testing waters

"What if... what if I had gotten pregnant back then? What if we had a child together? What would you do in that situation?" Ms. Julia leaned in, moving close to my ear, and whispered with a chilling intensity, "I would have killed him without a second thought." My eyes widened in shock, but the devil woman nodded with a cold smile. "That's right. Collin's heir can only be born from a woman who is exceptionally beautiful and exudes class, someone worthy of standing beside my handsome son. You, my dear, do not meet our standards. We have high expectations, girls." Marissa Bennett was left reeling from her mother-in-law's chilling words. Her elder sister, Renee, had abandoned her disabled fiancé on their wedding day, leaving Marissa to step in and marry him under the guise of Renee, all to save the family's reputation. The cruel twist? Marissa was forbidden from revealing her true identity to her new husband, Tyler Collins. After Tyler's surgery restored his health, Marissa's world was shattered when Renee returned, demanding her place as the rightful wife. Desperate to tell Tyler the truth, Marissa faced a dire threat from her mother-in-law, who vowed to kill her if she exposed the deception. Now pregnant and determined to protect her unborn child, Marissa must navigate the treacherous waters of the Collins family, seeking a way to escape and start anew, far from the lies and danger that surround her.

"I looked up, and his lips crashed into mine slowly at first, tentative, like he was testing the waters, then deeper, hungrier, as if a dam had broken." Emily is the heiress of the Billionaire Arquette Family. Her high class life is all about her work and strict self caring/improving routine. After hiring Eduardo as her new bodyguard, her life begins to change... At first Eduardo becomes her secret lover. They have secret affairs behind the doors... Then one day, her father reveals his dark mafia side to force her marry a billionaire heir. Will she accept the marriage or follow her heart? Will Eduardo allow her to marry a stranger? What about The Billionaire Heir; is he a total stranger or has Emily ever met him already?

I was pregnant. On my way to deliver documents to Tristan Goldberg, a flash flood struck. Desperate, I dialed his number, praying he’d answer. After a few rings, the call connected. But instead of Tristan, a woman’s voice answered. "Tristan, whose number is this? Do you want to answer it?" There was a brief pause, and then Tristan’s voice, cold and indifferent, cut through. "It’s just my maid. Ignore it. Hang up." And just like that, the call disconnected. Staring at the torrent rising around me, my pulse quickened. I texted him, begging for him to send a rescue team. Minutes passed as the waters climbed to my waist, churning and relentless. Then, a message from Tristan finally appeared. Tristan: [What kind of ridiculous story are you making up now?] Tristan: [Emily, do you think you're eighteen, playing these childish games? I want that document in my hands within thirty minutes, or we're getting divorced.] A surge of terror shot through me as I looked up, catching sight of a heavy branch snapping loose and crashing down. In an instant, everything went dark.

In the opulent world of 18th century England, Lady Victoria Windsor, Duchess of Sussex, is a force to be reckoned with. Beautiful, cunning, and determined, Victoria navigates the treacherous waters of high society, hiding secrets and scandals beneath her polished facade. When the mysterious and powerful Duke of Marlborough arrives on the scene, Victoria's world is turned upside down. As she becomes embroiled in the Duke's plans for revenge, Victoria must confront her own desires and the consequences of her actions. Will Victoria's secrets destroy her marriage, her reputation, and her future?

Sometimes, God makes you find out about your husband’s dirty secrets, just so you can divorce him and move on with a better person. Perhaps, his uncle. Robert and I have been married for over two years and he’s never touched me due to being diagnosed with erectile dysfunction, a truth I never discovered until our honeymoon and I learnt to live with that, blinded by love for the man who made my heart flutter. Well, that changes when I walk in on him slamming deep into his secretary who’s on all fours in our room. Feeling betrayed, I divorced him and lost everything I worked hard for, to his deceitful hand. Then I met him. Anderson Waters, the man who’d help me get revenge on his rebellious nephew in exchange for one thing: “Of course, Robert’s a fuckwad. Everyone wants to repay him in his own coin.” Anderson chuckled lightly. “I can you do that for you if you sign this paper. Three years as my wife with respected boundaries, give it a thought till sundown. I’ll be back for an answer.”

Delia Mathers has the perfect life; loving parents, a beautiful relationship with her boyfriend Zack, supportive friends— up until one fateful night when an unfortunate attack unravels the world as she knows it and chaos unleashes in her life.  Suddenly, she discovers everything is not as she thought it was; she’s a werewolf, her boyfriend is a 400yr old vampire, her human parents adopted her after her wolf pack was destroyed in a past conflict and she has to leave the only life she's ever known to go along with the Alpha of the new pack she must now belong to as a newly burgeoning wolf.  Graeme Buchanan, Alpha of Rosewood pack, has way too much on his hands to deal with a newly turned mutt like Delia. Yet as Alpha of the largest pack in Sterling city, it's his duty to make sure she is integrated seamlessly with the rest of the other wolves, especially since she hasn't lived with her kind before. The events surrounding her change are suspicious, but he can't just put his finger on why. The last thing he needs is the pesky little mate call that springs between them once Delia undergoes her first shift. He can't take Delia as his mate; she's too young, knows next to nothing about being a wolf, much less a Luna. To make everything worse, she’s a mutt that will weaken his pureblood line, there’s no way anything between them can ever work. He isn’t willing to let her go though, no matter how hard her obsessive Vampire boyfriend tries to hold on.  It takes a while for either to realize just how deep the dangerous waters lie. Can they overcome both friends and foe in this dangerous dance between the blood and beast?

