1665 Book(s) Related to summary of art of war

"Are you accepting?' he probed, his eyes brazenly following every line in her body. Ivory instantly grew shy. Her nerve waning.

"I am considering it. However, I am not sure what it entails." her voice and bravado had weakened. Raiden nodded at her words, understanding that he was previously vague.

"It's not a relationship. As I have pointed out to you before, I am attracted to you and wish to explore a purely physical relationship, albeit temporarily," he said, eyeing her every reaction.

"You mean purely sexual?' she corrected him. She knew the words he used were aimed at sugar-coating the reality but she wasn't interested in half-truths when she was considering going against everything she believed in. Raiden nodded. "How long is it to persist?" The more she considered the option the riskier it seemed. She worked closely with Raiden, would this make their relationship awkward?

"It's terminable at the will of either party," he commented. He wasn't in the habit of forcing a woman to be with him, in fact, it was something he made no great strides over. She had complete freedom to stay or leave his bed.

"Another way of saying when you've grown tired of me." she laughed incredulously.

She's pregnant with my brother's baby. And if he doesn't marry her, I will.


It was Austin’s turn to seething with rage. “You are not aborting that child.” His voice echoed menacingly, animosity lingering in the air around them.

My body, my rules.” She shot back with an unbothered shrug.

“I don’t think you have much of a choice.” He barked. The idea of marriage and children had never crossed his mind. It wasn’t a part of his life plan. “I’d chain you to a bed for the entire nine months if I have too.”

She blinked, stupefied that he thought himself capable. “I think you forget who you are speaking too, Austin.” She pronounced his name with disgust. “You cannot scare or manipulate me into following along with your ideas.” Marriage? To Austin Demon Cyner? Now that was a delusion. “A stupid one at that.” She added, eyeing him meticulously.

“Marry me, Skylar. It’s a win-win; a marriage of convenience.” He’d cleared his throat and was taking long strides towards her. Suddenly the room felt too small to contain the sheer size of him.

“I severely dislike you, though. What am I winning exactly?” her feet were traveling backwards, unwilling to have her standing up too close to him.

“A stable home for your child,” the sound of his shoes tapping rhythmically in her ear “Our child.” He added on quickly, his voice low, compelling her to agree.

“I don’t recall you being in the room when it was made.”


Check out another story in the same collection: His Tempting Captive

"I'm sorry, Ava, but you can no longer be my mate because you are not up to my level. You are now just a mere human," Caleb said, which made Ava extremely angry.

"After all the sacrifices I have made? My brother gave his life for you! I became a mere human because of you! It's the sacrifice I made! I had to lose my hybrid powers in order to break your curse, and after all that, you reject me?" Ava said, tears streaming down her face.

"Well, that's how you see it!" Alpha Caleb responded before walking away.

If you were in Ava's shoes, what would you do? Not sure? Let's dive in and see what Ava did!

Riley
New name, new look, new life. I've been careful to keep my past at bay. The last thing I needed was the stranger with those calm discerning eyes to cross my path. I must avoid him at all costs, even if he haunts my dreams and sends waves of heat across my skin. My focus is survival, not lust. Not even if he ignited a longing I'd never thought possible.

Draven
A mission. Find the missing girls and bring the perpetrator to justice. The retributive kind. I've grown used to the shadows but I am drawn to her light. Moth to a flame, the only way to quell my curiosity is to satiate it. But not too much. Not completely.

TEASER:
You want me, don’t you?” A simple question that warranted a simple answer.
“Should I have had you checked for a head injury?” he scoffed, a swift blow that knocked the wind out of my lungs and I realised I had been holding my breath. My lips parted, and my chest heaved, working overtime to replenish my body’s oxygen from those few moments of starvation.
Steeling my spine, I stepped forward, invading his space, oblivious to the eyes that were thrown our way. Or was I imagining that? Draven didn’t budge, a perfectly shaped brow elevated as he considered my movement with little interest. There wasn’t a single flicker of emotion to cross his features, not even that Godforsaken misleading smile made an appearance.
“Then you’ve no reason to threaten any man I may find interesting.” I breathed the words slowly, erotically.

