Empty Smiles

"They're coming, Benedicta. Grab all your stuff right now!" One second, I snapped my head around at the panicked Paul who clutched a towel around his waist. But when I looked back, the creature was gone. Shocked by the sudden disappearance, my eyes darted around in search of nothing. "Did you hear what I fucking said? Gather your stuff and let's go!" "Did you-did you see that?" I pointed at the empty window oozing in chilling air. As the breeze got stronger, so did my confusion. "Wake the hell up, Beni," Paul yelled, startling me off my trance. "What is wrong with you?" Without saying a word to Paul, I followed him like a doll as he led me out of the room through a secret passage. "Find them. They haven't gone far." That deep scratchy voice penetrated the walls. "Search the bushes. As ordered, bring her alive." —-------------- —-------------- Benedicta, a young girl sets out to retrieving a glowing stone buried in the depths of the earth, located near Beast Land, a terrifying place inhabited by massive werewolves known as the Lycans. Despite the danger, Benedicta is determined to find the stone, which is said to possess great power. Meanwhile, the Alpha of the lycan pack is cursed, and has been unable to produce an heir for thousands of years. Each time he chooses a pair of lycans to mate and produce offspring with, the pups turn into stone as soon as they are born. His Lunas (female werewolves) also die soon after the curse takes effect. When Benedicta crosses paths with the enraged Alpha, she inadvertently restores his youthful appearance, with just a STEP, triggering a rage that threatens to destroy them both. Hot tension rains down on them as the changes begin.

Our third wedding anniversary was coming up, but my wife, a programmer at a major tech company, suddenly claimed she had to work overtime to meet deadlines. She said she couldn't go on the trip we'd planned. That very afternoon, however, her intern posted a video on social media. My wife—the same woman who normally wouldn't even open a door for fear of chipping her manicure—was holding a screwdriver, repairing an old flip phone. The caption read: [Having a programmer wife is the best. Even when Grandma's phone breaks, we don't need to pay for repairs.] I chuckled, liked the post, and commented: [Right up her alley.] Within minutes, the company group chat exploded. There were over ninety-nine unread messages speculating on when I'd finally snap. Not long after, my wife called. Her voice was ice-cold. "What was that comment supposed to mean? How is Shawn supposed to face anyone at work now? "His grandma's phone broke, so I fixed it. What's the problem? Your parents have always spoiled you. You can't possibly understand real hardship. "Delete the comment. I'll make it up to you over the New Year; we can take that trip then." The New Year? I'd already waited through two other major public holidays. I'd even taken special leave for this trip, and she still bailed. Now she was dangling empty promises again? I hung up on her. My leave ended around the same time as our divorce cooling-off period.

I leaned over her, brushing a kiss on her lips. “One last thing. Do you want me to gag you, or are you good?” She tilted her head, smirking. “What, are you worried my moans might be too loud for your neighbors?” I laughed outright. “Honestly? I don’t give a damn how loud you get. In fact, I want you to be as loud as you want. The louder, the better and that means, I’m doing a good job.” I winked, then moved past her, settling between her thighs. ***** In a marriage reduced to cold silence, Lena Marsh’s anniversary ends with an empty chair and a breaking point. Then Adrian Blackwood steps in, her billionaire boss’s dangerously seductive brother. His gaze strips her bare, promising to ruin her with slow, filthy touches that leave her trembling and soaked. One forbidden night, and she’s addicted to the way he claims her body like it’s his birthright. But obsession has eyes everywhere. Her boss watches with possessive hunger, his stare dark and unyielding, and he wants her locked away from everyone, especially his brother. And when her husband Noah finally wakes up, he fights dirty to reclaim what he ignored, his renewed passion bruising and desperate. Caught between three men who crave her in wildly different ways, a reborn husband, a reckless lover, and a controlling boss, Lena isn’t just tangled in lust. She’s the match. And when secrets ignite, she could burn their entire empire to the ground.

