Exquisite Corpse

After my parents died, the family went bankrupt, leaving my brother and me with a large sum of debt. To pay it off, he became a haunted-house test sleeper, while I acted as a corpse on film sets. For five years, we worked tirelessly, not daring to rest a single day—and still, the debt wasn't cleared. By the end of the year, only 13 thousand dollars remained. Gritting my teeth, I signed up as a clinical trial volunteer. When it was over, I dragged 13 thousand dollars in cash, brimming with joy, to show my brother. But I found him frowning, on the phone. "Dad, Mom, Lily's doing well. Have fun abroad," he said. "She's stopped spending recklessly. The punishment ends next year." What? Our parents weren't dead? Our family wasn't bankrupt? The five years of hardship, every ounce of struggle—I'd endured it all as punishment for my love of spending. My smile froze on my face. My stomach churned violently. A mouthful of fresh blood spilled out.

I had lived for 326 years, but no day has haunted me as the day I had died. Blood pooled on the ground, feeding the earth as the earth once fed me. A scream bubbled up in my throat, but I could not let it go. If I let it go, I would let go of all the memories encased within me. The happiness of being a mother. Joys of having a husband who lived for us. To know that he would come home and find a corpse waiting for him. It was too much to bare. Even my dragon heart could not withstand the utter pain wrenching open my chest. I was Caligo. A dragon of Darkness, now darkness is what I shall become. May Mother have mercy on them, for they do not know what they now had brought upon themselves. 8 Dragon clans, uniting over the loss of their beloved Darkness Heir. One who was, but shall never be again. May Father shine his light upon them, the way that only a Lumen of his rank could. May they pray to their gods now, for their devil has risen.

"She's his enemy, his downfall—and his one last chance at love. After Adam Danvers lost his wife in a tragic accident, he stopped believing in love. Instead, Adam has focused solely on running his family’s struggling vineyard in the small town of Heron’s Landing. When Joy McGuire, a beautiful and clever journalist, moves to the sleepy town, suddenly Adam can’t control his intense attraction to her. She’s witty; she pushes his buttons. He wants to shake her as much as he wants to kiss her. But Joy is a journalist, and Adam hates them all on principle. He saw firsthand how a journalist’s lies destroyed his late wife. Yet as Joy proves that she’s nothing like the writers he’s known, Adam can’t help but give in to exquisite temptation. Soon a conflagration ignites between Adam and Joy. Yet as secrets unfold, Adam must trust in love or lose the woman who’s awakened his slumbering heart. This title was previously published as Seduce Me Sweetly. It’s been rereleased with a brand-new look and with lightly edited content."

Damien, last name unknown, better known as the Devil's son. The heir to the Kingdom of hell, well, that is until some brave soul drives a silver blade through his dear father's heart. A heart whose affection he has never known. With a body carved to perfection, biceps that clench and flex, abs tighten with every movement to give nothing but pure pleasure. He is powerful and elegant. He is drawn to danger and a determination to conquer. Yet, there is one that he has not conquered yet. The things that humans crave…love. As he does on so many nights, he defies his father's rules and returns to the surface in search of what this monster cannot have. And it is on one of these nights when he creeps through the gates that he lays eyes on her. Mirabelle Rose, an exquisite beauty; she is mysterious and the girl that every man desires. She presents all the things that Damien cannot have, and this is the very thing that draws him to her. They spent several glorious nights of bliss together until the Devil learns what his son has been keeping his time with. Both Damien and Annabelle are punished for their deception. The only thing that keeps them hoping is their letters.

My biased mother brought my sister, Irene Baxter, to help me with my child. But one day, I forgot to bring a contract to work. When I returned home, I saw two bodies entwined. To cover up their secret, my husband, Sam Hodgson, and Irene pushed me off the tenth floor. It was only after my death that I realized I had been nothing more than a tool for carrying on the family name. "It's better that she's dead. Now my sweet girl can be a mom without having to go through childbirth." "Sleeping with her was revolting; she was like a block of wood. Irene is so much better." Even Irene had regrets. "Still, we shouldn't have pushed her down. She was smashed beyond recognition—otherwise, we might’ve been able to sell her corpse for a pretty penny." When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day they pushed me off the building. This time, I wouldn't let any of them off the hook.

