It's the year 2122 and the world is still a mess!
About 72 years ago, there were hundreds of women and men who were accusing the country's most successful entrepreneurs of different heinous crimes. There were so many court cases that the government couldn't keep up and couldn't give any case a fair trial. They couldn't say "Guilty!" in every trial because many of America's elite have secrets that could ruin governors, mayors, congressmen, even the president.
Months later, the government came up with a "solution" to their problem. They decided that people would get upgrades. Upgrades allow people to break a certain law if that person has a specific amount of money in the bank. Upgrades one can get can range from running a red light to murder. There was outrage, but not enough. Many knew that it was better for the trials of important people to not take up the court's precious time when the victims won't get any real justice.
Matthew Griffiths, however, thrives off of upgrades. His father started a small business, but Matthew made it into an empire, and with empires come jewels. Over the years, he's gotten upgrade after upgrade and there's no stopping him. He's known worldwide as "The Man With the Most Upgrades" and people fear him because of it. He can do almost anything to anyone. He's rumored to have killed, tortured, and kidnapped hundreds of people, though no one can prove it.
But, Naomi Vera is . . . different. She was born into a rich family and born to take over her father's business, regardless of her interests. (Even though her father admittedly wanted a boy). Her father started as a doctor but soon realized that the money he was earning would not get him upgrades. Upgrades rule America. He wanted more. He borrowed money, not from a bank, but from a fellow entrepreneur. Now that entrepreneur wants his share back, with interest.
Naomi knew nothing of her father's startup, but soon her father's past will be Naomi's imminent future.
A modern Pride and Prejudice story. Only sexier.
Mira is a refugee, starting a new life far from home. She has to deal with her troubled past, her son, and her enigmatic boss, while her only weapon is her killer sense of humor.
It's a slow-building love-hate story, with
a strong female lead;
two control freak lawyers, fighting for dominance, in denial of their feelings;
an alpha discovering his submissive side;
lots of humor and humanism.
~73K words
~~~
Warnings:
- Mild language. Characters talk like white-collar workers usually do in real life.
- Chapter 43 has mild sexual content. It isn't very graphic, it's emotional, rather, but if you don't want to read about it, just skip it. It won't affect the story.
~~~
Featured:
- WP Romance's Read Together and Head Over Heels reading list
- WP ChickLit and Women's Fiction reading list
- WP New Adult's Romance reading list
- WP Adult Fiction reading list
- WP Classic Authors Twisting Austen's Magical Moments reading list
- WP Retold reading list
~~~
Reviews:
"You have a lot of literary elements going for you: your style is chock full of subtext, humor, and intelligence. There's a careful craftsmanship in world-building, character development, and theme."
Scripturam Awards
"A truly unique story with a quite remarkable a plot! It has the ability to convey the emotions stirred within the characters to the depth of readers heart!"
The Graphomania Awards
"I am beyond impressed with this work. The characters feel real; three-dimensional. The narration does not feel forced in any way, it flows as it reads."
The Dream Awards
"Some books lead with suspense and cliffhangers that even if you don't want to continue the book you do so just to sate your curiosity. But then a rare gem like this comes along and without any cheap tricks it pulls in, you just continue and keep reading it and you may not even know when you reach the end."
Shadow City Awards