Apartment 4b Novels & Stories

I'm back to that night I was drugged with an aphrodisiac. My sister, Rosa Spencer, drags the most aggressive guy in the village, Theo Dawson, into the woods without hesitation. In my previous life, both Rosa and I had been drugged at the same time. She jumped at the chance to be with the promising young intellectual, Dexter Newman, and I was stuck with Theo. After what happened, Dexter took responsibility without a second thought. He threw a huge wedding in the village and married Rosa. Meanwhile, I ended up marrying Theo in a rush, with nothing but a tattered quilt. Seeing this, Rosa burst into laughter. "You were born unlucky, and you'll never beat me! My husband's going to college. His future's limitless!" Yet, to my surprise, Theo changed completely after we married. He spoiled me endlessly and even became the richest man in the state. Dexter, on the other hand, failed his college entrance exam due to cheating and could only make a living by doing odd jobs. After seeing me become the wife of the richest man in the state, Rosa suddenly ran to my house in tears. "My husband's a total loser. Years have gone by, and we can't even afford a decent apartment!" Out of sisterly sympathy, I landed her a well-paying job. But when she came to thank me, she smashed a whiskey bottle over my head. "We're sisters! How come you get to live better than me?" When I opened my eyes again, I was back to that very night Rosa and I were both drugged with an aphrodisiac.

My name is Amanda Hayes, I'm 24 years old, and my life changed forever the day I signed that contract. It all started with an internship at Black Industries, the most prestigious company in London. I was proud, naive, convinced it was my big break. But on the first day, I overheard a conversation I never should have heard: names, numbers, threats, words like "cartel," "delivery," "clean accident." I wanted to run away, but Cameron Black — the CEO, 32 years old, 6'4" of ice and danger cornered me in his office on the 67th floor. He knew I had heard everything. He handed me two contracts: an ironclad NDA, and a second one… binding me to him, body and soul, 24/7. Total obedience. Immediate availability. In exchange, he would erase the risk I posed. Refuse? An "accident" for me, and maybe for my family. I signed, hands trembling, because I was afraid. Because I had no choice. Ever since, I have been living in a gilded cage he calls "protection." A luxury apartment he forced on me, a wardrobe he chose, constant surveillance. I know he is a mafia boss. And yet, when he touches me, when he protects me with a possessiveness that terrifies and inflames me, I no longer know where the line between fear and desire lies. He says I am in danger because of secrets I don't yet understand. But every day, I feel myself sinking deeper into his dark world, into his arms that hold me too tight, into that contract which is no longer just on paper.

Angelique hasn't seen her dad since birth; she grew up loathing her dad, who abandoned her, molding her into a strong and independent young girl. Angel's single mom raised her, living in a two-room apartment while trying to meet ends. She repays her mom by giving her best in school. Maddox came from a prominent family; his dad is a business tycoon. Despite the wealth they possessed, sadness finds its way to his heart. He is a lonesome boy who chooses to be alone with his trusted friends. Maddox became aloof after the untimely death of her mom until Angel came into his life. Their world collided when Angel got a strange scholarship to study in Maddox's expensive school. They are two worlds apart, yet they find happiness in each other's company and shrug their shoulders at whoever bombarded their friendship. Especially Cassandra, who happened to be interested in Maddox and named Angel as an outcast of their campus. Angel and Maddox surprisingly have too many things in common that falling in love was inevitable. It was a dream come true, like a fairy tale in a movie that they met at the right time they needed someone to shed light on their dark world. Angel gained a lot of haters at school, but Maddox got her back. They shared a genuine relationship until they found out who was behind Angel's scholarship. As if it was not enough, Angel's mom confessed a thing she's been hiding for so long. An event that is bound to change their status, which Cassandra took advantage of. Will Cassandra succeed? Or will Angel and Maddox's love for each other find its way back together?

