marinus van der Linden

Lyla Anderson has her life perfectly planned: marry her long-term fiancé and escape the shadow of her cold, impossible boss, Alexander Sterling. But one sleepy mistake changes everything. A single mis-sent photo, her crimson lingerie selfie meant for her fiancé, Ryan Martinez, lands in the phone of the one man she cannot stand: Alexander, the Ice King of Sterling Innovations. He says nothing. He does nothing. He pretends it never happened. Until New Year’s Eve. At the company’s glittering office party, Lyla unwraps a Secret Santa gift… a red lace lingerie set identical to the one in the photo. Before she can breathe, Alexander pulls her close, his voice brushing her ear like a forbidden promise: “Bunny, put on my New Year’s gift.” That night destroys everything: her engagement, her reputation, and her sense of control. Drawn together by heartbreak, pushed apart by sabotage, Lyla and Alexander fall into a dangerous, intoxicating orbit. But their pasts aren’t done with them. Lyla’s cheating ex-fiancé, Ryan. Lyla's traitorous best friend, Hazel. Alexander’s vindictive ex, Isabella. A leaked photo. A scandal that shakes the company. A love powerful enough to melt the Ice King and destroy them both. When betrayal resurfaces, when jealousy turns deadly, when the past refuses to stay buried… Lyla must decide whether to run again or fight for the man whose love could rewrite her entire future.

"You feel so f**king good." a deep voice, one I knew all too well, grunted. I watched my husband Daniel and my assistant Esme banging each other right on my table. My hands flew to my mouth as realization dawned on me, the shock from seeing and hearing them made me shift back, stumbling against the table, and I pushed the chair backward. "Did you hear that?" I quickly dodged and stepped back from the glass view. "What?" Daniel hissed impatiently. "I think I heard-" Esme trailed off, "Never mind, just hurry up already." "No need to rush, there is still time before the b*tch lands." His statement was like a slap to my face, my ears were ringing. "Really?" "Yes, baby, a few more rounds for us." "Once she's back, I can't have you." "I know, but it's just for a while, you know it's you I love, it's her money that's keeping me." Their mixed chuckle ran across the room, traveled up my nerves, and made my heart sink to my stomach. *** When Elsie uncovers the affair between her husband and her trusted assistant, her world shatters. The dual betrayal by the man she loved for years and the assistant she relied on leave her devastated and nearly hopeless. But after the initial shock, Elsie regains her strength. She contacts a lawyer to prepare for divorce and makes a bold move- switching jobs and joining the company of her longtime rival, Albie. What starts as a search for solace turns into something much more dangerous. Albie's relentless pursuit leaves Elsie feeling increasingly drawn to him, despite her resolve. Will she lose herself in a passion she never expected, or find a new path to healing?

"If you're looking for a personal prostitute, I suggest you try elsewhere." She spat the words like they tasted bad. "I'd rather lose my job than lose my self-respect." “But 'personal prostitute'? That stung. Made me sound like some sleazy corporate villain from a bad movie. "You're misunderstanding me." I straightened up, adjusting my tie. "What if I offered something more legitimate?" "Like what?" "Be my girlfriend." Madison's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" "One year." I warmed to the idea as I spoke. Madison Harper knows all too well the chaos Alexander Knight leaves in his wake. As the billionaire CEO’s personal assistant, she’s cleaned up after countless scandals, soothed furious ex-lovers, and kept his tumultuous private life from spilling into the boardroom. But when one fateful night lands her in Alexander’s bed, everything changes. After the one-night stand, what begins as a moment of weakness spirals into an arrangement neither of them can resist: Madison needs financial help for her mother’s mounting medical bills, and Alexander offers it—on one condition. She must become his girlfriend for a year. No strings. No emotions. Just business. But as the lines between their professional and personal lives blur, Madison’s resolve to keep her heart guarded begins to falter. Beneath Alexander’s reckless charm lies a magnetic pull she can’t escape. And just as she starts to believe she might be more than his latest “arrangement,” the ghost of Alexander’s long-lost first love, Katherine, reappears—threatening to destroy their relationship in a dangerous love triangle.