165 Book(s) Related to cornell haynes iii

She needed the job. She did not need him.

Zara Cole has spent her whole life hiding what she is. A rare elemental with the power to bend energy, light, and fire to her will. In a world where magic is real but ruthlessly controlled by those with enough money to weaponize it, being discovered means being owned. So she keeps her head down, her abilities buried, and her ambitions quietly enormous.

Then she is hired as a senior analyst at Voss Enterprises, the most powerful corporation in the city. Its CEO, Dorian Voss, built his empire on a secret darker than anything Zara has ever run from. Ruthless, magnetic, and dangerously perceptive, he sees through her carefully constructed walls the moment she walks through his door.

He wants her abilities. She wants his resources. What neither of them plans for is wanting each other.

But something ancient and malevolent is moving through the city's elite, consuming powerful beings from the inside out and leaving nothing behind. The trail leads directly to the boardroom of Voss Enterprises and to a villain so deeply embedded in Dorian's world that exposing them could destroy everything he has built.

Zara did not survive this long by trusting powerful men.

Dorian did not build an empire by letting anyone close enough to burn it down.

They are each other's greatest risk.

They might be each other's only way out.

When Siana Price was 23, the bottom fell out of her world. Now she can only run as her entire life unravels
She finds a town called Winter Haven where nothing is what it seems and, as it turns out, neither is she.
But when the quest to become what she should have been all along wakes a nightmare from the deep, Siana has a decision to make that could end the world
Or save it.
Winter Haven's Promise is created by Mia Davis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author

Hello, My name is Spare, yes as in a spare tire kinda thing. I'm not allowed to interact with the family unless they want to teach me a lesson. I know all the secrets of this pack.I don't think they are going to let me just leave either, I don't want to go missing like a lot of girls have been lately. It doesn't matter though because I have a plan to get out of here. That is until one night at work, I found a naked man lying on the floor in the room I was about to clean.
You know what they say about making plans?
"You make plans and God laughs."

Landon Rhodes and I grew up together, both dreaming of becoming top chefs. But I knew he was the one with a palate kissed by God.

So when Rowan Stone, this street-rat punk, got her claws into him, I took the drinks, the smoke, the slaps for him. When he wanted to skip the National Young Chefs Competition to stay with her drunk ass, I dragged him back to the culinary lab.

He won the championship, got recruited by a three-star Michelin restaurant, graduated and made millions. I became the most invisible prep cook in his kitchen.

Until Rowan wrapped her car around a pole during one of her episodes, and he lured me into a basement.

"This is all your fault! If you'd minded your own damn business, she'd still be alive!"

His foot came down on my right hand. Bones cracking. My fingers ground to pulp.

All those 5 AM trips to the fish market for him. All those nights watching stock simmer for forty-eight hours straight. All the praise he soaked up at final practicals. My sacrifices, and all I got in return was his hatred.

"These worthless hands that can only cut vegetables deserve to rot in the ground with her."

The pain swallowed me whole.

When I wake up again, I'm back to that afternoon when he said he was going to the bar to find her.

This time, I won't stop him.

Living a dog’s life. Fixers, that’s what they’re called, a group of supernatural beings that keep the world they live in working. Things break, they fix them. Lucky is an Immortal Fixer, but what happens when Immortals start showing up dead? Lucky and Death need to discover what is happening to the Fixers before the world as they know it ends in chaos. With no heaven or hell to speak of, who could be behind this latest mess? Read Cobe II: The Slightly Twisting Path to Neither to learn Lucky’s fates.

Michael Angelo, the man Aurora loved with all her heart, was also her worst bully and her short-tempered boss.
It wasn't her fault she was fat, but he sang how fat she was to her ear every day at the slightest provocation. She withstood the insult just to be close to the man she loves. When her boss accidentally heard heartfelt confession of love, he rejected and humiliated her in the most embarrassing way possible.
She quitted her job to save her face from further embarrassment, with a broken heart.
¤¤¤¤¤¤
Months after making her fat ugly secretary quit the job, Michael Angelo met someone who looks just like her, but hotter and sexier. And worst still, she was working for his worst enemy.
One goal was fixated in his mind; he must have her back, but Aurora was a woman on a mission.

"Victor, stop. I came here for therapy—not to ruin my marriage."

Arthur had assured me his college buddy Victor—a single personal rehab therapist built like a gladiator—would cure my chronic back pain. But then Victor straddled me on the therapy table, his thick, hard cock scorching through thin fabric as it ground against my soaked pussy. All the while, Arthur's voice echoed from the speakerphone:

"Do whatever it takes to fix her. I trust you."

"I would give up Heaven again in a heartbeat of it means you get to live."

Samarra Hayden has spent her whole life running from things no one will explain.

New towns. New names. New rules she’s expected to follow without question.

Mill Hollow was supposed to be just another stop.

It isn’t.

The shadows close in, her identity is challenged and when the broody bad boy in her new school takes an interest in her, her whole world changes.

Caught between a fierce eternal love and a burning desire to belong, Sam must chose if she will succumb to the powers growing inside her, or cling to the angel that has kept her safe, hidden, alive.

