this escalated quickly

The day before New Year's, my younger brother announced he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner. Excited, I drove my new car to pick them up, taking my daughter along with me. However, as soon as his girlfriend got in the car, her face darkened. "Henry, you didn't tell me your sister was staying at your place—and with a kid!" she snapped. I frowned and was about to explain when my brother quickly interjected, "She's not staying. After dropping us off, she'll be heading to a hotel." Only then did his girlfriend's expression ease. I swallowed my discomfort and asked my brother what he was planning. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Sis, don't cause any trouble for me, okay? My girlfriend is the daughter of the Cromwell Group's CEO!" My eyes widened in shock. Was not the Cromwell Group the same company my ex-husband had just handed over to me as part of our divorce settlement?

Sixteen-year-old Rithanya can’t wait to go to boarding school and follow her dream of entering the Armed Forces Medical College. A far cry from the busy city life in her hometown of Bangalore, the strict, rural boarding school has strange rules and a stringent way of life for the students. Rithanya quickly settles in, making friends and enjoying her new life away from her sometimes overbearing family. But it isn’t all fun and games. The hostel food is intolerable and Rithanya starts to feel the pressure of her intense studies. She has terrible nightmares of failing her exams and disgracing her family, and her poor diet isn’t helping. The drudgery of capsuled academic studies, stringent rules, unpalatable food and the rat race for perfection triggers depression and an attack of psychosis of unimaginable magnitude in her mind. Once a bright and carefree girl, she falls into a terrible mental state of overwork and anxiety. Her deteriorating condition is of great concern to her family. Can Rithanya get better and continue her studies, or will the overwhelming pressure and her deteriorating mental health threaten to spoil her future plans?

In "Unexpected Arrangement," Emily Rhodes, finds herself in a desperate situation when her mother falls ill and needs an expensive surgery. Emily is determined to find a way to raise the money, but her efforts are thwarted when she accidentally spills champagne on billionaire Gabriel Specter, the host of the event at a high-end charity event where she is working. Humiliated and without a job, Emily struggles to make ends meet. She eventually lands a position as a housemaid for a wealthy couple, but quickly discovers that the job is not what it seems. The couple is seeking a surrogate mother, and they offer Emily a million-dollar cheque to carry their child. Despite her reservations, Emily agrees to the arrangement, hoping that the money will be enough to pay for her mother's surgery. As the due date approaches, Emily's emotions are thrown into turmoil as she tries to reconcile her growing feelings for Gabriel with the reality of their arrangement. With her mother's health at stake, her heart and life on the line, Emily must make a difficult a decision that will change the course of her life forever. What happens if Emily gets accepted by Gabriel Specter? Their burning hatred just might lead to something else. And with the dark secrets surrounding the Specters, Emily might get burnt in the way.

When billionaire werewolf, Xavier Blackwood, is forced into an arranged marriage with the naive and innocent Evangeline Turner, he's less than thrilled. For Xavier, having a mate is nothing but a liability, and he resents being bound to someone he sees as unworthy of his attention. Though there's no denying the strange pull he feels towards the enchanting Evangeline, he's determined to keep his distance and avoid developing any real feelings for her. Evangeline, on the other hand, is excited about the prospect of finally finding a mate and completing her pack's tradition. But when she comes face to face with her alpha mate, she quickly realizes that Xavier distains her and is determined to push her away. Despite her hurt and confusion, she refuses to back down and is determined to win him over and prove that she is deserving of being his mate. As they embark on their new life together, the tension between the two only grows, with Xavier constantly trying to keep his distance and Evangeline only becoming more and more determined to win him over. But when a new threat emerges and threatens to tear their pack apart, they must learn to put aside their differences and work together to overcome it. Will Xavier ever learn to love Evangeline as his true mate, or will their differences prove to be too great to overcome? Find out in The Billionaire's Alpha Mate.

