"Hello , Nicholas" Eight years ago, Nicholas Chesterfield had made a wrong decision of choosing his father's attention and acceptance over Amelia and her father. He lost Amelia in the process and he regretted it ever since. Now as the CEO and partner in NW International, he needs to finalize a property deal but there is one major obstacle: Amelia is contract negotiator for the owner and she doesn't trust him. Amelia had sworn never to have anything to do with Nicholas Chesterfield again after her and her father lost everything years ago when Nicholas' father lied about his intentions for buying her family's resort. But now she's facing him across the negotiating table and sparks that had previously been stumped out re ingnite between them. Will Amelia be able to resist Nicholas' charm this time around or fall for him once again like she did years ago? Will they be able to put their past behind and act professionally? Could this deal be a second chance at love for both of them?
8 YEARS AGO
AMELIA walked into the guest room of Sagamore Resort, she dropped her black backpack on the king sized bed before slumping on it. Looking up at the white ceiling , She thought...Should she welcome Nicholas wearing Victoria secret's newly launched lingerie set she'd bought yesterday at the mall while thinking of him or maybe just remain in her birthday suit ?
A smile she couldn't stop bloomed on her face at the thought of Nicholas' expression when he walked in to see her naked. She had found it difficult to concentrate during her classes at the University of Columbia because he'd stayed on her mind. Since he had called her on Tuesday to tell her that he would be flying in from Florida for the weekend, the days seemed to have been moving at a snail's pace and so had the four-hour drive earlier from the University. It felt like a year had passed since she last saw him, instead of just 2 weeks.
Sitting up , she bent to take off her sneakers before standing up to remove her jeans, shirt and underwear. She stuffed her clothes into the backpack, stowed everything in the closet. Then hurried into the corner bathroom for a bathrobe. When she came back out, she dimmed the glass lamp on the bedside table. Moonlight shining through the sliding glass door across from her gave the elegantly furnished room a romantic glow.
Looking around the room , She couldn't help but think about how for the first time she and Nicholas would actually fall asleep in each other's arms and wake up together in the morning, like a normal couple , cooking and sharing breakfast together. Her dad was on a business trip until late Sunday. So this time around, she wouldn't have to sneak back into the living quarters of the resort before dawn.
More importantly, Nicholas' concern about them seeing each other as a conflict of interest while he negotiated to buy Sagamore Resort from her father no longer existed. The papers had been signed yesterday, selling the property to Nicholas' family company, Chesterfield group. They had taken over ownership of her dad's fifty-acre resort next month, so she and Nicholas were finally free to share about their relationship.
Amelia walked back in the bathroom, opening the window. Moonlight illuminated the steam rising from the hot bathtub on the left. She hung the bathrobe , twisted her long black hair into a loose topknot, then slipped into the rippling water. The stress from studying and agonizing over the business management exam she'd ultimately aced that afternoon melted away as she leaned back and closed her eyes.
Would Nicholas have more of Chesterfield's modernization plans to show her? What he'd shared so far was fantastic. Picture windows would provide views of the lake, trees, and mountains. Revamp the lobby , Invite new design elements into guest rooms.
Amelia's heart accelerated as she recalled Nicholas sitting across from her three weeks ago in the hot tub, telling her about his plans. His slicked-back dark hair had emphasized the chiseled angles of his mesmerizing face.
"Not only are we building larger decks on the cottages, we're also installing bigger hot bathtub s." He had shot her a lazy grin.
"You and I will definitely take advantage of them when we visit the new and improved Sagamore Resort next season."
"I like that idea a lot." She hadn't been able to stop herself from smiling. "But I wouldn't mind if you took advantage of me now."
"Come over here and I will," He smirked.
"Uh-uh," She had crooked her finger at him. "You come here."
As he had stood and approached her, water had trailed down his defined abs. The gleam in his brown eyes and the erection rising high on his abdomen had promised her one thing-mind blowing orgasms. She had begged him more that night and Nicholas had delivered amazingly.
Infused with the warmth of remembered bliss, Amelia sank deeper into the water. What they shared was perfect. But she knew her dad would be surprised to hear she and Nicholas were in a relationship, and that they were going to keep seeing each other. He had asked her not to become serious with anyone until after she'd turned twenty. She had only missed the mark by six months, and her father did like Nicholas .
At twenty-four, Nicholas was already an acquisitions negotiator for his father's company. He understood the importance of responsibility and would support her making college her main priority over him. It wasn't like they were planning to get married or anything. Surely, her father would understand why she had kept it a secret until now. She and Nicholas had happily and unexpectedly fallen in love and she hadn't wanted that to disrupt his business dealings.
The sound from the door broke her thoughts and a man's voice came from inside the room clearly on the phone. Nicholas? Her heart drummed in her chest as she listened closely, No... it's not Nicholas.
"It's Sebastian Chesterfield, I have been trying to reach you."
Sebastian Chesterfield...Shit! The bathroom door is opened. Just as she shrank back into the bathtub, a stream of light came from the bedroom. Nicholas' tall, black-haired father walked closer to the bathroom , talking on his phone.
"I don't care what it takes. Just do it. No more delays." Sebastian unknotted the red tie from the collar of his white dress shirt and stuffed it in the pocket of the brown overcoat that melded perfectly with his dark suit. With his back turned to Amelia, temperature seemed to creep up with the warmth flushing into her cheeks. She couldn't let him find her bare-ass naked in the bathtub. If he came closer, she could dunk herself under the water. She would rather drown than have him discover her.
"I don't give a damn about what they do exactly as long as the papers are signed. Get it done."
Sign papers? What was he talking about?
"Dad, where are you?" Nicholas's bellow reverberated before she had the door opening.
