A Lesson In Thorns

Evian almost dies proving she is good. Good enough to bleed for her sister. Good enough to forgive betrayal. Good enough to disappear quietly. She almost died yet she survived... but the girl they depended on doesn’t. After waking in a hospital bed to apologies that sound like accusations, Evian walks out of her own life. She leaves behind a fiancé who calls cruelty "necessity," a family that feeds on her inheritance, and a sister who thrives on drama and blood. What replaces her is colder. One night, one reckless choice, and one anonymous man become her first act of rebellion. What Evian believes is a transaction—a body for money, power for control—turns out to be something far more dangerous. Because the man she reduces to a plaything is not disposable. Because the same day, the one man...meant to be nothing but a 'Play thing' walked through their door. In front of everyone who broke her, he ignores her beautiful sister, silences her father, and delivers a sentence that detonates the room... Marry me

Claire Smith has everything money can buy, except freedom. As the pampered daughter of one of Las Vegas’s wealthiest families, her life has always been dictated by her father’s ruthless expectations and his obsession with powerful alliances. But Claire has sworn she’ll never fall into his carefully arranged traps, never marry the men he chooses, never play the dutiful daughter he wants her to be. Then comes Carlos. The blind date that wasn’t supposed to matter… the man who made her feel seen, desired, alive. But before she could dream of a future with him, he shattered her world, ghosting her, breaking her heart, and leaving her with nothing but rage. Fate, however, is cruel. After a near-fatal accident, Claire wakes to find out the man who saved her life is the very one she swore to hate: Carlos. Now he’s everywhere, hovering, tempting, and invading her every breath. Is he her savior? Or her ultimate destruction? One thing is certain: Claire is about to discover that some scars don’t fade… and some obsessions refuse to die

"Don't try to escape, Lisa. Be a good girl, and you won't have to be punished for it. From the moment you said yes to me, you became mine… your body and your life belong to me," his baritone voice whispered as his hands slid between my thighs. ** When Lisa Sanders is kidnapped by Alessio DeLuca, a ruthless Mafia boss, she’s thrust into a world of danger, luxury, and deceit. "She thought he was a monster. He thought she was his salvation." But the closer she gets to him, the more she realizes he’s not the monster she imagined. Beneath his cold exterior lies a man haunted by his own demons. In a world of lies, bloodshed, and forbidden love, can they survive the ultimate betrayal?

My husband, Gabriel Buckner, and I had been married for three years. I'd gotten pregnant twice, but I'd lost both babies. It was all because of my in-laws' parrot that could talk. The first time I got pregnant and went to their house, the parrot stared at my belly and kept repeating, "Get rid of the baby! Get rid of the baby!" The second time, the same thing happened. It looked right at my stomach and said the same words. I thought it was just nonsense, but to my shock, my in-laws actually took the parrot seriously and forced me to end the pregnancy. I even showed them the prenatal checkup report from my doctor to prove that the baby was perfectly healthy and begged them not to do it. But they dragged me to the hospital anyway and made me have an abortion on the spot. When I got pregnant a third time, I wanted to be extra cautious. I went straight for an amniocentesis. The report confirmed the baby was healthy and even showed a 99.9% DNA match with Gabriel's. I thought everything would be fine this time. But as soon as the parrot saw me again, it repeated the same words—"Get rid of the baby." And just like before, the Buckners immediately tried to drag me to the hospital. I couldn't understand it. The baby was perfectly healthy, and the DNA report proved it was Gabriel's child. So why would they rather believe a parrot and insist that I get rid of the baby?

Nathaniel Reid had always despised being bound by our engagement. To spite me, he recklessly raced cars and caused trouble, indulging in all sorts of reckless behavior. And every time, I cleaned up his mess. Then, a girl named Joanna Smith appeared in his life. On the night of my birthday banquet, he scoured the entire city for a simple breakfast wrap for her and never even bothered to show up. I had already prepared for this moment. That night, I approached my family and asked to change the engagement. "It didn’t have to be Nathaniel." I thought of the distant, composed man from my dreams—the one who had always hidden his quiet, unwavering love for me. A smile flickered across my lips as I said softly, "Didn’t he still have an uncle?"

I suspected my husband was a detached ascetic. Every night, he'd skip to the backyard, muttering prayers under the stars instead of sharing our bed. When I slipped into something slinky, he'd frown and clutch his prayer beads like a lifeline. Now I was done with the cold shoulder, slapping a divorce agreement in his hands. That was when his thoughts started leaking into my head. "She touched me. Her hands are like silk. I'm dying to kiss her. When is she gonna be okay with me being a snake? I just want to cuddle her." "A snake?" I thought. "Does that mean he's packing two things? I have to find out." I leered at his chiseled frame, practically drooling. Before divorcing, I needed to test his things and my limits. I tripped purposefully and fell onto his toned pecs, ready to test the waters. "Whoops!" I gasped, setting the stage.

