The Forbidden Mark Of My Stepbrother
I am the invisible step-daughter of the billionaire Wilder family, a "guest" in a mansion of gold fixtures and cold hearts. For years, I’ve occupied the secret spaces of my step-brother Cornelius’s life, waking up in silk sheets that still smell of our shared nights before slipping out the side entrance like a criminal.
The illusion of our connection shattered during a family breakfast when Cornelius calmly announced his engagement to socialite Emerald Kerr. Without a flicker of warmth, he swept his eyes over me—the woman he had just held hours before—and reminded me to take the morning-after pill because his "real" bride was returning to claim him.
The cruelty only escalated from there. While I worked myself to the bone to pay for my dying step-father’s medical bills, Cornelius used his power to keep me trapped. He sabotaged my career prospects to keep me dependent, humiliated the only man who treated me with respect, and stood by as his sister physically assaulted me, coldly reminding me that I was nothing more than an interloper in his home. He tracked my phone and monitored my every move, all while playing the part of the devoted fiancé to a woman he didn't even want to touch.
I couldn't understand why he treated me like a shameful secret he hated, yet refused to let go. I was drowning in the injustice of being his sister in the light and his property in the dark, a transaction disguised as brotherly charity.
I finally reached my breaking point, blocked his number, and tried to disappear into the city lights. But as I sat in a dive bar miles away, the door was ripped open. Cornelius, who was supposed to be in Boston signing a billion-dollar merger, stood there with murder in his eyes, ready to burn my world down just to drag me back into his cage.
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Chapter 6
The next morning, Kelsie received the official offer letter from Sterling & Associates. The starting salary was more than she expected.
"We were very impressed by your academic record and the tenacity you showed in your interview," the HR rep said on the phone. "The partners felt you were a perfect fit for our culture."
Kelsie closed her eyes. It was a real offer. She had earned it. The relief was so profound it almost brought her to her knees.
She wanted to celebrate. She wanted to scream. But she looked at the trash can with the broken card. She looked at the text from the hospital billing department. She had no choice but to be pragmatic.
"I accept," she said, her voice steady.
She unblocked Cornelius for five seconds. She typed: I will pay you back for everything. Stay out of my life. Then she blocked him again before the message could even show as 'Read'.
"Kelsie!" Joanne burst into the room, beaming. "Great news! I set you up!"
"Mom, no."
"His name is Caleb. He's a pediatrician. Good family. Not Wilder good, but respectable. He's taking you to Le Coucou tonight."
Kelsie wanted to say no. But then she thought of the engagement. She thought of Cornelius's psychological games in the car. She needed to move on. She needed to prove she could exist without him.
"Okay," Kelsie said. "I'll go."
That evening, Le Coucou was dimly lit and romantic. Caleb was... nice. He was handsome in a safe way, with kind eyes and a nervous laugh. He asked her questions and actually listened to the answers.
"So, corporate law?" Caleb smiled over his wine. "You must like a challenge."
"I like order," Kelsie smiled. It was a genuine smile. For the first time in months, she felt like a normal twenty-four-year-old.
Then, the air in the restaurant changed. It grew heavier.
Heads turned near the entrance. Cornelius walked in, Emerald hanging onto his arm. He was wearing a tuxedo, looking devastatingly handsome and utterly terrifying.
The Maître D' hurried over. "Mr. Wilder, right this way."
He led them to the prime table. The table directly next to Kelsie and Caleb.
Kelsie froze, holding her menu up like a shield.
Cornelius sat down. As he adjusted his napkin, his eyes locked onto Kelsie. Then they slid to Caleb. His expression was utterly neutral, a chilling void of warmth that seemed to assess Caleb not as a person, but as a temporary obstruction.
"Kelsie! Oh my god, what a surprise!" Emerald chirped, waving.
Kelsie lowered the menu slowly. "Hi, Emerald. Cornelius."
"Is this a date?" Emerald asked, leaning in. "He's cute!"
Caleb smiled politely. "I'm Caleb. Nice to meet you."
Cornelius didn't smile. He stared at Caleb's hand, which was resting near Kelsie's wine glass.
The waiter arrived with a platter of oysters for Caleb.
