Barely Working

Colter Giordano, my fiancé of six years, heir to the Giordano family, took a bullet for a dancer named Mia. He didn't take one for me. A bullet tore through my shoulder. Blood bloomed across my dress, hot and sticky. But my heart hurt worse. He asked if I was okay. Just once. Then he rushed Mia to the hospital, leaving me bleeding on the floor. The next day, Mia's picture popped up on my Instagram feed. There she was, in a luxury hospital suite. Colter was fussing over a scratch on her arm that was barely there. The caption was just two words: "My Hero." I liked the post. Then I made an encrypted call. "The Falcone family's offer," I said. "I'm taking it. Get me on a plane to Sicily. Three days."

"Didn't you ask me to marry you? I permit you to wed me," said the raven-haired woman with a straight, blank face. "...Pardon?" "Let's get married." "...Weren't you the one who repeatedly rejected my proposal last night?" "Can't a woman play hard to get?" The man's face twitched. He could barely keep up with her, "Look, once you—" "So, you won't marry me?" A strange glint passed through the man's amber orbs which disappeared quickly just as it came by. "Who's to say I won't?" — In which a commander of a special unit under the PSIA found himself in a contractual marriage with his strange and mysterious neighbor. Little did he know that she's one heck of a little assassin.

Two years after her sister vanished without a trace, Sera Duvall is barely surviving emotionally and financially. But when a chance encounter leads her into the arms of Lucien Calder, the tech billionaire who was the last known person to see her sister, she makes a dangerous choice: infiltrate his world and expose the truth from within. Lucien is controlled, powerful, and hiding something behind every careful word. He offers her a deal: stay with him for one week, and he’ll give her what she wants. But the closer Sera gets to uncovering what happened, the more tangled she becomes in a web of secrets, emotional manipulation, and a slow-burning desire she didn’t see coming. And in a world where love is leverage and lies are currency, the truth may destroy them both.

At Ryder Quinn’s kindergarten parent-child sports day, I expected my husband, Michael Quinn, to be away on a business trip. Instead, I found Michael on stage, dressed in a ballet tutu, dancing as one of the "little swans" in the fathers’ performance. I had barely taken a step forward when a little girl in a floral dress darted into his arms, calling out to him in the sweetest voice, "Daddy!" There they stood: Michael, his assistant, Janine Carter, and her daughter—all in matching family outfits. The moment our eyes met, Michael quickly pulled away from her, fumbling for an excuse. "Janine’s a single mom. It isn’t easy for her. I was just helping out." I smiled, cold and steady, and handed him the divorce papers. "Then, do me a favor too, Michael. Stop wasting my youth."

I was never supposed to be his bride, I was the mistake he couldn’t erase. Killian hated me for breathing and for simply existing. His eyes burned with anger every time they landed on me. There was so much hate and heat between us, I could barely breathe. Then there was Nolan, his brother. Quiet, but dangerous. He didn’t look at me like I was broken. He looked at me like he wanted to take everything I had—body and soul. I didn’t mean for this to happen. But guilt tastes a lot like desire when you’re starving for something real. And now I’m caught between two brothers…one who wants to hurt me, and one who already has. This isn’t just a love triangle. It’s a war. And I’m the weapon.

On the eve of my wedding, my wife, Sharon Moonstone, drugged me and knocked me unconscious. She let her first love, Aaron Miller, take my place as the groom, standing beside her as they held the wedding that was supposed to belong to both of us. By the time I finally found them, they had already gone into the bridal suite and consummated their marriage. When I demanded answers, Sharon did not show a trace of guilt. "You live off me. You'd better behave. Make a scene, and we'll divorce." My heart went cold. I handed her the divorce papers, but she barely looked at them. "Looks like you've improved," she said lightly. "At least you know a performance should be convincing from start to finish."

The sense of not belonging somewhere was an understatement especially if you’re living a life like Rosalie’s. After the death of her parents, Rosalie moved from Arizona to Queensland, Australia to live with her grandfather, a man who she had never seen since she was three years old, but this was her father’s request if anything had happened to his and his wife. But what was the point, Rosalie found it pointless that she was told to go live with a man that she barely even knew, but there were reasons and secrets as to why she never knew her grandfather and the things that revolve around him. These secrets and motives involve 7.5 feet, 400-pound creatures with four legs, a tail, inhuman speed, and strength, and enhanced senses that were patiently waiting for Rosalie’s arrival. In the pack, they say, “Sharing is Caring” but how caring is it when it becomes “Selfish”?

Everything came crashing and crawling down the moment his parents were engaged into a ghostly motor accident which caused their life and lead to their downfall. Stefan was left hopeless and homeless as he could barely cater for himself. But everything all changes when he came into encountered with Alexander Black who adopted him on seeing his condition. Alexander sees him as the perfect man for his granddaughter and decided to plans an arranged marriage between the two since it's the only way to prevent his granddaughter from marrying the 80'S, old business partners. But everyone hate and despised Stefan. People are always bullying and mocking him. They thought he was useless and since he's poor, they all look down on him but unknown to them, he's the richest man grandson who can make them beg for mercy and tortured their

Mia Jones – Blake Jones’ little sister who’s not so little anymore. A stunning twenty-year-old with long black hair, green eyes, and shapely curves, she’s a tiny spitfire who barely comes up to Blake’s shoulder. Tanner Greysen – Blake’s best friend since middle school. Although she was always hanging around, he never paid much attention to Mia growing up – she was always just his best friend’s bratty little sister. Three adults, returning to their hometown of Mason, Texas for the holidays. But sparks fly when Tanner notices just how grown-up little Mia has become. His attraction to her could cost him the best friend he’s had for years – if Blake doesn’t kill him outright first, that is.

How does it feel, then, to be kissed by an unlovable brute?——I find it amusing that I didn't even have to track down my runaway bride. She simply climbed into my car, completely oblivious to the fact that I am the man she was running away from. I could catch her. Hunting women down is the last thing I want to be doing, truly. I mean Ruby no harm, even though she unknowingly said some awful, untrue things about me in the car. In time, she’ll learn that those things aren’t true. I’m not like my parents. Still, I have no choice but to marry this girl. She’s barely eighteen, three years younger than me, but it’s fate. All of this mess started about a month ago.