Empty Smiles

Willow Fletcher never asked for Ridgeway Academy. To her, the school was a fortress of wealth and privilege, where polished smiles masked sharp cruelty. But when the scholarship came, she had no choice but to step into its glittering, dangerous halls. Sweet, soft, and unworldly, Willow stood out the moment she arrived. The whispers began instantly, mockery laced with jealousy. No matter how kind she was, Ridgeway’s elite branded her an outsider. Yet, envy followed her every step. With her porcelain skin and delicate beauty, she was impossible to ignore. Especially to him. Ian Blackwood. Ridgeway’s crown jewel. The untouchable guy with a smile girls would burn for and a heart made of ice. Brilliant, composed, devastatingly charming, he was everything they wanted, and the very reason they ended up shattered. His friends thrived on games and chaos, but Ian? Ian preferred precision. A silent hunter. And Willow had caught his eye. She wasn’t desperate for him, and that was her mistake. Her innocence tempted him, and temptation was something Ian never resisted. When his friends dared him to make her fall, he accepted without hesitation. Because Willow Fletcher wasn’t just another conquest. She was a challenge. And Willow Fletcher was the kind of challenge he intended to savour before destroying

I was the son of the wealthiest man in Capital City, but I had never enjoyed the flattery and fake smiles that came with that title. All I had ever wanted was a normal life. Now that I was pushing twenty-eight and still single, my mom finally lost her patience. She gave me an ultimatum: go on a blind date or she’d disown me. On my way to the date, I passed by a luxury boutique and spotted a watch that immediately caught my eye. I was just about to pay for it when, out of nowhere, a man barged in from behind and slapped a black card down on the counter. “I’ll take this watch. Wrap it up for me,” he said. I stayed calm and said politely, “Sir, I saw this watch first.” However, he just scoffed and snapped back, full of arrogance, “A broke nobody like you can look but not afford it. Get lost. I’m the assistant to Ms. Jackson, the CEO of Jackson Group. In this city, if I want something, no one will fight me for it.” Ms. Jackson? Isn’t that the exact woman I was supposed to be meeting for the blind date? Without another word, I pulled out my phone and dialed her number. “Selena,” I said calmly, “do you know your assistant is out here throwing your name around to bully people?”

I came to beg for mercy. He offered to save me… for a price. One week. Seven forbidden nights in his snowbound lake house. $187,400.17 wiped clean if I obey every single command. Cassian Voss. My mother’s ex-husband. The man who raised me, then vanished the day the divorce was final. Now a billionaire photographer who shoots the most depraved, beautiful fantasies money can buy… and keeps the pictures for himself. He says I only have to be his assistant. Hand him ropes. Hold the lights. Watch while perfect, naked women kneel and call him Sir. But I feel his eyes on me every time the shutter clicks. I hear the way his voice drops when he calls me “little girl.” I see the way he smiles when I flinch. He promised he wouldn’t touch me. He never said I wouldn’t beg him to. By the seventh night, the debt will be paid. The only question left is whether I’ll drive away free… or drop to my knees and plead with my stepfather to keep me forever. Warning: extremely spicy, very taboo, praise kink, forced proximity, possessive alpha, no cheating, guaranteed HEA.

One day, a wealthy couple is invited to give a speech at my university. My childhood sweetheart, Henry McGregor, tugs me along, eager for us to sneak out to the cafeteria and do some part-time work. He tells me to go grab the empty bucket from the shelf. But just as I take a step, a flood of messages suddenly appears in front of my eyes. [Don't touch that bucket! It's filled with scalding soup that Henry prepared. He wants to ruin your face!] [Three years ago, Henry had his first love impersonate you, becoming the long-lost daughter of the Wright family. Now, he plans to disfigure you so you'll never be able to return.] [You'll endure severe burns all over your body and undergo countless skin grafts. In the end, the fake heiress will poison you by swapping your medicine.] [Meanwhile, that scumbag will marry into the Wright family. Along with the impostor, they'll drain the Wrights of everything they have.] [You need to go back right now and let Mrs. Wright see your face. This is your only chance to reclaim your rightful place as their daughter!] At that moment, I hear Henry urging me again to hurry and move the bucket. As I glance at the flood of messages once more, I freeze, stopping dead in my tracks.

She married him to end a family feud. He never loved her or so she thought. Jane endured a cold, empty marriage to billionaire Logan Anderson, holding onto the hope that one day he might feel something real. But the moment she discovered she was pregnant, she also caught him cheating. Heartbroken, she asked for a divorce without telling him about the babies growing inside her. That same night, she was kidnapped, tortured, and thrown into the sea, left for dead. The men claimed Logan sent them. And Jane believed it. Six years later, she’s back. Not as a broken wife, but as a powerful woman with six brilliant children and a single mission: revenge. She’ll make Logan pay. She’ll break his empire. And she’ll do it with a smile. But what happens when the lies begin to crack? What happens when she discovers the truth That Logan had fallen for her long before she left And that someone close, someone trusted, orchestrated it all? Now Jane’s daughter is sick and the only bone marrow match is Logan. What if he wasn’t the enemy after all? And what if the only man who can save her child is the one she swore to destroy?