Sera Nerva is a rare female Alpha who is determined to prove her abilities and
strengthen her pack to defend against its enemies. She is determined to remain mate-
less and focus on protecting her pack and family. Her bitter experiences with her
previous mate killed her parents and brother and almost destroyed her pack.
Draco Macer is a scarred and jaded Alpha, feared and respected by all. He rose through
to power as Alpha on the blood of countless wolves. He is certain that he would remain
mate-less because of a grave mistake of his past, in which his mate lost her life.
A twist of fate brings these two together as second chance mates and they forge a strong
bond- the rare double-alpha mating. Sera is determined to run from this bond to protect
her pack and family, but Draco insists on holding on to this second chance at love.
What happens when the consequences of the mating persist? Will Sera take the leap of
fate and decide to give this second chance mating a chance? What happens when various
obstacles try to come between their love and old enemies try to destroy their bond? Find
out in this compelling story of second chances!

I’m running. Not just from the past, but from the man who made it a living hell. My father—human, cruel, a monster in his own right. He hated what I was, what my mother was, and he made me pay for it every day. Silver chains. Bruises. Screams. But I’m done being his punching bag.

But then the wolves find me and my little brother.

Their Alpha, Lucian, is cold and ruthless—and my mate. He rejects me without hesitation. Weak. Broken. Not fit to stand by his side.

Fine. Let him underestimate me. I’ll survive, for Henry and for myself.

Years later, I return, no longer the girl he cast aside. There’s a new threat, one that could destroy his pack—and I’m the only one who can stop it.

Lucian looks at me differently now—like he sees what he lost. The mate he pushed away. And there are times I can't resist...

I was falsely accused of killing my sister. My husband personally sent me to prison. Three years later, he picked me up, and that very night he stripped off my clothes and fucked me brutally.

He said, "The child your sister and I had together has a heart condition. You have to give birth to a baby to save him. This is what you owe your sister!"

For fifty years, I bathed in blood for my world, only to return home to find my wife dead and my daughter about to be sacrificed.
The High Priest stepped on my daughter’s head, branding me a traitor, and declared he would burn her to ashes. Scarred, broken, and with my magic depleted, I was bound to the pyre alongside her. Tens of thousands cursed us from below as the flames engulfed the stage.
Weeping, my daughter asked me, "Daddy, are you really a hero?"
I crushed the pendant on my chest.
Dragons, Dwarves, Berserkers—the million-strong allied army I had united over those fifty years descended across dimensions.
The High Priest slumped to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. "Who... who exactly are you?"
Staring into his eyes, I said only one thing:
"Dragons have reverse scales; touch them, and you die. You crossed the line!"

"If you behave, I'll let you go."

Veera looked at her kidnapper and raised a brow. She wanted to cuss at him, but realised that was not going to be wise since he was an Alpha who she had saved from the brink of death five years ago. Plus, she was tied to the chair and her mouth had been tapped yet again since she freaked out and screamed at him like any normal victim in a thriller movie.

Mature read 18+

Alpha at the Door 2020 By RainHero21 ©

"The bride is here" Someone shouted and he calmed down a bit, he just want to get this over with.

He turned to stare at his bride and was shocked to see another face, dressed as his bride walking towards the altar.

The lady has blond hair and baby blue eyes, a straight nose and a rosebud mouth that was twitching nervously.

He stared at his friend who was standing beside him, his gaze demanding for an explanation but he only shrugged, his gaze portrayed that he doesn't have a clue about what's going on.

She smiled nervously when she got to where he was standing.

"Hello, you must be the groom, my name is Isabella. Joana's cousin and I am your bride "

Daniel arched a brow at her before turning back to the priest, "let's begin"........


"Boss, you have to see this video, it is a video of your wife with another man and the worst is that it is uploaded on an adult site".

Daniel flung the phone angrily across the wall, "find me that bastard who would dare do such, find him before 24hours elapses" he yelled.......

Find out what will become of Daniel and Isabella's marriage after this shocking revelation. Will their love be able to withstand every little secret being dished out?

Wha..what do you..you wa..want?"

"You," he said with a lopsided grin only his eyes showed his true intentions as he placed his hands on her waist lifting her up onto the counter stepping in between her legs.