Zane Kessler, tough captain of the Thunder Wolves, has spent years vowing to crush Jaxon Caldwell, the fast, clever captain of the Storm Hawks. Their rivalry is brutal… hard checks, sharp words, pure hatred on the ice. But after Zane's team loses their biggest game of the season, Jaxon finds him alone in the empty locker room. An argument flares… then a simple touch turns into a soft, surprising kiss. Hate suddenly feels warm and confusing. From that moment, their rivalry begins to melt into something sweeter and deeper. But the hockey world isn't kind to feelings like this. Coming out could destroy their careers, and their teams would never forgive the captains falling for the enemy. Then the league drops the bombshell… the Thunder Wolves and Storm Hawks must merge into one team for the upcoming National Championship. To foster unity, Zane and Jaxon are forced to share a small apartment near the rink. They share the same space, the same locker room, and literally breathe the same air. At first it feels like torture… bumping into each other in the kitchen, sharing the couch after tough games, trying to act like nothing has changed. But the walls come down fast. Quiet talks turn into laughter. Simple meals become excuses to sit close. Stolen kisses in the dark hallway feel like winning the biggest game of their lives. Now they must lead their new team to the title while hiding a love that grows stronger every day. One wrong glance, one slip, and it could shatter everything… the championship, their careers, and the beautiful thing they’ve finally found. On the ice they were sworn enemies. Off it, they’re falling hard. And the closer they get, the more impossible it is to let go. Who will surrender first?

When my wife, Sandra Lane, finally returns from her business trip, I pin her against the wall, my lust overwhelming my rationality. Halfway through our session, Sandra's phone starts ringing all of a sudden. She quickly pushes me off her body before grabbing her phone. "Sandie, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable. Can you check out what's wrong with me?" A racy video is soon sent to Sandra's private chat. Angered, I question Sandra, "Has William gone nuts? Why did he send you these videos? Is he going to keep badgering you just because he can't find himself a wife?" Sandra responds by slapping me instantly. "What the hell are you talking about, Steven? What's with that gutter mind of yours? I've just rescued William from another city! His parents are already dead, so I'm the only one left in his life! Naturally, I'm obligated to take good care of him! "You disgust me to no end, Steven! Hurry up and apologize to me right now, or else we're getting a divorce!" Sandra and I have been married for six years. During these years, she has used divorce as a threat against me multiple times. But when I'm with Sandra, I've already confessed 1001 times to her. Upon noticing my silence, Sandra just smiles smugly, thinking that there's no way I will ever leave her. But this time, she's wrong.

For two years, Alexandra “Lexi” Richmond Blackwood played the perfect wife. To the outside world, she was married to Ethan Blackwood, the billionaire every woman dreamed of and every man envied. Their love was the envy of New York’s elite. Their smiles, flawless. Their empire, unshakable. But behind the marble walls of their penthouse, Lexi found out the hard truth. His fake marriage and his betrayal withSophia Mendez, the childhood friend and mistress Ethan couldn't let go of. She knew about the lies, the betrayal, and the mockery he made of their vows. And she knew how to destroy him. For two years, Lexi had waited. She’s played the part, worn the diamonds, smiled for the cameras, hoping he would love her someday. But knowing the truth hurts too much and so she plotted. A carefully constructed plan takes an unexpected turn the night she meets Maxwell Reed, Ethan’s most dangerous rival. Maxwell is powerful, cunning, and devastatingly charming, a man who sees through her games yet can’t resist playing them. What begins as a strategic affair turns into something far more dangerous… passion. As Lexi seduces her way through a world built on power and lies, she finds herself caught between two men: One who ruined her life. And one who could ruin her heart. When Ethan’s empire begins to crumble and long-buried secrets rise to the surface, Lexi realizes the most dangerous betrayal may not come from her enemies, but from herself. In a world where loyalty is bought, love is a weapon, and revenge has a price, Lexi will either reign as queen… or lose everything.

“I do not need you to love me.” He rebuts coldly. “I need you to marry me.” “I do not want to, Mr Bolt.” I reiterate in case the stubborn asshole hadn’t understood my view on the subject. “I believe you think you have a choice in the matter.” He smiles wolfishly. “Marry me or I’ll let those wolves have a field day with tearing your company from your hands.” “I would rather take my chances with them than you.” He smirks, stepping close enough that his sandalwood scent wraps me in a cloud I wasn’t eager to escape. “Marriage to me wouldn’t be so bad as you well know it.” He smirked running an eye up and down my body. “I’ll keep your days busy with clients and your nights very warm.” *** Maria Belluci had lived a rather peaceful life as the daughter of one of London’s elite businessmen but she had her carefully organized life torn away from her when she found her half-sister in bed with her fiancé a few weeks before their wedding. Distraught, she had a one-night stand with the famed billionaire CEO Sebastian Bolt and left before he could wake up. She decided to leave her family, who had sided with her half-sister and everything associated with them, behind to start over, but her story was far from over as this gripping tale of passion, desire, and betrayal spun her into the arms of Sebastian again. Would they overcome all odds stacked against them or would their romance shatter under the weight of adversity?

