Crushed

“So what are we going to do now that I've conceived your child, Darius?” One girl and a mission. In a sinister turn of events, Hazel , a quiet and shy introvert fate is twisted when she is offered in place of her stepsister to the cruel Rogue King as a settlement of debt. Hazel is consumed by fear for her life mated to the infamous Rogue King and resorts to fleeing from home. Darius is the rogue king. He is a ferocious and unyielding leader whose thirst for an heir has made him bitter and when his fiancee bores him no heir due to infertility, he seeks for alternate solutions. In the run for freedom, Hazel finds herself in the place she never wanted to be— under the Rogue King's thumb. Tension rises between the two and a fire of burning desire is ignited. But will that be enough to save the charred remains of their relationship when Darius learns his former fiancee is carrying his heir? Would Hazel ’s Life fall back in place or will she remain crushed? Would Darius cherish his true mate or neglect her now that he has what he always wanted?

"One bride. One billionaire. One deadly secret." Chaewon Kim has never questioned the price of being the daughter of a powerful chaebol—but nothing can prevent her from being auctioned off in a marriage of convenience to Jian Lee, Seoul's most mysterious billionaire. Merciless, genius, and heartbreaking, Jian is the man her father has waged war with for years… and now, he's her husband. Imprisoned in a gilded cage of privilege and deception, Chaewon is compelled to play a game where every smile hides a threat, and every whispered promise might be a trap. But on her wedding night, when a strange black feather is discovered—a ominous reminder of her murdered mother's unsolved killing—Chaewon realizes she's trapped in a much more deadly game. Secrets, lies, and desire begin when friends collide in the darkness behind mansion walls. Under a dangerous game of treachery and unlawful desire, Chaewon is faced with a decision: will she sacrifice her heart to serve the truth no matter what—or will she simply become one more stunning slave crushed beneath the weight of power.

I knew perfectly well that open flames were forbidden at a gas-leak scene, yet as a firefighter, I still backed my girlfriend's childhood friend when he insisted on lighting a cigarette "to calm his nerves." In my previous life, a sudden gas leak erupted during a gathering. Her childhood friend insisted on smoking to steady himself. I slapped the lighter out of his hand and yelled at him for trying to get us all killed. Humiliated, he ignored everyone's attempts to stop him and stormed outside—only to be crushed by an advertising board blown loose by the explosion's shockwave. Later, when I saved a child who had fallen from a building and was left hanging in midair myself, my girlfriend—my second-in-command—maliciously cut my safety rope. She stared at my corpse and said, "If you hadn't humiliated George in front of everyone, he wouldn't have died." When I opened my eyes again, I was back in that room thick with the stench of leaking gas.

"You are just a stranger here. A nobody! Stop acting like you belong here! " "I know this isn't my place. All I want is an answer to my question. I want to know why I'm here." ****** Bullied by her pack for being wolfless, Elara struggles to fit right in with all. Her stepfather drugs and sells her off to a Beta from a faraway city, as a breeder, bringing her face to face with Alpha Rayel, who discovers Elara is his mate, despite having a Luna. Due to his love for his Luna, he rages at poor Elara but gives in on the night of their mating. Elara thinks all will change between them but her hopes are crushed by Rayel's intense torment, causing nothing but pain to her heart. And to make matters worse, Elara discovers she's pregnant, after an encounter with a Lycan in her dream. Her fear of Rayel killing her if he learns of it drove Elara to the point of escaping and faking her own death. Will Rayel believe she's indeed gone forever? How far can Elara run?

Rosentine had spent her life yearning for love and warmth, so when her wedding day finally arrived, she believed her dreams were about to come true. But joy turned to despair as her fated mate arrived, not to claim her, but to wed her cousin instead, leaving her heart shattered. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, her family and the entire pack cast her away to the northern territories, where she was to serve as Alpha Bastian’s breeder. The weight of this rejection crushed her spirit, solidifying her belief that true happiness was forever beyond her grasp. However, when the Alpha selected her, he painted a picture of a brighter future, promising a life of comfort in exchange for her role as a breeder through surrogacy for him and his mate, who was frail and unable to bear children. Despite being lost and uncertain, Rosentine accepted this new path. Yet, nothing could have prepared her for the shocking revelation that awaited her: the Alpha’s mate was none other than Rosalia, the sister she had mourned as lost for so long.