"You..you.can't," she stuttered.

"I am, I can and I will have you Lia. This I promise you," he said nuzzling her neck before claiming her lips stealing her breath.

"Ethan no," she said breathlessly pushing him away.

"Lia why do you keep pushing me away. You know you want this as much as I do. I know you feel the same way as I feel about you. Why are you fighting us!" He growled frustratedly.


"Don't lie to me," he growled saying each word slowly whilst pacing in front of the door.

"Ethan I."

"Don't," his voice boomed as he stopped looking at her angrily as she flinched. "Start speaking," he whispered.

Phoebe Lambert walked away from a marriage that nearly broke her, determined to rebuild her life in peace. But her fresh start takes an unexpected turn when a stranger shows up at her door, claiming the apartment she lives in is his.

Bruno Blackfield is cold, controlled, and hiding from a scandal that cost him everything. Forced to share a home due to a shocking mistake, the two clash instantly, their days filled with tension, sharp arguments, and undeniable chemistry.

When Phoebe’s past refuses to let her go, Bruno offers a solution, a fake relationship. But as the lines between pretense and reality blur, their growing connection becomes impossible to ignore.

With betrayal closing in and secrets unraveling, they must decide if what started as hate… could become the one thing worth risking everything for.

While trying to survive from an abusive marriage, Diana Ross, an interning Editor, will have to question her love for her husband when she meets popular author Xavier Kings, who will turn her life around.

It all started with just one night of passion.

When Diana Ross finds peace, love and attention from playboy Xavier Kings, who's smitten by the married lady, will he choose to give up his career all for love and be the knight in shining armor to Diana?

When her heart is forced to choose between her high school sweetheart turned abuser, or Xavier Kings while knowing that she might have to regret the part, where Xavier's career will be ruined because of her. What will Diana do?

An affair that leads to nowhere, is it?

Read to find out in this amazing story!

Instagram ID: irreplaceable Sassy.
Discord ID:Jayden222#1882.
Gmail: oluchij222@gmail.com.

I don’t remember him.

But when I wake up after a hundred years of darkness, he’s the first thing I see. A man with storm-colored eyes and a voice that trembles when he says my name. He tells me I loved him once. That we were everything to each other. But how could that be true when the very sight of me fills him with both longing and unspeakable pain?

He calls me Ana. Says I was human once, that I belonged to him, but something went wrong. That I was taken. That I was turned into this thing that can’t feel warmth, that craves what it shouldn’t.

And now I must remember. I must fight against what I’ve become before I lose myself forever. But the more time I spend with him, the more I realize—somewhere deep inside, I still know him. His touch lingers in a place my memories cannot reach. His whispered words unlock something raw and aching.

But there are secrets between us. Ones he refuses to tell. And as fragments of the past start slipping through, I begin to wonder…

Did I love him, or did I destroy him?

And if I remember everything—will he still look at me like I’m the love of his life, or the monster who ended it?

Two people at a crossroads, two remote mountain cabins, and a Christmas they’ll never forget. Sophie Furnell loves her job as a 911 operator, and she’s good at it. One call at a time, she makes her community a better place. But one night, she has to tell a caller that help isn’t coming. Soon after, her job is defunded. Disheartened and broke, she sets off for the Adirondacks to house-sit her grandmother’s rental cottage. As violence sweeps through his neighborhood, Cole Marick defends his bicycle shop and loses. His wounds heal, but the business he’s worked hard to build is destroyed, along with his faith in humanity. Leaving the boarded-up neighborhood storefronts behind, Cole retreats to his family’s Adirondack fishing camp. Amid towering snow-laden trees, two neighbors have come seeking refuge. But not even the shimmer of holiday lights against new-fallen snow is enough to bring Christmas joy to their two damaged spirits. Neither has seen much in the way of miracles lately, but as a snowstorm blows in and Christmas approaches, they discover that miracles come in many forms. Get your copy and see why author J.L. Jarvis’s sweet Christmas romances have delighted thousands of readers.

