Expression Compliment

Benedict Cole’s undercover mission had failed. Only his twin brother, David Cole, returned. I was devastated, nearly driven to madness over losing my husband. Holding Benedict’s police badge, I tried to slit my wrists nine times, but I was always rescued just in time. As my consciousness faded on my tenth attempt, I overheard a conversation between my mother-in-law, Helen, and David. “El has tried to commit suicide for you ten times now. How long are you going to keep this act up? This woman is head over heels for you. Just stop lying to her already!” David’s expression hardened as he flatly refused. “David took a bullet for me. It is only right that I take care of his wife.” “El’s from the countryside. She’s tough. Once Melissa becomes pregnant and has a child to live for, only then can I reveal that I am actually Benedict.” The bathtub was dyed red with my blood, but the pain in my heart was far greater than the sting of my wound. It turned out that it had all been a lie, a deception meant only for me. My grief-stricken suicide attempts for love were nothing short of a clown’s tragicomedy.

He pinned her on the wall, sniffing in her fresh scent. What was he trying to do? Trying to rain insults on her again? "I don't know why..." He hesitated before using his right hand to remove a strand of her hair. Her heartbeat accelerated. "...you're this tempting." She gulped harder, and her eyes widened in surprise because she couldn't believe her ears. He leaned closer as he could hear her heartbeat racing. He niches his lips on her ears and whispers certain words to her enough to send shivers down her spine. "You thought I was blind...but let me tell you, I was blinded by your beauty!" Diana's breath was seized. He knew what her expression would be, his lips curved into a smile. "I want to devour you like the beast that I am. I'm no angel, an insatiable wolf in sheep's clothing...that's what I am." ______________ A Kingdom whereby suitors are chosen by the father when the woman clocks eighteen, she would be married off to the man her father chose for her. Rejection means she was inviting death. Diana was not exceptional. Her father married her off into the Royal family...married off to the blind prince of the King. To avoid being beheaded... ....she ran into the wolf's den. Made a deal with the devil...unknown to her that he was her rejected suitor!

After two years of development, my game finally launched successfully. My wife had promised me a $75,000 bonus, but instead, she gave the entire $750,000 payout to her male secretary, Wayne. All she tossed me was a $50 grocery coupon. "You're just a stay-at-home husband," she said casually. "You don't spend much. Go buy some groceries and cook dinner." I stared at her in disbelief. "That money is for our son's transplant surgery," I said. "If it's delayed for even a few days, he'll die." Her expression did not change. "He's weak. If he dies, he dies," she said flatly. "At least you won't bring any more bad luck into the office and pass it on to Wayne." She turned away, her tone instantly brightening as she talked about taking Wayne out that night to celebrate with a lavish dinner worth tens of thousands of dollars. In that instant, my heart froze. She had forgotten one thing. The game might be registered under her name, but I still held the core encryption key. I picked up the phone and called a rival company. "You've been trying to get Genyxis's core technology for a long time, haven't you?" I asked calmly. "All I want is $75,000, and it’ll be yours.”

I was sold as sex slave by my parents! My mom broke down in tears at this point as she shook her head as she murmured while sobbing. "I'm sorry, my dear... I'm sorry." Her expression looked as if she was truly guilty of me, but her backward steps betrayed her. I shuddered uncontrollably as I watched this unfold before me, desperately shaking my head as I struggled to deny it all. "No, no… I don't want this…" I looked at those men who were looking at me with excitement, as they had already removed their clothes. When I tried to move my thin body and escape from what they were trying to do, the two of them held both of my arms and my legs, trying to stop me from moving, as one of them was already on top of me. One of them sneered as he looked at me with arrogance. "Alpha King has other sex slaves anyway, so there's no harm in us enjoying this bitch first!" Tears broke out of my eyes as I begged them to stop what they were doing. "Stop… no… please don't…" Despite my hoarse voice and I could barely even speak, I pleaded for mercy. I plead that they won't do what they were planning to do. I am saving myself for my future mate. I… I hate this… But what the hell am I supposed to do!

