Chapter 4 A day off

"Every alligator here is Sebastian's prized possession, but they're all dead because of you." Olivia laughed charmingly. "As compensation, I'll give you to the remaining alligators. That way, your five years of loving him won't be in vain." Hearing rustling from the bushes behind her, Adriana's body immediately trembled. "Olivia, you're insane! I curse you to never live happily with Sebastian and to die a horrible death!" Olivia laughed coldly. "Sebastian himself said that the alligators here haven't been fed fresh meat in a long time. If you want to hate someone, then hate him." The fear of death and Olivia's words crushed Adriana's chest like a heavy stone. It felt like her heart was being gripped by someone, the pain was so intense she could barely breathe. Sebastian's decision... Even at the end, he had no intention of letting her body go. To such an extent he hated her. Adriana smiled bitterly, tears welling up in her eyes. •••• Adriana Hudson had loved Sebastian Kingsley with all her heart, only to face the most painful betrayal. He had cheated on her with her own stepsister, Olivia. As if that wasn't enough, on the day of their wedding, he ordered his mistress to throw her into an alligator pond to kill her. Not only did she die a tragic death, but she also lost the child she was carrying. In that moment, Adriana swore that if she were given a second chance, she would never love him again. Now reborn, Adriana is determined to make those who wronged her feel the pain of betrayal a thousand times over. But why is Sebastian so determined to cling to her this time, even protecting her from those very people? Wasn't Olivia the woman he loved? Sebastian: "Riana, you can learn to trust me." Adriana only looked at him in silence. The pain of being devoured by alligators still haunted her, so could she trust him again? And perhaps... Perhaps what happened in her past life wasn't as she had imagined. Lies, vengeance, and conspiracies swirl around them once more, but this time, will their love survive?

A woman of your caliber doesn't deserve to be cheated on," Amelia Connels thought Jake was her forever. She loved him, trusted him, and even helped him rise to success. But on the night of his surprise birthday party-a night she planned to celebrate their love-he didn't show up. Instead, Amelia met Logan Wills, a captivating billionaire with a devilish smirk and a devastating revelation. "Does he look familiar?" Logan asked, as he held his phone up. The image of Jake, tangled in bed with another woman, shattered Amelia's world. Heartbroken and furious, she didn't know what hurt more: Jake's betrayal or the truth that she'd given everything to someone who didn't value her. Logan, however, offered her a proposal-a fake relationship. "A relationship with me for three months," Logan proposed, his gaze steady. "Make him regret ever cheating on you." What Amelia didn't know was that Logan's motives ran deeper than revenge for her heartbreak. But as their staged romance heats up, so do real feelings, and secrets neither of them expected threaten to ruin everything. "You used me, didn't you?" Amelia whispered, tears streaming down her face. "And you helped him to ruin me!!," Logan shot back, his voice cracking. In a battle of love, betrayal, and redemption, Amelia and Logan must decide if they can overcome their pasts or if their connection is just another casualty of revenge.

Selena Jones must marry the young and wealthy billionaire, Joseph McCarthy, because of her gambling father's debts. This marriage forces her to leave her peaceful life and new love behind, plunging her into a world filled with greed and power struggles. As she enters the McCarthy mansion, Selena feels threatened by those around her. She faces a scheming stepbrother, a bitter stepmother, and a jealous ex-lover, all of whom want to use her for their own gain. As she navigates betrayal, hostility, and a marriage based on lies, Selena discovers a shocking secret that challenges everything she thought she understood about trust and love. Will she return to the unfinished business of a lingering relationship that left her heart in turmoil, or will she bravely embark on a new journey to create a love story that is truly her own, filled with passion and genuine connection?

Claire Harrington grew up in the shadow of Eleanor Harrington, her mother-the woman who built one of Ashford City's most feared media empires. Eleanor exposed scandals, toppled rivals, and destroyed reputations without blinking. When Eleanor died suddenly, her empire collapsed in flames of lawsuits and corruption, dragging Claire into the ashes. At her lowest, Claire thought she had found salvation in Adrian Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood Corporation. But Adrian never wanted salvation for her. He wanted revenge. Years ago, Eleanor Harrington's media empire had smeared his father, driving him to ruin and an early death. Adrian saw Claire not as a wife, but as a weapon for payback. "You married me out of love?" Claire whispered on the night he revealed the truth. Adrian's eyes were cold. "Love? No, Claire. I married you so every time you look at me, you remember the price of your mother's sins." Humiliated and discarded, Claire refuses to be broken. With nothing left, she claws her way into Whitestone Media, a struggling independent newsroom. There she begins to rebuild herself, learning the very weapons her mother once wielded-truth, influence, and scandal. Her allies are few. Olivia Price, a sharp-witted colleague who refuses to let Claire give up. Ryan Gallagher, a racer turned whistleblower, whose loyalty challenges Adrian's claim on her. Yet Adrian never lets her go. Every time Claire rises, he drags her back into his world of power plays and media wars. "Publish another word against me, Claire, and I'll bury you," Adrian warns, pinning her with the same intensity that once undid her. She lifts her chin. "Go ahead, Adrian. Bury me. Just remember who taught me how to dig." As Felicity Monroe, Adrian's ambitious fiancée, maneuvers to secure her place beside him, Claire unearths shocking secrets about Eleanor's empire. The Harrington legacy hides more than scandal-it holds the truth about Adrian's family's destruction, and the possibility that he, too, has been

"My brother would kill you, Roman. Hell, I shouldn't even be here!" He moves closer, blocking the exit. "He's not here, and you're not telling me to stop, Nikki. So, why don't we stop lying to each other and admit the truth?" I glare at him. My heart's slamming against my chest. "Which is what exactly?" A wicked smirk curves his lips. "That we want each other. Always have. No matter how badly we shouldn't." *** Ten years ago, I almost kissed the one guy I should've stayed away from, my brother's best friend, Roman Hayes. But then he vanished from our lives and has somehow become the person my brother hates the most. I haven't seen him in years. The last place I expect to find him is at a high-end gala where I'm meeting potential sponsors for my charity, dressed in a ridiculously expensive suit and reeking of sin-and somehow, he might be the answer to all my prayers. But there's a catch: I'm not supposed to be anywhere near him, and the moment our eyes lock, I know I've made the biggest mistake of my entire life. He's my brother's ex-best friend, after all, and there's a spark between us that's never been extinguished, and a truth neither of us wants to admit. But some truths are darker than I could have possibly imagined, and some games are too wicked and wild to be entertained. This man might just destroy my life in ways I never saw coming... And the worst part? I'll enjoy every second of it.

All she wants is to become an heir just to get back at those who taunt her. However, that's only possible if she brings home her husband. Unfortunately, she recently got divorced and that seems impossible. His mission was to eliminate her within 24 hours just so she wouldn't become the heiress. However, things go awry when he accidentally becomes her substitute husband, and he finds himself unraveling a dark past attached to this woman. Would he be able to eliminate her? Would she become the heiress she wishes to be when everyone wants her dead?