100 Essential Books - Scratch Off Bucket List

My husband's first love jumped to her death due to depression and landed right on me as I was passing by. I was rendered unconscious on the spot and subsequently rushed to the ICU. However, my orthopedic surgeon husband stayed by his first love's side to comfort her over her minor scratches. He even refused to sign my Critical Care Notification. "Whoever joined her charade can get lost along with her! Come to me when she's really dead!" he said. It wasn't until he received a death certificate that he realized in horror—the deceased's information was identical to mine.

As I stepped out of my older brother's newly opened supermarket, the alarm suddenly rang. The sales assistant grimly reached out and grabbed me, "Miss, you haven't paid yet." I remembered that my buttons were made of metal, which triggered the alarm. After patiently explaining and easing the atmosphere, I said, "The owner of this supermarket is my older brother. He'll pay the bill." The sales assistant scoffed. "Your brother's the boss? Why not say he's your husband instead? You stole and refused to admit it. Pay up or I'll call the police immediately," she said and crumpled the receipt into a ball before throwing it at my face. I endured the humiliation and unfolded it. A baby pacifier for 100,000 dollars. Two packs of baby wet wipes for 200,000 dollars. Security personnel's hush fee, 300,000 dollars. All of the miscellaneous expenses added up to exactly one million dollars. I laughed in anger. "One million dollars? Why don't you just rob a bank? Go and get Chad Surrey. I want to see how I ended up with such a heartless brother." She rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend if you can't afford it, thief. Is Mr. Surrey someone you can see whenever you want?" When my parents came to help me, I said, "Only one of us exists in this family. It's either me or her."

When Edna Crossby ditches the marriage registration for the fifth time, I block her contact number and social media accounts on the spot. If she's in any of the social gatherings, I turn down the invitations right away. I'd rather take the long route than walk past the cafe Edna frequents. If she attends a team-building session, I take the day off without hesitation. Even when Edna shows up on my doorstep with gifts in hand on Christmas Eve, I pretend that I'm not home at all. I don't answer any calls from her. I don't respond to texts she sends me. Just like that, I completely fade away from Edna's world. In the past, Edna used to be the focus of my life. My emotions fluctuated all the time because of her. When Edna flakes out on me for the fifth time, I finally snap out of my lovesick stupor. I don't want to live life like this anymore. Rather than getting abandoned time and again, I might as well live my life on my own happily.

On the day I go to the car dealership to pick up my car, I'm told that the previous salesperson has resigned, so a different salesperson will attend to me. Yet the first thing the salesperson does is say that I paid too little for the car and demand that I pay more to make up the difference. "The other salesperson is truly an idiot. How could he sell a car for 300 thousand dollars in cash? It's no wonder he got chewed out and quit. If you want to take the car, you'll have to switch to a five-year loan with an interest rate of 12%." I'm rendered speechless as he blatantly tries to extort me. "I've already paid and signed the sales contract. You're breaching the contract!" The salesperson scoffs. "So what? The car is with us anyway. If you're not going to pay the difference, don't even think of taking the car with you!" I can't help but chuckle. I calmly pull my phone out of my suit pocket. "Walter, place Mr. Paul Roland's loan application on hold for now. He's earning big bucks for his business. It seems like he doesn't need it anymore."

🪷"Fuck... Klaus." Adrianna moaned, a shudder running through her entire body as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth.🪷 ༺༺♡♡༻༻ One moment of weakness was all it took to cross a line they were never meant to cross. Klaus Brennan is the school’s hockey captain—confident, untouchable, and infamous for never getting attached. Adriana Coleman is his sister’s best friend… the one girl who should have been completely off-limits. But some temptations don’t stay buried. What begins as a reckless dare turns into late-night encounters filled with stolen touches, lingering glances, and a chemistry neither of them can ignore. Around others, they act like nothing has changed—but behind closed doors, every moment pulls them deeper into something dangerously real. Klaus has always been in control. Until her. And Adriana has always followed the rules. Until him. Now they’re trapped between desire and consequences, secrecy and loyalty, knowing that if their relationship is exposed, it won’t just break hearts—it could destroy everything they’ve built. Because loving Klaus Brennan was never supposed to be an option… but letting him go might be impossible. And some secrets aren’t meant to stay hidden forever.

It's my first time celebrating the holidays with my biological parents after I get reunited with them. The fake heiress, Stella Knight, suggests that we spend the holidays on an overseas vacation. But as soon as we arrive in the foreign country, Stella burns my passport while my parents are away getting a massage. Before I can even fight back, I find myself getting pushed into a scamming den. With a twisted smile on Stella's face, she spits out, "Trash like you don't even deserve to fight with me!" As I gaze at the people who are approaching me, I suddenly find them familiar-looking. I found the emblem of my adoptive parents' company. I've spent the last 20 years being pampered by my adoptive parents before I finally made up my mind to reunite with my biological parents in order to fulfill my wish. I never expect to be sent right back into my adoptive parents' territory.

