Tender Bang

Heartbroken billionaire Austin Colby vowed never to fall in love again after betrayed by his fiancee and older brother but his fate becomes entwine with the daughter of his sister's killer and Austin is determined to protect her even at the expense of his own life.

"Hate was the only thing between us—until it wasn’t." ISLA They call me the Ice Queen. I rebuilt my empire from the ashes after my brother died in a fire his family started. The Valentes took everything from me. Now, Ciaran Valente stands in my way again—arrogant, magnetic, and the man I’ve sworn to destroy. Forcing him into a business deal is my revenge. I never meant to get close enough to feel his touch. I never meant to let his whispered "Little Flame" ignite a different kind of fire inside me. But the deeper I dig into our past, the more his secrets threaten to shatter me. What if the man I hate is the only one who knows the truth? CIARAN I’ve hated Isla Moreau since we were kids. Her family blamed mine for a tragedy that haunted us both. Now, she’s a ruthless CEO who thinks she can take what’s mine. I’ll play her game of forced alliance, but I’ll be the one to win. I'll break her icy composure and make her surrender. But the pain in her eyes mirrors my own. The line between hate and obsession is blurring, and my desire for her is becoming a dangerous need. She’s searching for answers, but the truth will destroy her. How can I protect her from a past she’s determined to uncover, when the final betrayal will come from the person she trusts the most?

The wife of a renowned designer thought I was not good enough to be seen with her. So, when the award ceremony came, she brought along her young, handsome secretary, someone who suited her image much better. I did not argue or make a scene. I ignored the secretary's quiet provocations and stayed perfectly calm. My wife, taken aback by how 'sensible' I had become, must have thought I had finally given up on her. For the first time, she did not sneer or mock me. Instead, she spoke gently for once, and told me to stay home and wait for her. She even promised a 'big surprise' for my birthday. I lowered my eyes and nodded, hiding the heaviness inside. She did not know that today, I was walking away for good.

Conned by Francis Slade, I sold my kidney to raise funds for his failed investment. And the house was bought with all my savings. But now, it had become their love nest. "Ms. Lane, you look like you were rolling around in a mud pit. What happened to you?" Whitney Jones smiled smugly. My already injured body trembled with anger when I saw her smug expression. Forcing myself to remain calm, I answered, "This is my home. What are you doing here?" In response, Francis glared at me angrily. "Whitney caught a cold, so I invited her over to take a hot shower. Can't you even tolerate such small acts of kindness?" Whitney had accidentally stepped on blood that was flowing from my leg. She instinctively grabbed Francis out of fear. With a trembling voice, she told him, "Francis, I think she's injured." I knew Francis thought I was just trying to gain his sympathy again. "Alright now, Whitney will be sleeping in your room tonight. Once you're done with the act, go clean yourself up and set up a bed for her." If she was after my room, she could have it. If she was after the man who never loved me, she could have him.

After failing a bomb disposal mission, my wife, who's also a bomb disposal expert, gives my shield to her true love. I grab her hand and plead with her not to do it, but she shoves me away. "You're so selfish! You have a system that can revive you—why do you even need the shield? Jeremy is already weak, to begin with. He can't handle any impact and needs two shields to keep him safe!" She doesn't know that the system has only given me two chances to be revived. I used the first chance when she begged me to save Jeremy Sawyer. During a mission last year, I used the second chance to save her from the brink of death. It looks like I'm going to die today.

On the fifth year of their marriage, finding the vitamin C her husband bought tasted too bitter, Jeanne Dotson went to the hospital with the bottle. The doctor took one look and frowned. "This isn't vitamin C." "I-I'm sorry, Doctor?" "I could say it a dozen times and it'd still be the same," the doctor replied, pointing at the bottle. "This is Mifepristone. Taking too much of it doesn't just cause infertility—it can do serious harm to your body." Jeanne felt a lump stuck in her throat, and her fingers turned pale from clenching the bottle. "That's impossible. My husband got this for me. His name is Darren Walsh—he's a doctor here too." The doctor looked up at her, his expression turning strange, tinged with something she couldn't quite read. After a pause, he gave a small smile. "Miss, you might want to visit the psych ward instead. We all know Dr. Walsh's wife—she gave birth just two months ago. Don't let your imagination run wild, all right? There's no point."