Face Down Chord

Alyssa Hart thought she was just another woman trying to stay invisible in a city that never sleeps. Haunted by a past she refuses to speak about, she’s learned to keep her head down and her circle small. But one rainy night in Los Angeles changes everything. Stalked through a dark alley by a man with a knife, she’s saved by a massive, golden-eyed wolf, only to watch it kill her attacker in a blur. What she doesn’t know is that the creature is Zodiak, who is the primal side of Cole Donovan, a powerful and reclusive billionaire with a secret. Cole is a centuries-old werewolf, and Alyssa is his fated mate. But when she looks at him in wolf form, all she sees is a monster. Torn between his instincts and the need to protect her, Cole decides to win her over the human way through patience, kindness, and trust. As they grow closer, Alyssa begins to feel the pull between them, even as her past begins to resurface in the form of Lucas Slater, a ruthless enemy with a vendetta and a weapon designed to destroy werewolves from the inside out. With Alyssa unknowingly caught in the crossfire and Cole hiding a truth that could destroy everything between them, fate is no longer just a distant whisper. It’s closing in on them both. Set against a backdrop of rain drenched streets, quiet cafés, and hidden danger, this is a story of two souls from different worlds, one human, one supernatural, drawn together by something neither fully understands. As secrets unravel and danger escalates, Alyssa and Cole must decide if love is worth the risk, or if fear will tear them apart before it ever has the chance to bloom.

Clouderton, Carmoria. Three days after we got our marriage certificate, Jason casually dropped that he'd handed the keys to our new place... to his ex, Nina Zeller. I clenched my jaw. "So you just HAD to give our house key to your poor, delicate ex?" He sighed. "She needed surgery. It was urgent. I'll get it back after." I stared at him. That blank, serious face? I actually laughed. I own a ton of properties. Even my managers have to book time to get in. But Jason? First guy with the nerve to sneak his ex into my home.

I was the Peacock Princess. On the day I came of age, suitors from every corner of the clan gathered, all eager to win my hand. I chose Silvan, the noble Green Peacock, believing him to be the finest of them all. But after our marriage, I gave birth to a third-tier White Peacock. When Silvan saw the child, his face twisted with fury. He snatched the baby from my arms, killing it in one brutal motion. In his rage, he attacked me, ripping me apart from neck to feather, and tossed my remains to the wild beasts for their feast. Meanwhile, my elder sister, who married a second-tier Blue Peacock, gave birth to a rare and magnificent Purple Peacock. Her husband was crowned the new King of All Birds because of their child. But when I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day I had first chosen Silvan. This time, he publicly rejected me, turning to my sister instead, convinced that marrying her would bring him the coveted Purple Peacock. I knew then that he had also been reborn. He believed he could change his fate and father a Purple Peacock with her. But in this lifetime, he wouldn't even be able to produce the humblest Black Peacock.

A widow—the main suspect behind her husband's death. To save her company from the consequences of the mistakes she made in the name of love, she has to marry him—a stranger. Finding out that her stranger is her worst enemy in disguise, who knows the secret behind the death of her husband, Gemma must make her choices wisely before they blow up in her face. .... Livian's love for Gemma was something only he knew about and every time he tried to confess to her, he would lose to her childhood sweetheart. Who would have thought that after years of separation, he would come back to a widowed Gemma? So, he weaves a trap and backs her into a dead end. .... "The game has changed, Gem." He traced her face, a charming grin plastered on his face as he eyed her like she was the prey he had finally caught. "Now, I set the rules and you abide by them."

My boss has started dating, and his girlfriend is already acting hostile toward me at the first meeting. She looks me up and down and says passive-aggressively, "You're Theodore's secretary, the one he's been taking special care of?" I'm left speechless for a moment, staring at her in disbelief. I am Theodore Grant's secretary—that part is true. When I graduated, my dad deliberately arranged for me to work under Theodore to learn company management. For over a year, I have been working overtime late into the night every day, handling stacks of documents that never seem to end. Everyone says that I'm the hardest-working workhorse in the company. So, why have I gone from being a workhorse to some kind of side piece the moment my boss gets a girlfriend?

