Appalachian Mountains Rules Novels & Stories

All her life, Evangeline knew only one thing: pain. Born from her father’s affair, a living reminder of a mistake, she grew up as a ghost in her own house. Unwanted. Useful only when the cameras were on. Never when love was needed. Then one morning, everything shifted. “Roman De Luca wants to marry your sister. He is too dangerous for her. So you will take her place.” A decision, not a question. And in that moment, Eva finally understood: this wasn’t about protecting her sister. It was the easiest way to erase her. On the day of the wedding, she is pushed forward like someone disposable. A stand-in. Roman De Luca, the feared mafia heir, was known for rage, for cold judgment, for destroying anyone who lied to him. So Eva walks down the aisle with trembling hands, waiting for the moment he exposes her and ends her. But when he lifts her veil, he doesn’t look furious. He looks like a man finally breathing. “I always knew it would be you,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “This was the only way I could have you.” Eva shakes, stunned. “I thought you wanted my sister.” He touches her like she’s something fragile, something rare. “You said it yourself,” he murmurs. “Whatever you have, your sister gets snatched from you. And whatever your sister hates gets dumped on you.” His thumb brushes her cheek, slow, reverent. “So to have you, my queen, I willingly let myself get dumped.”

Professor Zira Voss has spent years building a reputation for control. At Hawthorne College she is known for her sharp intellect, strict standards, and the cool authority that keeps students firmly in their place. But Zira has a secret. Late at night, behind a locked door and the glow of her laptop screen, she becomes Obsidian Queen—the anonymous patron of a mysterious livestream performer known only as Shadowed Knight. What began as a private escape from pressure and loneliness was never meant to follow her into the real world. Until the day a new transfer student walks into her lecture hall. Tristan Vale is confident, observant, and far too perceptive for comfort. When Zira notices the sleek black card that links him to the identity she knows online, a dangerous realization takes hold. The secret they share could destroy them both. Zira risks her hard-earned career and reputation. Tristan risks the scholarship that brought him to Hawthorne. What begins as a tense battle for control soon spirals into a rivalry neither of them can easily escape. And just when Zira thinks the situation cannot become more complicated, Damian—the man from her past who refuses to let her go—returns, determined to reclaim his place in her life. With secrets closing in and tensions rising, the lines between control, obsession, and vulnerability begin to blur.

After I confessed to my childhood crush, he smirked and said, "If you can get that loser to drink from the same bottle you did, I'll date you." Seriously? Was I really reborn fifteen years ago? I raced over to Noah—top of the class and hot as hell—and dropped the water bottle on his desk in front of everyone. He clocked the lipstick stain, face turning crimson. Future business mogul? Right now, he looked like some poor kid waiting to get crushed. I nudged the bottle closer. "Using that genius brain to collect bottles for cash? Kinda tragic. Be my private tutor instead." He might be broke, but lucky for him, I've got money to burn.

My wife, Vivian Lane, is the wealthiest woman. Her assistant had made it clear he had three "do-not-disturb" rules: no messages after work, no calls on weekends, and absolutely no contact when he was in a bad mood. Because of this, the company lost a major deal—one worth over a hundred million. Yet the assistant looked completely unbothered. "Sorry, I had no idea one phone call could make such a difference. If something goes wrong and I have to be the one to take the blame, fine—I'm just another cog in the machine." My wife snapped, "Who said anything about blaming you? You did exactly what you were told." She shot me a look of pure irritation. "You take the profits from the project, and when things fall apart, you dump it on the regular employees? Is that how you run a business? If your company folds over something this small, it just proves you're not fit to be in charge." It suddenly clicked, and I let out a quiet laugh. So she thought this project belonged to my company? I didn't bother correcting her. To be honest, I couldn't really hold it against her—after all, it wasn't my company going under.

"I didn’t know I was marrying two people. He wore the suit, but she pulled the strings. The day I walked down the aisle, eyes locked with the man I loved, I thought I had found peace. I thought I was finally leaving behind the noise of my childhood, the ache of loneliness, and the years I spent praying for a love that would choose me, only me. But no one told me that some men never truly leave their mothers. They marry, yes,but their hearts remain tangled in an invisible umbilical cord, one that stretches past vows, past bedrooms, past boundaries. I moved into our new home, only to find that the walls had ears, hers. We lived in separate flats, but it never truly felt like my space. My marriage was a room she walked into, uninvited but ever present. Her opinions dripped into our arguments, her eyes followed me from behind lace curtains, and her voice echoed in decisions that should have belonged to me and my husband. At first, I kept quiet. I told myself it was cultural. Respect. Family. Then I told myself it was temporary. Then I stopped telling myself anything at all, because nothing I said made a difference. This is not a story of hate. It’s a story of love, tested by bloodlines, boundaries, and a battle I never asked to fight. This is my truth. The marriage I thought was mine. The home that never really felt like home. And the rules I never agreed to, but had to live by, simply because… I was under her roof".

