Backroom Book Novels & Stories

Once the elevator stopped, Desiree sighed in relief, but it was short-lived as she heard him call her. "Follow me." Without uttering another word, Desiree followed Elijah into the hallway. Just like yesterday, a pin drop silence prevailed on Elijah's arrival. He walked past everyone, radiating the aura of confidence and self-assurance, commanding their respect and attention. Unknowingly, Desiree's eyes settled on his back. His dark hair was slicked back with perfection. His well-built muscles strained against the white long sleeves, appearing incredibly firm to the touch. Finally, her eyes rested on his calloused hands, the size of which matched his face.

Mandy didn't hesitate, quickly occupying the largest guest room right beside the master bedroom. Following that, piles of luxury packaging boxes frequently littered the living room. A designer bag today, a pair of limited-edition high heels tomorrow, and a set of high-end skincare products ordered the day after. Every time it came to payment, she would smile and say to Heidi. "Mr. Tucker will be a big shot in the future. This bit of money is nothing." Meanwhile, Harrison was being driven insane by debt collection calls. Overdue credit card reminders popped up one after another, and the banks continuously pressured him for repayment.

There were even several explicit bedroom photos that left very little to the imagination. The timestamps caught my attention—they had been taken the week before Connor joined Zeller Inc. There were even several photos taken after he had already gotten involved with Amanda. I stared at the images and couldn't help laughing. 'Interesting. The innocent, pure-hearted college boy Amanda treasured above everything else—the man she had thrown away her husband and family for—turned out to be someone else's bait. His so-called noble claim that he only wanted love and not money? That was only because there had always been a much bigger payday waiting at the end of the line.'

I rushed back from out of town overnight when my best friend, Siobhan Coventry, went into labor. After learning that both mother and child were safe, I got teary-eyed with emotion. "Have you decided on the baby's name yet?" I asked. Her smile stiffened unnaturally for a moment. "Leonard Kessler. We'll call him Leo." "Kessler?" I stared at her in surprise. "I thought you said the baby would take your last name. Is his biological father's last name Kessler?" She gave me a vague hum before quickly changing the subject. "Ginny, I've been craving the wraps from that place in the college town." I nodded, forcing my doubts aside, and went out to buy one for her. It was only when I reached the

He looked startled, embarrassed, scrambling for words. "How is it you?" I demanded. "Where's Colin?" He avoided my gaze. "I... H-He already left." Colin left? Was he really just going to walk away and let this happen? "Untie me. I need to talk to him," I ordered. Scott tried to block me. We struggled briefly, and that was when I saw it. A tiny red dot in the corner of the ceiling. A camera. My blood ran cold. This room wasn't just twisted. It was dangerous.

He must have kept the evidence of his dirty secrets in a place where it won't be discovered easily. My eyes fell on a bookshelf at the back of the room. I’d seen it hundreds of times, but only now did I really see it. The books were not old novels but instead about sports, football magazines, and even a few on gambling. “Motherfucker,” I hissed as I crossed the room. It took a few seconds of pulling books and magazines down before I found it. A thick manila folder tucked behind Sports Betting for Beginners. With a heavy heart, I took it over to the desk and opened the folder. A few seconds in, a cold knot formed in my stomach.

They were already suspicious of me and I couldn’t risk it. The library had floor-to-ceiling shelves, thick with the scent of old paper and cedar polish. A quiet, forgotten room. It suited Victor—a man who seemed to thrive in silence, buried beneath layers of legacy and restraint. But even silent places had secrets, and I was getting good at pulling those apart. Hopefully, I'm able to do this one before the time runs out I moved to the back wall, where the older books were. Politics. History. Ledgers. The usual placeholders for the real things people didn’t want found.

With a quiet sigh, she got out of bed and walked down the hallway. Returning the book would give her something to do. Damien’s study door was unlocked. She stepped inside and walked to the bookshelf. Benita slid the book back into place. Her eyes scanned the titles. If she couldn’t sleep, she might as well read something else. She pulled out another book. But as it came free, something behind it shifted. Benita paused. She pushed the book aside. A file sat tucked behind it. Her name was written across the front. BENITA McCRACKEN

The assistant of the young man dressed in a classic English fit suit that was sitting on the sofa of the hospital room was named Fu Chao. At this moment, the assistance had been bearing his anxiety for five days now. Fu Chao was holding onto a bunch of papers in his hand that needed his boss to sign. However, when he quietly looked at his boss who was sitting in a chair near the bed of the patent while reading a Japanese book, he could only pretend that the important papers were nonexistent.

"You're in college now, so act a little more mature. Take my son, for example. He's studying in the Veyrion and sharing an apartment with strangers. At first, he wanted to move out too. But now, they all get along fine. "If he can do it, why can't you?" I rolled my eyes at Gary's pompous little speech. He clearly leaned on his PhD wife and loved bragging about having a highly educated spouse and a child studying abroad. Put nicely, he seemed relaxed and privileged. But put bluntly, he was just showing off. Since changing dorms was out of the question, I sighed and left the office.