CELINE:The Sheikh Dessert Bride

* **One night of betrayal. One night of passion. A lifetime of consequences.** Celine was always the shadow-the reliable twin who worked while her sister, Celeste, basked in the spotlight. But when she finds her boyfriend of five months in her sister's bed, the shadow finally snaps. A reckless night at a dive bar with a hazel-eyed stranger was supposed to be her escape, a way to forget the people who saw her as a spare part. But the stranger wasn't just a face in the crowd. He was **Idris Al-Miraj**, the billionaire Sheikh and the owner of the very hotel where Celine works. When her parents attempt to sell her into a sacrificial marriage to save the family's reputation, Celine finds herself hunted by her past and trapped by her future. Idris doesn't just want her back in his bed; he wants to own every brick of the wall she's built around her heart. Jobless, homeless, and backed into a corner by a family that only needs her when they can use her, Celine prepares to run again. But Idris has other plans. He doesn't want her to run. He doesn't even want her to surrender. He wants her to fight back. **"Use me,"** he says. In a world where power is the only currency, Celine must decide if the man who dismantled her life is her greatest enemy-or the only weapon she has left.

Chapters

Chapter 1

Celine wiped the final streak of polish from the mahogany nightstand, her muscles aching from hours of scrubbing and fluffing pillows in the opulent suite. The room smelled faintly of lavender cleaner mixed with the hotel's signature jasmine scent-notes that always lingered on her uniform like an unwanted perfume. She glanced at her watch: 6:45 PM. If she hustled, she'd clock out before her manager, Mr. Hargrove, made his rounds. That man was a vulture, circling for any speck of dust or crooked towel to pick at, his nasal voice dripping with fake politeness as he docked pay or threatened write-ups.She grabbed her cleaning cart, wheels squeaking softly on the marble floors of the Al-Miraj Grand Palace, the most lavish hotel in the city. Nestled in the heart of downtown, it sprawled like a gilded oasis-crystal chandeliers dripping from vaulted ceilings, fountains bubbling in the lobby, and suites that catered to celebrities and oil tycoons. Celine had worked here for two years, mopping up after the elite, but she'd never laid eyes on the owner. Rumors swirled among the staff: maybe he was a reclusive billionaire who hated the spotlight, or some ancient sheikh pulling strings from a desert palace halfway across the world. Whatever the case, the place ran like clockwork, which was more than she could say for her own life.Heart racing with a different kind of urgency, Celine darted down the service corridor, dodging a laundry cart and slipping past the kitchen doors where chefs barked orders in a symphony of clanging pots. Today marked five months with Jamal-five months of stolen kisses in her tiny apartment, late-night texts that made her blush, and dreams of something more. She'd scrimped from her tips to buy him a sleek leather wallet, engraved with their initials. Tonight, she'd surprise him. Clock out early, slip home, shower off the day's grime, and emerge in that lacy black lingerie set she'd hidden in her drawer for weeks. Red lace hugging her curves, garters whispering against her thighs-Jamal wouldn't know what hit him.The employee exit loomed ahead, a nondescript door at the back of the hotel. Celine punched her code into the panel, the lock clicking open with a satisfying beep. Freedom. She burst into the humid evening air, the city's neon lights flickering to life as the sun dipped behind skyscrapers. A grin split her face, wide and unguarded. For once, everything felt right. Jamal had texted earlier: Can't wait to see you, babe. Pizza and Netflix? She'd play along, then blindfold him for the real surprise.The bus ride home blurred by in a haze of anticipation. Celine fidgeted with the gift bag in her lap, imagining his eyes lighting up, his strong hands pulling her close. Jamal worked construction, his body honed from hauling steel beams under the relentless sun. He wasn't the flowers-and-dinner type, but he made her laugh, held her after long shifts, and whispered promises of a future-maybe even a ring someday. Five months wasn't forever, but it was enough to make her believe.Her apartment building came into view, a weathered five-story walk-up on the edge of the bustling neighborhood. Paint peeled from the railings, and the elevator hadn't worked in months, but it was home. Celine bounded up the stairs two at a time, her sneakers thudding softly. Key in hand-the spare she'd copied last month-she paused at the door to their shared place. Jamal had insisted on paying half the rent after a month, calling it "our spot." She twisted the key, the lock tumbling with a familiar click.The door swung open to darkness, save for the faint glow of a lamp from the bedroom. Odd-Jamal usually left the living room light on. "Babe? I'm home early!" she called, kicking off her shoes and padding inside. The air felt thick, heavy with a musky scent that wasn't their usual mix of takeout and her vanilla body spray. Pizza boxes? No, something earthier, primal.Celine's pulse quickened, a thrill mixing with the day's exhaustion. Maybe he'd planned something too. She set the gift bag on the kitchen counter, fingers already tugging at her uniform blouse. A hot shower first-steam to melt away the hotel's polish, then the lingerie. She flicked on the bathroom light, splashing water on her face, watching it swirl down the drain like her worries.But as she stepped toward the bedroom, a sound stopped her cold. Low, rhythmic-moans? Laughter? No, unmistakable gasps, flesh slapping against flesh. Her stomach twisted. Heart hammering, she crept forward, the floorboards creaking under her weight. The door was ajar, a sliver of yellow light spilling out.She pushed it open silently, and the world shattered.

