Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Jessica Southern believed that love could conquer anything-even betrayal. So she staged a reckless kidnapping to test Alan Knight, the man who had adored her for fifteen years. But when he chose his fiancée over her, Jessica was left behind to die in a fiery explosion. Everyone thought she was gone forever. No body. No funeral. Only scandal and shame. Four years later, she walks back into his life-alive, beautiful, and carrying secrets that could shatter the perfect world he's built with her cousin, the woman he was supposed to marry. Now torn between guilt and obsession, Alan refuses to let Jessica go again. He wants answers, revenge, and most of all... her. But Jessica didn't come back for love. She came back to reveal the truth-and to make them all pay. When love turns to hate, and hate becomes obsession, can two broken hearts survive the fire they started?

Chapters

Chapter 2

"I didn't! Who says I'm scared? Jessica, you think anyone's gonna believe your nonsense now?" Chloe looked flustered under Alan's gaze, but she wasn't stupid-without solid proof, she didn't believe Jessica could stir up much trouble.

Jessica's heart twinged with pain-Chloe had hit a nerve. The truth of that kidnapping years ago... even if she said it now, would he believe her? But since he loved his ex-fiancée so deeply, she doubted he'd ignore what she had to say.

She shook the press badge in her hand. "I could honestly care less about your wedding. I'm just here to ask Mr. Knight how he plans on explaining his dealings with the Yorqan family."

The reporters around them, still reeling from the whole "Jessica came back from the dead" bombshell, suddenly snapped to attention at this explosive news.

The Yorqan family was infamous in finance-predatory, ruthless, gobbling up companies like it was nothing. Generations of hard work from various families had been destroyed by them. And now Alan was involved with them?

The journalists surged forward like sharks smelling blood. Was Knight Corp teaming up with the Yorqan family to take over Helvaria's major companies? If that got out, they'd become the most hated name in the country's business world.

Alan's eyes locked sharply on Jessica. The contract with Sultan had just been stolen-and here she was stirring the pot right after? No doubt about it-she was the thief.

"Don't listen to Jessica! Alan would never do something like this!" Chloe threw herself in front of him like she was ready to defend him with her life.

"Oh really?" Jessica's voice was light, but her words cut deep. "Well, I'm pretty sure that contract is with the Commercial Crime Bureau by now. Tell me, Mr. Knight, how're you feeling about that?"

Alan's lips pressed into a razor-thin line. It was a long beat before he finally spat out, voice like frost, "You've got a death wish."

Jessica let out a low laugh. "Already died once. Forgot about that, Mr. Knight?" I came back-for payback.

Just then, piercing sirens wailed and police pushed through the crowd.

"Mr. Alan, you're wanted for questioning by the International Commercial Crime Bureau regarding your alleged dealings with the Yorqan family."

"No! You can't take him! It's our wedding day!" Chloe cried out, clutching tightly to Alan, refusing to let go. She had waited so long for this-one step away from becoming Mrs. Knight.

"Chloe, let go. I'll be right back." Alan released his grip on Jessica's arm, gently pried Chloe's hands off, then patted the back of her hand softly. The cold frown he'd worn since entering the chapel finally eased a bit, and he gave Chloe a look meant to calm her down.

Standing tall with that unshakable presence of his, he followed the police with steady steps into the car. The atmosphere around him didn't slump at all-like he wasn't being taken in for questioning, just casually going out with the cops for coffee.

Chloe suddenly broke down in tears, not knowing how to deal with the mess she was left in. The grand wedding had completely turned into a farce.

Jessica didn't even glance in Chloe's direction. She walked straight through the crowd toward Daniel Cooper, her boss at the news agency.

"Mr. Cooper, I don't think there's anything more to report here. The questioning will take 48 hours."

Daniel looked like he'd just snapped out of a dream. "Jessica... you're Jessica?" His gaze faltered. He never expected this girl to be the Southern family's heiress.

Jessica gave a faint smile. "Yeah, that's me. Starting to dislike me now?" After all, who'd like a woman who caused so much trouble, even pulling off a public takedown at someone's wedding?

"No way! Why would I hate you? Actually... you're nothing like the rumors at all." Daniel quickly explained, his reaction not out of distaste, but sheer disbelief at her background.

