Ghost In The Shell Stand Alone Complex

My husband, Alex Carter, is a top AI engineer. He one day gets drugged by a new intern at his company, and one night of chaos follows. He calls me the next morning, his voice hoarse from a hangover and filled with unfamiliar panic. "Em, I messed up. But don't worry. I gave her enough money to disappear from this city." After ten years together, I believe it is just a momentary lapse in judgment. Six months later, Alex's company suffers the worst cyber attack in its history, with core data hanging by a thread. I rush back from a fragrance exhibition in Astral, only to witness a scene at the data center entrance that sends me into shock. Alex stands outside the tightly sealed door, his face showing a weariness and guilt I have never seen before. The doctor says that the intern, Brooke Anderson, is three months pregnant and has spent 72 hours with him in the high-radiation server room. Now, she shows signs of miscarriage. Later, Brooke gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The entire Carter family is ecstatic. I remove the wedding ring that has accompanied me for ten years, my fingertips turning ice cold. I dial the number saved with only one letter "S" and say, "Mr. Sullivan, I accept the collaboration you proposed last time." A low, soft laugh comes from the other end of the line. "Ms. Emma Shaw, that's a wise decision."

The once-glorious empire is in ruins, its capital buried beneath ash, following a bloody uprising. A competent scavenger who has been hardened by grief, Zara endures in the broken world, plagued by memories of the empire's devastation, particularly the ruthless purge that claimed her family's lives. She discovers a secret amid the rubble: a wounded man named Kael who says he is the final heir to the crumbling empire. Zara reluctantly consents to assist him, viewing his survival as a way to make amends. But Kael isn't interested in bringing back the empire he was born into. Rather, he is dangerously knowledgeable about a weapon that could upset the delicate balance of power in the world. An unforeseen attachment forms between Zara and Kael, complicating their objective as they create an uneasy alliance to traverse the lethal world of bounty hunters, imperial loyalists, and rebels. Zara is compelled to face her own troubled past—including the potential that her long-lost brother is still alive and fighting for one of the factions—as they delve deeper into the empire's hidden secrets. After the rebels kidnap Kael and torture him to find the weapon, Zara must decide whether to risk everything to save him or let him perish. Zara and Kael are pushed to the limit by their increasing love and the burden of their common past as they work against the clock to destroy the weapon and keep it out of the wrong hands. Will the fires of their decisions consume them or will they find salvation in a world of ashes?

After a car accident left Vincent Holt, head of the powerful Holt family, disabled, he stunned high society by publicly seeking a wife. My father immediately submitted my profile. “Since you’re so determined to break up with Cole, let’s see if you can land someone from the Holt family instead.” I refused, only to get slapped hard across the face as I tried to grab his phone. “You have no choice in this.” With nowhere else to turn, I went to ask Cole Brody for help. He was the only one who could change my father’s mind. However, I overheard their conversation. “Don’t worry, Mr. Brody. Vincent Holt is just a cripple. Bethany’s too proud to accept him. Just give it some time. She’ll come crawling back to you.” Cole chuckled. “Lulu wants a baby. I’m just helping her out by sleeping with her a few times. It’s not a big deal, yet Bethany just won’t leave it alone. I knew you got a way to keep her in check.” My body went cold. It turned out that I had been standing alone in a ruin of lies all along. However, when the Holt family really picked me, they panicked.

Thea spent her whole life at Athena Academy, raised to please the most powerful men in the land. Now, on her 18th birthday she is handed over to Alpha Cain, the most powerful Alpha in the North. He is cold, cruel, and uncaring. Thea knows she must find some warmth in his domain, or else she doesn't know how she'll survive.

