A Kiss Before Dying

I felt his lips brush against my earlobe, a soft brush that suddenly made my toes curl. His breath lingered on my neck before he finally whispered, "I own you Crystal. The sooner you get to accept that the better for you. I'll make sure you submit yourself to me, be it the hard way or the easy way. And I'll break this ego of yours. I promise you" * * * * * * He was her beast and she was his beauty. He was addicted and she was his favourite drug. He was a sinner and she was his sin. In the blink of an eye, Crystal sees her entire life crumble with the death of her parents and she is forced to take a job that she would never have thought off to make ends meet for her and her sister and pay of her gambling father's debt to a crime boss-- being a stripper. Just a glance on the doe-eyed caramel skin beauty swinging her hips seductively on the pole and Leonardo already knew he had to have her as his. He had to claim her for himself. But he was everything she hated. She despised him and loathed his existence for the pain and anguish he had caused her and her sister. She swore never to succumb to him but what she didn't know was that he was also determined to show her that he would earn a place in her heart and life.

When I found out I was pregnant, Elroy Lousteau went all out—hired some fancy doctor, loaded me up with meds to "protect the baby." He'd never believed in anything before, but suddenly he went to church, praying like his life depends on it. "You've been through hell, babe. Once the baby's here, I swear I'll make it right." That same day, I picked up his phone by accident. "As instructed, the meds include a compound for permanent infertility. The baby will be stillborn. "Ms. Tillon's baby is healthy and will be delivered safely—as the true Lousteau heir. "Mrs. Lousteau won't suspect a thing. Your relationship's secure. You can rest assured." I looked down at my belly. He never loved me. Not really. So I made up my mind—once the divorce papers were signed, I was gone. No looking back.

Rosaline died, and Sean personally put Jane into the women's prison for it. "Take good care of her"— his words made her three years in prison a living hell and even cost her a kidney. Before she went to prison, Jane said, "I didn't kill her," but Sean was unmoved. After her release from prison, she said, "I killed Rosaline, I'm guilty as sin!" Sean was livid as he said, "Shut up! I don't want to hear you say that!" Jane laughed. "Yes, I killed Rosaline Summers, and I did three years in prison for it." She escaped, and Sean scoured the whole world for her. Sean said, "I'll give you my kidney, Jane, if you'll give me your heart." But Jane looked up at Sean and said, "I don't love you anymore, Sean…"

"I should’ve killed him the night he betrayed me. Instead, I kept him alive — chained, bleeding, and trembling beneath my hands." Nicholas Rhodes, heir to the Rhodes crime syndicate, had everything: control, power, loyalty. Until him. Rafael “Rafe” Vega — the man he once trusted with his life — turned on him in the middle of a war, selling secrets to their rivals. But when fate forces their worlds to collide again, Nicholas doesn’t kill Rafe. He takes him back. As a captive. As a weapon. As a reminder of everything he lost. Hatred was supposed to keep them apart. Instead, it burns hotter than desire — twisting into something neither of them can name. Obsession becomes their language. Betrayal becomes their bond. And love… love is the bullet waiting in the chamber. Because in their world, love doesn’t save. It destroys. --- Main Characters: Nicholas Rhodes— 29 Cold, ruthless, born into blood and chaos. After Rafe’s betrayal, he’s become darker — quieter, crueler. He claims he feels nothing anymore… but Rafe’s name still tastes like venom and longing on his tongue. Rafael “Rafe” Vega — 26 Former hitman and Nicholas’s right hand, before he turned traitor. Charming, unpredictable, and carrying his own secrets. His betrayal wasn’t what it seemed — but he’d rather die than beg Nicholas to understand.

What if the hero in your story was the villain? Nicole, a black beautiful Nigerian woman, arrives in Italy with Raphael, the don of the Italian mafia following their marriage in Africa when he came for business purposes. She expects to begin a new, exciting journey with him but when a murder that happened in the pasts resurfaces, threatening to burn their future, Nicole sees her marriage and world crumbling before her eyes. A turn of unfortunate events and a mysterious car crash pushes a young man named Miles into their lives and Nicole finds herself trapped in a maze of lies, betrayal, scandals and secret plots as Raphael leaves no stone unturned in inflicting pains to Nicole until she sees death as a means of escaping the hell now known as her life. Will they ever get their happy ending with enemies surrounding them, threatening to destroy both their marriage and their lives? Will Raphael ever be able to win Nicole's heart again and possess her as his once more? Or will he loose every thing as he lets his demons rage havoc in his life? This is a beautiful tale of two star crossed lovers fighting to keep their marriage and love in the midst of various deadly plots. But sometimes, the price of love can be death.

After I refused for the eighth time to give my daughter a monthly allowance of $80, she went live online to denounce me. During the broadcast, she shared screenshots of our messages, showing how she had repeatedly and desperately asked me for money after the new school term began. "Mom, I just got my period. I do not have money to buy sanitary pads. Could you send me this month's allowance?" I replied calmly, "No." "Mom, I have not eaten in three days. I am really hungry." I responded with sarcasm. "What does that have to do with me?" The screen quickly filled with comments calling me suffocatingly cruel and heartless. Looking straight into the camera, she sobbed uncontrollably. "Mom, I am not asking for much. I only need $80 a month for living expenses. "Do you really have to push me to death before you feel satisfied?" Within a short time, I became the target of widespread online abuse. A well-known education influencer reached out to me. "It is only $80. It is not something you cannot afford. Why are you treating your own daughter so harshly?" I looked at her calmly. "Try livestreaming seven days of life with me and my daughter. "If you can do that, you'll understand."

