OWNED IN THE DARK
After losing both her parents at a tender age, Ciara experiences coldness despite having her best friend Carlista whose parents chose to raise her, she faces several oppositions from extended family and even outside pressure as a result of her inherited wealth; she falls in love with her best friend's brother who refuses to acknowledge their relationship to the public.
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Chapter 4
CIARA
I yawned as I opened my eyes slowly and discovered him beside me on the bed; no wonder I remained warm inspite of the heavy storm that refused to stop. I tried to stand but he pulled my back to himself; his hard on digging into my back side as he spooned me so I pushed harder and he grunted "Good morning Ciara."
I scoffed. "Why are you here Mat? What if someone had walked in?"
"The storm is pretty bad so no one can come in but even if they do I'd handle it."
I exhaled slowly. "You are engaged to someone else; you should stay away from me."
"I know you are still mad at me but we need to discuss this. Why chose to have an abortion?"
"Why did you chose to swap my pills without my consent? How was my IUD removed without me knowing? You are a very known figure who got very engaged to Maggie; you need to forget about anything we had and move on with your life like I did mine."
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating as the rain outside intensified leaving the atmosphere tensed.
"I thought I was down with a flu or something but imagine my shock when they told me I was pregnant. You are the most selfish man I've ever met in my life Mathew. You want a wife and a mistress but I'm not playing your game with you."
The rain stopped, leaving the world gray and washed clean. I stood, staring at the window.
I turned to look at him, my eyes void of the softness they had held on "You cornered me everywhere...."
"Because you were avoiding me," he snapped, stepping closer to the window. "You pushed me away, Ciara. I thought you wanted this."
"Did you ever stop to think maybe I wanted you but not what you wanted to make me?"
I tightened my robe "I need to go home, Matthew. I can't be here with you looking at me like I'm a mistake."
I started to walk past him, but he didn't move.
"Did you love me at all?" he asked, the question tearing at his throat.
I paused, my hand on the doorknob. I looked back at him, and for a second, the anger cracked, revealing the hurt beneath. "I loved you enough to die for you, Matthew. That's the problem. I loved you more than you were ever willing to love me and only a manipulative jerk like you would bring up love right now."
The door clicked shut as I walked away from him.
He found me at the garden an hour later, ignoring the pouring rain as I pulled weeds from the soil. I looked like a wild creature, soaked to the bone, my hair plastered to her face.
"You're crazy," he called out to me, approaching through the mud.
I didn't look up. "Go away, Matthew."
"I'm not going anywhere," he said, walking right up to me. He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to turn to him. "You're shivering."
"I'm fine." I tried to shrug him off, but he held on, my grip tight enough to bruise.
"You didn't eventually go through with the abortion," he stated. It wasn't a question.
My eyes went wide, then narrowed into slits. "You don't know that. I handled the procedure."
"I know you're pregnant," he said, leaning in until our noses were almost touching. "I know you better than you know yourself. Your body is fighting to protect something, Ciara. You're fertile, you're weak, and you're carrying my child."
"I'm not a vessel for your legacy, Matthew!" I shoved me hard, the force surprising him enough that he stumbled back. "Get out of my life. Just get out."
I pushed past him, but he caught my wrist, spinning me around and pinning me against the rough bark of an old oak tree. The rain soaked through our clothes instantly, our chests pressed together, skin slick and hot.
"Don't do this," he growled, his mouth hovering over hers. "I'm not letting you walk away from me, Ciara. I'm going to make you remember exactly what it felt like to be with me."
"Then prove it and leave me the hell alone" I screamed, water dripping from her chin.
That was all the invitation he needed. He didn't waste another second. He kissed me, hard and desperate, claiming my mouth with a ferocity that bordered on violence. His tongue thrust deep, demanding access, tasting the rain and the sweetness of her that he had been starving for. My hands clenched in his wet hair, pulling him closer, my breath hitching in a moan that escaped into the storm.
One hand moved to the back of my neck, holding me in place, while the other tore at the sash of my robe, letting the fabric fall open. The cold air hit my skin, but his body was a furnace against me.
"Matthew," I gasped against his lips. "We're outside."
"So what?" he nipped at my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth. "The whole world can see us. The whole world can watch me take what's mine."
He lifted me effortlessly, her legs wrapping instinctively around my waist. He buried my face in the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent and lowered me onto the soft, wet grass of the garden. He covered my body with his, weight pinning me to the earth, his erection already hard and aching, pressing demandingly against my thigh.
"Look at me, Ciara," he commanded, his voice dropping to a rough growl.
I opened her eyes, dark with desire, water pooling in her lashes. I reached down, my fingers trembling as I unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it open to reveal his chest. I ran my hands over his skin, my touch electric, making him shudder.
"You think you can just walk away?" he whispered, his lips brushing against my earlobe, biting down gently. "You think you can carry my child and then just choose to leave? No. You belong to me. Your body, your mind, your child."