Maya has been secretly in love with Liam Miller, her best friend Chloe's older brother, for years even though she knows he is five years older and completely off-limits. When Liam gives her his hoodie in the rain and tells her she is growing up dangerously fast, Maya's carefully hidden feelings begin to surface. On Liam's twenty-first birthday they are left alone and share a kiss that changes everything, but Liam pulls away saying Maya is too young and this cannot happen. Maya tries to move on by agreeing to attend Spring Formal with Noah, but Liam cannot handle watching her with someone else. When their forbidden relationship explodes into a public scandal, they face backlash and accusations that tear both families apart, Maya and Liam must decide if their love is worth the price or if some lines should never be crossed.

Isadora Bellini spent her entire life living in the shadow of her twin sister, Giulia—but nothing hurt more than the moment their childhood best friend and her fated mate, Capo Lorenzo, chose Giulia over her. Shattered and humiliated, Isadora disappeared from the Luna Nera Clan, carving out a quiet life among humans. Eight years later, she’s dragged back to the one place she promised never to return—for Giulia’s funeral. What begins as a painful farewell quickly spirals into a storm of secrets, guilt, and dangerously unresolved emotions.
Lorenzo isn’t the same confident Capo who once broke her heart—he’s grieving, broken, and searching for answers. But so is Isadora. As truths begin to unravel—about Giulia’s betrayal, Lorenzo’s rejection, and a past that refuses to stay buried—Isadora finds herself caught between the scars of yesterday and the pull of a bond she tried to erase.
In a world where fate is sealed by blood and moonlight, and love can be the sharpest weapon of all… will Isadora risk everything to uncover the truth, or let her pain write the ending for her?
When love feels like betrayal, how do you trust what your heart still wants?

"Mommy, I don't need a daddy. Having you is enough."

When I heard my daughter say those words, I nearly broke down in tears.

Five years ago, an accident left me pregnant with twins. My father seized everything my mother had left behind and threw me out of the house. After I gave birth, he told me my son had died, leaving only my daughter Luna by my side.

For Luna's sake, I was forced to marry a man I'd never met—a husband in a vegetative state—and spent three years in France.

Three years later, I returned to Bay Harbor, only to be betrayed by my own father once again. While fleeing, I stumbled by mistake into the penthouse suite of a luxury hotel, where I spent the night with a mysterious man confined to a wheelchair.

The next morning, I left in a panic, convinced it was just another accident in my chaotic life.

Until later, when I took a job with the wealthy Stone family and met a quiet, withdrawn little boy named Cal—a child who seemed forgotten by the entire world.

I don't know why, but the moment I saw him, my heart ached inexplicably.

And at the same time, the man I had "taken advantage of" that night began closing in on the truth, determined to find me...

While I bled to death locked in a storage room, my fiancé Adrian was holding my sister's hand, comforting her.

He hung up on my final call for help, leaving only a voicemail: "If anything happens to Lena, the engagement is off."

My sister once said her birthday wish had always been for me to disappear.

That night, her wish came true early.

But my soul never left.

I watched everyone gather around her, singing happy birthday.

As she blew out the candles, I whispered in her ear:

"Enjoy it while it lasts. This will be your last birthday."

That wedding in Rome was the last time I ever saw him as his “stepsister.”
I was the Roxie family’s only daughter. After my father remarried, my mother and I moved into the Corleone estate, and from that day on, Elias became my stepbrother—also the one obsession I should never have touched.
Out in public, he was always calm and controlled. At home, though, one line from him “Don’t call me brother” made my heart race.
Until the day he held Sophia’s hand in front of a priest and announced he was going to marry her.
I was outside the venue, bending down to pick up empty bottles because I needed dialysis money. He crushed them under his shoe in front of everyone, humiliated me, and forced me to trade my dignity for cash, like he was nailing the word “step-siblings” onto a pillar of shame.
He hated me. He said I’d “gotten back at him” in the filthiest way. I just smiled and never explained.
Because he would never know the truth: back then, the reason I shoved him away with everything I had was only because I wanted him to live a little cleaner.
That night, he locked me in a pitch-dark storage room. Outside the door was wedding music. Inside was my blood and the suffocating despair.
When he finally opened the door… I was already dead.

Spring is the season I dread the most.

Because every spring, my mere existence becomes a lethal weapon against my own son.

Theron told me he suffers from a highly rare condition: Maternal Stress Rejection Syndrome.

