1229 Book(s) Related to maria's kitchen near me

Make Me Wet (An Erotica Collection)

Make Me Wet (An Erotica Collection)

927 Views · Ongoing · Amanda Myles
"You've been imagining me doing this to you, huh, toy? Making you scream and cum?"
He taunted, his fingers fucking me harder, his grip unrelenting.
They shouldn't want it. They shouldn't do it. But they always do.
This collection dives deep into the dirtiest corners of desire, obsession, control, and the thrill of being caught.
Every story pushes boundaries, blurring lines between danger and ecstasy, pain and pleasure, power and surrender. The women in this book want to be fucked in every hole to cum relentlessly and fucked till they have cum dripping down their legs.
Make Me Wet is dark, explicit, and unapologetically filthy, a forbidden fantasy you'll wish was real. So sit back, relax and of course get wet!
The Heir Who Never Loved Me

The Heir Who Never Loved Me

617 Views · Ongoing · 0197_Fauzan _Satria
Married to Damien Blackwood for two years, Vera Sinclair has become the most notorious trophy wife in the city. As the legitimate Mrs. Blackwood, she can only watch helplessly as her family's business crumbles, her father faces criminal charges, and no one dares to offer assistance.

Damien looked at her with cold indifference: "Vera, if I don't say a word, do you think there is anyone in this town who would dare to help you?"

Everyone watches her crash into walls everywhere she turns, bloodied and broken, her eyes growing colder with each rejection. When her heart began to freeze after experiencing all of this, fate gave her a way out of the darkness.

At their first meeting, she lights a cigarette for him with steady hands. At their parties, he asks with a knowing smile, "Tell me, Miss Sinclair, how much are you planning to spend on me?"

Caspian Vale—a distinguished heir, cold and noble, who has never made a single mistake. Everyone in the city speaks his name with admiration and respect.

That morning, when Vera leaves Caspian's hotel and gets photographed by the paparazzi, the entire city erupts in scandal. The city's untouchable golden boy has actually taken his rival's wife!

Everyone says Vera is skilled at seducing powerful men, but Caspian's response silences them all with just four words— "I made the first move."

Under the city lights, in the embrace of falling snow, from the very beginning, it was he who took the initiative.
Taboo Cravings: Ruin Me Dirty Daddy

Taboo Cravings: Ruin Me Dirty Daddy

5.3k Views · Ongoing · enyayusuf
21+, Forbidden Romance, BDSM, Taboo Desires.

In my world, I only breathe to crave him.
I’m his little slut, dripping and weak at the sound of his voice, trembling for every filthy command.

When he says, “On your knees,” I sink down, aching to serve.
“Open that mouth,” and I spread my lips wide, hungry for his cock.
“Take me,” and I swallow him deep, gagging, moaning, begging for more.

I live to be his—obedient, ruined, owned.
Every kiss makes me wetter, every touch breaks me deeper, every thrust reminds me I’m nothing but Daddy’s dirty kitten.

This is pure erotica. Forbidden. Kinky. Unapologetically filthy.
18+ only.
When we were young: With Me

When we were young: With Me

926 Views · Ongoing · sirenadeladanza
In a world where bullying and insecurities seem to dominate, Mara, a tall and nerdy young girl with a hidden talent for swimming, faces daily teasing at school and the indifference of those around her. But her life takes an unexpected turn when, due to surprising circumstances, she becomes the full-time babysitter for the younger brother of the hockey team captain, Damon, and his younger brother, Mathew.

As she spends more time at the coach’s house, Mara discovers in the pool— that place where she dreamed of becoming a champion—a source of inspiration and transformation. However, Damon’s presence, who, along with other classmates, has treated her with contempt, and the school rivalry that extends into the home, complicate things even further. Her relationship with Denisse, the popular cheerleader and Damon’s ex-girlfriend, adds tension to an already challenging scenario.

By getting closer to Mathew and sharing moments in the pool, Mara also begins to get to know Jason, a young man initially seen as a rival, but who gradually reveals himself to be a complex figure and, eventually, a genuine support. What starts as rivalry evolves into an unexpected friendship, and perhaps, something deeper.

Through her experiences, Mara discovers that true beauty arises when one dares to be authentic. Her self-confidence grows, and in the process, she finds in Jason a strength that helps her overcome her fears and leave behind past wounds.

Will Mara and Jason be able to overcome their own obstacles, turn enemies into friends—and perhaps into love? Is it possible that bravery, protection, and acceptance can change their destinies?

A story of growth, courage, and hope that demonstrates that, even amid pain and adversity, true beauty lies in authenticity and the capacity to reinvent oneself.
Bet On Me, My obsessed Alpha

Bet On Me, My obsessed Alpha

813 Views · Ongoing · danesimaryam14
Harriet Walter once had everything wealth, power, and a future others envied.

Then she made a choice for love.

When forced to choose between an arranged marriage to a powerful CEO or losing her inheritance, Harriet chose the man she believed in Taylor. To prove her loyalty, she sacrificed everything: her family, her fortune, even the company that carried her name.

But love turned into ashes.

The man she gave the world for slowly lost everything, and Harriet blamed herself for his fall. She stayed beside him through humiliation, poverty, and regret… until the night he did the unthinkable.

With a single bet, her husband gave her away.

Now Harriet belongs to a man no one knows a silent figure whose face hides beneath the brim of a hat. A man who wins people the way others win money.

Running is impossible. She tried once.

She woke up in his bed… marked, watched, and surrounded by walls filled with her own photographs.

Someone has been studying her.
Someone has been waiting.

The question is not who took Harriet Walter.

The real question is… why has he wanted her for so long?
My Best Friend's Brother Kissed Me

My Best Friend's Brother Kissed Me

717 Views · Ongoing · Racheal Kehinde
Summer learned early that some lines should never be crossed. And Cole Matthew was one of them.
Rule #1 of girl code: Best friends’ brothers were off limits.
So she buried her feelings at fifteen and followed it for four years.
Four years of swallowing her crush on Cole every time he ruffled her hair and called her ‘kid’.
She pretended not to care until the night she saw him at the diner where she worked, watching his perfect girlfriend Regina kiss another guy.
Summer did the only thing she was ever allowed to do: comforting him like a sister.
She offered to do anything to help him until he felt better.
But Summer didn’t expect him to take it as far as kissing her.
That night broke every rule she built her life around.
When morning came, everything between them was no longer innocent.
Crave Me Not! Lustful Erotic Shorts

Crave Me Not! Lustful Erotic Shorts

2.4k Views · Ongoing · Fayy
They said control keeps us safe.
They lied.
Control is an illusion — and the moment it slips, desire takes over. In this collection, innocence is devoured, vows are broken, and boundaries are nothing but invitations. These are the obsessions that leave you trembling, awaken cravings you dare not confess, and drive you wild under touches that both destroy and reclaim you.
Every story is hotter, riskier, more forbidden than the last, and once you open the book, you’re already inside their world.
You Made Me An Evil Queen!

