Bucket Flower

My boss, Patrick Hoffman, has made a bad investment that fails. When the board wants someone to be held accountable for the loss, he makes me the fall guy. Now that I've been fired from the company, I can no longer make my mortgage payments. My wife, Georgia Lowe, ends up falling seriously ill as well. In dire need of money, I ask Patrick for my severance pay. Sitting in his luxury car, he simply tosses me a few hundred dollars, saying, "You expect me to give you severance pay? I lost over a billion dollars because of you, Heath! How dare you ask me for money? "Here. Take these hundred-dollar bills and buy your wife a decent coffin!" My fists clench as I watch him drive off. Later that night, I drop a bombshell in a group chat filled with investors and business owners. "Seeking employment—bringing years of professional experience in cooking the books to the table. My former boss has nothing but praise for my abilities!"

Starla Xander was orphaned at a young age. With both her parents gone, it was her uncle, Xavier Lloyd, who rescued her from that hopeless home. For over a decade, he had cherished her, shielding her from the world, treating her like the most precious gem in his life. And so, inevitably, she fell in love with him. She truly believed he loved her too. She thought that one day, they would get married and build a future together. But when Starla finally confessed her feelings, Xavier reacted as if she had crossed an unforgivable line. “Starla, I’m your uncle. Get rid of those disgusting thoughts!” And that wasn’t even the cruelest part. He chose the most brutal way to reject her. On the twelfth anniversary of the day they met, he stood before her with a beautiful woman by his side. He met Starla’s eyes and said, “Meet her. She’s your future aunt-in-law.” As she watched them standing together—so effortlessly close—something inside her shattered. She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I understand now.” Without another word, she turned away, pulled out her phone, and called her research mentor. “Professor Zimmer, I’ve made my decision. I agree to the cryogenic preservation procedure.”

He's her bodyguard and driver. He got that features that made every girl drool. Raina Williams is a twenty three year old lady, who has everything she wants. She's what you'll call a grumpy and rude brat as she's popularly known in the Sunshine city. She was avoided like a plague not until she employed Jasper. Jasper also hated her for the fact that she's to rude. Not until he found our her darkest secret. What really changed her from the Angel she was to the demon she is today. Will Jasper be able to stay despite the harsh treatment from his grumpy boss? What do you think made her change?

The witch told us my older sister would die at sixteen, and her prophecies had never been wrong. From that moment on, my sister became the most important one in the family. The best venison was saved for her. The rare white fox fur was given to her. Every night, our parents told her bedtime stories. I knew she was pitiful, but I still felt hurt and resentful. Then, on the day she turned sixteen, a sharp pain spread through my chest. Afraid I would cause trouble, my parents locked me in the basement. “Mom, please…” I cried, pounding on the door. “I can feel my wolf spirit getting weaker. Let me out…” However, Mom said without hesitation, “No! Today is an important day for your sister. “She only has one day left. Just bear with it…” When I finally closed my eyes and my soul drifted out of my body, I saw the living room filled with warm candlelight. My parents were holding my sister who was alive and well as they cried. Only then did I realize that the witch’s prophecy had never been wrong. The one meant to die was never my sister.

Robert, jeune homme exemplaire prisonnier des attentes familiales, dissimule depuis toujours un secret qu'il n'ose révéler. Sa vie parfaitement orchestrée bascule le jour où il croise William, un musicien de rue rebelle et magnétiquement libre, qui chante au coin d'une rue. Malgré leurs univers diamétralement opposés l'un discipliné et conformiste, l'autre sauvage et insouciant une connexion profonde naît entre eux. Ce qui commence comme une rencontre fortuite se transforme rapidement en une attirance irrésistible. Mais leur amour émergent devra affronter de multiples épreuves : le poids écrasant des conventions familiales de Robert, sa peur de décevoir et de perdre tout ce qu'il a construit, ainsi que les blessures cachées de William qui doute de sa propre valeur. Entre authenticité et conformité, passion et raison, ces deux âmes contraires devront choisir entre la sécurité du mensonge et le courage de vivre leur vérité.

On the day of my marking ceremony, I don't receive flowers or a mate's embrace. Instead, I receive news that my boyfriend, Liam Hagerty, was caught in a snowstorm and his body was never found. I lose the man I love, and the pup in my belly loses its father. The grief nearly destroys me, but everyone keeps saying, "Aurora, stay strong—at least for the pup." On the day of the funeral, Liam's twin brother, Jasper Hagerty, returns from the border patrol with his mate. Every time I see Jasper's face—the exact same face as Liam's—my heart aches all over again. Then one night, I accidentally overhear a conversation between my mother-in-law—the old Luna—and Jasper. "Liam, you have to go through with this. Your brother died saving you, and your sister-in-law's been through so much. Let her give birth and have something to rely on. Then, you can host your marking ceremony with Aurora." Silence follows. Then "Jasper" speaks. "But what about Aurora? She's carrying my pup..." His mother sighs. "Aurora is strong and considerate. She'll understand." Jasper says in resignation, "Alright, Mom. I'll do as you say." That's when I realize Liam never died. The man I thought was my brother-in-law, Jasper, is just Liam putting on an act. Heartbroken beyond words, I call my older brother, Axel Maddox. "Axel, I want to come home. Liam is already dead, so there's no reason for me to stay here anymore."