I had a crush on the dominant CEO, Credence Scott, for ten years.
And I finally got married to him!
I was supposed to be a happy woman who married the one she loved.
However, Credence hated me.
In our four-year marriage, he rarely slept with me and blamed me for killing his dad.
I never did that. It was my sis, Rosalie, who had framed me!
The most heartbroken part was that Credence never believed in me.
Fine, I'd better end my life. But that's when Credence revealed his tenderness to me...

Griffin Woods is supposed to follow in his father's footsteps, become an Alpha Enforcer and lead the clowder. A personal tragedy makes him a recluse, a man set on exterminating hunters that took his life from him. Life takes an unexpected twist with the woman he loves and the woman he should love. He sets out to kill one and sends the other to her death. Will Griffin ever find peace and realize the truth that is staring him in the eyes?

The hole left by Aelia’s death has a ripple effect through the world. The Alpha King retires, ushering in a new era. The Rogue King title now left vacant for the time being. Silas losing his sister, again. Nate losing his mate. Finn and Noah losing their Alpha and their lover.
Under the weight of his grief and pain, along with of the uncertainty of the new mate bond forged between Silas and Nate, Silas decides that he needs help. The weight of being Alpha that nearly just lost his pack if his little sister hadn’t been there, Silas decides to push everything away to be a better and stronger Alpha. Using magic is father gave him, Silas loses so much more than his way.
Nate, struggling with the mate bond, what the bond means for him, has continued to fight Silas, his Alpha, his best friend, and now his mate. When their fight goes too far, both Silas and Nate must deal with the consequences. It both pulls them together and tears them apart. Eventually leading to a full break in any relationship they had ever had.
On his own, Silas has to navigate through the next chapter alone. Coming to realize his actions, the consequences, and just how much it’s going to take to repair the damage he has done.
Nate, also on his own, works through what it means to step up in more ways than one. Somehow, even after her death, Aelia is still reaching out and helping Nate navigate the world on his own. He vows to grow and step up into the wolf that she knew he could be.

Book 2 in The Rogue Kings following immediately after The Rogue Kings I - Solaris' Reign. Trigger Warnings. Rated 18+.

Torn from her home, ripped from the arms of her mate, and dragged across the border by soldiers who see omegas as spoils of war—Lyanna learns quickly that survival in the enemy kingdom demands silence. So she becomes deaf and mute, or so they believe. It’s the only shield she has.

But captivity brings two terrifying revelations:
She’s pregnant…
And she’s overheard a plot to assassinate her own king—an act that would end the war in the enemy’s favor and doom her people forever.

When the conspirators realize their “helpless captive” knows too much, the hunt begins.

Desperate to return home and warn her kingdom before it’s too late, Lyanna flees into the wilderness—only to collide headfirst with Elias, a sharp-eyed enemy alpha whose loyalty to his crown runs bone-deep.

Elias should turn her in.
Elias should question her story.
Elias should not—under any circumstances—offer protection, companionship, or the warmth of his cloak on cold nights.

But the longer they travel together, the more lines blur: duty, desire, loyalty… and the impossible pull neither of them can ignore.

Two kingdoms at war.
A secret that can reshape the world.
And an omega whose unborn child might just be the spark that lights every fuse.

She ran to save her kingdom—
but somewhere along the road… she found someone who makes her want to stay.

"I will take everything from you," my half-sister whispered as my husband, Colton, drove a blade into my chest. "Your love, your life, everything."

I died in a pool of my own blood, betrayed by the only family I had left. But instead of eternal darkness, light burned into my eyes.

I woke up standing in a luxury restaurant, looking down at Colton kneeling before me with a velvet ring box.

It was the exact day he proposed.

Armed with a second chance and burning for vengeance, I smirked and looked past him. "I'd love to marry," I announced to the stunned crowd, "but not you. You don't mind me being your aunt, do you?"

With those words, I walked straight into the arms of Colton’s powerful, enigmatic billionaire uncle—Richard Asher.

Ten years ago, eight-year-old him nearly died under wolf claws trying to save me. Ten years later, when I gathered the courage to return to this town, that little hero had become a dangerous man.

"We're strangers, remember?" The eyes that used to be gentle only for me now looked at me with cold indifference.

But why does he hold me tight every time I'm in trouble? Why is his skin burning hot and his muscles hard like iron? Why do I tremble when his breath hits my neck?

When blood scented the rainy night and red-eyed beasts showed their fangs, I discovered the truth—my childhood sweetheart Logan was no longer human.

MATURE CONTENT!

“Fuck,” I moan as strong arms wrap themselves around me, holding me steady. So much for no one being able to touch me besides my mate.
“Are you okay?” The deep timber of masculinity in a single sentence settles awareness within me, and instantly, all my senses become heightened and awakened.
The rich scent of wood and rain hits me so hard that it makes me dizzy, and the electric zaps I feel set my insides in sweet discord, while my body tingles with an intensity that makes me moan again, this time not in pain.