When my husband, Lucius Croft, and I were on a flight that was heading toward our honeymoon destination, his childhood friend, Belinda Todd, suddenly appeared before us while pregnant. She claimed that she had bought an economy-class ticket and that she wanted to go on a vacation with us. Not only did Lucius not reject Belinda, but he also wanted me to give my first-class ticket away to her. I turned his suggestion down. So, he helped Belinda occupy the first-class seat next to us. When I realized that an old lady was the owner of that particular seat, I did everything I could to convince Lucius to return the seat to her. Unexpectedly, Belinda was so mad that she got off the plane right away. On her way home, she got into an accident, which killed her and her unborn baby. Lucius attended her funeral calmly. But on the day I was supposed to go into labor, he tied me up in the car and staged a car accident on purpose. "This is all your fault! If it wasn't for you, Belinda never would've died! You deserve to make it up to her with your life!" I could only watch the car drive into the tree in total despair. All I saw was a huge explosion and tongues of flame around me before I completely lost consciousness. When I open my eyes again, I see Belinda standing before me with her belly jutting out. This time, I no longer stop them. What they don't know is that the inconspicuous-looking old lady is actually a member of the esteemed Howard family, also known as the global business powerhouse. She's also the grandmother of the richest man in the world, Ethan Howard.

Rule number one of corporate survival: never let them see you bleed. Quincy Hale knows that better than anyone. After losing her third job in five months, she receives an unexpected offer from one of the most powerful companies in the city. The problem? She never applied. Determined to uncover the mystery, Quincy steps into Sanders Tower and comes face-to-face with Kaelen Sanders—a brilliant, ruthless CEO whose piercing gaze misses nothing and whose rules are not meant to be challenged. What begins as a battle of wills soon evolves into something far more perilous. The deeper Quincy digs into the reason she was hired, the closer she gets to buried family secrets, ruthless corporate rivals, and truths someone is willing to protect at any cost. And somewhere between the lies, the power games, and the slow-burning tension neither of them can ignore, Quincy realizes one thing: In Kaelen Sanders' world, the only thing more dangerous than earning his hatred... is earning his trust.

What John Dyke and I had was nothing more than a business marriage. In my previous life, I failed to understand that from the very beginning. I foolishly wanted love from him. I wanted us to be a real husband and wife. Worse, I kept throwing my weight around as Mrs. Dyke and constantly targeted the woman he truly loved. In the end, I destroyed the marriage alliance and ruined the partnership between our families. When my family went bankrupt, I was driven to my death by debt collectors. Meanwhile, John rose to become the richest man in the country, married the love of his life, and walked away with both power and happiness. Then I opened my eyes again. I had returned to the very first time I caught John and his precious first love together in a private club room. John frowned at me. "Naomi West, we had an agreement before this marriage. Other than appearing together when necessary, we don't interfere in each other's private lives. What exactly are you doing right now?" His tone carried barely suppressed anger. But in my previous life, not only did I fail to notice, I arrogantly slapped his true love in the name of being Mrs. Dyke. That was the beginning of my road to destruction. The memory of my car plunging off a cliff while I desperately tried to escape debt collectors flashed through my mind. I immediately waved my hands. "Whoa, don't misunderstand. I just walked into the wrong room. Please, carry on. Don't worry, I understand the rules of a business marriage." I backed out of the private room and even thoughtfully closed the door behind me. Then I turned around and went to find a few handsome young men to keep me company. Endless money to spend, a lot of time to enjoy my life, a husband who never came home... I really must have lost my mind in my previous life to waste time begging John for love.

One world, Two sworn enemies. Countless secrets laced with undeniable tension. Senior year was supposed to change my life—but then I got stuck with the one person who could either ruin my life for the worst or bring out a part of me I never knew existed, being the reason I’d never be the same again. Jayden Sinclair. Arrogant. Infuriating. Insufferably attractive. Everything about him gets under my skin, even the way he breathes, and now what? We have to be dorm mates. Every argument felt like a battle. Every glance lasted a second too long. Somewhere between sarcasm, stolen moments, and secrets neither of us dared to confess, I made the biggest mistake of my life… I fell for him. Then he left. No explanation. No goodbye. Just a broken promise and a heart I swore I’d never let him touch again. Years later, fate throws us back into each other’s lives but not as roommates, but as business rivals. The hatred between us burns hotter than ever, but so does everything we never managed to bury. They say first love never dies but I wish mine had.

She was deceived by people who were wolves in sheep's clothing and ended up dead on the operating table with both her eyes and uterus removed. However, God was kind enough to give her a second chance of life. She was gifted with ethereal beauty and a gaze that could kill. Every gesture and expression she made was as poisonous as opium poppy. Step by step, she laid out her scheme, swore to send people who murdered her down to hell and suffer in eternal doom. At the same time, she took great lengths to insinuate herself in the life of her ex-fiancé after breaking off the engagement in her past life for the douchebag. One day, she approached him with a seductive smile and said, "Mr. Gu, you might view me as wild and promiscuous, but in reality, I am a well-mannered lady. I am also loyal and faithful to my loved one. You will have to see past this facade in order to know the real me."