Hogwarts Dress Code

I've just returned from the world's biggest tech summit when my mentor, who's like a father to me, calls. He tells me he's arranged for me to marry his close friend's son, Jonathan Ford. Jonathan is one of Javron's rising stars. A few of my patents are licensed to his company, and they form the core technology of his new product. I work late to wrap up everything in the lab. Then, I dress up and head to the engagement ceremony. Unexpectedly, I'm stopped at the door by Jonathan's secretary, Linda Jones. She wears a lavish gown and looks more like the bride than I do. "Turn around and scram if you know what's good for you," she says with a sneer. "You're just an orphan from the countryside—think twice about whether you're worthy of our CEO." I ask, "Does Jonathan know you're making decisions for him like this?" She lets out a contemptuous laugh. "You're nothing but a pretty face who needs to ride on her mentor's reputation to get married. How can you possibly understand the weight I carry in Mr. Ford's heart?" A blush spreads across her face as she speaks. I study her for a few seconds, then call Jonathan. "If your idea of courtesy is leaving your fiancee standing outside the venue, then here's how I'll repay the favor. I'll let you read the contract and watch as I sell my patents to your competitor. How does that sound?"

I loved Alpha Lucien Grey with all my heart. From the moment I first saw him, I was drawn to him. However, I always knew the one Lucien loved was someone else. Her name was Summer White. I thought I’d be like one of those tragic side characters in romance stories—forever on the sidelines, watching the man I loved build a life with another woman. However, everything changed three years ago when Summer ran away on the night of the marking ceremony, saying she wasn’t ready to be claimed. Lucien had to make a decision and announced he would find a new partner. So, I stepped forward. Wearing a dress that didn’t quite fit, my hands trembling, I stood in for Summer. That day, Lucien and I formed a bond as mates. For the past three years, Lucien had treated me with warmth and kindness. He was gentle and thoughtful. He took care of me in every way. However, just over a month ago, Summer came back to our pack. On the night of our anniversary, she got drunk and called Lucien in tears, sobbing that she regretted everything. Lucien’s hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped his phone, but he didn’t hang up. He just stood there, torn. When his eyes met mine, full of confusion and pain, I took his hand—still trembling—and said softly, “Go to her.” The moment he left, I filed the mate-bond termination papers at City Hall, requesting to break the bond. After all, these years of stolen happiness were never really mine to keep. It was time for me to leave, too.

Four years of loving Marchello Enzo taught me one thing— it was finally time to let him go. He was the Don of the Marchello mafia empire. And I was supposed to become his Donna—his partner, his equal, the woman who stood at his side. But the moment his childhood sweetheart returned, radiant and adored, I understood something painfully simple: The title of Donna was never meant for me. It belonged to her. So before I walked away, I made three quiet decisions— First, I tossed the wedding ring he believed I treasured, and altered my million-dollar wedding dress to the measurements of the woman who had always held his heart. Second, I packed every extravagant gift he had ever given me—and donated them all to charity. They had once felt like proof of love; now they were nothing but proof of my foolishness. Third,I reclaimed a position I once abandoned for him—one I had turned down twice because he wanted me at his side. This time, I chose myself. My work. My life. A path that did not depend on his promises. On the day of his wedding, when he lifted the bride’s veil and realized it wasn’t me… the ruler of a billion-dollar underworld empire shattered. He tore the city apart looking for me— But he never found me. Because by then, I was already thousands of miles away, buried in my work, building the life he never believed I’d choose. I held the one secret he never imagined he’d lose: our child.

