100 Reasons To Stay Alive

I loved Killian Joe for ten years. I married him when he was nothing—fought for him, covered his mistakes, and built his empire beside him. But he repaid me with betrayal: a mistress, a child, and silence when I begged him to choose me. Now he wants me to stay. But I didn’t walk away to be begged. I walked away to win. I’m not the girl who cried behind closed doors anymore. I’m the woman who owns the building. And the man I once loved? He’ll have to watch me become the thing he fears most— Untouchable.

On the day I'm set to give birth, a rogue crashes his car into the convoy that's meant to transport me and Alison Cranwell to the hospital for a prenatal check-up. My water breaks the moment the crash happens. A mixture of blood and amniotic sap soon dyes my seat crimson. At the same time, intense pain flares from my abdomen. My Alpha mate, Caleb Bright, rushes over immediately and hoists the doctor by the collar. "You must protect the she-wolves and their pups!" Warmth floods my heart at that moment. It continues spreading throughout my body until I get wheeled into an operating theater. Since the general anesthesia has yet to fully take effect, I can vaguely make out Marcus Knight, Caleb's Beta, speaking to him in a lowered tone. "The thing is, Alpha Caleb, Luna Selina is suffering from heavy bleeding as well. But we only have one vial of the most effective Lunar Grass essence left. If we don't use it on her, I'm afraid that she and the pup will—" "Alison is pregnant with my dead brother's only pup. She must not be harmed no matter what," Caleb states icily. "Selina is very strong, and her wolf can endure her grievous wounds. As for that pup… well, we'll have another one in the future." But what Caleb doesn't know is that I didn't just lose my pup that night—I've lost the last trace of love I have for him as well.

"Mr. Johnson, we're in the office–" Ethan takes another step towards me, making me step backwards; although we both know it's fruitless. "So what? You may be the Director, but have you forgotten the terms of our contract?” He pulls me flush against himself, my heart racing as I reply, "For the next three months, I will do exactly as you say.” He tugs on my hair to tilt my head back, brushing his lips against the exposed curve of my neck. The sensation is electrifying, melting my initial inhibitions. "Good." In one swift motion, he spins me around; and before I know it, Ethan has cuffed my wrists to the desk, leaving me breathless and utterly at his mercy… "Ethan..." "Let it go, Ashley…" That's all I need to push me over the edge. Both my mind and body are under his spell, and I'm going to let him claim me… *** Ashley Waverly’s world shatters when her parents die suddenly. Determined to save her company at any cost, she seeks help from the most ruthless businessman, Ethan Johnson. The heartless Ethan agrees to help her, but on one condition: she has to sign a contract with him. Ashley saves her company, but the business arrangement turns into a nightmare, as Ethan doesn't miss any chance to break her soul and humiliate her. Ashley endures his cruelty in silence, only to disappear the day her contract expires… not knowing Ethan has started to fall for her. After five years, fate has again rolled its dice and both of them have crossed paths. But this time, Ashley is not alone… she has a cute little four-year-old son. Will they find redemption and a second chance at happiness, or will the scars of the past tear them apart once more? ***

I was a princess of the sea. And the moment I saw the werewolf Alpha, Dominic, I fell. Hard. I wanted to be his mate. To be part of his world. So I sacrificed everything I was to the Moon Goddess. But he locked me in the pack's isolation room for three days. To "think about what I'd done." All because I didn't rush to help his childhood friend, Harper. She took a dive at the pack banquet, and the room erupted in laughter. Harper cried and collapsed into Dominic’s arms. "Marina must be jealous of how good you are to me. She used her outsider magic to make me fall in front of everyone!" As he locked me away, Dominic's eyes were full of disappointment. "I've spoiled you, Marina. And now you're using my love as a weapon against my own people. Three days. When you're ready to submit, you will contact me through the mind link and apologize. Only then will I let you out." But he didn't know the truth. Burning sage soothes a werewolf's spirit. But for a mermaid, it’s poison. The smoke scorched my lungs. The poison flooded my veins. I suffocated in that sealed room. And no one ever knew.

Billionaire Isaac Lloyd viewed his impoverished wife Emily merely as a tool to appease his family's incessant pressure for his marriage. He consistently neglected Emily's feelings, often leaving her alone in their mansion while he would be out all night. It wasn't until Emily had had enough and sought a divorce, moving out, that Isaac realized he had grown accustomed to her company. He regretted his actions deeply, resorting to every possible means to bring Emily back to his side. Despite his efforts with roses, luxurious dates, and jewels, nothing could win back Emily's heart. She had already found her own world where she transformed and grew into a movie star, adored by all of Hollywood. Holding the Oscar’s best actress trophy, Emily said, ‘I would like to thank my ex-husband. Had it not been for his neglect and abandonment during our brief marriage, I would never have had the opportunity to build my acting career.’ Emily's fans exclaimed, ‘Divorce was the best decision Emily ever made!’ The Best Actor winner smiled, ‘I believe no one dares to ignore Emily now!’ Meanwhile, Isaac was hidden in the audience, watching as the spotlight illuminated Emily's path forward. He incessantly searched on his phone: 'How to win back my ex-wife who has become the Best Actress?' 'What to do if my ex-wife doesn't love me anymore?' 'Why didn't I cherish the love of my life when I had the chance?'