In my previous life, I, Ruth Spencer, fell seriously ill. Because of that, I managed to stop my husband, Zayne Colman, from going on a business trip to the country border. He immediately canceled his flight, pulled me into his arms, and gently comforted me. Over the phone, he gave instructions to my younger sister, Reagan Spencer. "The project comes first. You go in my place." But no one could have known that the so-called business partner was actually a ruthless scam syndicate. Reagan had her organs harvested and was tortured to death. I was devastated. Zayne held my frail body in his arms and hoarsely promised that even though Reagan was gone, he would still love me twice as much. And he kept his promise. For ten years, he never let me suffer at all. In fact, he spoiled me rotten. This went on until the day I gave birth. The pain nearly knocked me unconscious, but Zayne put his hand over the call button to prevent me from summoning help. The words he spoke were laced with malice. "If you hadn't gotten sick at such a convenient time back then, Reagan wouldn't have gone alone! I could have saved her. "It's your fault she's dead! She must feel so lonely down there. You and this bastard child can go keep her company!" That was when I finally realized that our love were nothing but a lie. When I open my eyes again, I am back on the day he is about to leave for that trip to the border. This time, I release them to the path leading to freedom, or, in other words, to hell.

I am the hated true daughter of my family. One day, I was kidnapped along with my sister. The kidnappers cut off a section of my finger and sent it to my parents. But they just thanked God that the kidnappers had not cut off my sister’s finger. They deciphered the hint from my sister and alerted the police, but the kidnappers learned about it. To protect my sister, they told the kidnappers that I was the one who revealed the address to them. Because of it, I was tortured to death while my sister was saved. Oddly, when my parents found my mangled body, they broke down and said that they were going to make my sister and the kidnappers pay.

"Let's get married!" ... Aurora Devane has been treated like a slave by her half-sister and her stepmother and her dad has always been a bystander to the taunts. After being framed for pushing her sister down the stairs, Aurora is thrown out of the house. However, in a turn of events, she meets Daniel Froster, the richest man in the country, who is known to be cold and ruthless, and they both get married for their gain. What wasn't in the contract was falling in love and encountering secrets of the past that threatened to ruin the future. Excerpt: “Never leave me, Aurora.” He whispered, his hot breath tingling her neck. She could hear the vulnerability and pain in his voice. The pain he has always hidden. “I’ll never leave you. She promised. “You are mine. Mine.” The words sent a shiver down her spine. His.

In Reychelle City, a contest was held to crown the most beautiful woman. After my cousin scarred my face, she seized first place with ease. What she never expected was that this year's contest wasn't for fame; it was to select the future wife of the Third Prince, a ruthless, bloodthirsty eunuch. That very afternoon, gifts poured in by the cartload. My betrothed panicked. That night, he tore up our engagement contract and carried my cousin into the bridal chamber. The next day, she trailed her lacquered fingertips across my cheek and sneered, "Alicia, with your ruined face, who would ever want you? Perhaps the beggar at the street corner might take you in." I caught her wrist, let out a cold laugh, and said, "Who told you I would marry a beggar?" Before her stunned eyes, I pushed open my parents' chamber doors. "Mom, since Maggie doesn't wish to be the prince's consort… let me take her place." Three years later, before the eyes of a shocked court, the Third Prince entered the grand hall with me at his side, with two children in tow. No one had foreseen it. This body of mine, blessed with the rarest gift of fertility, was the perfect match for a man believed incapable of siring heirs.

After my daughter was seriously injured in a car accident and suffered heavy bleeding, she was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. When it was time to sign the surgical consent form, the nurse suddenly snapped the medical file shut and pressed it down firmly. "Hospital regulations state that only immediate family members can sign the surgical consent form. What proof do you have that you are the child's father?" I was stunned. "She is my biological daughter. Do I still need to prove it to you?" The nurse retorted, "Birth certificates can be forged. How do we know the child wasn't abducted by you? If you cannot prove it, we cannot proceed with the surgery." Seeing the nurse's self-righteous expression, I trembled with anger. "I am signing the surgical consent form for my own biological daughter. Do I need to provide DNA evidence as well?" She curled her lip. "These are hospital regulations. We are being responsible for the patient. If you cannot prove the child is yours, we will report you to the police for child trafficking." After saying that, she actually called security to report it and loudly accused me of being a human trafficker. Report me to the police? I took out my police uniform from my bag and put it on. I'd show her what a split-second response was.