Japanese Breakfast Food

To ensure fairness, my daughter said that she would draw lots to choose whose family to spend the New Year’s with every year. However, for the past nine years, she had spent the New Year’s with her in-laws. The latest draw was no different. On New Year’s Eve, my daughter gave me specific instructions. “Mom, we’re spending the New Year’s with my in-laws. We’ve made a reservation at the most expensive restaurant in town. Please help me save some money. You can just make some food at home for your dinner.” Hence, on New Year’s Eve, I ate alone while watching TV at home. When I stood up, I accidentally knocked over the raffle box. All the lots inside the box had my daughter’s handwriting. The words ‘in-laws’ were clearly written on every single one of them. For the past ten years, the lots had been fake. My daughter was willingly spending the New Year’s celebration with her in-laws, and she had never once thought of spending it with me, her biological mother, who had spent so much money on her. At the same time, I got a notification on my phone. Her mother-in-law posted something on social media. [My daughter-in-law is so lovely. She bought me so many gifts and chose to spend the New Year’s with us. It’s as if she’s our own daughter!] They smiled brightly in the video. On the table were gifts that she bought using my retirement fund. I did not sleep for the whole night. The next morning, I called the bank. “Please remove all the auto-debit accounts from my retirement account.” From then on, I would only spend my money on myself.

Seventeen-year-old Nora Macie has spent her entire life surviving in the shadows of the Collins mansion. Her mother is the underpaid and mute housekeeper who raised Nora to stay silent, stay small, and stay invisible. Master Stephan Collins pays Nora’s tuition at Riverbrook High, a constant reminder that their lives belong to the family. Especially to Asher Collins, the arrogant heir who is expected to take over the Collins food empire. Nora obeys the rules she was raised with: do not look at Master Asher, do not speak to Master Asher, do not fall for Master Asher. His mother drilled them into her every month. She has always kept her distance from him, until one humiliating accident shatters her carefully controlled world. One night, she films a private sex tape meant for her eyes only. She tries to delete it, but her fingers slip, and the video is sent straight to Asher Collins, the guy who is also her stepbrother! She expects humiliation, exposure, and ruin. Instead, Asher watches it with hunger, curiosity, and a dangerous idea. When he discovers her hopeless crush on James Porter, the flawless leader of the Library Club, he offers a deal. He will transform her into someone unforgettable, someone every boy at Riverbrook High notices. Refuse, and he will tell his mother that the maid’s daughter is in love with him. The makeover ignites chaos. Rich boys notice her. James notices her. Damien Priest, Asher’s rival, notices her. And worst of all, Asher begins to want her too. The quiet maid’s daughter is suddenly the center of a war she never asked for—a war of obsession, jealousy, and temptation. And the boy who is supposed to help her might be the one who destroys her.

Ever since my mom gave birth to her second child, everything in the household is tied to drawing lots. Everyone has to draw lots in order to decide whose favorite food will be served for each meal. We have to draw lots to see who among us gets a hug from our parents. Every time, I end up drawing the short end of the stick, so everyone automatically assumes that my younger sister, Anabelle Madden, gets the better lot. She easily reaps my parents' love without having to do anything at all. Whenever I feel like crying because of the injustice, Mom will scold me instantly. "I bought the lottery box because I was worried that you might feel upset about this. I'm doing this just to be fair to both of you. "If you want something, you have to be the one deciding who gets what. Your father and I won't interfere with your decision at all. Since you can't draw the better lot, that just means you have bad luck." Hence, I keep practicing my lot-drawing skills every day, hoping that I can eventually draw the better lot in order to obtain my parents' love. But for ten years, I never get to draw the better lot. Not even once. On my birthday, Anabelle wants to go to the amusement park, so Mom tells us to draw lots once again. I secretly glue two short lots together before giving it to Mom in an attempt to get her to stay with me. Instead, she slaps me and berates me for being a disobedient child who cheats in lot-drawing. Then, she leaves the house with Anabelle. When I fall to the floor, I feel the short sticks piercing through my neck.

When event planner Sophia Martinez crashes billionaire Ethan Cross's exclusive charity gala, she's just trying to steal enough food to feed her dying mother. She never expects to catch the attention of New York's most ruthless CEO or to accept his shocking proposal. Ethan offers Sophia five million dollars for six months of her life: pose as his devoted fiancée to make his ex jealous and secure the biggest business deal of his career. The rules are simple no real feelings, no physical contact, just perfect public performances as the ideal couple. But Sophia harbors a devastating secret. She's the daughter of the man who destroyed Ethan's family empire five years ago, and she's been living with the guilt ever since. As she falls deeper into the charade, the lines between pretense and reality blur. Every stolen glance, every fake smile, every staged kiss pulls her further from her mission and closer to the man she's supposed to hate. Ethan finds himself breaking his own rules. The woman he hired to heal his wounded pride is awakening feelings he thought were dead. But when business rival Marcus Reid begins circling like a vulture, threatening to expose their arrangement, Ethan realizes the game has become far more dangerous than either of them anticipated. As corporate espionage collides with family secrets, Sophia must choose between protecting the man she loves and saving herself from a past that refuses to stay buried. When Ethan discovers her true identity, their contract becomes worthless but their hearts have already signed a deal that could destroy them both. In a world where billion-dollar empires rise and fall on trust, can love survive the ultimate betrayal? Or will the truth shatter more than just their fake engagement?

