Exeter Novel Prize Novels & Stories

"Mr Maynard.... The fast rising USA actress is " Olivia Dalton " , Your ex - wife and she swear not to feature in the same movie as you. " He laughs and said nothing else afterwards, because he was sure that when she hears of him, she'd go on her knees and beg for his love as she had always begged. "Ms. Dalton? The contract is ready and the interest this time is 30℅, meaning you are 160 million richer, The offer was made directly by Mr Maynard. " She smiles and removed her sun glasses. "Throw the contract in the trash can and have my current contract with the company terminated, Inform Mr Maynard that I'm Olivia Dalton, not Olivia Maynard."

Sixteen-year-old Rithanya can’t wait to go to boarding school and follow her dream of entering the Armed Forces Medical College. A far cry from the busy city life in her hometown of Bangalore, the strict, rural boarding school has strange rules and a stringent way of life for the students. Rithanya quickly settles in, making friends and enjoying her new life away from her sometimes overbearing family. But it isn’t all fun and games. The hostel food is intolerable and Rithanya starts to feel the pressure of her intense studies. She has terrible nightmares of failing her exams and disgracing her family, and her poor diet isn’t helping. The drudgery of capsuled academic studies, stringent rules, unpalatable food and the rat race for perfection triggers depression and an attack of psychosis of unimaginable magnitude in her mind. Once a bright and carefree girl, she falls into a terrible mental state of overwork and anxiety. Her deteriorating condition is of great concern to her family. Can Rithanya get better and continue her studies, or will the overwhelming pressure and her deteriorating mental health threaten to spoil her future plans?

Kane is a traditional man that believes in loving his woman with al his heart. He is a provider, a protector and he knows how to make a woman fall for him. He has loved Shalom for as long as he can remember. And she too but life seperated them, forcing them to forget about each other. But now Kane is back home and he wants what's his. Can he convince her getting back together is the right thing? Or will he have to live without her forever?

Steal the CEO's Black Card... or His Frozen Heart? "Please... please, sir. I'm begging you. I didn't steal the card." Belle's trembling voice cracked as tears streamed down her face. "Believe me..." "You belong in prison, fraud!" the store manager spat, his eyes filled with contempt. Humiliated and surrounded by accusing stares, Belle could only clutch her worn bag and pray someone would listen. But no one did. After all, who would believe a poor medical student over the owner of a limitless Black Card? Belle had been fighting for survival ever since she lost her parents. An orphan with nothing but a dream. A dream of becoming a doctor. A dream she once shared with the parents she loved more than life itself. For years, she lived in a cramped room inside a rundown building. She endured hunger, sleepless nights, and the mockery of classmates who looked down on her faded clothes and worn-out shoes. Life had never been kind to her. Yet despite her hardships, she never stole. Never cheated. Never took what wasn't hers. So how did she end up accused of stealing the Black Card belonging to Ethan DelValle—the cold, powerful, and untouchable CEO everyone feared? The man who could buy anything he wanted. The man whose single word could ruin lives. And the man who, for reasons she couldn't understand, suddenly became interested in hers. What begins as a humiliating misunderstanding soon entangles Belle in Ethan DelValle's world—a world of wealth, power, secrets, and dangerous attraction. She never wanted his money. She never wanted his Black Card. But what happens when she accidentally steals something far more valuable? His heart.

“To escape a monster, she ran straight into the arms of a devil.” Lila Vance was a debt payment. Wrapped in fifty thousand dollars of French lace, she was minutes away from marrying Marcus Thorne—a man who whispered that she was nothing more than his "property." But Lila refused to be broken. With a ripped dress and a heart full of terror, she bolts from the altar and into the private elevator of the Grand Imperial Hotel. When the doors open, she finds herself in the lion’s den: the penthouse of Adrian Sterling, her fiancé’s most lethal rival. Adrian is a man carved from shadows and sin, a billionaire "Shark" who destroys legacies for sport. When Marcus comes to claim his prize, Adrian offers Lila a choice: go back to the man who will break you, or sign a one-year marriage contract with the man who will own you. As the line between their fake vows and real desire begins to blur, Lila must face a terrifying truth: Adrian Sterling didn't save her out of mercy. He saved her because she is the final piece in a game of revenge he’s been playing for years. In a game of power, who will be the first to break?