My billionaire dad chooses a husband for me. People claim that Sebastian Lambert is a fine gentleman who's absolutely in awe of me. He seems easy enough to deal with, so I agree to the marriage. The wedding is held at the biggest hotel my family owns. On the big day, as I push open the doors in my wedding dress, a bucket of foul-smelling blood comes crashing down on me. The scene inside is even more horrifying. What was supposed to be a pure and romantic ceremony is now decorated with giant spiders and cockroaches. Grotesque clown faces grin at me from the walls. At the altar, there's a black coffin. Sebastian's adoptive sister, Ruth Lambert, strolls over with a group of people. She covers her mouth in fake surprise as she remarks, "Oh my, Claudia, you look like a pathetic mutt right now!" Laughter erupts around me. Holding my anger back, I coldly reply, "All of you, get out." She crosses her arms, arrogantly looking down at me as if she's on some pedestal. "Come on, Claudia. Seb personally asked me to surprise you. I put in a lot of effort to decorate your little wedding. You're telling me to get out? I don't even get a 'thank you'? Do you need me to teach you some manners?" She signals to the people next to her, and two of them step forward, trying to force me to my knees. Stunned for a few seconds, I pull out my phone and call Sebastian. "Is this the so-called surprise you had your sister prepare for me? Forcing me to kneel before her?"

After Ten years of living to hate her first boyfriend and highschool sweetheart, Juma Cain Namu, Stephany Lee Awinja, now goes by the name, Stella Rachael. She is a twenty-five-years-old lady who still loves the tomboy look. Forced to dress lady-like, she waits to pick her new boss, the CEO of the company she is recruited by at the airport. Her heart stops, clouded with rage when she discovers the CEO is none other than, Juma Cain Namu, the last person she wanted to meet. Ten years have passed and Juma is back to the country but not as the one from the past. He is amnesiac (no memories of the life he had before ten years ago) and has the oddest and strange disease, excessive allergy to the opposite sex (females). One of his main missions is to find his lost memories and see if he has hopes of recovering from his odd illness. But, he doesn't expect a surprise when he is fine after brushing bodies with his new female assistant, Stella, this strange tomboy. Stella also ignites strange emotions in his heart that leads him to fall for her deeply despite her unique characteristics. He wants to have her as his future wife. Stephany, unknown to her, wants nothing but to stay away from Juma Cain but her heart fails to coincide with her mind as she falls back for him but without revealing herself. She learns of his amnesia and curiosity takes way in her heart to investigate after she finds Juma's actions corresponding to what he wished his life would be yet he is amnesiac. But, just as before, now Juma is the youngest, most handsome and powerful award-winning CEO - a potential husband to many.

On our third wedding anniversary, I brought a gift to my husband’s office. Walking past the secretary's suite, I stopped dead. A king-size bed had been set up inside. A young woman in a designer dress was sprawled across it, a handheld game console in her hands, surrounded by imported snacks of every variety. "Kevin, the lunch you ordered yesterday was pre-packaged meals. Marcus and I both felt sick after eating it. Today, make sure it's from The Palace Hotel." Kevin -- my husband's personal assistant -- bowed and scraped before her, his face a mask of obsequious flattery. "Mrs. Thorne, please don't worry. Mr. Thorne made it very clear -- everything should be tailored to your preferences and the baby's. He knows you love the chef at The Palace Hotel, so he set up a standing VIP account for you. Anything you want, anytime." She was Mrs. Thorne? Then what exactly was I? My brow furrowed. I glanced down at the wedding ring I'd worn for years. The girl beamed, radiant. "For the baby's arrival, my husband is throwing a lavish yacht party. Every important person in New York is getting an invitation. I want the whole world to know that I'm the love of his life, and that our son will be blessed by the most powerful people before he's even born. The champagne and flowers must be the finest available -- no budget limit. Our child is going to have the best of everything from day one." I stared at the gentle swell of her belly and called my father. "Dad, that divorce agreement you drew up three years ago -- you can have the lawyers send it over now."

His eyes traveled all over my body, from head to toe. It made me self-conscious for some reason. "The dress fits you well,” then he paused and murmured, looking at the floor. "I was wondering if you'd like it or not." "Huh?" His head turned to me again as if he was freed from a trance. "So now will you tell me what I have to do for you, sir?" I said sarcastically. "What?" He looked at me with surprise. "What? You have to have some purpose for keeping me here by force," I said, pressing on the last two words. He paused for a few seconds and then the lamest thing I could have ever imagined came out of his mouth. "Yes, you are here to serve me," he stated blankly. "What? Did I hear you right? You knocked me out, kidnapped my sister, and blackmailed me into coming here just to be your servant?" I cried out in disbelief. A smirk began to settle on his face as he took in my reaction. He was enjoying this absurdity even more! "Yes, dear. You are here to serve me. From now on, you will be with me 24 hours. All matters regarding me are your responsibility from now on." This is insane! Is he really a pervert? What is he trying to pull? "But you already have a lot of servants!” I protested. “And they're always at your beck and call too! Why the hell would you have me kidnapped for this? And who gives new clothes and breakfast in bed to a servant?” This was driving me crazy. Was he playing with me? Probably, a rotten rich vampire prince playing for fun. But I was not going to play hooky with him. No way!

