Behind This Smile Quotes Novels & Stories

On my son's fifth birthday, my Alpha mate allowed his childhood sweetheart Sarah to pick him up from school. I discovered through the tracking device on his watch that he was near the edge of the forest. Having heard reports of rogue wolves attacking in the area recently, I anxiously rushed over, determined to bring him back immediately. He refused to leave with me. While we were locked in this standoff, several rogue wolves burst from the treeline and attacked us. During the fight, I was wounded badly, blood streaming down my face, while I kept my son safely behind me, completely unharmed. But when my Alpha mate arrived to rescue us, he ran straight toward his childhood sweetheart who was hiding off to the side. "Aunt Sarah is a delicate Omega with no fighting ability, Dad. Save her first! Mom, you're so strong, just hold on a little longer!" my son called out. I watched them leave, a bitter smile forming on my lips. They all seemed to ignore the silver dagger piercing my heart as I protected my son. I was dying.

The night before my mating ceremony with Alpha Garrett Northwood of the Silverpine Pack, he held a grand Luna ceremony for my silver-poisoned stepsister behind my back. He held Serena close under the starlit sky, his smile tender in a way I'd never seen: "You're the only one I truly love, Serena." "Even though Maya and I are already registered as mates with the Alpha Council, she'll never have my heart. You're the only one I recognize as my Luna." The pack members cheered and blessed them as they completed the ceremony with joy. I watched it all without crying or screaming. Instead, I quietly scheduled an abortion appointment. I've loved Garrett Northwood for twelve years, ever since I first shifted as an adult. But his heart still only had room for my stepsister Serena. If that's how it was, I'd let go. Later, I joined the secluded Herbal Research Center of the Alpha Council. I left Garrett nothing but a mate bond dissolution agreement. But for some reason, Garrett—who had always treated me with disdain—suddenly went crazy begging me not to leave.

“Will you marry me?” “Hell no.” ––– Isabella Kingston built her empire with cold steel and ruthless determination. At twenty-six, she’s the CEO every man wants to conquer and every woman envies. But when her grandfather’s will took her control away from her, she made a dangerous move—one that could save her legacy or ruin her. Elion Dawson, dark-eyed, devastatingly handsome, and infuriatingly calm, he’s supposed to be nothing more than her assistant. Instead, he’s the man she chooses to marry in a reckless gamble to escape her uncle’s grasp. He was supposed to be another pawn in her games but his touch is addictive, his kisses ruinous, and his intentions anything but innocent. Elion came into her life with a sole purpose, to destroy the family that destroyed his. He was never meant to fall for her… yet every stolen glance, every brush of skin, draws him deeper into a passion that burns hotter than the city skyline at night. In a world where betrayal hides behind every smile and desire can destroy an empire, Isabella must decide—will she fight for her throne, or surrender to the man who could ruin her?

In a world where power is currency and secrets are more valuable than diamonds, Isabella Voss steps into the empire of the ruthless and magnetic Damian Moretti with one purpose—revenge. But beneath the polished marble halls and glittering galas, she discovers that every smile hides an agenda, every alliance conceals betrayal, and every touch carries a price. Their attraction is instant, forbidden, and dangerous. Damian sees in Isabella not just a rival, but an equal—a woman whose intelligence and ambition rival his own. What begins as a calculated partnership to outwit a shared enemy soon spirals into a seductive battle of wits, passion, and strategy. As they rise together through deception and desire, a shocking secret threatens to destroy everything: a hidden heir, born from a past neither fully understands and protected by a web of lies. With enemies closing in, manipulative seductress Selene Varchen weaving psychological traps, and the shadowy mastermind Kane orchestrating their downfall, Damian and Isabella must decide whether love can survive a world built on betrayal—or if they must sacrifice their hearts to keep their empire from burning. In Seduction and Strategy, loyalty is fragile, passion is a weapon, and every kiss could be a trap. Behind every luxury and every whispered promise lies the same truth: in the war for power and love, only the most cunning survive.

Natasha has been through more grief than a person experiences, in their entire life. She carries baggage that no kid should entail. She lives a pain filled life but hides it all beneath a fake smile. Behind that smile, she is truly hurting. When you look into her closely, then you can see the Pain within. She has Hidden Scars that she prefers to stay hidden in her closed heart and nobody had ever been let in not even once. But of course, she must be loved and love comes when two of them can depend on each other, cherish each other and have no secrets. Her Hidden Scars are soon to be explored by mysterious and popular bad boy, Reece Worth. . . . Reece Worth is the school's scandalous bad boy who acts on impulse and blinded rage who is known for breaking every single rule. He only has his best friend and his cousin by his side. . . . Driven by a whirlwind of secrets, Natasha and Reece are thrown together despite their differences. . Can Natasha open her heart to be loved despite the pains buried within her? Will that be possible when her abusive stepbrother lurks around.

