Empty Smiles

*My mate turns out to be the mafia king?!* “Stop flirting with my staff.” My head snaps toward the guy I’ve run into twice today. I thought he was just an average school playboy. “Your staff?” I ask stupidly. He smiles widely. “That’s right, sweetheart. This is my club.” * “W-what are you doing?” I whisper, but the look in his eyes says it all. “Do you feel that?” He asks. It takes a second, but then I feel tiny sparks racing along my skin as his hand slips under my jacket and over my skin. I gasp, and then his lips are on mine. *** A few years ago, a series of scientific research buildings were attacked. The chemicals from those research facilities had seeped into our water supply and slowly manipulated our DNA. Last year was the first report of someone showing a hint of supernatural abilities. Then another and another until suddenly, there were people with abilities popping up all over the place. People with abilities were either feared or envied. I have tried hiding my ability for as long as I can. My ability would have me locked up and used until there was nothing left of me. The ability to heal is a gift everyone would want to take advantage of, so I never use it…ever. Until... I meet him. Julian. My schoolmate. The boss of The Hell Club. The Mafia King. My...mate. What we didn't know at the time was that these so-called DNA alterations were all werewolf genes growing inside the human body. And he, Julian... is my mate.

Elara Hayes had no idea that one night her life would end. Elara is forced into a contract marriage with Alessandro De Luca, the cold, ruthless CEO of a global empire, after being betrayed by her fiancé, burdened by the crushing debts of her family, and cornered by circumstances she can no longer escape. Their marriage is a calculated alliance to the outside world. Alessandro views it as a business arrangement designed to safeguard his position and silence internal threats. It is a cage that Elara never asked to enter. Elara is obligated to learn how to survive in Alessandro's perilous world, which is ruled by power, secrets, and enemies hidden behind polished smiles, and is bound by a contract with strict rules and an even stricter expiration date. She discovers that the man she married is far more complicated than his icy reputation suggests as she struggles to protect her family and maintain her independence. Despite the fact that Alessandro is in charge, guarded, and emotionally untouchable, his focus on Elara grows dangerously intense. What initially appears to be forced proximity gradually develops into an unspoken tension that neither of them is willing to admit. However, secrets do not remain hidden forever. Elara is forced to reevaluate everything, including her marriage, her own heart, and her safety, as resurfaced betrayals and hidden enemies draw near. Additionally, she must make a decision when she discovers information that could cost her everything and bring down Alessandro's empire: When the contract expires, will she terminate it? or put her heart at risk for a man she never intended to love? There are rules in the contract. However, love was not one of them.

I have spent ten years fighting against the fake heiress, Cynthia Powell, to secure the Powell family's inheritance. Eventually, we both set our sights on the eldest son of the wealthy Wright family, Robin Wright. In my first life, I secure the marriage, but on the very night the shares are transferred to my name, I die a gruesome death. Blood seeps from my eyes and mouth as I collapse. As I lie there dying, Robin calmly wipes the poisonous powder from his fingertips and smiles at me. "My apologies, Kathy Powell. You have to die for the sake of the woman I truly love." I repeatedly curse Cynthia in my heart. In my second life, I am determined to avoid being murdered by Cynthia and her lover. So, I pass the marriage opportunity over to Cynthia. On their wedding day, I'm relaxing at home with a face mask when the police burst through my door and handcuff me. "Cynthia's car was firebombed on the way to the wedding ceremony, and she was burned to a crisp. We found your fingerprints on the fuel tank. You're under arrest for arson and murder. Please come with us," the police orders. The news shocks me. I'm sentenced to death, all thanks to Robin's manipulation. When I wake up, I'm in my third life. After seeing the Wright family's marriage proposal on the table, Cynthia and I take a step back. A chill runs down both our spines. Robin is a curse. How is it that whoever marries him ends up dead?

