A Study In Scarlet Sherlock Holmes

He looks at me like he already knows the truth I’ve spent a lifetime hiding. Ethan Vance—lawman, predator, believer in a system I learned to outthink before I could drink wine. His eyes don’t burn with hate. They study, measure, almost… understand. They call him incorruptible. Maybe he is. But I’ve seen incorruptible men fall, not to money or power, but to fascination. The kind that crawls under your skin and makes you wonder if the person chasing you might be the only one who truly sees you. He hunts me by the book. I survive by rewriting it. But somewhere between the pursuit and the silence, between his questions and my lies, the line blurred. And now, I can’t decide which is more dangerous, losing to him, or wanting him to catch me. --- He isn’t what I expected. Luca Vitale walks into every room like he owns it, and maybe he does. Calm. Calculated. Dangerous in ways that don’t show up on a rap sheet. He should be just another target, another name I take down and file away. But there’s something about the way he looks at me. Like he already knows I’m not as untouchable as I pretend to be. I tell myself it’s strategy, curiosity, control. It’s not. It’s a problem. Because every time I think I’m closing in, I realise he’s already two steps ahead—and for the first time in my career, I’m not sure if I’m hunting him, or if he’s letting me try.

Three years after Alpha King Damien Caldwell marks me, Drake Whitaker finally remembers I exist. Turns out he really believes I'll "wait for him forever." Twenty black SUVs clog the private road into Ridgefield pack territory, trunks crammed with moonstone jewelry, old talismans, and rare herbs. Drake steps out of the tricked-out Hummer, wearing a smug smile and clutching a stack of parchment contracts. "Aria," he calls up, like some medieval knight, "I told you once the Silvermoon Coalition was official and Kenneth's supply lines were stable, I'd bring you to my pack. "The High Council finalized five packs yesterday. I came first thing this morning to show you I mean it." I sit in the upstairs study, watching a video Damien just sent of him playing with our son, then glance through the blinds at the ridiculous scene unfolding below. Drake lifts his face toward the second floor. "I know you're upset, but Kenneth controls the biggest timber in the Eastvale region. I had to mark Isabella. It was politics. You get that. Feelings don't need a mark anyway. I'll treat you better than a Luna." His words made my skin crawl. I pressed the intercom button on the desk. "Clear the drive. Tell security someone's trespassing." What a day! I've just taken my son to the medical center for his one-month checkup. Damien sends me back to Ridgefield pack for a week to rest. Instead, I get this mess on my doorstep.

Since childhood, Shamila has been living in the orphanage with other children. The clothes she own once belonged to other people and she doesn't even know who named her Shamila. When she gets a scholarship to study in one of the most prestigious Schools, Maslow High School, she thinks it is a game changer. Little does she knows what awaits her, the students in Maslow High school are all evil and they have divided the school into two cults each headed by a prominent and rich bully. Before long, the two bullies fight over who will own her and amidst all the bullying, Shamila discovers the untold secret of the School. More then half of the students have supernatural blood running in them and the school is merely a ground to numb them and hide them from the society. Her original adoption documents also say her name is Shamila Maslow. Will the bullies bow down to her new supernatural state as the vampire who could perhaps be the next in line owner of Maslow High School and other royal properties, or this is just a prank that has been carefully organized by one of them to make her believe she is an important vampire so that the aftermath can make her ashamed and humiliated beyond repair. This is Maslow High School and students only go home at the end of the school year, Shamila has no home and all she has at the end of the year is the orphanage. Is this her real home, are the people surrounding her also numbed by centuries old magic enemies, friends or family? she has one year to find out, either she arrives at the truth or die as a result of the gruesome bullying by the bullies before the year ends.

