Bought with Millions, Paid with Death
Fuzzy Melissa · Completed · 7.8k Words
Introduction
Nobody knew he used to be a desperate stray I bought out of a dark alley. It started as a three-year contract. I burned millions to pave his way into the fashion elite, handing him top-tier campaigns until he became a global supermodel.
I stayed his dirty little secret so nothing would ruin his shot at "Model of the Year." He swore going public would kill his career, yet he had no problem parading around with young starlets—and letting them humiliate me behind closed doors.
His newest fling even smugly played a recording of him mocking me: "She’s just an ATM for brand deals. How could an uptight, older control freak ever compete with you?"
That was when I finally accepted it: love bought with money is just a transaction.
So, holding my terminal diagnosis, I signed over the last of my assets and quietly bowed out of his glamorous life forever.
I just don't understand one thing: if he was so sick of me, why did he completely lose his mind when he saw my death certificate? Why did he throw away everything he'd built, tearing the world apart to find me like a feral, abandoned dog?
Chapter 1
Clutching the bone marrow biopsy report, I walked out of the private hospital, my face completely expressionless.
The doctor's verdict had been blunt: the cancer was progressing aggressively. My remaining days were strictly a countdown.
I had just settled into my car when my phone buzzed. A trending entertainment headline flashed across the screen.
In a backstage blind spot at a Paris fashion show, Noah Pierce was leaning in close, sharing a water bottle with an up-and-coming model. The chemistry in the photo was palpable.
My eyes lingered on the nauseating GIF for a few seconds before I dialed Noah's number.
Without fail, three consecutive calls went straight to voicemail.
Half an hour later in my office, my assistant approached me tentatively. "Ms. Vance, should we arrange the private jet for Mr. Pierce tonight as usual?"
I couldn't hold back a cold sneer. A stray dog I'd dragged out of a back-alley gutter and molded into a star was now playing the diva.
"No need." I folded the terminal diagnosis report and shoved it into my pocket.
"And tell security to revoke Noah's VIP elevator access. If he wants to come up, he signs in at the front desk for a visitor's pass like everyone else."
"Also, from now on, stop calling him 'Mr. Pierce'."
After dismissing my assistant, I locked myself in the empty office.
I dragged myself through the next few hours until the phone on my desk finally rang.
The incredibly busy man had finally remembered to call back.
But the second the call connected, the background noise was deafening—heavy EDM and high-pitched female laughter.
"I'm busy, Miranda," he yelled impatiently over the noise. "I'm taking shots with executives trying to lock down a major luxury campaign. If it's nothing urgent, I'm hanging up."
The line went dead before I could speak.
He hadn't even bothered to ask: How did your hospital visit go today?
Usually, my PR team would have scrubbed the internet clean of those rumors by now.
But this time, I didn't make a single call.
I just stared at the terminal report, letting the hours slip away until morning threw light across the desk.
Near noon, I was back at my apartment changing clothes when the front door opened.
Noah pulled off his sunglasses and walked in. His eyes were bloodshot from a hangover, and he carried an overwhelming stench of stale alcohol mixed with an intensely pungent, cloyingly sweet perfume.
Just like always, he stepped up to me and habitually bowed his head, waiting for me to loosen his tie. That perfume hit my nostrils.
Disgusted, I stepped back. "Go take a shower. You smell like fermenting garbage."
He froze, then immediately switched to his signature wounded puppy look. Stepping closer, he used his drunkenness as an excuse to bury his chin in my neck, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Don't be mad. I was practically force-fed drinks to get that endorsement." His voice was coaxing. "My head is killing me. Can you rub it for me, please?"
Before, whenever he showed this kind of vulnerability, I would always soften and let things slide.
But right now, all I could think about was the diagnosis in my pocket.
Expressionless, I pried his fingers off my waist, one by one.
"Don't touch me. Go wash."
His usual trick failing for the first time, his tender facade instantly cracked.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, muttered something under his breath, and tossed his phone onto the coffee table, letting go of me.
At that exact second, the screen lit up.
No sender name. Immediately after, his privacy screen filter blacked out the display entirely from my angle.
Not a single trace left behind.
Setting up such a flawless defense against me... he really put a lot of effort into this.
Exhausted from days of traveling, Noah collapsed onto the master bed and instantly fell asleep.
I stayed in the living room, looking at his half-open suitcase on the floor. I sighed out of habit and walked over to sort his dirty laundry.
As I sorted through the alcohol-soaked couture shirts, my fingers accidentally brushed against a hidden compartment at the very bottom of the lining.
The zipper wasn't fully closed, and my fingertip caught on something flimsy. The moment I yanked it out, I froze.
A black lace thong that definitely did not belong to me.
Holding it by its pathetic little string, I strode to the master bedroom and pushed the door wide open.
Without hesitation, I whipped the filthy scrap of fabric right across Noah's sleeping face.
"Open your eyes. Explain to me whose this is."
He jolted awake. The moment his eyes focused on the black lace, the color completely drained from his face.
But he immediately feigned an absurdly innocent, wronged expression.
"Miranda, listen to me! The backstage area at the show was a complete disaster! It must have been my idiot assistant. He probably packed some random model's trash into my bag by mistake!"
While spewing this garbage excuse that couldn't fool a toddler, he reached out to grab my wrist, trying to brush it off with physical affection.
A violent wave of nausea surged up my throat, compounding the deep-seated weakness that had been screaming in my bones all night.
I swallowed down the dizziness and slapped his arm away. "Don't touch me with your filthy hands."
