The Billionaire's Reluctant Partner.
Naomi Lancaster never planned to see Killian Royce again.
She had escaped his world once-walked away from the man who built his empire on power, control, and carefully concealed lies. But when fate drags her back into his orbit, one thing becomes clear: Killian isn't done with her.
He wants something.
And he always gets what he wants.
Trapped in a dangerous game of wealth and deception, Naomi is forced to question everything she thought she knew-about Killian, about their past, and about the whispers of betrayal closing in around her.
Because in Killian's world, love was never the endgame.
Revenge was.
And this time, she's not sure who will survive it.
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Chapter 3
Naomi's POV The problem with falling apart is that the world doesn't stop for you. Bills still arrive in the mail. The sun still rises. People still expect you to function, to smile, to be normal. I was anything but. I didn't know how long I sat in my car outside my apartment building, my fingers clutching the steering wheel as if it was the only thing keeping me grounded. My phone vibrated in the cupholder. Another call. Another responsibility. Another thing I couldn't deal with right now. It had been a week since I last saw him. Killian Royce. Just thinking about his name made my stomach tighten. He was the man who once stood beside me at the altar, vowing forever, only to break those words like they were nothing. And now, he was back in my life in a way I never saw coming. I remembered the moment I laid eyes on him again. He was just as handsome as ever-his sharp jaw, his piercing eyes, the way he carried himself with that effortless confidence. It made my heart race, just like it used to. No matter how much time had passed, he still had the power to affect me. And that terrified me. I forced my hands off the steering wheel and rubbed my temples. I was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. Between fixing last-minute problems and watching my business slowly fall apart, I had no space left to think about anything else. The wedding I had planned for months-the one that had to be perfect-had fallen apart right in front of me, like a house of cards. A scandal that left my company, Lancaster Luxe Events, on the brink of collapse. Clients kept backing out. Vendors were reluctant to partner with me. My reputation, which I had built, was shattered. And now, there was Killian. I exhaled sharply and finally grabbed my phone, checking my notifications. Tara: Pick up your damn phone, Naomi. Tara: I mean it. Tara: I'm coming over to your house if you don't reply in five minutes. I sighed, unlocked my car door, and got out. My best friend could be unstoppable when she wanted to, and ignoring her was about as effective as trying to stop a hurricane with an umbrella. I hardly reached the stairs before I heard hurried footsteps behind me. "You look like hell," Tara tsked, standing in my doorway with takeout and a six-pack of wine coolers. "Thanks," I said as I walked past her and tossed my keys on the counter. "Just what I needed to hear." She followed me in, dropping the food onto my small dining table. "I say this with love, but seriously, when did you last sleep?" I opened the fridge, pretending to search for something, even though all I had was old milk and half a bottle of orange juice. "I don't know. Maybe yesterday?" "Liar." Tara shut the fridge door and turned me to face her. "Talk to me." I closed my eyes for a brief moment feeling tears brim behind them. "It's bad, T. Really bad." She sighed, pulling me toward the table and making me sit down. "Okay, start from the beginning." So I did. I told her everything. How the wedding disaster had sent my business into a downward spiral. How clients were running. How I was barely keeping things together. Tara listened, nodding, occasionally throwing in a few choice curse words directed at the stupid groomsmen that fought and the bride's mother. But when I was done, she just leaned back and studied me. "And Killian?" she asked quietly. I stiffened. "What about him?" I asked with a frown. "Oh, I don't know," she said with a shrug. "Maybe the fact that you saw your ex-husband after all these years, and you're acting like it didn't affect you deeply." I let out a dry laugh. "It didn't." Tara rolled her eyes. "Naomi." I shoved a hand through my hair. "Fine. Yes, I almost had a panic attack when I saw him again. Yes, it felt like someone reopened a wound I spent years trying to heal. But it doesn't matter now, since he means nothing to me anymore." Tara tapped her nails on the table. "Are you sure about that?" I looked away. Because deep down, I wasn't sure at all. Killian had been the one thing I had never fully