Define Vulnerability

“You took a photo of me without my permission.” “Then why do you look like you want to be seen?” Elliot Marlowe is a struggling photographer living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny New York apartment. One accidental photo in Central Park changes everything—a haunting shot of a mysterious, brooding man who turns out to be none other than Damien Whitlock, the untouchable billionaire tech mogul with a reputation as cold as his fortune. Instead of suing, Damien makes Elliot an offer: become his personal photographer. It's the beginning of a dangerous game—one filled with stolen glances, unspoken truths, and a fake relationship meant to protect Damien’s public image. But behind Damien’s icy exterior lies an artist scarred by betrayal, and behind Elliot’s lens is a man desperate to feel seen for the first time. As the line between performance and passion begins to blur, secrets unravel. A fake kiss becomes real. A lie about love becomes a truth too big to silence. And when heartbreak and ambition threaten to tear them apart, both must choose between fear and vulnerability, between survival and surrender. In a world where image is everything, can two men find the courage to be each other’s truth? Or will the picture-perfect illusion destroy them both?

Fresh out of a shattering divorce, Sarah Nakitende has put her life together on her own terms and on her own conditions. However, her life takes a dramatic turn when a stranger literally runs into her and spills a cup of coffee all over her. The stranger, an artist named Amon Kato, sees beauty in the world that Sarah has learned to see only in terms of danger and risk. Theirs is an immediate, unsettling, and dangerous connection. As Sarah starts to think of a future that does not define her in terms of survival, her past starts to catch up with her. Her ex-husband returns, seeking to reclaim the power that she has managed to take away from him. He wants to take back the power that she has managed to claim for herself. Sarah is forced to choose between healing and being on her own. Some loves to ask you to feel. This one demands you fight. And not everyone walks away unscathed. Eight months have passed since Sarah Kato’s nine-year-old daughter died from cancer, and she’s barely making it through each day. Her grief has destroyed her marriage, torn her son apart, and changed her once-warm family into a cold and empty space. Each day is a battle to survive, and each breathes makes a conscious decision to keep going. When Sarah finds a way to channel her grief into a memorial fundraiser to celebrate her daughter’s life, hope begins to return for the first time since her death. However, this hope comes at a price: her teenage son’s grief turns violent, her marriage teeters on the brink of collapse, and just when her family seems to be coming together again, Sarah finds out she’s pregnant again.

Alaric Royale, a ruthless and cunning CEO, believes Elona Carter, the woman he once loved, deceived him. Consumed by anger and a thirst for revenge, he sets out to destroy her. But fate has other plans. Alaric's world is turned upside down when he's left fighting for his life after a tragic accident. The woman he despised, Elona, becomes his unlikely savior, using her exceptional knowledge of acupuncture and herbal remedies to bring him back from the brink of death. As Alaric awakens from his coma, he's met with a shocking revelation: the woman he trusted, Harley, had drugged him, leading to his near-fatal accident. The truth about Elona's innocence and his own culpability hits him hard. Desperate to make amends, Alaric pleads for Elona's forgiveness: "Elona, please... forgive me. I was blind, deceived by Harley's lies. I swear to make it right, to give you and our children the life they deserve. I want to marry you, to give you the status and respect you've always deserved." But Elona's response is icy: "Mr. Royale, don't read much into it. It's a doctor's duty to save patients. Now that you are healed, I will disappear from Emerald Hill as per your initial command." Alaric's heart feels like it's being squeezed in a vice as Elona throws his own ruthless words back at him. He's forced to confront the consequences of his past actions and the depth of Elona's pain. Will Alaric be able to overcome his past mistakes and prove himself worthy of a second chance, or will his regrets forever define him?

The air in the penthouse was thick with unspoken words and the lingering heat of a shared victory. He stood before her, the ice in his gaze finally melted, revealing a raw vulnerability that stole the breath from her lungs. “This wasn’t part of the contract,” he murmured, his voice a rough caress as his thumb traced the line of her jaw. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic bird against the gilded cage of their agreement. “I know.” His fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck, tilting her face up to his. The world narrowed to the space between them, to the shocking warmth of his skin against hers. “Then tell me to stop, Ivy. Give me the rules. Give me the clause.” She should. Every instinct for self-preservation screamed at her to rebuild the walls, to remember he was her enemy, her jailer, her temporary husband. But as she looked into the stormy grey depths of his eyes, she saw not the ruthless CEO, but the man who had just looked at her daughter as if she were the most precious thing in the world. So, she didn’t speak. Instead, she rose onto her toes, closing the distance, her lips a breath away from his in a silent, devastating answer. The first kiss was not a conquest, but a surrender. It was not about revenge or contracts. It was a question, and in the shuddering breath he released against her mouth, she found her answer. The cold, platinum wedding band finally felt warm against her skin.