I've just returned from the world's biggest tech summit when my mentor, who's like a father to me, calls. He tells me he's arranged for me to marry his close friend's son, Jonathan Ford. Jonathan is one of Javron's rising stars. A few of my patents are licensed to his company, and they form the core technology of his new product. I work late to wrap up everything in the lab. Then, I dress up and head to the engagement ceremony. Unexpectedly, I'm stopped at the door by Jonathan's secretary, Linda Jones. She wears a lavish gown and looks more like the bride than I do. "Turn around and scram if you know what's good for you," she says with a sneer. "You're just an orphan from the countryside—think twice about whether you're worthy of our CEO." I ask, "Does Jonathan know you're making decisions for him like this?" She lets out a contemptuous laugh. "You're nothing but a pretty face who needs to ride on her mentor's reputation to get married. How can you possibly understand the weight I carry in Mr. Ford's heart?" A blush spreads across her face as she speaks. I study her for a few seconds, then call Jonathan. "If your idea of courtesy is leaving your fiancee standing outside the venue, then here's how I'll repay the favor. I'll let you read the contract and watch as I sell my patents to your competitor. How does that sound?"

After checking my final exam results, I hand the bottle of water given by my mother and the amethyst bracelet given by my childhood friend to the school bully with AIDS. In my previous life, my exam score of 1250 was swapped with the score of 600 of my younger adopted sister, Adelia Quentin, right after I drank that bottle of water. My health immediately deteriorated in the following days. I had a high fever and kept on coughing up blood. I was even nearly bedridden from severe pain. On the other hand, Adelia miraculously recovered from her stomach cancer. I begged my mother to send me to the hospital. But not only did she refuse, but she even mocked me and accused me of faking my illness. She then locked me in the basement. They celebrated Adelia's enrollment in university while I writhed helplessly in pain. In the end, I died in the basement all alone. After my death, Adelia used my exam score of 1250 to study at a renowned university. She also officially started her relationship with Thomas Haynes, my childhood friend. It was only then that I finally realized that the bottle of water my mother handed me had been cursed. My exam results would be swapped away when I drank it. Meanwhile, the amethyst bracelet Thomas gifted me would swap my health condition with Adelia's three days after I wore it. I'd get Adelia's stomach cancer and die a painful death. Just as I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the day I checked my exam results.

It is the final day for the high school students to submit their university application forms, and I find out that someone has swapped out my and Ned Nicholson's application forms for Jafferton College instead. In a panic, I hurry off to find Ned to tell him about it, but I end up overhearing a conversation between him and one of his friends instead. "Ned, you promised Miranda Montez that you would both apply for Hale University together. Why did you secretly swap out both your application forms for Jafferton College instead? Aren't you worried that Miranda's going to make a huge fuss about it?" Ned sounds confident as he replies, "She won't. She'll listen to whatever I say. She'll be fine with it as long as she's still in the same college as I am." He pauses for a while before continuing in an impatient voice. "Scarlett Jordan can't get into Hale University. It's beyond her. She's going to be really scared if she has to go to Westward to study on her own, so I promised her that I'd go to the same college she was going to. "I mean, Jafferton College isn't that bad. Miranda wouldn't mind it at all." I stay silent for a long while before leaving quietly, pretending that I never heard a thing. I withdrew my application form for Jafferton College and submitted a new form for Dayward University instead. We made a promise to each other that we would start dating after getting into university. But since he's breaking his promise for someone else's sake, I decide to leave him quietly and go after my own dreams instead.

Ash had always harbored a deep desire to study abroad. When the opportunity finally presented itself, she was ecstatic and brimming with excitement. Her eagerness to explore a new culture and learn new things was palpable. However, little did she know that her life was about to take a dramatic turn. Upon arriving at her destination, Ash met her new roommate, who was undeniably attractive. They soon became friends with benefits, and Ash was living her best life. However, things took a surprising turn when she met her roommate's best friend, who was even hotter than him. It was then that Ash realized she was attracted to both men. She shared this revelation with them, and they agreed to engage in threesomes, fulfilling a long-standing fantasy of hers. Their sexual escapades were thrilling and fun, but as time passed, Ash began to realize that her addiction to sex was starting to take a toll on her life. She found herself skipping classes, neglecting her studies, and spending all her money on sex parlors. Her addiction became so severe that it strained her relationships with friends and family. One day, Ash's ex-boyfriend Alex joined the same master's program as her. Although they hadn't spoken since their messy breakup, they rekindled their friendship. However, her newfound desires had changed, and Alex wasn't enough, so he opted out. But gave Ash the option of being ready to help as her friend. As her addiction worsened, Ash found herself failing her classes and jeopardizing her future. It wasn't until she hit rock bottom that she realized she needed help. She sought therapy and started attending sessions to overcome her addiction. With Alex by her side throughout. Do they rekindle their love again? Hop on the bandwagon and let's find out.

