F A C T O R Y Unscramble

In the backyard of my home, there is a dark red jar that is about half a person's height. It is half buried in the ground, and my whole family forbids me from going near it. But I hear someone inside the jar calling me over and over. That voice says, "Sis, I miss you so much."

My mother loved a billionaire once. He destroyed her quietly, with power and control and the particular cruelty of a man who knew nobody would believe his wife's pain. She left him with nothing but the clothes on her back and a warning she planted deep inside me before I could even walk. *Never marry a billionaire.* I believed her. I built my own empire. I refused every wealthy, charming, well-suited man who came to my table with a ring and a rehearsed smile. Then I walked into The Harlow Hotel and saw a waiter. No charm. No performance. Just steady eyes that looked at me like I had startled him and then looked away first. Shyly. His name was Charles Dick. Simple. Honest. Real. Everything my mother's warning was never about. I pursued him. I provided for him. I loved him completely. Five days before our wedding he told me the truth. And everything collapsed in sixty seconds. Because the most dangerous love stories are not the ones that begin with lies. They are the ones where two people lie to protect themselves from the very love they have been searching for their entire lives. .... Vivienne Donald had sworn she would never marry a billionaire. She kept her word. She married something far greater.

My fiancée, Rachel Evans, was in a car accident before our wedding and had just woken up when I rushed over to the hospital. The bridesmaids surrounded her. "Rachel, you're finally awake! Your fiancé, Nicholas Shaw, was so worried when he heard you were in a car accident that he cried!" said one of them. "Now the wedding will have to be postponed." "Who's Nicholas Shaw?" Rachel asked with a frown. "Where's my boyfriend? Where's Jordan?" A hush fell in the ward as soon as those words fell. My face was pale as I stood in the doorway, for I knew very well who she was referring to. She was talking about Jordan Baxter, her first love.

When I see Reese Chapman again, it is exactly three years after I sever our mate bond. It is also the third year since I completely seal my wolf and hide at the edge of the Shadow pack territory, living as an insignificant healer. Tonight, the air in the clinic feels heavy and icy under his overwhelming aura. He carries a lightly injured female companion in his arms and forcibly takes over the best VIP ward in the clinic. During my shift, he summons me three times through his guards. The first time, he coldly orders, "There are wolfsbane fragments on the bedsheets. Change them." I send an apprentice herbalist to handle it. Two hours later, he has a nurse relay another order. "The smell of medicine is too strong. Change it again." I suppress the urge to suddenly break down and arrange for someone to take care of it. At 2:00 am, he reaches me through our mind-link. "The sheets are dirty. Come up and change them." I instinctively block him and refuse calmly. "Sorry, Alpha Reese. The staff responsible for cleaning have already gone to rest." In the darkness, a cruel chuckle comes from the man. In a tone that allows no refusal, he murmurs, "Then you come and change them yourself."

Elena gave her all to her marriage—her time, her heart, her pride. But for Daniel and his family, it was never enough. Mocked for being barren and ignored by the man she loved, she finally walked away, signing the divorce papers with tears in her eyes. What Daniel never knew was that the day she left, Elena carried a secret—their child. Years later, fate throws them back into each other’s lives. Daniel, tormented by regret, realizes the depth of his mistakes. Elena, stronger and determined to protect her baby, faces the man who once broke her. Love, betrayal, and second chances collide as Daniel fights to win back the woman he lost and the child he never knew he had.

Sofia thought she knew love—until betrayal shattered everything. Sofia was first betrayed by her own father, Forced into a marriage she never asked for, she becomes the possession of a man both dangerous and magnetic: Alessandro. In a world of wealth, power, and deceit, Sofia must navigate a life where trust is a luxury and desire can be as deadly as it is irresistible. Haunted by the past, she is thrown into a twisted game of revenge and seduction, where the man who broke her heart stands across the table, and the one who owns her body may not own her heart. Every choice she makes pushes her deeper into a life she never wanted—but cannot escape. Dark, intense, and unrelenting, A Sin I Couldn’t Escape is a story of love, lust, and the dangerous line between submission and power, where the sins of the past refuse to stay buried.

