Tainted Vows

Tainted Vows

qudusay228 · Ongoing · 150.7k Words

892
Hot
892
Views
0
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

She thought one night of rebellion would be her escape. Instead, it became her ruin.

When Natalie Banks is denied her rightful legacy for being a woman, a single reckless night ignites a scandal that leaves her father comatose and their empire on the brink of collapse. Desperate to save her family’s company, she strikes a dangerous bargain with Lucien Voss, her father’s ruthless rival and the last man she should trust.

He offers a marriage of convenience: her name for his money, her freedom for his protection. But Lucien is no savior. He’s a master manipulator with a hidden vendetta, and Natalie is the key to his revenge.

Trapped in a web of lies and betrayal, Natalie must navigate a marriage built on deceit, where every clash of wills ignites a spark of undeniable desire. Can she reclaim her legacy without losing her heart to the man who destroyed it all?

In a world where love and revenge collide, one tainted vow could save her, or destroy everything.

Chapter 1

~Natalie~

Fuck it!

Damn every single thing that has to do with anything related to the Sterling group!

I am tired of being a good girl! The good daughter who does every single thing she's being asked of. Right now, I don't care what daddy thinks, he could give the company to his lovely son, who is barely sixteen. At least 3 more years till he comes of age

My chest fumed in anger as I stormed into the club as dad's words echoed in my head.

“You are a woman, Natalie. " You can't handle this, let the men do it!” He had said those words to me.

Fragile woman at my foot.

How could he change his mind when I worked my ass up for the company, made sure my image was as neat as a new book? I had a clean slate, worked as hard as anyone who has just started a start-up company, and now he wants me to get married to his best friend's son before I can take control.

I clenched my fist as the bouncers let me in. “There is no way I would cry!” I muttered to myself. The loud music was jarring as I walked towards the bar.

My hair was let loose, and I wore a short silver gown I got at the boutique nearby. Just by looking one would know I wasn't meant to be here. But I don't care if it taints my reputation or my father's, he's already said it clearly that he doesn't want me to be an heir.

Leon shouldn't have done this to me! He did me dirty, and I am going to pay back!

Twelve years of my life were wasted just like that. He told me he was proud of me. But not proud enough to make me his heir.

There were signs, and I was blind to see them. This isn’t fair; The world has evolved, and women lead the industry, yet why wouldn't he give me control?

Not a single soul in the boardroom was going to go against his orders. They would willingly obligate since they knew how good I was at taking care of the company.

All the training, degrees, pitching a million-dollar project– and he still didn't trust me enough to handle it.

“What would you like to have?” the bartender asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

“Something strong,” I yelled over the loud noise. 

“Alright, I have something that would help,” he responded with a roguish grin before winking at me. I rolled my eyes, before watching people dance on the floor while the rest did their dirty deeds.

Bass thumping, lights flashing, body grinding and, despite the vibes here, my anger is still simmering.

I can't remember the last time I went here. I've been so focused on the company I barely had time for myself.

“Here, miss,” the bartender said, returning with my drink. My phone vibrated in my pocket as I grabbed my drink. I rolled my eyes when the caller was Dad, hissing, I switched off my phone.

If he is trying to make me change my mind, then it isn't going to work. I need to do something and I certainly won't settle for less. I downed the drink in a go. My throat burned, but I didn't care.

I gulped another drink, my hands trembled and yet the burn did nothing. I felt hollow and furious!

Gritting my teeth, I stepped onto the dance floor letting the alcohol guide me. The music wrapped around me like a fog and, for once, I just let it be. Not thinking about the consequences that would occur.

I tuned out the people around me, eyes closed till I felt everyone disappear, and it looked like I was the only one on the dance floor. 

Someone tapped me from behind, my eyes flung open as I turned to see a guy smiling seductively at me. 

“You are alone!” he shouted, and I nodded my head, smiling back at him. He was handsome and suitable for a nightstand.

“Sure,” I mouthed, and he grinned.

The cute stranger offered me a drink and I accepted it without a second thought. The moment the content touched my tongue, I got excited. It was different and sweeter, and I definitely liked the taste and what it did to me. I was high beyond control.

