one step too far lisa gardner

Sierra Lowe, a genius from the future research institute, dies unexpectedly and wakes up 100 years in the past as the fiancée of Commander Ethan Nacht. Her plan is simple: lay low, earn money, and avoid trouble. And when the ninth wife finally rises to power, she’ll happily step aside. But on their wedding day, Commander Ethan hears her inner thoughts loud and clear: “So this is Ethan Nacht, the guy who secretly slept with the ninth wife?”Ethan was baffled: "Father only had eight wives. Where did the ninth come from?"

On the day of Valeria Castle's engagement, her mother, Marilyn Castle, arrives at the banquet disguised as a cleaner, only to face humiliation from the Hardy family. A wealthy woman fights her over a parking spot, her future mother-in-law enforces strict household rules, and her fiancé demands an outrageous betrothal gift. But Marilyn soon reveals her true identity. Wayne Cuddy, Aaron Shaw, and Basil Brady step in with a billion-dollar dowry, instantly turning the tide. From that moment on, she proves her strength time and again, expertly resolving the crisis at Price Corp. In the end, as foreign capital threatens their empire, she takes Valeria abroad—ready for the next battle.

After a car accident and plastic surgery, a part-time worker wakes up with the face of a wealthy heiress. Living someone else's life, she seizes the chance to get revenge on the man who ruined her. But as she gets tangled with the heiress’s fiancé, an unexpected romance blooms—and so does the question: how far will she go to keep this borrowed life?

Harper Allen is born in Prosperity Village, where women possess a special constitution that produces multiple babies per pregnancy.Because they have too many children, the village is desperately poor. Harper is chosen by the villagers to work in the city and bring hope to everyone—and she just happens to run into the Lauren family patriarch offering a fortune for a grandchild.Perfect timing! With the old man’s arrangement, Harper marries Spencer Lauren, the aloof CEO cursed by his family bloodline of “Any woman who bears a Pierce heir will die.” But the prideful CEO refuses. What to do? No job is too difficult for a hardworking woman—she has plenty of strength and methods! That very night, she ties up the struggling Spencer and tosses him into the bridal chamber...

On the day of Valeria Castle's engagement, her mother, Marilyn Castle, arrives at the banquet disguised as a cleaner, only to face humiliation from the Hardy family. A wealthy woman fights her over a parking spot, her future mother-in-law enforces strict household rules, and her fiancé demands an outrageous betrothal gift. But Marilyn soon reveals her true identity. Wayne Cuddy, Aaron Shaw, and Basil Brady step in with a billion-dollar dowry, instantly turning the tide. From that moment on, she proves her strength time and again, expertly resolving the crisis at Price Corp. In the end, as foreign capital threatens their empire, she takes Valeria abroad—ready for the next battle.

Koiti Mikage, the world's wealthiest man, had spent years concealing his identity while working as a cashier to raise his son, Kazuma. Unexpectedly, Kazuma ended up marrying Yuki Hanyo. The Hanyo family was domineering and overbearing, so Kazuma tried to keep the wedding from Koichi, yet Koichi showed up uninvited. At the wedding, Kazuma was belittled at every turn, prompting Koiti to step in and defend Kazuma. Despite initial mockery, Koiti just responded by presenting extravagant gifts. But when faced with persistent provocations, Koiti no longer held back. At that moment, his powerful and influential goddaughter burst in, declaring her desire to marry into the Mikage family, which sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Facing her husband's deadly scheme, heiress Wendy Snow chooses Jesse Turner, a mysterious and formidable bodyguard.While others think he is just a hired guard, the truth is far more dangerous. It is a game of bait and strategy, where every move is a risk. When the truth is revealed, his real identity shocks the world as he helps her rise again.

Harper Allen is born in Prosperity Village, where women possess a special constitution that produces multiple babies per pregnancy.Because they have too many children, the village is desperately poor. Harper is chosen by the villagers to work in the city and bring hope to everyone—and she just happens to run into the Lauren family patriarch offering a fortune for a grandchild.Perfect timing! With the old man’s arrangement, Harper marries Spencer Lauren, the aloof CEO cursed by his family bloodline of “Any woman who bears a Pierce heir will die.” But the prideful CEO refuses. What to do? No job is too difficult for a hardworking woman—she has plenty of strength and methods! That very night, she ties up the struggling Spencer and tosses him into the bridal chamber...