For almost four years without her twin brother, Addison Miranda cannot swallow the pain of her brother's death that still haunts her every night. That's why she pours her every emotion on writing which her brother influenced her when they were still young. And as she grows older, she wants to pursue the dream that settles her from the grief of her lost. The only thing that her mind automatically focuses on is becoming a published writer, willing to do whatever sorcery she needs to perform. But just like any other human being, she stumble upon the biggest regret of her life. Meeting Corpse De Chavez is the start of how she wanted to dig her own grave. It is like in a blink of an eye, Addi become blind of how her success will fall on her hands like streaming waters. She found out that Corpse is a big part of her past that has been torturing her for years. And how unfortunate for her to fall for someone that she’s supposed to despise. Desperate to live a peaceful life, she decided to quit everything so she can save herself from falling apart, even though it breaks her heart leaving the person that loves her more than anyone else. Addison Miranda believes that whatever witchcraft that she's been under, she wanted to get out of it as soon as possible before she falls with it. Because just like spilled coffee on the table, Corpse caused a big mess that no one has ever done to her life. 

He was unlike anything one of our kind should have been. He was evil! And... he was my father! He had a duty as an Alpha to protect the pack, but it soon became apparent, the pack needed protecting from him! Unable to save our pack, My sister Winter and I had been left with no other option but to run for our lives. We hadn't been able to save our pack from our father... now I had to wonder... were we going to be able to save ourselves?

I was out for a long time. My eyes could not adjust easily and I felt a lot of pain throughout my whole body. I didn't know what was happening but surely I was somewhere in the dark. "That's ok, now sleep. Tomorrow you will feel better," someone woman voice said. Then I heard another male voice saying, "what has gotten into you? Now we are in deep shit." I couldn't listen to the conversation any longer as I have lost conciousness again. I groaned in agony as I felt myself waking again. I opened my eyes slowly but I could only see blurred. I noticed I had better sense of smell and I could hear better too. What's going on?I could hear a conversation that was outside the room I was locked in. "Please, do not tell anyone. It must have been the haze. It felt stronger then usual this time and I couldn't hold myself any longer. He was way too hot and I felt an unusual feeling like I was out of control." That was definitely Mei, but whom was she talking to? Also, what the hell is she? I couldn't forget last night's images. Fangs, shadows, and, blue eyes glowing at me, no, but then the second time they looked Red. Yes. I remember that. I was not going crazy.

Bianca was sold to a mafia lord at a very young age and all she could think about was getting revenge. Her plan was going well until the mafia lord's son, Nico, came into the picture. Nico was handsome and cold, brutal but calm. However, when he met Bianca, she brought out his troubled side. He didn't want her. She didn't care. In fact, she hated him. She felt he was emotionless and he felt she was too tough. Both were intrigued. ~♡~ "The only thing stopping me from taking you right here on this table, is that you belong to my father." His voice was tensed and I didn't need to see his face to know how he felt. "My father's whore." He added. I swallowed, hurt by his words. "You keep calling me a whore but when will you start treating me like one and fuck me." He was resisting. I knew it. I didn't know why but I hated him for doing so.

Sated from their passionate deed, Jonathan Sheffield rises and gently scoops the worn-out Eloise Carter into his arms. He cleans her in the bathroom, carries her back to bed, and lets her settle in. Normally, Eloise will have fallen asleep by now. But she won't allow herself to doze off tonight, not before she takes out the birthday present she's carefully prepared for Jonathan. Jonathan is making a phone call out on the balcony when Eloise quietly takes out the present she has hidden. It's a red velvet box, containing the ring she plans to give him when she proposes. She inches closer to the balcony and is about to speak when she freezes. A shocked, male voice rings out from the other end of Jonathan's phone, which he's casually left on the balcony ledge. "What the hell? You must be out of your mind, Jonathan! You're planning to take Eloise's heart and give it to Sonia?"

Due to his traumatic past, Adam Carter is a successful billionaire with a dark and cold personality. Unlike other billionaire bachelors, Adam takes no interest in relationships or casual flings. That, however, changes when he lays eyes on Daphnie Hanson, a recent college graduate who is cautious when it comes to romance. Love is never an easy road. When Adam's past comes to haunt him and ends up dragging the pair into a lifestyle they never imagined, can the two survive the danger and heartache that comes with it?