If I so much as get near Flynn during the spring months, it triggers severe asthma attacks and terrifying asphyxiation.

To keep our boy alive, Theron takes him away to an isolated treatment center for three months, every single year.

And I stay behind, swallowing antidepressants by the handful just to survive the crushing guilt.

That is, until I found a photo hidden in Theron's burner phone.

In the picture, my husband and my son are tightly embracing another woman.

The so-called Maternal Stress Rejection Syndrome was nothing but a sick lie—a meticulously crafted excuse so my husband could spend the season playing "happy family" with his first love.

......

I had just arrived abroad for a legal conference when my best friend sent me a video.
An unfamiliar woman was chatting while pushing Dexter’s mother, Jenny, around the neighborhood, claiming to be Dexter’s wife.
My hand, holding the phone, froze.
If she’s Dexter’s wife… then who am I?
I immediately called my husband and asked,
“Did you change family doctors?”
He paused for a second, then replied with a laugh, “Yes. Mom didn’t like the old one, so we switched. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. Why do you ask?”
I forced a casual chuckle. “No reason. I just missed you.”
After hanging up, I rushed home overnight.

Despite living under the roof of Clara, her best friend that accepted her and welcomed her into her family, Lina crossed the one line she was not supposed to cross- she slept with her best friend father.

Lina lies about the identity of the father when she finds out that she is pregnant. She is forcibly married off to Ethan, her ex boyfriend and Clara’s brother, and is willing to marry on false pretenses and under duress.

But someone knows the truth.

During the wedding day all the things are revealed at the altar before the family and friends. The groom isn’t the father. The baby was fathered by the single man who should not have ever touched her.

What ensues are betrayal, rejection and a disintegrated family. Lina is despised by those who love her the most, and she has to live with the consequences of her decisions. But what happens when a life needed to be sacrificed to save another life?
What happens when a lie reveals the truth?

Kael Draven is destined to rule the nation's strongest pack, bound by duty and a betrothal to Seraphine Vale, Moonridge Academy's golden Luna-in-training.
But fate doesn't care about rules.
The moment Elara— the new scholarship, quiet, human, and supposedly powerless girl steps onto campus, everything shifts, Protocols shatter. Kael's wolf claims her. And Elara begins unlocking secrets that should've stayed buried… including a prophecy tied to a lost royal bloodline.
She shouldn't have lasted a day.
Now she might change everything.
But Seraphine the betrothed Luna won't give up her crown without a fight. And when black magic comes into play, Elara must face more than just destiny, she must survive it.
Will she rise and claim what's hers?
Or be destroyed before the truth sets her free?

Kai, a reserved omega wolf in the traditional Blackthorn Pack, has always felt out of place. When their fated mate bond awakens during the annual Moon Ceremony, they’re shocked to discover their mate is Rowan, the alpha heir of a rival pack—a man who once betrayed them years ago. As political tensions rise between the packs and a rogue wolf faction threatens their survival, Kai and Rowan must confront their painful past and learn to trust each other again. With the help of a group of outcast wolves, Kai challenges their pack’s rigid traditions and fights for acceptance, love, and a future where all wolves—regardless of gender or orientation—can thrive.

WARNING: This book contains a bit of disturbing scenes, non con, and strictly 18+. So proceed with caution, especially if you get triggered easily.

After being rejected by her mate because she was an omega, Zora was betrayed and accused by her sister of being a witch, which was an instant death sentence in Shadow Pack. Zora, oblivious to the fact she was pregnant, escapes death to the human world where she meets her husband to be. On her wedding day, her mate appeared by the entrance abducting her from her wedding. How long can Zora keep her children a secret when the Alpha is rumored to be cursed and is obsessed with her? Can she protect herself from him? Most importantly, can she protect the Cruel Alpha from himself?

Deborah, in her forties, is as mad as a dog chasing its tail to lose its head. She downloads a dating app and bumps into Mr. R., a guy who looks like he came out of her wettest dreams. He invites her to dinner and Deborah, all excited, goes.
But before she gets there she gives in to temptation and gives herself to an irresistible stranger. But, holy hell, the moral hangover hits hard and she runs away like a runaway cat.