"I hate you," I breathed, my nails digging into his back as he ground his hips against me, letting me feel exactly how much I affected me.
"I know," he groaned, aligning himself with my heat. "But you're mine, Ciara. And I'm going to make you scream my name until you believe it."
He thrust into me in one fluid motion, sheath enveloping me instantly, hot and tight and perfect. I cried out, my back arching off the ground, my fingers digging into his shoulders as he began to move. The rain continued to fall, washing over us, blurring the edges of the world until there was only the friction of our bodies, the slick heat of our skin, and the thunder of our hearts beating in sync.
He fucked me with a wild, desperate rhythm, each stroke harder and deeper than the last. He wanted to mark me, to leave his sign on my skin, to remind me that no matter where I went, he was the one who knew my body best. My legs wrapped tighter around his waist, pulling him in deeper, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
"Mathew..." I moaned, my head falling back against the wet grass. "Please... don't stop."
"Never," he growled, reaching between us to rub my clit with his thumb as he pistoned into me. "I'm never letting you go."
I arched my back, my walls clamping down around me, milking him for everything he had. My eyes rolled back, my mouth open in a silent scream as I shattered, my body convulsing around his. The feeling was blinding, pushing him over the edge as he roared my name, emptying himself into me with a guttural cry.
He collapsed on top of me, both of us breathless and spent, the rain cooling our overheated skin. He held me close, burying his face in my neck, listening to the thunderous thumping of my heart. He didn't care about the mud, the wet clothes, or the public display. "You're mine, Ciara," he whispered against my skin. "Always."
I didn't answer, but I didn't pull away either. He turned my head to look at him, a small, broken smile touching my lips. "You're absolutely insane Matthew."
"I'm your man," I corrected, kissing her forehead. "And I'm not letting you leave this garden until you agree to forgive me."
I laughed softly, a sound that seemed too light for the storm raging inside me. "You think a fuck is going to fix everything, don't you?"
"It fixed something," he said, nuzzling my neck. "It fixed you and it's going to keep fixing us. Now get up. We need to clean up before Calista comes looking for us."
I groaned but moved, my legs trembling as I stood. He helped me up, his arms around my waist, keeping me steady. We were a mess, a tangled mess of limbs and wet clothes, but he didn't care.
As we walked back to the house, he cleared his throat "Some Paps got their hands on your medical records, it's how I discovered you never went through with the abortion. I've handled them."
"Are you fucking kidding me Matthew? So...I don't even get any privacy?" I scoffed and as he's about to respond, the moment we stepped into the house, we found Maggie, his fiancée waiting inside.
She stared at us for a while then walked up and kissed him on his lips as he quickly pushed her aside "Hi babe."
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8.9
This is my story of how to lose a mob boss in ten days.
I have a
I've been arranged to marry a monster.
Run away? Good idea. Tried that. Didn't work.
Because in my family, my father makes the rules.
And he says this wedding is happening .
But he still has a soft spot for me, his last remaining daughter.
So he offers me a deal.
Take ten days.
Get to know Sasha.
See if you change your mind.
Yeah, right.
Sasha Ozerov is a beast in Brioni.
He's ruthless, flawless, utterly unconcerned with mortals like me.
All he wants is what our marriage would bring
My family's power and the city in the palm of his hand.
But maybe, if I can make him back out of the deal...
I'll keep my freedom.
So I set out to do everything I can to drive him crazy.
I have ten days to make my husband hate me.
What happens if I start to love him instead?
7.5
On the morning of our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, I found a cream-colored document tucked inside my husband's suit pocket.
It was a twenty-million-dollar asset transfer for his former receptionist, Carmen. But what made my blood run cold was the contingent beneficiary: Leo, my newborn son who the hospital claimed was kidnapped twenty-three years ago.
When I confronted Devonte, he didn't even try to explain. He handed me a fake Cartier watch, canceled all my credit cards, and publicly called me delusional.
The next day, he moved Carmen into our mansion and emptied all our joint accounts into offshore trusts.
"If you don't sign these papers and walk away, I will have you committed," he threatened, his mother nodding in agreement.
They had orchestrated the kidnapping of my baby, hiding him with the mistress while I spent half my life sedated and screaming in grief. Now, to keep his secret, Devonte was going to lock me in a psychiatric ward and bury me in debt.
I didn't understand how the man I loved could be such a monster. Why did he steal my child? What else was hidden in that confidential adoption file?
Pushed to the absolute brink, I refused to be his victim.
When his goons came to my temporary apartment to drag me away, I turned to the rugged union electrician who had just fixed my lights.
"If you need a husband to keep you out of a psych ward, I'll marry you," he said, offering himself as my legal shield.
I took his hand. It was time to tear my husband's perfect life apart.
9.3
They say you can't have it all. I'm about to prove them wrong-or destroy myself trying.
When my struggling mother married billionaire Richard Stone, I thought I was gaining a family. Instead, I found three stepbrothers who became my obsession, my downfall, and my salvation.
