Banter Knife

I am heading to my job interview when my close friend, Thomas Lang—the same guy who always cautions me about meddling in other people's business—suddenly throws caution to the wind and sprints toward the wrecked limousine. I instantly realize that Thomas has been reborn, too. In my past life, Thomas and I were the top two graduates of the finance department, both making it to the final round of interviews at a Fortune 500 conglomerate. Yet, on the day of the interview, we suddenly came across the CEO, Ruth Gibson, who had just gotten involved in a car crash. I abandoned the interview to save her, while Thomas hurried off to the interview. In the end, Thomas landed the offer, while I lost my shot at working at the top conglomerate. I received sympathy from everyone around me. However, Ruth sought me out eventually, and in the spirit of profound gratitude, she presented me with an immediate proposal of marriage. I became the man who would marry Thomas' superior, achieving incredible status overnight. Meanwhile, Thomas stayed an ordinary worker, perpetually crushed by impossible metrics and corporate pressure. I was enjoying the heights of my privilege at the annual dinner, standing beside Ruth, while Thomas lurked in the background. He was a miserable face lost among the nameless guests. Consumed by jealousy, he brandished a knife and stabbed me to death right there. I suddenly open my eyes and realize we are both back at this single, pivotal day of Ruth's accident.

"I can't do this anymore!" Easton cried, trying to break free from the man who had him pinned to the bed by his throat. ''It's been six years, Ilya! Six fucking years of abuse. When am I going to be free from you?" "Does it look like you have any choice?" Ilya smirked coldly. He produced his knife, wanting to carve his name into Easton's heart, so that every time Easton looked in the mirror, he'd know who he belonged to. "You either obey my every command, or watch as I ruin every last bit of the reputation you've toiled tirelessly to build. Don't push me too hard, East, or I'll unleash a storm that will render you breathless and begging for mercy and it won't be cute." As a pop star, Easton Reese had everything he had always hoped for: money, luxurious lifestyle, fame, and fans all across the globe who worshipped him like the idol that he was. But despite all this, Easton felt empty inside. Behind the happy smile he always wore on his face during the day, there was an excess of pain that he had to endure every night, in secret, where no one must know. Being punished for the crime his father had committed wasn't exactly what hurt him most; it was the fact that he was being punished by his childhood sweetheart, the same man he had once loved with all his heart.

My fiancé was the CEO of a powerful financial conglomerate, and to the outside world, he adored me beyond measure. A week before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant with triplets. I had planned to tell him the joyful news in person. But instead, I witnessed him in bed with other women. Not with just one. It felt like a knife had carved into my soul, cutting so deep I lost all hope, all trust. My tears begged for release, but I held my head high, forcing myself to stay strong. For him, I had given up everything—my pride, my family, my career. Yet he chose to share our love with others. All those vows to love me and only me for a lifetime had been lies. Our so-called future, our wedding—it was all a cruel joke. He was no longer the man I once loved. He had become tainted. I would not endure his betrayal. He no longer deserved to be the father of my children. So I made my decision—to disappear, to fake my death and start over, to give myself and my babies a chance at a free, unburdened life. But I never imagined he'd become obsessed and start searching the world for women who resembled me, all while declaring I was the only one he ever loved. Too little, too late. His affection now is worth nothing. This time, I'm not looking back.

