A Dish Served Cold

On our engagement day, my fiancee, Lucille Perry, had her childhood best friend, Derek Miller, show up with a box of handmade cookies as a gift. Out of basic courtesy, I picked one up and took a bite. Derek and a few of his buddies burst out laughing. "This mama's boy can't even recognize his own mother's ashes!" My stomach churned violently. Shocked and furious, I lunged at him to throw a punch, but Lucille desperately held me back. Derek looked at me smugly and grinned. "Since you already ate it, why don't you tell everyone how your mom tastes?" I was so angry that I kicked him right in the face. However, Lucille turned around and slapped me hard across the cheek. "Spencer Bourdain, is this really necessary? Can't you take a joke? Eating a little bit of ashes won't kill you. Look at how petty you're being!" My heart went completely numb. I quietly pulled out my phone and sent a message to a certain number. [The wedding reception is ready. All we need now is you, the bride-to-be.]

At Sullivan Group's annual banquet, a female university student approaches Peter Sullivan and offers herself to him. The usually cold and distant Peter suddenly freezes because this young woman looks exactly like his deceased first love. He can't help but tease, "You're asking to be my mistress in front of my wife. Are you so sure you won't be thrown out?" The young lady lifts her chin, and her stubborn expression is identical to that of his lost love. "You two got married for business reasons and mutual benefits. Does she have any say over what you do? Peter, only you can save my mom. Will you do it or not?" She's right. I'm just a pawn in a marriage of convenience. How could I possibly influence Peter's choices? But then, I catch a glint of tenderness in his eyes that I've never seen before, and a self-deprecating smile forms on my lips. Maybe, instead of clinging on and being thrown out like trash, it's better if I give up my place willingly.

Rhonda Vons is a brilliant tech mastermind who had spent years hiding in the shadows, quietly building her Alpha husband’s tech company. She returns home on their anniversary to surprise her Alpha husband with the truth behind his company’s success, only to find him raw-dogging their son’s nanny on his office desk. She was shattered, but what broke her the most was discovering that her precious pup she almost lost her life for chose his nanny over her. For six years, she had been the perfect wife and Luna to Theodore. But not anymore. She intended to ruin him and then vanish afterward. When Theodore finally realized who she really was and how much of a failure him and his company was without her, he came crawling, begging for her forgiveness. But it was too late. She was now the tech director at a rival company owned by her childhood sweetheart, and old flames may just be burning hotter than ever!

"I have to say I quite like the sound of my name on your lips," he bent over until they were face to face. He smiled at her as if to let that piece of crucial information sink in. Anelia's breath caught at his close proximity. "Come now, breathe Anelia. I have hardly started," butterflies and even more butterflies erupted in her stomach. Anelia Telford only cared about three things in her life; taking care of her sister, doing her job and staying off the radar. Being a loving and hardworking person she had no trouble keeping the former two in check. The latter? Well, that didn't exactly work out considering she ended up encountering a man whose comings and goings alone were a mystery at La Vida; the hotel she worked at. As if being manipulated by a whirlwind, her life gets entangled with Dexter Black's, a man she would have only used the words arrogant, annoying and sly to describe. But what happens when two people from two different tracks of life suddenly develop feelings beneath the dislike they have for each other? Will Anelia be able to handle the complications, manipulations and pain that come with loving a wealthy man such as Dexter. Find out in this heartwarming story where true love wins! *Unedited*

Evonne Shannon was a poor student mother sponsored. She was also the crush I had been courting for a long time. Wanting to allow her to shine, I gave up my place in the piano competition for her. However, she glared at me with disdain for deciding this on my own. She then instantly turned around and handed the registration form to her boyfriend, Angelo Zambrano, and said, "Ange, only you deserve this competition." Evonne liked sports cars, so I begged my mother to buy her a limited-edition McLaren supercar. But in return, Evonne mocked me and called me shallow. "Don't think I'll accept you just because I'm accepting the car, Chase Shannon. You've never understood me." With my help, Evonne got to put on a facade of a mysterious billionaire's daughter. But the moment she got money from me, she turned around and went on a romantic getaway with Angelo. I thought of Evonne as my everything and even asked my mother to arrange for her to join the family company. Within half a year, she was promoted to a core team member. She then conspired with Angelo to drain the company dry and even forced me to my death. "What else can you do besides insult me with money and a materialistic lifestyle, Chase? You're the most disgusting obstacle on my path to success. Only when you're dead can I marry Ange," she declared. I was heartbroken when I heard this, and that was when Evonne pushed me off the sidewalk and into traffic. Immediately after that incident, I was reincarnated to the day I bought Evonne a piano. She was glaring at me with disdain. "If you don't want to buy it, just say so. There's no need to humiliate me like this." I let out a dismissive scoff. "Am I the one who's humiliating you, or are you the shameless one? You beg for food but complain that it's cold. You're worse than those stray dogs on the streets. At least they show gratitude after getting scraps."