I wasn't supposed to be here. The dress wasn't made for my body. The vows weren't written for my name. The man standing at the altar — cold-eyed, jaw like carved stone, power rolling off him like a second skin — he wasn't waiting for me. He was waiting for my sister. But my sister is gone, and someone had to bleed in her place. So here I am — Nyra, an Omega nobody, the pack's afterthought, the girl they forgot existed — standing before the most feared Alpha in the known world, about to become his wife. Kael Dravon doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't tolerate them either. And I am the biggest one he's ever been handed. He makes that clear from the moment our eyes meet — mine full of barely-swallowed terror, his full of nothing at all. He doesn't want me. He doesn't intend to keep me any longer than the treaty requires. I'm a placeholder. A warm body with the wrong name wearing the right bloodline. I tell myself I can survive this. That I've survived worse. But surviving Kael Dravon means staying invisible, staying small, staying quiet — and the longer I live inside his world, the harder all three become. Because his world is brutal. His enemies are vicious. And the secrets buried inside his pack's walls are the kind that get people killed. Including girls who ask too many questions. Including girls who start to feel things they were never supposed to feel. Including me. I wasn't supposed to be here. But maybe — just maybe — neither was he.

"Holding out for a hero? Eh, not so much. Felicity Hart doesn’t have the time or inclination for love. She’s too busy working her butt off to complete her Master’s Degree. So what is she doing at a Halloween party dressed like a Cinderella-wanna-be when she could be home studying?—or better yet, sleeping. Oh, God, yes. Sleeping Beauty had the best idea. What’s the worst that could happen if she catches a quick nap in the host’s bedroom? Well… Caught by the panty-dropping homeowner, Jared, her first instinct—aside from dying of embarrassment—is to run, but her sexy prince convinces her there’s no need to rush off into the night. There’s plenty of room in his bed for two. When she wakes up the next morning wrapped around him like a vine on Rapunzel’s tower, it’s not just her shoe she leaves behind, but her whole dress—and maybe, just maybe, a tiny sliver of her heart. With a little help from friends, Jared tracks down his runaway princess so he can return her dress. Over lunch they discover have much more in common than just sexual attraction. Jared might be a workaholic attorney, but his fun side is ready and willing to play…in the hot tub, in the shower…He’s the kind of man Felicity never thought existed: A damn good man with a bad boy’s soul.But can a fairy tale romance survive when the pressures of real life interfere? Or is happily-ever-after just make-believe? Legally Charming is created by Lauren Smith, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

WARNING: MATURED CONTENTS. "What.. what do you want?" Regina asked, moving backwards calculatingly from the predator whose eyes scanned her length like she was a prey about to be devoured completely. She kept stepping back but he grabbed her arms and yanked her over. "You're my wife and I have all the right to do whatever I want with you!" Daniel whispered harshly. He grasped her wrist, pulling her over to him. He swirled her around then he pushed her down on the bed. She gasped as her dress went up her thighs due to how hard he pushed her and pinned her hands above her head. Regina could only tear up when he hovered over her with his gaze dark and his face blank. What did she do to deserve such an ill-fated life? ----- The two stone-hearted brothers. One was a cold-hearted CEO who was aloof to everyone, involving his contracted wife, Regina, who became his prisoner as he made life miserable for her even after killing her father and uncle. And the other was a cold-blooded murderer and king of the underworld as they called him. He was known to be a stone hearted Mafia and the king of the assassins who abducted the innocent and cheerful Rachael just after killing her father before her eyes. He took her hostage as his slave and made her wish for death every single day. But what would happen when the two notorious brothers fall in love? Will the women they caused endless pain reciprocate their feelings or seek revenge for their loved ones that were brutally murdered by these two men?