In a world where family ties and business deals are intertwined, Ivy Smith finds herself trapped in a nightmare. Her father's company is struggling, and the only way to save it is by forming an alliance with the powerful Blackwood family. The cost? Ivy's hand in marriage to Victor Blackwood, a ruthless and cunning man with a reputation for getting what he wants, no matter the cost. Ivy is devastated. She's always been a strong-willed and independent person, and the thought of being tied to someone like Victor is unbearable. But her family's situation is dire, and she feels she has no choice but to accept the arrangement. As the wedding preparations begin, Ivy's brothers - Ethan, Lucas, and Julian - are fiercely protective of her. They know Victor's true nature and are determined to keep her safe. But they're also bound by the agreement, and their hands are tied. Victor, on the other hand, is determined to break Ivy's spirit. He's cruel, manipulative, and has a hidden agenda. He sees Ivy as a trophy, a way to solidify his family's power and control. And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. As Ivy navigates her new reality, she must find a way to survive Victor's abuse and manipulation. She's trapped in a gilded cage, with no escape in sight. But she's determined to fight back, to find a way out of this nightmare and take control of her own destiny. The story is a dark, twisted tale of love, family, and power. It's a tale of survival and rebellion, of one woman's fight against the forces that seek to control her. Will Ivy find a way to escape Victor's clutches, or will she be forever trapped in this living hell?

Everyone thinks I've lost my mind when I marry Bryan Sable. That's because I'm the daughter of the richest family in town, while he's just the owner of a small company. Everyone says he's only marrying me for my money. They don't know that he's willing to risk his life just to be with me. He also spent years pursuing me. On the day of the wedding, apart from the wedding ring, I also give him 99 free passes, saying, "If you ever upset me, you can use one of the free passes to cancel it out. But once you've used up all 99 of them, this marriage ends." Bryan swears he will never even use a single one of the free passes. But not long after we get married, he gets involved with his secretary, Roxy Upton. From that moment onward, the free passes get used up in rapid succession. He uses one when he misses my birthday party because of her. He uses another when I find a hickey left on his neck by someone other than me. It gets to a point where even our butler can't help but remind Bryan, "Mr. Sable, I think Mrs. Sable is upset right now. Are you sure you want to leave now to go to Ms. Upton?" But Bryan doesn't think much of it. "If she's upset, let her be upset. What's the worst that can happen? I'll just use one of the free passes. I've only used about 50 of them. I've got plenty of chances left." He has no clue that he only has three free passes left. And by now, I no longer kick up a fuss. I'm simply waiting for the day he uses up the final chance. I'm going to watch him dig his own grave, losing me as well as everything I've given him.

Kharris has the beauty, talent, and popularity but she seems to have no interest in it 'cause she only has eyes for her first love, Dos. But no matter how hard she tries, her love is unlikely to be reciprocatedㅡespecially when she received an invitation to his engagement party. Desperate to get over her unrequited feeling, she spends one passionate night with Dos' twin Uno; a billionaire and the firstborn son of a conglomerate of the mafia. The man who has his own unrequited love. Buong akala ni Kharris ay isang gabi ng kapusukan lamang ang nangyari ngunit hindi niya inaasahan na sa unang pagkakataon ay papayag siyang pumasok sa isang relasyon na purong pisikal lamang at walang attachment. Being friends with benefits. That was their original plan, but things began to change as Kharris and Uno's love-hate relationship grew stronger, and find themselves surrendering to a passionate love than they could have ever imagined. Nagbunga ang kanilang pagmamahalan, ngunit dahil sa isang pagkakamali at problema ay nagdesisyong lumayo si Kharris at palakihin nang mag-isa ang kanyang dinadala. 5 years later, iniwan si Kharris nang malaking utang ng kanyang ama matapos nitong magtago. To make it worse, ginawa pa siyang collateral kaya naman napilitin siyang magtrabaho bilang hostess sa isang high-end club na pagmamay-ari ng loan shark. At sadyang mapaglaro ang tadhana dahil ang kauna-unahan niyang naging customer ay walang iba kung hindi si Uno, ang ama ng kanyang anak.

My love for gaming landed me in the World's Top Gaming Company as a new intern. On my first day I was paired up with another intern who seemed to be keeping some secrets. I was quite curious. So I started to keep an eye on him. Only to be shocked by seeing his dragon form. Hear me as I narrate you my love story.