Before Caleb could even lift his fork, Cornelius caught the waiter's eye with a slight raise of his chin. "The Sauvignon Blanc," he said, his voice carrying easily to their table, "is an interesting choice. We, however, will have the '08 Sancerre. It's the only thing that won't clash with the salinity of the Belons."
The waiter, flustered, scurried away. Caleb's smile faltered, the oyster forgotten on its bed of ice. Cornelius didn't look at him again. His gaze settled on Kelsie, cold and possessive, and it was in that look she understood. He wasn't just ruining the oysters. He was ruining the evening.
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8.2
Karmen lived suffocating under a tight chest binder and a grotesque silicone scar, forced to disguise herself as her degenerate twin brother, Kem. Her only job was to maintain a fake corporate engagement with the ruthless billionaire Earl Calderon.
But her abusive father suddenly escalated his demands. He ordered her to steal Earl's revolutionary AI patents, threatening to cut off her mother's life-saving medical trust and abandon the real Kem in a locked Swiss psych ward if she failed.
The task was a death sentence. Earl absolutely despised "Kem." He treated her like a repulsive parasite, constantly threatening to break her neck. When he accidentally caught her without her wig, he mistook her for a deranged cross-dresser, forcing her to glue the dirty fake scar back onto her raw, inflamed face in sheer disgust. At home, her father hurled glass ashtrays at her, violently yanking her collar.
"Do whatever you have to do in that bedroom, Kem. I don't care how disgusting it is. Just get the signature."
Trapped between a fiancé who loathed her very existence and a father ready to sacrifice their family for greed, Karmen endured the agonizing physical pain of her disguise. She was exhausted, terrified, and running out of time as her brother's life hung by a thread.
But they all underestimated her. When the Calderon matriarch forced Earl to link his ultra-secure private phone with "Kem" to fake their romance, she unwittingly handed over the master key. Karmen wasn't just a helpless victim; she was the elite hacker Nyx, and she was going to tear their empire apart from the inside.
7.1
I had loved Silas for ten years.
But on the very day I was diagnosed with a terminal illness, his first love returned home.
I loved him. Whether he loved me in return, I didn't know—I couldn't feel it. But I was certain he would never cheat.
In the final days of my life, I flawlessly played the role of the perfect wife.
After I died, he found my diary. And when he finished reading it, he broke down and wept with a gut-wrenching, soul-crushing agony.
7.8
Elena Voss was sold like a debt receipt.
Her greedy aunt and uncle handed her over to Damien Blackthorn-New York's untouchable billionaire tech mogul by day, ruthless Mafia Don and Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack by night-to settle a family debt they never asked her to pay.
The moment their eyes met in that rain-soaked alley, the fated mate bond ignited like wildfire. For one reckless night, he claimed her body and soul, whispering "mine" against her skin while the Moon Goddess sealed their destiny.
Then came the betrayal.
On their first anniversary, he paraded his pureblood fiancée through their penthouse, let her kneel for him in the study while Elena watched from the shadows, and divorced her in front of the entire pack.
"Wolfless trash," he snarled. "You were never more than payment."
Heart in pieces and two tiny heartbeats growing inside her, Elena fled. She vanished into Seattle's gray drizzle, changed her name, cut her hair, and built a quiet life as a single mother. She swore the Blackthorn name would never touch her twins-Leo and Luna, the secret heirs he didn't even know existed.
Five years later, the children's first uncontrolled shifts rip through their small apartment like lightning. The only place that can teach them control and keep them hidden from rival packs is back in New York-back under Damien's shadow.
The Alpha Don who once threw her away is now obsessed.
The fated bond never died; it only waited. He feels her every laugh, every tear, every protective growl she gives their children. He'll burn his empire, his alliances, and his pride to drag her back.
But Elena isn't the broken girl he discarded anymore.
She's a mother with claws.
A luna who learned to bite.
And this time, if he wants her forgiveness, he'll have to beg on his knees.
Pregnancy. Divorce. Secret babies. Billionaire alpha. Mafia power plays. Revenge that burns slow and sweet.
Some bonds can't be broken.
Some rejections come with claws.
And some second chances are paid for in blood.