"There should be rules if we are even going to do this," he said without looking at me. "I have always lived by the rules." He slid a file towards me. "This is the contract. The rules are stated there." I opened the file and glanced through it. "You can take it home and study them; give me feedback tomorrow evening. But I will read out the rules for you now because they start now, and in case your brain can't comprehend them, then I can explain." Anger seethed through me, and I almost threw the file back at him, but when I thought about the money involved and how it would benefit little Sophie, I bit my lower lip to push back the anger. He continued. "Rule number one; don't you fall in love with me." His eyes flipped up to me. "Crystal clear," I said. "That would never happen." Ellen never had fun in college. One night she decided to have fun with her friends and slept with a handsome stranger who disappeared before she woke up. A month later, she found out she was pregnant and searched everywhere for him, but to no avail. Five years later, she moved to a new city and met the same man she never thought she would ever see again. He didn't remember anything about her, and he was now a cold, arrogant man who needed a wife, and she needed money. They agreed to contract marriage with strict rules, one of them being never to fall in love with each other. They were sure they wouldn't break the rule, but as sparks grew between them and became too much, they found themselves trying hard to keep to the rules. Who will break rule number one between them?

“Where did you go?” He questioned, not bothering to adjust his unbuttoned shirt. I had run away but here I was coming to apologize for my actions. “You think you can come and go as you please?” His fingers pressed against my cheeks, firm but not painful, forcing me to meet his gaze. “No, I—I,” I stammered, but before I could finish, his lips almost grazing mine, he interrupted, his tone ice-cold. “You will go home this instant,” he spoke, his face dark. “And you'll stay there till I get back,” he barked out his orders, his eyes boring into mine. “Who do you think you are to order me around,” I thought to respond but my lips wouldn’t make a sound. I didn't fight back. I couldn’t. Without another word, I turned and walked away, his gaze searing into my back. ~~~~~~~~~~ After a steamy night with a sexy stranger, Elena finds out she is pregnant. She is sent abroad to study by her father. Unknown to her, when she comes back five years later her father arranged for her to marry Damien Landon, the illegitimate son of a powerful family. Feeling caged in a loveless marriage and finding out her husband has another woman, Elena decided to run away but the past she ran away from followed after her. Things get complicated when she meets her Ex Cornell Grey, who has now become a charming billionaire. He set his sights again on Elena, trying to win her back. Torn between the two powerful men asking for her back and haunted by secrets of her past, Elena must navigate love, betrayal, and the cost of a marriage built on lies.

I step into his office and he's waiting for me seated behind his desk. He eyes me intently. His amber eyes bore deep like he's trying to look into my soul. My face is neutral with so expressed emotions. “You can't work under me anymore Ms. Robinson.” He says and I wonder why am not surprised. So the rumors were true. “Are you firing me sir?” I ask and everytime I say the word Sir it feels so foreign in my tongue even now. He sighs and gets up from his seat staring at me with a professional look on his face. “I can't continue like you don't know what I want Ms. Robinson.” He replies and I frown not wanting to get into the same topic once more. I look away. “You know it's not possible. You are....married sir.” And I am forced to go down memory lane which brings nothing but pain and sadness. It had been four years since he left to study abroad. He left me with the hope of him returning and uniting with me. For our love. We loved each other since elementary school and I even did the deed at fifteen. I waited for him. I depended on his promise and didn't look anywhere else for love because my heart had already been claimed by him. But I was in for a shock and a pain wrenching stab to my chest when he returned but not alone. He returned not as mine but as someone else's. He was far away from me now. He returned as a married man with his wife. Now he wants me back but not as his equal but as his secret lover. As his mistress.