When I drink the amber-colored poisonous wine, I can hear the joyful melody of a toast song coming from the manor. The wedding between Emanuela Romano and my ex-fiance, Benedetto Martini, is being held there right now. The elderly butler, Vincenzo Romano, puts away the wine glass with a blank expression. The way he speaks is as somber as one sounds when they give a speech at a funeral. "You know the Don's will very well, Ms. Andreotti. Five years are officially up, yet neither Mr. Andreotti, Mr. Martini, nor Dr. Foscari is willing to pledge their loyalty to you via the blood vow. According to the rules, you must take your own life within seven days. "The Don had left the Ashwine to you as a means of protecting… what little pride you have." Scorching pain begins spreading from my throat. I just smile at Vincenzo in return. Pride? Does a bastard spawn of a loose Iernian woman deserve to retain pride of any sort in the cruel Andreotti family? I begin making my way toward the banquet hall, which is brightly lit. As I walk past the shimmering waters of the pond in the family garden, I can tell that the waters are insanely cold. Then again, nothing is as cold as my icy heart right now. After taking a deep breath, I fall face-first into the pond… only to feel an iron-clad grip wrenching me backward. As such, I collapse onto the lawn heavily. My older brother, Alessandro Andreotti, has bits of grass covering his expensive suit. Disgust is written all over his handsome face. "Eva!" he grits out through his teeth, his voice lowered. "Must you spoil the mood on Emanuela's big day?" He then scoots closer to me, his alcohol-tinged breath fanning over my face. "You want to die, huh? Go ahead and do that, but can you die somewhere further? Don't stain the Andreotti land!" Alessandro turns to walk in the direction of the radiant lights, leaving me on the lawn, completely covered in mud. I can feel the countdown of my lifespan burning my insides. Seven days… I only have seven days to live. Meanwhile, my very own brother wants me to die somewhere further away.

There is a place where names are forgotten, faces are hidden, and only the body speaks. It doesn’t whisper. It moans. It obeys. It disobeys. It begs. You were warned not to touch. But you will. Welcome to Velvet Heat, a collection of 100 dangerously intimate stories that whisper in the dark and bite when you’re not looking. These are not tales of sweet love and gentle kisses. These are fantasies that unravel you..slowly, slickly, and without apology. Behind every silk sheet is a secret. Beneath every command, a dare. And under every moan, a threat. From faceless strangers in candlelit rooms to monsters who taste like sin, this is a world where desire bleeds, power shifts, and no one escapes untouched. Some stories will make you beg. Some will make you scream. And some… will make you wish you never opened the book. Velvet Heat is where you come to lose yourself. But you’ll never leave the same. Only sinners. No safe words. Only consequences. And no promises of love..just obsession, power, hunger… and release.

What would you do when you have no choice but to marry an possessive boss in other to save your only family member? Ava Addams is a young cheerful girl who was betrayed by her fiancé and best friend. Her younger brother was hospitalised on the same day her fiancé and best friend betrayed her, how painful and depressing can that be? but she was offered a position as the contract wife of the CEO of the leading company in country F and beyond. Derrick Anders is every woman's dream man as a husband but not to Ava. He is just a arrogant man to her. Do you think Ava will accept his offer? ******* "Come closer" Derrick said. "I....I can't because I don't know what you would do to me" Ava said stepping back. She was scared. Derrick became impatient but tried to control himself. "Stupid girl! After making me all riled up and now she is trying to run away... He would never allow her to escape!" Derrick thought. He was continuously staring at her. Ava became conscious of the way Derrick was staring at her. It was as if he could see through her. Sighs... Derrick sighs and raised his left hand to gesture for her to go close to him. "Be good and come to daddy" Derrick said smiled slyly while approaching Ava.... Read this amazing romance story to find out!

After the death of her mother, Autumn Jones finally gets her life together the only thing bothering her is a persistent man who wants to buy her building at all costs but she refuses every time. How could she ever sell the last thing she inherited from her mother? She enters a yoga class where she meets Summer whom she befriends immediately not knowing she is her ex"s sister. One day as Summer visits Autumn's coffee shop her brother Domenic shows up, but he doesn't come for his sister. He is behind the man who was trying to buy the building not knowing Autumn was the owner. When his eyes land on Autumn he can't believe that the woman in front of him is the same girl whose virginity he took years ago before going to college. The girl he humiliated just to win a bet not knowing the damage he was causing. She haunted his dreams for years and now was standing in front of him. Autumn didn't waste a second, she threw him out. The shock of seeing him revived all the memories she tried so hard to bury. It takes Domenic a lot of tries and a lot of patience in order to break through Autumn's defenses and earn her trust again, as well as it takes some time for Autumn to understand Domenic's fears. The things get more complicated with the arrival of Alice, a woman whose sole interest in life is to marry Domenic and enter the Davis Jones family. She will stop at nothing to separate Autumn and Domenic, but will she succeed, or will love and trust prevail?

After the evening study session, I was just about to return to the dorm when my first boyfriend, the school's valedictorian and undisputed top student, suddenly tore across the courtyard toward me. Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and, in full view of a crowd of stunned students, dragged me into a frantic run toward the front gates. I exclaimed, "Julian, have you lost your mind? Graduation's six months away. Are you really trying to run off with me now?" I struggled the whole way, twisting and pulling against him, but his grip never loosened. "Autumn, don't ask any questions. Just come with me. Hurry!" he said, his voice trembling with panic. We fled the school, jumped into a taxi in the middle of the night, and rushed to another city, where we checked into a rundown budget motel. Arms folded and brow furrowed, I glared at him. "So you hauled me out of school like a lunatic just to hole up in a cheap motel?" His cheeks turned bright red. He flailed his hands in frantic denial, then thrust a phone into my hands. I barely had time to unlock the phone and start dialing my parents before a breaking news alert flashed across the screen. My eyes locked on the screen, and I went rigid with shock. The headline reported, 'Mass Death at Blackwood High: All 5,000 students and faculty found dead last night after experiencing catastrophic bleeding. Only two students who skipped the study session survived.' I looked up at Julian in horror. He was staring at the screen too, his face white as paper, cold sweat running down his forehead. "You knew, didn't you?" I asked. "What the hell is going on?"