recovered from. The one regret I still carried, no matter how much I told myself I was over it. But he had betrayed me, had lied to me about some many things that I didn't even know the truth anymore. And no matter how much time passed, I would never forget that. I grabbed a wine cooler and opened it. "I don't want to talk about him." Tara looked at me for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Then let's talk about Lancaster Luxe Events." I tensed. "Naomi, you need a plan. Fast." I took a slow sip. "I have a plan. I just need to-" "-Pull off a miracle?" she finished. "Because that's what it will take to recover from this mess. You're losing money. Your client list is shrinking. You need something big to turn things around." I sighed and rubbed my forehead. She was right. I needed a high-profile event, something so perfectly executed that it would wipe away the stain of the wedding disaster. But with my resources running low, it felt impossible. Tara drummed her fingers against the table. "Have you considered finding an investor?" I let out a short laugh. "Do you know how hard it is to find someone willing to invest in a failing company? Especially in this industry?" "I know. But you built this from nothing once. You can do it again." I looked down at my drink. The thought of giving up made my stomach twist. I had poured my entire soul into this business. Letting it fail was not an option. "There's one more thing," Tara said. I looked up. "What?" She hesitated. "You might not like it." "Just say it." "There's been... talk." I narrowed my eyes. "Talk?" She bit her lip. "Word around the industry is that Killian is expanding his business ventures. And that he's been looking at potential event planning partnerships." The air in my lungs suddenly felt sharp. No. Absolutely not. Killian was the last person I'd ever ask for help. But as I began to speak, another thought came to mind. What if I have no choice? Sterling Affairs was sinking, and I was running out of lifelines. If Killian was investing in event planning... No. I pushed the thought away, burying it deep. I refused to owe him anything. Tara studied me carefully. "You don't need to do anything drastic, Naomi. But maybe... just think about it." I forced a tight smile. "I don't need his help." She didn't look convinced. Neither was I. But that didn't matter. Because no matter how desperate I was, I would rather lose everything than go crawling back to Killian Payne. Even if, deep down, I had the sinking feeling that fate had other plans.
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9.1
Julian Laurent was known as the most notorious playboy in Rivermont, changing girlfriends as often as he changed his clothes and treating marriage like a joke.
Clara Sterling, on the other hand, had always been the most quiet and obedient daughter of the Sterling family. Raised as the heir since childhood, she had been flawless in every word and every gesture.
A family-arranged marriage forced these two complete opposites into the same life.
On their wedding night, Julian openly made out with a young model at a nightclub.
For the first time, Clara cast aside her propriety, slapping him and demanding a divorce on the spot.
But before the next day was over, their families had forced them to remarry.
This time, Julian managed to stay faithful for a month before he cheated again.
Clara filed for divorce once more, cutting ties with him completely.
However, that very same day, it was revealed that Clara was not the real daughter of the Sterling family, and she was thrown out.
At her lowest point, Julian found her and solemnly promised to protect her from then on.
They remarried again, and from that day forward, the scandals surrounding Julian ceased.
Everyone said Clara was lucky. Even her best friend insisted that Julian had truly settled down, and Clara believed it.
Until she saw him in a hospital corridor, holding her best friend's hand, his voice strained with deep emotion, "I never liked her. You're the one I've always loved!"
It turned out all of his tenderness had been a lie.
This time, she walked away and never looked back.
And the man who had once treated her as disposable only realized after she was gone that he had long since drowned in her quiet love, unable to escape.
9.6
He rejected her under the moonlight. Now fate has thrown them into the same war...
Aria Ashborne was supposed to be forgotten the castaway of a fallen pack, the daughter of a disgraced Alpha. But fate has a cruel sense of humor. When Alpha Kaiden Blackthorn the brutal enforcer of the Northern Territories discovers she is his fated mate, he rejects her in front of the entire council, branding her unworthy.
But Aria doesn't beg. She doesn't break. She builds. She builds in silence.