On our tenth wedding anniversary, I made a special trip to the salon to have my hair done. While settling the bill, I noticed an extra charge on my account. It was a coloring and perm package. Judging by the price, it was a package meant for waist-length hair. Mine had been cropped short for seven or eight years. I called my husband, Jason Moore. "Have you used my salon membership card recently?" There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before he laughed lightly, "Oh, I lent it to Quincy a few days ago." Quincy Hahn was his business partner, a fine arts student with long hair. She treasured her natural curls more than anything. She would never be willing to dye or perm it. More importantly, her elder sister was a major shareholder of this salon. Why would she ever need to use my card? I said nothing more and ended the call. Then, I headed straight to a location displayed on my phone. In the cafe, a long-haired lady was nestled in Jason's arms. Her freshly permed curls were soft and bouncy, framing her blushed face with certain demureness. Jason had always complained that my short hair made me look rough and manly. I lacked gentleness and charm. It seemed this long-haired lady suited his tastes perfectly.

“Fuck! I can smell your arousal___I know you want me as much I as want you, so do not defy me!” Yes, I was aroused by this man, by my mate, but it was the first time for me, I was scared. “ You are still untouched?” “ Yes, I have never even been kissed before,” He groaned at my answer. Abigail Monroe was reduced to a pack slave after her parents were sentenced to death as traitors of the Glow Star pack, she underwent torture and pains at the hands of her pack, but on that faithful day her wolf Shira smelt their mate, an arrogant, possessive, and wealthy Alpha of the biggest pack in the country, Abigail feared rejection at his hand, nonetheless, she was unexpectedly accepted by him, and even against all odds he carried her out of that hell of a pack and brought her back to his pack, the Outlaw pack where Abigail is loved by only a few people. When she believes the Moon Goddess has finally shone light upon her life, yet maligned fate ensures that love turns to dust and is snatched away from her, leaving her in a world of dilemma once more. Abigail embarks on a mission to get revenge on everyone responsible for the ruination of her life, both old and new adversaries must get a taste of their own medicine in this journey for the passion of Revenge.

After the young officer Edward Shaw took first place in a high-profile shooting exhibition attended by senior officials, his family adopted a rather peculiar tradition. At the annual family banquet, he would perform a blindfolded shooting. Whichever woman's token his bullet struck was taken as a sign that she would become his fiancée. Determined to marry him, I placed the handkerchief I had carefully chosen as close to him as possible. Yet, for three consecutive years, his shots hit nothing at all. I told myself the handkerchief must have been too light, too easy to miss. So each year, I replaced it with something more refined, more eye-catching than before. That illusion lasted until the night before my eighteenth birthday, when I happened to overhear him speaking with a friend at a reception. "Miss Jasmine's handkerchief is right in front. Even blindfolded, you should be able to hit it. How do you keep missing every year?" Edward swirled his glass, his tone casual. "Tracy's still young. The moment she hears I'm getting engaged, she starts crying. "I promised I'd wait until she's a little older. As for Jasmine, she's waited for me all these years. It's not like she's going anywhere." With that, he casually tossed his glass into a metal bucket in the corner. It rang out with a sharp, hollow clang. I lowered my gaze and thought of my younger sister, only a year younger than me. So it had never been about the token. It was about the person who placed it there. In that case, there was no reason for me to keep holding on. After all, my father had already arranged a marriage for me. Three days later, at that same family banquet, I would be formally engaged.

I had just walked out of the Pack Healer's cabin, clutching the crumpled paper of my official pregnancy report, when I refreshed my social media feed. An anonymous post on the local pack forum caught my eye. "I've been sleeping with the Alpha for a while now, and I just found out I'm pregnant. But his Luna is knocked up too, and she's months ahead of me. I hate the idea of him having a pup with someone else. I want to carry his firstborn. How can I make him force his mate to get rid of it?" The comments section was flooded with curses and insults calling the poster a home-wrecker. But the original poster had liked one particularly vicious comment. "That's easy. Tell the Alpha that his Luna is too weak and that she is carrying an abomination corrupted by wolfsbane. Tell him it will be a stillborn anyway." I usually just lurked in these threads, but my wolf, Selene, growled within me. My fingers flew across the screen as I replied. "Aren't you afraid of the Moon Goddess's wrath for defying Her will like this?" The moment I hit send, my mate Kael, the Alpha of the Starlight Pack, walked up to me. He was holding a forged diagnosis report from the Healer, his face a mask of pained hesitation. "Seraphina," he said, his voice trembling. " The Healer says our pup's soul is fragmented. It has been judged as a stillborn. For your safety, we have to terminate the pregnancy immediately." He took a breath, looking deep into my eyes. "I have already made the arrangements. Tomorrow, before the Moon Goddess's altar, I will supervise the surgery personally to ensure your absolute safety."