Derek Steel didn’t expect a mate from the spirit pack, especially from a family that he’s at enmity with, one that caused him so much pain in the past. He is resolved to never accept Amber Snow as his mate.
But being unable to resist the pull of fate, he is faced with no choice but to keep her beside him, but this doesn’t quell his hatred for her and her family.
Amber Snow questions the personality of her mate, doubting that Derek, with his cold soul, is who she’s destined to be with.
She has to endure his wrath and brutal vengeance for a sin she didn’t commit, but with endurance comes more winds of torment.
In her journey to own her fate, she realizes that who she is far supersedes being defined by a mate.
As the goddess would have it, she holds the power to destroy or uphold Valhalla in all its glory; its fate rests solely on who wins her trust, her Cruel mate or her vengeful father.

In the captivating tale of "Doll of His Hands," Amara's world is forever altered when she unexpectedly finds love in the arms of the person who once kidnapped her.

Filled with spine-tingling suspense and heart-melting romance, this unique story unravels the complexities of their relationship, testing the boundaries of trust, redemption, and the power of the human heart.

Amara, a young woman plagued by the trauma of her past, stumbles upon an unlikely connection with her captor, whose name is shrouded in mystery. As their paths intertwine once more, a magnetic attraction draws them closer, defying the logic of conventional love stories.

Will Amara succumb to the haunting memories and fear that still haunt her, or will she dare to embark on an emotional journey that challenges everything she thought she knew about herself?

As secrets unfold and the tangled web of their shared past is gradually revealed, Amara must navigate a treacherous landscape of emotions, torn between the forbidden desire she feels for her captor and the need for self-preservation. With every twist and turn, danger lurks in the shadows, threatening to extinguish the fragile flame of their forbidden love.

"Doll of His Hands" takes readers on a rollercoaster ride of conflicting emotions, where suspense intertwines with the undeniable allure of romance. It explores the transformative power of love, forgiveness, and the extraordinary capacity for the human spirit to heal and find solace in the most unexpected of places.

Brace yourself for a gripping narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, as Amara's journey of self-discovery reaches its startling climax.

Emily Johnson, a bright-eyed 23-year-old graduate, has only been at AXSpaceline—a multi-trillion-dollar space exploration empire—for three months when her world turns upside down. Owned by none other than the enigmatic and dangerously charming Carlos Antonio himself.

Carlos isn’t just powerful—he’s magnetic. Women tremble in his presence, and Emily is no exception. Swept into a whirlwind romance with the boss himself, she falls fast—completely unaware that Carlos is not only married, but tied to two formidable sister wives: one currently behind bars, the other a ruthless queen in heels.

Now, caught in a storm of passion, power, and rivalry, Emily must navigate the dangerous game she never signed up for. Can she survive the tug of war Carlos has pulled her into—or will she lose herself in the chaos?


Note: This story is told from multiple POVs. Please check out Book One first "Sisters". Thank you!

Fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Jana DeLeon's Miss Fortune will find a new character to love in Holly Hands!Holly Hands. 29. Single mom. Disgraced, former boxing pro. Repo woman.Repossessing Lamborghinis and other exotic toys from criminals is second-hat for Holly.But finding a dead body—and solving a murder—is not.Luckily, Holly has Lucky by her side—a neglected pit bull she found on the wrong side of a job, who refuses to leave her side—and who, like her, has nowhere to go but up. Together, maybe they can crawl their way out of the urban hell of their bad slice of Baltimore, where coming home at night is even more dangerous than going to work. Maybe Holly can manage to get her young daughter the medical treatment she desperately needs, and manage to get her out of her dangerous public school and into the private school of her dreams. Just maybe, she can fall in love with that private school Dad from the other side of town and start a whole new life.Or maybe not.Life has never been easy for Holly. And if the past few days—and the dead body in her trunk—are any indication—it’s about to get a whole lot worse.KNOCKOUT (A HOLLY HANDS COZY MYSTERY) is book #1 in a riveting new cozy mystery series, a page-turning thriller that grabs you from page one and does not let go. Get ready to find yourself reading all night, bleary-eyed, and falling madly in love with a new character who will fight her way into your heart.Book #2 (SUCKER PUNCH) and Book #3 (BELOW THE BELT) in the series are also available.

"STRIP".. ,, HADES said in his bold , authoritative and demanding tone.His eyes held anger and temper which send fears to her. Every Fibres of her body was shaking under his powerful and dominance gaze. She stood at her Place and didn't know how to react on his words.

"I said Strip My wife".. ,, This time his voice made her trembled and with Shaking hands she started to open her wedding dress.

She removed her veil and looked at him. He was staring back at her with his intense pitch black orbs.

"Remove Your Ornaments Too"..,, He spoke when she stopped removing her Wedding dress. She removed her jewellery but left Golden Nuptials Chain Which he tied around her neck. Her glossy eyes were locked with his blazing eyes

"I don't have the whole Night" ... ,, Hades voice echoed in the room. Her breathing was low and sweats started to appear on her body.

She opened the strings of her wedding skirt and in a flow it fall down on the floor. With trembling hands she again pulled the strings of her blouse and opened the hooks. Now she was in her red lacy lingerie. However ,Not even for a second His eyes moved down and wandered at her curvy body.

