Genuinely Asking

She was trained to destroy monsters. She never expected to fall in love with one. Emily has never been free. Known only as 23, she was raised under watch, controlled by a metal bracelet and a voice that decides when she is allowed to use the power in her blood. She exists to obey, to infiltrate, to eliminate threats without asking why. Her next assignment should be simple: get close to Damien Hayes. He is wealthy, admired, untouchable. A man with a flawless public image—and a trail of secrets powerful people want buried. Emily is sent to spy on him, earn his trust, and lead her handlers straight to the truth. But Damien is nothing like she expects. He is guarded, dangerous in quiet ways, and impossibly human. Around him, Emily feels seen—not as a weapon, but as a woman. As attraction ignites into something far more dangerous, lines blur between duty and desire, lies and longing. Because Emily is not the only one hiding who she truly is. And when the past starts bleeding into the present, she will have to choose who she belongs to… before the masters who own her decide for her.

A fake engagement. A dying billionaire. A truth that could destroy them both. Eva Monroe is drowning in debt, desperate to save her ailing brother from loan sharks and hospital bills. When she’s offered a life-changing deal—to pose as the fiancée of terminally ill billionaire Cassian Vale—she takes it without asking questions. It was supposed to be temporary. A lie. Until he lives. The treatment works. Cassian survives. And now he wants Eva by his side—for real. To the world, they’re a power couple. To Cassian, she’s the only person who ever saw him as a man, not a wallet. But Eva is hiding more than just her heart. She’s not just a waitress. She’s the daughter of the man who tried to expose Cassian’s corrupt company—and paid with his life. Now the same empire that saved Cassian is hunting her. When the truth explodes, Cassian must choose: Protect the woman who lied to him… Or save the legacy that nearly killed him. One built an empire of lies. The other holds the truth that could burn it all down. And love? It may not survive either. ---  

At Sullivan Group's annual banquet, a female university student approaches Peter Sullivan and offers herself to him. The usually cold and distant Peter suddenly freezes because this young woman looks exactly like his deceased first love. He can't help but tease, "You're asking to be my mistress in front of my wife. Are you so sure you won't be thrown out?" The young lady lifts her chin, and her stubborn expression is identical to that of his lost love. "You two got married for business reasons and mutual benefits. Does she have any say over what you do? Peter, only you can save my mom. Will you do it or not?" She's right. I'm just a pawn in a marriage of convenience. How could I possibly influence Peter's choices? But then, I catch a glint of tenderness in his eyes that I've never seen before, and a self-deprecating smile forms on my lips. Maybe, instead of clinging on and being thrown out like trash, it's better if I give up my place willingly.

"How could you come close to me? Did you forget that you belong to someone else?" I yelled. He frowned his eyebrow like he didn't get what I mean but then he smirked. "you're asking me how I came close to you? Did you forget 3 months ago you begged in front of me to fuck you" He uttered. I was startled at his words and then closed my eyes to digest what he said. "Did he use that word or did I miss hearing him?" I asked myself not believing that my Aaron could use such kind of words for me. I opened my eyes and looked at him with teary eyes. "What? why are you looking at me like this? Did I say something wrong? Didn't you're the one who asked me to fuck you" He scoffed. "No" I yelled... "I didn't ask you to fuck me... I'm not a whore. I asked you to make love to me" Tears rolled from my eyes. "Love" He starts laughing like a maniac.

For three long years, I was trapped in a toxic relationship with Edwin Kent.During those three years, he started by verbally insulting and controlling me, but eventually escalated to physical violence. Not only did he drain my finances to support his family and lavish my money on his "goddess", but he also impregnated me three times, leaving me to face the emotional and physical toll of abortions alone.Despite the repeated disappointments, I remained blind to the truth. It wasn't until one day when I overheard him asking his goddess, "When will you become my girlfriend?"His goddess laughed and asked, "Aren't you already in a relationship with her, scum?"Edwin nonchalantly responded, "She's the one who won't let go of me. I've always loved you."That was when reality finally slapped me in the face. I left behind my scarred heart and returned to the embrace of my wealthy family.But Edwin refused to let me go. He persistently challenged the boundaries of me and my family.Finally, I couldn't tolerate it anymore. Trash should be thrown into the garbage dump, not wandering around and bothering people.