Late one night, a thread blew up and hit the front page of a famous forum deep in New York’s underworld. The original poster had dug up an old prompt: “Name three words that sum up your youth.” Then an account that’d been dormant for years popped up in the replies. Its avatar was a backlit silhouette of a girl in a white dress, username: Seraphina. That was Seraphina Rossi. The Rossi family heiress, the undisputed it girl of New York’s underworld. She typed: Vibrant. Passionate. And Rico Valentino. All hell broke loose in the thread. The wild Valentino’s heir and the breathtaking Rossi heiress had once loved each other hard, only for it all to end in bitter regret. Nearly everyone in New York’s underworld had watched that heartbreak play out. Including me. I turned my head, staring at the man sleeping beside me. This was the man next to me: the once reckless kid who’d ruled the streets of Queens with his bare fists, now the Don of the Valention family. Poised. Unshakable. And he didn’t love me. I’d always known Rico still kept in touch with Seraphina. That he’d met her in secret, more than once. That’s why he’d refused to make our marriage public. His excuse was always the same: “Keeping your identity off the grid keeps our enemies from targeting you.” But I knew I was the one standing between Rico and the woman he’d never stopped loving. If all three of us were just going to keep hurting like this? I’d rather walk away. Let them have each other. I’d made up my mind. I was divorcing Rico.

Dans un monde régi par les lois impitoyables des loups, Mike, fils d’un puissant Alpha, grandit avec la certitude que son destin lui appartient. Charismatique, arrogant et sûr de lui, il n’a jamais envisagé que la meute puisse lui imposer un choix qu’il n’aurait pas fait lui-même. Chloé, oméga discrète et silencieuse, vit dans l’ombre de cette même meute. Depuis des années, elle aime Mike en secret, consciente que ses sentiments sont voués à rester invisibles. Elle sait qu’elle n’est pas celle qu’il regarde, ni celle qu’il désire… du moins le croit-elle. Une nuit d’anniversaire, entre alcool, instincts déchaînés et rencontres imprévues, leurs chemins se croisent et basculent. Ce qui devait rester une erreur devient une vérité impossible à nier : Chloé est la compagne destinée de Mike. Pire encore, elle porte son enfant. Incapable d’accepter ce lien qu’il n’a pas choisi, Mike rejette violemment cette réalité et traite Chloé avec froideur et hostilité. Pour éviter un scandale au sein de la meute, un compromis est imposé : un mariage contractuel d’un an, sans amour, sans promesses… du moins en apparence. Entre malentendus, blessures profondes, attirance incontrôlable et instincts de loup, Mike et Chloé devront apprendre à cohabiter malgré eux. Mais lorsque les secrets du passé refont surface et que le lien entre eux se renforce dangereusement, une question devient inévitable : peut-on fuir son destin quand il bat déjà dans son sang ? Pris dans une tempête d’émotions, de passion et de mystère, leur union forcée pourrait bien devenir la plus grande épreuve… ou la plus belle renaissance.

La pluie tambourinait contre les vitres de la salle de classe vide. Élise resta immobile devant le tableau, les yeux fixés sur la porte que Monsieur Deveraux venait de franchir. Son cœur battait encore la chamade, résonnant du compliment qu'il venait de lui faire sur sa dernière dissertation. "Vous avez un talent rare, Élise. Une sensibilité qui transcende les mots." Ces paroles tournaient en boucle dans son esprit. Elle avait dix-huit ans et se croyait préparée à tout. Mais pas à ça. Pas à ce regard qu'il avait posé sur elle, différent de celui qu'il réservait aux autres élèves. Un regard qui la voyait vraiment, au-delà de l'étudiante modèle qu'elle s'efforçait d'être. Elle ignorait encore que ce professeur d'histoire-géographie, respecté de tous, cachait un secret qui allait bouleverser sa vie : il était le père adoptif de Lucas, son meilleur ami d'enfance. Celui qu'elle n'avait pas revu depuis cinq ans, depuis que sa famille avait déménagé mystérieusement. Et elle ignorait surtout que dans quelques jours, lors d'un dîner de famille organisé par sa mère, veuve depuis deux ans et nouvellement amoureuse, elle allait découvrir que son nouveau beau-père n'était autre que... Monsieur Deveraux. L'amour peut-il vraiment conquérir tous les obstacles, même les plus moralement inacceptables ? Certaines histoires ne devraient jamais commencer. Celle-ci était l'une d'entre elles. Et pourtant...

I've loved Jonathan Pickle for half my life. I used my family's resources to help him attain success. However, in the third year of our marriage, he brought his mistress home to stomp all over my pride. That wasn't the worst of it—he even destroyed my family. … I open my eyes to see Jonathan in his university days. Unexpectedly, I'm not the only person who's been given a second chance at life.