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

Her only sin was having a killer body and innocent face which made the dreaded mafia lord, Lord Cassano obsessed with her. Shaking him off was impossible, he was everywhere. And he must have her, whether she liked it or not. It doesn't matter if he needed to cripple her boyfriend, or threaten her with the lives of her parents to make it happen. All he knew was that Aurora was his, and he was determined to keep her, no matter the cost or consequence. **** “Is this what you call love? You psycho! Every other day, I get kidnapped or threatened by your rivals and numerous enemies, get caught in a gun fire and witness your brutality. You have taken away my freedom and molded me into something I don't recognize. Yes, money is good. But this is not the kind of life I want for myself. I can't bear the curse of being your woman, set me free.” I roared, my eyes blazing with fury. I was past caring at this point, I can't survive this mad man. He hated being challenged, he might as well kill me. But to my surprise, psycho cupped my face and placed his forehead on mine with the most tender expression I have ever seen in his eyes. “I'm sorry, baby love. You have underestimated the degree of my selfishness. I will never let you go—unless you kill me.”

The day after I gave birth to Alpha Albert’s pup, while our son was still fragile and my own wounds still fresh, he demanded I give up the Luna Suite. For his old flame, Chloe, and her unborn child. His reason? Chloe was close to her due date, and the suite’s unique moonlight energy was known to soothe expectant mothers and their pups. I stared at him in disbelief. "But that's the Luna's suite. And our son? Doesn't he need that energy?" Albert’s expression was hard as stone. "I owe her." His voice was ice. "If I hadn't been forced into this mating with you, she never would have married that abusive bastard out of spite. You're the Luna. A small sacrifice won't kill you." A small sacrifice. He’d used that excuse to hurt me countless times since our union. He missed our anniversary to play nursemaid to a sick Chloe. He forced me to give up my position as the pack's Head Healer for her… This time, I didn't scream or fight. I just looked at him, my voice eerily calm. "Fine. I'll move." Then I sent a message to my father, the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack: Father, come get me. I'm rejecting my mate bond with Albert.

Today I had my first kiss. It wasn’t planned. It was also with a complete stranger. As I walked through the crowded halls of Crestwood High, my heart light with excitement, I felt it before I saw it—a familiar presence, sharp and wrong. My boyfriend, Mark, was nearby and he wasn’t alone. “You’re a bad boy,” the cheerleader laughed softly. “Only for you,” Mark replied before his lips closed over hers. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, Mark. Stop it. You know we can’t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?” “She’s in class. She’s never late. You don’t need to worry.” My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me. “Bethany?” Mark breathed, staring at me in shock “What are you—” Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. Later, I walked into my class but found,It was him… The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor.

A young psychologist, Maria Reyes, fresh out of college, decides to take her first freelance case to build her résumé. Feeling bold and free on her graduation night, she let herself loose after getting charmed by an alluring mysterious man. One drink leads to another and another, and she finds herself drowning in passion in his bed. She reads him like a map and falls for his scars before she even asks for his name. But the morning brings the brutal truth, Darian Wolfe is her father's enemy, a ruthless businessman, an heir to the empire sworn to destroy her father's legacy. She vanishes before he wakes, unable to face what has been done. Weeks later after being able to set up her new office, the past begins to blur until her first patient walks through the door. It's him, Darian Wolfe. Her expression freezes when she sees him. He walks around her office uninvited. He takes a seat without a word. The silence between them is thick with everything unsaid. And then, he looks unblinking in her eyes. "I have a lot to... unpack, Dr Reyes," he says, with a dark smile. "Let's start with a woman I met two weeks ago at a bar," he says, pulling out a red panty from his pocket.

Le jour de mon mariage, tout aurait dû être parfait. Je devais avancer vers l’autel, sourire, les yeux pleins d’amour pour Adrian, l’homme qui m’a sauvée, celui qui m’a fait croire en un avenir meilleur. Mais quand mon regard s’est perdu parmi les invités, mon cœur s’est arrêté. Là, assis au premier rang, un homme que je n’avais jamais pensé revoir. Un homme dont le regard m’a traversée comme une lame. Un homme que je connaissais trop bien… **Mon ancien client.** Celui avec qui j’avais passé cette nuit, des années plus tôt. Et aujourd’hui, il était là, devant moi, portant un costume élégant, une expression impassible… Parce qu’il était le père d’Adrian. Mon futur beau-père. Comment était-ce possible ? Que devais-je faire ? Tout avouer ? Faire semblant de ne pas le reconnaître ? Et surtout… que se passerait-il si Adrian découvrait la vérité ? Mon mariage venait-il de s’effondrer avant même d’avoir commencé ?