Lucia’s life took a tragic turn when her father, Richard Pete, unable to repay a debt to the late Jordan Lancaster, was forced by Jordan’s widow, Eve, to marry Lucia to their cruel son, Adam. Trapped in an abusive marriage and pressured to produce an heir, Lucia fled after uncovering dark secrets but lost her memory in a plane crash. Stranded in Mexico, she fell in love with Jerahmeel Lancaster—unaware he was Jordan’s true heir—and had a child (later revealed to be Adam’s). Years later, a call from Lucia’s birth mother unlocked her past: she was the kidnapped daughter of the billionaire owner of the Marcelo empire. Returning with vengeance, she reclaimed her birthright and inherited the Lancaster Group from Jerahmeel, who died of cancer. Ruthless and powerful, she crushed Eve and Adam for their cruelty. But Adam, discovering he was the father of her son, manipulated her lingering feelings. Despite her strength, Lucia forgave him, reinstating him as her husband and handing back control of the Lancaster Group. Their reunion left their future uncertain.

“No matter how much I try to hate you,” he said slowly, “you keep doing things like this.” Delilah’s breath hitched. He stepped closer. “And it’s dangerous.” Before she could understand what he meant, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him. His lips crushed hers, sudden and hard. She gasped in shock, but he took it as an invitation, deepening the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers in a way that made her knees tremble. This wasn’t like the kiss on their wedding day. That one had been controlled. Strategic. This one was raw. Hungry. ~~~~ A year after Delilah left Chase heartbroken and without a word, she returns not to rekindled love, but to survive a marriage built on revenge. He married her to destroy her. she said yes to protect her family. what he didn't know? The woman he's trying to ruin is the same one who once walked away... just to hide a secret that could shatter them both.

Our place was hit by an earthquake. I was crushed by a slab of stone, but my wife, leader of the rescue squad, abandoned me in favor of her true love. She said, "You're a soldier. You can live with a little injury. Felix can't. He's always been weak, and he needs me." I was saved, eventually, and I wanted to leave my wife. I agreed to the chip research that would station me in one of the National Science Foundation's bases deep in the mountains. My leader was elated about my agreeing to this research. He grasped my hand tightly. "Marvelous. With you in our team, Jonathan, this research won't fail! But… you'll be gone for six whole years. Are you sure your partner's fine with it?" I nodded. "She will be. I'm serving the nation here. She'll understand." The leader patted my shoulder. "Good to know. The clock is ticking, so you'll only have one month to say your goodbyes. That enough for you?" I smiled. "More than enough."

On the day she was meant to say I do, Delany chose Revenge instead. In her first life, her husband’s cruelty broke her, her family’s betrayal crushed her, and her death came far too soon. But fate gave her a second chance, returning her to the very moment her misery began: her wedding day. This time, she doesn’t smile through the lies. She doesn’t bow to expectations. With ice in her veins and fire in her heart, Delany looks her groom in the eye and declares, “I do not.” And then, with a daring lie, that she has been in love with his older brother all along, she shreds her pathetic world into peices. Her plan? To rebuild her life herself, reclaim her power, and make every single person who destroyed her pay. But revenge is a dangerous game, and playing bride to the wrong man might spark a war between love, loyalty, and the revenge she refuses to let go. Because sometimes the sweetest “I do”… is the one you never say.

Jacopo's hands roved down my body, and he crushed me to his chest as the kiss grew passionate. A soft moan escaped my lips as I savored the feeling of his touch. His hard frame pressed against me, and I could feel the unmistakable bulge in the crotch of his pants. "You want me even though you know how bad I am for you," he murmured against my lips, his voice rough with desire. I nodded, unable to form words. The feelings I felt for him were consuming me, and I knew there was no going back.Sophia's passion and dream was to restore art. Accepting a job from a mysterious wealthy man led her into a secretive world of the mafia, art theft, money laundering, and blood. But even with the danger that now surrounded her, Sophia chose to lose herself in the arms of the heir to the dirty empire behind it all. Could she survive the passion of the Italian mafia and their business, or will she become a victim of their world?Vendetta and Vino: Tuscan Temptations is created by Amelie Bergen, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.