4th July Joke

I return to my hometown after becoming the wealthiest person in the world. I stand beside a luxury car I bought for my father and call him—I want him to be surprised when he picks me up. However, this backfires on me. I joke with him and tell him my company has gone bankrupt. My debtors are coming after me, so I'm home to flee from them. I end up standing under the sweltering sun until the sky goes dark and it starts to pour—my father never shows up to see his gift. I brave the rain as I head home. Before I even enter the house, I can sense my sister-in-law's panic. "Listen to me—don't tell that jinx that Dad has just won a million dollars!" My mother says, "I knew having a daughter was a bad decision. It's bad enough that she doesn't have money for us—why is she coming home when she's in trouble? She should just die out there!" My father sneers. "Well, we can sell her off to that cripple in the village. Maybe she'll fetch a good price!"

The whole wolf pack knew I was Alpha Nick’s fated mate—chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. But the second I stepped into Brown Pack territory with my suitcase in hand— His mother, Mrs. Johnson, ordered the maids to spray me with wolfsbane. His cousin, Enna, "accidentally" put me in *his* bedroom. And his childhood sweetheart, Rina, slapped a ten-million-dollar check in my face, demanding I publicly renounce this "joke of a mating bond." Even Alpha Nick himself—the ruthless legend of the pack—spent the first night wrapped around me like a damn octopus, only to kick me out coldly the next morning: *"Get out. Don’t come back to my room again."* When I was framed for theft, forced to work overtime till midnight, or locked inside a pitch-black office mid-panic attack… My *"fiancé"* was too busy grinding on Rina at some high-society ball. Then the truth about me dropped— Brown Pack’s elders dropped to their knees, trembling. Rina ripped her knockoff Luara gown in rage. And Alpha Nick, eyes bloodshot, pinned me against the wall: *"Wendy… you played me."* I smirked, peeling his fingers off me. *"Sorry, Alpha. The three-month contract’s up."* *"Now… call me by my real title—heir of White Moon Pack."*

I'm the only heir to the wealthiest conglomerate in the world. My father, Tyrone Ferguson, is extremely powerful and has forces from both the underworld and the legal world eating out of his palm. But I witness my girlfriend, Vivian Vega, giving a "Voluntary Transfer of Body Ownership" contract to my arch nemesis, Richard Larkin, at our engagement ceremony. "Don't be mad at us, Isaac." Vivian shows me the contract, her tone still light and casual. "I love you, so I'll reserve my most treasured virginity for you. I will always be your wife, but I want to give the ownership of my body to Richard." "The hell are you on about?" With a deep frown on my face, I attempt to pull Vivian away from Richard, only to get pushed away by the latter. Vivian quickly moves to stand in front of Richard, her brows tangled into a frown. "Stop being so narrow-minded, Isaac! I'm free to give anyone my body!" She then stands on her tiptoes to kiss Richard right in front of me. At that moment, I become the biggest joke in elite society. Before the mass media begins spreading the news, I send out a text message calmly. "There's no need to help cover up for the Vega family's shady businesses anymore."

BURB: Nathan Reed was born with a physical disability, he has a weak leg from birth and a seizure which leads to nose bleeding and he litterrily grew up in poverty. Quiet and introverted, he was a social outcast in high school, eventually becoming the primary target of a bullying clique. While Noah Grayson was the leader of that clique—the polar opposite of Nathan. He's Born into an elite family, he was a tall, athletic playboy who never knew the meaning of struggle. Traumatized by the abuse from the Noah group, the Nathan was forced to drop out. He spent years working grueling jobs—repairman, delivery driver, construction worker—until he finally landed a position at his current company. Starting from the very bottom, his diligence and competence eventually led him to the position of department manager. Just as he thinks his life is finally on track, his nightmare—Noah reappears. Despite Nathan professional success, he still feels like an ant in the face of the Noah's immense power and status. Mustering his courage to confront him, Nathan was shocked when Noah claims he has come to apologize for his past sins. Asking him to give him a chance to purse him. Is this a sincere confession or a cruel joke? Is the Noah truly repentant, or is there a hidden scheme at play? How will Nathan choose this time?

On Valentine's Day, I wait for my wife, Nancy Curtis, to get off work after preparing a candlelit dinner for our date. But she only texts me at 9:00 pm. "I have something going on at the company. There's no need to wait for me." Soon, I see a Facebook post made by Nancy's secretary, Derek Jones. "I'm on a business trip with my female boss on Valentine's Day. The thing is, the hotel's fully booked. Oops, this is getting awkward…" The photo in the post features a feminine silhouette standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window while draped in a bathrobe. Everyone in the comment section compliments Derek for being lucky, seeing as the boss of his has a smoking hot figure and is extremely charming. Derek merely replies with a cheeky emoji. So, it turns out that Nancy's "business" is having fun with her own secretary, eh? I take a screenshot of Derek's post before uploading it to my own social media feed. I even include a smiley as a caption. Immediately, Nancy calls me on the phone and starts berating me. "Derek was just cracking a joke! Why are you being so petty, huh? And here I thought you were mature!" I end the call immediately before texting her, "Let's get a divorce."