His eyes were fixed on her eyes and she was gazing back at his beautiful deep black eyes. He stood up from the bed and came near her. She took a few steps back but the wall stopped and supported her body to stand properly. He bent and tilted his head and whispered in her ear. His husky deep voice and hot breath released thousands of butterflies in her stomach.

"You're not up to my standard".. ,, He said and left her in the room all alone on their wedding night. His words pierced her heart and a hurtful Chuckled came out of her mouth.

Tears were flowing through her eyes but she smiled sadly and said, "My name is DURGASHAKTI, husband and I'm not weak like you thought of me"

Story Of HADES and His PERSEPHONE

Sebastion Drakos has been a selfish man all his life. For so long he put his needs above all those who he protects as the Alpha of The Redwood Pack. All for the love of an unworthy woman. Now with her gone, it leaves Sebastion to raise the son she gave him. For Jace, he will do anything.

Irina Belova is a slave. Vicktor is her master and a monster. Irina's daughter is her master's pawn. He uses her child to keep her in line. Vicktor is sending her on a mission. Irina is to spy on Sebastion, then trap him. Vicktor wants the mighty Alpha for his collection.

Fate may have plans for these two. They have children that they will do anything for. Each has a past they want to atone for. Can they survive the storm that is coming? Will Sebastion find his redemption? Will Irina find her freedom? Or will the forces working against all supernatural creatures keep them from achieving what they both want?

Mature Content Warning
18+ Readers
Drama Series

The cover of this book was made by fellow writer KeyKirita
The title of this book was the help of fellow writer Marii Solaria
Both writers have helped me greatly

Gathering Shadows Novels:
Book 1: Her Returned Mate
Book 2: His Redemption

In my past life, I signed a marriage agreement, served as a live-in son-in-law for five years, and died in a hospital. Meanwhile, my "wife," Grace, was on the moon, embracing her lover and watching the star rings.
Given a second chance, she threw the agreement in my face at the marriage summit: "Sign it. After the wedding, I'll go find Karl. You'd better act like the legal wife."
I didn't refuse; I just tossed the agreement to my emotional nemesis .
The whole city laughed at my madness.
Until Grace flaunted her "pure-blood heir" at the 100-day celebration, I publicly projected her sterilization report—
the bastard in her arms was the product of her lover and a downtown prostitute.
And her lover was being mutilated in the downtown area.
In this life, I'm not a live-in son-in-law; I'm her gravedigger.

"Leave my office, Fremantle," he snapped me out of my dazed state and feeling my cheeks redden due to unshed tears, embarrassment and built up anger, I picked my dress and panties and then turned to go.

"Wear the dress, Fremantle."

"You can't be the only one to enjoy my nude body, Mr. Castile. I'm generous, so I think everyone should get a share." I said and then walked out of his office.

He didn't stop me.

But five steps later, I heard his voice over the house speaker.

"All security exit the third floor immediately."

**
Fremantle had never met anyone like him before. He was the direct opposite of her, the type of men her mother warned her about. But how could she stay away from a man who made her panties wet on the first day? She really should've listened to her mother..

Eron never imagined someone like her existed. He wanted her as his, but he also had a feud to take care of against her family. Which would dominate in the end? Love or Vendetta?

The mysterious stranger from his nightmares appears out of nowhere at Emily Blakeslee's 18th birthday party. Calix Ledger, who originally intended to take revenge at the party, ends up saving the terrified Blakeslee, only to discover that he was originally there to kill her!

What to do now?

"Even if you are my wife, you have no right to control anything! You are nothing but collateral. Your father could not pay his debt, so he sold you to me!"
"Fine, then divorce me right now. I do not mind. I will leave this place this very second."
"It will not be that easy. You will stay here and be a servant in this house!"
I smiled faintly, stepping closer until our faces were level.
"Oh? You mean a servant who also serves you in bed, my husband?"
Emelia Perez has spent twenty-five years invisible in her own home, unloved and overlooked, while her younger sister, Bianca, soaked up every ounce of her parents' affection. In that house, Emelia is nothing but a shadow, her energy drained by endless servitude.
One night, her life shatters completely. Her father, drowning in debt, offers her as collateral to the formidable President Samuel De Leon. Without hesitation, Emelia agrees. To her, marrying a man rumored to be cruel, unpredictable, and disabled by a tragic accident is freedom itself. She would rather face a monster than remain trapped in her family's prison.
But the De Leon palace holds a secret. Samuel is nothing like the rumors. His beauty is lethal, his presence commanding, his heart icy and unyielding. Emelia thought she was gaining freedom, but under Samuel's rule, she finds herself once again a servant, caught between fear, desire, and the dangerous power he wields.
In a world where secrets fester behind every door, can Emelia claim the life she longs for, or has she merely stepped from one cage into another?

"Little woman, seems like fate doesn't want you alive. Blame yourself for forcing yourself on a man who clearly doesn't love you!!" The man spat the words with disdain.
Olivia felt the cold rush of air as she was shoved off the bridge, the assassin's face betraying no emotion except for a chilling smirk that never touched the depths of his icy green eyes.
…
Olivia's best friend, Harlow, pretends to have an affair with Olivia's husband, Chester. Harlow plans to kill Olivia and throws her body off a bridge, but Olivia is saved and undergoes plastic surgery. Five years later, Olivia and her triplets return to New York City to seek revenge.