It made me alive and untouchable, like I was a new person.

I screamed aloud, jumping till I got exhausted. It didn't take long for the room to start getting blurry. I tried to shake it out, but it worsened.

“Hey… are you okay?” a voice asked. It was the young man that handed me the drink. I tried to respond, but my tongue was thick. The floor tilted. I stumbled while trying to reach for something– someone.  

Laughter echoed around me.

Then nothing!

[The next morning…]

I jolted up, the sun slicing through the sheer curtain. I groaned, protecting my eyes with my hands to reduce the brightness entering my eyes. A throbbing headache hit me hard and I hissed.

“Where was I?” I asked, not remembering last night. Before I had time to think about it, I grabbed my phone and switched it on. Standing up, I walked to the bathroom. Thankfully, I still had my clothes on.

I rinsed my face and let out a sigh as yesterday's event was replayed.

I was glad the strange cute guy dropped me here yesterday and no harm was done.

I was about to brush my teeth when the notification popped like a firecracker.

“Just a night of rest and they won't let breath,” I grumbled and strode out of the bathroom.

I picked up my phone sluggishly, my eyes widened in shock.

65 MISSED CALLS, 132 MESSAGES!

“What the heck!” I muttered as I fumbled with my phone.

From: Board Secretary 

NEWS HEADLINE…

I tapped on one of the messages with trembling hands. I wonder what had gone wrong within those few minutes.

Freya: ‘Natalie, what happened yesterday? You are trending and your dad… just call!’

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

1.1m Views · Ongoing · Louisa
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

Omega Bound

1.2m Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

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
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother

1.4m Views · Ongoing · Harper Rivers
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.
The Prison Project

The Prison Project

891.5k Views · Ongoing · Bethany Donaghy
The government's newest experiment in criminal rehabilitation - sending thousands of young women to live alongside some of the most dangerous men held behind bars...

Can love tame the untouchable? Or will it only fuel the fire and cause chaos amongst the inmates?

Fresh out of high school and suffocating in her dead-end hometown, Margot longs for her escape. Her reckless best friend, Cara, thinks she's found the perfect way out for them both - The Prisoner Project - a controversial program offering a life-changing sum of money in exchange for time spent with maximum-security inmates.

Without hesitation, Cara rushes to sign them up.

Their reward? A one-way ticket into the depths of a prison ruled by gang leaders, mob bosses, and men the guards wouldn't even dare to cross...

At the centre of it all, meets Coban Santorelli - a man colder than ice, darker than midnight, and as deadly as the fire that fuels his inner rage. He knows that the project may very well be his only ticket to freedom - his only ticket to revenge on the one who managed to lock him up and so he must prove that he can learn to love…

Will Margot be the lucky one chosen to help reform him?

Will Coban be capable of bringing something to the table other than just sex?

What starts off as denial may very well grow in to obsession which could then fester in to becoming true love…

A temperamental romance novel.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.1m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

575.1k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

451k Views · Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
King of the Underworld

King of the Underworld

114.1k Views · Completed · RJ Kane
In my life as a waitress, I, Sephie - an ordinary person - endured the icy glares and insults of customers while trying to earn a living. I believed that this would be my fate forever.

However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”

But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”


Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.

She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

297k Views · Ongoing · sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential “It” guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride

500.4k Views · Ongoing · Riley Above Story
On the day Evelyn thought Liam would propose, he shocked her by getting down on one knee—for her stepsister, Samantha. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, Evelyn learned the cruel truth: her parents had already decided to sell one daughter’s future to a dangerous man: the infamous War God Alpha Alexander, who was rumored to be scarred and crippled after a recent accident. And the bride could’t be their precious daughter Samantha. However, when the "ugly and crippled" Alpha revealed his true self—an impossibly handsome billionaire with no trace of injury—Samantha had a change of heart. She was ready to dump Liam and take Evelyn's place as the family daughter who should marry Alexander.
Yet Alexander made his decision clear to the world: “Evelyn is the only woman I will ever marry.”
The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

323.2k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

409.7k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.