Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Jessica Southern believed that love could conquer anything-even betrayal. So she staged a reckless kidnapping to test Alan Knight, the man who had adored her for fifteen years. But when he chose his fiancée over her, Jessica was left behind to die in a fiery explosion. Everyone thought she was gone forever. No body. No funeral. Only scandal and shame. Four years later, she walks back into his life-alive, beautiful, and carrying secrets that could shatter the perfect world he's built with her cousin, the woman he was supposed to marry. Now torn between guilt and obsession, Alan refuses to let Jessica go again. He wants answers, revenge, and most of all... her. But Jessica didn't come back for love. She came back to reveal the truth-and to make them all pay. When love turns to hate, and hate becomes obsession, can two broken hearts survive the fire they started?

Chapters

Chapter 6

Chloe lifted her chin smugly. "Jessica, you just got back. Let me handle the arrangements for you. Someone, go prepare a room for her!" Her tone was like she was ordering a maid around.

Jessica narrowed her eyes, her voice cold. "You all work for the Southern family. If you don't take orders from me, then get out now! You're fired!"

The servants glanced uncertainly at Chloe.

Chloe tossed her hair carelessly. "Jessica, you don't need to take it out on the staff just because you're mad at me. They're officially hired. Fire them without cause, and you'll have to pay double compensation. Got that much cash lying around? Plus, there's a whole crew here-you think you can replace them all overnight?"

Jessica clenched her fist so tight her nails dug into her palm. She was the legitimate daughter of the Southern family, yet she had no say, no wealth. In the four years she'd been "dead," Chloe had taken over everything.

She looked up and caught Chloe's mocking gaze, and next to her, Alan's unreadable eyes. They were both just waiting for her to trip, to make a fool of herself. She suddenly felt just as powerless as the day she'd faced that bomb. This situation was a mess-without Alan's support, and with her brother gone, coming back with a name wasn't enough to change anything.

She'd already gone to the law firm to reinstate her identity, but that would take a few days. Until then, everything that was hers was still out of reach. Rushing things would only make them worse.

Suddenly, noise erupted outside-sounds of scuffling, shouts. A group barged in: sharply dressed men in black, followed by women in crisp maid uniforms.

Chloe's bodyguards stumbled in, bruised and clearly overpowered. "Ms. Southern, we don't know who those people are. We couldn't stop them!"

Chloe instinctively backed into Alan's arms, eyes wide with panic. What the hell was going on?

Even Alan looked briefly surprised-clearly, this wasn't part of his plan.

A composed, efficient-looking woman walked straight over to Jessica. "Miss Bennett, I'm Grace Wright, your new housekeeper. These are your personal bodyguards and household staff. From now on, whatever you need, we're here to handle it."

Jessica blinked. "Wait, I didn't hire you guys..."

"That's right," Grace replied with a professional smile. "The Count arranged everything a month ago. We were instructed to report to you today, Miss Bennett."

Jessica's lips curved up slightly-so that was his gift. It hit her that he was kind of like a genie from a magic lamp, always showing up with exactly what she needed when she was in a bind.

Alan stood off to the side, face dark as storm clouds, a chill flashing through his eyes.

"And these documents-everything's been handled by the lawyers. Miss Southern, your legal identity has been fully restored. As per your parents' will, all properties under the Southern family's name in Halden, along with 40% of Southern Group's shares, are now officially in your hands. Chloe was only granted temporary rights in the event of your presumed death. That's now void," one of the lawyers announced.

Taking the documents, Jessica blinked her big, bright eyes. "Then let's cut a check and fire every single servant hired by Chloe. Not one stays."

"Understood." Grace gave a nod and soon had all the servants cleared out. Of course, they were paid to the last cent-nothing shady.

Everything happened so efficiently Jessica couldn't help but feel a rush of satisfaction.

"Grace, my cousin's an adult. Southern family has no obligation to keep supporting her. Cancel all her bank cards. From today onward, not a dime more from us!"

