Bread And Jam For Frances

Alexis has always had to watch out for herself. She was left by her parents in the middle of nowhere because of a fight and never came back, leaving her an orphan.

Born with congenital insensitivity to pain, I was the secret mistress and security guard of the wealthiest man, Julian Sterling, for eight years. Everyone within the same upper social class knew that Julian never got himself close to any women. I was the only exception. At some point, his first love, Chloe Smith, angered a gang leader, Vinnie Anderson. She had to sacrifice a body part in exchange for his mercy. Without a hint of hesitation, Julian made me the sacrifice. I was whipped 99 times. Three of my fingers were cut off on behalf of Chloe. “You can’t feel pain, anyway. This won’t make a difference to you. But Chloe is delicate and frail. She won’t be able to withstand this torture.” I finally realized that I was just a useful tool to Julian. Hence, when I was scouted, I kept him in the dark. Instead, I accepted the offer made by his opponent.

My mother was tied up in an abandoned warehouse rigged with explosives by a rival gang. The kidnappers sent a video, and the countdown showed only 30 minutes remaining. I called Vincent Porter, my fiance and a mafia Don, for help. He was the uncontested king of this district. If he appeared, no one would dare touch her. Vincent answered and said he would bring his men right away. However, halfway there, he suddenly claimed there was an emergency and ordered the convoy to turn around. Desperate, I drove toward the warehouse myself, watching the seconds tick down on the video as I called Vincent again and again. On the 99th call, Vincent finally picked up. Soft violin music played in the background. His voice was ice-cold. "Alice, don't use such childish stunts to get attention." "My mom is about to die…" "Then let her." The call ended. As the countdown hit zero, the explosion went off. Seconds later, Vincent's childhood sweetheart, Jenny Thorne, posted on Instagram. The photo showed the same hands that usually held guns now carefully trimming her nails. [Woke up from a nightmare. So grateful he's here. A Don's protection really does make you feel safe.] It turned out this was his so-called emergency. He had gone to comfort a woman frightened by a bad dream. Shattered beyond repair, I ended everything with a carefully staged death. Later, when I returned in glory as a queen, he stood before me, completely broken. He had been stripped of everything. He begged, "Alice, please don't leave me."

My parents raised me like a princess from a fairy tale. I loved cake. Every day after work, Dad would bring home a small slice just for me. Mom bought a full set of ovens and baking tools and patiently learned how to bake, all so she could make cakes for me herself. Even later, when they adopted my cousin, a child no one else wanted, they would gently pat my head and say apologetically, "Sweetheart, it's just one more playmate for you. Mom and Dad's love for you will only grow, never lessen." But that day, when the lawyer was reading Grandma's will, I simply asked out of curiosity why my sister received more money than I did. Mom's eyes instantly turned red, and she slapped me hard across the face. "Her mother has passed away. She deserves to inherit two shares." "We've already given you all our love. Why are you still jealous of your sister?" From that day on, the parents who once treated me like a princess never smiled at me again. This time, all I did was help run the bathwater for my sister. She accidentally swallowed some water and choked. Mom grabbed my hair and shoved me into the oven. "How could I have given birth to such a vicious child? Being jealous of your sister isn't enough, now you're trying to drown her? "Stay in there and reflect on yourself. You can come out when you finally admit your mistake." Inside the oven, I panicked and tried to explain, but Dad, his face full of worry, interrupted me. "That's enough. Tanya has been coughing for a long time and it's not getting better. Take her to the hospital now." I heard their footsteps gradually fade away. But Mom, did you forget? Back then, to make cakes for me more conveniently, you set all the kitchen appliances to quick mode. They would automatically lock and start baking whenever they detected something inside. The temperature around me began to rise. The pain slowly made me lose consciousness. As my mind grew hazy, I thought to myself: If I reflect properly and behave well, Mom and Dad will surely love me again, just like before, won't they?

Hailey’s power became too much and out of control as she steps in at the age of nineteen. Her parents were worried when an oracle predicted that it could eventually destroy her if not handled greatly. So, her aunt come up with the idea of sending her to a friend of hers who once had the same problem— the mistress of air. Hailey flew across the world, away from her luxurious life. She already expected the worst—a small house and a lady who do not tolerate her spoiled personality. But what she did not expect was to meet her mate in the most unexpected way. A dominant Alpha who wants nothing to do with her untamed personality. How would Hailey be able to change the mind of her mate before he eventually rejects her…or was it the other way around? She didn’t want a mate in the first place, after all.

Kris left her wife and their girlfriend to pursue other dreams in a new town only to find herself nightly in their dreams. Will these women be able to handle the onslaught of realistic errotic dreams and move on with thier boring lives? Or will they find each other again and pick up the pieces of a shattered life they once shared?