"The contract marriage has expired. You're no longer useful to me," Lucas's cold voice pierced my heart. After three years of devotion, I was nothing but a disposable tool.

Then, he brought her home. Amelia, his cherished true love—and the daughter of the mafia family that slaughtered my parents. She sneered at me, flaunting my mother's stolen sapphire necklace, while Lucas ruthlessly kicked me out, calling me a mere "housekeeper."

My heart shattered entirely, but the tears finally stopped. I signed the divorce papers and walked out into the night.

He thought I was a penniless nobody who would crumble without his wealth. He didn't know my real name was Isabella Sorelli.

When I appeared at a top-tier banquet, flanked by my three wildly protective, billionaire brothers, Lucas's eyes widened in sheer shock. I am the heiress to the city's greatest empire now. You threw me away for a snake, Lucas? Watch me crush her. And when you finally realize what you lost, begging on your knees won't be enough.

On the night of my rebirth, fueled by alcohol and rage, I stumbled into the room of my fiancé’s sworn enemy—and kissed him.

Everyone thinks Atlas is a heartless playboy who toys with women.

Only I know how submissive he can be, and the filthy, dirty things he whispers when he calls me "Baby."

Outside the door, my scumbag ex-fiancé, Knox, was screaming, begging for a second chance.

Inside the door, Atlas’s wandering hands were exploring every inch of my body.

"Be a good girl," he rasped against my ear. "Moan loud enough for him to hear."

The next day, Knox pinned me against the wall, his eyes red with jealousy. "I can do better than him. Choose me, okay?"

I shoved him away coldly. "Too late."

From the moment I was reborn, my goal was to make Knox pay. Why simp for a cheater when I can make him lose his fortune, his reputation, and force him to kneel at my feet?

Atlas smirked, pulling me into his arms. "Choose me. I'll help you destroy him."

My name used to be whispered in fear by dictators. Now, it’s mocked by cheerleaders.

I am—or I was—Phantom. I killed for a living, and I was the best. But my retirement plan was cut short by a sudden darkness I never saw coming.

Fate, it seems, has a twisted sense of humor. I’ve been reincarnated into the body of Raven Martinez, a high school girl with a life so tragic it makes my old job look like a vacation.

Now I have to deal with pop quizzes, teenage hormones, and a hierarchy of bullies who think they run the world.

They pushed the old Raven to her death. But they’re about to learn a very painful lesson: You don't corner a viper unless you're ready to get bitten.

High school is hell. Lucky for me, I'm the devil.

After Alpha King Kaius publicly rejected Elowen, she left his kingdom and never looked back. She had to start over completely - no pack, no family, no one to help her. She built a new life on her own and thought she was safe. But on what should have been a peaceful birthday, she found herself captured by the King's guards and thrown into the castle dungeons. Now they think she's some kind of enemy spy, and she needs to escape before Kaius figures out who she really is and discovers all the secrets she's been hiding. The problem is, she's not the same broken girl who left four years ago, and he's not exactly the same cold bastard who rejected her either. With lives on the line and nowhere left to run, can she get out before everything falls apart?

To save my dying sister, I provoked James Smith, the city's most dangerous Mafia Don.

I thought it was a simple transaction, but he pinned me against the wall, his fingers tracing my lips as he whispered dangerously, "Sweetie, since you call me your sugar daddy, then fulfill your obligations. Remember, your first time was mine, and you’ll never escape me in this lifetime."

I believed he was a heartless monster until, facing death, he shoved his only gun into my hands and placed his ring around my neck. "Ella, run! Hide and wait for me..."

As his black SUV drifted into the gunfire to draw them away, I was left trembling. Would he make it back alive to claim me again?

I came to Warton Academy to find my mother. I stayed for the boy who breathes fire.

He’s the school’s pariah, a Dragon shifter with a temper as hot as his flames. Everyone says he’s evil. Everyone says to stay away. But when a pack of werewolves attacks me in the dorm hallway, it’s George who saves me. It’s George who looks at me like I’m the only thing worth protecting in this cruel world.

Our romance is a secret, a spark in the dark. But someone on campus knows my secret too.

They know I’m not just a witch. They know I’m something rarer.

With George by my side, I’m ready to decode the mystery of my past and prove that even a "nobody" can tame a Dragon Prince.

I thought ten years of childhood sweethearts could weather any storm.

Until that night when Charles rushed out after her call, leaving me alone in bed with his child growing inside me, not knowing how to tell him.

Seraphina Blackwood, tech dynasty heiress, threatened Charles with her father's billion-dollar empire to marry her. And me? Just an orphan girl who seemed to mean nothing in Silicon Valley's power games.

When I watched him remove our wedding ring, when I saw their sweet photos at the hospital, when I lay bleeding on the floor and he chose her... I finally understood that maybe love really can't survive against money.

But what I didn't know was that while I started my new life in Switzerland, there was a man secretly protecting me with his kidney, his heart, his everything...

Until his assistant appeared at my little bakery, desperation in his eyes: "Ms. Thorne, please, you have to save him!"

At the board meeting, he voted to dilute my equity.