At the award-giving ceremony of the end-of-the-year gala, my boss, George White, suddenly announces that he will be adding a bonus round on a whim. "This is the annual department evaluation! The department that comes last shall come onto the stage and receive a tiny encouragement from me!" The huge screen lights up at that moment. The sales achievements accumulated by all departments are being shown in a ranking system. The sales department is ranked first. The operations department comes second, and the marketing department gets third place. As for the administrative department, the sales achievements shown on the screen are none. After all, that department has no KPI to achieve at all. George beams at us from the administrative department. "Everyone from the administrative department, come on up and receive your prize!" Two people can be seen carrying a basket of brooms up the stage. Everyone bursts into laughter instantly. "Come now, sweep away your bad luck with the brooms! Try not to come up as the bottom-ranked department again next year!" George personally thrusts the brooms into our hands. Camera flashes go off beneath the stage—people are clearly taking photos of us. The people from the sales department are the ones laughing the hardest. "Finally, the peeps from the administrative department are getting the recognition they deserve!"

"You were never her, Aria. You were just... there." Jason's words echo in my head as I stand in the back of the church, watching him mourn another woman on her sister's wedding day. Isabelle. The perfect dead girlfriend. The ghost I've been competing with for three years. I thought I could be enough. I thought love could grow where grief once lived. But when I find the evidence, when I see the hotel receipts, the text messages, the photos of Jason with Isabelle's sister Violet, I realize the truth. I was never the love story. I was the intermission. What I don't know yet is that nothing about my marriage was real. Not Jason's cruelty. Not Violet's affair. Not the stranger's rescue. They've all been playing a game, and I'm the prize they're willing to destroy each other for. When the truth comes out, when I discover why Isabelle really died and who's been pulling the strings, I'll have to decide: Do I let them destroy me, or do I burn their whole world down?

An arranged marriage is simply unpredictable yet blissful if you are blessed with the right partner. This is an arranged marriage story of two individuals Rohan Nanda and Nisha Gupta. ⁓⁓•⁓⁓ Rohan Nanda, a 28 year old, renowned cardiologist in Mumbai. He is the second son of Raj Nanda and Rohini Nanda. He is tall, handsome and muscular. He is dedicated to his work totally forgetting about his life. Nisha Gupta, a bubbly girl of 25 years. She is working as a lecturer. She is beautiful, smart and witty. She is the eldest one in her family . She is a bit close to her father. She is very simple and shy by nature. The day he saw her for the first time, his mind screamed that she is the one. He promised himself that, he will cherish her with all his love forever. But in her case, it was different. She was never close to men and had never fallen in love. She was confused whether to give a chance to the newly formed feelings in her or not. She was scared to be betrayed. Two different souls are destined together in the bond of marriage Their path of life is going to change in an 'October breeze'

Trina is an awesome singer she has a crush on Jake a musical artiste who is keen on making her join his band but the tables turn on her when Jake reveals his true colors.

You kissed my forehead before while laying down at your limb, you're holding a red thread and you tied it to our pinky fingers and asked, " You know this?" I looked at your dazzling eyes but I have no clue what it was for. " It is the Red ​Thread of Fate". We tried to work out our relationship despite our Dad's Business problems, we have the same of Fondness. We met in a different way, in an unimaginable situation and unexpected place. I love the way you are, the way you heed, love and to look after me. Sadly, we have an ending in our love story. It depends on us if we want a happy ending or woebegone, but I'm sure that we will meet again in our next life by the Red ​Thread of Fate. No matter what and who you are. Don't be afraid to be crazy in love, but trust the Thread of Fate. Will Articus meet Lorelei in the next life? Or they will have their own path in love? Meet Articus and Lorelei, their next life Love story.