Edward and I held our engagement party in Las Vegas. Everything seemed perfect—until someone suggested a game of Truth or Dare. One of Edward's female coworkers looked me straight in the eye. "I am pregnant. It is your fiancé's baby." Laughter burst out around us. Everyone thought it was a joke—except Edward. After the trip, we returned home. He looked uneasy. "I'm the father of Juliet's baby," he admitted. "Don't overthink it. We were on a business trip and got too drunk with a client. We accidentally spent the night together. "She is from a British aristocratic family. Reputation matters a lot to her. She will never marry me. She only wants to have the baby and raise it alone." "So what are you saying?" I asked. "I am the father. I have to take responsibility. I will stay in the apartment I rented for her and take care of her pregnancy on weekdays, and come home on weekends. "Our wedding will be delayed. We will get married after the baby is borned." I gave a small smile. So he had it all planned out. He was just here to inform me. He let out a sigh of relief, picked up his Rimowa suitcase, and walked out without looking back. I wiped the tears off my face and began packing away all the memories of our relationship. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. The voice on the other end sounded messy and emotional. "Margot, I freaking love you. Don't marry him. Marry me instead." I froze for a second, then replied, "Okay."

The day before our engagement, Stellan Graves came shopping with me, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. I bought a chili dog from a street stall and held it up to his mouth only for him to swat it out of my hand, sending it flying to the ground. Fury flashed across his face as he snapped, "Ivy Stein, the Graves family needs a woman who can actually show her face in public. Stop buying cheap trash like this. You're embarrassing me. How do you expect my parents to accept you like this?" I picked up the food in humiliation, threw it into the trash, and nodded meekly for the sake of our four years together in college. "As you wish." … However, the very next day, he switched his fiancee to Amelia Lane. "Ivy, Amelia tried to kill herself just to marry me. She's in the hospital now. Once she's stable again, I'll come back and marry you." Four years later, he showed up at my tiny apartment with a diamond ring in hand. "Ivy, Amelia has already agreed to divorce me. We can finally be together. I told you before—once Amelia lets go of her obsession with me and stops hurting herself, I'll come and marry you." I frowned at Stellan's so-called heartfelt expression. I must have had terrible luck that day. Who'd have thought I'd run into this wacko when I'd come back to my place on a whim?! "Move," I demanded, shoving him out the door. "You're blocking the way. I need to pick up my kid from school."

Maya Reyes is twenty-six, quietly resilient, and out of options. When she takes a live-in nanny position for a Manhattan billionaire, she expects a difficult employer and a lonely child. She gets both, but she also gets Ethan Cole. Ethan lost his wife eighteen months ago and has been managing the grief the only way he knows how: by controlling everything around him. His apartment is spotless, his rules are laminated, his daughter Lily is the only crack in the armour he has built around his life, and it is through Lily that Maya begins to see the man underneath. What follows is not a dramatic love story, it is a quiet one. He carries her to her room when she falls asleep on the floor, he heats her soup when she hasn't eaten. He holds her hand in a dark car and lets go like it never happened. She cooks for him, confronts him, tells him truths no one else will, and slowly without either of them naming it, they become the most important person in each other's lives. But grief doesn't move in straight lines. When Ethan's fear gets the better of him, he tries to restore the distance, and nearly loses the one thing that has made him want to come back to life. It will take a four-year-old's unfiltered honesty, a letter Maya writes from the floor of her room, and a man finally choosing to stop running, for both of them to find their way to the other side of it. When Winter Blooms is a story about what love looks like before anyone admits it exists, and what it costs to let it.

"Shut down for rectification, fined $500,000, plus $300 compensation per customer. That’s the penalty from the Food Safety Bureau. Let’s see if you dare serve us gutter oil again!” Yves Larson, a part-timer at a construction site, sends me a provocative text purposefully, as though he's worried that I don't know what's going on. I just stare at the sign that says "closed for renovation", which is hung on the front door of my eatery. Never would I expect that the budget eatery that I've opened for the sake of the workers will be transformed into a blade that's aimed at me, thanks to the very same workers. That night, I sit in the apartment that my dad has left to me before his death. There, I spend the whole night smoking. Early the next morning, I head over to the bank and withdraw the money left behind by my dad, which is 260 million dollars. Half a month later, my eatery is open for business again. Work resumes at the construction site as well. Yves leads the construction workers to the restaurant at lunch. "I've taught him a good lesson last time. This time, I'm very sure that he won't have the guts to serve us cheap food made of shitty ingredients!" What he doesn't know is that the original eatery is already demolished. In its place stands a luxurious five-star restaurant. I stand in front of the main entrance as I perform a welcoming gesture to the workers. "This is a five-star restaurant that offers a private dining experience to you. The minimum bill for each table is 4000 dollars. You're welcome to dine here."