"This is business, Elena. Not personal."

Three years of hidden marriage. I thought we were partners. But in that moment, I finally understood—I was just his technical supplier on the road to success.

What Ryan didn't know: that Technology Contribution Agreement he signed three years ago contained one clause. 70% of NexTech's core algorithm IP belongs to me. Personally.

Product launch day. Two hundred investors watching. I took the microphone.

He thought I'd present the tech specs like always.

He was wrong.

Dante Ashford is my stepbrother, and the one person I should never have fallen in love with.

When I was ten, my parents died saving his family. The Ashfords took me in. He was good to me back then. Somewhere along the way, I fell for him.

When I was eighteen, he nearly died in an ambush. I donated blood, then a kidney to save him. I was unconscious for three days. When I woke up, Vivian Ross sat by his bed—and he believed she was his savior.

After that, he pushed me away. Vivian became his fiancée.

In my past life, Vivian's crimes brought disaster to our family. Dante got on his knees and begged me to take her punishment. I refused. She died anyway. Then he pretended to love me, planned our wedding—and on that day, his assistant announced to everyone: "This wedding was a lesson to show Miss Elena Hayes what it feels like to be abandoned by the whole world."

I jumped from the church balcony.

When I opened my eyes, I was back at that moment—him on his knees, begging.

This time, I said yes.

Dante, from now on, we're done.

My father died owing the Callahan family a blood debt. His payment? Me and my sister—married off to their sons.

I woke up reborn on the night they buried him.

Standing in that funeral chamber, watching the lawyer crack open the sealed will, I discovered I could suddenly hear thoughts. My sister Vivienne's voice ripped through my head: Not marrying that butcher. No way in hell.

She lunged forward and grabbed Adrian—the refined bastard son who looked like a lawyer instead of a mobster. The same "perfect gentleman" I married in my past life.

Which left me with Dominic Callahan. The scarred heir. The Executioner.

Last time around, Vivienne married Dominic and got beaten down for years. I married Adrian and lived like a queen.

I almost laughed out loud.

Because she has no idea—this time, she's the one who grabbed the monster.

Everyone in this city knows that the king of the underworld, my husband Vincent, is crazy about me.

Three years ago, when that bullet tore through my abdomen, it took away my chance of ever being a mother. He held my blood-soaked body and swore to God he'd make the shooter's entire family pay. A month later, that family was wiped off the map in this city. No one dares speak their name anymore.

He sat by my hospital bed, holding my hand. "I don't need kids. I only need you."

I believed him.

Until six months ago, when his brother died in an accident, leaving behind his wife Serena. The family pressure came like a tidal wave. An heir. A bloodline. That's all they cared about. And that woman became everyone's golden ticket to keeping the Caruso name alive.

That's when my husband stopped coming home at night. Every night, I hear them through the wall. Sounds that used to be mine.

But today, the doctor told me my body is healing. The chances are slim, but there's hope.

I clutch the medical report and rush home, imagining Vincent's face when he sees the results. Maybe everything can go back to how it was. Maybe he'll realize he doesn't need her.

Until I stand outside our mansion and hear laughter pouring out.

"Serena's pregnant! Can you believe it? The family finally has an heir!"

"Finally. The family's saved."

I thought I'd signed up for an immersive dating show.

Turns out it was a 99.9% death rate, globally livestreamed horror game.

And me? Half-blind without my contacts, desperate to go viral, I somehow talk my way through a death game like it's a romance.

I mistook blood for ketchup, human eyeballs for sashimi, a murderous child ghost for a kid who just needed some love.

Worst part? I fell for the guy running the place, the one who could kill you without blinking, and tried to get his number within the hour.

My teammate hissed at me, shaking. "You wanna die, fine, just don't take us with you!"

I just waved him off. It's a dating show. Relax.

The day I died in a foreign country, my boyfriend was in the spotlight with another woman.

He's the man I built from nothing. Five years ago, I saved a broke orphan fresh out of college from the gutter. He said he wanted to be famous, wanted to make it to the top of the hockey world. In exchange, he became my boyfriend for five years.

I gave him the best coaching staff money could buy. Bought an entire hockey franchise and made him the centerpiece. Called in every favor I had to make him MVP.

But while he enjoyed everything I gave him, he refused to make our relationship public. Said it would "hurt his brand." He could make headlines with reporters and models, but nobody could know I existed.

He even said on national TV: "Those owners who just throw money around are pretty boring. Hockey is about skill, not money."

So why did he lose his mind when he found out I was dead?

One hundred years married to Everett, and I've learned one thing: whenever he wants to push me into a corner, he throws the mate bond dissolution agreement in my face. Whenever my parents want me to cave, they hold the family name over my head.

They've always wanted the same thing — for me to hand over everything I have to my twin sister Rosalie, who's been sick her whole life.

I've fought it. I've grieved over it.

But when the doctor slid the diagnosis across the desk — Blood Depletion Syndrome, late stage, less than two weeks left — something in me just went quiet.

What's the point of fighting when you're already dead?

The alliance between the Human Empire and the Wolf Empire has stood for centuries. The treaty requires the Human Empire to send a princess to the Wolf Empire every so often, to become the Wolf King's mate and strengthen the bond between our kingdoms. Now, it's time to honor that pact again.

