Apple Cheeks Smile

They called me a gold digger. A barren fool. A street rat in designer heels. For three years, I played the perfect wife to an aging, cheating husband. I bit my tongue through their cruel snickers, desperate to earn a place in a family that never wanted me. I endured everything—humiliation, betrayal, loneliness—all for a child that never came. But when my arrogant stepdaughter brought home her shiny new fiancé that fateful evening, fate handed me a new game to play. This time, I wasn’t begging to belong. This time, I was ready to burn it all down—with a smile on my face.

"They were entwined with each other, luxuriating in the throes of passion, the man's robust body..." I was hiding in my office, secretly penning the next development in my story, when a voice from behind me began to read my words aloud, one by one. It was the new intern, a young man. I trembled, pleading with him, "Please, don't tell anyone." He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his hands bracing the edge of the desk, trapping me between his arms. "So, this is what you like?" His throat bobbed, and a smile played on his lips, "Then, why don't we... try it out, just the two of us...

'All men are same', were the words Starr lived by, pushing every man that came her way away. Until, Christopher Chariton walked into it, with his big smile and caring heart. Starr Hart is a fierce working class woman, who owes a publishing firm and was hurt by love a long time ago. Physically, psychologically, emotionally and mentally hurt, she vouched strongly against feelings, pushing everyone around her away. But then Chris Chariton, an author of love and romance, walks into her life and falls for her, without knowing about her vouch. He wills to do everything within his power to make her feel love again.

At Bridgehall High, Charlotte Tilbury was the picture perfect queen, top grades, a flawless Instagram, a handsome boyfriend, dreamy sex life and a legion of admirers. But a midnight dare on a secret dating app leads her to Sophie, the new girl with a hidden past and a smile that feels real. But when Sophie walks into her school as a transfer student , everyone’s secrets, her best friend’s, her boyfriend’s, and her own, start to unravel. And a rogue gossip page turns the school into a battlefield of lies, Charlotte’s carefully curated world begins to crack. When the truth about Max, Maya, and the mysterious “Lottie” finally erupts, will anyone be left untouched?

The year my boyfriend lost his sight in a car accident, I silently disappeared. Later, when he regained his sight, he used every means to find me and forced me to stay by his side. Everyone said I was his true love, unwilling to let go even though I abandoned him. Until one day, he appeared in front of me with his fiancée, and he asked, "Mia Frank, does the taste of betrayal feel good?" I shook my head with a faint smile, it didn't matter, even if it hurt, it wouldn't hurt for long, because I was about to forget him.

On campus, Karl is untouchable. The Golden Boy of the campus.Swim team captain. Record breaker. No one notices the benchwarmer—the quiet swimmer who never competes, the one always left behind after practice. Until one night, he returns to the locker room and see’s something he was never meant to see. Karl isn’t human. Caught between fear and fascination, the benchwarmer is pulled into a secret that could destroy both of them.As strange incidents begin to plague the campus and Karl’s control starts to slip, survival becomes a game of silence, trust, and dangerous attraction. Because some monsters don’t hide in the dark. They wear gold medals—and smile in the daylight.

Three years ago, Alpha King Dante Russo rejected me as his mate. Called me weak. Worthless. Unworthy. Now he wants me back—not for love, but for a contract. Six months as his Luna. Bear his heir. Twenty million dollars. But I'm not the helpless omega he remembered. I'm a Silver Wolf with ancient powers that could reshape our world. I'll play his game. Share his bed. Smile for his pack. But when this contract ends, he'll finally understand what he lost. Unless the mate bond we thought was broken destroys us both first.

My new dormmate thinks my boyfriend is a player and advises me to break up with him. After I politely reject her, she gets mad and complains about me online, saying I'm love-addled brain. Her video goes viral, and the online community calls me an ingrate who doesn't know what's good for me. When I see the smug smile on my dormmate's face, I slap her without even batting an eye. "Stop acting like you're a champion for feminism when all you can think of is making yourself seem better than other women!"

“F*ck, you’re so tight, babe!” I put a hand over my mouth as I peeked through the gap in the door. “I like it! I like it! Harder, Dan!” Gia moaned, nearly losing her mind. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do this anymore, since you’re getting married tomorrow,” Gia said, breathless. “Even if I’m married, I’ll still pound you hard like I’m single,” Daniel replied between breaths, continuing to thrust into Gia—while Gia glanced toward where I was and smirked at me, as if to mock me. Yes—she could see me clearly. And it felt like she asked Daniel that on purpose, as if it was something they did all the time. I used to think Daniel was such a gentleman because he never asked me for that kind of thing. Turns out, he was getting it from someone else. Inside the room, I could see my fiancé, Daniel, completely naked behind his childhood friend Gia—who was also completely naked. I didn’t even realize the tears were falling until I felt them on my cheeks, still staring at their filthy act. I thought I would be the one to surprise him—but I was the one who ended up shocked. I didn’t stay to watch what happened next. I left and wiped my tears away. “Just wait,” I whispered into the air, “and you’ll see how Althea Bailey gets her revenge…”

"Why are you doing this?" He sighed as he walked around the bed to my side but he didn't answer. He leaned closer, and I closed my eyes. I could hear our heartbeats, and I could hear his breathing as well. If I didn't see how cold he was to me, I would have thought he was affected by me. But I knew better. I felt the shackle tighten around my neck as tears streamed down my face. It hurt that I had to be shackled, but what hurt the most was that it was my mate doing this. "Fuck." I heard him mutter under his breath. My hand was hoisted up and the chain around my wrist loosened. "Let's go." I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I stood up and followed him. I refused to look at him. I didn't know which was better, the chain or the shackle. Because regardless of what I had, they both meant the same thing - I was nothing but a mere rogue to him.  ¤¤¤¤¤ Stealing The Heart of My Alpha is the final installment in the Black Shadow Pack Series. While the story stands alone, I recommend that you read the series and the spin-off novels to gain a better understanding of the characters and the world I created. BLACK SHADOW PACK SERIES: Book 1 - HE'S MY ALPHA (Completed) Book 2 - THE BETA IS MINE (Completed) Book 3 - LOVING THE GAMMA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 1 - IN THE ARMS OF MY ALPHA (Completed) Spin-off Novel Book 2 - THROUGH THE EYES OF MY ALPHA (Completed)