Gambler Background 5e 소설 & 이야기

I'm in the hills for a project inspection when a sudden downpour hits. I lose my footing and tumble down a steep slope. Lying in a pool of blood, I fumble for my phone and call my husband, Joel Grant, who's supposed to be nearby. "Rachel has anxiety. I only brought her back to her hometown to help her unwind. Can you stop being so paranoid and jealous for once? You're due in two weeks. I'll be there, okay? Just behave." In the background, I hear Rachel giggle softly. "The models have to be in their birthday suit for sketching, right?" Joel hangs up without another word. My sister-in-law—and best friend—Chloe Murphy finds me. She's sobbing as she cradles me, desperately trying to call her husband, Michael Grant, for help. "Are all pregnant women insane these days?" Michael snaps. "Don't start with the same manipulative crap as Anna. Joel and I are busy modeling for Rachel. We don't have time for your petty dramas." Then he blocks her. My injuries are too severe. There's no way help will arrive in time. Despite being heavily pregnant herself, Chloe hoists me onto her back and carries me down the mountain to the nearest hospital. Somehow, I survive. My baby doesn't. Chloe, devastated and physically pushed past her limits, loses her child too. "I want a divorce," I whisper with my eyes swollen from crying. "Me too. I'm done with Michael." We filed for divorce together. That's when Joel and Michael finally lose their minds.

I had been married to Derek for six years, and we had a three-year-old son. He was poor, earning only $2,000 a month, but I had no complaints; I took care of everything at home for him. After getting dinner on the table for the whole family, I finally had a minute to check my phone. A video popped up on my feed: a twenty-two-year-old girl from a rural area whose hands, roughened by years of hard labor, looked like they belonged to a sixty-two-year-old woman. I looked down at my own hands, just as worn and scarred, and stared at them blankly before tapping into the comments. I expected people to feel bad for her. However, to my surprise, the comments section was flooded with a single sentiment: "Why would anyone marry a penniless loser?" One of the top-liked comments came from a couple; in their photo, they were pictured holding hands—fingers tightly intertwined—with the girl sporting a massive diamond ring. The accompanying caption read: "A man who truly loves you would never bear to let you suffer." I felt a pang of envy. Given the choice, who wouldn't want a glamorous life? As I was about to close the app, I accidentally tapped on the couple's photo, enlarging it. In the background, previously too blurry to make out, was a face I recognized. It looked exactly like my husband, Derek Sterling. I froze, and almost against my will, I tapped into the account's profile. Post after post of lavish photos of them together flooded my screen. And then I saw him clearly. The scar above his brow, the one he got when a shelf fell on him while protecting me, was still plainly visible. It was my husband. It was Derek.

Zannicus Zer Zor-ester~Omega (Prime) A young wolf who's background was unknown, a young wolf who's the only one in his pack that has striking orange eyes (almost red) He shifted earlier than the other wolves but kept it a secret and pretended to be a human. Only two of his best friends knew his true identity. He was left as a baby in the borders of the pack. Ronan Ver Solas Soon-to-be-alpha of the Mist moon pack. He and his friends along with the the rest of the pack torments Zannicus because they thought he was a human or his wolf didn't come out. They beat him for every single thing he does wrong, but he still stays strong. He doesn't get easily intimidated by them though. Whenever he talks back or fights back, they find themselves backing down or somehow submitting, even the alpha himself, and they don't know why. Zannicus thought his parents didn't want him. But he's not just any normal werewolf or a mere omega.There's more. But.......What happens if they push him too far? Why does one of the councilmen members always visit their pack? What if there's more to Zannicus' history than they thought? What happens if Ronan and Zannicus happens to be mates? What happens if the young man they knew suddenly became one of the most feared ranks of wolves? What happens if Ronan finds himself falling for Zannicus? Will Zannicus accept? or reject? Will he forgive him and the pack? Their pack seems to be a magnet for rogues, but one day, what happens if they were outnumbered? Will he save them? He was belittled. He was abused. Never judge a book by its cover. You never know what they are capable of.