Father is old now, ready to step down. My sister and I have to choose.

In my past life, Adelaide chose the throne. She thought power meant she could do whatever she wanted. Within three years, the Human Empire crumbled in her hands. At home, she bled the people dry, filling her own coffers while they starved. Abroad, her arrogance drove away our allies. The Dwarven Empire, the Serpent Empire, they all cut ties. In the end, the surrounding kingdoms banded together and attacked. The Human Empire fell in the war. Our parents died by enemy blades, and Adelaide had to flee.

And me? I went to the Wolf Empire, just like the treaty said.

On the surface, I was the Wolf Queen, worshipped by every wolf, living in the grand Wolf Court, attending state banquets. In reality, I was his prisoner. Forced to run as prey in the hunting ritual, slapped to the ground in front of the council, shoved forward as a hostage when conflicts arose.

At one banquet, Adelaide appeared in front of me, gripping a dagger, madness burning in her eyes. "This is your fault! If you hadn't been so useless in the Wolf Empire, we wouldn't have lost everything!"

The blade sank into my chest. I collapsed in a pool of blood.

When I open my eyes again, I'm back in the throne room with Father watching us.

Adelaide barely hesitates before speaking up. "I'll go to the Wolf Empire. Let Brynn take the throne."

I smile.

Foolish Adelaide. She has no idea that beneath the Queen's crown lies nothing but chains and blood.

My beast companions are in the middle of my medicinal soak when a soft, dramatic little "ow" drifts in from outside.

Vex, my wolfkin companion, drops my leg. Brom, the bearkin, jerks his hand and a fortune's worth of elixir spills into the water.

They crash through the floor-to-ceiling window and bolt outside without a single glance back — all for some ordinary girl.

I'm still staring at the broken glass when a stream of glowing blue text pops up out of nowhere.

[The main character Ivy literally fake-tripped in the garden and these two idiots jumped out a window for her!]
[Honestly, the original side character Lillia had it so rough. Backstabbed by her own companions, dies a miserable death, and they end up in Ivy's entourage…]
[And she never even figures out what's happening. Just suffers through the whole thing without a clue.]

I read through all of it, and one thought slowly rises: seriously?

If my companions won't behave, just get new ones. Simple.

I go straight to my mom, and before I've even finished talking, she's already pulling me toward the door.

"Any beast that turns on its master isn't worth keeping. Come on, baby — let's go pick you out some new ones. Mom's paying, so make it the most expensive ones they've got."

Ryan loves me deeply—at least that's what everyone says. Seven years together, we look like the perfect couple to outsiders. But only I know he's betrayed me three times.

The first time was three years ago. His brother died saving him, leaving behind his widow Sophia—Ryan's unforgettable first love. He married her behind my back. When I found out, I completely fell apart. I have dignity. I refuse to be the other woman. I wanted to leave, but he begged on his knees. "This is just to take care of my sister-in-law. Once I find the truth about my brother's death, I'll divorce her. Then we can get married."

I believed him. I forgot that a man never lets go of a lost love he's gotten back.

The second time was at last year's company anniversary. In front of everyone, he introduced Sophia as his wife. I watched them on stage, a knife through my heart. That night he explained, "It's just for show. Once everything's over, we can be together."

I believed him again.

The third time was two weeks ago. Surveillance footage showed Ryan with Sophia entering a hotel room. I rushed to confront him, but heard her voice outside his office. "Ryan, I'm pregnant. It's your baby."

Through the crack in the door, I see him hesitate. In that instant I understand.

He's going to keep her.

He spots me and rushes out in a panic. "It was an accident! Let me explain! After she has the baby, I'll give her money and make her leave. She won't be in our lives anymore!"

In that moment, I finally wake up. There will be no future for us.

The mafia boss chose me as his decoy—a body double for the woman he loves.

Eight years. Three bullets, one car crash, one explosion. The doctor said ten more minutes and I would've died on that operating table when they took my kidney. I gave him a son. He let me play "the boss's wife" in public.

Until he cleared every obstacle for her and decided to marry her.

Her wedding photos replaced mine in the master bedroom. He has her initials tattooed on his arm. When I questioned him, he had his men slap me at a charity gala, forced me to admit "I'm just a stand-in." When I touched her, he took away my custody, declared she was "the true lady of this house."

The punishments got worse. When he threatened to cancel my mother's insurance, I finally learned to shut up.

He pulls me close, whispers in my ear: "She gave up everything for me. Not like you—you were born to take bullets for me."

"Deal with it. She's not replacing you. This is her house now."

Even my son took her side.

"Stop being dramatic! Natalie actually loves us! You're nothing!"

But their pure, innocent Natalie? She unplugged my mother's ventilator while I was locked in the basement. Let his enemies slip poison into my drink during the last job.

When Grayson found me, all he said was: "She's pregnant and emotional. Go rearrange the flowers at the wedding venue."

I wipe the black blood from my lips. Look at him quietly.

"I'm dying."

Everyone in our circle knows I'm Adrian's caged bird, and the "bad woman" his son Miles hates most.

