Flowers Are Bait Chapter 1

She was his enemy. Then she was his prisoner. Now, she is his soul-bound prey. Arielle Monet was raised to be a queen of the French Syndicate—loyal, lethal, and silent. When she is captured by the ruthless "Devil of Marseille," Girard Roux, she prepares to endure hell for her family. She waits for the rescue that will never come. Then comes the shattering truth: Her father didn't lose her. He sold her. Marcel Monet used his own daughter as a sacrificial lamb, a distraction to buy his escape while the wolf tore her apart. But Girard Roux doesn't want her blood. He wants her name, her spirit, and her life. In a move that shocks the underworld, he forces a ring onto her finger and a vow onto her lips. Trapped in his ancestral estate, Arielle expects a marriage of cold revenge. Instead, she finds a world of dark, carnal hunger and a terrifying secret hidden behind Girard’s golden eyes. He isn't just a Don. He isn't even human. As the moon rises and the beast within her husband begins to howl, Arielle faces a choice that will stain her soul: Run from the monster who bought her, or surrender to the Alpha who promises to burn the whole world down for her. One vow will bind them. One truth will break them. One taste will change everything.

On Teacher's Day, my wife, Hera, was promoted to associate professor. Even for our marriage we simply registered without a proper ceremony, yet this time, she specifically prepared a feast at home to celebrate. During the dinner, she took out the flowers a male student had given her and was about to put them in a vase. Without warning, I knocked the flowers out of her hand, flipped over the vase, and, under the bewildered gazes of the whole family, calmly said, "Let's get a divorce." Hera was stunned at first, then angrily snapped, "Stanley Lawson, what's gotten into you? I’m just putting some flowers my student gave me in a vase. What's the big deal?" My mother-in-law, Sarah Swift, chimed in, "Hera just got promoted to associate professor, and it's Teacher's Day. What's wrong with a student giving her flowers? Are you seriously getting jealous over that?" I glanced at the scattered petals on the floor and slowly said, "Yes, it's because of these flowers that I want a divorce."

Cooley Raymond’s life falls apart after his father’s business collapses and his sudden death exposes hidden tax fraud. Forced by his greedy relatives to serve his father’s prison sentence to protect his younger brother, Cooley endures two brutal years behind bars, surviving through silence. Upon his release, he is immediately targeted by gang members collecting his uncle’s gambling debt, with Cooley offered as payment. Just as he is about to be taken, a mysterious and powerful stranger intervenes, saving his life only to reveal he knows Cooley, making it clear that this rescue is no coincidence and that a far more dangerous chapter has just begun.

On the fateful day my asthma struck, Lucas was with his first love, Ariana, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon.  He clutched my life-saving medicine, a lifeline that would soon slip through his fingers.  As I lay trapped in the shadows, I witnessed his desperation, his frantic calls echoing in the void when he discovered the shocking news of my pregnancy.  In that moment, everything changed. From that day forward, he became the guardian at my grave, a silent testament to a love that transcended even death.

Iris moves to the small town of Thornwick after inheriting her eccentric grandmother's property, including a sprawling greenhouse filled with rare and seemingly impossible plant varieties. When she touches the plants, she begins hearing whispers - the flowers are trying to tell her something urgent. The town's mysterious benefactor, Damien, appears at her door claiming her grandmother promised him access to the greenhouse. He's desperate because the plants in his hidden garden - which have sustained his humanity for centuries by feeding on moonlight instead of blood - are withering. Only someone with Iris's rare gift can save them. As Iris learns to interpret the flowers' messages, she discovers they're warning about an ancient curse. Damien's maker, the vampire Evangeline, cursed the garden out of jealousy when Damien chose botanical sustenance over embracing his dark nature. The curse will kill both the plants and Damien unless it's broken by the summer solstice. Working together in moonlit gardens, Iris and Damien develop feelings for each other. But the flowers reveal a devastating truth: breaking the curse requires a life force exchange. Iris must choose between her mortality and saving the man she's falling for, while Damien must decide if he can ask her to make such a sacrifice. The climax involves a confrontation with Evangeline in the original cursed garden, where Iris's connection with the plants becomes the key to not just breaking the curse, but transforming it into something that protects rather than destroys.

I had poured my heart into planning the perfect wedding—for my female client. Then I turned a corner and saw her kissing my boyfriend at the stairwell. He chuckled softly. "No wonder you're my wife. You're stunning." She let out a soft laugh. "Your little secret girlfriend still does not know you're marrying me. She actually wished me happiness—can you believe it? So… when are you planning to tell her?" He tilted her chin and said, "Didn't we agree? Once we're married, we each live our own lives. Teresa is the love of my life. I hope you'll keep your mouth shut." She gave a snort of laughter and yanked playfully on his tie. "Relax, babe. As long as you keep treating me right, I won't stir up trouble." I felt like I had plunged into an ice bath. Face pale, hands trembling, I picked up my phone and texted my mentor: [I'm ready to take the transfer to Luminous City.] The reply came not long after: [Three days from now. We'll go together.]