But destiny is a son of a bitch and decides to play a trick on this story: that stranger is her new boss. Now, Deborah will have to struggle to deal with the sexual tension in the office while trying to hide the fire that burns inside her every time she looks into that scoundrel's eyes.

Benjamin Scott is the youngest and most respected bishop of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. On the verge of being named Cardinal, he carries an image of holiness and devotion that seems unshakable… until he finds himself face-to-face with a woman who threatens everything he has sworn to protect.

Camilla Coppola was never meant to be a supporting role. Daughter of one of the most feared mafia bosses in Rome, she was raised to obey, but refuses to be just another pawn in her family’s game of power. Intelligent, daring, and relentless, she is ready to defy her own blood and claim the place she believes is hers: that of a leader.

When Camilla’s path crosses with Benjamin’s, a dangerous bond is forged. He struggles to resist temptation. She sees in him both a weakness and an opportunity to prove how far she can go. What begins as provocation soon turns into a duel of wills, where faith, desire, and ambition collide with every choice.

In a world of intrigue, betrayal, and power wars, Camilla must decide if she is willing to pay the price of becoming the voice that could reshape the mafia. And Benjamin will have to face the greatest conflict of his life: to protect his devotion, or surrender to the fire the mafia heiress awakens in him.

A woman who defies her destiny.
A forbidden romance that could set empires ablaze.
And the battle between faith and power, where nothing is untouchable.

What type of love could possibly come after trying to seduce an handsome stranger at the club in order to escape your abusive relationship?

How does it work?

What happens if you fall in love with the country's most eligible bachelor before you know it?

Do you run away or do you wait for him to accept you?

King Tus III is anxious to find a bride for his son and heir - Prince Kyan. But the defiant Prince insists on having a wife "whose thoughts move the Earth."

The King and Queen search the Kingdom yet do not find such a girl, so they invade other Kingdoms and conquer them, searching for a befitting bride for their son.

Isla is the first child of a peasant family in the Kintail Kingdom. All her life, she has been suppressing herself because of the strange powers she possesses. Her world crumbles when her Kingdom is raided, and her family is separated.

She is sold as a slave to a goldsmith, but when she plans an escape in which she uses her strange abilities, she is captured and sent to the King to be the wife of the Prince.

Can Isla escape from a forced marriage and reunite with her loved ones?
Are her strange abilities a blessing or a curse?

King Tus III is anxious to find a bride for his son and heir - Prince Kyan. But the defiant Prince insist on having a wife "who's thoughts move the Earth."

The King and Queen search the Kingdom and yet do not find such a girl, so they invade other Kingdoms and conquer them in search of a befitting bride for their son.

Isla is the first child of a peasant family in the Kintil Kingdom. All her life, she has been suppressing herself because of the strange powers she possesses. Her world crumbles when her Kingdom is raided and her family is separated.

She is sold as a slave to a goldsmith but when she plans an escape which she uses her strange abilities, she is captured and sent to the King to be the wife of the Prince.

Can Isla escape from a forced marriage and re-unite with the people she loves?

Are her strange abilities a blessing or a curse?

CHILDHOOD FRIENDS Annie Pope loves Finn Burton, and he loves her too—as a friend. Even after they both begin college, they return every year to their families’ next-door summer cottages and spend all their spare time together. MAKE CHOICES But when Finn graduates and takes off backpacking through Europe with his college girlfriend—a girlfriend he’s never mentioned to Annie—she’s forced to face facts. She is merely the sister he never had, and he’s the boyfriend she’ll never have. THAT TIME CAN’T ERASE Two decades later, with each at a crossroads, they return to Cedar Creek and resume their old friendship. But does friendship feel like this? BUT… CAN LOVE? Now they’re both trying to be the good friends they once were. But does friendship feel like this? Grab your copy of this sweet, small-town romance about the power of friendship and the serendipitous nature of love.

