Better Off Dead

When the murderer tortures me to death, my criminal investigator dad and chief forensic pathologist mom are cheering at my brother's match. The criminal saws off my tongue. He answers my Dad's call with my finger. Just before the call ends, Dad's cold voice cuts through. "Playing dead, huh? We should never have brought him back." The murderer chuckles mockingly. "Looks like I grabbed the wrong kid. I thought they'd care more about their real son." When Mom and Dad arrive at the crime scene later, they stare at the mutilated body in shock and rage at the murderer's cruelty. But they never realize that the broken, bloodied body is their biological son.

John Handful’s first client is a member of the local Polish community wanted by the police for the disappearance of his pregnant wife. A new miracle cancer drug is stolen from a pharmaceutical complex located on a shingle spit, just off the Suffolk coast. A wealthy local financier is blackmailed, and a ripple of malice spreads across the village of Oxmarket. Each household of a cul-de-sac have a secret that could point to them being the murderer of a man found shot dead in his bedroom.A perplexing case unfolds with the revelation of secret lovers, flowers from the garden and a death that is not as it appears.John Handful finds himself enmeshed in a violent, multi-layered plot at a luxury hotel on a remote island. A man kills himself despite receiving the good news that his lover’s husband has agreed to a divorce.A woman is witnessed shooting herself by her husband even though she had already been dead several hours.A man has been found shot through the head in a locked room with suicide well and truly ruled out. How did he die?Severed limbs in a concrete block, leads, John Handful to believe that a cold calculated killer with a thirst for revenge is on the loose. Ten cases, one connection. What is it?

Fresh out of the National Research Institute, I loaded up on my wife's favorite snacks and ordered a vibrant bouquet of roses, eager to surprise her. I stashed the treats in her office, then stepped out to grab the flowers. But in those fleeting minutes, a stranger had ripped open every package and devoured everything. I glared at him. "Who gave you permission to touch those?" He shot me a look of pure disdain. "Buzz off, flower boy. Drop your crap and scram!" The secretary at the door snickered. "You heard the man. He's Ms. Bowman's husband. Better run before he leaves a bad review." I pulled out my phone and called my wife. "Who is this guy in your office?"

Keaton Rourke and I get in a car accident. My liver ruptures, and I'm drenched in my blood. Teresa Bellamy, my wife, leaves me to die and runs off to save Keaton, who only has a scratch on his forehead. I'm unconscious and clinging to life in the emergency room, but Teresa fusses over how to keep Keaton's forehead from getting a scar. I wake up feeling nothing but disappointment and toss the divorce papers right in her face. She rips the divorce papers to pieces like a lunatic and makes it clear that divorce will only happen over her dead body. I used to bend over backward to make her happy. Now I'm ready to divorce her, no matter what it takes.

After recovering from breast cancer, my fiancé started making excuses to stay out all night. On my birthday, I finally tracked him down on a yacht where he was joking with his friends. "I figured once she died, the engagement would be off the table. Who knew she'd be so hard to die.” "But I've got a brilliant plan—I'll fake my death at the wedding. We can livestream it and watch how this woman who worships me to the core breaks down in tears." I couldn't help but smile to myself. If Travis Luther could play dead, so could I. In the end, he was the one who broke down sobbing, begging me not to walk away.

I was the real daughter of the Sinclair family, yet I was the one abandoned when their fake daughter and I were kidnapped and taken to the top of a building. They were given a choice between the two of us, and they chose to save the fake daughter, letting me be pushed off from the eighteenth-floor balcony. Even though I survived, I was completely disappointed in them. Then, their attitudes changed overnight. My parents, who despised me, started asking me about my likes and dislikes. My brother who wished me dead, started suddenly giving me precious jewelry. Even my fiancé, who always claimed I was nothing compared to the fake daughter, started to prepare for our wedding. To say I was confused was an understatement.

"You're getting married today! It is your duty to your family! You must!" Claire's mother said as she held on to her daughter's hand while a veil was being fixed on her head. "Married! You must be joking mum! I'd rather jump off a cliff!" "Everyone is waiting Claire! You have no choice!" Her mother snapped at her and Claire snatched her hand away from hers in annoyance. "Why must I be forced to suffer for Charlotte's mistakes?!" Charlotte and Claire Branson are identical twins but have lived separate lives ever since they were born. Charlotte, being the perfect daughter and the better sister, was betrothed to marry Henry Laurent, the son of their long time friend and business partner. On the day of the wedding, the Bransons arrive in Charlotte's room to meet a note, Charlotte has eloped with their chauffeur, leaving her parents distraught. Quickly, her family moves to save themselves from public embarrassment and get Claire to stand in line for her sister. Claire refuses at first, but has no choice as she is pushed into the waiting arms of Henry Laurent, an unwilling partner of the marriage who had thought he was getting married to the 'better' sister. Claire is determined to hate her new husband, but this doesn't turn out as planned.

Our entire class gets dragged into The Tyrant's Atonement game. The only way to escape alive is to reach a 100% atonement score. The system lets us choose our roles. The class belle, Isolde Adler, picks the tyrant's first love. Her atonement score shoots straight to 99% on the first day. The class president, Asher Brooks, chooses to be a loyal chancellor. His atonement score jumps to 80%. Spectators watching the game flood the screen with comments. "This new batch is smart and way better at picking roles than the last. They might just clear the game in three days." "Even if just one person hits 100%, the whole class goes free. I'm looking forward to seeing who finishes first." "My money's on the first love. She's already at 99%." Just as everyone starts celebrating, the next morning hits us with bad news. All 20 classmates who picked their roles are dead, and Isolde suffers the cruelest fate of all.

"They said that secrets are meant to be kept within our notice but some mysteries are better off unveiled." Valencia Rhyss has lived a life of neglect and indifference ever since her mother left for another man. She continued to live in adversity despite being the only daughter of the world's most well-known billionaire CEO, Charles Rhyss, Valencia tried her best to be acknowledged by her father for her efforts, however, she will always remain a third-place medal because he's blind to her endeavours and only focused on her two brothers. But not Until she discovered a horrific secret kept by her family that made all her misfortunes make sense, and after she attained this appalling knowledge she plans to go against her father with the help of his business rival, Dion Nester.

I had never imagined my life would eventually turn into a business deal. But when my father's hospital bills reached a surprisingly huge amount, I thought that was all not until my landlord decided I was better off homeless. At this point, I had no choice but to sign a contract with Alexander Pierce, a man whose presence alone screams arrogance and pride with power. The deal was simple: marry him for a year and three months, feign to be his devoted loving wife, and in turn, I will regain my financial freedom. But I can't say there was something simple about Alexander. His gaze burns too deep, his touches linger too long, and harder it becomes to state what's real or fake. I signed a contract. I never signed up for falling in love. But tell that to my heart.