
THE LIES BETWEEN US
zainnyalpha · Ongoing · 309.4k Words
Introduction
“You taste like sin,” he murmured against my lips before dragging his mouth down the curve of my throat.
“Damien—”
“Look at you, trembling for a man you swore you hated.” His fingers traced higher, stroking where I ached most, and I gasped, nails digging into his shoulders. “Say my name again. Say it like you need me”
Heat pooled low in my belly, my protest tangled with a moan. His fingers teased the hem of my silk slip, pushing higher until his hand found bare skin. I shook my head, the word caught in my throat as he pressed harder, drawing a desperate whimper from me.
I shouldn’t crave him. I hated him.
Our engagement wasn’t real,nothing but a transaction, a lie born of blackmail and secrets…
And still, when his lips crashed against mine, my body betrayed me with the one truth I could never speak aloud.
I wanted him.
*****
Damien Moretti doesn’t believe in marriage.
Not for love. Not for convenience.
But when a buried family secret puts everything his family built at risk, he’s forced to say yes to one thing he swore he never would:
An arranged marriage.
Brielle Lancaster is his last resort.
The polished, proud daughter of the man holding the blackmail.
He doesn’t want her.
He doesn’t trust her.
And yet, the longer she’s in his home, the more dangerous she becomes.. not to his empire, but to his control.
Because falling for her was never part of the plan.
But now that he’s started... he doesn’t know how to stop.
Brielle Lancaster has played her role for twenty-four years .. the perfect daughter, the quiet writer, the good girl.
But when she’s forced into an engagement with the cold, calculating Damien Moretti, everything unravels.
She doesn’t want the penthouse.
She doesn’t want the title.
And she certainly doesn’t want the man who looks at her like she’s a complication.
But behind his walls, she sees cracks.
And beneath the surface, she finds a man fighting demons no one else sees.
She wasn’t supposed to care.
But now she does.
And she’s not sure if it will save her or destroy them both.
Chapter 1
BRIELLE
One thing I hated more than soggy fries and getting shoved around in a crowded subway… was an impromptu phone call from Thomas Lancaster — otherwise known as my father–demanding I come home.
It never ends well.
I stared at the screen as his name flashed again, jaw clenched. Ten seconds of silence, then it stopped.
This was the third call in under five minutes. Which meant it wasn’t just a “drop by” situation. It was a life-altering one.
And with Thomas, life-altering usually meant I was about to lose something — freedom, choice, or whatever scraps of peace I’d managed to collect lately.
The cab jolted as we hit a pothole, dragging me back to reality. Rain tapped against the windows in a soft, steady rhythm, matching the dull throb behind my eyes.
The driver threw a glance at me through the rearview mirror. “You okay back there?”
I nodded, forcing a small smile. “Yeah...”
I didn’t say I’d rather be going anywhere but home. That part was implied.
I tucked my phone away and stared out at the city lights bleeding into the wet pavement. The closer we got to the Lancaster estate, the heavier my chest felt — like the air itself thickened the nearer I got to that godforsaken mansion.
I hadn’t lived there in years. Not since college. These days, I stayed at the apartment I shared with my best friend. I only went back when I absolutely had to. Holidays, guilt-tripped visits, the occasional check-in. Nothing more.
Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe this was just another one of Thomas’s classic “family bonding” demands.
Sure. And maybe pigs fly first class.
I sighed and was about to pull out my phone again when the cab’s radio crackled to life.
“In other news, New York’s most elusive billionaire heir is officially back in town. Damian Moretti, the only son of international tech tycoon Alessandro Moretti, arrived last night via private jet after spending the last two years in Italy…”
My head turned slightly toward the speaker.
“…Sources close to the family say Damian’s return could signal major moves in the Moretti empire. The notoriously private heir has kept a low profile since disappearing from the spotlight in early 2023. But with his return, speculation is already swirling—”
I tuned the rest out.
Damian Moretti.
That name used to live on everyone’s lips. In gossip blogs, in boardroom whispers, in every girl’s fantasy who ever dreamed of marrying wealth and danger.
But not mine.
We’d never met. Our circles didn’t cross. And yet, somehow, hearing his name made my skin prickle with something I couldn’t quite place.
I shook it off.
This had nothing to do with me.
Twenty minutes in the Lancaster estate and I already regretted not canceling. I could’ve blamed it on a deadline. Told them I was drowning in edits. Maybe even faked a migraine and turned off my phone.
Instead, I was here. At this ridiculously long table. Eating overpriced, overcooked pasta and trying to pretend I loved it.
“You look lean, Brielle,” my mother said, her tone soft but carefully measured like everything else about her. She sat across from me, picture-perfect in her pearl necklace and tailored navy dress, her posture straight as a ruler. Her hair was pulled back in that classic chignon she always wore when she wanted to look "in control."
“Have you been eating?” she added.
I chewed slowly, resisting the urge to smirk. “Well enough,” I muttered. “I mean, when I remember.”
