Alice Masquerade

“No one touches what is mine and gets to live,” he replies firmly, sending a cold shiver down my spine. “Alessandro, I am not yours. I am not anyone’s property,” I argue. He laughs softly. “Okay,” he says casually, as if what I said doesn't matter. “I mean it; I will never be yours—not your property, not your plaything, and certainly not your mistress,” I've already made it clear that I won't be his mistress; I don’t know why he can’t seem to accept that. His jaw tightens, then he scoffs. “He threatened you, he touched you,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “It really didn’t matter if the device was his or not; he knew what was coming for him.” In search of her missing father, Renée, a 24 year old boudoir photographer, moves to a new country and makes a deal with the FBI. She helps them bring down the most feared Mafia Don in the country, and they help her find her father. All she has to do is seduce him and get him to lower his guard—easy. Alessandro has been married for three years to the perfect wife, the princess of the East Mafia dome. That kind of marriage makes Alessandro the leader of both the South and the East of the Mafia dome and untouchable, Ruthless. Then one night at a masquerade ball, he meets her, the seductive stranger with a different accent. She looks like the typical type of woman he would make his mistress. But is that enough? Will his world accept a woman like her? It has been a rule for as long as he can remember that certain races can't mix, at least not from where he stands. Plus, he is a married man. Everything about her is forbidden.

It started with the most annoying encounter at the mall. One glance at him, she wished she never crossed paths with him again, He wished so too. Not until fate brought them back again. At her father's party. Something about her pulled him slowly and deeply without warning. He tried to shrug it off but he couldn't. Then one night, Alex had too many drinks and Alice is to meet her friend at the hotel when she walked into the room where he is...and they crossed a line they aren't meant to. During the act, he made it clear: He never wanted kids. She nodded, not until her test results came back positive. Years later, their paths cross again. He sees a little boy with his hair type....and he demands to know who he is. But the man beside her, Chris Wales, holds secrets darker than anyone suspected. Secrets that tie him to her blood in the most twisted way. Can a child mend what fate once broke? Or will secrets tear them apart once more? Or will secrets, lies, and a mother’s manipulations tear them apart once more?

On our first wedding anniversary, my husband came home with a woman who was six months pregnant. He introduced her as his cousin, someone who had fallen on hard times, and asked me to take care of her. I was just about to agree when fragments of imaginary commentary floated through my mind: [She's just my 'cousin'. Uh-uh, that's a cliche.] [Poor supporting female character! A maid by day, the husband's bedwarmer by night.] [But she totally deserved it! If she hadn't broken up the main couple, they'd have a whole soccer team of kids by now!] Wait—what? Supporting female character? Me? And what's this about breaking them up? So now these two get to cheat under my roof, and somehow I'm the villain? Before I could process it all, my husband was already dragging her luggage inside. "Alice doesn't like fried food," he said matter-of-factly. "And nothing too salty or spicy. Make sure you keep that in mind when you're cooking. "Oh, and pregnant women love sweets. Go out now and buy a cherry cake. The one from that bakery in the suburbs."

My mate’s childhood sweetheart was throwing a tantrum again, so Henry wanted to break our mate bond once more. Though I felt despair, I still looked calmly at him as I said, “This is the eighth time you’ve broken our bond.” His eyes were full of guilt and helplessness as he gently cupped my face, pleading softly. “Nicole, you know I have no choice. Alice threatened to take her own life with a silver dagger again. I grew up with her. She’s like a sister to me. I can’t just leave her alone. “My love, don’t worry. I swear, once I’ve cheered her up, we’ll immediately re-establish our mate bond.” I stayed silent. He’d made this promise to me countless times, so much that we had formed a mate bond and broken it eight times. To the werewolf pack, a mate bond was sacred. But in his eyes, it was nothing. “Please, my love.” As he took out the potion to sever our bond, I quietly clenched my fists. “Okay.” After all, there won’t be a next time.

There is an adage that someone’s first love can never be forgotten, especially if it started from a childhood friendship up until them hating each other and not to forget the denial of one’s feelings. But one can only deny their feelings towards their other half, but can never deny the bond of a mate. Isabella Lenovo is Alpha Ledger’s sister and the childhood friend of Alpha Ryan. She has a twin sister who was also a childhood friend of Alpha Ryan and Alice, Alpha Ryan’s deceased sister. But an unfortunate accident broke the bonds between these friends. The once enviable friendship was now tainted with jealousy, envy, and resentment. The moon strikes back by making Ryan and Isabella mates. Would Isabella accept this and give in to the mate’s bond despite all odds? Ryan Stones, the alpha of pack Loren—a quick-witted man with soft features and a mind and will as hard as a stone—decided not to have anything to do with the Lenovo sisters after an accident that cost him something huge. He believes that the Lenovo sisters had a hand in this accident and he made a vow to get his revenge back on them. But would his plan waver when he figured out that Isabella was his mate or would he use that as an opportunity to get his revenge? Would their hidden love and bond for each other prevail, or would we say that the moon for once made a mistake?