I was with a fishmonger for seven years. Every night, he pinned me beneath him, reckless and wild. Until one day, he took off his bloodstained apron and came clean–he was getting engaged to Sophia, the Bilotti heiress. Only then did I learn that he was the Don of the Colleo family. “Hahaha! You fooled around with Ms. Mancini for seven years, only to take another delicate young lady’s hand in marriage. Surely, she’s going to come at you.” “Don Colleo, you should keep things sweet with her.” His men’s laughter echoed in my ears. “What’s the rush? I’ve broken her well enough these past seven years. If you don’t mind, you can have her for a couple of days. Evelyn… flexible.” On the day of Vincent’s engagement party, I handed the evidence of his crimes to the police. As the sirens ripped open the city night, someone called out my name. I smiled and leaped from the eighteenth floor.

I have two kidneys. I've given one of them to my wife, Teagan Holt. In just one year, Teagan and her childhood sweetheart, Morgan Backman, have gone through all 72 karmasutra positions in bed. They can't wait to experience them all over again. My other kidney is given to Morgan. They've used 365 condoms, and the water bill is more than five times its regular rate. Teagan can't even get out of bed every day from how sore she is. Two years later, when Morgan needs another kidney transplant in order to survive, Teagan steps into the manor on her own. She looks everywhere for me, only to see our nine-year-old son, Milo Shepherd, crouching at the doorway. "Milo, as long as you can convince your dad to donate his kidney to Mr. Backman, I'll allow you to come home with me." Milo just stares up at Teagan innocently. "But Mom, you have Dad's other kidney inside you."

My mom often makes an example out of someone when it comes to parenting. Unfortunately, I'm that someone, while my little brother, Raymond Nelson, benefits from it. Ever since I was four years old, my mom had been using this method. If Raymond breaks a bowl, I'm the one kneeling on the floor to pick up the pieces. If Raymond destroys something belonging to someone else, I'm the one writing the reflection report on his behalf. Mom tells me, "You're the older sister here. Since you can't keep your brother in line, you're the one at fault." But Raymond can never get rid of his bad habit of stealing and lying. When Franklin Harris, the owner of a grocery store, comes knocking on our door, Raymond points at me once again. "She was the one who stole your money!" In order to help Raymond get rid of this problematic habit of his, Mom decides to hand me over to the owner. "Sorry, Franklin. It's my fault for not raising my child well. I'll give my daughter to you. You can do whatever you want to her, be it scolding her or beating her up." Little does she know that I will never go home after Mr. Harris takes me away.

จะเป็นยังไงเมื่อนางร้ายที่เกลียดดอกไม้เข้าไส้ดันมาตกหลุมรักเจ้าของร้านดอกไม้ที่สามารถช่วยสืบเรื่องการเสียชีวิตของแม่เธอในอดีตได้ เจน เจนน่า วินเซอร์ นักแสดงสาวชื่อดังในบทนางร้ายที่คนต่างลือกันว่าร้ายทั้งในจอและนอกจอ หญิงสาวสุดเซ็กซี่ขี้เอาแต่ใจที่หวงความเป็นส่วนตัวและมีปมเกี่ยวกับการเสียชีวิตของแม่เธอในอดีตที่ไม่เคยเล่าให้ใครฟัง ยกเว้นเจ้าของร้านดอกไม้สุดหน่อมแน้มที่ดูจะมีประโยชน์กับเรื่องนี้ ข้าวหอม คนึงนิตย์ ใจงาม เจ้าของร้านดอกไม้สุดเรียบร้อย เธอมีพลังวิเศษบางอย่างเกี่ยวกับดอกไม้ที่เหนือมนุษย์ทั่วไป แต่เพราะต้องสานต่อกิจการร้านดอกไม้ของแม่ ทำให้เธอต้องใส่ถุงมือขณะจับดอกไม้ตลอดเวลา และที่สำคัญพลังของเธอยังสามารถช่วยนางร้ายไขปมในอดีตได้อีกด้วย เมื่อหญิงสาวนิสัยต่างขั้วบังเอิญโคจรมาเจอกัน เรื่องราวความรักจะเกิดขึ้นได้ยังไง เจ้าของร้านดอกไม้คนสวยจะช่วยไขปมปริศนาได้จริงหรือไม่ เงื่อนงำการเสียชีวิตของแม่ดาราสาวจะถูกแก้ไขได้อย่างไร โปรดติดตาม..