Bill W.: A Biography Of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson

Lydia Leighton—my mother-in-law—and I had been grinding nonstop on an overseas project. We got back home two weeks early. Before we could share the news, her phone rang. The renovation company. "Mrs. Howe, the house is done per your request. But your card balance isn't enough. When do you want to settle the rest?" I frowned. We'd been buried in work overseas. When did she even renovate a house? A long invoice popped up on her phone. Lydia's face went cold. She dialed her husband. "George, which 'Mrs. Howe' is renovating a house? You're cheating on me?!" He sounded panicked. "How could I? Babe, I swear I only love you. Wait for me—I'm coming back to explain!"

Elara Vance is in a spot. Her mother's life-saving treatment is in jeopardy. Elara needs to ensure her care continues. So she makes a deal with Julian Sterling, a calculating CEO. This deal starts as a business arrangement. It quickly turns into a risky game. Elara learns that her mother is not a patient, she is a test subject for Julian's medical treatment. Elara is stuck in Julian's estate, she is bound by a contract that feels like a prison. She has to figure out what is going on. Things get really intense when Elara gets her hands on Julian's key card. She takes a risk to find out the truth. She wants to know her mother's condition. She wants to know the Julian Sterling, not just the billionaire image.

On Christmas Eve, my friend, Lenny Gibson, sends me a text message. "I've rented a Maybach for our cat so that we can go back to our hometown for the holidays. It'll be seven thousand dollars per person. The car is fitted with air conditioning and security cameras. Don't you think this is a good deal?" I glance at my bank app, which has just deducted my monthly house mortgage from my account. "Nah. Bebe isn't a spoiled princess. I can't afford to rent such an expensive car." The next day, I receive a selfie of Lenny hugging Bebe while seated in the Maybach. "It's such a shame that you aren't here, Noah. The Maybach's owner is a hot chick, not to mention she's kind-hearted enough to give me a ride home as well!" On the evening of Christmas, I hear sounds of rapid knocking coming from the front door as soon as I enter the house. Lenny's anxious parents can be seen standing on the doorstep. "Is Lenny here with you? He hasn't come home at all! He told us yesterday that he wanted to prepare a birthday gift for you, so he had us give him 20 thousand dollars!" Before I can recover from my shock, the police come knocking on my door as well. It turns out that I'm the last person Lenny has contacted…

On the first day of my husband's business trip, an unknown number calls me. It belongs to an employee of a pharmacy. The employee sounds very anxious over the phone. "Hello, are you related to Mr. Yates by any chance? He came to the pharmacy this afternoon to buy a box of morning-after pills, but he left right away without paying for the pills. Please pay the bill right now." My mind buzzes at the news. Morning-after pills? I suppress my emotions immediately before calling Zachary. I begin probing him afterward. "Where did you go this afternoon, honey? Your credit card statement shows that the payment you've made at a pharmacy has failed to go through." Zachary pauses for half a second before letting out a soft chuckle. "Ah, I bought the pills for a new intern in my department. She's a young woman who gets flustered easily, so I ran an errand for her." I just smile while saying "okay" to Zachary. After ending the call, I call the pharmacy once again, this time in a cold voice. "Send me your pharmacy's address. I'll head over and pay the bill in person."

I go to the boutique my son has invested in to pick up the gown I've ordered for a banquet. Just as I'm about to leave, the manager, Wendy Reed, stops me and says that I still owe them money. She pulls out the bill. I look down at it and see that the boutique is charging me 300 thousand dollars for their creativity, 500 thousand dollars for fabric therapy, and one million dollars for their chief designer's mental wellness. On top of other expenses, the price totals up to two million dollars. I laugh incredulously and send a message to my secretary. "Withdraw our funding from my son's company and this boutique!"

Jasmine is living a life of hell. Her step father becoming abusive emotionally and physically after the death of her mother. She not only has to deal with him at home, but her fellow students at school. Being bullied and criticized for the lack of clothes she doesn't have. They don't know her step father refuses to buy her anything she needs. Calling her a leech of the earth. Telling her on a daily basis he wishes she had died along side her mother. The only person in her corner is her science teacher Mrs. Mulberry, she see the changes in Jasmines behavior, the marks she tries to hide under her torn clothes. Things take a turn for the worse when Jasmine goes missing for two weeks. Alarming Mrs. Mulberry to call child services. Believing the worst has happened to her. After being put under the microscope Jasmine's step father starts locking her away starving her and barely giving her water to drink out of an applesauce container. In the midst of her agony she meets the new boy at school causing feelings she's never felt before. Will he be her knight in shining armor or will he be the wake of destruction causing her world to crumble more around her.