Dance Floor

It was not an ordinary day for Tara Davis. It was her first time to go to the heart of the city alone after being asked by her cousin to do the interview for her, a favor she could not say no. She did the interview without knowing the questions inside the brown envelope. When she reached the top floor of the Williamson Hotel, she found him busy looking for some files on his table and asked if it was okay to conduct the interview with him. Blake Williamson, amused that there was one person, who did not recognize him, decided to accept the interview and pretended to be Sam, his personal secretary. The interview became more interesting for him when they found out that it contained dirty questions related to . He became more interested in her because, despite the questions, she did the interview professionally. She was the first woman he met who seemed not interested in him, unlike other women who were always ready to undress in front of him. For him, Tara is an extraordinary woman who enchanted him. She was like a transformed live-action character from fairy tale stories who still believes in true love and simple life can still make you happy. Blake believed he was the perfect man for her until he found out that she was looking for an honest man with great conviction in life, and definitely not a millionaire, the exact opposite of him. He lied the first time they met, and the truth was that he was not just rich, but a renowned youngest billionaire in the country.

Two years into my marriage with Don Dante, my ex came back. Julian, the man who shattered my heart five years ago. He announced he was getting engaged. And he wanted me as his mistress. "I know I hurt you," he said. "My family looks down on mob ties. It was never going to work. But now? I'm marrying Tiffany. I'm taking over the family empire. I can finally afford to keep you." I just sneered at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I might be married?" He scoffed. "What decent family would have you? The daughter of a mob underboss? Don't be ridiculous." His arrogance made me sick. When I refused, he slapped a black card on the table. Told me to buy whatever I wanted. He said he'd pick me up next week. That we could spend every weekend tangled up in his bed. I spat on the floor at his feet. "Get him out," I told my guard. "And take his trash with him." He didn't get it. Not then. But he would. The moment he found out who I married. I didn't just marry anyone. I married the king of the Chicago underworld. A man he could never touch. And when he finally figured it out, he lost his goddamn mind.

Alexander's mistress was pregnant. He turned his back on me without a shred of hesitation, canceled our marking ceremony, and brought her home instead. As he passed by, he didn't even look at me. He just left a brief order hanging in the air. "She's weak. You know medicine. From now on, you'll handle her meals." When he reached the first floor, he paused again. "She's pregnant. She can't be frightened, and she needs me to sleep beside her." His voice was flat, devoid of any feeling for me. "There are plenty of empty rooms. Move out of mine." I packed my things quietly, without a word, and walked out of the estate. The butler tried to stop me, but Alexander's voice cut through the hall, cold and final. "Let her go. Once she cools off, she'll come crawling back on her own." His men, watching the scene unfold, exchanged amused glances. They even placed bets right in front of me—how many minutes before I'd regret leaving and come running back. But none of them knew the truth. The Alpha King my parents had chosen for me had already sent a car to wait for me outside the gate. This time, I wasn't coming back.

What do you do when all comes crashing down? How do you react when you realize the maze is gone and the truth is what you can't handle? Love, pain, betrayal;... To what extent are you willing to go? The wedding picture Cassandra held fell to the floor shattering into thousands of pieces just like the state of her heart. ‘’My heart is in just as same state as this picture” She crawls her way to the balcony overlooking the beautiful city. A life of a perfect housewife, a perfect wife and partner, now she looks back and it had been nothing but a joke. She stares one more time at the beauty of the city beneath her. ‘’What a waste”’ she spat angrily. Letting her fragile body fall from the 8 floors of an apartment bought with her own money. ‘’Time is all I wish for’’ she whispers. Falling and letting her blood graze the hard tar. Frank and Kelly watched with a satisfied look, not seeing the third eye from the corner who watched with pain written all over him. 6 years is what she offered, standing before two men on her wedding day, Cassandra wakes up. She had to choose a groom, will she go back with this man or would she take her chances into finding out what another 6 years would be in the hands of those longing eyes that watched her fall to her death or the hands that pushed her?’’

Winthrow Financial. The fastest growing firm on Wall Street, and I had been lucky enough to land a job there right out of college. Despite being the youngest woman on the floor, I quickly made waves in the company. Carter Winthrow, the sexiest boss a woman could ever have, noticed me quickly. When he came to meet me personally, he also took notice of my body. Within days, I was promoted to Carter’s personal assistant. While the job itself was fantastic, the real perk was getting to work with Carter himself. The suave and sexy billionaire playboy managed to exude charm and confidence every time we spoke. And as I proved myself great at the job again and again, he became more and more comfortable with me. As I saw him giving to charities and holding his niece, I realized he was the ultimate alpha male. Those strong, chiseled abs and huge arms was all that the “Sexiest Bachelor” lists saw, but I saw the real man. A family man, just waiting for someone to give him that family. I knew that what I wanted, more than this job, more than a career, more than life itself, was Carter’s to give. I would do anything to get Carter to give it to me. And as he took my fertile body over and over again, I knew that he wanted more than just a business partner. He wanted it all. A wife. A family. But most of all, a baby...