You Made Me An Evil Queen!

588 Views · Ongoing · nijexbabes1
When Riley caught her girlfriend getting married to her proud brother, she felt betrayed, and her family's taunt broke her. In order to hide her hurting soul, Riley picked the man closest to her and declared that he was her fiance. But the man wasn't just any regular guy, he was Alexander Hamilton-Rodriguez. One of the richest CEO in the country.
Alex was having issues with his wife, Quinoa, and thought Riley would be able to help, so he offered her a contract marriage.

Unfortunately, Riley found out that she had just two months to live, at that moment, she wanted something real, and the next closest person to her was Doctor Roland Salad, Quinoa's brother.

A dying Riley needed Roland, and the haunted Alex needed Riley. But Roland wasn't sure of who he wanted, because he was in love with the both of them.
He Hunted Me for Three Years

He Hunted Me for Three Years

1k Views · Ongoing · Ruby
My mad mother, in her final moments, pressed a set of Russian nesting dolls into my arms.
"These cost me thirty years of my life. In return, they'll give you three ways out of death."
The first doll told me to go to a bar and bring home the third strange man I met.
The second doll, she said to open on the eve of my wedding. There was no note inside. Only a photograph — my groom, killing a woman wearing the exact same wedding dress as mine.
Three years later, on the eve of another wedding, I opened the last doll. I read the note, smiled, and dropped it in the trash.
It was only later that I understood —
This mad woman saw more clearly than anyone sane in this world.
Mom, I'm sorry.
Emma and the wolf in me

Emma and the wolf in me

67.6k Views · Ongoing · Sandra Feeney
Emma, abused by her Alpha father, then sold to another pack. Finds herself rescued by a kind and gentle Alpha and Luna who take her as their own. But their is something different about Emma and her wolf.
TRIGGER: child abuse is mentioned in the first part of the book. what was done, not it being done. this is important to understand Emma and Dawn her wolf.
Abandon the Mate who Rejects Me

Abandon the Mate who Rejects Me

7.6k Views · Ongoing · Zoe
I thought I was broken. I never knew I was blooming.


My name is Lily, and I've been invisible my whole life.

Growing up in Silver Ridge pack meant surviving my father's drunken rages and protecting my little brother Silver from the monster our dad became after becoming addicted to Shadow Brew—a deadly alcohol made from blood bat flowers. When Mom couldn't take it anymore and chose pills over pain, I became Silver's only shield against a world that had forgotten how to be kind.

At fifteen, my wolf awakened early during a violent storm as I fled my father's latest beating. I found shelter in an abandoned Moon Temple, where I've returned for three years whenever the world became too much to bear. When Old Martha took us in after we had nowhere else to go, she helped me get a job at Green Thumb florist so I could finally contribute something to our small family.

Then came the delivery that changed everything.

When I brought blood bat flowers to Dark Moon Tavern, my wolf went wild with recognition. The performer behind the bar—the man they called Shadow King—was Blake Stone, Alpha of Silver Ridge. The same man whose poisonous creation had destroyed my family.

He was also my fated mate.

The moment our eyes met, I felt the sacred bond snap into place. But Blake already had a chosen mate—the beautiful, vicious Katelyn. When he realized what I was to him, he didn't claim me. Instead, he poured his signature drink over my head and let his mate slap me in front of his entire pack.

"As if I would ever betray you for someone like her," he told Katelyn, his rejection searing through my soul like silver.

Now my wolf is broken, dying from the mate bond Blake severed with his cruelty. I can't shift. I can barely breathe. In desperation, I returned to that abandoned temple to pray for healing.

That's when the Moon Goddess answered.

Glowing soul flowers bloomed from the temple stones—flowers that could heal impossible wounds and grant unimaginable power. Because sometimes the person who breaks you isn't your ending.

Sometimes they're just clearing the path to your true beginning.
They Chose Her, I Chose Me

They Chose Her, I Chose Me

1.6k Views · Ongoing · Ivy
"She's dying, can't you be more generous?" That's what my husband said.
So I was generous.
I gave her my husband's time when our daughter was in the ER for an allergic reaction she caused.
I gave her my once-in-a-lifetime concert ticket because "she deserved it more."
I even endured our daughter wishing I would die in her place.
But when he accused me of orchestrating a kidnapping to win his sympathy, I knew my generosity had run out. I threw the divorce papers in his face. He laughed, thinking I couldn't survive without him.
He's about to find out how wrong he is.
The Bad boy who broke me

The Bad boy who broke me

1.2k Views · Ongoing · Raodot Salihat
Quiet, hardworking Lily Carter is too busy with school and her café job to think about love—until she crosses paths with Ethan Blake, the school’s feared bad boy.
Beneath Ethan’s rebellious exterior lies a painful past and fear of trust. Drawn to Lily (the only girl who doesn’t chase him), they form a fragile bond as he lets her see his vulnerable side.
But Ethan’s past and outside pressure lead to a devastating betrayal, breaking Lily’s heart. She walks away to rebuild her life, while Ethan, consumed with regret, must prove he’s changed to win her back....
The Secret I Took With Me

The Secret I Took With Me

4k Views · Ongoing · Jenna Ann
She was betrayed by those she trusted most. Now she's back for revenge.

Nevada thought she'd found her fated mate, only to discover it was all part of her sister Bernadette's cruel scheme. Rejected, humiliated, and cast out while pregnant, Nevada disappeared.