Seeing that I was about to leave, he completely panicked.
Forgetting his shoes, he practically threw himself out of bed, dropping to one knee next to the mattress to block my path, softening his posture to beg:
"Baby, please don't start a fight over this. I'm exhausted from all these events..."
I stared down at him, skipping the bullshit: "Fine. Then next month at the charity gala, I want you to walk the red carpet with me as my official boyfriend."
He sprang up like he'd been burned.
"Are you crazy? I just booked a global top-tier luxury campaign! If I go public with a relationship right now, my career is completely ruined!"
"And what about that blonde model you were trending with yesterday?" I locked onto him. "Sharing a water bottle in a blind spot doesn't affect your career?"
"That was a forced PR stunt by the agency!" he retorted without missing a beat.
Then, softening his eyes, he reached for my hand again. "Just give me one more year, okay? Once I win Actor of the Year, I swear I'll go public with us."
I pulled my gaze away from his hypocritical face and coldly pulled my hand free.
"Noah, I don't have until next year."
Last Chapters
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From that day on, my life filled with shadows.
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I heard sounds during sex — animal sounds, like something feral had crawled into bed with us.
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I went looking for whoever had been tearing my marriage apart. I fought to win my husband back.
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Does Lucas truly love me?
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Mating Moon
The CEO Above My Desk
“I know she does.”
“And what if she doesn’t want this kind of protection?”
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My hand tightens subtly at Violet’s waist.
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I don’t work for Rowan Ashcroft.
I work beneath him.
From my desk, I decide who gets access to the most ruthless CEO in the city, and who never makes it past the lobby. I manage his time, his silence, his enemies. I keep his world running while my own quietly collapses under unpaid bills, a mother locked in rehab, and a brother who vanished without a goodbye.
Rowan Ashcroft is power wrapped in a tailored suit.
Cold. Untouchable. Merciless.
He doesn’t flirt. He doesn’t smile. He doesn’t see people, only usefulness.
And for a long time, I was just useful.
Until he started watching.
A shift in his attention is subtle at first. A pause too long. A look that lingers. Orders that pull me closer instead of pushing me away. The man who stands above my desk begins to control more than my schedule, and I realize too late that being noticed by Rowan Ashcroft is far more dangerous than being ignored.
Because men like him don’t crave affection.
They crave possession.
This was supposed to be a job.
Not a test of my limits.
Not a slow, deliberate descent into his authority.
But if Rowan Ashcroft decides I belong under his desk, then so be it.
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He was supposed to be off-limits. Untouchable. The kind of man you only fantasize about when you’re alone in the dark with your hand between your thighs.
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And he knew it.
The moment his dark eyes locked on mine through the glass, I became prey. His filthy smirk promised one thing—he saw me touching myself to him, and he wasn’t about to let me forget it.
Now, every time I’m in his house, I can’t breathe without thinking of his mouth between my legs.
I left my cheating boyfriend behind, only to fall into something even more dangerous:
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He’s too old. Too powerful. Too forbidden.
But Gianni doesn’t ask—he takes.
And I don’t want him to stop.
Fated to the Enemy: The Alpha's Witch Bride
My touch tames his inner beast.
… Until I find another woman’s bite mark on his neck.
As a holy witch, I shouldn't be sneaking out for Zuri—a cursed shape-shifter from a rival clan.
But our forbidden heat is intoxicating.
When his monstrous Primal breaks free, slaughtering everything in its path, even his fiercest warriors cower.
I don't.
I walk straight to the blood-soaked beast, press my body against his, and tame him with a single, desperate embrace.
There’s just one problem: his clan betrothed him to a Shaman’s daughter.
I tell myself it's purely political. I tell myself his heart is mine.
Until tonight.
He sneaks into the woods for me. We share a deep, hungry kiss under the moonlight.
But as I pull back, my blood runs cold.
Right there, on the neck of the man I just risked my soul to save...
Is a fresh, undeniable bite mark.
Accardi
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“I am done chasing you.”
Before she could formulate a witty remark, Matteo threw her down. She landed hard on her back atop his dining room table. She tried to sit up when she noticed what he was doing. His hands were working on his belt. It came free of his pants with a violent yank. She collapsed back on her elbows, her mouth gaping open at the display. His face was a mask of sheer determination, his eyes were a dark gold swimming with heat and desire. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her to the edge of the table. He glided his fingers up her thighs and hooked several around the inside of her panties. His knuckles brushed her dripping sex.
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Tango 2 the Alpha's Heart
My gaze snapped to his. He was smiling, causing my heart to skip a painful beat. Before I could respond, the music began, and my body instinctively reacted to the sweet melody.
I found myself molded to Lex's will, my feet irresistibly following the dance steps.
The crowd gasped as Lex pulled me into a more intimate position, his hands roaming over my body in a seductive manner.
The experience was both terrifying and magical, allowing me to feel every longing emotion through the dance.
I soon found myself lost in his arms.
When the music finally stopped, my arms were wrapped around his neck, his hands resting on my back, our noses almost touching. He gazed deeply into my eyes.
The ballroom fell silent.
Was he about to kiss me?
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Years of torment and abuse left Lilly weak, vulnerable, and believing she was without a wolf, but that didn't mean that all hope was lost.
At night, in her dreams, he would patiently wait for her—the man who brought sunshine into her darkest moments.
They would dance the night away, but as dawn approached, he would vanish into the morning sun.
Lilly had given up hope of finding a mate, having a family, and leading a normal life.
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"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
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When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