Everyone said the Southern family's daughter was a spoiled brat, impossible to deal with-but from the time Jessica joined the news team, there'd been no sign of that. She was the most hardworking and diligent one of them all, and honestly, super grounded.

He never would've imagined Jessica could be... well, her.

"Mr. Cooper! We've got a record number of clicks on our site! That illegal deal story broke everything!" An excited assistant held up a phone for Daniel to see.

"Alright, that's it-everyone, pack up. Tonight we celebrate Jessica! It's on me!"

Cheers rang out as the team crowded around Jessica and Daniel, making their way out of the church.

Jessica sat in the car, glancing back out the window at the chapel. It still stood tall and solemn like always, untouched by the years. Fifteen years might've passed, but the place hadn't changed at all-just the people had.

The memory was still vivid: a teenage boy holding a little girl, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

"Alan, what are they doing?" the girl asked.

"They're getting married," he replied.

"I wanna get married too... That lady's dress is so pretty! I wanna wear it!"

"When you grow up, I'll marry you right here. And I'll buy you the most beautiful wedding dress in the world. So grow up quick, alright?"

He kissed her forehead-someone once said that was the purest kind of kiss.

Jessica pulled her gaze back, her eyes dry but stinging. Not a single tear came out.

Continue to next part

Lucas Graham's life unraveled on his eleventh birthday when his father returned home with a mistress in his hand and her child at his beckon. The reason? Lucas's inability to awaken his innate gifts. Cast out from his family, he endured a harsh existence, clinging to the love of his only remaining kin—his mother. Years later, everything changes. Lucas awakens not with one or two but five extraordinary abilities that rival old legends. Yet, instead of reclaiming his lost title, he and his mother choose a quiet life in a remote town, shielding themselves from the past. But fate is relentless. The mistress resurfaces, sending assassins to end Lucas and his mother. The assassins succeed in taking the mother's life, but Lucas survives. Now fueled by a burning desire for vengeance, he vows to make them pay for his mother's death, even if it means reducing the city to ashes.

Action Fantasy Modern

9.8

Double Betrayal: Shadows Of Vengeance

9.8

Aurora Vale was trained to be a weapon beautiful, precise, and disposable. Recruited as a teenager into a covert intelligence division that officially doesn't exist, Aurora has spent her life seducing secrets out of powerful men and destroying targets without ever pulling a trigger. Cold. Calculated. Untouchable. Inside the agency, she is known as The Steel Heart an operative who never fails and never feels. Until her latest mission. Her target is Valerio Blackthorn, an untouchable crime lord feared even by governments brilliant, disciplined, and impossible to trap. Assigned as his personal bodyguard, Aurora is meant to get close, extract information, and deliver him to a massive takedown operation. What she doesn't know is that Valerio has already seen the trap. Instead of exposing her, he lets her stay watching, testing, dismantling her carefully crafted tactics with unsettling calm. As the line between hunter and prey blurs, Aurora begins to realize the truth: Valerio is not the monster she was sent to destroy. And the government she serves is far more corrupt than the criminal world she was trained to infiltrate. When Aurora discovers that the mission is not about justice but about silencing a former ally who refused to be controlled she makes an impossible choice. She betrays the agency. She saves the man she was meant to destroy. Now branded a rogue agent with a kill on sight order, Aurora is forced into the shadows alongside Valerio. Hunted by her own government and by a ruthless international syndicate seeking revenge, the two must survive a war where trust is dangerous, love is lethal, and freedom comes at a devastating price. As bullets fly and secrets explode onto the global stage, Aurora must decide who she truly is a weapon, a traitor, or a woman reclaiming her soul. In a world ruled by lies and power, love may be the most dangerous rebellion of all.