Alyssa Hart thought she was just another woman trying to stay invisible in a city that never sleeps. Haunted by a past she refuses to speak about, she’s learned to keep her head down and her circle small. But one rainy night in Los Angeles changes everything. Stalked through a dark alley by a man with a knife, she’s saved by a massive, golden-eyed wolf, only to watch it kill her attacker in a blur. What she doesn’t know is that the creature is Zodiak, who is the primal side of Cole Donovan, a powerful and reclusive billionaire with a secret. Cole is a centuries-old werewolf, and Alyssa is his fated mate. But when she looks at him in wolf form, all she sees is a monster. Torn between his instincts and the need to protect her, Cole decides to win her over the human way through patience, kindness, and trust. As they grow closer, Alyssa begins to feel the pull between them, even as her past begins to resurface in the form of Lucas Slater, a ruthless enemy with a vendetta and a weapon designed to destroy werewolves from the inside out. With Alyssa unknowingly caught in the crossfire and Cole hiding a truth that could destroy everything between them, fate is no longer just a distant whisper. It’s closing in on them both. Set against a backdrop of rain drenched streets, quiet cafés, and hidden danger, this is a story of two souls from different worlds, one human, one supernatural, drawn together by something neither fully understands. As secrets unravel and danger escalates, Alyssa and Cole must decide if love is worth the risk, or if fear will tear them apart before it ever has the chance to bloom.

I was born with a one-track mind—I take everything seriously and do exactly as I'm told. When my adoptive father cursed a rival company, calling them bloodsucking vampires, I immediately went out, bought ten pounds of garlic and a crucifix, and stormed into their CEO's office to perform an exorcism. When my adoptive mother said she was willing to sell a kidney for the sake of the company, I contacted an underground black-market clinic on the spot and asked when they could schedule her surgery. Over time, no one dared joke casually around me anymore. Everyone in the family chose their words with extreme care, terrified I might take them at face value. That is, until the day of the family reunion banquet—when the fake heiress, who refused to leave no matter what, showed up as well. She hooked her arm through my brother's and flashed me a provocative smile. "Arista, Benji dotes on me the most," she said sweetly. "He said if anyone dares to make me unhappy, he'll chop them into pieces and dump them in the river to feed the fish." The banquet hall erupted in laughter. I was the only one whose face went deathly pale. The next second, I kicked my brother, Benji Collins, straight onto the dining table. I grabbed the silver steak knife and pressed it against his throat. "Everyone, stay calm," I announced loudly. "I've already called the police! For publicly advocating premeditated murder, desecration of a corpse, and antisocial personality tendencies… The minimum sentence is the death penalty!"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Mist inquired. Carnation bit her bottom lip and looked down at the papers she was holding. "You can't back out once you sign the contract." She remained silent, so Mist spoke up again, "think about it twice." "It's still possible to quit," Mist suggested. She shook her head repeatedly. "No. . . I've made up my mind." "You're pretty desperate, aren't you?" "My family is in serious debt, and this is the only way I can pay it off." "You're so lovely. You don't belong here. But what options do I have? People like you are exactly what our business requires. Desperate women willing to cling to a knife's edge." Carnation placed the paper on the wooden table. She took a deep breath and quickly signed the contract before returning it to Mist. With a melancholy look, the woman accepted the contract and said, "you can no longer revoke what you have already signed. From today, you are now Mr. Lust's property." Carnation's heart was torn apart by the news. She traded her freedom and pride for the sake of money. When Carnation's father was admitted to the hospital after being diagnosed with lypmhoma. Their family's small business went bankrupt. Carnation had to drop out of college and work to support her family. In serious depth, she had no choice but to work in Casa de Lujuria, an exclusive nightclub owned by Luca Lindenhurst, a Seven Sins Association member.

Tony Gambino never forgave me. His childhood sweetheart died saving my life, and for seven years, his hatred was a constant, silent burn. I fasted. I prayed. I begged for absolution. He met my penance with a cold sneer. "I'll only forgive you when you're dead." The words were a knife to the heart. So why, when we were both poisoned, did he shove the only antidote down my throat? As the poison claimed him, blood trickling from his lips, he choked out his last words, "Scarlett... in our next life, let's never meet." Later, I tried to visit his grave. His sworn brother and Consigliere, Richard Bruno, blocked my path. He pressed a gun to my forehead. "I don't know how you have the nerve to show your face here, Scarlett. He'd be alive if he hadn't saved you. "I should never have let him give up Elma for you. You're a curse. Everyone who gets close to you gets destroyed." Their eyes were unanimous in their blame. And they were right. So I watched his gravesite from a distance, my own guilt a heavier stone than any marker. Not long after, I was killed in a gang crossfire. When I opened my eyes, I was seven years in the past. This time, I made a different choice: I let Tony go—so that everyone might live.