She looked down at my dying body, disgust written into every line of her face. “You really thought I was on your side?” she whispered. “How pathetic.” Blood filled my mouth as I smiled bitterly. So this was the price of trust. ~~~ They destroyed her marriage to Lucien, tricked her into signing papers that erased her name, her future, even her very existence. She gave them her heart, her loyalty, her life… and they repaid her with betrayal sharp enough to kill her or maybe it actually did. A few forged smiles, a few carefully chosen lies. One signature was all it took to strip her of everything, her name, her fortune, even her freedom. Her best friend, her childhood sweetheart. The only people she believed loved her. They didn’t just take her wealth or her freedom, they took her body, piece by piece, until death was the only thing left. But fate wasn’t done with Aria. When she opened her eyes again, she wasn’t on a cold operating table, she was back at the beginning. Before the lies, before the signatures, before the knife slid in. This time, she wouldn’t be naive. This time, she wouldn’t love blindly. She would rewrite her future, step by step. She would make them pay, before they even realized the game had changed. And Lucien… The man she once abandoned, the regret she carried even into death. This time, she would choose him. Could she destroy them all… and still hold onto the one thing she loved most, or would revenge demand a price too high even for her?

"Don't you know how to fake a smile anymore? Those irritating little smiles of yours that screamed nothing but desperation? We're making an appearance in front of several high calibre people for goodness sake. You must carry this facade on without any slip, Rosalie.” He said.  My chest pinched, and I looked away, pretending to adjust my bracelet to hide the pain. “I know."  ~                                    ~ “Rosaline...” Ezra murmured. “Why help me to ruin a man you once loved?”   "Why?" I repeated. "Because they took everything from me—the one thing I loved more than life itself. They destroyed my life, my reputation, my happiness, all to serve their own selfish agendas. Him and his mistress. I've been maltreated and betrayed severally, countlessly! But no more. It's my turn to take what I deserve: their pain, their humiliation, their downfall." I paused, my face hardening into an expression of pure, vengeful rage. "And I will make them suffer for it.” *                  *.             * Rosalie’s journey had been a tumultuous one– betrayal and pain. The transactional marriage that she had entered into, hoping one day it would turn around to be a marriage for love, had instead left her heartbroken and betrayed. Her ex- husband’s infidelity, coupled with an unimaginable cruelty that he had subjected her to, had shattered her beyond repair.  Now, fueled by a desire for vengeance, Rosalie had returned to seek revenge on those who had wronged her. Joining forces with her ex-husband's rival, a ruthless business tycoon who harbored his own grudges against her ex-husband, she plotted a scheme that would bring them both justice...and ruin.

To save his mother’s life as she lay critically ill in the operating room, Dante had no choice. The hospital bills kept piling up. Every door he knocked on for help closed, one by one. Until an offer came—dirty, dangerous, and binding. To become a mafia boss’s kept man. Leonard Virelli was not just a wealthy man. He was the shadow ruler of the city—ambitious, manipulative, and accustomed to getting whatever he wanted. Including Dante. Dante knew this was not simply a “relationship.” It was an unspoken contract of ownership. Of a body paid for. Of a life slowly brought under control. He had never imagined himself stepping into a world like that. But for the cost of the surgery, for the only family he had left, Dante was willing to swallow his pride. What he did not expect was how dangerous Leonard truly was. The man did not only want Dante’s presence at his side—he wanted obedience. Loyalty. Perhaps even… his heart. Behind the expensive suits and cold smiles, Leonard harbored an unhealthy obsession. He was not used to being rejected. Not used to losing. And the more Dante tried to keep his emotional distance, the tighter Leonard’s grip became. Trapped between guilt, desperation, and feelings that began to grow without permission, Dante found himself asking a question he was afraid to answer: Did he sell himself to save his mother? Or had he unknowingly surrendered himself to a man who would never let him go? In the mafia world filled with blood and betrayal, love is not tenderness. Love is possession. And Dante has just signed a contract with the most dangerous man in the city.