Gumball: The Mess

The autumn break has just ended when a call arrives from school. "Ms. Watson, your daughter failed to secure a scholarship and bullied her classmate in retaliation. Can you please come to school?" When I rush over, I find Lila Keats bound to a trash can, her hair drenched in sewage, and her mouth sealed with duct tape. Meanwhile, the so-called victim merely has had two strands of hair pulled out. After some querying, I discover that Melody Caldwell is jealous of Lila's achievements and has been waiting for an opportunity to strike. When I demand an apology, Vanessa Morrison flies into a rage. "You're lowly trash without a proper family! My daughter teaching her a lesson is the greatest honor you can obtain in this life! "Expel her immediately! My husband works in the Education Bureau! Beg for mercy, or she can forget about taking the college entrance exam!" That arrogant woman is convinced that Lila and I will beg for forgiveness after being expelled. Unfortunately, she has chosen to mess with the wrong person. Lila's grandfather is a nuclear weapons expert. Her true origins have been concealed for her safety since her whole family works for classified operations. I immediately call the Intelligence Agency. "Mr. Keats' granddaughter was bullied severely at school. Send someone here to deal with this now!"

My younger sister and I unlocked our systems on the same day? The setting? The nation decades ago. She went for the learning system and married an intellectual. I had no choice but to go with the useless storage space system. Then, I was forced to marry a thug. A very rude and crass one at that. Thanks to the storage space system, I got through a famine and became the village's richest person. My sister's learning system was useless, and she almost died of starvation. Driven by jealousy, my sister seduced my husband and slept with him. To get my wealth, they came up with a plan and pushed me down a cliff. When I came to, I realized we'd returned to the day we awakened our systems. My sister shoved me away and picked the useless storage space system. "Move, you bitch! Now I have your system! I'll survive the famine and get rich! You'll live in my shadow forever, as you should!" She was so smug. She was gloating. I took the learning system and smiled to myself. Unbeknownst to my sister, I got rich during the famine, not because of the system, and my dream was to score high on the exam and get into a good college. My sister managed to mess up her life even when she had the better system. Now she took the useless one. I could practically see the misery waving at her down the path.

Cassandra Moore (Cassie) was living her dream life. She finally achieved her last wish, which was to attain her dream job of becoming a secretary to a CEO of a giant company. She got hired at RX Corp, the largest business corporation in the country. She went to celebrate that milestone with her friends in a nightclub, and that was when the mess started. Her friend made a prank call to her ex-boyfriend from seven years ago, Riccardo Xavier (Ricky), the ex she never got over yet even after years. They forced her to talk with him without her consent. The next morning, Cassie realized that she had slept with Ricky. She stormed out of his house in disbelief and tried to forget what happened. Everything looked fine until the first day she reported to RX Corp. She found out that Ricky was actually the CEO of the company and was her new boss. Slowly, another love story began between them and little by little the dark secrets of the Xavier family came into her light. Ricky was no ordinary man and being with him would cost her a lot of danger and damage. All the horrible things that happened around Ricky caused Cassie to slowly lose her sanity. In the end, would Cassie stay with Ricky, the man that she had always loved? Or would she leave him when things get out of control?

“I’d give up my whole kingdom to be with you. I want to be your Prince Charming.” Aria has a big heart but bigger problems. Her whole life is a mess thanks to her controlling stepmother. But when she’s knocked over- literally- by the hottest man she’s ever had the pleasure of tangling up her body with, everything changes. Henry Prescott, second-string rugby player for the Paradisa Royals, is funny, sweet, charming, and oh-so-sexy. He’s got a rock hard body and tackles her in bed as fiercely as he tackled her in the park. Knowing nothing about rugby, but absolutely intoxicated by his accent, she finds herself falling for him. There’s only one problem: Henry Prescott doesn’t exist. The man she thinks she loves is actually Prince Henry, second in line for the throne of the nation of Paradisa. He’s the man who Aria’s entire department has to impress for trade relations. And that makes Aria’s stepmother’s plans even more dangerous. He’s the man who could destroy her world or make all her dreams come true. He lied about being a prince… did he also lie about being in love? NYT Bestseller Krista Lakes brings you this brand new sweet-and-sexy royal romance. This standalone novel will have you cheering for an American princess’s happily ever after.

Janet and Rowan have been in a three-year contract marriage that's supposed to end soon. What started as a convenient, emotionless arrangement has turned into a complicated mess, especially now that Janet has realized she's fallen in love with him. She thought this camping trip would be her chance to finally talk things out with Rowan, but things fall apart when Flora, Rowan's fragile widow friend, shows up. Watching Rowan constantly rush to Flora's side has been eating away at her. While Janet tries to keep her cool, Flora plays the perfect damsel in distress, getting Rowan to take care of her every need. It's obvious to Janet that Flora is pushing boundaries, but Rowan either doesn't see it or refuses to admit it. Flora isn't just another woman-she's the one Rowan never quite let go of. Then Janet overhears something even more shocking: Flora is pregnant. The timing, the secrecy, everything points to one horrifying thought: could Rowan Be the father? Janet is torn between her anger, heartbreak, and the need to know the truth. When she confronts Rowan, she doesn't get the answers she expected. But the damage is done, and her already fragile Marriage is absolutely beyond saving. As Janet deals with the pain of feeling second best, she makes a call she's been avoiding for years. There's someone from her past who's always been there for her.