Cassette Winfield never wanted war. She just wanted an apology. But when the new transfer student and hockey captain dents her car, and laughs it off. Cassette refuses to back down and accidentally paints a target on her back. Overnight she becomes the school’s favorite punchline ,humiliated in hallways, on screens and online. Marvin Woods thrives on attention . As the golden boy of the hockey team and the coach’s favorite he is used to winning. To him Cassey is just another problem to crash. But she doesn’t break. As the rivalry escalates and the whole school chooses sides. Cassey discovered that standing her ground comes with a price and unexpected allies. Especially Marvin’s quiet twin, who watches from the sidelines with unreadable eyes and a dangerous curiosity . In a a school where popularity is power and enemies wear hockey jackets, one girl refuses to shrink ….even if it costs her everything .

For a whole year, Aurora waited for a cornea transplant. Her husband, Oliver, stole it at the last second for his mistress, Claire. Twelve unanswered calls later, Aurora caught him at the hospital, tenderly accompanying Claire to her prenatal checkup.

Aurora begged him to stay, however, Oliver merely threw the divorce papers right into her face. She signed in ten seconds flat and walked away. When her toxic sister-in-law came to mock her, Aurora ripped her to shreds.

Everyone expected Aurora to crawl back crying. Instead, she listed her wedding ring on a pawn site, packed her bags, and vanished.

She left without a backward glance. So why is the man who signed those papers in a furious rage suddenly turning back?

Sophie Bennett is a ghost. A scholarship student at Crestview Academy, her only goal is to stay invisible and get close to Daniel Vale, the golden heir her family desperately needs her to befriend. Daniel is perfect, kind, and safe. But on her first day, a wrong turn puts her in the path of the "Wrong Brother."

Harrison Vale is the school’s shadow. He’s dangerous, silent, and feared. While the world sees Daniel’s light, Sophie is inexplicably drawn to Harrison’s darkness. As Serena Cole and the elite "Royals" of the school target Sophie for her low-income roots, Sophie finds herself caught between two brothers: the one who can save her future, and the one who might destroy her heart.

My husband Eric couldn't speak after a car accident three years ago. Three years of silence. Not one word.

To pay for his rehab, I worked four jobs at once—worked until I was coughing up blood, until I collapsed. Winter nights, Leo and I huddled under one threadbare blanket. When my son spiked a fever and I had no money for medicine, I stayed up all night pressing wet rags to his burning forehead.

Eric? His only communication was cold texts, ordering me around. When Leo reached for a hug, he'd push him away like our son didn't exist.

I endured it all. Because deep down, I believed the accident was my fault.

Until that night.

I was hauling equipment at Selena's concert—Selena, the pop star everyone knew—when a mystery guest in a mask stepped on stage. They sang together, voices blending like they'd done this a thousand times.

That voice. That lightning-shaped scar on his elbow.

My "mute" husband of three years.

I followed him backstage. Through the door, I heard Selena's laugh: "Congrats, Eric. Your mute act is almost over—you won the bet."

Three years of sacrifice.

All of it just a game. A bet with his first love.

The day I found out Quinn Prescott had pulled strings to give away my Ivy League recommendation to some transfer student, I packed up everything he'd ever given me and dumped it on his doorstep.
The next day, I found that same box in the dumpster outside my building.
Quinn's face was twisted with irritation.
"Drop it. So what if we don't go to the same college? You can get a full ride anywhere on your own, but Paula can't even afford tuition without that recommendation letter."
He let out a cold laugh. "And if this actually blows up, I promise you—it won't be me walking away with regrets."
I pressed the UCL acceptance letter tighter against my back, looking at him one last time with perfect calm.
He looked exactly like he always did when he knew he'd already won—like the outcome wasn't even a question.
But Quinn, I don't need you either.
My one-way ticket to London was already booked. We never had to see each other again.

When they shoved me into the flames, I fought through the blinding pain to call my brother, Ethan Bennett. Fire licked at my skin, twisting my vision, but the call finally went through.

"What is it now?" He sounded distracted, like he was checking off a guest list.

"Ethan, please, help—" My voice was shattered, choked by the searing heat.

"Can't you just give it a rest for one single day?" he snapped, cutting me off. "Selina and I are getting married this weekend. If you pull another stunt, I swear I'll—"

The call died right as the flames swallowed me whole.

Agony consumed every nerve before my eyes closed for good, his unfinished threat still echoing in my ears.

But the good news is, Ethan... you don't have to swear anymore. Because I was dead.

