Hidden Behind A Smile Novels & Stories

When I drink the amber-colored poisonous wine, I can hear the joyful melody of a toast song coming from the manor. The wedding between Emanuela Romano and my ex-fiance, Benedetto Martini, is being held there right now. The elderly butler, Vincenzo Romano, puts away the wine glass with a blank expression. The way he speaks is as somber as one sounds when they give a speech at a funeral. "You know the Don's will very well, Ms. Andreotti. Five years are officially up, yet neither Mr. Andreotti, Mr. Martini, nor Dr. Foscari is willing to pledge their loyalty to you via the blood vow. According to the rules, you must take your own life within seven days. "The Don had left the Ashwine to you as a means of protecting… what little pride you have." Scorching pain begins spreading from my throat. I just smile at Vincenzo in return. Pride? Does a bastard spawn of a loose Iernian woman deserve to retain pride of any sort in the cruel Andreotti family? I begin making my way toward the banquet hall, which is brightly lit. As I walk past the shimmering waters of the pond in the family garden, I can tell that the waters are insanely cold. Then again, nothing is as cold as my icy heart right now. After taking a deep breath, I fall face-first into the pond… only to feel an iron-clad grip wrenching me backward. As such, I collapse onto the lawn heavily. My older brother, Alessandro Andreotti, has bits of grass covering his expensive suit. Disgust is written all over his handsome face. "Eva!" he grits out through his teeth, his voice lowered. "Must you spoil the mood on Emanuela's big day?" He then scoots closer to me, his alcohol-tinged breath fanning over my face. "You want to die, huh? Go ahead and do that, but can you die somewhere further? Don't stain the Andreotti land!" Alessandro turns to walk in the direction of the radiant lights, leaving me on the lawn, completely covered in mud. I can feel the countdown of my lifespan burning my insides. Seven days… I only have seven days to live. Meanwhile, my very own brother wants me to die somewhere further away.

She was never meant to be found. But fate had other plans. After a DNA test confirms that Maya is the long-lost daughter of a powerful tycoon, her entire world turns upside down. One moment, she’s living a quiet life in the countryside with her mother. The next, she’s thrown into a mansion filled with secrets, cold stares, and a family that sees her as nothing but an inconvenience. Her new family wants nothing to do with her except to use her. And when the family’s spoiled daughter refuses an arranged marriage to a crippled billionaire, Maya becomes the perfect replacement. But the crippled billionaire is not what he seems. Beneath the arrogance and the wheelchair lies a man with secrets. And when sparks begin to fly, and the truth behind the DNA test starts to unravel, Maya discovers that not everything about her new life is a lie… Will their love survive when family, fortune and betrayal stand in the way or will they be torn apart?

Synopsis: Shattered Vows: The Hidden Heiress's Coldest Return "I gave you four years of my life, my genius, and my heart. You gave me a divorce settlement and a motel room. Now, I’m taking back the throne you didn't even know I owned." For four years, Elena was the perfect "charity bride" to Grant Thorne. She lived in the shadows, wore shapeless sweaters, and secretly saved his failing company from bankruptcy using her hidden genius. She endured his coldness and his mother’s cruelty, believing she was an orphan who owed him her life. But on their anniversary, the illusion shatters. Grant serves her divorce papers to marry a "high-society" mistress, mocking Elena for being "small" and "statusless." Little does he know, Elena isn't a beggar she is the long-lost heiress of the Valerius Empire, the most powerful conglomerate in the city. The car accident that "orphaned" her wasn't an accident at all; it was a lethal trap set by those she trusted most. Stepping back into the world as the Ice Queen of Valerius, Elena sheds her mousey persona for 30-inch silk hair, designer armor, and a heart made of diamond. She isn't just coming for her crown; she’s coming to erase every person who stepped on her. Standing in her way or perhaps beside her is Dante Blackwood, the "King of the North" and her family’s greatest rival. He’s a man who has been watching her from the shadows for years, holding a secret contract that claims her as his own. In a world of high-stakes auctions, corporate massacres, and blood-stained legacies, Elena must decide: Will she destroy the man who broke her heart, or will she burn the whole world down with the wolf who’s been waiting for her to wake up?

Celeste, Luca’s first love, and I were trapped in the Romano docks fire on the same night. He saved me first. By the time he went back for Celeste, the warehouse had already collapsed. She died in the fire and became the regret he carried for the rest of his life. Luca never said he blamed me. But after that night, my birthdays, our anniversaries, even private family dinners became days for him to mourn Celeste. He often said, “It should have been me.” Years later, the Chronos Project opened to the powerful families of the underworld. For a brutal price, it could send someone back to one moment in the past. Luca signed the waiver without hesitation. Before entering the machine, he said to me, “I saved you first because you were my wife. If I had saved Celeste first, the families would have called her my mistress and destroyed her. This time, I’ll save her properly.” After he vanished, the Romano elders turned all their grief on me. “If Luca had chosen Celeste first, he would have had the life he wanted.” “She died because of you.” “You should have been the one the fire took.” I did not explain. I signed the Chronos waiver too. This time, I would give them what they wanted.

