An Ideal Husband

Celeste Hawthorne is about to lose everything… her company, her freedom, her future. Betrayed and cornered, she has nowhere left to turn. Then Roman Evercrest steps in with a deal she never saw coming: marry him, or go to jail. With no choice left, she agrees. But the marriage isn’t what it looks like. Roman is cold, controlling, and hiding something tied to a past love that never really died… and Celeste is starting to look like a replacement for someone she was never meant to be. What begins as a contract slowly turns into a dangerous game of power, secrets, and obsession.

During an elective class, the campus belle, Jemima Ford, who is our senior, describes her ideal type with everyone egging her on. She says, "My future husband has to be at least six feet two inches tall. His parents must be college professors, and his grades should be top three in his major…" The room buzzes with teasing chatter and gossip. At the same time, I snap up my head in surprise. Why does Jemima's description of her ideal type sound like my boyfriend, Elijah Sanders? The next second, the professor standing by the podium smiles obsequiously and says, "Very well said. If Eli hears this, he'll definitely be very happy! Later, the two of you can meet. That way, he won't get tricked by some naive girl into going abroad." Amid the burst of laughter from the class, I lower my eyes and look at the message my parents sent me. It reads, "Sweetheart, are you really going abroad with your boyfriend? There'll be no one left to inherit our company with you gone."

My husband and I take leave from work to travel to Highland. It's also an opportunity for me to return to my hometown. Unexpectedly, we get into a fight over the itinerary on our first day there. I snap at him when we're standing by the side of the road, but he calms me down. He even coaxes me and offers to pay for a nice meal at a restaurant. When I return to the hotel, I discover that he's run off with my luggage and mobile phone. He even leaves a message telling me to reflect on my mistakes. I borrow a phone to call him, but he doesn't answer. It's freezing in Highland. I'm almost about to die from the frost when I suddenly see sense. I'm not putting up with this anymore!

It’s true what they say about marriage: one partner’s always happier than the other. ~~~ Julie's world is shattered when her husband, Ryan, reveals that he wants an open marriage. His reason: he needs a child as they've been unable to have one. Julie reluctantly agrees to save her marriage. The next day, Ryan returns home with his secretary, confirming Julie’s long-held suspicion that their affair was taking place behind her back. Julie, heartbroken and enraged, seeks solace in a bar, where she meets a fascinating stranger named Luke, who changes the game. Julie confides in Luke over drinks, and he proposes a risky plan: he will act as her "boyfriend" to turn the tables on Ryan. Julie agrees, setting off a chain of events that will challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself.

The rules of the marriage were simple: Obey. Stay inside the estate. Never look for her husband. Desperate for money, Amara Glen accepts the contract anyway, entering the isolated mansion of billionaire Adrian Kane, a man no one sees, but everyone fears. Watched through hidden cameras and controlled by the sound of Adrian’s voice alone, Amara quickly realizes the estate is less a home and more a carefully designed prison. Then she breaks the only rule that matters. Behind locked doors, Amara uncovers evidence of another woman who disappeared from the mansion… and a dangerous secret tied to the powerful Goldlain family. Someone is lying about who Adrian Kane really is. And someone else is being kept hidden inside the house. As betrayal, revenge, and deadly family secrets unravel around her, Amara must decide whether the invisible man she’s falling for is her greatest protector… or the monster keeping her trapped.

“I don’t want to be here.”I let out, weakly and tugged my face away from his hand. God! Where had all the oxygen gone to? I was finding it hard to breathe and he kept pressing his body against mine. “You look adorable when you lie.” He held my chin, forcing me to stare at him. **** Forced to marry Alora Ramos, Gael Torres vowed to remain in a loveless marriage with her. He gave her his rules. She wasn’t allowed to feel jealousy or any other possessive feelings towards him. They were in an open marriage where they could do whatever they wanted. But Gael never imagined Alora truly having extra marital affairs. And he definitely never imagined her getting involved with his cousin, the ruthless Don Lorenzo Armani. She had always been the docile little girl who followed him around. And then he realized that he might just end up breaking his own rules. Was it too late to get her back?