Yaroslav “Viktorovich” Demidov: 25, of Russian descent, the second heir of the Demidov Family. Stoic, disciplined-well too much, perfectionist, hot headed and uptight. Hides vulnerability within that hard exterior of his. The only one in his family who has no magic because of an incident that happened when he was 4 years of age. Soul-bonded to Lian and actually holds the rarest and most powerful but dangerous power of all. Lian MAteo Alonzo-Kensington: 20, Filipino-British American, from the nurturing but competitive Kensington Family. Confident, expressive, sometimes impulsive kind of vulgar but well disciplined not in an uptight way. Has magical abilities, the rare dual type ability holders, ice and wind. His warmth clashes with Yaroslav and is soul-bonded with him therefore can also wield the other rarest and most powerful magic. Can two opposing hearts on ice bound by a soul-bond survive the weight of legacy, pressures of the competition and the dangerous pull of love and desire, when the bond that they believed to be a curse demands that one must lose his life for the other to live? For even every clash of skates, every stolen glances across the rink, every searing touch and mind-numbing kiss when they met in secret seems to burn the ice ablaze as the hatred blurs into hunger that draws them closer to a collision that could destroy or bind them for eternity. “Fuck Kensington, then I’ll risk everything, suffer everything….for one thing that matters…..You.” -Yaroslav Demidov

"If you really care for me then give him to me. Give me Sebastian!" Andrea says as tears roll down her cheeks. Killian stands there like a statue, not being able to reply to his sister. How can he give the person to his sister whom he loves? ***** Andrea and Killian Price are the residential bad girl and boy of Milestone High. They are similar in more than one way. However, they didn't know their interests were similar to the point where they would fall for the same boy. Sebastian Greenfield, a boy with the prettiest face but the ugliest fate. He harbours so much pain in his heart that he trusts no one in life. Killian, the cold and arrogant playboy, hides his vulnerability through the facade of his badboy persona. Both of them have walls built around themselves, walls so high that no one could climb them until now. It took Andrea 4 days to develop a crush on the new boy of the school who manages to ignite the fire of her desires. It took Killian 4 months to fall in love with the boy who makes him feel like himself again. Now the question arises, whom does Sebastian love? Or can he love at all? After all, a broken heart can't be mend. Or can it? Throw in an obsessed lunatic from his past and the game begins. Killian has a lot to fight if he wants to win the heart of the said boy.

Adrian Chen is the golden standard of the marketing world—brilliant, commanding, and emotionally impenetrable. At thirty-two, he's built an empire on control: controlling projects, controlling people, controlling himself. He's never been vulnerable with anyone, and he's never had to be. Eli Reeves is twenty-seven, underestimated, and fighting twice as hard as everyone else to earn respect in an industry that dismissed him the moment he walked in. He's competent, passionate, and invisible to anyone important—until Adrian's firm brings him in as the fresh voice on a multi-million-dollar campaign. Adrian resents him immediately. Eli's creativity clashes with Adrian's rigid strategy. Eli's openness threatens Adrian's carefully constructed emotional distance. And the physical pull Adrian feels toward him is absolutely unacceptable. But forced proximity becomes forced honesty. Arguments become negotiations. Dismissals become defense mechanisms. And when Adrian finally kisses Eli after weeks of suppressed tension, neither of them can pretend anymore. What begins as dangerous attraction becomes something more: Eli's discovery that submitting to Adrian (both in the bedroom and emotionally) is empowering, not diminishing. Adrian's terrifying realization that loving Eli requires surrendering the control he's built his entire identity around. Their secret relationship deepens through escalating intimacy and escalating risk. But when someone in the firm begins sabotaging them—threatening to expose their relationship and destroy Adrian's reputation—they face an impossible choice: separate to protect their careers, or fight together and risk everything they've built. In a relationship where dominance and submission define their passion, Adrian and Eli must learn that true power lies not in control, but in trust. That surrender, when chosen, is the bravest form of strength. And that love worth fighting for is worth burning for.