Six years ago, Elena Morrell walked away from Adrian Lancaster with nothing but heartbreak and a promise to never return. Now she is back. No longer the fragile woman trapped in a cold marriage, Elena has rebuilt her life into something powerful and independent. Returning to Althea to lead a prestigious medical institute is supposed to be a fresh start for herself and her twin sons. Until fate places Adrian Lancaster directly in her path again. Cold, ruthless, and more dangerous than ever, Adrian has never forgotten the woman who disappeared from his life without explanation. And the moment he hears Elena’s voice again, he becomes determined to uncover every secret she has been hiding. But when a frightened little girl unexpectedly enters Elena’s life, the past Elena fought desperately to escape begins unraveling piece by piece. As old feelings reignite and buried truths slowly come to light, Elena finds herself trapped between the life she built and the man she was never truly able to forget. Because some secrets were never meant to stay buried. And some loves refuse to die no matter how badly they destroy you.

Mia James needs a lifeline—fast. Accused of stealing company funds, she’s on the brink of losing her job when billionaire Adrian Knight offers her an unexpected way out: a contract marriage. Marrying him will clear her reputation, and for Adrian, it means silencing rumors, handling the press on his terms and fulfilling his grandfather's last wishes. It’s strictly business... or so they both say. Their plan seems simple enough: smile for the cameras, keep the story airtight, and definitely don’t fall for each other. But when Mia’s furious ex crashes their first press conference, she's forced to get closer to Adrian than she'd ever imagined. Suddenly, staged kisses feel dangerously real, and “pretending” becomes harder with every look they share. Now, Mia’s balancing a fake marriage, a very real connection with Adrian, and the risk of her entire world unraveling. With secrets on both sides and her heart on the line, can she keep her cool—or will they both get swept up in the game they started? In this rollercoaster of passion, scandal, and deception, Mia and Adrian are about to learn that in love and life, nothing ever goes exactly as planned.

Jasmine Reinle found out she was pregnant for her secret boyfriend just a few days to her highschool graduation and elder sister's wedding to her mysterious fiancee, but unfortunately for Jasmine, her boyfriend left town before she could tell him about the pregnancy, and she had no clue where he went. To protect their family's reputation, her father gave her two options; abort her baby or leave the family. Not willing to abort her baby, Jasmine decided to leave the family. Five years later, her secret boyfriend came back to her but with a very shocking reality; he's her elder sister's mysterious husband. Follow Jasmine and Thanatos rollercoaster love story journey.

Elena Woods was the "disgrace" of the Blackwood Pack—a Beta’s daughter who failed to shift, making her the laughingstock of her peers. On her eighteenth birthday, fate dealt a cruel hand: her fated mate was none other than the future Alpha, Killian Vance. But instead of a claim, Elena received a death sentence. To preserve the "strength" of his lineage, Killian publicly rejected her and chose her cruel, high-ranking sister, Sarah, as his Luna. Exiled into the rogue-infested wild to die, Elena’s heartbreak triggers an ancient, dormant power. She isn't a wolf—she is the first White Lycan in a millennium, a creature of myth with power that dwarfs any Alpha. Five years later, the Blackwood Pack is on the brink of collapse, cursed by a mysterious illness. Their only hope is the "Silver Doctor," a legendary and wealthy healer who hides her face behind a mask. Killian, now a cold and broken Alpha whose wolf is rotting from the rejection, travels to the city to beg for her help. He expects a savior. He finds the woman he destroyed. But Elena has a secret even more powerful than her shift: three silver-eyed triplets who bear the Alpha’s mark. Killian is desperate for a second chance, but Elena is no longer a girl looking for a mate—she is a Queen looking for a reckoning.

Male omegas are erased the moment they are born. And the werewolves world claims it is for balance. That omegas only exist to be mated to alphas and man being mated to another man is a sin. So when Caleb was born an omega, his mother did the only thing she could. She ran into the human world and raised him there, where no one would notice what he truly was. Until the day they found him. Twenty years later, everything burned. His mother died protecting his secret with her last breath still pushing him forward. “Go back… live among them… it’s the only place you’ll survive. They will never think the omega they are searching for is already inside their world.” So Caleb ran again. Into the place that wanted his existence erased. A world built to destroy him. A world where alphas rule, omegas obey, and secrets don’t survive long. He was supposed to hide. But nothing goes as planned. Because the moment Caleb steps into that world… He is marked by the most dangerous alpha twins in history, who were destined to be mate less. Twin alphas feared across packs. Untouched. Dangerous. Untamed. Men who were never supposed to have a mate. And now they have one omega. The same omega they ordered his killing without even knowing he belong to them. The problem is no longer survival. It’s control. Because the twins will burn the world before they let him go. And Caleb is about to learn the hardest truth of all. In a world built on lies, destiny doesn’t ask permission. It takes what it wants.

After I resign from my job as a forensic pathologist and return to my rural hometown to enjoy a laidback, leisurely life, I feel totally at peace. In contrast, my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart, Jessica Lester, starts panicking for real. She keeps begging me to stay. "Dr. Gardner, even though you're not that talented, I still hope you can stand beside me and speak up for those who have died unjustly!" I roll my eyes coolly and leave without looking back. In my previous life, Jessica is an intern put under my care. But every time we conduct an autopsy, she watches from the side but somehow manages to describe the victim's experiences before death ahead of me. She even uses wording that is identical to what I am thinking. I cannot make sense of it. In later autopsies, I give everything and go all out to prove myself, but even when she is not present, she can still iterate my findings at length. From then on, everyone idolizes her. Meanwhile, I become a laughingstock even if I am the most authoritative forensic expert in the state. Later on, the enraged family members of victims come to my doorstep every day. They lambast me and say that I am unworthy of being a forensic pathologist. They eventually set my house on fire, and I die miserably in the flames. When I open my eyes again, I return to the day I take Jessica to her first autopsy.