Five years later, she returns to New York as CEO of the Lewiston empire, ready to destroy those who betrayed her. But when Grey discovers their five-year-old daughter, everything changes.
The Biker,The Billionaire,And Me

The Biker,The Billionaire,And Me

32.1k Views · Ongoing · heislawyeree3
He’s a ten out of ten—but when his engagement is announced, he gets wasted enough to forget his own name.
Meet Nico Bellami: billionaire heartthrob, sinfully handsome, and absolutely done with being controlled.
She’s Red: curvy, mysterious, and a stripper who’s never been touched. She dances to survive, not to seduce—but she ends up saving a drunk billionaire from a biker gang in the worst part of town.
She means to help him home.
Instead, she crashes his engagement party.
And before she can escape, he pulls her close, smirks at the cameras, and says—
“This is my wife.”
Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me

Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me

274.5k Views · Ongoing · Sophie_RS
“Do you, April Lilian Farrah, take Nathan Edward Ashford to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
I gaze up at his gorgeous green eyes, and my answer is immediate: “I do.”
“And do you, Nathan Edward Ashford take April Lillian Farrah to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
Nathan squeezes my hand and leans forward. His lips brush the shell of my ear, causing a shiver to run down my spine.
“You really are audacious, April,” he whispers. “Audacious and delusional.” Then he pulls back and gives me the widest, most sinister grin I’ve ever seen, before announcing to the entire church: “I. Would. Rather. Eat. Shit.”


April’s life is already complicated enough—balancing her little sister’s overwhelming medical bills and a stressful college career after losing both parents. The last thing she needs is Nathan Ashford: her first love, who shattered her heart and humiliated her in high school, back in her life.
She discovers that Nathan is one of three heirs to the city's most powerful family, launching a contest to find a bride. April wants absolutely nothing to do with it—until her meddling roommate submits an application for her.
Suddenly thrown into Nathan’s lavish world, she must navigate social graces, fierce competition, and unsettling secrets. But the hardest challenge? Facing Nathan again and the unresolved feelings he awakens in her.
Will April emerge with her heart intact—or will Nathan destroy her once again?
You'll Be The Death of Me

You'll Be The Death of Me

4.4k Views · Ongoing · Ida
M/M ||R18+ ||SENSUAL ||OBSESSION
“So, did it excite you?” I murmur, letting my voice drop. “Are you picturing it?” I sweep my gaze across the classroom, letting the silence of the empty desks stretch. “I bet the acoustics here would do wonders for your moans.”
His hand shoots out, pressing to my chest. “Michael.... that's enough,” he warns.
I grin, leaning just slightly into his hand, letting the warmth of his push press against me. “Fine, my moans then.”
And then he does something that surprises me, pushes me back against the wall. His hand is firm against my chest, and I can feel the tension coiling through both of us. His eyes are challenging, hesitant....but there’s no fear, not really. Desire is blazing there.
“Don’t push it,” he breathes.
“I don’t push,” I counter. “I accelerate interest until it becomes impossible to ignore.”
I can see the heat in his eyes, the flush creeping up his neck, the way his fingers tremble just slightly against me. My own pulse is hammering with the thrill of watching him wrestle with it, watching him fight and fail to keep that control he thinks he has.


Ryan Ashbrook teaches literature like a man who knows he’s running out of time. Terminally ill and painfully poetic, he’s made peace with dying.....just not with doing it alone.
Michael Foster, a burned-out editor drifting through life, hasn’t felt moved by anything in years.... until he meets the captivating teacher who feels every moment too deeply.
Their lives collide in a brief, breathtaking love that was never meant to last, one that might save them both, even as it breaks them.
The Broken Slave: Save Me, Alpha

The Broken Slave: Save Me, Alpha

1.5k Views · Ongoing · JD
"I demand complete silence!" He threw me into the field, where I landed with a dull thud, and Alpha Romeo growled out at once, which caused everyone to go very silent.
Indignantly, he proclaimed, "Today, I shall teach this filthy, accursed Omega a lesson." Omega was the antagonist in this story.
"You shall feel regret." It was my own father who was the first one to move when he suddenly snapped his fingers. Some of the other members of the pack followed suit. They were holding him in their arms, and he did not put up any resistance to it. They brought him before the Alpha, where he flashed a grin in his direction. My grandfather did not make much movement; he was simply staring at him in shock the entire time. The way Romeo was staring at me and then at him helped me figure out what he was planning to do.
"NO!" I said as loud as I could, "I am the one who dared to defy you! Please don't involve my dad in this!" This was met with derision from the Alpha, who then contacted my father.
When he raised my father off the ground, he gradually turned his hands into claws. Then, in a single savage stroke, Alpha Romeo thrust his clawed hand into my father's chest, piercing and impaling him. I was able to see his heart, which had been ripped open and destroyed by the clawed paw of the Alpha, which had punched a hole through him.
My name is Sabrina White, and this miserable existence is brought to you by me.
She saved me: Now she’s mine

She saved me: Now she’s mine

4.6k Views · Ongoing · Peachy Tha
She saved his life. Now he’ll stop at nothing to claim hers.

Isla Monroe never expected to become entangled with the most feared man in Valmont City. As a struggling medical student haunted by her past, she only wanted to help when she saw a man drowning in a frozen lake. But the moment she pulled him from the icy depths, her fate was sealed.

That man was Lorenzo De Luca—billionaire, mafia boss, and a man who had given up on life. When he wakes in Isla’s tiny apartment, his first instinct is suspicion, not gratitude. In his world, kindness is a weakness, and trust is a death sentence. But Isla isn’t afraid of him, and that makes her dangerous.

Lorenzo disappears, but Isla isn’t free of him. A year later, he storms back into her life—not to thank her, but to claim her. His enemies have learned about the woman who saved him, and now she’s a target. The only way to keep her safe is to pull her into his dangerous world.

Saving him was just the beginning. Loving him might be her downfall.
He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly

He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly

1.2k Views · Ongoing · clintoneditss
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the duct tape binding my wrists, and the second was that I had been kidnapped by a billionaire mafia boss who grabbed the wrong girl.

I would like to say my first reaction was brave, but it was mostly just panic. I was shoved into a massive stone mansion—the kind with gold columns and chandeliers the size of cars. If I was going to be kidnapped, I honestly expected something a little less... expensive.

I was dragged into a room full of terrifying men in suits. That’s when he walked in. Adrian DeLuca. Tall, broad-shouldered, with intense green eyes and a calmly dangerous physique that made everyone else in the room freeze. He was the CEO of Kidnapping, and annoyingly attractive. He stared at me, his sharp jawline tight, and said calmly, "This isn’t the Viper’s daughter. Who is this?"