Zane Kessler, tough captain of the Thunder Wolves, has spent years vowing to crush Jaxon Caldwell, the fast, clever captain of the Storm Hawks. Their rivalry is brutal… hard checks, sharp words, pure hatred on the ice. But after Zane's team loses their biggest game of the season, Jaxon finds him alone in the empty locker room. An argument flares… then a simple touch turns into a soft, surprising kiss. Hate suddenly feels warm and confusing. From that moment, their rivalry begins to melt into something sweeter and deeper. But the hockey world isn't kind to feelings like this. Coming out could destroy their careers, and their teams would never forgive the captains falling for the enemy. Then the league drops the bombshell… the Thunder Wolves and Storm Hawks must merge into one team for the upcoming National Championship. To foster unity, Zane and Jaxon are forced to share a small apartment near the rink. They share the same space, the same locker room, and literally breathe the same air. At first it feels like torture… bumping into each other in the kitchen, sharing the couch after tough games, trying to act like nothing has changed. But the walls come down fast. Quiet talks turn into laughter. Simple meals become excuses to sit close. Stolen kisses in the dark hallway feel like winning the biggest game of their lives. Now they must lead their new team to the title while hiding a love that grows stronger every day. One wrong glance, one slip, and it could shatter everything… the championship, their careers, and the beautiful thing they’ve finally found. On the ice they were sworn enemies. Off it, they’re falling hard. And the closer they get, the more impossible it is to let go. Who will surrender first?

“I’m confused,” Jane said. “Actually I’m very confused.” Tristan gave her a bored look, “About what?” “What just happened upstairs? Did you forget that you just told your mother- I mean Your Highness that we are dating? Because the last time I checked, we spent one night together?! Are you crazy?” “It’s really not that complicated,” Tristan turned towards her, a determined look in his eyes. “We will date for a while. I mean fake date for a while so that my mother and the media can get off our back. No big deal. It’s not like you have a boyfriend or anything. Why are you worried?” Jane wanted to kill him and wipe that lazy smirk off his face. But he was royalty, and she would pretty much be hung for that. It was not worth it. *** Jane Rosetti is an exchange medical student in Walsh, new to almost everything. To pay off her student loans, she’s working as a bartender in a high-end club “Floral Liquor”, where she meets Tristan. At first, she’s incredibly taken by his good looks and thick accent. She has no idea about his real identity, which doesn’t matter as they end up in bed together. Prince Tristan of Walsh has finally returned to his hometown after two years. As he’s been very secretive, everyone wants exclusive about him. So when he’s exiting Jane’s apartment, he’s captured with her panties stuck on to his sleeve. Both of them are photographer together, and that’s when Jane’s troubles start. Right after her one night with the Prince. ***

My best friend had one rule: stay away from my brother. But what he didn't know was that his brother kept me up all night. Wren Mercer had spent years being just Ross's best friend. Fine with holidays at the Calloway house, years of watching Dani, Ross's older brother, move through life like nothing could touch him, fine with the fact that he never once looked at her like she was worth the trouble. So she did what any sensible girl would do, she found someone else. Blake Hendrix was everything that made sense on paper. Charming, attentive, and most importantly, not Dani Calloway. She told herself it was moving on. She told herself it was working. What she didn't know was that Blake had his own reasons for getting close to her, ones that had everything to do with the brother she was trying so hard to forget. When Ross invites her to move into their off-campus apartment, she tells herself it's still fine. She has Blake. She has a plan. Dani barely registers her existence anyway. She can handle proximity. She's wrong. Because Dani does notice her. He always has. What starts as tension becomes stolen moments, a secret neither of them planned, and the slow terrifying realization that this is the most real thing either of them has felt in years. But Ross is right there. Blake is closer than she thinks. And secrets don't stay hidden forever. She fell first. He fell harder. And what breaks between them might not be fixable.