Her brows pinched slightly. “You really shouldn’t let yourself get that consumed. Writing is important, yes, but not at the expense of your health. A routine is key, darling. Even when you're...pursuing art.”
The way she said art made it sound like a hobby I’d outgrow.
I wiped my mouth with the linen napkin, swallowing the last of the soggy pasta. “Oh well, it’s work, I guess,” I said, voice flat.
My mother reached for her wine, pausing just long enough to cast a knowing glance at my father — who still hadn’t said a word. He sat at the head of the table, stone-faced, his phone face-down beside his wine glass, a folded newspaper stiffly pushed to the side.
“Still,” she continued, “you really shouldn’t push yourself beyond your limit. You used to love cooking. You barely post anything personal anymore. Are you sleeping well? Taking your vitamins?”
“I’m not seventy-five, Mom.”
She smiled tightly. “No, but burnout is real. And I worry about you.”
Liar.
Her version of “worry” was an occasional text and passive-aggressive comments about how pale I looked on Instagram.
I was about to change the subject — ask about her garden or that ridiculous charity fashion show she was probably organizing again when my father finally spoke.
“How’s your boyfriend?”
The question dropped like a hammer.
I blinked. “What?”
He didn’t look up. He was slicing into his steak like we were just discussing the weather. “The man you were seeing. What was his name again? Liam?”
My stomach turned.
“We broke up. Two months ago.”
That got his attention.
Finally, he looked up. His eyes were cool. Sharp. Assessing. Like he was calculating something in his head.
My mother made a small sound. “Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t mention…”
I shrugged. “It wasn’t serious.”
Thomas Lancaster hummed. That low, unimpressed sound he made when he already knew something and was waiting to use it against you.
“I see,” he said, sitting back slightly. “So you're not… emotionally attached. That simplifies things.”
My brows furrowed. “Simplifies what?”
He picked up his wine glass, swirling the red liquid once before meeting my eyes.
“You’re getting married.”
I blinked.
Laughed.
Then blinked again.
“I’m sorry… what?”
“You heard me,” my father said, as if he’d just informed me of a board meeting or a tax adjustment. “The arrangements have already been made. You’ll be introduced formally tomorrow at dinner.”
I stared at him like he’d grown horns. “Are you serious?”
Dead silence.
My mother kept her gaze locked on her wine glass like she could disappear inside it. That was confirmation enough.
“Oh my God. You’re serious.”
I shoved my chair back with a scrape that echoed across the room. “No. Absolutely not. You can’t just—just decide something like this! I’m not some pawn you can move around on your stupid power-hungry chessboard—”
“You’re being dramatic,” he cut in, voice flat. “Sit down.”
“No,” I snapped. “You don’t get to spring this on me and expect me to smile through it like I’m thrilled to be auctioned off—”
“You will sit down, Brielle.”
His voice didn’t rise.
It didn’t have to.
That cold, quiet tone was worse than shouting. It sliced straight through me, and I froze before I could stop myself.
Because no matter how old I got, no matter how far I ran or how many boundaries I tried to draw…
You don’t talk back to Thomas Lancaster.
Not without consequence.
“I’m not doing this,” I said again, this time softer, but still standing. “You can’t force me into marriage. What is this, the 1800s?”
“You’re not a child,” he replied. “You’re a woman. A woman of status, of family. It’s time you started acting like it.”
My chest tightened. “You mean it’s time I started obeying you again.”
“You are not getting any younger,” he said coolly.
“I’m twenty-four,” I snapped before I could stop myself.
His eyes flicked to mine—calm, hard, unblinking.
And just like that, the fight in me cracked.
The weight of that gaze. The unspoken threat beneath it. The reminder that my freedom had always been an illusion in his world.
I sank slowly back into the chair, my hands clenched in my lap.
“Who?” I asked, voice hollow.
Thomas took a sip of his wine before answering. “Damian Moretti.”
My blood went cold.
The name hit me like a slap.
Damian Moretti.
Last Chapters
#222 CHAPTER 222
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#221 CHAPTER 221
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#220 CHAPTER 220
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#219 CHAPTER 219
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#218 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#217 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#216 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#215 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#214 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND FORTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026#213 CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN
Last Updated: 6/24/2026
You Might Like 😍
The mafia princess return
The CEO's Unspoken Love
Before I could answer, he moved closer, suddenly looming over me, his face inches from mine. I felt my breath caught, my lips parting in surprise.
"Then this is the price for speaking ill of me to others," he murmured, nipping my lower lip before claiming my mouth in a real kiss. It began as punishment but quickly transformed into something else entirely as I responded, my initial rigidity melting into compliance, then active participation.
My breathing accelerated, small sounds escaping my throat as he explored my body. His touches were both punishment and pleasure, drawing shudders from me that I thought he felt reverberating through his own body.
My nightgown had ridden up, his hands discovering more of mine with each caress. We were both lost in sensation, rational thought receding with each passing second...
Three years ago, to fulfill the wish of his grandmother, I was forced to marry Derek Wells, the second son of the family that had adopted me for ten years. He didn't love me, but I had secretly loved him all along.