On the first day that my parents' biological daughter, Lilith Ashbourne, comes home, everyone praises her refined temperament. They say even her body exudes a pleasant fragrance. I was born with the ability to see both the living and the dead. So, only I know that it's actually the stench of a corpse at its worst. In my previous life, I tried my best to persuade my parents and my childhood friends not to bring her home. However, they were convinced that I was jealous. They said that I was petty and intolerant. Left with no other choice, I kept warning them and trying my best to drive her away again and again. After the last time I chased Lilith out, she ran out crying. She accidentally fell into the water and couldn't be found again. They blamed everything on me and forced my head into a toilet, drowning me alive. When I open my eyes again, I choose to stay silent. After all, one can't save people who are determined to die.

"You taste like warm sweet honey and I want more of you!" He growls as he presses his manhood into my hip. "Give yourself to me tesoro." [Treasure] His words are like fuel to my igniting fire. I want him, I crave him and when his lips start to suck on my heated skin I turn into a puddle of water when his hand dips into the top of my dress. He finds my breast and he kneads it, flicking my erect nipple has my panties moisten with arousal --- Vanessa Maddison: She is as gorgeous and flawless on the outside as she is scarred and tormented on the inside. Luca Venturi: Came storming into Vanessa's life like a raging blaze that burns everything it caresses. He's an Italian billionaire doctor who can have any woman he wants, but, he has his sights set on Vanessa. Intertwined by their secrets, they try to defy the odds. They make their own rules and quickly surrender to the exquisite power of possession. What began as a fling evolved into something far greater than either of them could have imagined. What will the Italian billionaire do to save Vanessa when they are thrown into a world they are both unfamiliar with time and time again?

On the third day after my death, my body was sent to the police station in different packages. Jonathan Walsh, my husband, and Frank Stone, my junior at work, saw my corpse and frowned. “If only Elena were here, she would have been able to find some clues.” Frank sighed as he stared at my horribly mangled remains. “Don’t mention her. She’s not even worthy of being a forensic scientist!” I stared at my husband with a conflicted look. He analyzed each part of my body and deduced the manner of my death with familiar ease. “The murderer is a monster…” Frank’s face turned pale, and he sighed again. Jonathan calmly used all that I had taught him and perfectly pieced out the entire process of my death based on the clues from my dismembered body. I could not help but feel proud. Unfortunately, he was still a little off the mark. He did not manage to figure out that this body belonged to me, his wife.

Mom is diagnosed with a benign fibroid during her check-up, but somehow, she ends up getting her entire uterus removed, leading to her getting an infection and dying from it. With the surgical records in hand, I decide to sue the doctor for malpractice. But my wife, Anastasia Ziegler, who's also the director of the hospital, personally steps in to vouch for him. Enraged, I question her why. However, Anastasia just shoves me away coldly. "Your mom was already that old. What use did she have for her uterus? Louis' future is more important! Anyway, I'll waive the hospital bills. You'd better take down the court case, though. Don't embarrass me any further in the hospital." As I gaze at Mom's cold corpse, I can't help but chuckle. It turns out that Anastasia has no idea that her beloved side piece has killed off her actual mom, who had stayed widowed for many years.

My wife has an emotional breakdown after being violated. She insists I'm the one who orchestrated it, but both our parents know her true love is the actual culprit. Still, they don't object to her insane retaliation. They even have me locked up in a prison abroad. As I'm tormented, she sells my company to help her true love get away scot-free. Ultimately, he's set free, but I die without even having a final resting place. When a judge informs her to collect my body, she sneers and says, "I've had enough of this nonsense. Does he think he can get away with a fake corpse? I won't even bat an eye if his body is flushed down the drain! He's nothing but a disgusting criminal!" Later, she realizes that I've truly died. She's delighted, but her laughter soon turns to tears as she holds my corpse.