Half Past Eight

Laila Jones has spent eight years building a quiet, beautiful life for herself and her daughter, Malaya. After her high school boyfriend caved to his racist grandfather and chose football and family approval over her and their unborn baby, Laila left Ohio, moved south, and raised Malaya on her own. Now Malaya is eight, there’s a daddy–daughter dance coming up, and her one Christmas wish is simple—and heartbreaking: she wants to meet her dad. Going home for the holidays was hard enough. Running into Jordan Hall, now the golden-boy quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, is worse. He’s famous, gorgeous, and acting like he has the right to look at her with regret. Laila is ready to avoid him, yell at him, or both. What she doesn’t know is that after his grandfather’s death, Jordan discovered every letter she ever sent—proof that she kept their baby, begged him to come, and raised their daughter without him. The truth wrecks him, and this Christmas, he’s determined to fight for the family he should have had all along. But Laila isn’t interested in being anyone’s redemption arc. Especially not while his nasty fiancée is calling her a liar to the press and the internet is tearing her apart. As secrets unravel and emotions explode in front of cameras, Laila and Jordan have to decide what matters more: anger, pride, and old wounds…or the little girl who still believes Christmas wishes can come true.

On the day, my husband, Eugene Doyle, receives the offer to further his studies in the city, he serves me divorce papers instead. I, Maria Johnston, am eight months pregnant with his child. He tries to console me. "Maria, ever since my elder brother, Edgar, passed away, Janice has had nobody taking care of her. She can't survive on her own. "I'll marry her for the time being, just on paper, until she manages to find her footing in the city. After that, I'll come back and marry you again." Everyone assumes that I will patiently and obediently wait for Eugene to return because of my pregnancy. However, I tear up his written oath to me and terminate the pregnancy that same day. Then, with the offer letter for the National Archeology Certification in my hands, I leave our little village and disappear from Eugene's life. Five years later, I become a successful archeologist and return to the same village for a survey. My current husband, Rupert Kingston, can't come at the same time as me due to an emergency meeting, but he has informed the villagers to welcome me with open arms ahead of time. To my surprise, I meet my ex-husband instead. He says, "I know that you lost your baby at eight months. There's no need to be ashamed about it. It's about time you came back after running away from home all those years ago. "Janice is about to give birth. We need you to be her nanny."

Prince Sebastian, the heir to the throne has always been destined for an arranged marriage. Edward never expected that he would be the other half of the arranged marriage. The prince is happy with the match, but Edward is not. Soon enough he finds his lack of feelings for the prince is the least of his problems when the consequences of entering the royal family become clear. It seems like they will never have a perfect marriage.

Grace is desperate for answers, and her search leads her to a town teeming with supernatural beings. Here in Darkness Falls, Louisiana, she uncovers a prophecy that names her as the key to an ancient conflict, yet she finds herself ensnared in a web of distrust. Two factions, locked in a bitter rivalry for centuries, claim they need her, but their use of the term “Halfblood/Halfbreed" ignites a fire of indignation within her. As she delves deeper into her lineage, Grace learns that she is half werewolf, a legacy inherited from her father. Yet the notion of being half human, as they insist, feels fundamentally wrong. The truth begins to unravel when a powerful vampire lord meets his demise while attempting to claim her for his interpretation of the prophecy. In that moment of chaos, Grace discovers a shocking revelation: she is not merely part human or part werewolf; she is something entirely unexpected, a being that neither side could have foreseen. Now, she stands at a crossroads. Can she place her trust in the Alpha, who has emerged as her greatest protector amidst the turmoil? Or should she heed her instincts, which whisper of deeper truths yet to be revealed?

I quickly rushed ahead and saw her lying near the edge where the huge cut tree had fallen a few days ago. Half of her body was resting in water while the other half was resting on the side of the tree. "No," I whispered as I ran ahead, instantly jumping into the river and grabbing her body, pulling it into my arms. I was sniffling and trying to hold back my tears while I swam back to land. Once she was placed on the ground, I looked at her helplessly, tears running down my cheeks. My body was trembling, and my wolf was whimpering loudly. I felt nauseous, and my head was throbbing badly. "She's fine," I said to myself in a cracked voice as I raised my hand and placed it on her chest. "Alpha!" Harvey called when he reached where I was. I looked at him with blurry vision, then back at my mate. "Why?" I whispered in a cracked voice. "Why can't I feel her heartbeat, Harvey?" I asked with a heavy heart, then moved my hand to my chest as I felt like I was suffocating.

