Dead Heat Novel Novels & Stories

Imogen Darcy is living a forbidden fantasy, secretly in love with her charismatic professor, Dante Salvatore. For two years, their stolen moments between lecture halls are a bittersweet promise of a future without secrets. But the fairytale ends the morning she wakes up alone, clutching a single, devastating post-it note. Her world instantly collapses. The press, tipped off by Dante's powerful family, brands her a gold-digging mistress. She is publicly shamed, expelled from Oxford, and disowned by her family—left utterly penniless with one final, life-altering secret: she's pregnant. Two years later, Dante returns, a man consumed by a vengeful rage. He has just discovered the monstrous betrayal orchestrated by his own mafia dynasty, a betrayal that forced him to shatter the woman he loved. He is too late to find her, but he finds the daughter he never knew. His quest for revenge uncovers his family's darkest secret: a brutal child trafficking ring. But his investigation leads him to a shocking safehouse, where the final piece of the puzzle is the broker's niece—a hardened, resilient Imogen. Now, to protect the family he has just found, Dante must bring them into the heart of the enemy's territory: his own gilded estate in Italy. Forced into close quarters, they must navigate their painful history, a web of deadly enemies, and a passion that never truly died. As a final, bloody war for control erupts, they are forced to confront a dangerous question: Can a love that was first built on secrets and then shattered by betrayal, be rebuilt on a foundation of vengeance and blood?

At Stanton University, power is currency and morality is optional. Juhoon Choi aka Trunks sits at the top of the Diamond Board — heir to an empire, untouchable, and emotionally unreadable. Park Suhee stands beside him as his lifelong protector, confidante, and silent lover, hiding years of devotion behind loyalty and restraint. Then Angelique Rochefort transfers in. Elegant. Calculated. Dangerous. She arrives with one purpose: to kill Trunks. She seduces her way into his life, manipulating his trust, isolating him from Suhee, and turning Stanton’s elite against each other. What begins as a carefully executed revenge scheme soon spirals into something far more dangerous when real emotions surface — love, jealousy, and obsession. As scandals erupt, alliances fracture, and lies are weaponized, Suhee becomes collateral damage in a war she never chose. Betrayal cuts deep, intimacy becomes a weapon, and the line between victim and villain blurs beyond recognition. But vengeance has a price and when the truth finally emerges, redemption may come only through sacrifice. In a world ruled by power, love is the most dangerous gamble of all. Because in a world ruled by power, love is the most dangerous weakness of all, and at Stanton University, every heart hides a motive—and every kiss can kill.

Naomi grew up in a brutal mafia family, hidden under the shadow of cruelty. Her faith was her only sanctuary. She was Meek, obedient, and kind…. She never belonged to the darkness her family thrived in. But when a deadly debt threatened her family, her stepmother found the perfect solution: they decided to sell her to an aging cartel that was well known for its evil and cruelty. And her father agreed no matter how much Cassian was against it, That night, she was traded…but her soul was already claimed. By Cassian Vale…the cold, obsessive stepbrother who exists only for his sister. After she was sold, he left the house, unable to stay with his parents. After five years, Cassian returns as the most feared mafia king on the eastern seaboard…and the first thing he does is to claim his sister back. He takes her. And he burns everyone who touches what was his.

Having been in a two-year long-distance relationship with my girlfriend, Kayleigh Richards, I finally have time to visit her family for the holidays. In doing so, I want to hash out the details of our upcoming wedding as well. What I didn't expect is that Kayleigh would actually show up with a hooligan at the banquet. She even goes as far as to terminate our engagement in front of everyone. The hooligan, Gerald Shaw, looks at me haughtily. A trace of mockery can be seen in his eyes when he notices how wretched I look. "What makes you think you can fight with me over my woman? Kay, how the heck did you even fall for this wretched-looking beggar in the first place? He's even carrying an old sack with him! Don't tell me he just came back from collecting the trash!" All of Kayleigh's relatives who are present at the banquet roar in laughter. My future mother-in-law even shoves me in an attempt to kick me out. I merely gaze at Kayleigh calmly. "Are you sure you want to choose him?" Kayleigh sneers at me in return. "You're just a stupid miner! Gerald's dad is the owner of the gold mine, you know!" I raise an eyebrow at her words. Then, I open the woven sack I've brought with me. The gold bricks that scatter from the sack shine brightly under the light. "Oh? I have no idea that my gold mine has somehow become someone else's property."

Claire Shaw, my wife of 27 years and I had already fallen out of love with each other. Having picked up on that fact, our children, Jason and Monica Bennett, started giving me advice. "Dad, you and Mom are still relatively young. You two deserve to continue pursuing the lives you want." "That's right, Dad. You can't just force a marriage to go on. We support you in getting a divorce." With Jason and Monica's support, Claire and I soon got divorced. Monica took it upon herself to introduce another woman to me. Soon, I began a new relationship. But when I was about to get married, Claire took me to court and accused me of cheating on her while we were still married. Jason and Monica showed up at the court trial as witnesses as well. They proved that I had indeed cheated on Claire in our marriage. I couldn't defend myself at all. In the end, I was forced to give up everything I owned. My new girlfriend, Linda Calcraft, and I were heavily targeted by the entire Internet. "Hey, old geezer! Just how shameless are you to look for a mistress when you're already dying?" "You're already old enough to become a grandfather, and yet you're still filing for a divorce? You and that mistress are better off together!" Some extremists strapped me and Linda to the bed. They dumped gasoline all over us before setting us on fire, leading to our deaths. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Jason and Monica try to convince me to get a divorce.