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After three agonizing months, I finally found my fiancé, Barnett Spencer, at a gala at The Plaza. He had vanished without a trace, and I was on the verge of losing my mind. But when I saw him on stage, my blood turned to ice. He had a strange woman tucked into his arm, and a lawyer announced that a recent accident had erased the last six years of his memory-our entire relationship. In front of a sea of reporters, Barnett looked right through me with freezing hostility. "Miss, you have the wrong person." He then declared that the woman beside him, Joslyn, was not only the person who saved his life but also his new, legal wife. The news hit me like a physical blow, and the camera flashes swallowed me whole as reporters shoved microphones in my face, asking how it felt to be publicly dumped. The man I had loved for six years had turned me into a national joke, a delusional stranger trying to cling to his wealth. That night, as I was drowning my humiliation in a martini, his ruthless younger brother, Dixon, found me. He slid a marriage contract across the bar. "Marry me," he said, his voice a low rumble. "I want his shares. You want his pain. We both get what we want." Fueled by alcohol and a burning need for revenge, I grabbed his pen and signed my name. I was no longer the abandoned fiancée. I was about to become my ex's worst nightmare: his new sister-in-law.

Action Modern Romance

8.2

Hero Alpha and Dying Stepdaughter

8.2

After her wolf's sacrifice triggers a rebirth, a battle-scarred daughter chooses a different fate. In her first life, she bled in fighting pits to restore her father's honor, only to be cast aside. Now, her sister claims that path, leaving her to join her mother and the formidable Alpha Alaric. With her internal spirit decaying from past trauma, she seeks a quiet life over glory. She must navigate a new pack while hiding the terminal state of her soul.

Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Werewolf

9.1

My Mafia Bridegroom Regretted After Refusing Wedding

9.1

As the secret Principessa of the Sicilian Shepherd Mafia, my identity remained hidden for my own safety. However, during our wedding, my arrogant fiancé humiliated me by allowing his bodyguard to feed my family token to a dog. He dismissed my background as insignificant and even threatened to destroy my kin. After one phone call, armored vehicles stormed the estate. As our Consigliere knelt before me, my fiancé realized I was the sole heir to Europe’s largest arms trade.

Action Mafia Modern Mystery Romance

9.8

My Wife's a Doctor and a Killer

9.8

Finn’s mother desperately needs a heart transplant, and his wife Wendy Lowell is the only surgeon capable of the task. However, Finn discovers Wendy in a compromising position with her assistant. Instead of showing remorse, Wendy retaliates against Finn’s confrontation by ordering his mother’s oxygen supply cut off. Driven to the brink by her cruelty and infidelity, Finn decides he will no longer play the victim. He begins a dangerous game of shadows to expose Wendy’s crimes and ensure she pays for her heartless betrayal.

Action Modern Mystery Romance

8.8

Rejected Shadow Luna

8.8

Ryker Voss branded Sara Harlan rogue and abandoned her to die, all because she was his fated mate. Alpha Kael Draven pulls her from the brink and claims her as his second chance—but he keeps her hidden in darkness and refuses to name their bond love. Then Alpha Snow truly sees her, and his touch stirs a dangerous power waking inside her, one that could bring packs to their knees. With enemies closing in and a traitor lurking within Silvermoon, Sara must decide: remain the broken Omega they made her, or become the vengeance no one saw coming.

Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Werewolf

7.6

Replaced By A Mistress: The Wife's Revenge

7.6

I went to the City Clerk's office to update my passport, desperate to feel alive again after losing my ability to draw. Instead, the clerk handed me a reality that killed me. "Mrs. Crosby," she whispered, her face drained of color. "You aren't married to Bennet. The divorce was finalized three years ago. On October 12th." The date hit me harder than a physical blow. October 12th was the day my right hand was crushed. The day Gianna Skinner, a woman obsessed with my husband, shattered twenty-seven bones in my drawing hand with a marble bust. Bennet, the most ruthless Don in New York, had promised me justice. He swore he locked Gianna in a dungeon to rot for hurting his "Angel." But the screen in front of me told a different story. He had married Gianna the very same day he divorced me. I drove to the Lake House where she was supposed to be suffering. I didn't find a prison; I found a modern glass palace. There they were, sitting on a swing set I had designed. Gianna wasn't rotting. She was laughing in his lap, wearing a silk robe. "She is so pathetic," Gianna purred, tracing his jaw. "Five years and she still thinks she is the Lady of the house." Bennet chuckled, the sound dark and terrifying. "She is broken, Gianna. A bird with no wings. She has no value to the Family anymore, except as a trophy on my shelf. She is my pet. You are my fire." My phone buzzed in my pocket. A text from Bennet. "Happy Anniversary, my Angel. Tonight, I give you the world." He wasn't giving me the world. He was building a cage out of lies. Through a bugged ring, I later heard his endgame: he planned to institutionalize me for "mental instability" so he could bring Gianna into the light. I didn't go home to cry. I went to my office and opened a secure browser on the dark web. *Subject: Protocol Erasure.* *Target: Harper Cline.* *Execution: Immediate.* Bennet thought he had broken his pet. He was about to realize he had just unleashed a lioness.

Action Modern Romance

CELINE:The Sheikh Dessert Bride

Chapter 1

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