Atleast Or At Least

In an East London lock up, two film makers, Jimmy and Sam, are duct taped to chairs and forced to watch a snuff film by Ashkan, a loan shark to whom they owe a lot of money. If they don’t pay up, they’ll be starring in the next one. Before the film reaches its end, Ashkan and all his men are slaughtered by unknown assailants. Only Jimmy and Sam survive the massacre, leaving them with the sole copy of the snuff film. The film makers decide to build their next movie around the brutal film. While auditioning actors, they stumble upon Melissa, an enigmatic actress who seems perfect for the leading role, not least because she’s the spitting image of the snuff film’s main victim. Neither the film, nor Melissa, are entirely what they seem however. Jimmy and Sam find themselves pulled into a paranormal mystery that leads them through the shadowy streets of the city beneath the city and sees them re-enacting an ancient Mesopotamian myth cycle. As they play out the roles of long forgotten gods and goddesses, they’re drawn into the subtle web of a deadly heresy that stretches from the beginnings of civilization to the end of the world as we know it. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Welcome to the world of forbidden fantasies. Ryan Parker 35 year old, CEO of the Parker industries, cold hearted, ruthless and reversed. The name that could shake the entire business world. His aim was never to chase love. He hunted for dominance and power. He only made one mistake in his life, hiring the daughter of his best friend, Alina. She was innocent, that had captured his mind since the first time she walked into his office. Alina Spenser 18 year old, sweet, Assistant to Mr Ryan Parker. She had a crush on Mr Parker the first time she met in teens. He was her father's best friend, the man her father talks about. With a sharp jawline and commanding voice he made her burn in places she doesn't understand. But the time blurred and he vanished from their lives without a warning, swallowed by the hunger of building business and ambition. She moved on, at least that's what she thought, only writing her small crush in her diary. Until one day he came back to her father’s funeral. And everything has changed since then.

She wanted freedom… but traded one cage for another. Ember thought escape would mean freedom. She thought leaving Kelvin, the man who vowed to love her but would rather bury her six feet under than let her go, would save her. But freedom came wearing a darker suit. Aaron Moretti, a cold, Ruthless and Untouchable. A Mafia lord and a business tycoon who took her not out of mercy, but as collateral for a debt her toxic boyfriend owed him. In one swift move, he became both her saviour and her captor. Now trapped in his gilded prison, Ember is forced into servitude, haunted by the possibility of being sold to the highest bidder if Kelvin doesn’t pay up. Aaron, with his icy eyes and domineering presence, makes no promises least of all freedom. Yet, against her will, she finds herself drawn to the man who holds her chains. But in the Mafia world, love is a weakness a weapon your enemies will wield against you. And when debts are cleared and loyalties tested, Ember must decide: is Aaron her second chance… or her final downfall?

She was running from a man who owned her past. He was the man willing to fight for her future. Cassie Davidson doesn’t do love. At least not anymore. A talented cook with a locked heart, she lives by one rule: never get too close. But when George Sinclair, a soft-spoken billionaire with sharp eyes and a quiet fire, walks into her life, her rulebook starts to crack. George sees through her walls. He doesn’t ask questions but also never misses a detail. And when Cassie begins to let him in, she feels something she thought she lost forever... Safe. Just when she's beginning to breathe again, her nightmare returns. Xavier, the ex she barely escaped, is back. And this time, he's not playing fair. Caught between the ghosts of her past and a man willing to rewrite her future, Cassie must decide: will she keep surviving, or finally choose to live, fight? Hearts Unchained is a slow-burn billionaire romance pulsing with emotional tension, deep healing, and a love worth breaking chains for.

