The Forsaken Bride

Hot, so hot... Elena Vance restlessly unbuttoned her collar and opened her eyes. Immediately, the overwhelming presence of a strange man assaulted her senses as he kissed her! In the darkness, Elena panicked. How could there be a man in her bed? Was her cousin, Daphne Vance, really planning to ruin her?

​The man's strength was immense. Lately, Elena had been forced to give blood every three days to treat her sister's illness. Already weakened, she was no match for him.

​"Let me go... who are you? Let go!" Elena struggled desperately. The man pinned her arms down, stopping her from pushing him away. They were so close she could feel his heavy breath and racing heartbeat. His kisses trailed from her lips down to her collarbone. Weak and helpless, her voice cracked with tears. "Please... don't touch me..."

​His breath was domineering, and his hoarse voice commanded, "Kiss me."

​"You jerk, let me go!" Elena cried out, but the man took her into the depths of despair.

​The Morning After

​When she woke, it was almost dawn. Elena looked at the man beside her his back turned and cried her heart out. Her cousin, Daphne Vance, was truly heartless! To please her own sister, Daphne had forbidden Elena from seeing her sweetheart, Jackson Reed, and arranged for a stranger to ruin her purity. Now, Elena felt she could never face Jackson again.

​However, this was an opportunity to escape. She refused to be a permanent prisoner, supplying bone marrow and blood to her sister. Elena scrambled into her clothes, intending to sneak away. In her haste, she didn't notice a jade pendant bracelet slip from her wrist onto the carpet. Before vanishing, she caught one glimpse of the man in the dim light: a prominent lion tattoo across his broad back.

​The Swap

​In a nearby alley, Elena was intercepted by Daphne Vance. "Trying to run? Not so easy!" Several burly men grabbed Elena, muzzling her and dragging her toward a van.

​Daphne then hurried back to the hotel room to retrieve the hidden camera footage, intending to use the video of the "sleazy old man" to destroy Elena's reputation. But when she watched the screen, she gasped. The man in the video wasn't the drunk she had hired.

​"It's... it's Cillian Thorne! His legs..." Daphne smashed the device in a jealous rage. She couldn't believe Elena's luck. But then, a vicious plan formed. She called the driver in the van: "Release Elena. Let her run!"

​"What?" the driver stammered.

"I said let her go! Did you not hear me?" Daphne's voice was icy. Only if Elena disappeared could Daphne step into her place.

​The Emperor's Search

​In the suite, Cillian Thorne woke with murderous intent. The woman from last night was gone. He called his assistant, Philip Woods. "Investigate the woman from last night. Find her and kill her without mercy."

​Cillian had been set up and drugged, stumbling into this room in desperation. He assumed the girl