WARNING CONTAINS SEXUAL CONTENT AND TRIGGERING SITUATIONS INCLUDING ABUSE, SUICIDE, AND RAPE ********************************** Blair Collins is a senior in high school with a long history of causing trouble. She is quite frankly over high school and just looking to have a fun time for her last year when an unexpected change happens at her school, a new and extremely attractive statistics teacher. Ms. Winters graduated at only sixteen and started teaching this year at the age of only twenty-two. Blair instantly takes a liking to her and accidentally wanders into her lawn drunk after a party one night. When both Blair and Ms. Winters start to develop a liking for one another will boundaries be crossed or will forbidden love prevail? It would seem that depends heavily on who finds out and how long their relationship can be kept secret. *********************************** She rolled her eyes turning me on even further "I think we both know this was bound to happen either way." "How do you figure?" I questioned slowly taking another sip of my drink She smiled confidently "Well Alice, I'd say there's been sexual tension between us from the moment I walked in for my first day of statistics, wouldn't you agree?" She was right "No." ********************************** Written By Morgan Giglio Cover designed by latteai on Fiverr

Como minha irmã gêmea Ana sempre foi frágil, todos viviam mimando ela. No dia em que a nevasca isolou a montanha, o helicóptero de resgate tinha apenas uma vaga. Segurando meu diagnóstico de câncer terminal, quando eu estava prestes a entregar minha vaga para Ana, ela simplesmente levou a mão à cabeça, alegando tontura. Toda a família instantaneamente se aglomerou ao redor dela, carregando-a para dentro do helicóptero. Meu marido Heitor tocou meu braço fraturado e disse: — Alice, você terá que esperar pelo próximo. Minha filha Aurora até me atirou bolas de neve: — A tia Ana precisa mais do que você! Não monopolize! Só depois que o helicóptero decolou é que vi Ana mostrando a língua para mim triunfante pela janela — ela nunca tinha sentido tontura alguma. Depois de ser resgatada, descobri que tinha apenas três dias de vida. Para aqueles últimos dias, resolvi dar tudo de mim para trocar um pouquinho do amor da minha família.

I'd never forget how cold the icy waters of the Sandford River were. In my previous life, I was Dalia Valentino, the future Donna of the Rossi family that they'd already acknowledged. But later on, I got betrayed by my fiance, Marco Rossi, and my cousin, Alice Palermo. They stole my betrothal contract away and took over my family's resources. In the end, they used me as a human shield and got me killed during a crossfire between our families. The moment I felt a bullet penetrating my chest, I saw Marco protecting Alice. As for my childhood friend, Riccardo Corleone, who had always watched me from behind, rushed over to me like a madman. He scooped my cooling corpse into his arms before letting out an anguished roar. That was why after I got reborn, I didn't hesitate to kick Marco to the curb and marry Riccardo, resulting in me becoming the Donna of the Corleone family. I thought Riccardo was my savior. Little did I know that fate was just playing a crueler prank on me. Both men had always been in love with the same woman this whole time. In this case, I decided to quit this game of romance and deceit.

Elara Vale grew up in wealth but never knew peace. Her father remarried Ariana after her mother passed away, and she was a cruel woman who made Elara's life miserable. Her stepsiblings, Jackson and Felicia, joined in the abuse. Robin, blinded by love for Ariana, cast Elara out after she finally fought back. She was sent to Roverthhood Academy, where she faced more cruelty from students led by Alice and her clique. She met Robert, who defended her, and Derek, whose obsession twisted into danger. A trap forced Elara into the forest, where she discovered an ancient temple. The goddess within awakened power in her, filling her with fire. With her strength revealed, Elara rose above her tormentors, gaining fear and respect. Derek grew more obsessed, while Robert stayed loyal. Then came the news—her father was dead. The truth was darker: Ariana had killed him to secure power for Jackson. Ariana bribed and schemed, but Elara fought back. She endured assassins, betrayal, and plots, using her goddess fire to survive. At last, she uncovered Ariana’s secret: Jackson was not Robin’s son. Ariana’s empire collapsed. Elara claimed her father’s legacy. She rose from victim to leader, from exile to a minister. With Robert at her side, she married not as a broken girl, but as a woman who carried a goddess’s fire.

Ich schwor, zusammen mit meinem Freund aus Kindertagen die Schule zu wechseln, nachdem er behauptet hatte, er würde gemobbt. Doch einen Tag, bevor wir den Schulwechsel endgültig festmachen wollten, entschied er sich anders. Ein Freund von ihm spottete. „Also ehrlich, du hast den Gemobbten gespielt, nur um Alice Wiley loszuwerden? Ziemlich hart. Ihr wart doch schon immer unzertrennlich. Macht es dir wirklich nichts aus, dass sie jetzt ganz allein auf eine andere Schule geht?“ Shane Page winkte ab. „Ach was. Es ist bloß eine andere Schule irgendwo in der Stadt. Kein Drama. Ich kann einfach nicht mehr ertragen, dass sie ständig an mir hängt. Für mich ist das die perfekte Lösung.“ Ich blieb lange regungslos vor der Tür stehen. Am Ende drehte ich mich um und ging. Auf dem Formular für den Schulwechsel strich ich die Oatheport High durch und trug stattdessen die internationale Schule ein, auf die mich meine Eltern schon lange schicken wollten. Offenbar hatte jeder vergessen, dass Shane und ich nie auf derselben Ebene standen.