In a new world where wolves are beings with human characteristics and divided into classes, Aric Nygaard is a true Alpha determined to create a pack only with wolves from his lineage. For that, he needs an Omega and has Liv Westberg, the adopted daughter of his Beta employee, in mind. When Liv's father causes a loss in Aric's company, the Alpha sees the perfect opportunity to blackmail Aarni Westberg and forgive the debt in exchange for Liv. Liv, wanting to protect her father from prison, decides to surrender herself to Aric, not knowing that this decision would completely change her life. What starts as a relationship of blackmail and mutual interest quickly turns into something much more intense and overwhelming. Aric is rude, powerful, and wild, but Liv also finds in him a protective and passionate side that she didn't expect. As Aric struggles to create his pack of true Alphas, Liv finds herself increasingly involved in his mission and falling in love with the Alpha. But their path is filled with challenges, from the distrust of other wolves to the physical differences between a true Alpha and an Omega. Nevertheless, they can't resist the attraction they feel for each other. As the passion between Aric and Liv intensifies, they will have to face their fears and overcome obstacles to be together. Will Aric be able to create his pack of true Alphas and protect Liv from any threat? And will Liv be willing to risk everything for a love that defies all social conventions? Find out in "An Omega for the Millionaire Alpha", a story of romance, passion, and overcoming in a world where differences can be both a blessing and a curse.

In a long-anticipated new vampire series by Morgan Rice, #1 bestselling author of The Vampire Journals (1,500 five star reviews), 17 year old Taylor Night, exiled from her trailer park in Texas to a juvenile detention camp in the rainy Northwest, tries to understand her mysterious power while surviving on an island of misfits. Taylor’s power is deepening—as is her crush on a mysterious boy—but when as assassin is dispatched, Taylor will have to quickly decide if she is ready to sacrifice it all.…

It was less than twenty-four hours until Amara Brady was supposed to walk down the aisle and pledge her life to the heir to the Fraser Fortune. Somewhere between cocktails and faux smiles came a masked man like a thief in the night, leaving behind only speculation of the absentee bride. She quickly comes to realize that no matter how clever, quick, or determined she may be that this man will never let her go... *Dark Romance *Obsessed MMC *Dual POV

lunch went by pretty quickly, and we were back to classes soon enough. I'd like to forget to get a book out of my locker, so I went to go quickly and went to get it. I was leaning against the locker next to mine as I quickly scanned my schedule on my locker door. When warm air fanned the side of my face. "Move" being the excellent human being I am, I jumped out of fright, flinging the heavy calculus textbook in my hands backward. I hear a grunt and turn to find the person hunched over as they hold part of their face "Oh God! I'm so sorry!" I panicked. and then he looked up. the first thing I noticed was his short, dark hair. it looked so smooth, and 1 almost reached out to play with it. My eyes trailed down to his strong jaw line, down to his broad shoulders. I didn't even realize that I was biting my lip as I further inspected the Adonis before me. His arm flexed, bringing my attention to the amber eye he was now covering It was him. Six. He is the most popular and dangerous guy in school. And I'd managed to injure him with my calculus textbook.

Reverse Harem: Rated 16+ After Rose's grandparents passed away, her family moves from Texas to Oregon. Quickly after arriving, she meets many characters with individual charms that attract her attention. What happens when soon after, she hears the word "mate" coming from their mouths? A guaranteed happy ending novel.

All my life, I've been thinking about the same thing...That because of who I was, I was destined to be alone forever... But who would've thought, that I was actually destined to be bound to Death himself... "His fingers went under my chin, coaxing me to look back up at him and as soon as I did, my heart started racing again, noticing the way his haunting eyes were now trained on my lips as he huskily said those two words again, "Forgive me." And before I could utter a single word, his soft, plump lips crashed against mine in a chaste, yet passionate kiss, sending warm tingles all over my body, making my heart almost jump out of my chest as we stayed like that for a few moments, before he suddenly pulled back, staring at me a little shocked, only now realizing what he had just done, then turned around and quickly walked away, leaving me standing there, speechless."