Five Hargreeves Age Novels & Stories

To the outside world, Xavier Sullivan and I are a loving couple. In truth, my father sold me to him to repay the debt he owes the Sullivan family. When the five-year contract expires, Xavier's parents want me to extend it. They threaten me and tell me I'm heading for certain death if I refuse. I have no choice but to fake my death and leave everything behind, taking only the child in my belly with me.

In order to save up money for my marital home, I go to great lengths to book five surgeries in order to treat my array of ailments and illnesses on the same day just so I can save up on the money meant for my painkillers. Because of that, I become a living legend in the hospital. But one day, I see my girlfriend, Jayne Atkinson, who's a penniless nobody like me, chatting with someone else in the VIP area of the hospital. For some reason, I decide to trail behind Jayne secretly. Jayne and her friends keep chatting with each other without a care in the world. "Why is it that rich women like you love acting in a drama where you fall in love with the commoner? Both you and Bianca do the same thing! Seriously, Jayne, when are you telling that guy the truth?" Jayne merely shrugs back. "Honestly speaking, Bianca is the only one who's ever fallen for Edison. The reason why I decided to date him is that I was worried that Bianca would break my childhood friend's heart by seeking Edison out." The answer leaves me rooted to the spot. My mind begins buzzing loudly. Bianca Lambert is my ex-girlfriend who has dumped me all of a sudden. Back then, everyone mocked me for punching above my weight and called me a pathetic loser trying to climb the social ladder. Bianca kicked me out of her life by dumping a glass of red wine onto me. Since then, I just want to be with a regular woman, whom I can spend the rest of my life with. Who would've thought that I've gotten tricked by another woman instead?

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Andrew. I’m over a decade older than you.” “If not right, then why does it feel so good? I want you Ada, I desire you!” There is nothing more intoxicating than the alluring scent of a woman you love, not even the pleasure at the bottom of a bottle can compare. 21 years old Andrew is faced with criticism when he falls in love with his sister’s best friend, an older lady and a divorcee. But Andrew is willing to go against the world for her. His obsession soon grows into addiction, but for how long can this forbidden affair continue? Is he really willing to face the challenges that come with loving an older woman? And is she ready to do the same for him? What happens when her ex-husband returns to win her back? Now she must chose between the one who returned her smile and the one who always held it.

"We partied too hard last night and forgot to use protection—don't forget to buy morning-after pills for your wife." Looking at the woman's smooth bare back and the red mole on her neck in the photo, I felt absolutely nothing. Again. Five years of marriage, and this wasn't the first time. Kathy liked to test me this way. She called it her "little experiment." The first time, she "accidentally" left a receipt for condoms on the nightstand. I got angry and confronted her, but she just smiled with contempt. "Why are you so petty? My girlfriends and I bought that on purpose just to see how you'd react." The second time was on our wedding anniversary. A guy showed up at our door with a bouquet of roses, ready to propose to her right then and there. I got into a fistfight with him, fell down a flight of stairs, and broke three ribs. That's when she finally strolled out and told me the guy was an actor, and the whole thing was supposed to be a surprise for me. Five years. Her games kept getting more extreme. From flirty texts to explicit photos, she kept pushing my limits. And I'd gone from furious to completely numb. Since she loved testing me so much, fine—I'd give her exactly what she wanted.

On the third day I was brought back to my family, the fake heir, Christopher Parker, gets into a car crash in order to frame me as the mastermind. His mental state has deteriorated to one belonging to an eight-year-old. My older sister, Eliza Parker, thinks that I'm the one who hired someone to hit Christopher with a car. Because of that, she hates my guts and torments me endlessly. In order to take care of Christopher, Eliza eats with him and sleeps beside him every day. As for me, I'm used as the human mat that they can step on anytime they want. I'm arranged to take care of Christopher so that I can atone for my sins. As long as Christopher reveals an aggrieved expression, I'll get whipped ten times regardless of the cause. I thought Eliza would find out the truth sooner or later. But in her haste to cure Christopher, she actually decides to send me to an underground lab as a test subject for their experiments just because the doctors there claim that the medication can help restore Christopher's mental state. Five years later, Eliza finally comes to pick me up. A mocking smile is etched onto her face as she sees how haggard I am. "You should recognize your faults by now. It's been five years, after all. If you dare lay a finger on Christopher after coming home with me, I'll definitely send you back here." I raise my head hazily, tears soon seeping out of my eyes due to how bright the light is. Then, I mutter softly, "There won't be a next time…" Eliza won't have to worry about me seizing a chance to hurt her beloved Christopher. After all, the drug experiments conducted on me for the past five years have already ruined my body. There are only seven days left in my life span.

