Grip Exerciser

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

Three days before our wedding, my fiancé, Raphael Russo, was killed in a gang shootout. They didn't even find a body. As I was drowning in grief, comments suddenly flashed before my eyes: 【Wake up, girl! the coffin's empty! He faked his death! The scumbag ran off to be with that scheming bitch chloe, the one pretending to be sick!】 【While you're crying your eyes out at the funeral, Raphael is fucking Chloe’s brains out in a hotel bed.】 【When he comes back, he'll claim he has amnesia. You won't know a thing and you'll forgive him. You poor thing…】 A month later, news of my marriage to Mafia Don Marcello Falcone spread through New York. Raphael’s right-hand man cornered me, furious. “How could you betray the Boss?” I tightened my grip on Marcello’s arm and smiled. “A girl can’t mourn forever, can she? I’m sure Raphael, in spirit, would be happy for me.”

Seraphine Arkwright trusted too deeply and paid for it with her life. betrayed by the one she loved and destroyed by a cold calculated conspiracy , her death was meant to erase her existence and silence her truth. Instead she awakens years in the past reborn with every lie, manipulation and heartbreak carved into her memory. This time seraphine refuses to be the devoted wife, loyal friend, fragile woman they once exploited. She becomes strategic, dangerous and determined to rewrite her destiny. She begins weaving an intricate web of revenge dismantling reputations, exposing secrets amd turning her enemies scheme against them. But her carefully crafted plans begin to unravel as she grows closer to Lucien vale her husband's estranged morally gray brother, a man as guarded as he is irresistibly magnetic. Their slow burning desire threatens to fracture her emotional armor. As vengeance tightens its grip and forbidden passion ignites, seraphine mist decide who she will become. The ruthless architect of retribution or a woman brave enough to claim love, healing and a future beyond her pain.

From the moment my twin sister set her eyes on Matteo, she decided he was the one. We were just kids, but that didn’t matter to her. In her heart, she believed they were destined to be together. So when their arranged engagement was announced, no one was surprised. At least, that’s what I thought. But lately, something had felt off. Wherever I went, Matteo was there. Lurking in the dark, concealed in the shadows, always watching. I didn’t know what I’d done to capture his attention. I didn’t want it. Yet, I couldn’t stop my heart from trembling like a bare soul caught in the icy grip of winter whenever he came near. Nor could I ignore my body’s traitorous response to his voice, low and laced with wicked intent. I fought to resist him. I truly did. But it was useless. He knew it. And so did I. So I ran. But that was the thing about the Vitales: they always gave chase.

"You are just someone who was forced on me and nothing else. An ugly-duckling like you, will never be love by me." His words were like a sharp sword that pierced my heart deeply. He was mentally hurting me. He did not have to act like that to remind me who I was.  ~Months later~ "I deserve this." He said in a tone that held agony.  "But please, don't leave. I'm sorry for everything." His eyes dimmed and his voice cracked. "Please. I need you." His grip only tightened. ~"~"~"~"~"~"~ Linda Foscar has been secretly in love with Daniel Anderson for years. It was love at first sight. So, when she got the chance to spend the rest of her life with him, she instantly grabbed the opportunity. Nevertheless, she forgot that along with roses, are the thorns. In a marriage with full of lies and misuderstandings, how will she fight for her love? -Betrayal does not come from enemies. -Secrets are yet to be revealed. -Two main leads, several rivals. -A blackmailed son, an unwanted bride and a mistress

Dave and Evelyn were step-siblings who were bound by their parents’ marriage. “You wouldn’t dare abort my child! After everything I’ve done to ensure you get pregnant,” Dave snarled, his eyes burning with fury as he grabbed Evelyn by her hair, yanking her head back. His lips crashed against hers with brutal force. Tears streaked her face as she struggled against him. “We’re siblings, Dave! I can’t have your child. How do you think our parents will react to this? How can they live with this shame?” Evelyn’s voice cracked, trembling with desperation. “I don’t give a fuck about them or what anyone thinks,” he spat, his grip tightening. “You know the rule. Abort my child, and I’ll make sure your father’s blood stains the earth. Don’t test me, dear sister. You know I’ll do it.” Will she disobey Dave and risk the life of the man who raised her, or will she let the child of a forbidden bloodline grow within her?

As I'm unable to get a ticket for my return trip after the Thanksgiving holiday, I specifically booked a first-class seat home. Just as I find my seat, I see an unruly child jumping around on it. I patiently smile and say, "Kid, this is my seat. Where is your seat?" He makes a face at me. "It's mine now, old hag!" I grab him by the collar of his shirt, wanting to lift him out of the seat. At that moment, a woman's piercing voice sounds behind me. "What are you doing? Let go of my son!" I release my grip and say as gently as possible, "Please control your child. This is my seat." Suddenly, she raises her voice. "He's just a child! Can't you, as an adult, give way to him? You're young and dressed decently. How can you have no compassion at all?" I'm so angered by this distorted reasoning that I laugh. "If you're so compassionate, why didn't you spend the money to buy your child a first-class seat?"

   Pyotr stiffens at our sudden closeness, but he soon returns the hug. His arms tighten around me as I sink into his chest.      "I will make sure you never live in fear again," he affirms. His warmth and the determination in his voice, is what allows me to believe him. With my head on his shoulder, I grip his shirt tightly, trying to stop my tears. *** Vampires have long been known for their cruel behavior befitting of a beast. Many humans live in fear of them, and rightfully so. In recent years, humanity has fallen victim to the trafficking, as many vampires have taken humans to be their slaves. Clara, a young girl from a small village in the outskirts of the Samiryan kingdom, has become their latest victim. Just when she thinks her life is over, she is saved by a mysterious man. Enamored by the man's strength, Clara joins him in his fight to stop the wrongdoings of the vampires. During her journey, Clara faces many challenging obstacles, but none more challenging than falling for one of the very beings whom she sought to stop. Will hatred consume her heart or will love save her?

Officer Ana Sofía González has lived her entire life haunted by one night the night her father, a respected police officer, was brutally murdered on the orders of one of Valencia’s ruthless El Jafes. Years later, the city trembles under the mafia’s iron grip, and Ana finally sees her chance for revenge. To expose the syndicate from within, she goes undercover under a new identity Mariana Gustav, the mysterious daughter of the recently arrested mafia lord, Ricardo Gustav. But what Ana doesn’t know is that Mariana’s life comes with dangerous strings attached including a marriage contract with José Fernández, the cold-blooded heir to a criminal empire, known across the underworld as The Prince of Death. Trapped between duty and deception, Ana must play her role perfectly or die trying. Every step she takes draws her deeper into a world of power games, and forbidden desire.And as she falls too deep into her role as Mariana, she is faced with the choice, to remain loyal to her her Mafia husband or bring his father’s billion dollar enterprise crashing to the ground .

On the day we reported for the new semester, my girlfriend had just been admitted to one of the country's top universities. That morning, she suddenly told me she had chosen the wrong major and wanted to take a year off to retake the entrance exam. I knew exactly why. It was for her childhood friend, the one who had not made it. Her parents begged me to talk her out of it. After a night of painful deliberation, she appeared downstairs at my dorm and said, "I've made up my mind. I won't retake the exam. Let's stay together and make this work." However, during the freshman welcome event, just as her name was being called, her phone lit up. A message from him. [My prep class started today. My deskmate isn't you anymore. It feels so strange.] She went completely still. I tightened my grip on her hand and warned her quietly, "If you leave now, we're finished. Forever." She whispered an apology, dragged her suitcase behind her, and walked out of the campus.