Troy's retirement life was peaceful, far from the violence and the turmoil of the financial markets. He never expected, however, that his own son would pull him out of it to work as a security guard at the company. Troy had no choice. It was his son after all. What he never imagined was that this job would somehow lead to him finding a beautiful CEO wife.

Tech genius Jolie Shannon sacrificed her career for her husband Mark Gates, only to be betrayed by his affair — even forced to serve his pregnant mistress. She filed for divorce, reclaimed her pre-marital assets and core patents, causing Mark's company's IPO to fail and driving it to the brink of bankruptcy. Throughout the divorce, she calmly handled insults from his family and gathered evidence step by step. After divorcing, she swiftly married her longtime rival from her youth, Simon Fox. With his support, she returned to the tech industry and staged a dramatic comeback in both career and love, ultimately leaving her ex-husband isolated and disgraced.

Koiti Mikage, the world's wealthiest man, had spent years concealing his identity while working as a cashier to raise his son, Kazuma. Unexpectedly, Kazuma ended up marrying Yuki Hanyo. The Hanyo family was domineering and overbearing, so Kazuma tried to keep the wedding from Koichi, yet Koichi showed up uninvited. At the wedding, Kazuma was belittled at every turn, prompting Koiti to step in and defend Kazuma. Despite initial mockery, Koiti just responded by presenting extravagant gifts. But when faced with persistent provocations, Koiti no longer held back. At that moment, his powerful and influential goddaughter burst in, declaring her desire to marry into the Mikage family, which sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Irina Petrov may look like a nobody in mechanic overalls, but she is actually the ruthless Mafia Queen who rules New York. She comes to her sister Sasha’s wedding hoping to celebrate her happiness, only to watch Sasha get insulted, used, and betrayed by the groom’s family. They thought they were crushing two helpless sisters. But as the Mafia Queen, how far will Irina go to make them pay?

Racing prodigy Elena gave up her career for love and family, only to be betrayed by her husband and son. She came to her senses, divorced him, and with the help of devoted billionaire Sean, she takes down her conniving sister and scumbag ex-husband. The former housewife then reclaims her championship title, becoming a brilliant star far beyond the reach of those who once looked down on her.

Desperate to pay for her father's surgery, Eliza Smith takes on a bold task from Lennox Fuller, a wealthy heir: ruin his wedding. At the ceremony, she claims they're true love and expecting his child,shattering his engagement. She plans to take the money and go, but Lennox insists they keep up the act. Eliza agrees—but their fake relationship starts turning into something far more complicated…

After years of sacrifice for her family and betrayal by the man she loved, a woman presumed dead is rescued by a powerful mafia godfather—only to be forced to choose between a ruthless new future and the first love who realized his regret too late.

"Selene, your bloodline is too lowly. You don't deserve to be a Luna! You must let your Alpha mark his sister-in-law!" My mother-in-law despises me because I'm a lowly Omega. When my mate's brother dies in an accident, my mother-in-law wants me to allow my mate, Eugene Latham, to have pups with his sister-in-law, Kristy Unwin, because of her superior bloodline. Otherwise, Eugene will lose his right to become Alpha! Eugene wraps his arms around me tenderly and says, "You're the only one in my heart, but you need to understand that the pack can't go without an Alpha. I'll announce to everyone that you're my Luna once Kristy's pregnant and I become Alpha, okay?" I love him deeply, so I believe him. However, when Eugene goes from sleeping with Kristy once a month to sleeping with me once a month, I realize he's no longer a mate who belonged to me alone. When Kristy announces that she's pregnant and that she and Eugene are going to get married, I'm the only one who's kept in the dark. My heart shatters into pieces when I see the glimmering Luna's ring on her finger. If this is what Eugene wants, I'll fake my death and leave him. I won't ever return.

Matias Lutz, a disowned son, awakened an all-element taming gift. Too poor to contract a beast, he was mocked. His brother and ex shamed him.Enraged, he awakened the Primordia System.In an evolving world, he reverted a despised caterpillar into Celestial Dragon. What will he do to achieve this?

Matias Lutz, a disowned son, awakened an all-element taming gift. Too poor to contract a beast, he was mocked. His brother and ex shamed him.Enraged, he awakened the Primordia System.In an evolving world, he reverted a despised caterpillar into Celestial Dragon. What will he do to achieve this?