I exhaled. "Well, you kidnapped me by mistake. Can I go home now? I have tuition to pay."

But Adrian didn't laugh. He stepped closer, his presence suffocatingly powerful. He had run a background check. "Your mother's maiden name is Volkov," he whispered, his eyes dark with a lethal promise. "The woman we intended to kidnap is the Viper’s daughter... and so are you."

My brain stalled. My absentee father was a ruthless crime lord?

"You are useful to me now," Adrian commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You will remain in this house. You will go where I tell you, and you will do what I tell you."

I glared at him. "You don't own me!"

He leaned in, his breath brushing my ear. "I do now."
The CEO Paid Me In Pleasure

The CEO Paid Me In Pleasure

465 Views · Ongoing · Lover Abdulkareem
His mouth was on mine before I could breathe, his body pressing me into the glass window of his office. The city pulsed beneath us, but all I could feel was the brutal rhythm of his hips. My weak heart should have given out. The doctors said stress could kill me, that even climbing stairs was dangerous.

But with him? With Knight? I didn’t break.
I came alive.

“One night was supposed to be enough. I wore a mask, stepped into a stranger’s room to give a massage and earn the money to save my grandmother’s life. But his touch burned away every boundary, and suddenly I wasn’t just working—I was trembling and begging to be fucked by him.

I ran. Then swore I’d never see him again.

But as I walked into my new job, I found him sitting behind the CEO’s desk.
“Knight Magnus”
My boss. My secret one-night stand. My mate.

Now every glance across the boardroom carries the memory of his mouth on my skin. Every late-night meeting ends with me bent over his desk, papers digging into my palms as he fucks me like he owns me. He’s ruthless, dangerous, the Alpha heir of a family drenched in blood and betrayal. I should hate him. I should run.

But I can’t.

Because my fragile body that fails me everywhere else never fails me with him. With every thrust, every kiss, every whispered “mine,” I get stronger. He’s the only thing keeping me whole—my oxygen, my ruin, my survival.

I went to him out of desperation.
Now I can’t live without him.
Billionaire Ex-husband Craves Me Back

Billionaire Ex-husband Craves Me Back

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Mathew Jerry
"You lost our baby! You lost the only good thing."
He paused, breath shaking with anger.
"The only thing that ever came out of this sham of a marriage. And now it's gone."
My chest tightened so hard I could barely breathe. His words sliced through me like a blade. How could he put this all on me?
"We have nothing binding us anymore. Nothing."
A cold smile curled on his lips.
"Thanks to you, we're finally free to walk away from each other."


When the truth about her marriage came crashing down in the cruelest way imaginable, Sophia's world shattered.
Donald demanded a divorce to return to his childhood sweetheart, insisting their marriage had been nothing but a lie. Their unborn child became the first casualty of his betrayal.
Still bleeding from the physical and emotional devastation of the loss, Sophia could only stand there as Donald blamed her for everything.
Just as despair threatened to consume her, a billionaire named Mark Lance stepped into her life with a truth she never imagined: he was her biological father, a man she had never known existed...
My Husband Tried to Kill Me

My Husband Tried to Kill Me

435 Views · Ongoing · Ayomiposi Damola
Maggie Moon thought she had the perfect life—until a video exposed her husband’s affair.

When she confronted him, he shoved her down the stairs, determined to silence her forever.

She survived. But woke with no memory of the man who tried to murder her.

Now she lives with a charming, powerful husband she doesn’t know is a monster. Will she ever find out?
FIND ME: A Love Through Eternity

FIND ME: A Love Through Eternity

309 Views · Ongoing · Jessica Adams
WARNING: [R-18] STORY WITH EXPLICIT/MATURE CONTENT

When Daniel kissed Ara in front of many students because she accused him of being a thief, the man had a reason to have more opportunities with her. And that was when Daniel himself requested their Guidance Counselor to give him disciplinary action, to make him a student assistant in the library throughout the school year, for free.
Ara knew that Daniel meant it, and even though she was annoyed, she still couldn't avoid having this romantic feeling of excitement because the young man is very handsome.
The more you hate, the more you love. But Daniel diagnosed with a serious illness, and Ara knew she could do nothing but to let go.
The Dangerous Alpha Stepbrother Wants Me

The Dangerous Alpha Stepbrother Wants Me

1.8k Views · Ongoing · VW
"I'll pay off Derek's debt and guarantee his protection from the Rogue King. In exchange, you sign a contract agreeing to be mine."
"Yours?" I step back, my ass hitting the edge of his desk. "What does that even mean?"
"It means you move into my estate. You act as my mate in public. You fulfill all the duties of a Luna. And in private... you belong to me completely."
"You can't just... I'm going to be your stepsister in three months!"
"Which makes it even more interesting, doesn't it?"
I loved Derek Savage for six years, believing he'd be my mate someday. When one reckless debt threatens his life, it leaves me no choice but to beg his older brother, Reign, for help. Reign's deal is simple: he'll pay Derek's debt. In exchange, I become his. For six months, I belong to the one man I should never want, my future stepbrother, my Alpha, my forbidden craving. And the worst part? Every time he touches me, I stop caring about right and wrong.
Haunt Me Like You Mean It

Haunt Me Like You Mean It

630 Views · Ongoing · June Calva
Haunt Me Like You Mean It
When Mei Liang signed on as an assistant at Truth Finders of the Paranormal, she expected weird. She did not expect him.
Callum Reeves, known to everyone as Cal, is twenty-three, British, brutally brilliant, and completely impossible. He leads TFP like he owns the air in the room, and maybe he does. Mei has spent the better part of a year fetching his tea, surviving his icy stares, and pretending she does not care what he thinks of her.
She is not doing a great job of pretending.
When TFP is called to investigate a haunted theater on the outskirts of Hollow Crest, a remote village hugging the edges of New York's Chinatown, Mei thinks it is just another case. A ghost, a client, a mystery to solve. But the Miyuki Theater is hiding more than one secret, and so is Cal.
Between a furious heiress, a desperate playwright, a powder room that looks like a war zone, and a ghost that seems to have a very specific target in mind, Mei is already in over her head. Add in the strange dreams she cannot explain, a spirit that looks disturbingly familiar, and a team that runs more on chaos than cohesion, and this case is about to get very personal.
Some hauntings follow you home.
Some feelings do too.
School-Me-Season-1&2&3

School-Me-Season-1&2&3

1.3k Views · Ongoing · Shan R.K
Today was the first day back at school. While most of the asshats who attended Liston High Private School actually went in for the first day, I was stuck scrubbing the toilets of the Hallow mansion.