The sound of footsteps fell on her ears, forcing her to turn around. Dhruv stood a few inches away, a white towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped from his hair as he ran a hand through it. When his eyes landed on her, they raked up and down her body and his eyebrow lifted while his lips formed a tiny frown. "What are you wearing?" He said tilting his head. He did not look pleased. "Your t-shirt," said Shanaya and rolled her eyes. "And who gave you the permission to wear it?" "You did yourself when you tore my dress into two pieces." His lips curved in delight at her words but returned back to normal soon enough. "Did I? I don't remember it." He shook his head. "Hmm, blame your rusty mind. What was your intent anyway? To have me walking naked around your house?" He pressed his lips together, attempting but failing to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Maybe. That'd be a nice sight, I must admit." *** Shanaya Arora has lived her life peacefully without any drama, that is until Dhruv Kapoor, her ex decides to make a return after eight years, bringing along with him a storm of desire and a promise of companionship for a lonely soul like hers. Burdened with the weight of her past, Shanaya tries to avoid him, denying Dhruv another chance at breaking her heart. But fate has other plans.

Eleanor, the fierce Lycan Princess of Genovia, was born to rule and her freedom is a distant dream, shackled by royal duty. Promised to the ruthless Alpha Alexandro, the deadly Lycan King of Leens, Eleanor escapes for one night of rebellion in Greece. There, she loses herself to four hot, charming Lycan princes of an enemy country, Alessio, Enzo, Luca and Marco—an act of defiance that leaves her with a secret child and her role as the prospective Lycan King at stake. Now, three years later, Eleanor must assemble a harem of powerful mates to secure her position as king from her foster brother who wants to take this position by all means. The king gives her three months only to find a mate and get married. It happens that among her suitors are familiar faces—the quadruplets she had a one-night stand with three years ago. The second set being their rivals, the equally irresistible Lycan princes of Leens. It's a deadly game with intense seductive passion. Both contest for Eleanor but it's not going to be all easy for her. Her world crumbles when the first quads go against her and they begin to attack and the mate she loves most among them turns out to be her enemy brother's boyfriend. Will Eleanor be able to survive these dark dangerous passions and achieve the greatest love story? With her future as the first female Lycan King of Genovia at stake, can Eleanor claim the throne with the hearts of her eight mates. Will they give up everything for her? Or will her country—and her love—be torn apart by the secrets of her past?

Being abandoned by his father for eight years, Arson became desperate when his mother fell seriously Ill and needed an urgent kidney transplant, his situation became more complicated as he loses his high paying job at the night club after offending a big shot. Unknowingly to him, he already caught the attention of Giovanni, a ruthless mafia Don, step by step, Giovanni guided him into coming into his turf, to him, he already set his eyes on a prey and it is only a matter of time to claim him. What happens when Arson, as stubborn as he is refuse to be a plaything to him? What would become of their relationship.

Namih Chan is a detective. She does not believe in the ghost that will return to earth to demand justice. But since Namih Chan lived in her rented house, her perspective changed. Almost every night, she dreams of a bloody woman. She was begging for justice. It doesn't hold her back anymore. Until she decided to reopen the woman's case when she found out that someone had died in the house she was renting, few years ago. She struggled to trace the woman's origin until she met the family. She was asking for cooperation from the family, but they refused. Until she meets the eldest brother who is also a detective. Joojen Lee, a half blooded korean who used to live in the country. She worked with him. Along with her search for justice is the monthly case of murder of a half filipino women in their city. The woman died the same way as Joana was killed. She concluded that the killer of the woman in their city and Joana's killer had something to do with it. Will they succeed in achieving the justice that Joana demands, in exchange for her silence? Are they ready to find out who is the person behind the murders?

My Mafia husband, Alessio, was sleeping with his stepsister, Sophia. In the car, the study, the bathroom, even on the dining table, they left evidence of their affair everywhere. "Sophia, don't worry. Once I solidify my position in the family, I'll give you everything." "Blair… she's just a tool to secure my position." In our eight years of marriage, he had whispered the sweetest words in the world to me. Now, his devotion was worthless. I didn't cry or cause a scene. Instead, I made a deal on the black market. In two weeks, Blair Greco would disappear from this world for good.