The Snowball Effect

'If kisses were snowflakes, I'd send you a blizzard' ~ Madame Chatterz Benley Macallister is on a downward spiral. Luck has never been on his side. Things go from bad to worse when the nineteen-year-old loses his job, his best friend, and the love of his life all in the same year. Feeling unfilled, Macallister turns to drink as a way to cope. Nonetheless, as luck would have it, another curveball is thrown his way, three years later, when a raven-haired girl accidentally enters his life, purposely refusing to leave it. MacAllister quickly finds his hands tied with the new addition. He's left with two options -- to either fight the oncoming blizzard of change or to embrace it fully.

Snow Vans, or rather Snow White as her friends mostly calls her was a twenty-two years old - 5'3 freshly graduated lady. In desperate need of a job to pay off her college debt and move out of her crappy one room apartment then hopefully live a less strenuous life. She started working as a personal secretary at Nets, a company dealing with shares and everything involving it. Founder of Nets, a twenty-five year old Tristan Richardson is an arrogant and emotionally twisted 6'5 man who has everything money can get him, well except peace of mind. Always tormented by nightmares of his past, Tristan wants more than everything in life for his nightmares to cease, but wishes don't always come true, now do they? These two individuals with polar different personalities collides in a not so perfect moment, giving both of them different things to dwell on, instead of how good looking and sexy each of them looked. Lusts stifling the air around them with a strong pull neither of them could resist, leaving them with different emotions deeper than what they thought it was about.With both of them trying to fight off their demons personally, and seemingly like they have no time for any other emotions than lust. Would their demons consume them alive, or would they fight their demons together and maybe birth another stronger and meaningful emotion towards each other?

I spent countless sleepless nights developing a breakthrough drug for a devastating illness, and I expected at least some recognition from my CEO girlfriend. Instead, she accused me of wasting the company research budget and promoted a newly hired young assistant to oversee the company finances. It was the middle of a brutal heatwave with temperatures that soared past ninety-eight degrees. The assistant locked the lab air-conditioning controls away so no one else could use them, while he shut himself inside his private office with the AC set to sixty degrees. He wrapped himself in a blanket and played video games. I complained to my girlfriend, and she brushed it off as part of building company culture. She claimed she gave him authority for my own good because she believed it would prepare me for a future management position. According to her, I was too narrow-minded to understand her intentions. She then shut off the lab main power supply and locked the control panel as if she wanted to teach me a lesson. The fans stopped working, and the heat grew worse. Several coworkers collapsed from heat exhaustion and were taken to the hospital. The assistant posted photos of himself and my girlfriend at an indoor ski resort. They wore winter jackets and ate ice cream together. The caption read, “Some people are sweeter than ice cream.” I finally understood everything. Her idea of company culture had never been anything more than an excuse to favor him. Everyone expected me to confront her or demand an explanation. I packed up my things instead. She mistook my silence for obedience. She believed her air-conditioning punishment had worked, and she promised that once she returned from closing her business deal, she might consider letting me enjoy the AC again. She did not know that when she shut down the lab power, the research equipment stopped running. The drug we had just finished developing became unstable, and the experimental data was destroyed. By the time the delivery deadline arrived, there would be no formula left to hand over. She would face a catastrophic breach-of-contract lawsuit and enormous financial penalties. Without access to the medication in time, she would also suffer permanent long-term complications from the illness we had tried to treat.

When I'm having a meal with my family at home, I find out that my childhood sweetheart, Melanie Johnson, has given up on an opportunity to get promoted and transferred to the military base in the north for the sake of my cousin, Wilson Chandler. "Wilson's competence is only good enough for him to study at a local college in town. It so happens that Mrs. Holland is in poor health as well. I've already applied for a local college for you. We shall stay in this town together." My mom adds, "That's right. I did promise your uncle that I'll take good care of Wilson, so you need to help me take care of him too. You should just give up on Valmore College—it's useless for you anyway. When you marry Melanie in the future, you'll have to follow her to whichever military district she's going to." Before I can even speak up, Wilson's eyes redden instantly, making him look very aggrieved. "This is my fault for being a total loser. My parents aren't here anymore, not to mention I'm the reason why Charlie can't attend his dream college. Why don't you all just leave and do whatever you want? I'm fine being alone." The moment Wilson starts playing the pity card, both my mom and Melanie panic instantly and start doing their best to comfort him. Meanwhile, I return to my room quietly and withdrew the application that Melanie helped me submit. Luckily, I manage to apply to Valmore College one second before the submission deadline ends. Honestly speaking, I intend to study at Valmore College not just because I can be closer to Melanie in terms of distance, but I also want to watch the snow with her there. I want us to walk together in the snow till our heads turn white from the flakes, signifying the longevity in our relationship. But now, the person standing next to me as I watch the snowfall doesn't matter to me anymore. It's just that I need to watch the snowfall no matter what.

Eli Rayes is everything Frieda Frost hates: Rich, arrogant, emotionally unavailable, and adored by everyone. With perfect grades, a promising hockey career, and a reputation as the school's golden boy, he seems to have life handed to him on a silver platter. Unlike her, who has to struggle for everything. Fierce, stubborn, and determined to escape the financial mess her family is drowning in, Frieda has spent years working toward the Global Excellence Scholarship. She is determined not to let anyone stand in her way. Not her classmates, not her teachers, and definitely not the hot hockey player who couldn't take his eyes off her. She wants this scholarship more than anyone else. But unfortunately, Eli wants it too. What starts as academic sabotage quickly turns into an all-out war. Humiliating pranks. Rumors. Public arguments. Neither of them is willing to back down. But things became far more complicated when their parents announced they were dating. Forced into each other's lives outside school, Frieda and Eli discover that beneath the insults and endless battles lies a dangerous attraction neither of them can ignore. But with jealous exes, hidden family secrets, betrayals, and a scholarship only one of them can win, falling in love may be the biggest mistake they ever make. After all, when fire meets ice, someone is bound to get burned.

Jennifer Porter, the icy and untouchable CEO, never imagined that buying a simple jade pendant for her childhood friend would change everything. Because of that pendant, I divorced her and left with our daughter. After all, the jade pendant was my father's keepsake, and her childhood friend smashed it to pieces right in front of me. We met again three years later, at an international jewelry design competition. My ex-wife grabbed my wrist, fury burning in her eyes. "You've been gone for three years. Isn't your tantrum long enough? I'll buy you a hundred jade pendants, just come home with me." The next second, a small hand tugged at her clothes. "Excuse me, could you step aside? My mom needs to talk to my dad."