Amelia watched him advanced towards his father while she tried to shrink back into the shadows farther still. "What the f**k did you do?" Sebastian slipped his phone into his pocket. "That's none of your concern."
"None of my concern?" Nicholas' muscles bunched and released underneath his navy sweater and jeans. "You working a side negotiation with the outlet mall developers on my deal damn well qualifies as my concern."
Side negotiation? No...They weren't talking about Sagamore, they couldn't be.
He was my first love. And my first heartbreak. Now, he's back-with a ring, a contract, and a proposition I never saw coming. Darius Ferguson is a name that turns heads. Billionaire. Power player. The kind of man who can make or break anyone with a single deal. The world sees him as untouchable, unstoppable. But to me? He's the boy who disappeared without a goodbye. The one who left me picking up the pieces of a heart he had no right to break. Now, years later, he's standing in front of me with an offer too tempting-and too dangerous-to ignore. Marry him. Be his perfect wife in public. Play the role until the ink dries on his biggest business deal yet. In return, he'll make all my problems disappear. One year. No emotions. No messy entanglements. Just a means to an end. It should be easy. Except nothing about Liam has ever been easy. He still knows exactly how to make my pulse race. Still watches me like I belong to him. And when he touches me, I forget every reason I swore I'd never let him back in. But this isn't real. It can't be. Because I refuse to make the same mistake twice. Even if pretending to be his wife starts to feel a little too real.
Everything has with a price. Including her. I'm Damien Anderson. I run this city. Control is everything to me. In business, in pleasure-I never give up the upper hand. So when a stubborn little thing dares to defy me, it gets under my skin. Makes me want to break her, own her, make her beg for everything I know she needs. That fire in her green eyes? I want to watch it flicker and fade into sweet submission. I give her an offer she can't refuse-thirty days in my bed, and her money problems disappear. No strings. No emotions. Just my wealth in exchange for her innocence. But Lily isn't just another deal. She's an obsession. A weakness I never saw coming. And now? I don't care about the contract. She's mine. And I'm never letting her go.
One glance. One touch. One note of her mesmerizing voice, and I'm undone. Like a dream I never want to escape, she draws me in, wrapping me in her presence. Consumed. Overcome with need. Fueled by an unshakable desire to claim her as mine. One night, I take more than she's ever given, and it only leaves me craving more. Needing more. Desperate for more. She's the one I've waited for my entire life. And I'll be damned if I let anyone-our families included-stand between us. She trusts me. Yearns for me, just as I ache to possess her. Forever. But fate throws a twist we never saw coming. A curveball no one could have predicted. Still, I cling to her light. She's my Angel. Something about her-about us-makes me believe I've found heaven on earth. She's now my world and I'm never letting her go. Not now. Not ever.
Adeline I was already regretting this blind date when my ex walked into the restaurant-hand in hand with his new girlfriend. The urge to disappear hit me hard, so I did what any self-respecting woman would do . I ran to the ladies' room, unfortunately for me , it was a men's room... and so I had no choice but to climb out the window. Except I didn't exactly stick the landing. Instead, I tripped, tumbled into the dumpster, and almost got shot by a criminal who was on the run from a hot cop. --- Kenneth I was staking out a notorious drug dealer, waiting for the perfect moment to move in. Everything was going smoothly-when a woman fell-yes, fell-from the restroom window and almost got shot by the suspect. The suspect bolted. My cover was blown. And the woman? She looked up at me with the most stunning eyes I'd ever seen... and then tried to run. I caught her before she could get away. Annoyed as hell, I slapped cuffs on her. She was livid. I was livid. But the only thing worse than losing my target? The fact that I couldn't stop staring at her. And I had a feeling that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
My past is a locked door. Sealed shut. Guarded by the lies I tell to survive. A mask. A façade. A carefully crafted illusion. But no disguise is perfect. No wall is unbreakable. And he-relentless, unyielding- shatters through every barrier I built. He gets too close. Sees too much. Draws me in with a fire I can't control. Our connection is raw, reckless- a beautiful kind of destruction. But love is dangerous. Secrets are deadly. And there's one truth I swore he'd never know. One part of me I refuse to expose. Because he's just as fractured as I am. And together, we might be the only thing standing in our way.
He's not just a criminal-he's a king in the underworld. A ruthless leader who commands two of LA's most dangerous gangs. And now, I belong to him. Kidnapped. Trapped in a gilded cage with no escape. I should be terrified, desperate to run. But his touch is intoxicating, his presence irresistible. He says he took me for a reason. That my father wants him dead. Can I trust the man who stole me? Or is he playing a game far deadlier than I realize? The truth will shatter everything. And when it does, I'll have to make an impossible choice: Betray the family I've always known... Or surrender to the man who owns my soul.
As far as everyone was concerned, William had married Renee under duress. Now that his one true love was back—and with child—they couldn’t wait for him to abandon Renee. Surprisingly, Renee was candid about the situation. "To be honest, I’m the one asking for a divorce every single day. I want it even more than any of you!" But they brushed off her remark as a paltry attempt to save face. Until William made a declaration himself. "Divorce is out of the question. Anyone who spreads false rumors shall face legal consequences!" Renee was at a loss. What was this crazy man up to now?
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Belinda thought after divorce, they would part ways for good - he could live his life on his own terms, while she could indulge in the rest of hers. However, fate had other plans in store. "My darling, I was wrong. Would you please come back to me?" The man, whom she once loved deeply, lowered his once proud head humbly. "I beg you to return to me." Belinda coldly pushed away the bouquet of flowers he had offered her and coolly replied, "It's too late. The bridge has been burned, and the ashes have long since scattered to the wind!"