Empty Smiles

Ria thought her life was perfect. She had a lovely marriage and a life straight out of a fairy tale. Not until she learned that her husband and her very own sister were cheating on her. In her furious and heartbroken state, Ria promised to herself that she would return and make them all pay. However, it dawned on her that retaliation is impossible without money. Until she meets Luca, the infamously handsome brother of her ex-husband. And Luca could readily provide her help to avenge against those who wronged her with his power and wealth. But there's a steep cost to Luca's deal. And Ria was surprised to find it out. Particularly when Luca says in a low, drunken voice, "I have only one condition in exchange for helping you." "What is it?” Perplexed, Ria inquired. Luca smiles seductively, “Sleep with me, Ria.” Will Ria give up her dignity to accept his offer and fulfill her long-held yearning for revenge, or will she disobey him and risk losing her chance?

In a world where appearances mean everything, Lauren Moree plays the perfect wife to billionaire CEO Richard Moree. Their marriage is one of power, wealth, and prestige—but behind closed doors, it's as cold as the diamonds she wears. Trapped in a loveless, controlling relationship, Lauren's days are scripted, her smiles rehearsed, and her heart caged. Then Louis Cruz enters her life. Tall, brooding, and devastatingly handsome, Louis is hired as the new personal driver for the Moree estate. With piercing eyes that seem to see through her soul and a quiet strength that draws her in, Louis becomes the one person who makes Lauren feel alive again. What begins as stolen glances soon spirals into a dangerous affair. But Louis isn’t just any driver—he has secrets of his own, and getting involved with the boss’s wife could cost him everything, including his life. As passion turns to obsession and secrets unravel, Lauren must choose between a gilded cage and a love that could burn everything to the ground.

"I am not used to losing. Never had," he uttered, glaring at her reddish face that was wet with tears. "But, if by any slight mistake, someone dared to even touch a single hair on your head without my permission, I would lose." His intense gaze became deep. "And when I lose," moving closer until she was just a breath away from him, he ended, "my loss is another's invitation of death." Her eyes got bigger and wider. "I will burn this very fucking city down if I have to." She backed herself feeling totally empty to think of anything. In the middle of everything happening, her wound was torn open. The same wound which was caused by him only a week ago. "And I mean every word I say." His warmth-radiating fingers on her jaws burnt her skin. WARNING: This book contains strong language, dubious situations, deception issues, manipulations, abduction and dark romance.

Lily 'Snow' Jenkins, an investigative reporter loses her memory during an investigation on human trafficking. Cody Wells, CEO of Wells Architectural Industries and Samantha Smokes, his assistant find Lily unconscious and naked in a dumpster in an empty alleyway. Cody is arrogant and mean- typical traits seen in a boss. Sam is friendly and outgoing. And Snow is one of the sweetest and fiercest women ever. Cody and Sam promise Snow they'll help her recover her memory. Cody lets Snow live with him and the longer she does, the harder they both fall for each other. Problems develop for Cody and Snow when the bad guys find out about her as she slowly recovers her memory. The bad guys even try to get rid of her by killing her and hurting Cody as Wells. Will Cody try to avoid these problems by being his usual arrogant and mean self? Will Snow live in fear, knowing someone out there wants to hurt her? Or will they let their love strengthen them and win the battle against their enemies?

A week before the marking ceremony, my fiance, Alpha Mason Wallace, suddenly switches the venue to Firefly Grove. His friends tease him. "You changed the venue just because Serena wants to see fireflies? And you didn't even tell Cora? What if she shows up at an empty site? "Besides, Cora's the one who picked Moonlight Bay. Do you really think she'll go along with this?" Mason says casually, "She burned her skin saving me. She won't fight me over a venue change. Besides, she planned every detail herself. She'll notice the update." I stand outside the doorway, listening in silence. Then, I slip away without a word. When the day finally comes, Mason calls from Firefly Grove, panic in his voice. "The ceremony's about to start. Where are you?" I stare at the shimmer on Moonlight Bay and answer calmly, "I'm already here. My ceremony is about to start too."