I'm the best plastic surgeon in the industry. Hendrick Twain is a regular customer of mine who has gotten his manhood enlarged nine times via surgery. But after I performed the latest surgery on him, he decides to linger around in my clinic instead of leaving. He keeps showing off his brand-new luxury watch while gloating to me, "Isn't this watch pretty, Dr. Yard? Winona was the one who gifted it to me." Upon noticing my lack of reaction, Hendrick approaches with a smile on his face. Then, he lowers his voice. "What's the use of preserving your chastity, anyway? Winona prefers to be with a plastic hunk like me, who's gone through nine manhood enlargement procedures, than be with you, Mr. Au Naturale." As I stare at Hendrick's face, which has gone under the knife countless times for minor adjustments, I remember the excuses Winona Grahm made to my face every night to avoid going home. Just the memory makes my gut churn in disgust. All of my grievances and disgust turn into ice at that moment. Finally, I take the wedding ring off my ring finger and place it on the desk gently. Then, I grab my phone and dial the number, which I haven't called in the past three years. "Dad." I sound eerily calm on the phone. "Since Winona thinks marriage is nothing but a joke to her, then there's no need for the Grahm family to continue existing in this world."

His lips stretched into a predatory smile that sent chills skittering down my backbone. “Dance on the nails, Sin. Don't make me repeat myself.” He really was the devil. *** Bound to the notorious murderer who’s put a sword to her father’s neck, Princess Annora, fallen from grace, is made to live in Devil’sDen pack as the slave to her captor, Alpha Aegon. Being the fated mate to the Beta of the same vicious pack, Annora plans to use her mate’s feelings as a triumph card, driving her way up to the Alpha’s heart and hoping to put a knife in it. But life happens in reverse— the Alpha becomes the one ‘putting’ things in her. He’s elusive, the most dangerous man she’s ever known. But he’s just as sweet around the edge, alluring in all the forbidden ways. Her hate for him becomes a three-legged chair— wavering. Alpha Aegon hates the Stormbringers for everything they’d cost him, but taking their little white-haired princess was a complete crack in his mode of operation. As harmless as she might seem, everyone is a victim of her wits. Of course, he thinks he’s excluded. Aegon only finds out he’s been mastered in his own game when it's too late, and everything else hangs in the line. His life. Hers. His Virtuous Beta's. What evil befalls this forbidden attraction? How does Annora outsmart this charming man who’s laid waste to everything she’s ever known?

The Mafia circle in New York City was a tangled web, where power shifted in the blink of an eye. The Dusk family, once a powerful force in the underworld, was now reduced to nothing more than a pawn in the game. Their only hope for survival was to marry off their daughters, securing the support they so desperately needed. I, Seraphina Dusk, was sadly one of those daughters. In my past life, I had managed to secure myself a powerful marriage. I married Silas Vane, the head of the most influential mafia family in the country. My sister, Lila, was less fortunate, ending up with Jaxon Westmore—whom she believed would save her. I gave Silas a son and a daughter, and in return, my family was gifted wealth and power. But my sister? She was not so lucky. Jaxon wasn’t the man she thought he was. Instead of honoring the marriage or alliance, he squandered his time on models and strippers, leaving Lila discarded by both him and our father. One seemingly ordinary day, Lila invited me to lunch—never did I expect that she would kill me, drove a knife into my heart. Then she killed herself. And now here I was, reborn, back when our father first told us that Lila and I have to marry for the family. And this time, Lila called her shots on Silas Vane. That’s when I knew. She was reborn as well. Let her have him, then. She had no idea what kind of man he really was.