At Evermont High, Aria Valdez is the girl no one notices—the quiet shadow in crowded hallways, the name no one bothers to remember. But everyone knows Zachary Knight. Feared, admired, and impossible to ignore, Zachary rules the school with reckless charm and a cruel reputation. A notorious heartbreaker and relentless bully, he thrives on power and attention. So when he sets his eyes on Aria, it starts as nothing more than a game. A cruel bet. A harmless target. A girl too invisible to fight back. But fate has a twisted sense of humor. The more Zachary tries to break her, the more he finds himself drawn to her quiet strength. The girl he planned to humiliate becomes the one person who sees through his arrogance… and reaches the fragile heart he never lets anyone touch. What begins as a joke slowly turns into something dangerously real. Love. But just when Aria finally lets herself believe in their impossible story, the truth shatters everything. Zachary's time is running out. And the boy she fell in love with only has 100 days left to live. One hundred days to laugh. One hundred days to love. One hundred days before goodbye. In a race against time and fate, they must face the most heartbreaking question of all— Can a love that started as a lie survive when time itself is the enemy?

Katherine Dalton was once the pride of the Blackwood Pack. As the Beta’s daughter, she thought she had everything, a happy family and a bright future—to be Alpha Harrison’s Luna. She loved Harrison deeply for five years. But fate had other plans. Her best friend was claimed by Alpha Harrison as his fated mate, only to die shortly after, and Katherine became the prime suspect. Faced with the Beta rank and her brother’s future, her parents abandoned her. Alpha Harrsion threw her into prison, despite her countless repeated that she never killed Elisa. In prison, she endured endless torment and lost her connection with her wolf. She never thought she would be freed again by a stranger. But Harrison hasn’t done with her. He forbade any pack from taking her in, unless she became a slave or a whore. Katherine vowed she would never forgive him. Until the Moon Goddess played a cruel joke, binding them together as second chance mates. As the secrets behind the murder begin to unravel, Harrison regrets and refuses to let her go again. But is it already too late? And Harrison’s rebellious half-brother turned to be the very man who freed Katherine from the jail. Now we have a broken woman, two unwilling Alphas, and two mate bonds.

Before my wedding, my vision which I lost after saving Bruce unexpectedly returned. Overjoyed, I hurried to share the wonderful news with him, but as I stepped into the living room, I froze. Bruce and my cousin, Kerry, were in a passionate embrace. "Bruce, the baby is perfectly healthy now. The doctor said we can sleep together again! Why don't we do it right here in the living room? Also, isn't it thrilling to do it here while Nancy is asleep in her room?" "Shut up! Don't joke about my wife like that!" Bruce snapped at her, but his reprimand was accompanied by a kiss. I stood there, watching in shock as their movements grew more intense and their breathing became heavier. Only then did I piece it all together. Their sudden shared enthusiasm for indoor workouts six months ago wasn't about fitness at all. Covering my mouth to stifle a sob, I turned back to my room and shut the door. I decided then and there: Bruce didn't need to know I had recovered. Reaching for my phone, I dialed my mother. "Mom, I'm not marrying Bruce anymore. I'll marry the comatose heir of the Blakes instead. I don't need Bruce in my life."

At our college graduation, my fiance suddenly proposed to Lillie Stewart, my best friend, in front of everyone. I became a joke in front of everyone. Right after Lillie accepted my fiance’s proposal, Lloyd Becker, heir to the biggest mafia family on the West Coast, publicly said he loved me. Lloyd was known in the mafia world for being serious and never getting involved with women. So, when he showed an interest in an orphan like me, it made the news. We got married, and for five years, he was so sweet and treated me like a princess. But one day, I accidentally overheard him talking to his friend. “Lillie is already set to become the future lady of the Gacira family. Are you really going to keep the act up with Nelly?” “If I can’t have Lillie, it doesn’t matter who I marry. As long as I’m with Nelly, Lillie can live peacefully.” He even gave Lillie the symbol of the Becker family’s lady. He helped Lillie build her career while letting me fade into the background. After five years of marriage, I finally understood. On our fifth anniversary, I pretended to die in a shooting so he could be with the woman he truly loved. But instead of being happy, Lloyd completely broke down.

“I, Julius Armstrong, reject Doris Charles as my mate.” The laughter came right after. This was the second time my mate rejected me because I cannot talk. In the pack, they call me dumb not because I am stupid, but because I am mute. When I turned eighteen, my first mate rejected me for that reason. Today, it was the Gamma. He is twenty-one, the same age as the Alpha and Beta. This was his third rejection. The first girl was too fat, the second was too short and now, I was dumb. I never wanted to attend the mating ceremony. I knew how it would end, but my stepmother forced me to go, and my stepsisters came just to watch me get mocked again. The next day, wolves who had found their mates returned to officially claim them before the Alpha and pack leaders. I went only because I was forced, just to stand there and watch my stepsister get chosen. Then something happened that no one expected. The Alpha claimed me as his mate in front of everyone. Was I shocked? Yes. Did I believe him? No. Did I think it was a cruel joke? Absolutely. Because no Alpha would choose a rejected, mute girl like me.