Janet and Rowan have been in a three-year contract marriage that's supposed to end soon. What started as a convenient, emotionless arrangement has turned into a complicated mess, especially now that Janet has realized she's fallen in love with him. She thought this camping trip would be her chance to finally talk things out with Rowan, but things fall apart when Flora, Rowan's fragile widow friend, shows up. Watching Rowan constantly rush to Flora's side has been eating away at her. While Janet tries to keep her cool, Flora plays the perfect damsel in distress, getting Rowan to take care of her every need. It's obvious to Janet that Flora is pushing boundaries, but Rowan either doesn't see it or refuses to admit it. Flora isn't just another woman-she's the one Rowan never quite let go of. Then Janet overhears something even more shocking: Flora is pregnant. The timing, the secrecy, everything points to one horrifying thought: could Rowan Be the father? Janet is torn between her anger, heartbreak, and the need to know the truth. When she confronts Rowan, she doesn't get the answers she expected. But the damage is done, and her already fragile Marriage is absolutely beyond saving. As Janet deals with the pain of feeling second best, she makes a call she's been avoiding for years. There's someone from her past who's always been there for her.

My boss, Grant Conner, tells me that since the company has doubled its sales performance this year, he'll make sure to reward me nicely. I'm filled with anticipation, thinking that perhaps it's time he's giving me a raise. When everyone's having dinner at the year-end party, they are all discussing how much they'll get for the year-end bonus. "Allow me to toast to you, Shania!" Clare Randall, an intern who has joined the company for a month, shakily stands up to her feet while holding a full glass of red wine. Her cheeks were flushed. She was clearly drunk. "I feel so lucky, Shania! I'm just a fresh grad who doesn't know anything at all, and yet my boss has given me a six-thousand-dollar base salary! On top of that, I even get to learn from a wonderful mentor like you…" My hand trembles violently at Clare's words, almost resulting in me spilling juice all over the table. I've been working at this company for five years, and yet I've never received a raise before. But Clare's salary is twice my salary even though she's just joined!

On my birthday, Jake handed me two bucks and took me to a gas station to buy a lottery ticket. Then he dashed off, claiming he had an urgent work meeting. As I sat alone in the restaurant celebrating my birthday, I spotted my boyfriend, who claimed he had no time for me, having dinner with another woman. Without a second thought, I sent him a breakup text right then and there. Two days later, that lying jerk had the nerve to demand I return the lottery ticket. That's when I discovered it was worth $5 million. I cashed in the ticket and told him to get lost.

"Mommy, you have to be the first person to come pick me up, okay?" These are my daughter Dorothy Grant's final words to me when she walked me out of the house this morning. But when I stand at the kindergarten's entrance with a box of Dorothy's favorite strawberry shortcake in my hands, the security guard just stares at me as though I lost my mind. "Ma'am, this place might be where Sunflower Kindergarten is located, but it has already closed its doors for three years. This place is now a retirement home." I rush into the "kindergarten" instantly. The spot where the slide used to be is now replaced by a row of flowerbeds. The room that used to be the classroom now hosts a bunch of elderly people, who bask in the sunlight. With trembling hands, I call my husband, Chester Grant, on the phone. He sounds very exasperated and exhausted over the phone. "Honey, we've been married for five years, and we choose to be childless. You've never given birth before."

At eighteen, Charlotte never imagined she’d become a wife — especially to Elijah, her brother’s cold and distant friend. He was powerful, feared, and far too complicated for someone like her. But behind his calm façade lies a secret — a woman from his past who would do anything to have him back. When jealousy turns into obsession, Charlotte’s life is put in danger the moment that woman discovers Elijah secretly married a young girl. In a world where love can cost a life, will Charlotte survive loving a man who was never meant to be hers? Because sometimes, love at eighteen isn’t a fairytale — it’s a dangerous vow.