Now a fierce warrior leading her own rebel wolves, she's forced into an uneasy alliance with Kaiden when a deadly new force begins tearing through the werewolf ranks. Old enemies. New secrets. And a bond neither of them can truly sever.
What happens when hate burns hotter than desire? And when the one person you swore to destroy... might be the only one who can save you?
8.9
Seventeen-year-old Nina Storm has spent her life running from her tragic past, her dormant wolf, and the dreams of a mysterious man she can't escape.
Raised by her protective father after her mother's death, she has never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. But everything changed when they return to their home, the Moonlight Pack.
Nina discovers that her mate is Zane, the pack's Alpha... a bond that defies werewolf laws and the pack's expectations. Their undeniable attraction is dangerous, and their bond threatens to disrupt the fragile balance of power within the pack.
When an attack on the pack shatters her world, Nina loses everything, including her life. But death isn't the end.
Reborn, her dormant wolf awakens giving her a newfound strength and powers, Nina must navigate a world of betrayal, love, and vengeance as she unravels the truth about her family, her mate bond, and the danger threatening to destroy everything she holds dear.
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.
9.0
For four years, I traced the bullet scar on Chace’s chest, believing it was proof he would bleed to keep me safe.
On our anniversary, he told me to wear white because "tonight changes everything." I walked into the gala thinking I was getting a ring.
Instead, I stood frozen in the center of the ballroom, drowning in silk, watching him slide his mother's sapphire onto another woman's finger.
Karyn Warren. The daughter of a rival family.
When I begged him with my eyes to claim me, to save me from the public humiliation, he didn't flinch. He just leaned toward his Underboss, his voice amplified by the silence.
"Karyn is for power. Ember is for pleasure. Don't confuse the assets."
My heart didn't just break; it incinerated. He expected me to stay as his mistress, threatening to dig up my dead mother’s grave if I refused to play the obedient pet.
He thought I was trapped. He thought I had nowhere to go because of my father’s massive gambling debts.
He was wrong.
With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone and texted the one name I was never supposed to use.
Keith Mosley. The Don. The monster under Chace's bed.
*I am invoking the Blood Oath. My father’s debt. I am ready to pay it.*
His reply came three seconds later, buzzing against my palm like a warning.
*The price is marriage. You belong to me. Yes or No?*
I looked up at Chace, who was laughing with his new fiancée, thinking he owned me.
I looked down and typed three letters.
*Yes.*
7.1
I lay paralyzed on stiff white sheets, a prisoner in my own skin, listening to the rain lash against the window like nails on a coffin. My father, Elmore Franco, didn't even look at my face as he checked his clipboard. He just listened to the steady, monotonous beep of the heart monitor-the only thing proving I was still alive.
Without a hint of remorse, he pulled a pen from his pocket and signed the Do Not Resuscitate order. My stepmother, Ophelia, stepped out from behind him, wearing my favorite pearl necklace and smelling of cloying perfume. She leaned close to my ear to whisper the truth that turned my blood to ice.
"It was the tea, darling. Just like your mother. A slow, tasteless poison."
She chuckled as she revealed that my fiancé, Bryce, had a two-year-old son with my sister, Daniela. My inheritance had been funding their secret life for years, and now that the money was secure, I was an inconvenience they were finally scrubbing away. As my father yanked the power cord from the wall, the beeping died, and the darkness swallowed me whole.
I was being murdered by my own flesh and blood, used as a bank account until I was no longer needed. I died in that sterile room, drowning in the realization that every person I ever loved was a monster who had been waiting for me to take my last breath.
Then, I gasped. I woke up in a luxury hotel suite surrounded by silk sheets, five years in the past-the very morning of my wedding. Next to me lay Basile Delgado, the "Wolf of Wall Street" and my family's most dangerous enemy. In my first life, I ran from this room in a panic and lost everything. This time, I looked at the man who would eventually destroy my father's empire and decided to join him.
"I'm not leaving, Basile. Marry me. Right now. Today."