Even The Playing Field Novels & Stories

Three years of marriage. Three miscarriages. The day Stella Rowan lost her baby for the third time, Evan Wright was at the hospital with his sister-in-law, waiting for her to give birth to twins. When Stella walked out of the hospital, she finally made her decision. She handed her soon-to-be ex-husband a divorce agreement. “Let’s divorce. It’s for your own good.” “Divorce?” Evan scoffed. “You really think you can let go? And if you’re trying to hold on to me, don’t dress it up as doing me a favor. That fake concern is pathetic.” Stella just smiled. She didn’t argue. She turned and walked away. She really was doing it for his sake. After all, she’d found a new backer. Even though Evan sits atop Harbor City’s financial empire, he’s about to meet someone he can’t afford to cross. Once she cut ties with the past, Stella stopped pretending. One by one, her new identities came to light, leaving the Wright family completely stunned. Wasn’t she supposed to be the girl with no family backing, the easy target everyone bullied? A multinational CEO said, “Stella, get divorced already. I’ve waited long enough.” A financial tycoon declared, “Divorce. If you don’t, I’ll take the Wright family down.” An international lawyer smiled and said, “The divorce itself is easy. Stella, if you’d just look at me once, I’d have everything I need.” Evan had always believed Stella would never leave him. Not until the day he realized she had become someone far beyond his reach. In that moment, every assumption he’d ever made about her collapsed.

Step into a collection of intense short stories where desire, tension, and emotional risk collide in unexpected ways. Each narrative opens a door into moments where restraint falters, boundaries blur, and long-simmering attraction finally breaks through. Strangers are drawn together by instant chemistry, lovers confront unresolved history, and long-time enemies face feelings they can no longer ignore. These are stories driven by urgency, emotional heat, and complicated connections. The characters are bold, conflicted, and unafraid to act on what they want—even when it leads to messy, irreversible consequences. Every encounter pushes relationships to the edge, where control slips and honesty becomes unavoidable. If you’re looking for stories that are gripping, emotionally charged, and unapologetically intense, this collection delivers raw connection, high stakes, and no easy resolutions.

After I, Rosalie Ricci, was stood up 17 times, the mafia don, Daniel Marino, finally holds the perfect engagement banquet for me. In our second year together, we are ready to get married. But every single time, he has an excuse to hold our engagement off. He says he's busy with work, the timing isn't right yet, or that he isn't quite ready. I never blame him because I love him. I have loved him since our school days. In fact, I have loved him for seven whole years. This is the 18th time. I stand in the banquet hall wearing the gown he personally chose for me and watch as he slips the ring onto my finger. He kisses me with a passionate intensity he has never shown me before. At that moment, I believe that I have finally secured my perfect happiness after waiting seven long years. My happiness only lasts until the guests leave. As I step into the back garden, I see Daniel holding my twin sister, Leah Ricci, in his arms. He says in a hushed voice, "I announced my engagement to Rosalie 18 times. This time, you're finally back." That's when I realize that the engagement banquet that I have longed for is nothing more than a ploy by Daniel to draw Leah back to him. But when I decided to let them be together, Daniel panics.

Jaxon Carter has everything a man could want—talent, fame, and a multimillion-dollar contract with the Titans almost within his grasp. The only problem? His reckless lifestyle stands between him and the contract. But his agency has told him that he can salvage the contract by cleaning up his image. Sienna Blake has two things in life she held dear —her ballet career and her house she grew up creating memories in. But when the bank forecloses her house and her ballet career barely covers her bills, she turns to her agency, only to be coldly rejected. When their paths cross at the agency, Jax sees an opportunity. She needs money. He needs stability. The solution? A fake relationship. He offers to clear her debts in exchange for playing the perfect doting girlfriend—just long enough it's beneficial to them. But what starts as a transaction soon spirals into something neither of them expected. Public appearances turn into stolen moments and close proximate intimacy blurs into something more. They find themselves trapped in a dangerous game—one where the greatest risk isn’t losing a contract or a house… but losing their hearts. And just when Sienna is ready to confess the biggest secret of all, Jax's past comes haunting them. Hurt and betrayed, she walks away without a second glance, choosing to protect her heart and her unborn child. Will Jax fight for what they had? Will he risk everything—including his career—to fight for the only thing that ever truly mattered?

Shaun never expected to walk into his father in law beating his cock and moaning his name. He was shocked to say the least, not only because of what he saw but because he thought Thom hated him. For years, Shaun has tried to earn the approval of his father-in-law, Thom, but nothing ever seems to be enough. Every effort is met with quiet rejection, every attempt at connection met with distance that feels deliberate, controlled, and impossible to ignore. When Nancy, Shaun's wife, encourages Shaun to join Thom, her brother Jake and a few of Thom's friend's on a hunting trip, she believes time away from the pressures of work and family might finally ease the tension between the two men. Shaun agrees, seeing it as one last attempt to fix what has been broken for years. What emerges is not reconciliation, but something far more complicated—an emotional war built on control, repression, and truths neither man has ever faced. The trip was supposed to mend a fractured relationship. But instead, it uncovers a devastating truth and started a very dangerous game that threatens to destroy everyone.