Action Adventure Mystery

7.2

From Shattered Prodigy to Abyssal Vengeance

7.2

Elara Vex had everything-a flawless ice core, the title of prodigy, and a place at the pinnacle of the High Tower. But in one brutal night, it was all ripped away. Her mentor tore the core from her chest. Her fiancé drove a sword through her back. Her own sister smiled as she bled out on the cold marble floor. When Elara wakes, she's years in the past, mere hours before her core is scheduled to be stolen. This time, she won't be anyone's sacrificial lamb. She shatters her own core with forbidden blood magic and forges something far more terrifying in its place-a bottomless, ravenous Chaos Core that devours magic itself. Now, branded a worthless cripple and cast into the deadly Abyss, Elara is pulled from the darkness by the outcasts of Elysium Academy-a school for heretics, psychopaths, and everything the Tower despises. Under the tutelage of a reclusive principal who knew her murdered mother, Elara will master her forbidden power and uncover the Tower's darkest secrets. When the Five Academies Ranking Tournament arrives, Seraphina Vex stands in the arena, draped in white saintess robes, ready to claim ultimate glory. She doesn't know that a ghost from her past has clawed her way back from hell. She doesn't know that Elara is coming-and this time, the prodigal sister isn't asking for mercy. She's bringing chaos.

Action Fantasy Horror

7.9

His Blindness Killed Our Pup Now He Begs Forgiveness

7.9

When Brynn was born, she saved Alpha Levi from a rogue attack, sustaining injuries that left her fragile and unable to awaken her inner wolf. Since then, Levi vowed to make her the most cherished princess of the Silver Moon Pack. On her birthday, after tucking her into bed, I snuck out to the underground fighting rings in search of rare healing herbs to strengthen her fragile body. But what I found there shattered my world. Levi, my mate, the Alpha of our pack, stood in the VIP section, his arm draped around Kamila, the pack’s lead communications officer. Below them, in the bloodstained arena, Brynn—my sweet, defenseless Brynn—was thrown into a cage with eight snarling wolves, her small human form trembling with fear. She couldn’t shift. She had no wolf to protect her. "Alpha," Kamila purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness, "that little thing scared me earlier. I thought she was going to attack me.

Action Romance Werewolf

8.7

I Returned With His child

8.7

He needed to stop. This wasn't why he'd followed her. He had only wanted to finally speak with her about their arrangement. But his body wouldn't let him– her flushed face sent ripples of hot need coursing right through him. A moan escaped her, shattering what little self-control he maintained. ------ Six years ago, Gabrielle walked away from Edward Harrington with nothing but a broken heart and a secret growing inside her. Now she's back- not for love, not for forgiveness, but because she has run out of choices. With a daughter to protect, a mother slipping away, and poverty closing in, Gabrielle steps into a world she no longer recognizes: Edward's world. A world of wealth, power, quiet cruelty, and memories that refuse to stay buried. Edward is no longer the boy who once loved her. He is colder. Sharper. Untouchable. And he knows exactly how much power he holds. As past desire collides with present resentment, Gabrielle must survive a house where she doesn't belong, a society that judges her at a glance, and a man who wants control more than reconciliation. But the most dangerous truth of all? Their past never ended. And their daughter is standing right between them. Love. Power. Humiliation. Desire. Revenge. In the Harrington estate, nothing is gentle-and nothing is free.

Action Mystery Romance

9.7

No Escape From Fate

9.7

A monotonous, colorless life and dull relationships instantly fade into the background the moment you step into a completely different world-one with its own rules and laws. It looks so much like ours, and yet is radically different, for here live werewolves and countless other incredible beings. Bring a cursed Alpha King's heart back to life? Ride off into the sunset with one of the handsome guards? Or fall for a dangerous witch and uncover the true face of evil? Wrap it all up for me-I'll take it! An extraordinary world, vivid characters, blazing emotions, and passionate love with a touch of spice ❤️‍🔥 18+ "Quite an interesting hall you've got here," Karadeylis said without even glancing around, his steps bringing him dangerously close. "But OURS holds unforgettable memories of the time we unwrapped your restless little ass." I gasped in outrage at his brazen words-especially with so many people around-but my panties betrayed me, dampening at the memory of exactly what that bastard had reminded me of. "How dare you?!" I hissed, our faces now only inches apart. Goosebumps ran across my skin at the dangerous nearness. I could feel his hot breath on my lips, the heat of his half-bare body, and that intoxicating scent I knew too well. Our breathing came ragged, as if we had just finished running a marathon, unable to break free from the magnetic pull of each other's gaze. "No one else dares-only me, Prepedollie!" the scoundrel growled, gripping me firmly by the tail and yanking my face closer to his as his eyes devoured me. "I warned you-once I found you, there would be no mercy!"

Action Fantasy Werewolf

Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Chapter 2

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