After catching her fiancé in bed with her best friend at their engagement party, Lana Rivera's perfect life shatters in a single night. Humiliated and heartbroken, she feels the scene, desperate to disappear. But running from one betrayal thrusts her into something far more dangerous... Seeking refuge, Lana wanders into an exclusive lounge that feels less like a bar, and more like a secret society. Cigars and cologne linger in the air, Italian jazz hums in the background, and patrons watch everything with sharp, vigilant eyes. But when she witnesses a man executed in cold blood, right into the middle of the club, she realises too late that she has stumbled into the world of Underground crime... quite specifically... the Mafia. Before she can escape, Ezio Benedetti, the ruthless Don who owns the lounge, claims her. At first, she believes she will be killed for what she's seen, but instead, Ezio decides to keep her, to parade her, and to make her part of a world she doesn't understand. When he brings her to his family's most elusive event, Ezio shows her off as his newest prize. But Ezio isn't the only powerful man in the room... Among the guests stands Dante Valencia, the one they call the Mafia King, Don of the most feared family in the city, and Ezio's sworn enemy. When Dante sets his sights on Lana, Ezio refuses to let her go, refuelling the war between the two empires. Now, Lana is caught between two Rival Kings of the Underworld, one who wants to possess her, and one who wants to save her. In a world built on loyalty, blood and power, her heart might be the most dangerous thing of all...

Heather was found around the packs borders when she was just eight years old. She was found with nothing but a name tag on her wrist that says Heather Snow. She was treated like an outcast because no one knows her background and family history. On her sixteenth birthday, a ceremony was held in the pack for everyone in her age bracket. It was supposed to be the night when they all shift for the first time and have their first run in the woods with the rest of the pack. This particular ceremony was even more important because the future Alpha of the Demon Wolf Pack was supposed to shift on that very night, so everyone important like the Alpha and other elites were present. Unfortunately, Heather could not shift that night, while everyone shifted and had a fun night. She was made to sleep in the stables as punishment for being a wolfless omega. They thought she is a weak omega because she couldn't shift, they have no idea that she shifted on her fourteenth birthday, which is two years before her peers. She had to keep it a secret because shifting so early was considered a taboo, besides, her wolf is quite different from the rest, it has a snow white fur, just like the rogues. What happens when Heather finds out that she is mated to the Alpha of the Demon wolf pack, the same Alpha that bullies and Demeans her every fucking day. Will she forgive him and accept the bond? Will he get rid of his chosen mate Mira and accept the bond with his true mate Heather? Find out what happens when the Lycan prince Xander shows up mysteriously and finds his mate being bullied and abused by an ordinary Alpha.

I was dying from my fear of heights, but my husband, Don Vincent, was busy with his assistant, savoring the latest coffee flown in from Hawaii that morning. "You're a grown woman, Bella. What's the big deal? You're stuck on a roof, figure it out." Then he hung up on me. I collapsed onto the hot tar of the roof, my body shaking uncontrollably before everything went black. It was two hours before building security found me. When I got home, I asked Vincent for a divorce. He rubbed his temples, his patience worn thin, looking at me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. "Over a cup of coffee? I told you, the heights are all in your head. You’re perfectly safe now. Stop making a scene alright? What's this nonsense about a divorce? I have more important things to deal with. Calm yourself down." I stared at his back as he left, tears already streaming down my face. Something important? Did he really think I couldn't hear his assistant, Sophia, murmuring in the background? Did he think I didn't know he took her to the last family gathering? I had loved Vincent for three years. Everyone knew he was the center of my world. They all thought an orphan like me could never leave him. But now, all the love I had was eclipsed by a profound, soul-crushing exhaustion. I was done. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't touched in three long years. "Uncle, book me a flight to Seattle. I'm ready to leave Vincent."

I sponsored Emily Fagan from an underprivileged background just to help her get through school. She was good-looking but wasn't exactly the brightest. Despite my warning not to tamper with my things, she slipped stimulants into my water bottle. Thanks to her, I was accused of cheating in the swimming competition. Our team's score was nullified. As for me, I was banned from competing for life and kicked out of college. When I confronted her, she cried pitifully, "Julie, I just wanted you to win. I didn't know that'd happen." My boyfriend, Elijah Strauss, held her and comforted her. He even snapped at me, claiming, "Em had good intentions. Why are you giving her a hard time?" Crushed, I shut myself in at home. Feeling sorry, she and Elijah visited me and brought along some vodka as an apology. After I took ten shots, I asked her to buy some over-the-counter pain relievers for my splitting headache. Little did I know that she'd make me take a dangerous dose of Ibuprofen mixed with alcohol. The bleeding in my stomach was what killed me. Emily looked pitifully remorseful at the hospital. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't even tell what I shouldn't have given her…" During the police interrogation, my boyfriend gave false testimony to protect her. He accused me of taking my own life by mixing Ibuprofen and alcohol because I couldn't handle the mental stress from cheating in the competition. When I reopened my eyes, I found out that I was transported to the day before the competition.