Alicia lived a successful life. She was a respected doctor and a bestselling author. Despite her accomplishments, she had never been in a relationship. She was known for being feisty, brave, and sassy, many saw her as cold-hearted and difficult to please. After a painful heartbreak, she built high walls around her heart to protect herself from pain and betrayal. But everything changed during a one-month vacation she had planned just to relax. What she didn't expect was to meet someone-someone who would challenge everything she believed. An Alpha who boldly claimed her as his mate. What happens when the walls she built start to crumble? When mysteries begin to unfold, and long-buried secrets come to light? Will Alicia be able to face the chaos, adapt to this new world, and open her heart to the Alpha who's determined to claim it?

After I fell while pregnant, my six-year-old son, Nico Bertelli, did not come to help me. When I woke up, the baby in my belly was gone. At my hospital bedside, Nico hid behind my husband, Roberto Bertelli, and mumbled, "Mommy, I thought you fainted on purpose to get my attention. You've pretended to pass out a few times before just to stop me from going out with Ms. Pelosi." Roberto chimed in coldly, "You're always pulling tricks to get attention. Nico doesn't even trust you anymore. You need to take a hard look at yourself and figure out why he prefers being around Martina Pelosi over you." I was completely heartbroken. The day after I was discharged, I went home, packed up everything that belonged to me, and left behind only two documents: a divorce agreement and a letter terminating my parental rights.

I've been married to Sylvia Fuller, a mafia donna, for ten years. I'm there with her in every life-and-death situation. My hands, which are meant for playing the piano, have developed calluses from using guns. They are also stained with blood from the enemies. But when Sylvia turns 28, she falls head over heels in love with Wilson Hink, the young man she's brought back from the slums. Sylvia has hidden him very well… right until the moment I bump into him accompanying her to a prenatal check-up. Mad with jealousy, I demand Sylvia for answers, but she just passes me a divorce agreement in a lackadaisical manner. "Wilson is a man of religion. He can't sire a child without getting married, so I have to give him a legitimate status. Sign this agreement, and I'll give you 40% of my shares." I refuse to give my position away, so Sylvia keeps forcing my hand. In the end, she even kidnaps my younger brother, who's paralyzed from waist down, and drags him to the spot beneath a hydraulic press. "Sebastian Chance, either you sign the agreement, or watch him get crushed. Your choice." I kneel on the ground and beg Sylvia to stop. But soon, I hear the hydraulic press being activated. It doesn't take long before I'm completely covered in my brother's flesh and blood. I end up collapsing onto the gore-splattered ground. When I open my eyes again, I realize I've gone back in time—back to the time when Wilson has accompanied Sylvia to the prenatal check-up. This time, I don't say anything. Instead, I contact a rehabilitation center located overseas before filing for a divorce and leaving Sylvia behind. But once I'm gone for real, Sylvia actually goes crazy.

On the day I successfully conceived through IVF, my CEO boyfriend—the sole heir to a nine-generation business empire—finally agreed to marry me. Yet, after a flight of more than ten hours, I landed only to be greeted by a public announcement of his marriage to his secretary, with journalists watching from every angle. The secretary eagerly showed off the marriage certificate, fresh off the press. "Don't worry, everyone. From now on, I'll personally supervise Mr. Lane for the rest of our lives." When the journalists spotted me, they all focused on me, hoping I'd cause a scene. However, I merely smiled and congratulated the couple. "You and Mr. Lane are perfect for each other, Ms. Quinn. I wish you both a long and happy marriage." Everyone was shocked. No one had expected such generosity from me—Harold's girlfriend of nine years. As I turned to leave, Harold darted over to defend himself with a scowl. "Leila worked day and night with me on this international project. She refused every bonus and only asked to experience the fairy-tale romance of marrying a CEO. We already agreed to divorce once the project is over. I'll make it up to you with an even bigger, better wedding." Then, his voice softened. "For the sake of our baby, don't cause trouble, okay?" With a bright smile, I slapped his hand away. "Who told you the baby's yours?"