Cat Stare

She returned to bury her father. Instead, she was forced to marry his enemy’s son. - Rosalind Marlow returns to New York to settle her father’s affairs, once one of the city’s most feared mafia bosses, only to find he died beside his greatest rival… and left behind a contract binding her to the rival’s son. Viktor Marino is cold, calculating, and infuriatingly magnetic. Rosa has no intention of becoming anyone’s pawn, not in grief, not in business, and definitely not in bed. But Viktor plays a long game, and with every stare, every challenge, he pulls her deeper into a world of secrets, power, and heat. She was raised to be untouchable. He was born to conquer. And in the space between vengeance and desire, who is going to lose control first? (Contains mature and dark content) ***** EXCERPT ‘Why would you want to leave this behind?’ he growled in my ear, his chest rumbling against my back. Because I can’t trust you. Because I don’t know what I want. ‘Because it’s cruel,’ I whispered. And then he pulled away, leaving me trembling, desperate, and furious.” ❦

He smelled like danger. He looked like power. He made Ari's instincts scream one thing—run. But it was already too late. Ari just wanted a normal college life. For a timid bunny hybrid who startles at loud sounds and avoids eye contact like it’s a sport, "normal" means flying under the radar, keeping his ears tucked under hoodies, and staying far away from alphas who smell like trouble. But trouble finds him anyway—in the form of Thorn, a tiger-panther hybrid with a stare sharp enough to slice, and an aura so intense it shuts Ari's brain off completely. Thorn doesn’t ask. He doesn’t beg. He claims. And from the moment he catches Ari’s scent, he decides one thing: Mine. Now Ari’s peaceful life is spiraling into something else. Something darker. Something hungrier. Thorn is everywhere—on campus, in his dreams, always one step away from baring his fangs. But there’s something worse than being hunted by a predator. Wanting one.

“You have this last case to prove yourself miss!" Mr Troy said with a fixed cold stare at Jessica. Jessica is a detective of the state agency who struggles evidently in solving cases. Now on a high-profile case involving a billionaire philanthropist and benefactor named Liam, assigned to her after much plea from being terminated, by her boss, Mr. Troy. Liam's family is known for their legacy and questionable wealth, with his mother ever cunning to protect the family legacy since the sudden disappearance of his father. To investigate Liam, Jessica takes up the role of his new secretary but Liam has ulterior motives for hiring her too. Jessica struggles through the new phase of her life as she tries to uncover troubling family history and questionable business dealings but she's caught in a dilemma as tension grows between her suspect and herself. As she delves deeper into the case, she is faced with new challenges, putting her in a pool of hard decisions and possible emotional vulnerability. Wavering through, she's taken by what she finds out about herself, her job, and her case.

Sheyana “Iya” Andrada is an actress who thought that she got the true love that she deserved from her long-time boyfriend and the father of her child. But one day, she finds out that Miko’s going to marry her best friend. Because she can’t digest the sudden breakups, she drowns herself in alcohol while riding the speedboat. That night, Iya tries to save her cat in the middle of the ocean after getting drunk. But an accident happened and ended up losing her memories. Achilles Joa Ramses, a billionaire. He does not plan to let another woman enter his life for love. He is avoiding putting his heart in another complicated situation. He must focus on his big company because he had enough when his ex-girlfriend cheated on him. But the wind blew in a different direction when he found Iya on the beach unconscious and ended up falling in love again. No matter how happy they are in each other’s arms, facing reality is a must. Now that Iya regains her memory and finds out that she had a child, what will happen to their entangled fate? Will they follow their hearts or choose to be apart?

"I stood at the edge of my heart and watched him choose her. In the end, I was not the one he needed. I was simply the one he settled for." - Noelle ~~~~~~~ I thought I was the one he loved. But a few days before our wedding, I saw him in a way I never had before. His eyes softened as he spoke to her. His first love, and the very woman who had left him in pieces. Heartbreak was something I knew too well. And as I watched the love he still held for her in his eyes, I realized what I had to do. I couldn't marry a man who wasn't truly mine. With no means to cancel the wedding and lacking the courage to confront him, I made a desperate choice to leave. I painfully gave his first love my treasured engagement ring thinking it was for the best and the only way to free myself. But when he saw that ring on her finger, the fragile world I had tried to escape began to shatter. His obsession to find me and bring me back ignited a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