Three months into the silent treatment from my Alpha mate, Samson Holt, he holds a grand ceremony befitting of a Luna for the return of his beloved Leia Harton. Because of this, I—the real Luna—am now the laughing stock of the entire pack. "Sharon's just an orphan wolf with no real lineage. How could someone like her be our Luna?" "Exactly! Leia's the one who truly deserves to stand beside the Alpha." Ignoring them, I take up a silver blade and slash it hard across my throat. They never knew that I wasn't truly one of them. I wasn't a wolf at all, but a human from another world. And the Moon Goddess just told me that if I die in this world, I can finally go home and reunite with my family.

On the day of our wedding, Rowena Lane ditches me on the altar just so she can go to the hospital to take care of her childhood friend, Adrian Cole's son. As I meet the mocking gazes of the guests, I take the boutonniere off my chest before heading toward the hospital to demand an explanation from Rowena. But that's when I witness her holding Adrian's newborn son with blatant love in her eyes. Adrian says purposefully, "Rowena, today is your wedding day, yet you're here taking care of my baby for me. What if Justin gets mad at you for doing this?" "I can throw another wedding any day. But your baby being sick is a very critical matter. I'm seriously worried that you can't take care of him all by yourself. "From now on, I shall be the baby's mother. I swear that I won't let you two get bullied in this world." Later on, when I choose to marry someone else at another wedding, Rowena crashes into the scene like a madwoman. There, she begs me to give her another chance.

My wife, Jana Webster, uses her work at the company as an excuse to skip out on Leah Haynes, our daughter's field day. She even tells us not to participate in the activity. Having noticed how disappointed Leah looks, I decide to take her to the field day myself. As soon as we walk into the school, I spot Jana sitting on the couch located on the stage with her first love, Barton Ritter, as well as his son, Trenton Ritter. They look so close, as though they were an actual family of three. With a microphone in her hand, Jana goes on and on about how she's capable of keeping her family happy while maintaining a successful career. As she speaks, she smiles at Barton from time to time. The audience beneath the stage applauds heartily, giving Jana an ego boost. Even Trenton wears a haughty look. Soon, it's time for the Q&A session. I quickly snatch the microphone over. "Ms. Webster, since when do you have a son? Does your husband know about it?"

Ember never meant to make a king. She was just trying to survive her heat without embarrassing herself in front of the massive, infuriatingly calm wolf living in the loft next door. Ember has spent most of her life keeping people at a distance. She’s stubborn, private, and perfectly happy suffering through things alone—including the inconvenient attraction she’s been pretending not to feel toward Ghost. Ghost notices everything. He notices when Ember skips meals. When she hasn’t slept. When she’s pretending she doesn’t need help. Calm, steady, and impossible to shake, he’s the kind of man who doesn’t push—but also doesn’t leave. Which becomes a problem when a violent storm destroys half of Ember’s apartment and Ghost is the one who drags her out of the wreckage. Suddenly the fiercely independent she-wolf who hates relying on anyone is stuck living next door to the one man she’s been trying not to want. Then Ember’s heat hits. What starts as proximity and stubborn attraction turns into something neither of them expected when their bond snaps fully into place—awakening a long-buried bloodline Ember never knew she carried. For generations, wolves like her were known as Kingmakers—rare mates capable of exposing corruption and keeping pack leadership honest. Twenty years ago, someone tried to wipe them out. Now Ember’s power has awakened. And the quiet city she and Ghost call home—long governed by careful politics instead of true pack leadership—is about to change. Because Ghost never wanted to be an Alpha. But Ember’s bloodline has a habit of exposing exactly the kind of wolf who should be. And Ember might have just made a king.

Since we have brought trophy to home I wanted to bring my everything to my home. I wanted us to change our relationship status from being dating to being married. I wanted us to be forever couple. Since our everything start from this very stage I want this stage to complete that everything. And I know you had the idea of me proposing you on the finale. So it's not fully surprising for you. I Chiean Hwa on my knees asked you to be my forever partner, the one with whom I want to share my happiness, my sorrows, and create the moments that's out of the world for me. Since you were the first and last one to knock on the door of my heart. Will you marry me? "proposed Chiean Hwa. The whole crowd were moved in tears by hearing the proposal. Because whatever Chiean Hwa just said can be felt by everyone. Anyone can see his feelings. As the crowd look at Yang Zishu for his answer. And even the fearless Chiean Hwa felt nervous when Yang Zishu didn't replied instantly. As Yang Zishu step back a little as he replied by looking at ground, "No! I won't marry you." A loud gasp could be heard in the stadium as everyone is shock and surprised to hear the answer of Yang Zishu. Everyone in the e sports field knew that Chiean Hwa and Yang Zishu are perfect for each other and everyone predicted that if one day any one of them proposes to another the answer will be instant yes. But the scenario has changed as Yang Zishu replied no and walked away from the stage leaving Chiean Hwa and everyone in confusion.