And regardless of what my brother says I look like, I am not a scholarship kid. I'm Dainy Hallow and the guy with the Goku hair wiping puke off the pebbled bathroom floor is my older brother Aiden.

Last night as is customary to do the night before school starts, we had a huge ass party.

Our initial plan was to go to school, skip last period, get home and clear out the evidence before our parents arrived back the following day.

Let's just say that plan went to shit fast when Aiden called mom. He asked her to pick up the suit he ordered from G&G for the cancer benefit we were hosting next month. A simple question followed by an unexpected answer.

Apparently, my brother and I were misinformed with regards to my parents return. My parents were actually arriving today in less than three hours.

Two hours and four injuries later, the beer bottles are gone. The bathrooms now sanitized, and beds clothed in fresh unused linen.

The rest of the house is tidy but not clean. My brother and I aren't dumb, we've been doing this for five years.

Unlike most siblings, Aiden and I don't bicker all the time.
The Cruel Alpha Wants Me Back

The Cruel Alpha Wants Me Back

558 Views · Ongoing · IceQueen21
“To think that you this filthy whore is my mate, the goddess must be joking." Alpha Vincent said with a voice dripping with venom and my heart skipped a beat when I saw his handsome face but his cruel words sliced through my skin like a dagger.

My lips quivered when I parted them to speak, “I am not a whore." It came out like a whisper and I fucking hate it.

”Oh," Alpha Vincent said with sarcasm as he took long strides toward me. I had to remind myself that he was taller than me.

“Are you going to tell me it was all a misunderstanding and someone set you up?" Alpha Vincent asked with sarcasm and I smelled alcohol.

“How... did you know that?" I stuttered as I gripped the side of my dress.

“He is drunk!" I realized and held my dress tightly to my side.

I thought he didn't know about what happened, but how could I think that the Alpha wouldn't be aware of what happened?

“The walls have ears, princess." He said, more of sarcasm and I wish the ground would swallow me up right now.

“But to think you let a man touch you, I can as well treat you as my whore," he added and this time, he was closer to me and I could taste his breath on my lips.
You're the whole world to me

You're the whole world to me

3.6k Views · Ongoing · Jenny
"Sorry, Mr. Robert, the prisoner refuses to meet with you."

Two months later.

"Sorry, Mr. Robert the prisoner still refuses to meet with you."

Six months later

"Sorry, Mr. Robert, the prisoner is firm and still refuses to meet with you."

One year later.

"Mr. Robert, sorry, we asked, and she refuses to meet with you, persistently."

Two years later.

"Mr. Robert, she doesn't want to see you."

The female guard in uniform politely spoke to the man in front of her.

Upon hearing this, the man paused and then said to the female guard.

"You tell her for me that I will marry her when she comes out."

Anna doesn't believe that a man who has been in love for ten years will betray her.

In the adjournment room, Anna sat sluggishly on the chair. Two days in court left her exhausted.

"Robert, do you really want to push me to hell?"

"Your father pushed my mother into the sea, and I'll make his daughter's life worse than death. It s fair, right?"

Anna eyes were flled with tears, but she stubbornly raised her head and held it back.

When she looked at Robert again, she took on a pleading look and said,

"For the sake of the past ten years we have been together, would you drop your case?"

Robert stood up, looking at her from a high position, coldly snorted.

"Heh, I have been waiting this day for ten years. How could | drop it?"

Looking at her miserable appearance, Robert heart seemed to have cracked a ittle. He frowned, suppressing that feeling, and cruelly said:

"But you still have some time left. Next week is my engagement party with Lily. This is the invitation, and you are welcome to attend."

He dumped the invitation on Scarlet's body with contempt, and walked away without looking back.

Anna looked at the white invitation letter, as if the last ounce of her strength had been taken away. She fell into a chair, and could not even breathe.

When she and Robert were together, he never said he wanted to marry her.

Now he was getting married, and she was going to jail.

Anna hung her head, covered her face with both hands, and let the tears fall all over her cheeks.

When the trial started again, Anna stood quietly at the defendant's table and listened to the judge's statement.

" Defendant!"

Anna came back to her senses, and instead of looking at the judge, she looked at Robert.

Suddenly, she smiled, quiet and well- behaved, just like the first time when they met and she called him "honey' '.

Robert.' heart trembled by her gaze as if something was flowing away.

"Robert., my father is dead, and he had it coming, and I also have to go to jail."

"From now on, we are even! The past ten years, I will pretend I never met you....

Tears broke out from Anna eyes; she turned her head to the judge and said,

"I plead guilty!"
He Bet On Me and Lost

He Bet On Me and Lost

734 Views · Ongoing · Zara Thorne
Chloe wasted ten years loving arrogant Zane. To win a Porsche bet, he publicly humiliated her, taking her devotion for granted. Finally awake, she cut him off and rebuilt herself as a brilliant top-university elite.
After losing her, Zane drowned in regret, begging desperately for her forgiveness. But it was too late. Chloe met the wealthy, gentle genius Liam, who healed all her wounds. Zane gambled with her heart—and lost her forever.
Could You Choose Me Even Once?

Could You Choose Me Even Once?

338 Views · Ongoing · Joy Brown
I was six years old when Mom took my brother and me by the hand, leading us into a mansion that looked like a palace. She told us this was our new beginning, after all the hardships we'd been through. But no one warned me that this so-called better life would mean giving up everything I had.

My scholarships, my prom dress, even my Stanford acceptance letter—they all turned into bargaining chips just to keep my stepfather and his daughter Sienna happy. Then, the night before my wedding, they even asked my fiancé to "temporarily" give himself to her as well.

I've always been the one giving everything, pouring myself out until there's nothing left, yet I've never heard the words, "You're enough." If love means endless sacrifice, why am I never the one on the receiving end?