Aria, who has been tormented all her life by her father and members of the Silver Crest pack, faces rejection from the one person she had hoped would be her savior—her mate. Feeling devastated, she ran away from the pack. In an unexpected twist of fate, she stumbled upon the Alpha King Knox’s pack, Blood Moon pack. The seemingly stoic and cold-hearted Alpha King turned out to be her second chance mate and her life takes a drastic turn. Despite Knox's powerful demeanor and his aversion to love, an unexpected connection begins to form between them and he finds himself falling for the omega. As Aria and Alpha King Knox navigate their blossoming love, they face formidable opposition. Shadows of manipulation and an unforeseen vengeful force emerge, testing their bond and threatening the balance of the werewolf world. Together, they confront betrayals and engage in battles that shape their destinies. In a dance between destiny and free will, Aria undergoes a profound transformation. From a once fragile omega, she evolves into the resilient and powerful Luna Queen, navigating the complexities of love, betrayal, and restoring the balance of the werewolf world.

"I need you to smile, darling," Adrian whispers, his fingers digging into Isabella's waist as cameras flash. "Your father's business empire depends on it." The champagne in her glass trembles as Isabella forces herself to play the perfect mafia bride. She hasn't told him about the baby yet. Hasn't mentioned the way his eyes linger on the judge's daughter, Elena. Hasn't revealed that she knows about the poison they've planned for her "tragic accident." But Isabella Romano isn't going down without a fight. "Please," she whispers to Santa Muerte as poison burns through her veins. "Give me a chance to make them pay." Death has a price. Isabella awakens in the body of Valentina Salvatore—wife to Adrian's greatest rival and mother to twin girls who somehow see through her deception. She has 150 days to either claim vengeance or find true love. The clock is ticking, and Nicolas Salvatore, her new "husband," is proving dangerously easy to fall for. "You're not really her, are you?" Nicolas murmurs one night, his fingers tracing her jaw. "My Valentina never looked at me the way you do." But as Isabella navigates the deadly waters of rival crime families, she discovers Valentina had secrets of her own—secrets worth dying for. Now, with her father plotting a takeover, Adrian suspicious of her resurrection, and her borrowed body slowly rejecting her soul, Isabella must choose: the revenge she died for, or the love she never expected to find. In this dangerous game of second chances, some fates are worse than death. And some loves are worth dying for twice.

Don Matteo DiCarlo is a ruthless mafia lord, feared across the city for his power and cold heart. When a wealthy businessman, Richard Thornton, defaults on a large loan, Matteo is dispatched to collect the debt. Upon arriving at Thornton’s mansion, Matteo is met with the grim realization that the once-wealthy tycoon is now nothing more than a broke fool, living far beyond his means by borrowing money from the wrong people. Desperate to save face, Richard offers his most precious asset—his daughter, Isabella—as payment. Matteo is initially repulsed by the idea. Isabella is soft, delicate, and far too weak for someone like him. She's the very picture of vulnerability, and Matteo has no patience for weakness. However, as the days pass and Matteo spends more time in her presence, he finds himself drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. Isabella, though fragile in appearance, hides a fierce resilience beneath her gentle exterior. The more Matteo tries to keep his distance, the more he’s tempted by the soft touch of her skin, the innocence in her eyes, and the way she challenges his cold exterior without even trying. As their relationship heats up, Matteo must battle his growing attraction to the woman he initially deemed unworthy. But Isabella has her own secrets and desires, and the line between debt and desire begins to blur as their chemistry intensifies, testing both their limits. In a world of power, corruption, and deceit, will Matteo be able to claim what is his without losing himself in the process? Or will Isabella be the one to change the Don’s heart forever?

A desperate young woman, Lucy, enters into a contract marriage with the cold-hearted CEO, Drey Jackson, to save her mother’s life. But as their lives collide, hidden secrets lie around Drey’s family, and a dangerous rivalry emerges to tear them apart. Stuck between love and loyalty, Lucy and Drey must navigate a treacherous path where trust is shattered, and survival becomes their only choice. Will they overcome the darkness, or will the price of love and power destroy them both? ******** “So, a contract marriage,” I said slowly, testing the idea. “What makes you think I would even consider something like that? And with you?” I asked, letting out a little laughter. She leaned in slightly, her lips curving into a small, confident smile. “Because it’s the perfect solution for both of us. You need the public to believe you’re happily married. And I need the money. We both walk away with exactly what we want—no strings attached.” I chuckled, feeling I was on the edge of it. “You’re a bartender. What makes you think you can play the part of a billionaire’s wife?” I chuckled darkly as my breathtaking face twisted into a Mona Lisa. “I can have you fired for this, you know.” She didn’t flinch, but I noticed her sweaty palms. She could lose her only surviving job if I wanted that to happen. It was obvious how desperate she needed money but I couldn’t just agree with her even if it was a good idea. “I think you’re misunderstanding me. I’m not some desperate woman trying to snag a rich man,” She suddenly snapped. She was only an inch away from me now, trying to avoid any direct touch. “We don't have to be in love.”