My husband's ex, Sarah Miller, once ditched him to chase a rich guy. When she came back, she was crippled, dragging along two scrawny kids. The day I found out I was pregnant, Jake Carter demanded a divorce. "Sarah is too weak to manage alone, and her kids need someone. I've got to step up," he said. I nodded calmly and went straight to the hospital for an abortion. In my past life, I fought to keep the baby and refused the divorce, even exposing Sarah's dirty secrets to the world. Her reputation was ruined. She became a pariah, and eventually, she took her kids and ended it all. In her blood-soaked suicide note, she blamed me for driving her to despair. Thus, Jake hated me to the core. He hired thugs to assault me, posted the video online, and spread lies that I was a cheater. In the end, he threw me and our child into the sea. As I died, he snarled, "This is what you get for killing Sarah!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day he demanded a divorce. This time, I agreed on the spot. Jake was thrilled, dreaming of winning Sarah back. What he didn't know was that, in my past life, I uncovered why Sarah was dumped. Her private life was a mess, and she caught AIDS.

At that exact moment, it hit me—I was never even a side character in this novel. I was just a pitiful nobody, not even worth a name in the story. In the original plot, I’d loved the wrong guy for six whole years, only to end up betrayed, locked away, and left to die a horrible death in the red-light district. But now, I’d woken up. I knew how the story was supposed to go, and I was never gonna follow that damned script to my inevitable end. To escape and get back at everyone who’d hurt me, who’d betrayed me, I set my sights on a man no one dared to mess with—my boyfriend’s adoptive father, Alexander Knight, the famous “Ice Tycoon” of the upper class. This alpha was cold, ruthless, and known for his unbreakable self-discipline. I’d planned to get close to him, seduce him—even sell my body if I had to—just to get his protection and run from the fate I’d suffered in my past life. But I never could’ve guessed that the second I stepped into his world, everything would start to spiral out of control. Caught between revenge, desire, and a destiny that was supposed to be set in stone, I had to make a choice: walk away before everything fell apart, or risk it all to take a role that was never meant for me. When fate stopped playing favorites, not everyone could handle losing their spot as the hero.

(My fiancé cheated on me, so I made a plan to get back at him by cheating with his father) “Who do you belong to, baby girl? Me or Finn?” He buried his face between her legs. “You! I… belong to you… Daddy!” Maisie cried out ecstatically. “Ugh… so good.” He grunted. “You look so… good when… I touch you, Pet!” Becoming the submissive pet of her father-in-law was her twisted plan to get revenge on her fiancé, Finn, for cheating on her. She had vowed, "I'll fuck his father as much as I want for what he did to me. Then, I'll marry Finn, make him watch me fuck his father, and divorce him." It was a clear plan, one meant to mess with both Finn and his father. But she had no idea that this would spark an unending obsession from Rafael Caruso—her father-in-law, a secret mafia don, a man nobody dared to cross. "I was never a part of your silly games, baby girl," Rafael growled, his voice dripping with authority. "I wanted you even before Finn. You are my submissive pet. You signed the damn contract, and you will do as I fucking say." He gripped her hand, pinning her to the wall. "I will keep you as long as I want, for as the contract stands. You belong to me! There's no escape!”

Arabella's pleasant life becomes a life of pain in the space of one night. That man put her father in jail and rendered him on bankrupt. The man she hated the most. Maverick Julius. The richest billionaire from a mega-company that dominates trade throughout Europe. She's not sure what the man is hoping to get out of her. Bella realized that she was the object of the man's worst hatred. When they looked at one another, his eyes were so icy. He was certain that Bella should experience all of the pain. "I warn you. Obey every order I give you." He locked his gaze on me. His eyes showed seriousness. As if to say, 'Don't mess with someone like me!' That man was frightening. Don't want to be denied. Very dominant. Once Arabella lived with that man, she discovered a lot of secrets. A secret that Bella never knew existed in that man. What will Bella do? Can Bella conquer that man? "Strip," he gave me command. His hunter's eyes tell me not to refuse what he said. As the man got closer, I remained silent because my legs were too rigid to move. "W-what?" He taps his finger on my chin. Put it up. Forcing me to stare into his lust-filled eyes. "I said, strip! Don't make me punish you for disobeying my rules. You belong to me. Be submissive and you will get that pleasurable pain." Are you intrigued as to what became of them? Discover their entire narrative by reading the entire story!

“Be a good girl for me and come fucking closer.” Alfred’s voice was husky, and angry. It made me dizzy with sinful lust. I gulped as I obediently closed the distance between us. He inched even closer and I felt my breath hitch when his hands found my thighs and I was hosteled up, back plastered against a wall in an instant. “Who am I?” “My- my husband.” I whispered, mouth quivering. His fingers tangled in my hair, a kiss against my arched throat. “That’s right. You belong to me, and not my fucking idiotic brother. I own everything– your body, your heart and your soul. They’re all mine.” ~~~~ Bella had her life mapped out. Go to med school, graduate, make enough money to get her father and brother a better life, and fall in love. Her plans were destroyed when she found out she had been promised to a Mafia Don as a collateral for a debt. Alfred Winston was someone no sane person wanted to mess with– he was ruthless, filthily rich and very powerful; he wields authority like second nature. How is life as the wife of a Mafia’s Don going to be for Bella? It sure as hell won’t be a bump free ride when Alfred’s younger brother– Damien, was smoking hot and hell bent on heating Bella’s curvy body up with that smoke, and let’s not forget the amount of dangers lurking at every damn corner, ready to consume Bella at the slightest opportunity.