Zero Non Sum

【Two Male Leads + Power Dynamics + Slow Burn Romance + Corporate Warfare + 1v1】 "You came to kill me, didn't you?" "That was the original plan, but I've changed my mind." "Oh, what an honor that is." In game theory, when the sum of gains and losses among participants always equals "zero," it's known as a "zero-sum game," where cooperation between the parties is not possible. In the game of love, however, two initially opposing individuals repeatedly break the norms and find their way to each other. A mission sparks their complex relationship, with one falling first, and the other soon succumbing to the fall as well... *Dual-faced, affectionate mastermind ✖️ Undercover agent playing coy *1v1

​In a society governed by the "Fated System," Kit Holloway is a biological glitch. Scentless, infertile, and deemed "defective," he has turned his flaw into a fortress. Working as a high-end adult performer, he lives a life of carefree rebellion, fueled by a deep-seated hatred for the Alphas who see his kind as nothing more than breeding stock. ​Then there is Maksim Sokolov. At 34, Maksim is the CEO of the very tech giant that maintains the compatibility system. He is a Dominant Alpha of such overwhelming power that his presence is a physical weight—a "Molecular Pressure" that makes others tremble, bleed, or faint. He lives in a golden cage of isolation, surrounded by a world that is too "loud" and too fragile to touch him. ​When the national database runs their profiles and returns a 0.0% Compatibility Match, the world calls it a catastrophic biological error. When his fate meets with Kit Holloway The system says they are the most incompatible pair in history. ​The world calls it a Mistake. The Alpha calls it A System Error.....

Zero is a fiery assassin contracted to kill Alex, a billionaire scientist, but on her way, she has a ghastly accident. In a twist of fate, same man she was sent to kill, champions the cause for her survival by paying her hospital bills and bringing her into his home to take care of her. A series of events take place which lead to their getting emotionally close - so close that sparks begin to fly. Question that keeps popping up in zero's mind is who is she and why does she feel this type of way for the man who says he's her boss. You see, Zero has lost her memory, she doesn't remember a thing. That's probably where the problem lies. A whole lot of drama later and she finds out things are not as they seem. Certain people have been yanking her chains. They have to pay!

She didn't disappear because she was in danger. She disappeared because she was done. Veira Ashcroft spent years being brilliant, underestimated, and quietly indispensable to people who never once asked what she wanted. A forensic financial analyst with instincts no one could explain, she had built a careful, sufficient life in Edinburgh, until she found a document with her name in it seventeen times. Not one mention was a question. So she left. What no one told her, what no one knew, was that the entire supernatural world had been running on her. Five ancient bloodlines. One invisible network. And she was the only thing holding it together. Now the wolves are going blind in the dark. A three-hundred-year-old vampire can no longer feel his bloodline across Europe. A probability genius is watching his models dissolve into noise. A woman who moves financial markets with her instincts alone is losing her sense of direction. And the man who has spent eight years secretly arranging her life from the shadows is the one tasked with finding her. They have sixty days before the collapse becomes permanent. She has no interest in being found. Bloodline Zero is a slow-burn paranormal romance told in two timelines — the world unraveling without her, and the story of exactly why she left. Dark secrets, hidden identities, reverse harem tension, and a heroine who doesn't need saving. She needs an apology. Several, actually. Tags: paranormal romance · reverse harem · hidden identity · betrayal · chasing her back · second chance · billionaire · supernatural · strong female lead · slow burn

I was the best surgical hand in the department, and after three flawless operations in a row, I got slapped with an official reprimand and had my entire month's bonus docked. I wasn't having it. I marched straight to the Medical Affairs Office to hash it out with the manager, Gerald Sneed. "I've given this hospital ten years! Name one time I wasn't the first one in when it mattered! Last year, I pulled five surgeries back-to-back and collapsed on my feet by the end of it! What exactly did I do wrong that you're cutting my bonus over?" I was good at what I did, but my life outside the hospital was no easier. Mortgage, car payment, my kid's basketball lessons. I had been counting on that month's bonus to cover it, and now it was gone. I wasn't letting this slide. Since when did a successful surgery count as a mistake? Given my standing at the hospital, Manager Sneed didn't dare go toe-to-toe with me. Instead, he tried to smooth things over. "Dr. Cole, during that surgery you ran at three in the morning two nights ago, you drank two bags of glucose solution off the books, and it ended up billed to the patient. The family found out and accused us of overcharging. It's already blowing up online. Our hands are tied here." That's when it came back to me. That emergency surgery two nights ago had been a mess. It wasn't even supposed to be mine. I had already been on my feet in the OR for thirty-six straight hours, but the deputy director came looking for me and swore no one else could pull it off. So I gritted my teeth and scrubbed in. The surgery went perfectly. And somehow, that was what it got me. I took a breath and changed my tone. "I understand completely. This one's on me. I'll take a month off, go home, and think it over." Manager Sneed, pleased with himself for scoring one against me, approved the leave on the spot. What he didn't expect was that only a week later, the hospital director himself would call, begging me to come back to work.

"Ms. Smith, a complaint has been filed with HR. You have been accused of misusing your personal vehicle for unauthorized commercial activity." The administrative manager dropped a printed copy of the so-called joint complaint onto the desk, a faint, knowing smile on her lips. The company had decided to issue me a fine, placed a formal warning on my record, and revoked my performance bonus for this quarter. I stared at the handwriting on the complaint, then let out a short, incredulous laugh. I recognized it instantly. It was Selena Rogers. The same coworker who had been hitching rides with me to and from work every day for the past three years. It was all because of last night's storm. She had insisted I take a long detour to drive her to the mall so she could pick up her boyfriend, and I had said no. Then, in the break room, Selena's voice carried loud and clear. "Jennifer, I didn't have a choice. "We have to keep work and personal matters separate. The transportation stipend from the company isn't for you to make extra money." Around us, coworkers glanced over, whispering and pointing, as if they had completely forgotten how eager they once were to ask for a ride home. I took a slow breath. "Fine. I accept the company's decision." Then I pulled out my phone and made a call. "Mr. Wallace, I won't be renewing the lease on those two vans. "Yes. The ones that have been picking up and dropping off the admin and sales teams every day, free of charge." For three years, I had been the easygoing one, paying out of my own pocket every month to lease those vehicles so my coworkers could treat it as a perk. If that was now considered unauthorized business activity, then from this day on, everyone could figure out their own way to get to work.