When Scarlett's fiancé betrayed her in the ultimate way - marrying her best friend - her world shattered. Fuelled by a burning need for vengeance, she rises to the top, becoming the richest woman in her country. But at what cost? Her relentless pursuit of revenge led to a devastating tragedy: the loss of her own daughter. Now, consumed by grief and regret, Scarlett must confront the ruins of her life. Will she find a way to make amends, or will her thirst for revenge destroy what's left of her shattered world? Can she uncover the truth behind her daughter's fate, or will the darkness of her past forever haunt her?

Lily Thornton was the underprivileged student I'd sponsored for a full ten years. From middle school through college, I covered every penny of her tuition and living expenses. I treated her like my own little sister. When she was diagnosed with a rare disease, I even begged my husband, Graham Forsythe -- Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery -- to personally operate on her. But on the day of her college graduation ceremony. I went to her apartment early to surprise her. And found Graham pressing her into the sofa, tenderly kissing her slightly swollen belly. "Graham, if Serena finds out about our baby, do you think she'll cut off my medication?" Graham pulled her into his arms, his voice laced with that condescending patience of his. "Don't worry. Serena is the kind of woman who's so rational she's practically cold-blooded. She'd never understand the soul-deep connection we share -- two people saving each other." "But to protect my reputation as department chief, she'll fall in line." "Once I get that one-of-a-kind clinical trial slot for the new drug, I'll divorce her and give you and the baby a real home." I stood outside the door, staring at the freshly stamped Phase-I clinical trial authorization in my hand. I didn't push the door open. I didn't make a scene. I simply, with perfect calm, tore it to shreds and dropped the pieces into the trash can beside me. Graham Forsythe. You couldn't have imagined this in your wildest dreams. That clinical trial slot your entire hospital had pulled every string to secure. Its lead research scientist was none other than your wife. The one you mocked for being so rational she was cold-blooded.

The moment we witness the last surviving child in the safehouse getting pinned to the wall by a zombie before having his guts torn out, all the men in the team break down mentally. "Captain, didn't you claim that Selene kept rambling nonsense because she had gone crazy out of fright toward the zombies? Isn't that why you reassured us to keep watch while you and Madeline watched the sunrise on the summit? "Why is it that my newborn has already gotten devoured by a zombie as soon as I return to the safehouse?" Quinton Morwood goes deathly pale at the accusation. My heart feels as though it's gotten torn into pieces as I stare at the tragedy. In my previous life, when the zombies attacked the safehouse, Quinton, who was the captain of the defence team, had taken the entire team with him just so he could watch the sunrise with Madeline Moore at the mountain summit. I did everything I could to summon everyone back to the base. That was how everyone's lives were spared from the zombie attack. But Madeline was pissed that she did't get to watch the sunrise, so she left the safezone angrily on her own. That was how she got grabbed by a zombie and eaten by a horde. By the time Quinton and his squad killed the entire horde, he just hugged Madeline's femur to his chest without saying a single word. On the day I gave birth to my baby, Quinton hacked my limbs off before throwing me into the roaming hordes of zombies. I could only watch as the zombies tore my flesh off my bones before Quinton saved me again by healing me. The cycle kept going on and on until I witnessed the last piece of flesh being torn off my body. "You're the one who killed Madeline, you wretched woman! Since you like competing with her that much, I'll make sure you'll die a worse death than hers!" When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day the zombies are attacking the safezone.

Elara gave up everything for love...her trust, her inheritance, her future. But the two people she trusted most, her husband and her best friend, destroyed it all with a betrayal so cruel it left her shattered. Just when she thought she had nothing left, a stranger emerged from the shadows. Only Axel was no stranger at all. He was her Ex-husband's Nemesis. Cold-blooded, ruthless, and dangerously obsessed with her. With one careless signature on a contract, Elara becomes bound to Axel, a man whose name inspires fear, whose touch ignites her, and whose secrets threaten to unravel her very reality. He carries scars that hide darker truths and a hunger for her that blurs the line between protection and possession. Soon, she realizes the betrayal was only the beginning. The truth waiting in the shadows is far more dangerous than she ever imagined. In a world where trust is a weapon, Elara must decide: with Axel by her side, will she surrender to his dark side and become the villain in her own story or will she rise from the ashes and burn her enemies to the ground?

Jessie was going through a breakup with her fiancé. She went to Vegas with her friend to get over the breakup. Have fun and regain herself. Din Cooper is a multi-billionaire. He was the CEO of the Cin's mobile. (Car company.) He almost got kicked out of the company by his grandfather because, at the age of 29, he wasn't married. His grandfather's Ultimatum, "Her name is Jessie Walker. Make sure you get married before the end of this month. To Jessie." Din also went to Vegas to attend his friend's party. He thought he would at least have a few drinks to clear his head off. He met Jessie in Vegas and recognized she was the woman his grandfather forced him to get married to. When Jessie and Din both met, did sparks fly endlessly or was it filled with hatred?