A past generations’ wrongful case makes Julian mistake innocent Sienna for his foe’s daughter. Exploiting her crush, he ruins her Cambridge dream on graduation night, destroying her family. For five years, Sienna works in a sleazy club to fund her sick mother’s care.
Their unexpected reunion leaves Julian torn between disgust and secret affection. When the truth surfaces, consumed by regret, he cancels his wedding and spends all his wealth to atone. Yet Sienna’s love is long gone. After settling her family with his money, she leaves forever.

"You have two months to live." The doctor's death sentence was still ringing in my ears when I found the receipt in his pocket.

[Four Seasons Hotel. Romance Suite. Check-in: 3:00 PM.]

3:00 PM. The exact moment I was begging the doctor for painkillers, Alexander was in a hotel bed with another woman.

I looked at him, sleeping soundly beside me. I had loved this man for five years, sold everything to help him succeed. Now, in the final countdown of my life, he gave me the most fatal blow.

"I'm exhausted from meetings," he had lied, smelling of Santal 33 and another woman's sex.

I clenched the receipt until my nails dug into my flesh. I wouldn't tell him about the cancer.

I would use whatever time I had left to make him regret ever being born.

My dad made me a smoothie every morning for six months. I thought it was love.
It was a muscle relaxant.
He'd been slipping just enough into my drink to make my fingers tremble at full draw — just enough to cost me first place at every major competition. Not enough to kill me. Just enough to let Laurel beat me.
Laurel. His mistress's daughter. The girl he bought custom diamond jewelry while giving me clearance-rack gear for my birthday. The girl he wanted to drop into my family, my home, and my spot on the podium.
I found the proof. Stopped drinking his smoothies. Clawed my way back to number one.
Then, two days before the National Youth Archery Trials — the one competition that decides everything — he picked up a steel rod and swung it at my right arm.
My drawing arm.
The bone cracked. Doctors said three months minimum. My coach couldn't look me in the eye. Every scout, every scholarship, every dream I'd bled for over three years — gone in one swing from the man who was supposed to protect me.
Trials start tomorrow morning. And I can't hold a bow.

It's been ten years now and I've programmed my brain to forget her little did I know that I was deceiving myself.

Things changed when I saw her.
She looked different. She wasn't the same little girl I had fallen in love with. She was now a grown woman.

She was gorgeous.
I needed her beneath me just for one night. I'd get her out of my system and move on.

That was probably a lie.

Months later.

Here I am drowning my sorrow in alcohol on my last night as a single man.
I was getting married to a woman I never truly loved.

Tara gave me a shy smile as she approached the aisle with her father.

Kelsey looked away and ignored me.

I was about to slide the ring on Tara's finger and her father's voice stopped me.

"Stop."

I turned around and faced him.

Tara grabbed his hand angrily.

"Dad what are you doing?!"

Xie Yijin hated me more than anyone in this world.

He called me vicious as a scorpion, said I schemed about everything, stole all that belonged to Lin Wanwan, and destroyed the one he held dearest.

Xie Yijin shielded Lin Wanwan tightly behind him.
The eyes that once looked at me with such tenderness were now frozen over with unmelting ice.
He pointed straight at me, every word cutting like a blade:

"Shen Zhiyi, why don’t you just die?!"

I froze in place, my fingertips ice-cold.
Unconsciously, I still clutched that crumpled, yellowed candy wrapper.

He had given it to me when he was seven years old,
saying that when I grew up, he would marry me
and buy me candies for the rest of my life.

But now…
he only wanted me dead.

I thought I was driving into my mating ceremony. Instead, Calder's mother met the car with a tray — a silver collar lined with spikes, and a rusty pincer for pulling out my sharpest fang. Blackbriar rules, she said. Every Luna wears one. And Calder, the man who never once raised his voice at me back in the city, just stood there like all of this was perfectly reasonable. So I told the driver to turn around. That's when the logs came down across the road. My phone had no signal. Willa was bleeding. And Calder was crouched on the hood of my car, telling me I could walk into that pack hall on my own, or be carried in. He'd done his homework on me — my money, my bloodline, my dowry. All of it, except one thing. The bone whistle around my neck. And what happens when I blow it.