"I only asked you for a favor, and this is what you pay me back with?" Asher stared right into my eyes, his voice dripping with venom. My hand trembled, my heart aching as I stared back at his face. "I didn’t do it, Asher… Please believe me. I swear on anything—I didn’t do it," I sniffed, tears rolling down my cheeks. "Take her out," Asher roared, and just like that. Every hope I had was shattered. ~~~~~~~ Elena knew exactly what she was walking into when she said yes to a man who never loved her. She knew his heart belonged to Vienna, her sister. But all Elena wanted was a chance. Just a sliver of space in his heart. What she didn’t expect was Vienna’s return to come with a vicious accusation. One Asher never questioned. He didn’t ask. He didn’t look back. He shoved Elena into the deepest hole, cast her aside like she was nothing. And when he returned weeks later to her, it wasn’t with an apology. It was with a deal. A second chance—for a crime she never even committed. Elena carried the weight of betrayal, humiliation, and pain. She went ahead to give them everything, just to be free. And when they were done with her, they discarded her like trash. But she picked up her pieces. She wiped her tears. And she made herself a promise— What they did to her would never define her. Years later, Elena walks back into their world. Not as the quiet, desperate girl they once used and discarded, but as a woman whose name now echoes power. And just when they think they’ve seen it all—Secrets begin to unravel. The kind of secrets that leaves even the cruelest speechless.

Yukio Tanarro, a confident and ambitious man, leads a life defined by routine and work. He believes that hard work is the key to success and sees himself as the most competent heir to his wealthy family, the Tanarros. However, his plans are disrupted when a hidden niece of his late cousin, Kai Tanarro, emerges during the reading of the will. Jina Sotomayor, a kind-hearted and unsuspecting young woman, had a close friendship with Kai. Yukio sees an opportunity to exploit Jina's vulnerability and schemes to seduce her in order to claim the inheritance left by Kai. With the assistance of his brother and mother, Yukio concocts a plan to strip Jina of her rightful inheritance. Jina falls into Yukio's trap, initially unaware of his ulterior motives. However, she eventually begins to sense the insincerity in his actions and discovers the truth behind his manipulative intentions. This revelation ignites a fire within Jina, motivating her to seek justice and reclaim what is rightfully hers. As Jina unravels the web of deception, she uncovers a network of lies, secrets, and hidden agendas. Along the way, she finds unexpected allies and gains a deeper understanding of the intricate puzzle surrounding her. Determined and resolute, Jina prepares for a final confrontation with Yukio, where their true characters will be revealed. In the ultimate showdown, Jina confronts Yukio armed with the knowledge she has acquired. Their battle becomes a test of wits, with Jina's determination and integrity pitted against Yukio's deceitful schemes. Jina emerges as a symbol of justice and strength, challenging Yukio's manipulative reign.

Elarie Newton thought she could hide her secret forever. After becoming pregnant with no idea who the father was, she buried her shame, concealing the truth for months. But when her father, Alexander Newton, found out, her world crashed down in an instant. "Get out of my house! I don’t have a daughter who’s a slut like you!" Alexander’s voice had cut through the silence like a blade. Abandoned and alone, Elarie had been left to fend for herself. Five years later, she was still fighting—fighting to survive, to raise her son, Daniel, and to give him a future. But the load she carried was becoming unbearable. With Daniel starting school, her low-paying job barely covered their bills. Then came a glimmer of hope. A job interview. Her final chance to turn things around. Elarie stepped into the conference room with her heart pounding, filled with hope and determination. Behind the massive desk sat Danreb Scott, a man whose cold, calculating gaze pierced right through her. “So, Ms. Newton…” He had dragged his eyes from her feet to her head. “…do you really think you’re capable of working with me without a degree?” Elarie’s breath had hitched, but she had straightened her spine. “I’ve done more with less.” This was her chance to prove that her past didn’t define her—that she was more than the broken girl her father had cast aside. But would Danreb Scott see beyond her scars, or would her past continue to haunt her? But one thing was for sure. Elarie was ready to fight for her son’s future, even if it meant working under the icy gaze of the man sitting across from her.