Grim Expression

At the dinner table, my wife's best friend suddenly speaks to her in Lytian. "Three years ago, you married Julian in a grand wedding just to help Jace get Julian's letter of forgiveness. Over the years, I've seen Julian fall more and more deeply in love with you. Yet, you're still lying to him. "You gave him sterilization pills but passed them off as his depression medication. Aren't you afraid that he'll fall apart if he finds out the truth?" My wife, Erica Inman, briefly shows a conflicted expression on her face. She then gives a bitter smile and says, "A child unwanted by their mother has no reason to be born. As long as Julian doesn't stand in the way of Jace's happiness, I will keep my promise and stay by his side for the rest of his life." No one knows that I've learned Lytian to keep up with Erica. I stand in the living room and look at the fresh kiss mark on my neck. As I glance at the medication I take regularly for my depression, my whole body turns cold. It turns out that all of Erica's affection toward me was fake. What I thought was my salvation turns out to be nothing but a carefully planned deception. Since that's the case, I'll do my part to make sure they all get what they want.

I was sold as sex slave by my parents! My mom broke down in tears at this point as she shook her head as she murmured while sobbing. "I'm sorry, my dear... I'm sorry." Her expression looked as if she was truly guilty of me, but her backward steps betrayed her. I shuddered uncontrollably as I watched this unfold before me, desperately shaking my head as I struggled to deny it all. "No, no… I don't want this…" I looked at those men who were looking at me with excitement, as they had already removed their clothes. When I tried to move my thin body and escape from what they were trying to do, the two of them held both of my arms and my legs, trying to stop me from moving, as one of them was already on top of me. One of them sneered as he looked at me with arrogance. "Alpha King has other sex slaves anyway, so there's no harm in us enjoying this bitch first!" Tears broke out of my eyes as I begged them to stop what they were doing. "Stop… no… please don't…" Despite my hoarse voice and I could barely even speak, I pleaded for mercy. I plead that they won't do what they were planning to do. I am saving myself for my future mate. I… I hate this… But what the hell am I supposed to do!

“Fine, I accept your pathetic rejection, but mark my words, I, Abigail, vow to make you regret this decision!” I screamed, my voice shaking with the raw pain tearing through me. I locked eyes with him—the man I had loved with every fiber of my being. But he stared back, his expression cold and unmoved, as though the years we’d spent together meant nothing. How could he be so blind? I was his wife, bound to him by sacred vows, while Amanda was merely his mistress. Yet he chose her over me, casting aside our bond as though it were nothing but dust. --- Abigail had endured years of neglect, overlooked, and discarded like a shadow in her own home. She was Luna, yet she’d never known the respect or love that came with the title. Her one failure? She hadn’t given Alpha Chris a child, an heir to strengthen their pack. But when Amanda, his first love, returned, Chris became ruthless, flaunting his betrayal before her eyes. But destiny has a way of bringing light to the darkest of hearts. He’s everything Chris isn’t: strong, compassionate, and willing to break all rules for her. His heartbeat calls to hers, but can her shattered heart ever learn to love again? Will Abigail risk opening herself to the possibility of new love and redemption, or will her thirst for revenge consume her completely?

My fiancé’s pampered niece, Jenna Quinn, had just returned from abroad. The moment she got back, she caused a scene at our engagement party, throwing out so-called “evidence” of my alleged affair in front of the media. Zac Quinn had no choice but to leave me with the mess, clutching his hysterical niece as they left. His parting words? “This is just an engagement party. Jenna’s well-being is far more important.” After I painstakingly managed to control the public narrative and was waiting for Jenna to make a public clarification to settle the matter, she instead curled up in Zac’s arms, crying softly. Zac’s expression turned cold. “Jenna only has me, while you have so many people who love you. Why must you target her?” At first, I thought Zac was just being overly protective of his niece, who had lost her parents at a young age—until I saw the two of them kissing. “You’re the precious girl I’ve raised with my own hands. From now on, Nina will be your aunt, and she’ll shower you with love, too,” he said. I clenched the ultrasound report in my hand and, without hesitation, tossed it into the trash. Love that can’t be held onto isn’t worth keeping. I decided to return home, accept my family’s marriage alliance, and fully embrace my role as the heiress of the Walker Corporation.

A young psychologist, Maria Reyes, fresh out of college, decides to take her first freelance case to build her résumé. Feeling bold and free on her graduation night, she let herself loose after getting charmed by an alluring mysterious man. One drink leads to another and another, and she finds herself drowning in passion in his bed. She reads him like a map and falls for his scars before she even asks for his name. But the morning brings the brutal truth, Darian Wolfe is her father's enemy, a ruthless businessman, an heir to the empire sworn to destroy her father's legacy. She vanishes before he wakes, unable to face what has been done. Weeks later after being able to set up her new office, the past begins to blur until her first patient walks through the door. It's him, Darian Wolfe. Her expression freezes when she sees him. He walks around her office uninvited. He takes a seat without a word. The silence between them is thick with everything unsaid. And then, he looks unblinking in her eyes. "I have a lot to... unpack, Dr Reyes," he says, with a dark smile. "Let's start with a woman I met two weeks ago at a bar," he says, pulling out a red panty from his pocket.