"One Decision" follows eighteen -year-old Freya Myers, a brilliant but broken foster teen, as she teeters on the edge of a new beginning-and a hidden nightmare. With a perfect GPA and dreams of opening a bookstore, Freya is determined to escape a system that's failed her. When a wealthy Southern family unexpectedly adopts her and whisks her away to a private estate in Georgia, it feels too good to be true. Because it is. The mansion is beautiful. The people? Picture-perfect. But behind the polished smiles and choreographed greetings lies something Freya can't quite name-yet. Strange rules. Watchful eyes. Whispers behind closed doors. And her new "brothers," who know more about her than they should. As Freya digs deeper into the family's secrets, she's forced to confront her past and a chilling truth: she may not have been saved... she may have been chosen. Dark, gripping, and emotionally raw, One Decision is a psychological coming-of-age thriller that explores what happens when the price of belonging may be your freedom-or your soul.

SYNOPSIS He has Alexithymia; the inability to identify and describe ones emotions. He doesn’t understand what it means to feel happy or sad or excited neither does he know how to express them. Smiles and laughs are like riddles to him cause all he can understand is pain… nothing else but pain. He is Holden Smith, CEO of the biggest and most successful game company in China. She has Amnesia and Kleptomania ( the recurrent failure to resist the urge to steal). She steals whatever she comes across; gold, silver, wood, paper and even a needle. She also have a big horrible scar on her face which she does everything possible to keep from the world. Her name is Raven Scott. These two crosses part with each other, having one thing in common; they are BROKEN and DEPRESSED. Unknown to them, their lives got ruined due to one same horrible mistake done eighteen years ago… It’s a scar in their hearts enough to kill them…it’s their lethal guilt. But will they be able to heal?...

Once upon a time, a lion saved a girl. His little cinnamon girl. That lion grew up into a prince. Dark, bitter, and so beautiful that it hurt to look at him. But underneath it all, the girl saw the man. She saw his hunger for love and affection, and she had plenty to give. I was that girl. I fell in love, even though he told me not to. I gave him everything, because that was who I was. I was determined to show him the light in this world, and his smiles were what I lived for. He was my art, my melody, my muse. We were beautiful together. So I gave and gave, all to my bitter prince. Until I had nothing left to give. Until he left me empty. No one warned me love would push me into darkness so cold, it’d tear me apart. To survive, I’d have to kill the cinnamon girl and become someone else. Someone I didn’t recognize.

Hidden behind corporate walls and polished smiles lies a marriage no one knows about. Althea Rivera, a brilliant marketing head, is secretly married to Damian Navarro, the cold yet powerful CEO of Navarro Group. Their love began in secrecy and continued that way because Damian insisted no one must know. But Damian’s public life tells a different story. To the world, he’s in love with Celine Vargas, his charming secretary. When the company holds a corporate retreat at a luxury resort owned by Damian’s estranged twin brother, Darius Navarro, fate plays its cruelest trick. One night, after a few drinks and too many heartaches, Althea mistakes Darius for her husband. Passion ignites, truth blurs and her world shatters. As secrets unravel, loyalties are tested, and love becomes tangled in lies, Althea must face a haunting question: Who truly owns her heart the man she vowed to love, or the man she accidentally gave her soul to?

For seven years, I've kept my identity hidden while secretly helping my girlfriend, Natasha Doyle, become one of the top designers in the world. A major design awards ceremony is being held tonight. My plan is to reveal my real identity and propose to her after she receives the award. But then, I see her walking up on stage, hand-in-hand with Connor Gibson, her partner in the design studio. "All of Natasha's accomplishments are the result of my hard work and effort," Connor proudly declares. Natasha smiles and nods in agreement. "Without him, I wouldn't be the person I am now." Thunderous applause rings from the crowd. The camera flashes keep going off. I stand in the corner, my heart in despair. As I walk out of the venue, I make a call. "Cut off all the funding and investments into Natasha's studio. Don't help her with the patent infringement lawsuit either. Let her deal with the legal consequences herself."