For Miles, I gave up my fellowship in Zurich and spent seven years playing housewife.

What did I get in return? Adrian took Sophie to gallery openings on our anniversary. Miles smashed cake in my face in front of everyone, calling me a frumpy housewife.

Adrian was certain I couldn't leave him. Certain I couldn't leave our son.

He threw the divorce papers on the table with a cold smile. "Sign this, and you lose everything. Including Miles."

He expected me to beg on my knees.

I didn't.

I picked up the pen and signed without hesitation.

"Fine, Adrian. You keep Miles. And I get to keep myself."

For just a moment, I saw shock flash in his eyes.

I heard later that Adrian searched for me like a madman, and the son he doted on cried and screamed for his mommy.

Too bad. I'd already burned it all down myself.

I've been secretly married to him for five years, but he's never treated me as his wife. Our six-year-old daughter has never called him Dad in public.

One drunken night, I got pregnant. He gave me a marriage contract that came with one condition: secrecy.

I thought time would change everything. I stood by him through the company's darkest days. When I was hospitalized with a bleeding ulcer, he didn't come. When our daughter was born, he was in a meeting. Every moment that mattered, he wasn't there.

Then that clumsy intern showed up.

From that point on, he gave her all his attention and patience. He broke his own rules for her again and again. That's when I finally understood: when someone doesn't love you, they just don't.

So I took my daughter and disappeared from his world completely.

But why did that calm, controlled man lose his mind?

I helped him claw his way up from nothing—from the family's bastard to king of the underworld.

I saved him when he got jumped in the streets. Took bullets for him when his father beat him half dead. We fought our way up from nothing, survived assassination attempts, built an empire that made people fear our name.

I thought we'd always stand together.

Until the day I nearly died giving birth, and all I found in the bassinet was a stack of cash.

I asked him where our baby was. He couldn't look me in the eye. His stepmother walked out holding my son. Smiled and said she deserved this, a child of her own, since she couldn't have one herself. He'd given my baby to another woman.

Turns out he'd been sleeping with her the whole time.

I threw the money in his face. I spent the next six years trying to get my son back.

Last week, when some small-time gang grabbed him, I went in alone with a gun. Bullets flew past my ears, kicked up concrete dust. I fought my way to the back and pulled him out. At the hospital, he pushed me away, crying, "Why'd you have to come?! We could've been a real family by now! Just leave! Leave me alone!"

I stared at his small face for a long time.

Finally, I said, "Call me mom one last time. Then I'll let you go."

First day back after the long weekend. I get a few artisan gift baskets shipped in from my family's farm: maple syrup, raw honey, smoked beef jerky, handmade jams. Top-shelf stuff, every single one. Shipping alone runs me a few hundred dollars.

After the morning meeting, I hand them out one by one. The team crowds around me, all smiles, falling over themselves saying things like "You're literally the best, Ms. Bennett" and "Oh my god, you're such an amazing boss."

They're barely out the door when I notice the conference room projector is still mirroring someone's phone. Up on the screen: a private group chat. Fifteen members.

Everyone on the team is in it.

Everyone except me.

A new message pops up: [Farm junk? Really? Preston Vance's team got $200 gift cards AND black truffle. Sloane's such a cheap ass lol]

Replies flood in. Someone photoshops a picture of me. Someone else hopes I drop dead at my desk.

To them, I'm just another boss squeezing her people dry.

Last quarter, I handed every single one of them a three-thousand-dollar cash bonus out of my own pocket. Plus a brand-new phone. Each.

Fine. If they think I'm not giving enough, I'll give them exactly what they're asking for.

Though later, when they come crawling back one by one, I find myself wondering what exactly they think begging is going to get them.

Our engagement has gone unfulfilled for ten years.

My parents saved his family in that yacht accident. With their dying breath, they asked his family to look after me. In return, we go to city hall every year, trying to fulfill this obligation.

Ten attempts. Ten failures.

Elevator malfunctions, food poisoning, home invasions, car crashes... Every single time, I get hurt at the worst possible moment while he walks away without a scratch.

This makes ten. A truck slams into the passenger side, my head smashes against the window, and he's already running across the street, pulling that woman into his arms.

On my way to find him after they stitch me up, I hear his assistant's voice in the hospital corridor:

"Mr. Ashford, the truck driver's been taken care of. Money'll hit his account like we agreed... but is this really fair to Miss Bennett? It's been ten years, every single year—"

William's voice comes out low and tired. "I don't have a choice. Her parents saved me, but I'm in love with Emma."

I look down at the diagnosis. ALS. Late stage.

Turns out I've been trying to marry a lie this whole time.

I promised Ethan Caldwell, the boy I grew up with, I'd give up the top schools to attend some mediocre college with him.

On the final day of application submission, I brought homemade soup to his studio.

Outside the door, I heard him bragging to his friends: "Claire Bennett's like a damn puppy. I tell her to come to NYU with me, and boom, she changes her whole application to NYU. Lily's grades are shit. If Claire doesn't go for that full scholarship, Lily's got it in the bag. And Claire's so whipped, even when she finds out, she'll just suck it up like always."

The thermos in my hands feels cold now.