Melting His Iced Heart
The sound of loud slapping windows jolted her from her sleep. She carefully got down from the bed, walking towards the window to shut it closed.
She froze instantly, turning cold with fear at the familiar figure standing right outside her window.
She staggered backwards. "No," she shook her head in disbelief, but that didn't stop him from jumping through her window.
She ran for the door, desperately trying to unlock it, but it wasn't even budging. Her heart raced in her chest, her palms clammy, and then she felt his large presence behind her, slamming his hand on the door right beside her head.
She slowly turned to find those cold gray eyes staring at her.
She trembled. "H-how did you f-find me?"
A sinister smirk suddenly appeared on his lips, his eyes shining with an evil glint.
"Didn't I tell you, Lilian? You run, I chase."
His hand shot to her throat, his thumb caressing it gently, and then he covered the distance between them, leaning in for his hot breath to fan her neck.
His hand held her small waist, pulling her impossibly closer to himself.
"Now you must be punished, princess."
In a bid to escape her cold husband and her cruel family, Lilian finds herself in an even more dangerous situation that either mends or breaks her.
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Chapter 2
Lilian's heart crumbled to bits. She went down on her knees, trying to pick up the pieces of paper, but he had shredded them beyond repair.
Her eyes burned with tears. She dug her nails into her flesh.
And then she looked up at him, feeling the large lump in her throat. "Why?" Her voice came out as a strangled cry.
His jaw hardened, somehow pissed or annoyed about her teary eyes or the fact that she had dared to question him.
"You can't just ask for a divorce, Lilian," he said, his voice stern.
Yes, she could. She was a human, a living, breathing human with emotions, and she had a right to make her own decisions.
She slowly stood up, her eyes glaring at him like she intended to burn him to a crisp. She would if she could.
"I'll have the lawyer draft up another contract." She turned to leave, but his words stopped her from taking a single step.
"And you think I'll sign it?" he scoffed. "Listen, princess, I didn't come all the way here just to push through with the damn divorce."
She squeezed the pieces of the shredded divorce papers in her hand, crumpling them. A lone tear rolled down her eyes against her wish.
"And why wouldn't you push through with this?" she croaked. "This isn't marriage; this is hell."
Her throat tightened. He had given her a roof over her head, luxury she could never have afforded even if she sold her soul, yet she felt lonelier than ever. She felt like a commodity that had been bought.
His rule was simple: she was forbidden from meddling in his life, and she wasn't allowed to call or text him when he was away either. Throughout their three years of marriage, she had only seen him twice. This wasn't the life she wanted, but she had been grateful for being rescued from her family.
Now it was up to her to rescue herself from him and her cruel family, and most importantly, rescue her mother.
This divorce would happen whether he liked it or not.
A look of surprise dawned on his face, one she failed to catch with her back still facing him.
"Hell?" he repeated, cold brush through her spine.
She pinched her fingers, feeling his hard stare on her back. Now she wanted to run. She had never talked back to him before; she had never talked back to anyone before.
"I'm leaving," were her last words before ascending the stairs and heading back to her room.
She took a deep breath and then she picked up her luggage, taking them out of her room. She took the elevator and arrived back at the living room.
She tightened her grip on the handle, seeing him still standing at the exact spot as minutes ago.
She tore her gaze away from him. "The lawyer would send the divorce papers again. Please sign them."
She dragged her trolley, walking past him to the large double door.
"Lilian," he called her. She halted, refusing to stare at him.
The sound of her own name caused a rush of goosebumps on her skin.
His footsteps echoed, mixing with the drumming of her heart in her eardrums. He stalked towards her, his hand slammed against the door frame, right beside her head.
And then he leaned in, his breath fanning her neck.
She stilled, her heart racing.
His breath brushed her neck. "Even if you decide to push through with the divorce, you are still mine, Lilian." His tone was calm, with a cold sharp edge.
His words didn't sound like a threat; rather, they sounded like a promise.
Her breath hitched. Even if she had been married to this man for three years, she still didn't know anything about him, nor did she know what he was capable of.
She managed to calm herself. His words would only materialize if he was ever able to find her. He wouldn't; she would make sure of that. She would escape his clutches and that of her family.
