zadie smith

"Marry me," Lucas said calmly, Emma felt her eyes bulge out from their sockets when he said that. "Excuse me," Emma said after the shock of the request settled in. "Now why would I do that? You need me and I need you, you need a job and money and I need a wife," Lucas said calmly, his face still stoic. Why me?" she asked Lucas taking one last look at him "You look like someone I know," Lucas said looking directly into her eyes. Lucas Anderson had to get married if he wanted to get his grandma and Carla off his back, she threatened to oust him from the company otherwise. He was still looking for his first love Mia, who went missing years ago and he was not ready to fully open his heart to anyone else. But when he sees naive beauty, Emma Smith who resembles his first love Mia, he decides to hire her as his wife. Emma Smith whose only wish is to get a job to improve the standard of living of her mother and her son is faced with an offer to get married to Lucas Anderson, her first love but Emma has vowed to hate him since the incident. Can Emma really keep her vow and hate him or does she get married to Lucas Anderson to fulfill her wish?

Celestine Smith thought there was no hope for a better future after losing everything in marriage until the Alpha divorced her. Celestine took advantage of the opportunity to rise when everyone anticipated her crumbling into dust. Without the marriage binding her rights, she reclaims everything that is hers. But she must pay the price. "Let's make a deal," he adds, a deadly look on his face. "I'll get you out of this place. "What's in it for you?" Celestine asks as the man in front of her laughs. "I need to know what you want in exchange for helping me." "You." His brief response shoots lightning bolts through her body. "I want you," he says again. Celestine exhales deeply. "We have a deal."

"Shadows of the Past" is a story about *Natasha Fernandez* (26),the daughter of a billionaire who never enjoyed her childhood due to the loss of her mother and her father's busy schedule. She struggles with health issues and finding true love until she meets *Jamal smith* (29) who rescues her from a robber and becomes her friend, and eventually her husband. Years later, Natasha hires her childhood friend *Imade Martins*(25) a home tutor for her adopted daughter *Tessa* (3). However, Natasha is heartbroken when she discovers Jamal's affair with Imade, and she uses her power to frustrate Imade's business life. Unbeknownst to them all, Jamal is the biological father of Imade's daughter, whom she lost in the hands of a matron to an orphanage some years back. Imade leaves for another city where she falls in love with her boss, Mr. *George Henry,*(34) an influential business tycoon and a single father. Twenty years later, *Roy Henry,* George's son, falls in love with Tessa, Natasha's daughter. However, their love is jeopardized after a family introduction takes place, and complicated truths unravel, putting Tessa's life at stake. The story explores the drama and chaos that ensue as the characters confront their past and navigate their present relationships.

Can you stop a divorce after it already happened? The day Kara Dylan found out she was two months pregnant, she caught her loving husband, Carlos Smith, cheating on her, she wanted to forgive him hoping he would come back to his senses, but he couldn’t let their marriage continue, therefore, he forced her to divorce, not only did he want her out of his life, he also asked her to abort their child. Kara was heartbroken and hurt by the man she loved, they broke apart, and she left the city. Three years later, she assumed a new identity as a mysterious designer, just when she thought she would never be hurt again, the two met and Carlos discovered she kept the child and wanted to reclaim his position in her life, as her husband and the child’s father. However, the two tortured each other and suffered more as the past conspiracy of their parents resurfaced, threatening to tear them further apart.

Come along with Airabella as she navigates the path to adulthood, despite the obstacles she encountered in her childhood - including the passing of her father and her mother's remarriage. Will her protective brother Freddrick be there to support her through all the hurdles? Find out the full story to discover all the twists and turns of her life.

Loyalties will be tested. Hearts will be broken. Desire will be their downfall. Middlesbrough's underworld is a dangerous game, and Matthew Smith finds himself right in the middle of it. A once-feared gang leader, he is now forced to be a pawn in a deadly cat-and-mouse game. Matthew's only shot at freedom is helping the police bring down Mr. K, the elusive mafia boss of the city. The only problem is that the detective he is forced to work with is the same man who arrested him years ago. Masahiro Payne is everything Matthew hates: cold, calculating, and relentless. But their only hope for survival is by pretending to be a happy couple, blending in amidst dangerous crime, deceit, and power struggles. The closer they find themselves to taking down Mr. K's empire, the more they are attracted to one another, an affair too potent to turn from. As their undercover mission spirals into a web of lies and hidden desires, they face a growing threat from all sides. But the greatest risk is the one they can't control-their own feelings. With every touch, every stolen kiss, the line between their fake relationship and real emotions blurs. In a world of betrayal, trust is a luxury, and falling for each other may be the deadliest mistake of all. Can they survive the deadly mafia games or will their passion be their demise?

Catherine Adams wants to have a good life with the man she loves, but she never expected her life to be miserable at the hands of her husband Nolan Martinez and it’s family until she meets the man who will help her rise, Asher Jay Smith, the billionaire who wants her.

Nothing can be compared to the feeling of being hated and despised by the very person you love. Ayla would do anything to make CEO Jaxon love her and change his opinion about her but nothing seemed to change him. Forced to perform her wifely duties even though he didn't love her, Ayla was getting fed up of lying to herself that she could change him and that he would love her if she kept trying. “ I can't do this anymore,” she cried silently as she rubbed the bump on her stomach. She knew she had reached her limits when she became pregnant with his children, that only meant their divorce was around the corner. Choosing not to be dumped and separated from her children, she flees to give them a better life while doing the thing she loves most. She was no longer going to sacrifice her life to please anyone else, only then does the stern CEO realize the value of what he had lost. Now, he has to win her back.

(Annular Eclipse 2) "How would you feel if you woke up and found yourself a wolf? Then, you also woke up to know that you have a twin brother, and he is the hottest in the pack?” On campus, Winter Smith immediately catches the eye of the campus queen bee, Marah Brown. When a particularly nasty prank finds Winter bound and abandoned to the dark woods, she's found by reclusive she-wolf Hannah Damore, harboring secrets of her own. Bitten by Hannah, Winter is propelled into perilous new world, reshaped by the exceptionally rare and powerful "Eclipse Essence," which not only changes her appearance but erases her memories and sends her searching for her missing identity. Rescued by Alpha Alph Damore and brought in among the Hadson Pack, Winter comes to meet Hadzen Damore, Hannah's twin brother. The resemblance in looks and countenance is there, yet Hadzen has a hard time fully believing Winter, who is still haunted by unresolved pain and uncertainty about her identity. Will they be able to overcome the cold estrangement and fire up their desires while the tension builds? Maybe they could find a way to embrace the power of an eclipse and face an impending threat, or would the very fire inside them devour all they held dear?

My name used to be Misty Smith, but I killed her with the help of a family court judge in the city and became Sophia O’Shea. Okay, I became emancipated at sixteen because my parents were addicts, and the judge was nice enough to let me change my name because their addiction were slowly destroying my future. I bought my first car, got a single-wide trailer in a small town, sued a girl on my first day at my new school during my senior year, and became a billionaire genius before receiving my high school diploma. It's all thanks to my four grandparents leaving me everything before they bit the dust even though we've never met, and after becoming friends with the girl I sued on the first day of my senior year, I found out my high school crush, who moved back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his family after graduation, also had a crush on me. Only time will tell if it was meant to be or if it was just a phase. **WARNING: ADDICTION, DRUGS, VIOLENCE, PROFANITY, SEXUAL REFERENCES, AND OTHER ADULT CONTENT PRESENT! May not be suitable for readers under the age of 18! Please read at your own discretion!**