Chloe's face turned pale at those words. She'd never had a real job in her life. Without the Southern money pipeline, she was flat-out broke.

"You've got no right, Jessica! I was adopted by your aunt!" she shouted, panic slipping through her voice. How was she supposed to keep up her high-maintenance lifestyle without the funding?

"Chloe, let's get this straight-adoption is for minors. Unless I'm wrong, you're four years older than me. You're 24 now. Exactly why would the Southern family still need to support you?" Jessica tapped the rolled-up papers against the sofa arm with a rhythm, every gesture calm but intentional. Yeah, this was exactly the reaction she'd planned on.

She was gonna make Chloe pay back every bit of the past.

Clinging to Alan's arm now, Chloe's voice had cooled down. "You're not seriously kicking me out, right, Jessica?"

The earlier panic seemed to have faded-she wasn't so worried anymore. Even though the wedding didn't happen yesterday, she still thought of herself as Alan's future wife.

He had come over last night and told her that as soon as the deal with Sultan blew over, they would rearrange the wedding. And this very morning, he'd returned to be with her-not even asking her any questions about the past. She didn't know whether Alan doubted Jessica out of revenge, or simply trusted her more. But what she did know was-he loved her.

And if Jessica ended up tossing her out, wouldn't that just give her a reason to finally move into Alan's place? The thought flashed through her mind. After all this time dating, he'd never invited her to stay over. Not even once.

Continue to next part

Aria Graves was the perfect Luna. After seven years of a marriage built on lies, She didn't break when the truth surfaced-she burned. Her revenge was clean and her rejection final. But fate wasn't done with her. To protect his own secrets, her father used her mother's life as leverage and forced Aria to take her sister's place, sending her to the Silverfang Pack as a living offering to their ruthless Alpha King, Damien Rothwell. Cold, commanding, and scarred by war, Damien should have killed her. Instead, he claimed her. Yet the King is not the only one who wants her. His half-brother, Ethan Rothwell, once the blind boy Aria taught to read, now returns a man who sees her more clearly than anyone else. Now Aria stands between two brothers-one bound by duty, the other by love. In a world where loyalty bleeds and desire burns, she must choose: the Alpha King who could ruin her, or the brother who would burn the world to save her.

Action Romance Werewolf

9.2

Entangled with the wrong man

9.2

Druscilla Hayes thought heartbreak had a limit. She was wrong. On the night of her bachelorette party, she survives a shootout - and is rescued by a dangerously irresistible stranger with mismatched eyes and a criminal smile. Ivanov Rodriguez is everything she shouldn't want. Everything her perfect fiance is not. But when Druscilla discovers her fiancé's betrayal, she runs straight into Ivanov's arms - only to learn too late that she was never more than a pawn in his revenge. Years later, she's rebuilt her life, her heart, and her future. Until fate drags her back into the orbit of the man who once ruined her. This time, she has nothing left to lose. Except the truth that could destroy them both ⚠️ WARNING: This book contains immorality, forbidden desire, dangerous attraction, and morally questionable characters. If you believe love should always be pure and choices should always be right... This story is not for you. Proceed only if you enjoy chaos, passion, and bad decisions.

Action Mystery Romance

7.5

His Betrayal Forged Her Empire

7.5

I run my family's political dynasty with an iron fist. From my father’s Senate votes to my own calculated engagement, every move is mine to control. Then, in a single evening, my ambitious stepmother made her play. She used our housekeeper as a spy and orchestrated a scandal involving my fiancé and stepsister, designed to shatter my reputation and power. They thought they could break me. Within twelve hours, the spy was dead on the marble floor of my foyer. My fiancé’s family was blackmailed into silence. My stepsister was exiled to a Swiss boarding school, and I stripped my own father of his authority for his weakness. As for my stepmother, Bronte, I had her declared mentally unstable and forcibly taken to a remote facility in Montana, completely cut off from the world. Everyone saw a cold-hearted coup, but they didn't know the secret I held. I had proof that Bronte had systematically orchestrated my brother’s death years ago, all to position her own son to inherit everything. This wasn't about power; it was vengeance. But winning the war at home has put me on a much deadlier board. Now, I'm preparing for a dinner with Eldridge Marsh—the most dangerous man in Washington—who wants to decide if I'm a player he can use, or a threat he needs to destroy.