Maybe only when I vanish completely will they remember my name—for the first and last time.
20 Betrothal Tries, He Betrayed Me

20 Betrothal Tries, He Betrayed Me

934 Views · Ongoing · Alice Ellan
I tried twenty times to finalize my betrothal with Caius for our overseas fellowship, but accidents kept hurting me. I thought it was fate’s test—until I heard him admit he planned it all. He wanted another girl, using my pain to make me quit, all to keep his reputation clean. Now awake, I ended this lie for good.
He Called Me Boring in French

He Called Me Boring in French

4.6k Views · Ongoing · Piper Hayes
At the Met Gala, I heard my husband tell his friends in French that I'm "boring." That his 22-year-old girlfriend is "so much more exciting in bed."

He laughed when they asked if I knew. "Elle ne comprend même pas 'bonjour'." (She doesn't even understand 'bonjour'.)

What Marcus doesn't know: I spent two years at the Sorbonne.

Je comprends tout, Marcus. I understand everything.

The diamond necklace he gave me after my miscarriage suddenly feels too tight. I smile at him across the champagne and candlelight.

He has no idea what's coming.
You Taught Me How to Stray

You Taught Me How to Stray

573 Views · Ongoing · Ladys
I was in the middle of an affair in the master bedroom when Gu Jingran and his secretary burst in and caught me red-handed.
A thunderous roar ripped through the room.
"Ruan Qinghe!"
I shoved the trembling young man off my body, lowered my eyes, and let out a low, mocking laugh.
"Well, well. My husband rolls up with his side piece to catch his lawfully wedded wife cheating? This has got to be the most unhinged thing I've ever seen in my life."
The secretary, Bai Weiwei, paled instantly, scrambling to defend herself. "Sister Qinghe, you've got this all wrong! Today is your seventh wedding anniversary with Mr. Gu, he only asked me to come help!"
"Whatever was between us ended ages ago! We're just friends now! Don't you dare project your own filthy behavior onto everyone else just because you're acting out!"
I gave her a cool, cursory glance, smiled and said nothing, before finally fixing my gaze on Gu Jingran.
He snapped like a rabid wild beast, slamming and smashing every last thing he'd painstakingly prepared to pieces.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" His voice was raw and hoarse, trembling with rage. "You're trying to get back at me?"
"I was just curious."
I lifted an eyebrow slightly.
"Curious about what cheating feels like. What kind of thrill, what kind of rush, could make you addicted to it over and over again."
He Cheated on Me 99 Times

He Cheated on Me 99 Times

898 Views · Ongoing · Coralie Sullivan
I've caught my fiancé Henry cheating ninety-nine times. And every single time, I forgave him.

That's because I have this rare condition—short-term memory loss. Every morning, I wake up with no memory of what happened the day before.

But then, out of nowhere, a car accident actually cured me.

I was so excited. I rushed over to tell Henry the good news, but stopped cold when I heard him outside the door, joking around with his friends:

"Didn't Judy get sick because she walked in on you and Kenna having sex?"
Stop Saving Me, I'm Going Home

Stop Saving Me, I'm Going Home

1.2k Views · Ongoing · Juniper Marlow
The Blood Moon Festival ended the night Caelan Voss stood up in front of every faction in Aurevael and announced he only wanted one person.
Her name wasn't mine.
The other consorts took their gold and went home. The Ironpact warriors headed back to their barracks. The Sylvari delegation slipped out before the second toast. The Covenant scholars packed their notes. Reunions. Celebrations. The kind of night the holiday was made for.
I had nowhere to go.
The mark on my inner wrist had always been warm. Just a low, steady pulse—easy to ignore after a few years, like a clock you stop hearing. I pressed my fingers over it out of habit.
Cold.
The contract was over. Twenty-one years, four failed routes, and now this. The ancient binding that had pulled me into this world had made its verdict.
I went to find a rope.
My Husband's Mistress Thinks She's Me

My Husband's Mistress Thinks She's Me

1.4k Views · Ongoing · Juniper Marlow
The new member posted a yacht contract to the club group chat on her first day in. The caption read: Thanks for the birthday present, Dad 🥂
Ten seconds later she deleted it. Breezy apology. Oops, wrong group.
I looked at the photo one more time before it disappeared. I didn't check the numbers. I looked at the name painted across the bow.
It was my mother's name.
The boat was mine. My father had told me about it a week ago.
The chat didn't care. Which family is she from? Ninety-six feet of custom teak. Sienna, you dark horse.
I asked, quietly, if she'd share the registration number. I wanted to hear what she'd say.
My own husband stood up from two desks over and tore into me in front of every member in the room. Told me I was jealous. Told me I was an embarrassment. Told me to know my place.
Later that week, he broke into my safe. Took the diamond my father had given me for my mother — and put it around her neck.
That night my father's encrypted voice memo came in from somewhere at sea. One minute long. The last line was this:
"Find your mother's necklace. I can't wear her myself. I need you to wear her for me."
My Dream Parents Killed Me Twice

My Dream Parents Killed Me Twice

1.1k Views · Ongoing · Piper Hayes
The fake heiress and I died twice fighting over the same thing—which of us would get adopted by that wealthy couple.

The first time, I got the necklace. I became their daughter. I thought I'd finally have everything I'd ever wanted. Three months later, they drowned me in the bathtub.

William's voice still echoes in my head. "This is your fault! If we'd taken Chloe instead, she'd still be alive!"

The second time, I gave Chloe the necklace. Let her have the good life. I thought that would keep me safe.

Five years later, Chloe turned up dead in their mansion. The Harringtons called the cops on me. They said I broke in and killed her out of jealousy. I died in prison, broken and tortured. The last thing I heard was Catherine's voice through the visiting room glass, cold as ice. "You belong in the gutter."

The third time, I open my eyes again.

I watch the couple smile at us, all warmth and kindness, and one question burns in my mind. Which daughter do they actually want?
He Betrayed Me in the Apocalypse

He Betrayed Me in the Apocalypse

2.3k Views · Ongoing · Fiona
After the apocalypse began, my husband's female assistant stole my viral experiment data for the ninth time. I couldn't take it anymore and confronted her publicly.
My husband said I was just jealous of her, punished me by making me apologize to her in front of everyone, and demoted me.
Later, he sweet-talked me, promising compensation.
The next day, his true love showed up at the lab wearing his family heirloom necklace.
"François felt so bad about me being falsely accused yesterday that he gave me his family necklace."
"I heard this necklace is supposed to go to his wife. Oh, Andrea, you're not mad, are you?"
I just smiled. "Not mad at all. Trash belongs with trash—you two are perfect for each other."
François immediately snapped, "It's just a necklace. No need to be so nasty about it."
"Apologize to Caro right now, or I'll kick you out of the lab and divorce you!"
Watching François defend Caro, I didn't get angry at all.
Once I'm gone, his zombie virus research won't get anywhere.
A Mafia's Obsession

A Mafia's Obsession

46.7k Views · Ongoing · Adaririchichi
I felt his lips brush against my earlobe, a soft brush that suddenly made my toes curl. His breath lingered on my neck before he finally whispered, "I own you Crystal. The sooner you get to accept that the better for you. I'll make sure you submit yourself to me, be it the hard way or the easy way. And I'll break this ego of yours. I promise you"


He was her beast and she was his beauty. He was addicted and she was his favourite drug. He was a sinner and she was his sin.