On The Low: His entire life, Cyrus has played it safe—studying for good grades, spending weekends quietly, asking no questions. Raised in a strict, conservative household, he never really had room to find himself. All that changes, however, when he finds himself crashing at a party he wasn't invited to. It is there that he meets Derick. Derick is the type who takes up all the space in the room, not that he tries. Older, rough, and with the reputation for keeping people at arms length, he is the polar opposite of Cyrus. Yet, in the midst of raucous music, cheap alcohol, and bad decisions, something happens between them. It starts innocently enough—glances, small talk, the ride home—but it intensifies. They start to meet in secret, and the curiosity soon intensifies into something greater. Derick catches glimpses of Cyrus that no other person catches. And Cyrus feels alive in ways he never has at any other point in his life. Yet, in their world, there is nothing that makes it easy. The secrecy comes at a cost, with Derick's fear of being discovered and Cyrus's bags causing rumors to go around. Things become tense at home and at school. Regardless of the best efforts at keeping things under the carpet, the truth ends up getting discovered.

“So you didn’t think you needed to tell your mate he can’t have a child? You thought you could just hide it from me?” “Hide it from you? Are you serious? You’re the one sleeping with my own twin sister in our bed, and you have the nerve to stand there asking me absurd questions like that?” Eamon’s jaw tightened as he took a step closer. “You’re in no position to speak to your Alpha like that, Lyra.” “Position?” I laughed. “You want to talk about position? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? Even the Beta shows more responsibility than you do. You destroyed everything we had, everything I believed in, and you think you can just throw your title in my face like it fixes any of this?” ***************** He betrayed her with her own twin. He divorced her for being barren. But Lyra just discovered the truth: her mate, Eamon, was the one who poisoned her. Stripped of everything, she flees to a rival pack, where a dangerous new alliance and a fiery attraction to the Alpha's son fuels her vow of vengeance. Eamon will pay for what he stole.

After a car crash, I wake up without a scratch, but my girlfriend, Elena Reed, has amnesia. What shocks me the most is that I can hear my late grandma's voice in my head. "That shameless woman is feigning amnesia to trick Rowan! If I were still alive, I'd break her legs myself!" My eyes fly wide in disbelief. Grandma's voice keeps raging in my head. "Rowan, in your past life, Elena ruined you. You had miserable years with her and nearly died of a heart attack while she was out celebrating Miles' birthday! "Your grandpa is about to have you choose a bride. Don't pick Elena. Pick Piper. She's a good woman!" A second later, Grandpa and the elders walk into the hospital room and spread out photos of heiresses from the four great families, asking me to choose a bride. I don't even hesitate. I choose Piper Alden, the one I've been butting heads with for as long as I can remember. I've always listened to Grandma. If she says that Elena doesn't love me, then I don't want her anymore.

Eliot Hale had it all: grades, charm, and an enviable future. The whole campus admired his girlfriend. His life was picturesque...Until an anonymous message snatched it all away. One party. One betrayal. One moment that saw the shattering of his glass-laden golden world. Eliot, now the joke of the university, has been stripped of any last semblance of support, in whispers mocking him, asking his name, and wondering in his moment of awe, "Who do I trust when those I loved the most were the first to destroy me?" And just as Eliot spirals into isolated boredom, a stranger people would wish they had in their lives, begins texting him. What starts off as cautious curiosity soon evolves into an intimate, heartfelt bond- the anonymous presence sees into him, all the pain he hides beneath the surface; making him feel something for the very first time in his life. But upon finding out who actually was behind the screen… everything was changed forever. The boy who ruined him might be the only one who really understands him. The one he was raised to hate might be the one to really love him. And that forbidden love? That just might be the one thing that could save them both.

“You have no idea what you’re asking for, do you?” he said.   I felt a slight sting of offence. “And what was that supposed to mean?”   He took a step closer, his face dangerously close to mine. I could feel the air shift. His presence filled the room. His hand moved to my cheek, stroking it lightly.   “I have a good feeling this isn’t your thing because you look like a doe in a den of wolves.” His voice dropped to a quiet, low rumble, making my stomach flip with excitement. Ayra had been the perfect wife—loyal, accomplished, and willing to sacrifice everything for the man she loved. But when he betrayed her with the one person she despised most, she didn't beg or cry. Instead, she slammed the divorce papers in his face and walked away. A reckless one-night stand with this dangerously charming stranger seems like freedom until she discovers his true identity. As Ayra fights to rebuild her life, a figure from her forgotten past reappears, threatening to change everything. She’s not just leaving her old life behind, she’s determined to create a better one.