8.2
After two years of love and unwavering commitment to her mate Adrian, Amelia's world shatters when she finds Adrian, cheating on her with his ex-fated mate, Mara. The pain deepens when she is framed for a crime she didn't commit, and forced to leave the pack she once called home. Yet, as time passes and Adrian's regrets grow, he embarks on a desperate quest to find Amelia and win her back.
Years later, Amelia has rebuilt her life as a successful medical doctor, only to find herself drawn to Alex Darlington, a charming and caring doctor who turns out to be none other than Adrian's stepbrother. But when their bond grows undeniable, Amelia must face the shocking truth-Adrian, the man who once betrayed her, is now the one asking for her forgiveness. Torn between her past love and her new feelings for Alex, Amelia's heart is pulled in two directions.
As Adrian fights to reclaim the woman he lost, he must confront his own mistakes and battle the darkness inside. But when Alex's true motives come to light, Amelia must decide who is truly worthy of her love, and whether she can find a future with the man who shattered her heart-or the one who might just heal it.
In a world where loyalty is tested, love is fragile, and betrayal runs deep, will Amelia find peace, or will she be forced to choose between two men who will stop at nothing to claim her heart?
Settings : Moonstone Pack, Present Day, Human World, New York City, Present Day, 21st Century.
9.5
He's vulgar. He's cruel. He's childish.
A proud, entitled, sexist fuck-boy who has no iota of regard for girls and only sees them as nothing less than a mere conquest object for his sick, twisted sexual fantasies.
He's all shades of red.
I know that. Very well. More than anyone else.
And yet...
He's all I can think about. He's taken up every single space in my head for free, and I'm beyond obsessed at this point. Every day I think about him. I can't help it. I crave his attention like I need it to survive, I burn his touch, I ache for his... mmm!
I shouldn't want him. I know I shouldn't. Especially since he's the son of the very man who broke my family apart.
But as I said, I can't help it.
He's just like poison... like sin... so deadly... and yet feels so right... so... sweet!
His name is Devin Sinclair.
And if I'm to be honest... I'm not so sure how much longer I can resist him for.
....
Following the devastating scandal that broke her family apart, Tamara Hamilton moved to Palmridge to escape all the unending assault she received, hoping for a fresh start.
But that was nothing more than just a fairytale. There she meets Devin Sinclair, the popular, egotistical fuck-boy, who happens to be the son of the very man who broke her family, who soon became her deadly obsession after one unprecedented incident, throwing her life off course.
Now she's fighting her newfound obsession... resisting him as much as she can. But deep down, she knows. His mere presence set her whole body on fire. His touch makes her feel things she wasn't allowed to feel. And every minute of the day, she thinks about him.
She knows. She knows she can't keep resisting forever. She knows that her walls will come crashing down... sooner or later.
But she hoped never.
Only time will tell.
...
NB: This book explores themes of enemies-to-lovers, forbidden student-professor age gap and bisexual romance. It is rated 18+ as there will be explicit, graphic content between chapters.
Please, read at your own discretion.
Due to the nature of this book, there will be frequent POV changes of these characters between chapters.
Happy reading : )
7.1
I sat in the emergency room corridor, pressing a soaked bandage against my heavily bleeding arm. I had texted my husband of three years, billionaire Efford Thornton, begging him to come.
He did come, but he walked right past me as if I were a piece of furniture. When the doctor finally brought the last bag of O-negative blood in the city to save my life, Efford's assistant intercepted it.
Efford coldly ordered the blood to be sent to the VIP wing for Aletha Chase.
"Mrs. Chase is pregnant with the Thornton heir," he declared flatly. "The priority is non-negotiable."
As I watched my life-saving blood being carried away, he handed me a divorce agreement and an NDA. If I dared to expose his affair, he would immediately cut off the funding for my grandmother's dementia care, leaving her to rot in a public ward. He then turned his back, leaving me to bleed out in the hallway.
For three years, I had given up my career and my identity to be his perfect, compliant wife. I couldn't understand how the man who once looked at me like I was his whole world could now literally watch me die just to protect his mistress.
But he forgot one thing. The submissive wife he married was just a ghost. I wiped the blood from my hands, dug out the leather half-mask I had hidden away years ago, and made a call.
It was time for the legendary runway model "Phoenix" to rise from the ashes and burn his empire to the ground.