Novels by Sweet Magaret

The contrast between the two households could not have been starker. Where Ethan’s home was loud, crowded, and suffocating under the weight of religious judgment and tight finances, the Hale estate was a sprawling monument to pristine, clinical detachment.Marcus walked through the grand double doors of his house, the silence inside so absolute you could hear the soft, ambient hum of the central air conditioning. His parents were sitting in the formal dining room, the massive dark-wood table stretching out between them like an unbreakable physical barrier.His father, Dr. Richard Hale, sat at the very head of the table. He was the Chief of Surgery and Head of Medicine at the city’s premier private hospital, a man whose entire existence was defined by clinical precision, sharp authority, and an absolute intolerance for human error. Opposite him sat Marcus’s mother, Eleanor Hale, a senior chartered accountant for a multinational corporate firm. She was a woman who viewed the world entir

As Ethan stayed confined to the solitude of his room, his unloyal thoughts began to drift in his head.One thing for sure was that he definitely hated Marcus. Or maybe it was the inferiority complex that Ethan thought he was dodging successfully coming back to bite him in the arse. Ethan knew Marcus was better than him in every way—he was richer, smarter, blonder, and taller. He was the golden child of the school and, yes, maybe seeing Marcus be under him brought him a strange sense of satisfaction. But that satisfaction had turned into affection unknowingly, and Ethan had spilled his overfilled guts to him in the heat of the moment, leaving himself very vulnerable and completely unable to retract it.And of course, the golden boy had outright rejected him. Because who wouldn't want a brown-haired fuck up with a mild case of anger issues?That rejection hurt more than Ethan gave himself credit for. It felt like Marcus was reminding him that he was and always would be—at the top of so

The practice at the new court was tense from the very first drill. The heat inside the unfamiliar gym was stifling, the air thick with sweat and squeaking rubber, and Ethan was already running on a dangerously short fuse after the horrific bus ride. He was moving aggressively on the floor, slamming his feet onto the hardwood, snatching rebounds with violent force, and taking shots with way too much power behind them.During a high-strung 5-on-5 scrimmage, Marcus managed to read Ethan's movement and cleanly strip the ball from his hands right near the key. It was a good play, but as Marcus turned to transition down the court, he threw out a casual comment over his shoulder, his voice loud enough for Ethan to hear over the shoes squeaking on the floor."You're rushing it, Ethan," Marcus said, offering a small, half-amused tilt of his head that he meant as playful court banter to break the ice between them. "You always try to force the play when you get desperate. Just let me handle the

The whole trip was a complete mess from the very second Coach opened his mouth that morning. Out of nowhere, he pulled some random mandate, claiming he wanted the squad to run drills and scrimmage on a different court so they wouldn't get "too comfortable with home court advantage." Since it was just an unofficial, quick trip to a local athletic facility a few miles out of town, the school hadn't cleared any special travel arrangements for them. There was no comfortable private charter bus, no reserved van, and zero extra space to breathe. It was just all fourteen of them, plus their heavy equipment bags, forced to shove themselves into one tiny, outdated mini-bus that smelled faintly of old gasoline and stale sweat.The moment the folding doors squeaked open in the parking lot, someone near the front of the line shouted that the last person inside was a rotten egg. That single dumb comment triggered an instant, chaotic dash for the seats. Guys were shoving each other by the shoulder

"Yo, did you guys see the new drop on the site?" Jamal shouted the second he walked into the gym, tapping frantically on his phone screen before holding it up for the rest of the guys. "Hale’s actual face is on the front page!"A small crowd instantly formed near the bleachers as Tyrone and Luke leaned in to get a look. Ethan was standing off to the side, adjusting his laces and trying his absolute best to look completely unbothered. But curiosity won out. He cast a quick, nonchalant glance over his shoulder, his eyes locking onto the screen.The sportswear brand had just launched their digital campaign featuring Marcus, and the photos were devastating. Marcus was modeling their core line, showing off his toned, absurdly muscular frame in a pair of low-rise athletic shorts and a compression top. In the main promo shot, Marcus had his hands hooked low into his waistband, pulling the fabric down just enough to expose his sharp V-line with the dark, prominent veins tracing all the way do

The start of a fresh week did absolutely nothing to cool down the boiling tension in the gym. After some grueling days of Ethan completely ignoring Marcus's entire existence, cutting him off in the hallways, walking out of rooms the second he entered and treating him like an invisible ghost, Monday morning practice arrived with a vengeance.The real shockwave hit the team before anyone even picked up a basketball. Marcus walked out of the tunnel, and the entire room seemed to stop. He had completely dyed his hair. The familiar, safe, golden-blonde locks were entirely gone, replaced by a deep, midnight black that contrasted sharply against his skin.The new look was sharp, dangerous, and made him look insanely sexy. It completely stripped away any remaining hint of the innocent "good boy" persona, elevating his sharp jawline and making his piercing green eyes pop with a lethal, hypnotic intensity.When Ethan walked onto the court, his eyes instinctively sought out his rival, and he fro

