Hannibal Rising

I set fire to my painting in front of the entire academy. Thunderous applause erupts from the crowd as everyone thinks it's some kind of performance art. Unlike them, Willow Laurent is distraught. She rushes up and grabs my hand, questioning in a shrill voice, "Cassidy Seymour, have you gone mad? This is your only chance to prove yourself!" I shake her hand off me coldly. My only chance? No… What she means is that it's her chance. In my past life, I created this masterpiece with all my heart and soul. But she stole it from me and submitted it as her entry first. Whether it was the composition, the colors, or even my original dot-stippling technique… She replicated every detail flawlessly. Then, she won the National Young Artists Gold Award, signed with a top gallery, and became a rising star. And what about me? I was condemned as a shameless plagiarist. Insults and curses gradually drowned me. "You shouldn't be an artist!" "Plagiarists are scum! They should just die!" Her fans stormed into my studio, smashed my art supplies, and broke my right hand. As I saw no end to the hell that I was living in, I jumped down from the top floor of my studio. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the very day she first accuses me of plagiarism.

His face turned to stone, and he grabbed my arm, dragging me into the janitor's closet. "I, Derek Thayne, reject Roxanne Meyers as my mate," he spat, and I snarled. "I accept your rejection." *** Alphas always have to be careful when it comes to their children; they are the perfect targets to the pack's enemies. No one was prepared though when the rogues attacked the Black River Pack and kidnapped the Alpha and his family. For months they were tortured, focusing mostly on the youngest child: Roxanne Meyers. Roxanne endured the abuse for months, constantly reminding herself that she was the daughter of an Alpha, that they would not break her. But one day she had no choice but to succumb to their demands. She returned to a pack that hated her; she killed their Alpha and Luna. Even her older brother turned on her. She became the lowest ranking wolf in the pack: the omega. Every attempt to escape the pack's abuse failed and her only hope was to find her mate. But her mate was none other than Derek Thayne, the son of the Alpha who took over following her parents' deaths. After accepting his rejection, she escaped to a nearby pack with the help of her new Alpha. She was thriving and rising up the ranks in her new pack. But unfortunately for Roxanne, Derek was far from finished with his rejected mate. And he wasn't going to let the threat of war stand in his way.

His blood is still on my hands when he presses me to the wall. He's not kissing me yet, just his breath at my throat and his fingers tugging the waistband of my scrubs like he owns what’s under them. "I kill for you, doctor," he growls, voice thick with threat and worship. "The least you can do is stop pretending you don’t like it." I should run, instead, I tilt my chin—and dare him to try. Dr. Elena Vance never meant to save a mafia king. One moment, she’s leaving a trauma shift. The next, she’s elbow-deep in blood, patching up a man with a gun under his belt and death in his eyes. That man is Dante Volkov. Russia’s most wanted heir. New York’s rising Pakhan. And now? Elena’s captor. His offer is simple: Marry him or disappear forever. She bargains for three months.Three months to resist the Bratva’s crown prince. Three months to prove she’s no one’s possession. But Dante doesn’t play fair. He wages war with his hands, his mouth, his voice—claiming Elena in every room, every breath, every ruined rule. And as old enemies rise and family blood spills, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: Elena isn’t just married to the mob. She’s becoming one of them.

Aurora Valenmoor was never meant to exist. Born as an illegitimate child into a powerful acting family, she grew up under cold stares, whispered insults, and a stepmother who treated her like a stain that refused to disappear. In the glittering yet rotten world of entertainment, Her stepsister beautiful, loud, and painfully untalented was pushed into the spotlight as a rising B-list actress, while Aurora, despite her hard work and skill, was deliberately buried and labeled nothing more than a D-lister. Even the engagement left behind by her late father,an alliance meant to secure her future was something her stepsister coveted.Then came one night. Drugged and betrayed by the very woman who raised her, Aurora was meant to be ruined so her stepsister could steal her engagement. But fate twisted cruelly and unexpectedly. Instead of ruin, Aurora woke in the bed of Reuben Blackwood, the cold, ruthless CEO of Blackwood Global Entertainment, the most powerful entertainment empire in Hibiscus City. A man feared by the industry. A man no one dared to touch. One mistake. One night.And everything changed. When Aurora discovers she is pregnant, the world closes in once more until Reuben makes her an offer no one could refuse. 100 million as a wedding gift. A contract marriage. And the power to burn everyone who ever hurt her. In a world built on lies, scandals, and ambition, Aurora’s fall becomes her rise and revenge begins wearing a diamond ring.

“She tried to escape. I think she wants to go rogue.” The guard said.  Sabrina’s eyes snapped to me. A smirk curled on her lips as she walked forward. “Tried to escape, did we?” she said, her blue eyes slicing into mine. “Leave us.” The guards obeyed. She moved in, gaze sweeping over me. “Whatever made you think your scrawny little body could outrun two strong guards?” “Sabrina, you have to let me go. I don’t want to be your handmaid. Please. Let me go.” I begged.  Sabrina laughed, sharp and cold. “Oh, you’ll serve me whether you like it or not.” She leaned closer. “You won’t just serve me, Elowyn. You’ll mate with the Alpha and carry his child for us.” My breath caught. “What?” Her smile deepened, her voice soft and slow. “I can’t be the one who fulfills the prophecy that Kieran’s Luna will die in childbirth.” She stepped even closer. Her eyes locked on mine. “You will bear his child, Elowyn.” She said it with such certainty that my blood ran cold.  I stared at her, horror rising in my throat. “You want me to die instead of you?” Sabrina said nothing. She didn’t have to. Her smile said everything.