The night before our wedding, Jason Scott receives the cancer diagnosis of my adopted younger sister, Helena Sanderson. His expression falters, and he says indignantly, "We'll cancel the wedding tomorrow, Victoria. Helena is very fragile now. I can't risk upsetting her at this point in time." I reply, "I don't agree with it! Why would my wedding upset her?" Jason doesn't show any displeasure after my rejection. He even thoughtfully prepares a glass of milk for me. … When I wake up the next morning, I realize the house that should be full of excitement is eerily quiet. Anxious, I dial Jason's number 99 times. He only picks up the call on my 100th try. "Where did my wedding dress and shoes go?" I ask. Jason falls silent for a moment. His tone is apologetic when he replies, "I'm sorry, Victoria. Helena wants to experience being a bride once. I can't let her leave with regrets. Please bear with this for now. I'll make it up to you once she passes away peacefully." As the line goes dead, I sit frozen on the bed, unable to recover for some time. … A month later, while Jason is on his honeymoon, I send the livestream of my wedding announcement with his rival, Frank Lawrent, directly onto his phone. Jason regrets it bitterly.

Le jour de mon mariage, tout aurait dû être parfait. Je devais avancer vers l’autel, sourire, les yeux pleins d’amour pour Adrian, l’homme qui m’a sauvée, celui qui m’a fait croire en un avenir meilleur. Mais quand mon regard s’est perdu parmi les invités, mon cœur s’est arrêté. Là, assis au premier rang, un homme que je n’avais jamais pensé revoir. Un homme dont le regard m’a traversée comme une lame. Un homme que je connaissais trop bien… **Mon ancien client.** Celui avec qui j’avais passé cette nuit, des années plus tôt. Et aujourd’hui, il était là, devant moi, portant un costume élégant, une expression impassible… Parce qu’il était le père d’Adrian. Mon futur beau-père. Comment était-ce possible ? Que devais-je faire ? Tout avouer ? Faire semblant de ne pas le reconnaître ? Et surtout… que se passerait-il si Adrian découvrait la vérité ? Mon mariage venait-il de s’effondrer avant même d’avoir commencé ?

A soft gasp escaped her lips when Tobias’ hand slipped into her gown and caught one breast. She tried her best to suppress her emotions but her eyes just involuntarily shut due to a pleasurable sensation brought by his warm touch. She blinked her eyes open when he detached his hand from her breast. Tobias distanced himself from her, however, the rage in his eyes was still there as he watched her. “I almost forgot. You told me a few years back, only I can touch you unless I pay you.” Minah's brows furrowed, her eyes fixed on him. Tobias pulled himself away from her, composing himself before he took his wallet out of his pocket. He then pulled out some paper bills and threw them on her. Her eyes darted to the money that he tossed right in front of her. Six violet-colored paper bills. Her mouth was left agape. Six hundred pesos! Minah could feel her blood rushing to her face as insult, rage, and humiliation stirred inside her. She lifted her face once again and threw daggers at Tobias. “I am no whore, you son of a bitch!” His expression grew ominous. “You are filthier than a whore, Damara,” he said firmly, his voice sounding displeased.

Stephanie Ford has given her heart and everything else to Tyler Grover throughout their five-year relationship, only to find out that he has already married his first love, Kiara Grover, on their wedding night. The fake marriage certificate that Stephanie holds is proof that she's stuck in an elaborate scheme that Tyler and Kiara have come up with. This realization leaves her heartbroken and her trust in Tyler permanently shattered. Throughout the past five years, she's gone through a car accident that's apparently staged by others, which has ruined her dreams of becoming a professional dancer. To make things worse, Tyler and Kiara intend to use her as a surrogate mother for their child. Hence, Stephanie decides to go home and enter into a business marriage that her family has arranged for. The next time they meet again, Tyler watches as the cold and aloof heir to the powerful Hawke family of Jetterpolis, Adrian Hawke, pulls Stephanie carefully into his arms. He treats her with utmost care, as though she's the most precious treasure in the world. Tyler's eyes redden instantly. He sinks down to his knees like a madman and begins begging Stephanie for her forgiveness. "Steph, this is all my fault! Please come back to me!" But Adrian shields Stephanie from Tyler, his expression now glacial. "Get lost! Don't you dare taint my wife's sight with your filthy presence!"

(Completed) At her step-sister's birthday dinner, Nina was drugged by her family and sold to an old pervert, who was the same age as her grandfather. In her desperate attempts to escape, Nina comes across Jayden Luxton, the business tycoon. “Marry me, and I promise to keep you alive and unharmed.” He proposed. With her innocence in line, Nina has no other choice but to marry him. Jayden wanted a wife and Nina needed protection. The was a - situation where both parties got what they wanted. However, the prerequisite was that they couldn't fall in love with each other. As two individuals who lived an exhausting life that lacked color and love, all would unloose once they lived under the same roof. After their every session, he would always remind her.“Don’t fall for me. If not, you'd end up hurting yourself.” Yet, he was the one who couldn't let go of her and kept spoiling her to no end! --- - “Boss, someone bullied Madam at her college.” The next day, Springfield College, the top college in Spring City, disappeared overnight from the country. - “Boss, madam has taken fancy to Paris, the most renowned clothing brand in the world.” As a result, the entire collection of Paris was emptied to decorate a certain someone's wardrobe. - “Boss, madam went on a date with a wild man.” The poker-faced and aloof CEO finally had a crack in his expression as his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Does she think it's that easy to get rid of me?”