Lu Chen spent the rest of his shift hovering near the service bar like a skittish cat, keeping his distance from Booth 4. Every time he glanced in Professor Gu Yan's direction, his pulse spiked.Gu Yan wasn't alone for long.About an hour before closing, a tall, imposing man with broad shoulders, dark skin, and a formidable build—Zhao Lei—strode into the lounge. He moved with the quiet confidence of someone used to taking charge. Zhao Lei slid into Gu Yan’s booth without asking, leaning in close to whisper something into the professor’s ear.Lu Chen watched from behind a faux palm tree, squinting. Gu Yan didn't pull away. In fact, the icy professor leaned back, letting out a low, amused breath as Zhao Lei signaled the bartender for another round.By 2:00 AM, the lounge was emptying out. Lu Chen was wiping down a table near the glass doors when he saw Zhao Lei practically supporting Gu Yan out into the night air. The professor looked slightly flushed, his usual rigid posture softened b

Thinking the disaster with Xie Huai had finally blown over, life returned to a frantic, exhausting hustle.Lu Chen’s phone hadn't stopped ringing all morning. Between throwing out fifty online applications and begging every local business within a five-mile radius, he had managed to land a dual-shift routine that left him practically dead on his feet.By day, he worked behind the counter at a cozy neighborhood coffee shop, ducking his head behind an oversized black face mask whenever customers walked in. But the daytime wages were pocket change, nowhere near enough to raise a thousand dollars in time.That was why he had accepted the night job.The advertisement posted on a local forum had promised astronomical hourly pay plus generous tips for a "VIP Lounge Floor Server" at The Velvet Lounge. Lu Chen hadn't asked questions; he had just filled out the onboarding form, put on the mandatory uniform which is a fitted black button-down shirt with rolled sleeves and a dark apron, and showe

The air inside the university’s administrative hallway was cold, quiet, and thick with tension.Lu Xi stood in front of the private office door, her fingers clutching a small, worn bankbook so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Her chest heaved with every shaky breath. Beside her, Lu Chen hovered like a restless guard, his hoodie pulled low over his forehead as he kept a sharp eye on the empty corridor."Lu Chen, go home," Lu Xi whispered urgently, glaring at him through her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. "If Mr. Xie Huai sees you here, everything is going to explode!""I'm not leaving you alone with that rich lunatic," Lu Chen gritted out, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "I told you, I'll handle him.""Handle him how? By calling him another animal?!" Lu Xi hissed, slapping his arm away. "This is my academic future! I brought my savings passbook. I’ll apologize, give him what I have, and set up a monthly payment plan. Just shut up and let me talk!"Before Lu Chen could argue,

The heavy metal door of the apartment slammed shut, and Lu Chen collapsed against it, his lungs burning like fire. He ripped off the itchy black wig, tossing it onto the floor mat before aggressively tugging at the suffocating collar of the pink dress."Never again," he wheezed, wiping sweat from his forehead. "If she ever asks me to do this again, I’m moving to the countryside."He stumbled into his room, stripped off the horrendous dress, and changed back into his oversized gray hoodie and faded sweatpants. Sitting down at his desk, he stared at his reflection in the computer monitor. His hands were still trembling slightly from the sheer adrenaline of screaming at a billionaire heir and shoving a university professor.An hour later, the front door burst open.Lu Xi marched into the apartment, her face pale and her breathing ragged. She didn't even drop her bag before heading straight for Lu Chen's room, kicking the door open with her foot."Lu Chen!" she shrieked, holding up her ph

The gallery of the Fine Arts Department was suffocatingly bright and smelled of expensive perfume, freshly cured oil paint, and pretension.Lu Chen kept his head low, hunching his broad shoulders to make himself look smaller inside the tight pink student uniform. Every time the hem of the skirt brushed against his bare knees, a cold shiver of humiliation ran up his spine.Just find table four, get the canvas, sign Lu Xi’s name, and get the hell out, he repeated like a mantra, adjusting the itchy black wig tucked behind his ears.He spotted the registration desk near the grand archway. Standing beside a tall display easel was a man in his late twenties, dressed in a sleek, charcoal-grey turtleneck and a beige trench coat. Even from behind, the man practically exuded an air of icy, unreachable elegance. His dark hair was meticulously styled, revealing a pale, sharp jawline.That must be Professor Gu Yan, Lu Chen thought, remembering his sister’s endless rants about her strictly aloof, t

"Come on, Lu Chen! Just put on the fucking dress!""No," Lu Chen said, his thumbs hammering the buttons of his handheld console with murderous intensity. The screen flashed neon blue as his character executed a pixelated backflip. "I’d rather be dragged naked through the city square than wear that hideous piece of cloth.""Please! I’m literally begging you! I’m your sister!"Lu Chen didn’t even bother looking up. He rolled his eyes, his thumbs clicking away in a steady, aggressive rhythm. "You’re my sister, not my owner. Go wear it yourself."A heavy, dramatic thud echoed through the tiny living room.Lu Chen finally glanced over the rim of his screen. His twin sister, Lu Xi, had collapsed face-down onto the floor mat like a deflated balloon. Her hair was a chaotic nest, and her voice came out muffled against the thin fabric of the rug."I can't be in two places at once," she lamented, her voice echoing with pure despair. "I have to meet the client across town to collect my payment fo