Mom and I board a flight to Fangoria to visit Alicia Carter, my wife. She's a special forces soldier who's here on a peacekeeping mission in this foreign country. But the moment we walk out of the airport, we're ambushed by a group of kidnappers. One of them holds a gun to Mom's head and says, "If you don't give us the ransom in three days, we'll blow her head off!" In a panic, I make a video call to Alicia, my hands shaking as I beg her to help me. "Calm down, honey. I'll put in a request to lead a rescue mission. We'll save her within 24 hours!" But the next day, I keep failing to get in touch with Alicia. After I blow up her phone with multiple calls, one finally connects. Amid her rushed panting, she tells me, "Sorry, honey. I just got assigned to an urgent escort mission. You guys just hang in there. I've arranged for the local authorities to—" Her voice is abruptly cut off by a familiar male voice. "Alicia! Thank goodness you came over just to pick me up. I didn't have to spend 100 dollars on a cab after all! That cab driver didn't even have a license, and I can't believe he tried to ask for more money…" The three-day deadline passes, and the kidnappers keep their word, letting me hear the gunshot myself. As I clutch Mom's cold, dead body, Alicia calls me out of nowhere. "Hey, honey. I just completed the escort mission. How are things on your end? Have the kidnappers released her?" I look down at Mom. Her eyes will never open again. I gently wipe the blood off her face as I reply to Alicia in an eerily calm voice, "Yeah. They have."

⚠️🌶️WARNING!: Rule #1: Don’t fall for your fake boyfriend. Rule #2: Especially when he’s sworn to destroy you.🌶️⚠️ I ruined Zane Ashford’s career with four seconds of footage and a source I trusted too fast. I’m his redemption arc, his PR save, his fake girlfriend for a reality show that could restore everything I took from him. The deal was six weeks of convincing performances. No feelings. No complications. That was the plan. But the reality? His hands on my throat while he kisses me breathless. His body pinning mine against walls when no one’s looking. His whispered confessions in the dark that sound nothing like hate. “It’s all part of the act.”Then why are you shaking?”“So are you.” We were supposed to be acting. But somewhere between the fake kisses and the real one, between the person he pretends to be and the one I keep finding in the dark—I stopped remembering which one is the lie. He still hadn’t forgiven me. And I’m not still sure I deserve it. But hatred never tasted this good.

He shouldn’t have imagined her lying naked on his bed. She shouldn’t have imagined his devilishly handsome face between her legs. But it was too late. Kiara began noticing Ethan's washboard abs when he hopped out of the pool, dripping wet after swim practice. Ethan began gazing at Kiara’s golden skin in a bikini as a grown woman instead of the girl next door he grew up with. That kiss should have never happened. It was just one moment in a lifetime of moments, but they both felt its power. They knew the thrumming in their veins and desperation in their bodies might give them all they ever wanted or ruin everything if they followed it. Kiara and Ethan knew they should have never kissed. But it's too late to take that choice back, so they have a new one to make. Fall for each other and risk their friendship or try to forget one little kiss that might change everything. PREVIEW: “If you don’t want to kiss me then... let’s swim.” “Yeah, sure.” “Naked.” “What?” “I always wanted to try skinny dipping. And I really want to get out of these clothes.” “What if someone catches you... me, both?” “We will be in the pool, Ethan. And no one can see us from the living room.” I smirked when I said, “Unless you want to watch me while I swim, you can stay here.” His eyes darkened, and he looked away, probably thinking the same when I noticed red blush creeping up his neck and making his ears and cheeks flush. Cute. “Come on, Ethan. Don’t be a chicken...” “Fine.” His voice was rough when he said, “Remove that sweater first.”

“My eyes flashed open as the chilly air passed through my whole body but it wasn't the cold that woke me up. Grayham was lying next to me and his warm body caressed mine when he turned to me, his eyes shut. His warm breath flushed all over my face. I shut my eyes and imagined the comfort his body would bring to me. Then his legs curled up around mine and an electric shock shot up to my brain. The bulge in my trousers doubled in size. Through the dark, I led my hand into my trousers and when I clasped my dick, it was erect, swollen, and heavy. What if he was touching me? What if my cock was buried into his mouth or what if his hands were the ones doing the stroking? Fuck! I stroked harder as I imagined myself shoving my huge dick down his throat. I spewed on the floor and turned to the bed face down while panting heavily. Then, the warning bells in my head rang! Did I just cum while thinking about my mortal enemy?” *** Miles Kaden lives quietly, fiercely protective of the old building his father once tended. He’s stubborn, grounded, and bound to a place full of history—and secrets. Grayham Wilson is sharp, cold, and disgustingly rich. He builds empires by tearing others down. And now he wants that old building. They were never meant to meet. But one impulsive act changes everything. They wake up in each other’s bodies. What starts as a battle of wills quickly turns into something far more tangled. Because the longer they live each other’s lives, the more blurred the lines become. Two men. One curse. A hundred days to survive it—or risk losing not just their lives, but themselves.