As soon as I graduated from university, I suggested to my three roommates that we should rent a place together. The place I found was near our workplace, and it was cheap as well. It was much better than the house they used to rent in the suburbs. During the first three months of renting the place together, everything seemed fine. One day, I got off work early and heard them talking in the living room. "I did some research online. The rent of the houses in this area is at least 2 grand a month. But ours is only 800 dollars a month. How about we rent the master bedroom out for 800 dollars? That way, we won't have to pay any rent." "Alright, I'm in! Why does Jessica always get to sleep in the master bedroom? Even if she covered all the bills of this house, how much would that cost anyway?" "I've had it with her arrogant attitude. Thinking of her being homeless makes me want to laugh!" I laughed inwardly. 'You want to see me homeless? But I'm the landlord!'

"Sign the papers, Elara. Chloe is dying, and her body is rejecting the treatments. You are a perfect match for the bone marrow transplant, and it is the least you can do after being entirely useless to my family for three years." Julian Sterling, the ruthless CEO of Sterling Enterprises, threw the divorce papers at her feet. Elara Vance did not cry. She signed the papers, left her wedding ring on the mahogany desk, and vanished into the night. Three years later, Chloe's condition mutates, and Julian is utterly desperate. He offers a staggering bounty of one hundred million USD to locate the mythical, elusive "Dr. S," the only surgeon alive capable of saving his beloved. After months of begging the global medical underground, the heavy doors of the Genesis Institute open for him. Julian drops to his knees, ready to surrender his entire empire. But the woman looking down at him in a pristine white coat is not a stranger. It is Elara. And standing behind her, playing with a scalpel and looking at Julian with murderous intent, is Dante Morretti—the deadliest billionaire in Europe, who calls Elara his Queen.

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

"A hundred million. Take it, leave my son Eric, and never come back." Luna Anya stood at the entrance of Dark Moon Manor, looking down at me, her eyes cold and full of disgust. Before, I would've burst into tears, shaking, begging, "I'm not with him for the money!" But now, I just lowered my head and said quietly, "Okay." She froze for a second, then sneered, "You pathetic Omega. At least you know your place." Back in Eric's private villa, I asked Eric, "If I left, would you search for my scent? Would you look for me?" But he just laughed, pushed me away, and said, "Who do you think you are? Go if you want. I wouldn't waste my breath on you." So, I really did leave. But a rumor started spreading through the werewolf world. Eric, the future Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack, had gone mad. He was searching the world, desperate to find the scent of a lowly Omega. "I was wrong, Sera! Please, come back!"

On the eve of his 26th birthday, Luca Virelli, heir to a multi billion dollar empire is set to announce his engagement to a woman he barely knows. It’s a merger of dynasties, a flawless public image, and a life scripted to perfection. There's only one problem: Luca is gay, and no one knows, least of all his ruthless, image obsessed father. Drowning in guilt, silence, and a future he never chose, Luca does the unthinkable: he gets drunk, kisses a stranger in a crowded club, and spends one unforgettable night in a hotel room with him. No names. No faces. No future. Just escape. But fate has other plans. The next day, as Luca meets his fiancée at their engagement party, that same stranger appears, standing calmly at her side. He’s her brother. Asher Hartwell. And he’s supposed to be straight. As worlds collide, desire smolders in the shadows. But love this dangerous can’t stay secret for long. When lies unravel and the cost of freedom means losing everything, family, power, legacy, Luca and Asher must decide: is the wrong kind of love worth everything it will destroy?

Elara Smith thought she had a perfect life with her husband who liked her and her baking and was least bothered by the fact that she couldn’t give him kids. However, her world came crashing down when she got to know that her husband was not only seeing his childhood sweetheart and an Ex, Vicky but also got her pregnant. That was when she took the tough decision of her life and decided to leave her husband without telling him that she was carrying his kids. Aiden Lockwood used to be the most eligible bachelor before his marriage to Elara. He was the most handsome and gorgeous hunk alive who ruled the business world by running Lockwood Industries across the globe. The moment Vicky returned to his life, he thought he now had everything. But oh, man. He was wrong. What would he do after learning that he was the father of triplets? Would he go after Elara and win her back? And the million-dollar question! Would she ever be able to forgive him and love him again?