Pumpkin Pounder

To celebrate Halloween, our company booked an immersive “rural horror” escape room. My boss said whoever could make it to the end without screaming would get a ten-thousand-dollar reward. As a seasoned horror movie fan, I was instantly tempted. The core character in the escape room was a scarecrow wearing an oversized pumpkin head. I admired how well the props were made, but the chainsaw noise was too loud, so I slipped into a hidden compartment, put on my headphones, and scrolled through reels. The next day, I woke up to a strong metallic stench mixed with the sickly-sweet smell of rotting pumpkin. The police told me our boss had canceled the booking at the last minute, and the actor originally assigned to play the character had gotten food poisoning. That pumpkin-headed figure wasn’t one of their staff.

Warning: 18+ Dark Romance "Dont let me use the spare key Orlanda, or you are gonna be doomed," he uttered coldly and now, she could sense he was more than pissed. The air felt thick, charged with the tension between them, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. She braced herself, knowing fully well that this small act of defiance would not go unpunished. But for now, she had locked him out, and for the first time since being his prisoner, she felt the slightest taste of freedom. "Do your worst! I'm not scared of you," she yelled. ~~~~~ Orlanda never asked for Carlson Jacobi’s help, but when the ruthless gangster saved her months ago, he demanded repayment; betray his stepbrother, or warm his bed. She swore she would never surrender herself to such a man, and so she chose betrayal. But when her plan failed, Oswald Dino Escobar, the billionaire she worked for, and Carlson’s greatest enemy, made her pay the ultimate price. He bought her from her family, not as a servant, but as his property. His possession. His punishment. His little pumpkin! Oswald was a man who had once loved and lost Sophia Lawn, the woman who shattered him, the woman whose death turned him into a beast. And when Orlanda entered his world, he saw in her a vessel, a shadow of what he lost. But the deeper she was pulled into his dark empire, the more secrets surfaced. Secrets that could ruin them both… or bind them forever.

Riveria was on the brink of collapse when Ethan Rivers arrived and took control of it. To fulfill his teacher's dying wish, he governed Riveria for three years, turning it into the most prosperous province in the country. However, just as he was about to end the turmoil once and for all, he was framed and imprisoned, and powerful families seized his achievements. They smeared his name, turning him into a public enemy. With Ethan gone, they believed that Riveria belonged to them.  Little did they know that the border forces rejoiced. "Ethan is gone? Hahaha! No one can get in our way now. Let's get started!" Foreign enterprises also jumped for joy. "Riveria is perfect for factories. Without Ethan stopping us now, nobody can stop us!"  Chaos returned, and people began to yearn for Ethan. As they investigated his life, shocking truths emerged.  He was the author of bestselling books and had donated hundreds of millions to the impoverished. He had even provided homes to the families of national heroes. When the truth came to light, the world fell into chaos, the villains panicked, and everyone was filled with regret!

After my husband's death, I retained all his personal accounts and our marriage certificate. Since then, Chuck Smith had been wooing me persistently, declaring that he would give me all his love to overcome the pain of loss. He would search the entire city for some sweets that I mentioned on a whim, and he deleted every woman's number from his phone while keeping me updated on his location in real time. But just as his feelings reached me, and I was ready to marry him, I found Chuck getting frisky with his new secretary in the basement parking lot…

My mother threatens to jump off a building in front of me three times. The first time is when I fill out my college application. She stands on the rooftop and forces me to choose a local college. I give in, and with a 1550 SAT score, I end up attending a second-tier local college. The second time is after I graduate and go to Brayton for work. She stands on top of my company building and forces me to quit. I return to my hometown and take a gas station job she finds for me, earning 7.50 dollars per hour. The third time, she stands on a rooftop again and forces me to marry a man I have only met once but whom she is very satisfied with. I obey and marry him, only to suffer domestic violence and miscarry. In the end, I can no longer take it and jump off a building myself. When I open my eyes again, my mother is gritting her teeth as she climbs onto the rooftop. "If you dare apply to a Privy League college out of town, I will jump from here!" I give her one glance before turning around and walking away. "Go ahead. Don't waste my time."

There is a medical dispute at the hospital. A patient's family member comes at us swinging a knife. Without hesitating, I push my husband, Maxwell Conner, out of the way. But then, he grabs my hand and pulls me in front of his beloved junior, Karina Burton. The knife plunges straight into my abdomen, killing the baby I had just conceived. As my horrified colleagues cry and rush me toward the ICU, Maxwell violently pulls me off the gurney. He barks, "Save Karina first! If anything happens to her, I'll fire every last one of you!" The doctors are stunned and furious. "Maxwell, have you lost your mind? Karina only suffered a minor injury. Your wife is the one in critical condition!" Clutching my bleeding abdomen, I nod slowly. "It's fine. Just forget it." Maxwell, I owe you nothing after this.