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥ "Life is neither short nor long, it's now - that we know as life - it's twisted and cruel I'm its own way with trials coming up with every turn you make. No one knows how many seconds one will live let alone years. You never know" ◣─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◢ His breath got stuck in his throat as he held the pen above the paper, his eyes searching the room in hopes of having at least a glance of her face. "Answer the maulvi" his father spoke. "Son" his mother pestered from his side. His eyes landed on Hiba's expectant ones. She looked from across the veil questioning his delay. He shook his head as he placed the tip of the pen on the paper, a single stroke formed on the paper but that very moment a frantic Ayan ran in the room. "Turn on the tv right now" he yelled making Hamza to oblige right away. "There had been an accident on the motorway car LEB-780 has been hit by a troller on its way out of the city, the hit has caused an explosion rendering the passengers severely injured and in critical condition-" "That's- that's the car maula bakhsh took to drop—" His ears numbed as the pen dropped on the floor, his heart stopped, his eyes stuck on the TV screen. "Bhai!" He ran out of the house and got in his car, the engine roared and soon he was on the road. ─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

“I need to become the devil to destroy that demon,” she whispers, her body still broken, the evidence of his madness all around her. Of all betrayals, Marion Storm never expected her end to come at the hands of her husband. Once hailed as the Ice Queen of Biotech and CEO of the billion-dollar Icarus Industries, she now lies bleeding on the marble floor of her burning mansion, her empire reduced to ash. Richard took everything: her son, her reputation, her company, and now, her life. But fate intervenes. Her last desperate message is answered. By Jude Creed. Arrogant. Brilliant. Her rival. Her nemesis. And now… her savior. With nothing left but a broken body and shattered heart, Marion swears vengeance on every person who played a part in her downfall. Even if it means crossing lines, burning bridges, and becoming something darker than all of them. But even ice can melt. And Jude? He’s determined to melt her. As the line between their deal and desire blurs, Marion is forced to confront a terrifying truth: time is running out. Her enemies are more powerful, danger is in every corner, and secrets are on every page she turns. Who can she trust? And Jude? He may just be the one thing left holding her together. Will she let him love her, or will her thirst for revenge burn him down with the rest of them?

Eidolon Avenue: Where the secretly guilty go to die. One building. Five floors. Five doors per floor. Twenty-five nightmares feeding the hunger lurking between the bricks and waiting beneath the boards. The sequel to Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast (“a great read...powerful and jarring” - Cemetery Dance) returns to the voracious Eidolon as it savors The Second Feast. A narcoleptic man in apartment 2A battles a vengeful past determined to rob him of everything as he runs from the barbaric disaster of a delusional love. A woman in 2B, reinventing herself to please a callous boyfriend, discovers the horrors that wait in the shadows of her self-renovation. The man in 2C, a teacher at the nearby Catholic girl’s school, collapses beneath the brutal consequences of his lecherous desires. An older woman in 2D, after decades dedicated to the church, is cornered at last by the grisly carnage beating at the hollow center of her faith. And a college student in 2E, hungry to escape an ignored life of invisible anonymity, finds herself captured between the pages of a ravenous book. All thrown into their own private hell as every cruel choice, every drop of spilled blood, every silent, complicit moment of cowardice is remembered, resurrected and relived to feed the ancient evil that lives on Eidolon Avenue. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Meet Blake Parker, a billionaire and Mafia Don who rules New York City with an iron fist. He's known for his ruthless demeanour, arrogance, and cold-hearted nature. Despite being the wealthiest man in the city, he has no respect for anyone, especially women, whom he detests. However, despite his disdain for them, women are drawn to him like moths to a flame, willing to do anything for his attention. Blake has strict rules when it comes to relationships: he doesn't do them, he doesn't kiss, and he certainly doesn't share his bed with any woman. These rules must be followed by any lucky woman who catches his eye. On the other side of the spectrum is Bexley, a talented and beautiful tomboy who's passionate about dance and studying computer science in college. Despite being an orphan, she's cherished by her male best friends from school. Bexley's focus is solely on her career and she has no interest in dating or marriage. Her ambition drives her towards her goals. will they find common ground amidst their contrasting lifestyles? Dive into the story to uncover the intriguing dynamics between these two characters

In a world where appearances are everything, Lola Navarro's carefully constructed life shatters when a twist of fate entwines her with Santiago Morales—her best friend's enigmatic older brother. He's a titan of industry, a rumored playboy whose charisma is as legendary as his fortune. A sudden, inescapable scandal thrusts them into a high-stakes charade: a public engagement designed to deceive the voracious media and safeguard their reputations. Forced into the same living space, their lives become an intricate dance of whispered secrets and undeniable proximity. Beneath the dazzling facade, the carefully built walls around their hearts begin to crumble. Sparks fly, tempers flare, and as the lines between their 'performance' and their true selves blur, an electric, forbidden attraction ignites. But the world watches, and the powerful forces that brought them together threaten to tear them apart. Can Lola, fiercely independent and suddenly thrust into the limelight, navigate the treacherous currents of Santiago's world? And can Santiago, a man accustomed to controlling every aspect of his empire, surrender to a love that defies all logic? In a city built on illusions, they must decide if their burgeoning connection is a dangerous fantasy or the most powerful truth of all. Will their love story be a fleeting headline, or a timeless romance forged in the crucible of public scrutiny?