I was the side character, the one destined to be neglected, forgotten, and never chosen. In the novel’s story, I was merely a background existence—the woman fated to marry the male lead, yet never once receive his love. The wife who shared his name but never his attention. Salvatore Mancini. The perfect male lead. Cold, powerful, and admired by everyone. Except me. Because in this story, his heart already belonged to someone else. When I first realized I had transmigrated into this novel, I thought I could change my fate. I tried to avoid the original scenes, tried to step away from the plot. But every time I tried to change something…I returned to the same place. The same moment, the same outcome. As if the unseen author of this story was reminding me again and again: You are only a puppet, and puppets don’t decide their roles. So I stopped resisting. If the story wanted me to be the neglected wife, then I would simply live quietly and let the plot run its course. That was my plan. Until one night, when I finally looked at the man and said casually— “Tell me something, Mr. Mancini. Aren’t you supposed to be my husband?” His cold eyes narrowed slightly, but I simply leaned back and smiled. “Then fulfill your role properly. Let’s see… what kind of man the great Salvatore Mancini is.” For the first time since our marriage he actually looked at me, not through me. At me. I didn’t know what changed after that, but from that night onward. Even when he looked at me with clear irritation. Salvatore Mancini began appearing around me more and more. Which left me with a very unsettling thought. The plot…It didn’t change, right?

Note: This is the second book in the "Are You Our Daddy?" series but can also be read as a standalone.   “Please don’t do this. You know I have nowhere to go, don’t you? Please, I still love you. All you’re being told is false. Listen, I am going to tell you the whole truth now. I was actually the one who... who...”   “Look, Salindra,” James cuts in quickly.   “No, James.” Isabella continues. “Please let me speak, you’re going to want to hear this. My name is not even…”   “Salindra!” James shouts.   “I get you. I know you must be all spiked up and all. But it is you who really need to listen to me. Look, I... I never loved you,” he blurts out, swallowing hard.   ~~~   Isabella Harrington, under her father's command, pretends to be poor to test her husband's genuine love. After falling in love at first sight with James Collins, she marries him, hiding her true identity as a billionaire heiress. On their second anniversary, eager to reveal her family background, she instead discovers his infidelity, and she’s confronted with a divorce letter, forced by James’ family to sign.   Homeless and heartbroken, she returns to her family, where they welcome her with open arms.   Michael Howard, who had secretly admired Isabella from afar even before her marriage, is forced into an arranged marriage by his family, just when Isabella got divorced. James, the ex-husband, crosses paths with Isabella again, not as a nobody, but as the chairman of the hospital where he works and also as the renowned phantom medic. Can Isabella reclaim her life and find true happiness with Michael, or will the shadows of her past continue to haunt her?  

“Think about it," Trapping her between his arms and the chair, he continued. "I’m giving a once in a life time deal, Noelle,” Purposely, he leaned closer in a teasing manner and surprisingly, relished in the way Noelle shrank back. “Become my wife…be mine, and I’d give to you, whatsoever your heart desires. Money, fame, protection, you just name it and you’ll have it; Tesoro.” ~•~ Noelle is an ambitious, hardworking woman whose world crumbles when her long-term boyfriend, Jason, humiliates her by breaking up with her during their anniversary dinner. The reason? He’s found a new girlfriend, whose wealthier than she is. Heartbroken and crushed by the reality of her miserable life, Noelle drowns her sorrows at a nightclub, where she ends up sharing a night of passion with a mysterious stranger. She leaves the next morning, leaving behind only a note, assuming they’ll never cross paths again. When Noelle confides her heartbreak to her best friend, Elena, they investigate Ivette’s background and discover that her wealth stems from her uncle. With this knowledge comes about their ultimate revenge plan: seduce the powerful tycoon and teach Jason a lesson. But her plan takes an unexpected turn when she meets the infamous Wallace Castellano, who turns out to be the same man she had a one night stand with—and he’s far more than just a tycoon. As the head of Italy’s top Mafia organization, Wallace’s world is as seductive as it is treacherous. Drawn into his orbit, Noelle finds herself navigating a web of power, danger, and undeniable passion. But revenge has its price, and as secrets unravel and enemies close in, Noelle must decide: is she willing to risk her heart—and her life—for a man who could destroy her?