In New York’s Upper East Side, there were two heirs. One was a speed-obsessed daredevil dominating the racetracks, the other was a brilliant actuary who controlled the flow of capital. Born into powerful families and polar opposites in temperament, yet they grew up side by side as each other’s only best friend. They had fought over girls and bickered endlessly over racing bets. However, at fifteen, there was one thing they did in perfect unison. They each put on the same roughly carved bronze badge. They were trinkets Mia had idly made during a craft class, marked only by a faint “M” scratched on the back. Back then, Mia was seated in the last row of the classroom. Her background was a complete mystery to everyone. Yet they wore that badge for ten whole years. Whether standing on the F1 podium or locking in billion-dollar trades at the exchange, the cheap little badge on their chests never changed. Until Ella showed up. She was the cherished daughter of a rising conglomerate family. She hand-stitched two gold-thread fabric patches and gifted them to them. The patches looked so ordinary they looked like the kind of trinket you would find three for a dollar at a flea market. And yet, they both replaced their bronze badges with her plain patches. Mia did not say anything. She simply folded away an old newspaper clipping with a photo of the three of them smiling together. That night, she called her father in Sicily. Her voice was emotionless. “Papa, I accept the marriage arrangement.”

When my husband learns of his first love's death, he jumps from the cruise ship where we are spending our honeymoon, ending his life. Only then do I realize he has never gotten over Clara Levine. Reborn back to his teenage years, he resolutely lets go of my hand and walks toward his first love. I watch them leave together, then turn and walk away. From that moment on, our lives become nothing more than two parallel lines that will never meet. Ten years later, we run into each other at a banquet in Oceanus City. He has become a rising star among the elite, with Clara appearing on his arm, intimately holding onto him. When he sees me accidentally wander into the banquet, he can't help but give me advice. "Stop obsessing over me. Even if you wait for me for ten years, I still won't fall in love with you." I ignore him and pull my son out from the corner where he's sneaking cake. His eyes suddenly turn bloodshot as he grabs my hand tightly. "How dare you try to make me jealous on purpose? Didn't you say you would only love me for your entire life?" he says.

Consunji #1 "Why... Why are you doing this to me, Xavier?" "Why do you hate me so much too, Zaria? Why do I have to resort into kidnapping you just so you could give me all the attention that I want from you?" *** Zaria Ismene Valderama doesn't like to associate herself with men eversince she caught her own father cheating on her Mom. She avoided them like a plague, not wanting to have any issues with them especially that she's a rising model in the Philippines. Ngunit paano niya magagawang iwasan ang isang taong parang buntot niya kung makasunod sa kaniya? Xavier Consunji is literally around the corner if she's around too. Ilang beses na nitong sinabing gusto siya nito, but she doesn't like to entertain him knowing that the Consunji cousins have a reputation with girls. They're playboys. Ang mga lalaking dapat iwasan ni Zaria. But Xavier have gone madly jealous. He lost patience when she was paired up to another male model, and it resulted into kidnapping Zaria to be able to own her completely. He even threatened her into marrying him, or she will lose her career and worst, she won't be seeing her mother anymore. What will happen to their relationship that started in the wrong way? Will it be a smooth sail? Or it would be a bumpy ride for the two of them? How will they be able to hold on their marriage once she found out the truth about what was supposed to be buried a long time ago? Will their love prevail? Or it will drown them instead?

North Harper, a brilliant yet unassuming third-year college student, finds solace in her books and late-night visits to her mother’s grave, escaping the torment of bullies who call her “turtle girl.” One night, she encounters Valentine, a mysterious Vampire Prince. Their connection deepens, but her life takes a dark turn when a rogue vampire attacks her on campus. To save her, Valentine turns her into a vampire, unknowingly creating a rare hybrid. North awakens with enhanced abilities and newfound confidence, but her unstable powers and hybrid nature put her in danger. Valentine becomes her guide, helping her navigate her new existence, but their growing bond defies ancient vampire laws. As the Vampire Council deems her a threat, a human faction called The Ascendants, an underground organisation bent on taking out Vampires, target her, seeking to use her blood to create superhuman soldiers. Amid rising tensions, The Ascendants infiltrate her college and attempt to abduct her. Forced to confront her dual identity, North must embrace her hybrid powers to protect herself and those she loves. In a climactic battle, North destroys the Ascendants' leader and their serum, saving both vampires and humans. Gravely injured, Valentine’s fate compels her to make a choice: she asks him to transform her into a full-blooded vampire to secure her place in his world. Though the Vampire Council allows her to live, they keep her existence under strict watch, marking the beginning of her journey as a powerful anomaly in both worlds.

My father, Benjamin Ward, was bedridden, paralyzed, and unable to move. The AI model he spent his entire life developing—a model powerful enough to cure terminal diseases—had been stolen and published under someone else's name. Humiliated beyond endurance, he suffered a stroke and collapsed. He couldn't speak. He couldn't even write. I swore I'd find the thief who destroyed him. My girlfriend, Maris Dawn, wept and promised to help me uncover the truth. But at a dinner party, when her first love proudly announced that he'd been specially recruited by a national research lab thanks to that very model, she immediately grabbed my arm, whispering, "Don't make a scene. Grayson just wants a good future. Don't ruin his life." Grayson Vale smirked with disdain. "The old man was about to retire anyway. Think of it as recycling waste." My vision went red. I charged at him, ready to make him pay for what he'd done to my father. Maris tripped me before I could reach him. She threw a check for ten million in my face. "Here's for your dad's medical care. Don't be shameless, alright? Grayson is a rising star. You're just a broke grad student. You should learn your place." I tore the check apart, piece by piece. That check could never buy the Dawn family a future in the world of science.