In the blink of an eye, Crystal sees her entire life crumble with the death of her parents and she is forced to take a job that she would never have thought off to make ends meet for her and her sister and pay of her gambling father's debt to a crime boss-- being a stripper.

Just a glance on the doe-eyed milk skin beauty swinging her hips seductively on the pole and Leonardo already knew he had to have her as his. He had to claim her for himself. But he was everything she hated. She despised him and loathed his existence for the pain and anguish he had caused her and her sister.

She swore never to succumb to him but what she didn't know was that he was also determined to show her that he would earn a place in her heart and life.
Mafia's Con Artist

Mafia's Con Artist

23.1k Views · Ongoing · Timileyin
Taken by the King of the Underground
I have no way to run away from the Italian Mafia don
God, the black lead is so handsome...

"Who do you work for?" He asked out of nowhere with a severe expression.
"I don't work for anybody," I replied almost immediately.
I saw his expression in the mirror in front of me.
He was openly staring without shame, smirking. I caught his stare through the mirror raising my head high.
The tension in the room doubled as he kept my stare not backing down. I suddenly felt hot within.
——————————————
Hazel Woods is a skilled con artist who loves playing mind games with rich elite people, coming from a poor and abusive home, Hazel swore she would do anything to survive under a system that feeds nothing to people like her.
Hazel had gone to a casino, a new place to start an operation. There she meets Matteo Castello, an Italian Mafia don and the king of the underground, on coming across him, Hazel tries to pull off her charm by manipulating him into gambling with her unknown to Matteo, Hazel had duped him.

Matteo Castello gets whatever he wants; he is worshipped and highly respected by people who work for him, dangerous and loves to torture people who play him, there's one thing Matteo Castello doesn't take dearly, it's if anyone fools with him and his money.
Hazel Woods has fallen victim to his cobweb and months later, fate has a lot in stall for her. Matteo Castello kidnaps Hazel after finding out who she was and now he must make her pay for everything she stole from him but what happens with these two when things do not go as planned?
Billionaire Mafia's Manny

Billionaire Mafia's Manny

167.1k Views · Ongoing · black rose
After losing his parents and being faced with an unbelievable medical bill; Zeno Evander finds himself working as a Manny for a mysterious Billionaire, but it doesn't last long, after almost being killed by the Mafia billionaire, Zeno swore never to return there ever again.

After a week of escaping the Mafia billionaire, Zeno finds himself kidnapped and Blackmailed into signing a year's contract as the Mafia's Manny and bodyguard.

Could Zeno escape his evil and monstrous boss? Or would he be consumed by him? Consumed by the forbidden passion he felt build up between them? Would he risk his life just to experience the burn of forbidden love?

Betrayed by his family, ex-wife, and friend five years ago, Sebastian Orion became a totally different being, cold, aloof, and dangerous as he rose to become the most feared Mafia king of the underworld, and everyone who heard his name shivered from fear.

He distrusted everyone and hated any form of human relationships, building a thick wall around himself.

But, not until his son's manny came into the picture.

Zeno irritated him. He hated the mere sight of his bodyguard and would have killed him, if not for the sake of his son.

Sebastian tried to push Zeno away by treating him in the lowest way possible.

But when the contract was coming to an end, were his feelings still the same? Or did he suddenly realize that it wasn't only his son who needed Zeno?
The Mafia's Nanny

The Mafia's Nanny

48.4k Views · Ongoing · Elk Entertainment
"Would you love to go to bed with my son?"
My mouth drops open as I move backward. "They must be playing games with me", I think.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, is this part of the interview questions?" I blurt out in anger. She is still smiling at me, but I am not interested in that anymore. Leonardo is shocked at my brashness and that is when our eyes meet. I gulp as I applaud his appearance inside my head.
This is the first time I actually take a good look at him today. He is not a male model but he should be. The lush, mother lode-gold hair he grooms so carefully has a rippling quality. His sea rover-blue eyes eyes lit with passion.
They are almond-shaped. They shine with intelligence, dominance and authority.
Of course, every pretty girl would fall for a guy like him but not me; I am different.

She tries to survive after her savings are finished. That is the same time that she gets an offer from a weird man at the same bar that she frequents. She is directed to a mansion where she is to be interviewed for the job of a nanny. She goes to the interview where she meets a very rude man and a welcoming woman. Unknown to her, she has stepped foot into the most dangerous crime family in Italy.

Warning: Include criminal content
The Mafia's Maid

The Mafia's Maid

741 Views · Ongoing · Hoppie
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry... I was just scared that I might end up causing trouble for everyone here if I stayed around. My boyfriend is so dangerous that he torments me so much, even in my dreams. I had a dream that he found my hiding place, he came here to get me, then he caused everyone trouble. That's why I wanted to leave."
"Don't go anywhere, Isabella. I want you here."
"Why don't you want to let me go?"
"I like you, Isabella."
Haunted by her past, Isabella flees the dangers of her life and finds herself ensnared by the alluring and mysterious Nate. As their attraction grows, so does the threat to their relationship. Isabella must decide whether to risk everything for love or run from the man who has become her salvation.
The Mafia's Redemption

The Mafia's Redemption

22.8k Views · Ongoing · Celia Dempsey
I heard the gasp of horror from the people when they saw who it was that has entered the church, my mouth hung opened too when I finally got a good view of his face. My insides constricted painfully, Who wouldn't know the notorious and formidable Don Luca Del Monte, what was he doing here and what does he want?

I could feel Marco tensed up beside me, "what do you want Don Luca?" Marco asked.