Now, the three-year contractual marriage is about to end, but I feel that some kind of sentiment has developed between Derek and me that neither of us is willing to admit. I'm not sure if my feelings are right, but I know that we can't resist each other physically...
The Game of Claiming
A drunken bet becomes their private game: win the maid.
The rules?
Don’t let the others know you’re falling for her.
And never, ever let her leave.
But each brother plays differently—
The eldest buys her obedience.
The second steals her breath.
The third corners her in the dark.
The youngest ruins anyone who touches her.
Lila isn’t sure if she’s a player in their game… or the prize they’ll destroy each other to claim
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms
I’d appreciate all your support, thank you so much!
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.
On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...
Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.
George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.
His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"
Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.
When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.
"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"
George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"
"I'm afraid that's impossible."
Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
Omega Bound
Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life.
Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
A pack of their own
Avery and the Cursed Alpha
Then a mysterious billionaire offers her a deal that sounds too good to be true.
Alexander Ravenswood is powerful, wealthy, and feared throughout Tenebrous City. Behind his perfect public image lies a deadly secret. He is the Alpha of the Nocturne Pack, cursed by an ancient bloodline that is slowly driving him toward madness and death. His only hope lies in finding the legendary Aethon Orb—or the prophesied mate destined to save him.
When Alex discovers that Avery can draw symbols connected to the long-lost artifact, he offers her a contract she cannot refuse: become his fake fiancée for six months in exchange for enough money to erase her debts and save her home.
What begins as a business arrangement quickly becomes something far more dangerous.
As they search for the missing Orb, Avery is drawn into a hidden world of werewolves, ancient prophecies, and deadly pack rivalries. Powerful enemies want Alex's throne. A jealous Alpha heiress wants Avery gone. And a ruthless rival Alpha will stop at nothing to claim the Orb for himself.
But the greatest secret of all may be Avery herself.
Because the closer she gets to Alex, the more impossible truths begin to surface about her past, her strange abilities, and the destiny that has been waiting for her all along.
With a curse threatening Alex's life, enemies closing in from every side, and a forbidden bond growing stronger by the day, Avery must decide whether to walk away from the dangerous Alpha who needs her—or risk everything for a love written by fate itself.
In a city where secrets kill and destiny cannot be escaped, can a fake engagement become a love powerful enough to change the future?
Blinded By His Touch
Bastian Steele doesn’t believe in weakness.
He built Eclipse Distilling Co. from blood, silence, and a past no one is allowed to ask about. In his world, control is survival.... and obsession is a liability.
Then Kaden Winters walks in soaked from the rain, violin on his back and light spilling out of him like he’s never been burned. Bartender. Model. Artist. Beautiful and reckless enough to tease a stranger over a glass of whiskey he doesn’t know that stranger created.
Bastian tells himself it’s only a taste.
Only curiosity.
Only a moment of indulgence.
But darkness recognizes light for what it is. And what begins as interest turns into fixation. What starts as a sip becomes hunger. Because Bastian Steele doesn’t chase....He acquires. And this time, he wants more than the drink.
Ruined : You will always be mine.
“Fuckkk”, I couldn’t help but scream.
“You need to learn to be obedient” he said as he kept thrusting into me. When I felt his hands on my clit my body shook.
“Asher please, it’s too much”.
“No. if I really wanted to punish you, I would give you all of me”, he said against my ears and my entire body froze. Suddenly he moved and I was standing again. This man was insane.
I felt him behind me. “Ten Lashes for your disobedience”, he said
“Asher please”,
“No”. His voice was cold and void of any emotion.
Asher was what I wanted , what I truly craved until it was too late. An orphan should never fall in love with someone out of their reach. I thought loving him was the right thing to do until he revealed his true identity and Ruined me. I was ruined for everyone one else . I could still feel his touch, it was as if it was etched into my skin. I tired to avoid him but fate wouldn't let it happen.
The Sterling's were the most powerful in Havenwood and Dorian Sterling was off limits.
As an orphan finding out you still have people looking for you is hard to take but when it turns out to be people of wealth and standing I took the other road and ran, but running led me right back to the place I was avoiding and the person I was avoiding.
Asher and Dorling Sterling one and the same. When his first love shows up and along with everyone that has set out to ruin me, I prayed that he could protect me.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Lone Wolf
I am completely a sobbing mess.
But before I can do or say anything, Sapphire pushes through and pushes me back into the darkness with a block on me.
I am in darkness yet again due to my wolf, why is she doing this?
I have had enough of this, I want out. I want answers.
Mila Dawson and her wolf Sapphire are the white wolf creation of the Moon Goddess herself. However, Mila is the only wolf in a small town full of supernatural beings and has no memory of how she came to the small town. When a new pack of wolves moves into the territory near the town, Mila is stunned to find out that the alpha’s son Nathaniel is her mate. When she turns 18, memories flood back and she is hit with some dark secrets, a lost family member, a guardian, and a pending war to face. This is the Book 1 of 2.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.