"Shit!" I hissed as Jide eased into me and teased my core. My fingers made a burning path up his toned back, as I gripped him hard, urging him to go faster. And as we made sweet love into the night, I could not help but wonder how I had fallen. Fallen so deeply in love with him. **** Raised singlehandedly by her ruthless grandmother, after her father died and her mother eloped with a lover, Ivory Stone grew to be a strong and independent CEO who took over her family's legacy and company. She's had everyone and everything answer to her; and would definitely not take 'no' for an answer. And in came Jide. The farmer with the heart of gold who had little to nothing to his name. He was charming, pure, and he defied her in every possible way, testing her limit and questioning everything's she'd been taught. The minute she locked eyes with Jide, she least expected he was what she needed to turn her world upside down. She fell and she fell deeply.

Imagine getting married to the daughter of the second deadliest mafia gang with a knife on your throat. Yes,just imagine. Even after been forced into this relationship what did I get in return? Humiliation, embarrassment. I was always sent on dirty jobs,killing people for the boss,selling drugs just to please him and his daughter so they could like me and to have peace in the house. I got set up instead and sent to jail. Spending five years in jail actually taught me how my revenge should be like. I got out and I discovered I'm the son of Antonio Lorenzo, mafia of the deadliest gang in Italy and I'm to take over soon. My revenge is going to be bloody. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Follow me on this journey if you're tough enough.

DI SUBS ️ DULU AJA PASTINYA! BACA NANTI KALAU UDAH KEPO JUGA BOLEH ^^ ———————————————— Hidup Olivia yang semula manis kini berada dalam suatu tempat yang ia sebut api penyucian. Entah apa yang membuatnya menyebut frasa tersebut. Yang ia tahu kini ia sedang berdandan ayu di depan cermin di sebuah ruang make-up. Dengan rasa kesal yang membendung tinggi dalam hati dan benaknya. Bukankah seharusnya pengantin merasa bahagia ketika menyambut pernikahannya? “Ck! Menikah!?” decitnya sendiri ketika perias tersebut telah selesai menata wajah cantiknya itu. Pasalnya, Olivia tidak ingin menikah selama hidupnya. Ia hanya melihat dirinya menghabiskan waktu bersama anjingnya yang beranak-pinak dan berlarian di rumah besarnya. Uang? Punya. Rumah keren? Punya. Mobil? Lebih dari satu. Lantas mengapa Olivia menikah dengan laki-laki yang disebut super sempurna itu? *** Published in September 2021. Follow sosmed @novelbyreb dan akun author ya ^

Two hearts which have always been filled with warmth and joy for so many years of their lives. Suddenly one heart becomes cold because of the other heart. The other heart becomes cold because of some other reasons. Now these both have one thing in common that is coldness surrounding their hearts. Did they really became ice cold? (or) Is it just a façade to show everyone? (or) Is it directed in high demands only towards each other? Could they melt each other coldness easily or would they need the help of a little angel. Sometimes melting ice can be more difficult than we actually think…

Julian Vance is the disciplined, fiercely proud captain of the university ice hockey team. His sworn enemy is Kael Sterling, the arrogant and explosive star player of their rival school. When a brutal game ends in a locker room confrontation, a dangerous bet sparks a dark obsession. But the stakes shatter when Julian's mother and Kael's father unexpectedly marry. Now, forced to live under the same roof and play for the same team, their fierce rivalry turns into an agonizing forced proximity. Society's rules dictate they are forbidden, and their mutual hatred demands they stay apart, but the electric tension between them refuses to be ignored. As the ice melts and boundaries blur, Julian and Kael must decide if their forbidden connection will cost them their dreams, or if surrendering to each other is the ultimate victory.