My boy friend Caleb Ford's childhood sweetheart, Julia Leclair, is losing her hair from chemotherapy. So, he orders me to cut mine off and make her a wig. "Julia's allergic to synthetic wigs. You've been growing your hair for ten years—it's perfect." I refuse, but his friends tie me down. Someone shaves my head to the scalp, buzzing through my thick, glossy hair until nothing's left but a butchered mess. Julia sits in her wheelchair and laughs, saying I look like a toad. Caleb smiles and nods in agreement. He adds with a chuckle, "It's just some hair. Was that really necessary?" But back when I was bullied for having uneven, choppy short hair for six straight years, it was he who stood in front of me. He had his arms spread wide as he shielded me from harm. Now he's the one wielding the blade. One by one, their little circle chimes in. They tell me not to hold a grudge against someone who's sick. Caleb snaps impatiently, "Stop trying to talk sense into her. She can get lost! Did you see that fit she threw over a few strands of hair? It's not like they won't grow back." I turn around and walk away. I never look back. Later, I hear that Caleb begs for my forgiveness by kneeling his way up 9000 steps until his knees are ruined.

After my girlfriend returns from a month-long business trip with her first love, she notices that I've changed. She sides with him to take over my project, but I don't quit in anger. Instead, I throw myself into helping him, even drafting proposals for him. She destroys the design I worked so hard on to help him snag the year-end bonus, yet I don't try to defend myself. I take all the blame and let her punish me however she likes. Even when she goes as far as to promote him to general manager against the rules, I don't get upset. I hand over all my shares, letting her distribute them as she wishes. My girlfriend wonders why I've suddenly become so submissive, while her first love just grins smugly. "See? I told you—giving him the cold shoulder works. Once he's afraid of losing you, he'll fall in line," he says. It clicks for my girlfriend. She smiles, tells me I've been good, and offers me a promotion. Then, she unexpectedly asks me to propose. But she doesn't seem to realize that while we weren't speaking, she has already signed my resignation papers. And I've already broken up with her. From this moment on, I sever all ties with her, and we no longer have anything to do with each other.

"He was once mine but then I lost him. I couldn't protect him even as I had vowed to do. But, I brought him back to life. Now, he is reborn and so is I. I will walk through hell and high waters. I will break laws and bones until I have had him in my arms once again and this time, even death can not prey him from my loving grasps." "And if in this life, another Williams or Priest shall arise, then I will go on a rampage, a mad killing spree. For his sake, I will become my demons, my monster, and I will hunt them down and pluck them out until there is nothing left of them and they will never hurt what's MINE ever again." "There is only ONE for me in this world and that ONE is HIM." **~~** Second Book of 'Poisoned Affairs'. It can be read as a stand-alone novel but if you want to learn better about their previous lives then you might wanna go check out PA first. **~~** Danny and Louis are reborn but one was born with the memories of their past lives while the other stays bound to the last words spoken to him on his deathbed. The only clue to unraveling their eternal bonds lies in their identical birthmarks, one of great meanings and importance yet even the marks wouldn't be enough to stop fate from trying one more time. Let's follow Levon and Dylon as they journey through discovery, acceptance, lust, hurt, and uncontrollable love for one another. Hope this time fate smiles better on our boys. **~~**

“Damn it, Viola! Do you even hear yourself? You’re miserable, and you’re pretending it’s normal!” Logan says, clenching his fists beside him. I drag in a shaky breath. “What do you want me to do, Logan? Just leave my marriage?” “Yes!” I freeze. He steps closer. “Leave. And let me love you the way you deserve.” *** She thought heartbreak was the worst thing he could do to her. Then he came back. Three years ago, Logan Reynolds chose ambition over love, leaving Viola McCoy behind—and breaking her heart in the process. Determined to move on, she made a choice—one that led her into the arms of Julian Cruz, a man who vowed to love her but only saw her as a means to an end. Now, trapped in a loveless marriage, Viola endures the whispers, the neglect, and the bruises she hides beneath designer sleeves. But when Logan returns as the new CEO of Reynolds Publishing—her boss—Viola’s carefully constructed world begins to crack. He sees through her forced smiles and polite lies. He soon realizes the woman he left behind is still fighting to be heard. Logan is determined to save her. Viola? She’s certain she can’t be saved. But in the middle of stolen glances, midnight confessions, and the words they can’t say out loud, one question remains: Can love be rewritten, or are some stories doomed to end the same way twice?