I ,like every Nigerian teenager, has a dream. Something I prayed and fantasized would one day come true. My siblings saw it as empty dream, something to build up my imagination and that it would never come to pass but I stood strong, determined to catch that dream and one day live and fullfil it. I know you would be wondering, what is this so called dream of mine that I held so high and cherished. Well,it was traveling Abroad, I know what you would say. "Who doesn't want to travel Abroad"? Everybody does, but mine felt different ,for me it felt like something I was born to do,it felt like a norm that I must accomplish. I want to be a popular and well known script writer, someone who writes plays and works for the biggest movie industry but looking down on my family,it was that I couldn't reach, but I still push ahead with an unquenchable determination. Join Serena Williams on her journey to achieve her dreams. Being faced by discouragement , betrayal and having to choose between her dreams and her lover. What would be the outcome of her friendship with James, what brought the betrayal, will she chose to stay or to leave? Find out in dreams.

My mate, Luther Evans, had spent 20 thousand dollars on two first-class tickets for the Moonlight Express to Vespera Coast. Just as we were about to board, he pulled me aside and gave my seat to my foster sister, Zoey Turner. He explained, "There's only one empty seat left on the train, and Zoey's son has never seen the ocean before. This is the perfect chance. Kids can't be separated from their mothers, so I'll take them first and get them settled, then come back for you." I nodded and stepped off the train, watching it disappear into the distance. Once they reached the beach, a friend asked Luther why I hadn't come along. He was busy inflating a pool float for Zoey, answering casually without looking up. "The Moonlight Express runs every three days. Avery Smith can just buy her own ticket and come later. I'll pick up some gifts to make it up to her. She's really understanding and won't stay mad at me." A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. The whole family had always favored Zoey, and now even my own mate was no different. Since nobody wanted to see me anyway, I decided I would leave in three days.

WARNING: Reader Discretion Advised This story contains mature themes, intense emotional tension, morally complex emotions characters, and sensual content intended strictly for adult audiences (18+). Reader discretion is strongly advised. When Wrong Desire meets Obsession… She spent nights craving her husband’s touch, only to end up being claimed by his brother. Larissa was a pawn in a business deal, married off to Finn, a man who treats her like a ghost in her own home. While she stayed under the weight of his cold indifference and empty bed, her heart ached for a connection that Finn refused to provide. A night, fueled by courage and the sting of rejection, Larissa seeks to drown her loneliness. She wakes up not in her husband’s room, but in the lair of the family’s greatest sin: Ronan. The black sheep of the house, the ruthless underground mafia, the playboy whose name is whispered as a warning. What started as a drunken mistake ignites a forbidden fire. Ronan doesn't just touch her; he possesses her in ways Finn never dared. Now, Larissa is trapped in a web of her own making, addicted to the man she’s supposed to fear, while still bound to the man she’s supposed to love. Desire leads to sin, and sin has never felt so much like home. LUSTily…..

She was once the quiet wife no one respected, married to a man the world called a prize far above her league. He flaunted mistresses, mocked her dignity, and everyone believed she would crawl back even after she dared to file for divorce. But they were wrong. The woman who returned was no longer fragile. She was fire, elegance, and strength incarnate, crushing enemies who tried to sabotage her and rising higher than anyone dared to imagine. When whispers spread that she sought a new father for her daughter, the world’s most powerful men—an acclaimed scientist, a ruthless billionaire, and a top film star, lined up for her favor. Her ex-husband, however, wasn’t ready to let go. He fought for custody, framed her in scandals, and even tried to use their child as a weapon against her. But the more he pushed, the further he fell and the more unstoppable she became. When love finally came knocking again, it wasn’t from grand gestures or empty promises, but from the man who had stood silently by her side, proving loyalty where others offered lies. Now, society bows to the woman they once mocked. And her ex-husband? He can only watch from the shadows as she declares the words that seal his downfall: “Ex-husband, step aside.”

"It's just...I don't think this is working out,” he gestured at the empty space between us. My mind reeled. "What do you mean? We're fine, aren't we?" I asked, holding onto hope. "Honestly, Kalynda, I deserve better." "What's wrong with me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Jake's gaze dropped to my body, and he didn’t even try to hide his disgust. "It's just...your weight, Kae. It's...unattractive." Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. "You're ashamed of me," I stated, my voice cracking. Jake shrugged. "I'm just being honest, Kae. You need to lose weight if you want to keep a guy like me.” "You're breaking up with me because of my weight?" I asked, incredulous. Jake nodded. Kalynda hits rock bottom when her boyfriend breaks up with her and she realized he’d been using her all along. The bullying and ridicule from her peers, including her step sister, increased, and Kae wants to end it all. But the brooding Max steps in and stops her. She sees life in a new light and works in herself. What happens when she returns as a completely different person?