50 Shades Darker

Delilah couldn't remember the last time she has ever returned to any place as her home or ever belonged to. Being trapped in a basement where nothing but darkness was her sole companion. For five years she had lived in that basement under the eyes of the lustful human scavengers. Until one fateful night, she managed to escape. But where would she go now? She had no one and nowhere to go. Escaping wasn't easy but preventing getting caught was the real challenge. How long would she be able to protect herself? Damien was everyone's nightmare with those deep charcoal eyes and even darker hair. However, despite the darkness, he was that angel for her she always hoped to find. But will the darkness ever let her see the brightest of days she has ever seen before?

My boyfriend thought I was too fat at 121 pounds. I signed up for a gym and started working out like crazy, but the more I tried to lose weight, the more I gained. Meanwhile, my best friend, Chloe Woods, was doing late-night eating streams every single day, stuffing herself with steaks, seafood, and greasy takeout. Not only did she not gain weight, she dropped from 154 pounds to 143. When my boyfriend started tearing into me even worse than before, I suddenly heard the tabby cat’s voice in my head. “You idiot. Chloe’s got you trapped in a weight-swap system. “No matter how hard you try to lose weight, she’s the one getting thinner. Every pound you lose is a pound she drops. She’s trying to ruin you.” I froze and turned to look at my best friend, Chloe. She was staring at my boyfriend without even trying to hide it, her eyes full of admiration. Then the tabby’s voice exploded in my ears again. “Chloe is obsessed with that trashy loser. Once she gets skinny, the two of them will hook up. Then they'll team up to get you killed and spend your settlement money living a happy life.” The moment I learned the truth, I smiled. Since my so-called best friend wanted to be skinny that badly, if I made her whole body weigh less than 50 pounds, she’d probably be very grateful to me, right?

Isla Anderson thought her life couldn’t get any worse. Between juggling two jobs and caring for her alcoholic father, she's stuck in a cycle of despair. But when Dante Moretti, the most dangerous mafia boss in the city, shows up at her doorstep to collect a debt from her father, her life takes a darker turn. Instead of payment, Dante demands Isla as collateral. Bound by an impossible bargain, Isla enters Dante's world—a world where trust is shattered, enemies lurk in every shadow, and passion is as dangerous as betrayal. As Isla escapes the only life she has known, she must decide whether Dante is her savior or the architect of her downfall. Will she risk everything to escape him, or will he chase her back into his arms?

Twelve years ago, Detective Myra Black lost her brother to a murder the police never solved. Now, she wears the badge — not for justice, but for vengeance. When a high-profile case lands her face-to-face with Raffaele Moretti, a cold, calculating Mafia boss with secrets buried deeper than graves, everything she's built starts to unravel. He’s dangerous, untouchable, and frustratingly calm... and worst of all, he might be the key to her brother’s death. But the more Myra digs, the more the truth turns to smoke. And the more Raffaele protects her — with his dark past and darker loyalty — the more she questions whether she’s hunting a killer… or falling for one. In a city where truth is currency and lies are survival, can a woman sworn to the law trust the heart of a man who lives in the shadows?

---> if you are interested in my work, please check out my novel The Starving Vulture. Available on Amazon, $3.99 for the Ebook and $14.95 for the Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Starving-Vulture-Miguel-Monta%C3%B1a/dp/1951150899<---------The Pacific Capital. A product of an altered world, the legacy of the dead Philippine nation. A congested megacity holding 50 million people all huddled in what was once Metro Manila. It is the center for Pacific Maritime Trade, the world's largest Tax Haven and one of the few places in the world free from the Draconian but necessary environmental laws that saved the world since Cometfall. Ruled by Megacorporations, Corrupt Politicians, Invested Nobility and Criminals. It is one of the world's most important agricultural and pharmaceutical centers. H-6 is an Arbiter of the Court. As Judge Jury and Executioner, they maintain the essential Power Plant Canals and Massive weather controlled Dome Districts. Two elements that even the all powerful Megacorps need maximize their profits. Making Arbiter's Court the true rulers of the city. But even an all powerful Arbiter of the Court like H-6 knows, that Ambition and Greed will always find ways to ignore the rule of Law. Solus Valentine is a Security Consultant, plying her trade to anyone in need. She is a gun for hire who has the street smarts for the city's underworld. Whether in the gilded halls or the most flooded streets, she's ready for your contract. But while completing a contract, she stumbles into a vast conspiracy that just might threaten the city's fragile power balance, if not the world. She just might need an Arbiter's help for this one. One who might be someone from her past.

