Masked Desires
After a painful divorce, Ethan Lockwood, emotionally scarred by his wife’s betrayal, finds solace in an unexpected place: the red light district. There, he meets Ruby, a mysterious woman hiding behind a masquerade mask. Despite the chemistry between them, Ethan doesn’t ask for anything physical—just her company. Ruby, whose real name is Minnie Love, is a law student trying to pay her way through college, and she agrees to his unusual request.
Their bond deepens over time, with Minnie helping Ethan during his messy divorce. However, she keeps her true identity a secret. When Ethan’s ex-wife, Amanda, uncovers that Ruby and Minnie are one and the same, she plots to use this secret against Ethan. Meanwhile, Ethan’s mother pressures him to remarry, pushing him into a contract marriage with Minnie, who agrees reluctantly in exchange for financial help.
As their marriage grows, so does their emotional connection, though neither dares to confess their love. When Amanda publicly exposes Minnie’s secret, the fallout is devastating. But Minnie, with the help of Ethan’s friend Jake, tracks him down to a cabin in the woods, where they finally confront their feelings. Ethan, filled with understanding and love, defends Minnie and fights back against those who wronged them.
Their journey culminates in a passionate reunion, with Ethan and Minnie beginning their new life together, free from the chains of their pasts.
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Chapter: A cheap cupcake and a lighter heart.As the meetings wore on, Ethan could barely concentrate, all he could think of was Ruby. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. That was all that lived in his mind.He cursed himself for allowing himself to care so deeply about her. He blamed it on his emotional vulnerability.“Ethan?” Jack peeped into the board room. “Hunter is here to see you.”Immediately, Ethan’s face steeled. Why was Hunter here to see him?He excused himself from the meeting and followed Jack out.“Why is that weasel here?” he asked Jack, who shrugged, not knowing himself.“He is getting beaten if he says something stupid,” Jack warned Ethan, who chuckled.Ethan had not spoken to Hunter directly ever since he saw him on top of his wife that fated day. Some imagery.With a deep inhale, he opened the door to his office and stepped in. There sat Hunter at the table, his smug smile immediately irritating the CEO.“What do you want, Hunter?” Ethan asked, taking his place at the table as well, while Jack sat beside him.“Is that a way to
Last Updated: 2025-04-07
Chapter: A kiss The bar was loud, the bass-heavy music vibrating through the walls as people danced and talked around Minnie. She had stopped dancing a while ago, her head swimming from the alcohol. Ellie, already tipsy, was still going strong, laughing and chatting with some guy who had been eyeing her all night. Minnie leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself as she looked around, barely aware of the chaotic scene around her. She was not a heavy drinker and in-fact, had never drank this much in her life.Ellie stumbled back over to her, grinning. “I think... I think I'm done for tonight,” she said, swaying slightly. “But you—” she pointed a finger at Minnie, “you're gonna be okay, right? Ethan's on his way.”Minnie nodded faintly, though she wasn’t sure what was happening. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Ellie pulled out her phone and dialed Ethan’s number, slurring her words as she spoke to him.“Hey, Ethan... uh, Ruby’s, uh, in bad shape,” Ellie said into the phone, he
Last Updated: 2025-04-01
Chapter: foreclosedBiting the edge of her nail, Minnie stared out the window, watching the birds soar freely in the sky. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would feel like to be them—to escape the weight of her troubles and have nothing but open skies ahead of her.She sat on the edge of her bed, her legs pulled up against her chest, the faint hum of traffic below filling the silence of her small apartment. The late morning light streamed through the window, illuminating the tangle of sheets she hadn't bothered to fix. She hadn’t slept much, anyway.Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced down and saw Ethan’s name flashing on the screen. Her chest tightened. He was calling Ruby.Her finger hovered over the screen, debating whether or not to answer. The rational part of her wanted to let it go to voicemail. She knew she shouldn’t pick up—the more time she spent with him, the harder it became to keep her distance. But she answered. She always did.“Hey, you.” Her voice came
Last Updated: 2025-04-01
Chapter: love is hardTaking a deep breath, Minnie knocked on the rotting wood door that was once the color blue. “I don’t have any money for you!” A gruff voice yelled out from within. “Mom? It’s me.” Minnie called out and pushed the door slightly. It was rotten enough to open on its own.“What do you want?” The voice replied from within. The floor was strewn with clothes and rotting food. A few cats walked around the house, seeming emaciated and nearly feral. Her nose crinkled at the smell of Cat feces and rotten food along with what must be some sort of decay.“Mom?” Minnie walked to where she knew the woman would be- The bedroom. The once glorious house with its homey and cozy look was now in shambles and unrecoverable. The bedroom where they had spent many a night as a family, laughing and chatting was now a hoarding nightmare. Random junk lined the room and the stench was intolerable. The mattress itself had rotted around the woman that Minnie once knew as her mother.She had aged… looking far beyo
Last Updated: 2025-03-20
Chapter: Accidental fun“Sir? You have a letter.” Arthur tried and failed to get his employer’s attention as he walked in.“Sir!” he ran behind Ethan who was quickly making his way into his room.“Now Ethan is that any way to ignore your own butler?” A female voice stopped Ethan in his tracks.“Oh god no.” he thought to himself before swivelling around to find a middle-aged woman standing with a curt smile.“Mom?” He mumbled, more aghast than surprised as she walked over and hugged him.“Oh my baby. How are you?” She smiled. Ethan hesitantly hugged him back. His mother, Marlena Lockwood, had left the country on a cruise nearly a year ago and had vowed not to reappear for the entirety of her retirement. If she was here, it meant that she wanted something.“Now, where is Amanda?” Marlena smiled brightly waiting for her daughter-in-law to appear.“Uhm, right. I couldn’t get a message through to you.” He sighed, scratching the back of his head, “Uhm mom. Amanda and I are getting a divorce…”His mother gasped as
Last Updated: 2025-03-20
Chapter: Turtle Whisperer“What do you mean you hired a law student as your aide?” Jack frowned.“She stepped in and pulled out a law that my own lawyer knew nothing about. And she didn’t even have to! In fact she endangered her own job by doing it.” Ethan reasoned, “I need someone on my side who wants to be good for me out of their own goodwill.”“Why don’t I join you on Saturday? And I will also talk to her and see if she is trustworthy… You still trust the old lawyer?” Jake asked and Ethan shrugged explaining that he didn’t really trust him but since he knew so many company secrets, he didn’t want to fully lose him.Jake was Ethan’s long time friend. He had known him ever since Ethan had started working at the company. Jake was the financial advisor and the only one that Ethan trusted blindly.He looked younger than his age, his sandy brown hair laid in tousled curls and he was rarely found in a suit like everyone else but wore neat shirts instead.“Amanda is really doing a number on you, huh?” Jake looked
Last Updated: 2025-02-05
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