me. "New Year's is coming. I want to come home for a meal. Make sure you cook fish." I woke in terror. Holding my daughter, I sat before the three framed portraits for two full days without eating or drinking. On New Year's morning, I realized she was no longer breathing. Clutched tightly in her hand was a packet of spicy dried salmon. I could not believe it. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my mother, her eyes red with worry, said she was going out to buy steak.

On Christmas Eve, my uncle, Garrett Wayne, takes a sip from the fancy whiskey I bought. Then, he points at me while grinning. "Well well well… I've been watching you since you were a kid, Flint. You were a bed-wetter when you were a little boy, and now that you're all grown up, you stay cooped in your parents' shop while running that social media account of yours. You don't have any skills at all. "My Ronnie, on the other hand, has an amazing job that will continue paying him and keeping him around no matter how hard times get. Small businesses like your family's will definitely crumble as soon as the tiniest change happens in the global economy!" All of my relatives roar in laughter at Garrett's quip. My cousin, Ronnie Wayne, pretends to be playing on his phone, though his grin has already become ear-splitting. Mom and Dad can only laugh along as well even though deep down they are very uneasy and anxious. I just gaze at Garrett coldly. In six hours, the blizzard apocalypse will descend onto this world. At the same time, a zombie outbreak will occur across the globe. In my previous life, Garrett, who had looked down on my family and me, didn't hesitate to push us into the upcoming zombie horde just to take over my parents' grocery store. In this lifetime, I swear that I will never let him off the hook! I'm about to pick up a plate of food and smash it onto Garrett's head when I hear a mechanical voice chiming in my head. "Ding! You have been bound with the Rage System! You may talk back and retort to others to your liking in exchange for supplies. The more arrogant you sound, the better supplies you'll receive!" As I look at Garrett's insufferable face, I let out a chuckle. "Oh yeah, I'm not skilled at all. But I suddenly remember this funny little thing. Uncle Garrett, you claimed that you had gone on a business trip to Brimstone eight years ago. But the truth is, you got arrested by the vice squad, right? "Does Aunt Cassia know about this?"

"You divorced me like I was nothing. Why do you care who I marry now?" “Because I still love you, Alessia. And he’s my enemy.” “You should’ve thought of that before you threw me away.” Alessia Velez gave everything to her cold, ruthless husband, Roman Velez. On their fifth wedding anniversary, he handed her divorce papers without a word, never knowing she was pregnant. She agreed to Zane’s fake marriage proposal for revenge but now Roman wants answers. And custody. And her heart, once again. The past was built on betrayal, but the present is tangled in lust, lies, and secrets. Alessia is the ultimate prize and both men are willing to burn everything to claim her. But what happens when the woman they both want has secrets of her own? The war over love, legacy, and lies begins now.

The contract brought them two different people together. Her pregnancy helped save her life. Lies and secrets was like a fog covering her sight. Suspicions and doubts became the order of her life. And in the end, it's no longer about the contract but about the plans.

“As a financial forensic, I'm trained to uncover traces of fraud in numbers. But nothing prepared me for discovering my own husband's secret accounts... and the bodies buried beneath his transactions.” In the heart of glittering Amsterdam, where ancient canals hold modern secrets, Sofia Van Der Meer is a renowned relationship therapist who seems to have it all: a successful practice, a beautiful canal house, and a perfect marriage to hedge fund manager Marcus Dekker. But behind the glitter of their elite Dutch society life lies an intricate tangle of lies that threatens to destroy everything they've built. When Marcus' dangerous secret is revealed, Sofia is drawn into a dangerous game of passion and revenge with charismatic psychiatrist Dr. Julian Reeves. As the line between professional ethics and primal desire begins to blur, Sofia must confront a dark truth: sometimes those who heal others bear the deepest wounds.

Get ready to dive into the coming of age story of Adanna, a victim of tape. This story will drive you through the gallops, exuberance, sentiments, hardships, heartbreaks, love and the growth of Adanna. This story is meant for all; the babes, the growing, and the developed mind. It is set in Africa, to be precise. Our Heroine, Adanna, is a victim of rape. Not once did she believe that she would encounter the dire unfortunate circumstances. Life, however, does not go the way we wish. And, that is the case for Adanna. Despite the awful rape incident that seemed to end her life at first, Adanna refused to yield to depression and give up on life. She chose to hate the world instead, and love the child that grew within her. It is easy for one to speak, but is it easy to take action? Her resolve was fickle and weak, making her a subject to the storms of life. She's pulled into lies and deceit. Will she make it out unscathed or will she drown in lies?

Valerie My own image haunts me Two billionaires deceived me and broke my heart just because of my face. Now the woman who stole their hearts smiles blissfully as I'm forced to plan her wedding. Drew threatens to ruin me if I break my silence. Aiden's volatile nature scares me. But I am worth more than a borrowed life. My once hopeful heart now burns with an icy flame. I will reduce their empire to embers. Their lies will have ruinous consequences. I am Valerie. When Valerie's heart is shattered by two men and she is forced to plan a wedding for one of them she swears revenge to ruin them for life. But will Valerie escape the trap these two billionaires that have caught her in? Or will exposing their lies ruin her too?

Natalie West hadn't expected her life to take a drastic turn, the kind that sends her out of her husband's house into a cold night with a cruel divorce while having his unborn child in her belly and deep into the West's family house as the chosen heiress and wife to James West, the multi-billionaire. What happens when the lies she had known all her life are far better than the truth that actually exists? How does she handle a truth that turned her world upside down and sent it tumbling down brick by brick? And when her Ex-Husband comes chasing after her, confessing undying love, will she yield? Sometimes the lies we know are far better than the truth we are told. Well, we'd prefer it right?

Ariel Woods is a typical good girl, shy, smart and more than a little bit awkward, she never gets into troubles, straight A student, gets excellent grades and is loved by everyone including the teachers. Haven Griffin, typical bad boy who gets into fights, breaks every single rule and couldn't care less about the consequences that come with it since his Dad manages to get him out of trouble. But when Haven gets into a bigger trouble, lies are forced to be tell to save him. Ariel’s brother is in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and she becomes Haven’s tutor to raise up the money to free her brother. As Ariel crashes into his life, she’s pulled further into a journey of lies and conspiracies which are somehow involved in her brother’s conviction.