Forty-eight Thousand 소설 & 이야기

At six in the evening, Allen Bennett prepared a perfect dinner, with each dish carefully chosen to match Sarah Foster's preferences. By seven, he had run her bath, adding lavender essential oils and rose petals to the warm water, filling the bathroom with a calming fragrance. By eight, he placed her comfortable slippers by the entrance, awaiting her return. At nine, the front door finally opened. Sarah walked in, and Allen immediately went to greet her. With practiced grace, he helped her out of her coat and placed her slippers before her feet, then hung the coat in the entryway closet. Turning to her with a gentle smile, he asked, "Would you prefer to have your bath first or would you like to eat?"

I'd been married to my lawyer husband for eight years. In all that time, he never once acknowledged me as his wife in public. He wouldn't even let our daughter call him "Dad." Again and again, he missed out on her childhood because of his childhood sweetheart. Even when she hurt our daughter, he still forgave her. I was worn out and empty. So I decided to leave. I took our daughter and vanished from his world. But he refused the divorce. He started searching for us like a madman, turning the whole world upside down. Only this time, neither my daughter nor I will be looking back.

Erica is a seventeen-year-old girl from a humble background whose only dream is to get admission into the college to study architecture. But got entangled in a love triangle the moment she set her eyes on Damian Anderson, Student union president and heir to a multi-billionaire real estate mogul. Damian Anderson while in college is caught up between his love interest Erica, and his over possessive stepsister Sophia. They are both separated and spent eight years apart. Only to see each other again when Damian buys the company Erica works in. Will they pick up from where they left off or will pride and grudges be the other of the day? Especially Now that Damian is the CEO of his late father empire and Erica is a single mother of one. Find out in the romance-themed story, Damian Anderson.

After eight years away, Mary Andison returns home believing she has finally escaped the life her wealthy family once planned for her. Instead, she discovers the truth—her return is not a reunion but a transaction. With her family’s empire on the brink of collapse, Mary is forced into an arranged marriage with the cold and powerful heir of the Lipton family, a ruthless CEO who sees marriage as nothing more than a business contract. Trapped between duty and desire, Mary must navigate a loveless union, hidden secrets, and a man whose icy control begins to crack in her presence. In a world where love is bought, loyalty is tested, and power decides fate, will Mary remain a sacrifice—or become the one woman the CEO never planned to fall for?

After discovering that her boyfriend and best friend had cheated on her, Celestina Gomez spent one unforgettable night in the arms of a mystery stranger. She got pregnant, which caused her aunt to disown her. In a twist of fate, the man she slept with eight years ago is Terrence Dela Vega, the sole heir to his family's business and the son of the person who adopted her. He returned with his lover, ready to reclaim his right to inherit his family wealth that he thought she had stolen. In a world where love begins with a mistake, two individuals find themselves at a crossroads. Can their hearts unite because of her hidden child? Will they fight the odds to find genuine love or let their mistakes tear them apart?

They replaced me as a wife. They replaced me as a mother. So I replaced them with a life they could never reach. They buried her while she was still alive. Not with dirt— but with betrayal. After eight years of marriage, she was nothing more than a replaceable wife. A husband who chose another woman. A daughter who called someone else “mom.” A family that erased her existence. And then came the final blow— six months to live. So she walked away to die… But instead, she was reborn. Years later, she returns with power, wealth, and a name that shakes the world. Now they finally see her worth. But she’s no longer the woman they destroyed— and this time, she’s the one deciding who gets left behind.

"Jamie, I've decided. I'm ready to join you at Hillridge as your exclusive screenwriter. I'll be there by the end of this month!" Melanie huddled in a quiet corner on the set as she made the call, a pregnancy test report clutched in her hand. She tried to shake off the chill from the freezing weather, but her hands and feet still felt painfully cold. Jamie's voice at the end of the line was a deep and pleasant baritone. "Your talent has long deserved a bigger stage. For eight years, you've turned me down nearly a hundred times for Ken's sake. Are you ready to leave him this time?" "Yes. I'm leaving him for good!" She clenched the pregnancy test report, her lips a bitter smile.

A young woman who would turn his stability into chaos. A CEO who would do anything for an impossible love. An arranged marriage with a thousand bumps in the road. Gael wanted to have a beautiful wife who would stay with him over every obstacle. He is a young man full of wealth, assets and an attractiveness that makes him stand out from the crowd, he is a financially independent young man, he has created his own empire making his way among veteran businessmen, Gael is a CEO who fell in love with his worst misfortune. Meeting that girl put him to multiple tests that even with his maximum intelligence he couldn't win. Loving doesn't always mean giving everything for everything.

My younger brother had opened a high-end beauty salon, so I took my mother there for a facial. We picked the most expensive package, but the moment the mask was applied, Mom's face began to burn. When we peeled it off, her entire face was covered in rashes. I called for the director, but she looked impatient. "Oh, that's just a normal detox reaction." I was stunned. "Her face is practically ruined! What products are you even using?" "Ruined?" She flared up like someone had stepped on her tail. "Your mom's skin is just too bad to handle premium nutrients! Once our products are opened, they're non-refundable—got it?" I pointed to the brochure. "It says right here—'gentle and non-irritating, full refund if any adverse reaction occurs.' Is this how Stellan Fallow taught you to run a business?" She crossed her arms and lifted her chin high. "I am the boss! You and your mother look broke as hell—clearly here to mooch a free treatment. Now that it didn't work, you're trying to scam us for money? "Let me tell you something—this set costs 38 thousand, and with my emotional damages and lost wages, that's a total of 100 thousand. If you don't pay up today, I'll have the police take you both in!" A hundred thousand for a product that ruined someone's face? It was no wonder Stellan suddenly wanted to open a salon—it turned out he and his girlfriend were running a scam together! I was about to call Stellan, but before I could, she hit the video dial first. "Bubby, get over here—two broke idiots tried to freeload a treatment and now they're trying to shake us down for money!"

After my physical examination, I'm about to leave the pack infirmary located in my cousin's territory when a heavily made-up healer suddenly grabs my arm. She hisses, "Stop right there! You think you can break something in the infirmary and just run away? No way!" I look at her unfamiliar face and blink, feeling utterly confused. "What did I break?" She points to the crystal potion bottles on the shelves and wrinkles her nose exaggeratedly. "You reek, and your stench has contaminated all the potions, making them unusable! Alpha Xander bought these at a high cost, and all of it is worth 500 thousand dollars. There's also compensation for causing me emotional distress—that's another 200 thousand. "Altogether, that's 700 thousand dollars. Will you pay by cash or card?" My scent is a mix of violet and amber. It's noble and cool, like a winter dusk. Of course, not everyone loves this scent, but "contamination"? Please! I can't fathom why the infirmary in Xander's territory is operating like a scam. I laugh out of anger and say, "I'm Alpha Xander's cousin. I don't pay a single cent in his territory. If anyone has a problem with that, have Xander come say it to my face." But the healer only rolls her eyes. "You bitch, trying to use such lowly tricks to get my Alpha's attention? You wish! If you don't pay up today, I'll strip you naked and throw you onto the street so that everyone can smell how foul you are!" She has no idea who she's threatening. I take a deep breath and quickly contact my Beta. "Tell Xander—either banish this healer from the pack, or I'll banish him."