Dominic, the eldest, cold and commanding, who kisses me like he's claiming his kingdom and looks at me like I'm the only thing he can't control.
Julian, the charming playboy who hides a vulnerable soul beneath his perfect smile, making me feel like I'm the only woman he's ever truly seen.
Asher, the brooding artist who paints me like I'm his muse and touches me like I'm his masterpiece, seeing parts of my soul I didn't know existed.
They're forbidden. They're dangerous. They're everything I shouldn't want.
But when I discover my father didn't die by suicide that he was murdered by the very man who now calls himself my stepfather, these three powerful men becomes my unlikely allies.
First it was a forbidden attraction, now it's an arrangement that defies every rule.
The rules are simple:
I'll give each of them a chance.
I'll take everything they offer.
And in the end, I'll have to make the hardest decision of my life:
Choose one of them. Choose all of them. Or choose myself.
8.9
Audrey Fletcher was forced to marry the notorious playboy Julian Sterling to save her family's sinking company after her sister ran away.
On their wedding night, her new husband threw a $100,000 check at her face, told her they would be strangers in private, and abandoned her in the bridal suite.
She thought being trapped in a loveless, transactional marriage was the worst fate possible.
She was wrong.
To protect herself, Audrey hung a pair of men's boxer shorts on her balcony to fake a lover's presence.
Instead of deterring her husband, the ridiculous ruse brought Alistair Sterling—Julian's terrifying, powerful uncle and the true puppet master of the family.
He stormed into her apartment with a legal team to catch her cheating, and later even offered her ten million dollars to divorce his nephew.
When she refused out of fear of her own family's ruin, the situation escalated.
Forced to attend a charity gala, Audrey was tricked by staff into wearing a scandalous, backless gown and sent to a dark penthouse suite to beg her husband for peace.
But the man waiting in the shadows wasn't Julian. It was Alistair.
"Does the thought of seducing your husband's uncle give you a special kind of thrill?"
He didn't listen to her desperate explanations. Instead, he pinned her arms behind her back and crushed his mouth against hers in a brutal, punishing kiss.
Trembling with terror and revulsion, Audrey bit his lip until she tasted blood, shoved the billionaire away, and ran for her life.
She couldn't understand why this powerful man was so dangerously obsessed with destroying her sham marriage.
But as she fled into the cold city night, she realized the terrifying truth: the real game was just beginning.
7.6
The harsh glare of the spotlight hit Harper's custom wedding dress as she smiled at her groom.
But a single phone call from his mistress, Lila, made Chase violently shove his way down the aisle and sprint out of the hotel.
He left Harper to face the flashing cameras and the mockery of hundreds of guests.
Her mother-in-law dragged her into a hallway and slapped her hard across the face.
"You cannot even keep your own man in the room. You are making a mockery of this family."
When Harper rushed to the hospital, Chase blamed her for Lila's theatrical, fake miscarriage.
He threatened to pull every cent of capital from Harper's investment firm if she dared to walk away.
The Young family then used the media to frame Harper, turning her into a public pariah who viciously "killed" an unborn child.
Mobbed by ruthless paparazzi, Harper was pushed into the freezing rain, her knees bleeding on the concrete.
She couldn't accept that her entire life and career were being destroyed by a mistress's pathetic lie.
When Chase later tried to buy her silence with a pink diamond—the exact same one he had just gifted Lila—her remaining love turned to absolute ice.
But fate intervened when she was rescued from the mob by Antoni Donovan, the most ruthless billionaire on Wall Street and her biggest corporate rival.
Discovering that Antoni was actually her best friend's older brother, a dangerous smile spread across Harper's face.
She picked up his gold-lettered business card.
She was done being the victim; she was going to use the wolf of Wall Street to crush her ex-husband.
8.0
After years of a freezing, loveless marriage, my billionaire husband Israel finally threw me out to make room for his new lover, Ayla.
Before I even packed my bags, he ordered a crew to shred the Dogwood tree in our backyard and pour thick concrete into the crater, claiming it was a symbol of my infidelity.
He didn't know that buried beneath those roots was the urn containing the ashes of our unborn baby.
Stripped of everything, I tried to rebuild my shattered life by securing a supporting role in an indie film.
But Israel bought the entire production studio just to cast Ayla as the lead, demanding I act as her pathetic stepping stone.
When I refused, he cornered me on set with a sickening audio recording.
"We want one million dollars. This will ruin Karen forever."
It was my own parents. They had forged my medical records, planning to sell a story to the tabloids that I was a violent, delusional schizophrenic.
Israel smiled coldly, threatening to lock me in a padded room on an involuntary psychiatric hold unless I signed an unpaid contract to serve Ayla unconditionally.
My own flesh and blood had sold me out to a ruthless monster for cash.
Staring at the extortion contract, the last shred of desperation and love in my chest burned away into cold, gray ash.
To survive a monster, you have to become one.
I picked up his pen, violently signed my name, and prepared to rip his precious Ayla to shreds on camera.