Cleo Benson’s world is shattered in an instant when she loses her entire family in a tragic accident. But as the grief takes hold, a darker reality emerges. Cleo is thrust into a deadly underworld as collateral for a debt she never knew existed. Enzo Russo, a cold and calculating mafia kingpin, offers her a twisted deal: 12 months as his bride, and then her freedom. Determined to survive and seek revenge against those who betrayed her, Cleo plays along with Russo’s dangerous game. But as she navigates this ruthless world, she finds herself drawn into a deeper conflict; one that pits her need for vengeance against the unexpected pull of her own heart. Will Cleo reclaim her life, or will she be swept away by the dangerous allure of the man who holds her fate in his hands?

Rowan Crestfall always thought she was just a normal girl—quiet, ordinary, and invisible in a world of magic. But everything changes the day fire bursts from her hands in gym class, setting Arcadia Academy into chaos and uncovering a truth no one saw coming. Kai Stormrider, heir to the fire dragons and cursed by a deadly legacy, sees what she is before anyone else: the Dragonheart—born once in a thousand years, with the power to either awaken or destroy dragonkind. But Rowan’s fire is wild and unpredictable, tied to a history even older and darker than the prophecy. As her power grows, enemies close in, secrets unravel, and the one person she might need to trust… is the dragon prince destined to burn with her. In a world where fire decides fate, can they survive the bond fate has written for them? Or will their hearts be what burns everything down?

Kiara Crossman spent her life believing she was a mistake — a half-breed hidden among humans, orphaned by tragedy, and fated to stay in the shadows. But when her grandmother reveals the truth about her parents’ deaths, Kiara returns to the kingdom of Narcolantis not as a girl — but as a storm waiting to strike. Working undercover in the Alpha’s palace, Kiara only wants answers. What she finds instead is Ryden Fall — the cold, commanding Alpha whose touch she loathes… and craves. As secrets rise and her own power awakens, Kiara must embrace the beast within her — the one the world thought extinct. But the truth is darker than she imagined. Her fated mate is the man who used her. Her enemies wear crowns. And the blood in her veins is the key to a war that never ended.

She was supposed to be a bride… until she found her groom in bed with her best friend. Humiliated and heartbroken, Ariana De Leon vanishes on the night before her wedding—only to land in the path of Ethan Navarro, a cold-hearted billionaire with a dangerous past. He offers her a way out: Marry him instead. In exchange, he promises her everything she’s ever been denied—power, protection, and the perfect revenge. But Ethan doesn’t believe in love. His intentions are darker than he lets on. And Ariana soon discovers that running from one betrayal may have led her into a deadlier trap. A marriage built on secrets. A contract soaked in lies. And a tension they can’t deny. Can two broken souls survive the war between them… or will this deal destroy them both?

When I go home for the holidays, I find out that my dad has installed a facial recognition machine at the front door. "You'll have to pay an entry fee of 50 thousand dollars. Will you be paying by card or payment code?" I thought my dad was joking at first. As I laugh, I attempt to walk through the front door while pushing my luggage forward. But my mom passes me a price list with an icy look. "That'll be 200 dollars for dragging stuff across the floor. You'll also be charged 1,000 dollars per hour for using up the air." I'm stunned by her words. "Mom, stop messing around already!" But when I walk into the house, I realize that the air inside has disappeared. Unable to breathe, my face soon turns bright red out of suffocation as I kneel down on the floor. My mom huffs coldly again. "If you want to live, then pay up!" With great difficulty, I dig out my phone and pay the fees. Once the transaction is done, I can feel air rushing through my nostrils and into my lungs. For a few moments, I pant heavily. As I stare at my cold-looking parents, I finally feel that something is off. So, I scramble up to my feet and rush for the door. But that's when I find out that the front door is already welded shut. There's a payment code pasted on the door as well as a message. "Exit fee. One million dollars."