"I want your bride" Don Luca answered without a care and the people in the church gasped and I literally choked in horror at his words and my hands trembled slightly.

What the hell was he saying? He must have gone out of his mind.

"That will be over my dead body" Marco replied and Don Luca raised a brow at him,

"As you wish". His finger curled around the trigger and he pulled....

Read "The Mafia's Redemption" and find out what becomes of Kiera when she was suddenly thrown into the dark Mafia world.
The mafia's mark

The mafia's mark

23k Views · Ongoing · Shantelle Mabasa
Life is pretty normal for eighteen-year-old London Clarkson, his the school heartthrob, he has the hottest girl in the entire campus as his girlfriend, everyone loves him, and he has the best parents any child could ever wish for, his life partically perfect. Well, that was until the new economics lecture came along and everything changed. Ever since he could remember, London has been into girls, but then suddenly he found himself drawn to his new lecturer, and this brought him into discovering a new world of pleasure and desire.

However, what happens when the whole Campus discovers his newfound sexuality, and all the people he had called friends suddenly started to hate and resent him? And what's worse, his lecture-turned-lover is revealed to be the continent's most notorious and elusive mafia boss, leaving him entangled in a web of love, loyalty, and lethal danger? If this is not thrilling, I don't know what is. To answer all those questions, you've got to read "THE MAFIA'S MARK".
The Mafia's Angel

The Mafia's Angel

1.7k Views · Ongoing · Lashes
"I want a different kind of meal from Arya,"Juan teased.
"What's that?"
"Why don't you sit on my face and you'll know."
Arya was never meant to stand out. With a deceased mother, an abusive father, and only a high school certificate to her name, she lived quietly and worked as a waitress in a bar, but one night she got just one look from Juan Moreno, the most feared mafia lord in Sicily and things went south.
Sold like property to a man she didn't know, Arya thought the worst had already happened. Until Juan came for her. He didn't save her only, he claimed her just to have owner ship of her and then locked her in a prison disguised as a mansion.
Now, she's the most wanted woman—not for a crime, but for her beauty.
And two ruthless mafia kings are at a cold war for ownership of her body. Juan, believes Dominic—his longtime rival who wants Arya is the only threat.
But when he faces several attacks from an enemy he once thought was dead, he realizes his empire might fall. Can Juan protect the woman he would burn the world for, or will he be forced to hand her to the only man who might keep her alive?
THE MAFIAS REJECT

THE MAFIAS REJECT

679 Views · Ongoing · ivana jameson
Vanessa never believed life could truly break her—until it did.

Raised in hardship, she learned early how to survive with grit, dignity, and relentless determination. But when her father, Jonas, collapses under a mysterious and deadly illness, Vanessa’s fragile world crumbles overnight. Hospital bills pile up. Their money disappears. And the people who promised to stand by them—her stepmother and stepsister—walk away without looking back.

What Vanessa doesn’t know is that her father’s life is already forfeit.

Jonas owes an impossible debt to Alaric Moretti, a ruthless Mafia lord whispered about in fear and blood-soaked rumors. Alaric is power incarnate—cold, merciless, and untouchable. When Vanessa is dragged into his world, she expects cruelty. What she doesn’t expect is destiny.

The moment Alaric sees her, something ancient and uncontrollable snaps into place.

Vanessa is his fated mate—a bond so rare it should be sacred. Instead, Alaric rejects it. He refuses her, despises the weakness she awakens in him, and treats her like a bargaining chip rather than a miracle.

To erase Jonas’s debt, Alaric makes a demand that turns Vanessa’s blood to ice: she must sacrifice herself—her blood, her lung—to save his dying girlfriend, Emma. It’s a sentence disguised as mercy.

But Vanessa is no victim.

She counters with a deal of her own—one that shocks even the feared Mafia king. She will comply… only if Alaric marries her. A contract marriage to secure her father’s treatment and protect her siblings’ future.

No love. No promises. Just survival.

Yet in a world ruled by violence, secrets, and fate itself, pretending not to feel might be the deadliest lie of all.
The Mafia's Target

The Mafia's Target

756 Views · Ongoing · Prody doll
A bride bought by a violent husband.
It was an easy agreement. Marry him, and I will get out of my nightmare in exchange. One of the heirs to a prosperous but clandestine family company is Wilder. He's cold. Rough. Brutal, Callous.
He's engulfing me in his darkness right now. I'm doomed to fail because I am stuck in his game. But I don't follow the guidelines.
Finding out the secrets of his family will provide me the advantage and ultimately my independence.
However, it gets difficult to find the light, the furt here I go. I must flee, my life is in danger, but I can't help but crave his cruel adoration, his callous desires.
There is no denying that my spouse is a monster conceivably I am too.
The Mafia's Pearl

The Mafia's Pearl

778 Views · Ongoing · Prody doll
"We do not need you in our lives with all your lies and manipulation." She yelled out at the top of her voice causing her to almost pass out.

They have an instant connection, one they label as lust, but goes much deeper. He is wealthy, arrogant, rather distant, and emotionally unavailable, or so it seems to her after their first steamy encounter. He practically dismisses and gives her instructions like she is of no consequence. But she is not one to take orders and has a mind of her own. She demands to leave the next morning, though he warns her it might not be safe. She tells herself she never has to see him again. After all, he is a billionaire and she is just a lowly small business owner. It is a case of one and done, her hurt is a matter of pride and has nothing to do with deeper feelings.

He finds he has a real problem on his hands. He recognized the well-dressed goons that crashed the gala he and she was attending. They are part of his past, one he had thought was long behind him. He refuses to leave her to defend herself, so he takes her to his penthouse and then does what he does best. He turned on the charm and seduced her. Much to his chagrin, he feels an unexpected connection to her, something he has never felt with any other woman, but with his past coming back to haunt him, she will not be safe anywhere near him. He assumes his indifferent, distant demeanor and watches her leave, knowing it is for the best, but noting the dismay he feels deep within himself.

Her surprise pregnancy puts a different spin on everything. Growing up without parents, he has always wanted a family of his own. Now he is going be a father and he will do everything to protect her and their baby from his mafia past or die trying. She is rather feisty, very independent, and not amenable to his plans to have her stay within the walls of his penthouse, heavily guarded and away from friends and her work. Their story becomes a bit of a battle of wills, fierce passion, and deeper feelings that neither will admit. It also includes danger, suspense, and some surprising twists.
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