“Marry him or forget that you were ever part of this family” “So I’m just a pawn now?” “No zara,you are the price we pay for peace “ Zara Tunde had one dream: to model for the world’s biggest fashion houses and one day walk the runway in Paris. She was ready to chase that dream—until her father shattered everything with a single demand: marry Regan Kareem, the son of a man she despised, or lose everything, including her family. But Zara wasn’t going down without a fight. On one condition, she agreed: the marriage would last only one year. If love didn’t happen by the end of the year, they would walk away. No strings, no regrets. Regan Kareem, the enigmatic son of the powerful Chief Kareem, wasn’t looking for love either. He had his secrets—some dark, some dangerous. He saw the marriage as a means to an end, a way to fulfill family expectations and cover truths that could destroy his father’s empire. What started as cold tolerance slowly ignited into something neither expected. Beneath the mansion walls, deals were made, lies unraveled, and eyes watched from the shadows. When Zara begins to uncover a past linked to her own pain—the disappearance of her baby sister years ago—everything she thought she knew crumbles. In a world where loyalty is tested and betrayal hides behind perfect smiles, Zara must decide what matters more—revenge or love.u Because in this vow, someone’s not making it out unscathed.

As Jastrelle's golden girl, I draw lots to pick my groom, and fate finally hands me Felix Ledger, the childhood sweetheart I've wanted forever. During the impromptu wedding, a funeral convoy belonging to a scion of a rich family in Jastrelle passes right outside. I hate the omen. Felix laughs, pulls me into his arms, and places the veil over my head himself. "I'll take it as a good omen. With you, I'm covered from first breath to last," he says. His adoptive sister, Winnie Ledger, hears him, bursts into tears, and bolts outside. The funeral convoy runs her down, and she dies. Felix barely reacts. Three years later, Dad is framed, driven into bankruptcy, and falls gravely ill. He dies, and I lose everything. At the funeral, Felix sends everyone off, shoves me into the open grave, and buries me alive. He spits, "You rigged everything to get me. You left Winnie ruined. She bolted outside, and that funeral convoy ran her down. For three years, remorse has eaten me alive. I want you torn apart! "With your last protector gone, I can finally make you suffer a hundredfold the pain Winnie felt and ease my hatred!" When I open my eyes, I'm back at the groom-selection ceremony. Dad smiles as he hands me the lots. I shake my head, look out the window, and point at the funeral convoy passing outside. "I'm not choosing anyone. I'll marry that dead man!"

"The rain falls because the sky can no longer handle its weight. Just like the tears, it falls because our heart can no longer handle the pain." Cleopatra Cooper Sandoval, the blue eyed Ilongga and only princess of Sandoval clan. She's got everything, beauty, money and fame. She loves everything about life. She loves to party. She loves going out with friends. She loves spending her money. She's a brat with a heart, a happy go lucky princess . But no one knows that behind those smiles and happy vibes is heart full of fear. The bratty princess is scared of the rain. Surrounded by six overprotective brothers, who are worried for her safety after getting kidnapped years back, they hired a bodyguard without her knowledge. Cooper is living the life, not until the day she met the man with a seductive midnight black eyes. The cold, strict and dangerous Silas Atticus Monteverde, a retired US Marine and his brother's bestfriend. First time she laid eyes on him, she knows she will be in deep trouble. So deep that she can't get him off her mind. She thought that it would be the start of her own happy ending but memories of her childhood trauma started coming back. She saw him as the monster who caged her in the past. The beast that's chasing him in a dark rainy night. Will his love shine and give light to change her perspective? Will his love enough to give her the calm after the storm? Or will she continue running to find the peace she's been looking for, a shelter in the rain?