"Goodbye, Xavier," she swallowed. "See you in court."
She pulled the door handle, and thankfully, he stepped back. She didn't waste another second before stepping out of his house and possibly out of his life.
She took a cab to a hotel where she intended to stay till the divorce was over.
She had some savings. Could she hire someone to find her mother? She didn't have the resources; she didn't know anyone.
Even though her husband, Xavier, was the biggest and richest CEO in Hong Kong, she barely got to leave the house, and when she did, she had guards tailing her.
After the divorce, she would finally get what she wanted, freedom.
Her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her purse. Her hands trembled at the text she received from her father, Yhuan.
It was a picture of her mother, a cloth tied over her mouth and bruises on her face.
Tears clouded her vision immediately. She took a deep breath in and managed to blink them away before reading his text:
'Hasten up with the divorce, else the next picture might be her corpse.'
Her heart squeezed in her chest, quiet sobs pushing past her lips.
She tried hard to keep calm. She called the lawyer once more, asking him to draft another divorce paper as soon as possible.
It took two days this time, and now it was ready.
She had texted Xavier to meet her in court. She had broken his rule for the second time, but it didn't matter now. She was no longer his wife; she was no longer obligated to bend to his wishes.
She dressed smartly, wrapping her hair in a low bun, and then she stepped out of the hotel, taking a cab to court.
She stared at the divorce papers. She had signed every one of them, and the empty spaces left were for Xavier to sign.
Today, this divorce would happen.
Her eyes blazed with determination.
The cab stopped in front of the courthouse, and it was then she noticed it had begun to rain.
She stepped out nevertheless, but she took no more than two steps before a black umbrella suddenly hung over her head.
Her eyes fell on the black polished shoes first, and then her gaze slowly trailed up to land on him.
Xavier.
His cold gray eyes bored deep into hers.
Her heart hammered against her ribcage. His lips tilted up into a sinister smirk, one that promised to break and destroy her resolve.
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9.2
For a thousand years, the city of Crescent Falls has survived beneath the shadow of an ancient savior. Each century, a man is chosen as an offering to Sariyah-the being said to have once driven demons from the world. When Bastion, the man Ember loves, is taken after daring to refuse her, Ember's grief turns into defiance, and she vows to bring him home no matter the cost.
Her search forces her into an uneasy alliance with Orion St. James, a dangerously charming immortal with a violent past and secrets tied to Sariyah herself. Bound together by a magic neither of them wants nor understands, Ember and Orion are drawn into a hidden war beneath the city-one involving cultists, monsters, and an ancient order known as the Watchers.
As Crescent Falls begins to fracture, Ember experiences unsettling visions that hint her bloodline is far more entangled with Sariyah than anyone ever suspected. Strange new powers awaken within her, blurring the line between protector and destroyer, while enemies gather and old loyalties are tested.
With the city on the brink of collapse and unseen forces moving in the shadows, Ember must decide how far she is willing to go to save Bastion-and whether becoming something darker is the only way to stop an evil that has ruled unchallenged for centuries.
Because some thrones are not inherited.
They are taken.
7.3
Laura Brooks thought she was just an ordinary woman working a normal job-until one reckless night with a stranger changed everything.
Damien Blackwood isn't just dangerously handsome-he's the ruthless Alpha of the most feared werewolf pack in the region. For ten years, he ruled with violence and strength, but the moment he saw Laura, a human, he knew the truth: she was his mate. His Luna. His obsession.
Terrified, Laura tried to run. But fate was cruel. Caught between two rival Alphas-Damien, who would burn the world to keep her, and Kael, who wanted her as a weapon to destroy him-Laura was dragged into a world of blood, betrayal, and war.
Laura's fate is sealed in violence. To save her life and their unborn child, Damien makes the one choice that changes everything: he turns her.
Now Laura is no longer just human. She is Alpha's mate. She is Luna. And the world will learn why no one steals from Damien Blackwood.
7.5
Princess Adrienne doesn't do gowns, politics, or obedience. She does swords, battle, and telling arrogant princes exactly where they can shove their heroics.
So when the cocky bastard who "saved" her on the battlefield turns out to be Prince Orion-her betrothed-she's ready to murder him before she'll marry him.