Action Billionaire Modern

9.2

Just A Placeholder: Dying For His Mistress

9.2

I stood on the tarmac clutching white magnolias, watching the man I loved hand his loyalty to the woman born to destroy me. Dante Cavallaro, the Ruthless Underboss, didn't just leave me for Sofia Moretti. He revealed that for two years, I wasn't his lover. I was a human shield. The heavy iron bangle he forced me to wear wasn't a gift for my protection. "It's a Malocchio anchor," he sneered as I lay paralyzed on the floor. "It drains the wearer's luck to keep Sofia healthy. You are just the filter." My body began to rot from the inside out, my nerves dying one by one. When I was finally on my deathbed, unable to move or speak, Dante didn't cry for me. He cried because his tool was broken. He forced the cursed bangle onto his own wrist, begging the universe to keep me alive so I could continue to suffer in Sofia's place. "Please," he sobbed into my sheets. "Don't leave me alone with the bad luck." I used my last breath to make a wish—not for him, but for my freedom. I closed my eyes and died. Exactly one hour later, Dante's phone rang. It was his father. "Sofia just collapsed," he said. "Her heart just stopped." I was the vessel. And now that I was gone, the poison had come home to the King.

Action Mafia Romance

8.4

No Escape From His Dangerous Love

8.4

Arlene was the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Boone family, treated worse than a stray dog. To keep her meager scholarship, she had to swallow her pride and apologize to the frat boy who tormented her. But he didn't just want an apology. He forced her to drink twenty shots of liquor laced with pure capsaicin extract. "Drink us under the table, or take off your clothes and crawl out." Arlene drank until her stomach tore, vomiting blood and collapsing on the filthy club floor. When she dragged her half-dead body back to the Boone estate, her biological father and half-sister didn't care. Instead, her sister ground Arlene's SAT admission ticket into the dirt with her stiletto. "Throw her out. Dad doesn't want to look at her before Hardie's engagement." The guards threw her onto the gravel, leaving her bleeding and barefoot in the freezing night. Arlene sat shivering at a dark bus stop, her dignity completely stripped away. She never wanted a dime from the Boones, so why did they insist on crushing her only way out? And why did Dr. Hardie Boone, the untouchable head of the family, look at her with such a twisted, terrifying obsession? When Hardie's black Aston Martin pulled out of the shadows, he scooped her up, took her away, and locked her inside his penthouse. "You carry the Boone name. Whether you live or die is my decision." Trapped by the dangerous man who demanded total control over her life, Arlene finally realized that simply running away was no longer an option.

Action Modern Romance

8.0

Our Marriage: A Twisted Revenge

8.0

My husband, Aiden, brought his mistress to a gala. She was carrying my clutch bag, a gift from him. He was laughing, daring me to make a scene. But the ultimate cruelty wasn't the affair. It was when he brought up my kidnapping from ten years ago, using my deepest trauma as a weapon to publicly shame me. His mistress, Ember, piled on, her voice dripping with false pity. "Oh, Julia, I just can't imagine what you went through. Aiden told me everything. How you were… so damaged." I suddenly realized who she was: the daughter of the man who had orchestrated my kidnapping. This wasn't just an affair; it was a long-con revenge plot to destroy the company I had sacrificed everything to save. Aiden, the man who once swore to protect me, was her willing pawn. His cruelty had already cost me our unborn child years ago. In that moment, the last bit of love I had for him turned to ice. He thought he was breaking me. He had no idea he was just handing me the keys to his destruction.

Action Modern Romance

Claimed by the Man I Shouldn't Love

Chapter 6

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