There's Always This Year: On Basketball And Ascension

At the end of the year, I went to the spa and discovered a stranger had been using my VIP card. When I logged into my personal profile, the last three treatment records were not under my name. The preference section listed specific details about someone else. She was allergic to rose essential oil, preferred lavender, and her heating pad temperature could not exceed 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Her menstrual cycle fell around the 15th of each month, so no waist or abdomen treatments during that time. I stared at the screen, my palms turning cold. Only my husband, Zachary White, knew this password. At the time, he said he needed it to check the balance and renew my membership. I scrolled down and found a system note at the bottom: [Birthday treatment reserved for December 30, prepared according to Ms. Anderson's preferences.] Today was December 30. My phone vibrated. Zachary had sent a message: [Working late tonight. Won't be home.] Familiar laughter drifted from the hallway. Through the glass door, I watched Zachary walk into the adjacent room with his arm around a woman, the beautician hurrying forward to greet them. "Mr. White, we have Ms. Anderson's birthday treatment ready, just as you requested."

On the day of the World Rally Championship finals, I pressed the accelerator to the floor, ready for the final dash. The next moment, the engine exploded in a deafening roar, and thick smoke instantly filled the cockpit. Flames spread toward the fuel tank. I yanked at the door, desperate to jump out, but the handle wouldn’t budge, and the brakes felt welded in place. In that instant of despair, my husband’s voice came through the comms. “Attention, all teams, no need to rescue her. My wife is the Iron Racer! “For today’s live broadcast challenge, let’s see if she can drive this burning car across the finish line!” His co-commentator, recently recruited onto the team, chimed in with excitement. “Thomas, the sponsor just confirmed! As long as Jane holds on to the end, they’ll increase investment. I can get a permanent spot!” I understood instantly then that the husband on the commentary platform I had supported for years was using my life to pave the way for his mistress. Smoke clawed at my throat. However, I forced down the dizziness and begged, “For the sake of all our years together…” Only for him to cut me off with irritation. “Save your energy for driving. You’re skilled. Just hold on a little longer. Mandy’s promotion depends entirely on you.” The cockpit had become an inferno; my skin searing with every second. I gripped the blistering wheel, steering through the smoke for the last time. This time, my finish line was the commentary platform where the two of them were huddled together.

Tessa Ardelean lost everything the night her pack was slaughtered in the forests of Romania. Forced to flee to New Orleans, she finds refuge—and a childhood friend—in Christopher Patricks, the Alpha’s son. Their bond deepens into young love, but fate has other plans. When Chris leaves for college, he makes a ruthless deal to secure his future Alpha status—agreeing to mate another in exchange for power. He returns to find Tessa is his true mate... but it’s too late. Heartbroken but unbroken, Tessa rises. At the Alpha Summit, she meets the fearsome Ryder Nelson—the nation’s most powerful Alpha. Sparks fly, and with him, Tessa finds the strength to become the Luna she was born to be. She rejects Chris, choosing Ryder… until the Moon Goddess intervenes. A prophecy unfolds. War is coming. Tessa is the Silver Wolf—the key to uniting the supernatural world. But to unlock her true power, she must bond with both of her mates. Together, they will uncover a terrifying truth: a third form sleeps within them—the ancient, deadly Lycan. Desire, destiny, and danger collide in Luna’s Ascent, a dark paranormal romance brimming with betrayal, fated mates, and the raw power of a she-wolf ready to claim her crown. First book in the Silver Wolf Prophecy Series

When I'm washing Julian White's pants, I pull out a management fee invoice from one of the pockets. Surprisingly enough, the address is the unit on the floor above my apartment. The thing is, Julian's name is put down as the apartment owner. As I clutch the invoice, I feel my blood turning into ice. Suddenly, I recall the way Julian kept telling me he had overtime shifts to pull over the past six months. Because of that, he often came home past midnight. There were a few times when I realized that his car was still parked in its designated parking slot of the apartment block despite the fact that he had already "gone out". When I asked Julian for the reason, he answered, "The gas prices are very high right now. Taking the subway is more convenient, not to mention I get to save more money for our family's expenses." I used to feel happy about the fact that Julian cared so much about our family. But now, I finally realize that his so-called overtime shifts are just excuses for him to spend time in the unit upstairs. At that moment, I hear the sounds of a key being inserted into the front door's lock. Julian is home. When he notices the invoice in my hand, he takes it from me casually. "Maybe the staff placed it in the wrong mailbox." I nod with a smile. "It's nothing. I'm going to take out the trash first." After leaving the apartment, I head upstairs right away. Once I knock on the door, the woman who came to open the door for me is heavily pregnant. It seems that she's about to give birth.

It was the holiday season, so I took my foster daughter, Megan Delgado, to our mansion for a vacation. However, I found out that the property had been occupied by someone else. The woman who opened the door looked at us with an impatient expression. “What do you want? You’re interrupting my daughter’s birthday party. Are you asking for trouble?” For a moment, I thought I might have the wrong house. That was until I noticed the clothing and jewelry the woman was wearing. Every piece was an exact match with what I kept in my wardrobe here. The timing could not be more telling. Just a week ago, my husband, Richie Delgado, said he was planning a surprise for me and Megan. He asked for the spare key to the mansion. I glanced past her at the crowd of party guests in the living room. “So, you’re saying you’re the lady of the house?” She sized me up and noted my simple outfit. “Who else if not me? You? You’ve ruined my daughter’s party. You’d better beg for her forgiveness now!” she said in a condescending tone. When I did not move, she warned, “My husband will be home any minute now. Do you know who he is? He’s the CEO of Beran Corp! A nobody like you can’t afford to cross him!” They were using my mansion to throw a birthday party for his illegitimate daughter. It was quite the surprise indeed!

All her life, Bryanna thought sparks in your heart, butterflies in your belly was the start of a great love story. She saw it in her parents' and best friend's relationships. So, when Nate walked in and made her a blubbering mess, Bryanna was pretty sure he was the one. But the sparks he started? Those butterflies he awaken? Left her heart broken and ... pregnant. Then there was Lincoln. His grumpy self and brooding expression saved her from herself and it scared her. What was this? But if one thing those hurt Nate caused taught her was; that true love is hard to find, and it is something you don't let go. You'll hold for that kind of love forever. For ... Always. **** I loved Bryanna since as long as I can remember. And I loved her enough to see her happy with someone else. But, when that fu*ker left her? I snapped. But love had never been easy. Now that she finally knows that I love her, I will do my best to prove my love. I have loved her from the start, I will love her forever. I will love her, ... Always.