He's a legend. Undefeated. Insufferable.
She's savage. Stubborn. And refuses to be any man's prize.
Neither wants this marriage. Both have secrets. And when duty forces them together, the hatred burns almost as hot as the desire they're trying to ignore.
In a game of crowns, the most dangerous move is falling for your enemy.
8.3
I was the "crazy girl" my family sent to a survivalist commune in Utah to rot. Four years later, I returned to Manhattan with a titanium USB drive and a heart full of ice, ready to blackmail the one man who could burn my family to the ground.
But I underestimated how much they hated me. My fiancé, Preston, was already laundering money through my inheritance and sleeping with my replacement. He didn't even flinch when I showed him the evidence of his crimes.
Instead, he grabbed me by the shoulders, smashed my phone, and shoved me out of his moving Lincoln into a midnight storm. I hit the wet pavement hard, my knees scraping against the asphalt as I watched him drive away, laughing about how I was a "dirt-poor exile" that nobody wanted.
Within minutes, my credit cards were flagged as stolen and my father’s lawyers were drafting a statement calling me mentally unstable. I was left shivering in a puddle of oily sludge, wearing a ruined Chanel suit, with no money, no home, and no one to hear me scream.
I couldn't understand how they could be so cruel. I was their flesh and blood, yet they treated me like a broken toy to be discarded in the trash. I was a "distressed asset" in a city that only valued gold.
That’s when a black armored SUV pulled to the curb. King Wagner—the ruthless shark of Wall Street and Preston’s own uncle—looked at my muddy face with cold, calculating eyes. He didn't offer me pity; he offered me a leash.
"You belong to me now," he whispered, pulling me into the dry warmth of his car. By the next morning, he had announced our engagement to the world, turning me into the very weapon that would slit my family's throat.
7.1
His grin spread and he leaned closer to me, his scent overshadowing my senses. "I own you and this entire place, Scarlett. Whatever I decide to do to them is none of your business, is that clear?"
"I hate you, Asher. I hate you with every cell in my body!" I seethed through my teeth, but his grin only grew wider.
"We both know that you are lying..." His fingers moved to my chest, slowly making their way over my breasts, searching for my nipple. "Your whole body can't survive without me."
***
Scarlett's holy union to Asher, the feared king of the Forgotten Lands, was meant to unite kingdoms but behind closed doors, her marriage becomes a prison. Asher wants an heir, a throne, and revenge against the family that once ruled over him. Scarlett is only the means to an end.
Caught between a husband who breaks her body yet craves her soul, and a trusted friend whose loyalty hides a thirst for power, Scarlett learns that love in the Crystal Peaks is never gentle. It is claimed, twisted, and betrayed.
As war brews, dark magic awakens, and an enemy long thought dead returns, Scarlett must decide who she truly belongs to... and how much of herself she's willing to lose to survive.
Because in a world ruled by monsters, the most dangerous thing a woman can be is loved.
Book 3 of The Lycan King Series.
8.8
I spent three years hating Damien Castillo, the ruthless mafia Don who kidnapped me from my engagement party and ruined my reputation.
But in the end, it was my perfect fiancé, Julian, and my sweet half-sister, Sophia, who slipped the deadly poison into my wine.
As the venom burned through my veins in that freezing cellar, I watched Julian smile. He and Sophia had orchestrated my brutal death. She had been sleeping in his bed all along, intentionally miscarrying his bastard child just to frame me as 'impure' and strip me of my family's protection. My own father used me as a political pawn, letting them throw me away like garbage.
And Damien? The monster I had fought and despised for years marched straight into a suicide ambush for me. He was riddled with bullets, turning his body into a human shield just to buy me a few more seconds of life.
"Touch her and you die."
I died in that blood-soaked basement, clutching his lifeless body, suffocating on my own blind trust. Why did I ever believe the golden boy who betrayed me? Why did I fight the only man who truly loved me?
Opening my eyes again, the stench of copper and mold was gone, replaced by the scent of Cuban cigars and black silk.
I was back in 1928, on the exact night Damien stormed my engagement party and locked me in his penthouse.
This time, when the ruthless Don approached me, I didn't scream or run back to my killers. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.