I receive a phone call at 3:00 pm. Apparently, my daughter, Marilyn Lopez, has suffocated to death because she was left behind on the school bus. When I arrive at the scene, I'm overwhelmed with sorrow the moment I see Marilyn's purple face. That's when I snatch a gun from a policeman and put a bullet between the eyes of the school bus driver, who's been playing on his phone this whole time. After the gunshot rings out, I open my eyes immediately. My alarm clock rings once again, showing that it's 7:00 am. I've gone back in time! Then, I see Marilyn wearing her backpack and telling me sweetly, "Mommy, the school bus is here!" I quickly stop Marilyn like a madwoman and refuse to let her board the school bus. But a gas leak occurs at 3:00 pm on the same day, causing Marilyn's death. No matter how much I try to save her, she keeps dying in various ways at 3:00 pm. This is the 108th cycle. As I stare at the weird smile on the school bus driver's face, I finally understand everything.

She lives on her own terms. He’s living on borrowed time. Neither of them planned on falling—especially not for each other. Blue has made a life out of leaving. Her summer is all dusty boots, soft sunsets, and smoky guitar covers shared with millions of followers from the back of her boho van. Portland was supposed to be a quick visit—just her best friend, a short-term gig harvesting,, and a little time to breathe.But then there’s Teddy.He’s the brooding, blue-eyed lead singer of No Name, the local grunge band with a sound that hits like a bruise and a smile that makes her forget how to breathe. He’s wild onstage and guarded off of it, carrying secrets behind that slow-burning gaze. He’s everything she never wanted: complicated, magnetic, dangerous in a way that feels too good to ignore.What starts as stolen glances and flirtation under stage lights turns into something hotter, deeper, harder to walk away from.They come from different worlds—but under the heat of a summer that feels endless, they collide in all the wrong ways that somehow feel right.And the only thing harder than falling for him… is trusting he won’t break her.

Catrina Lombardi never chose Vincenzo Morgano’s world—it seized her. Dragged into the dangerous orbit of a ruthless loan shark and sex club owner, she is trapped between survival and desire. Everyone believes Maria De La Fonte is dead. But when Catrina steps into the powerful De La Fonte empire, the truth refuses to stay buried. A chance encounter with the cold and dangerously powerful billionaire Julian St. Clair pulls her into a world of wealth, secrets, and deadly family politics. To him, she is a mistake… a woman who looks far too much like the ghost of someone he lost. Yet Catrina hides a secret far more dangerous than a resemblance, one that could shake the De La Fonte empire to its core. The woman the world buried… was never supposed to survive. The heir they erased… has finally returned. Enemies are closing in, and powerful men will do anything to keep the past hidden. Julian must decide: is Catrina the greatest threat to his empire… or the only woman who can save it? In a world where power is everything and betrayal hides behind every smile, one truth will destroy them all. The De La Fonte empire was built on a lie.

After being framed, betrayed, and sentenced to life imprisonment by the man she loved and the sister she trusted, Ava Reed dies alone in a prison cell. But fate grants her an impossible second chance. She awakens three days before her wedding—the very event that once marked the beginning of her destruction. This time, Ava refuses to be a victim. Instead of escaping her doomed fate, she walks straight into it… and changes the ending. Ava enters a contract marriage with Lucas Kane, a cold and ruthless billionaire CEO who needs a wife to secure his inheritance. Their union is purely transactional—no love, no emotions, no interference. Or so they believe. Behind her calm smile, Ava secretly begins weaving a deadly web of revenge. Every lie will be exposed. Every betrayal will be repaid. As her enemies fall one by one, Ava transforms from a discarded heiress into a powerful woman feared by all. But when a fake marriage starts turning real, Ava must face a new danger—falling in love with the one man she never planned for. In a world of lies, power, and hidden intentions, Ava must decide: Is revenge her only destiny… or can she fight for love too?

I stood at his foot, looking him over. The way he kept up his arms, made the muscles of his arms bulge, leaving those on his abdomen flexed. He looked like a model posing for a casual photo. Just then, a disturbing thought entered my head as I stared at his body. I closed my eyes and shook my head to expunge the illicit thought that crept into it but the thought became vivid behind the darkness. I flipped them open and stared at him again. Then throwing caution and the thought of the dreadful future out the window, I crouched on all fours and crawled on both sides of him till I was face to face with his chest. Slowly, I laid my body on top of his, placed my palms on his chest, and rested my jaws on it. The body contact sent warmth and something sweet up and down my body, going to rest on its usual place below my waist. He still had his eyes closed but I knew he was awake because his face slowly lit up in a beautiful smile, then ever so leisurely, his arms slid down and wrapped around my waist.