At the Davenport family dinner, I arrive wearing the same dress Tucker Davenport's true love once wore. His face darkens immediately. He glares at me coldly and orders that my dress be burned on the spot. "Damn it, Willow, can't you show a little self-awareness? Shelby might be too naive to notice, but there's no way I'm letting you appear like this in front of her." The intense heat rushes toward me as the flames consume the fabric. A sharp, burning pain shoots between my legs, crashing over me like a tidal wave. The pain drags me under, but I suddenly jolt awake, barely able to gasp a plea for mercy. Tucker doesn't spare me a glance. He simply turns away to help Shelby cut the cake. Days later, he finally remembers I exist. "As long as you behave and don't bother Shelby again, you'll still be Mrs. Davenport." I stare at the burns on my legs as my tears dry up. I refuse to beg any longer. I'm done being Mrs. Davenport.

I happen to come across a popular post regarding a company's finance department on social media. "Seriously, that person in the sales department is such an idiot! All I wanted was to claim reimbursement under her name for the bag I bought, and yet she still refused! "Since she doesn't want me to reimburse my bag, then she can forget about reimbursing everything! This time, I'll teach her a lesson about what happens when she offends a member of the finance department!" There are many bashing comments in the comment section, but the original poster doesn't care at all. She continues adopting a haughty tone. "What am I scared of? The finance department is extremely vital to the company! I refuse to believe that the boss has the courage to offend me, the most important person alive, just to stand up for a sales employee who's easily replaceable!" As I stare at the familiar profile picture belonging to the original poster, I can't help but mentally sneer. She wants to suspend all of my reimbursements, huh? Go ahead, then! This time, I'd like to see what the consequences are for offending a member of the finance department!

I've been looking forward to my and Kael Bennett's mating ceremony. Unfortunately, he gets attacked by Rogues, resulting in him getting poisoned with wolfsbane. He remembers everyone else in the pack. Ironically, he has forgotten all about me, his fated mate. I try to awaken his memories time and again. But not only does Kael hate my guts, but he also allows another she-wolf to rob me of everything. He merely watches as said she-wolf, Maya Walsh, kills my beloved dog. He even stands by idly when I suffer from a miscarriage and lose my uterus. In the end, he believes the slanderous gossip surrounding me and exiles me from the pack while I'm still in a weakened state. When I'm granted a chance in a new life and completely forget about the past, Kael suddenly regains his memories. He looks for me everywhere like a lunatic just so he can tell me that he remembers everything. As I stare at the remorse-filled Alpha before me, I ask, "Who are you?"

Joanne, an 18-year-old high school graduate suddenly woke up one day in an mysterious ancient rainforest. She was saved by a handsome military cadet named Leon who accusing her for trespassing a military exclusion zone. But somehow, she found his turquiose eyes familiar..... This is the Inter-Galaxy Era. She woke up on a strange planet where all men here are stupidly powerful but somehow keep calling themselves as different spieces even though they all look alike under Joanne's eyes. It's alright, self-expression is a basic human right. Joanne couldn't care less; until one day, Leon turns himself into a giant wolf..... O..Okay, no big deal either. Joanne convinces herself. Who cares if it's a dog or a cat or a wolf that saved her? The key point is her life is indeed saved. Then, Leon reveals his true identity as the second to the Throne, Duke of the Empire who is being targeted for assassin this whole time? This is NOT okay anymore! Joanne thought this might be the wrost situation, without knowing one day she will be forced into a marriage with the Heir Apparent, First to the Throne, the top Alpha of the Empire.

He looked at me, his piercing eyes cold and sharp. “What do you want?” he asked, his tone irritated. “Cat got your tongue?” Fear gripped me, but I couldn’t back down. Not when proving my love was on the line. My hands trembled, but I managed to speak. “Hunter Steele...” I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “Will you... will you marry me?” His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly. “What?” ANYA BLAKE ____________________________________ I can’t remember the last time I willingly let a woman get so close. To me, they were a necessary evil....useful when needed, and avoided afterward. But when a young woman, trembling yet determined, stepped in front of me and asked the most ridiculous question I’d ever been asked, I felt something I hadn’t felt in years: a spark. And when I kissed her, it awakened something in me—a feeling I hadn’t known existed. Her innocence intrigued me and I wanted to be the one to claim her, to mold her......to make her mine. HUNTER STEELE