Williams Ava is a well known doctor in New York, she maintained a low profile because she has someone she loves, she has saved many lives, after saving Alexander's grandfather, she got into an arranged marriage with Alexander who she is in love with as his grandfather requested, she turned a blind eye to all his escapades. Ava devoted all her being into their 4 years marriage, she made sure Alexander met food in the dining room, sort out his laundry, she had to stop practicing her career to be the submissive wife Alexander would want and hoped to gain his love. With all this, it still seems she wasn't enough for Alexander who had his first love lurking around him 24/7. Ava did all she could to get her husband attention to her but all proved abortive as Linda was also determine to get back into Alexander life as a legally married wife. Ava discovered that Alexander had eye defect and needed eye surgery with immediate effects, she didn't hesitate to give out one eye for him. Linda made sure all Ava does was nothing to Alexander as she claimed the position of the eye donor just as she has always does. Alexander was touched by her and vowed to give her a place in his life after leaving her hanging all this years. Alexander gave divorce papers to the sick Ava without any delay, Ava hoped to save her marriage and reveal that she was pregnant. Alexander looked at her coldly and spat 'abort it'. Forced into the cold walls of the hospital to get rid of the baby, Ava shed tears of blood and decided to cut off ties with Alexander after she makes it out alive.

"You understand what it means for you to be mine, right? "He questions, and I swallow. Never breaking eye contact with him. "No... "I admit with my voice trembling. "If you become mine, "He begins, his tone dropping into a seductive growl that sends shivers down my spine. "You won't just be working for me. Your body will belong to me. I'll do whatever I want with you, whenever I want, and however I want. "He says, and as my back hits the wall my stomach drops. "You're not... planning to sell my organs, are you?" I ask, the words spilling out before I can stop them. "No, David, " "I mean, I'll fuck you whenever, wherever, and however I want. You'll be mine. My personal... plaything. Of course, you'll be taken care of. Shelter, food, Vanessa's bills... Everything. However, your main job will be warming my bed. "He says, and my eyes widen in horror. ***** His job was… ‘simple’. To rob him, and run as far as his resources could take him. He didn't plan to get caught. And even if that was a probability, he never expected to be spared. He never expected Salvatore to spare his life and keep him alive as a boy toy. He also didn't expect his straight self to fall for a man. Especially not one as rough, dangerous, and deadly as Salvatore. Are the feelings reciprocated? Or is David just a toy to Salvatore? This is the question that plagues David as he falls deeper and faster for this dangerous, Italian hot cake. Realizing he would do anything for the unpredictable man he had grown to love. When their dangerous world closes in, David must decide. Will he run, or will he risk everything for the man who could break his heart?

When my husband, Austin Hart, and I participated in the earthquake disaster relief, he discovered the corpse of his first love, Stacy Deleon, in the collapse zone. That night, Austin left a suicide note behind before jumping off the building with our son, Clifford Hart, in order to reunite with Stacy in the afterlife. Only then did I realize that both Austin and Clifford never cared about me, to begin with. When I was reborn, I returned to the moment when Austin first asked for a divorce. This time, I agreed to the divorce immediately. I even gave the custody of the three-year-old Clifford to Austin right away. Five years later, we meet again at an auction. Austin laces fingers with Stacy while taking Clifford's hand with the other. He mocks me, "It's only been five years, Kendra. You're really that shameless now, huh? You can't wait to latch onto me again now that you've found out I'm here!" Clifford mocks me as well. "Mom… Wait, you should be Ms. Powell to me now. You should stop pestering my dad already. My parents and I are living a very happy life right now." I just ignore them. Instead, I grab my daughter, Faye Gilmore, who has been sneaking food off the table, and steer her back to our seats. But Austin flies into a fit of rage instantly. A vein pops out of his hand, which is still laced with Stacy's fingers. "You really are shameless, Kendra Powell! We've only been separated for five years, yet you already have a daughter that old? I can't believe you're willing to resort to such despicable methods just to make me jealous! Which bastard did you have that bastard child with, huh?"

Mia Johnson's life has been filled with heartache and mistreatment, after her father leaves. Her life takes an unexpected turn when her mother poisons her and her father possesses the antidote to a poison that plagues her, but he remains distant, seemingly never to return. As Mia turns eighteen, her mother devises a shocking plan to secure a business , offering Mia's hand in marriage to a man named Carlos. Trapped and desperate, Mia's life seems destined for misery until a mysterious man enters her life. On a fateful night, a stranger quietly slips into Mia's room, offering food and concern for her well-being. Their chance encounter marks the beginning of a unique connection, one that will leave Mia questioning the true intentions of this enigmatic man named Dave. Days later, Mia meets the same handsome stranger in a shopping mall. She looked up at him. "You were the man in my room that night..." "Do you let men in your room at night? If you don't want visitors, don't skip your meals," Dave responds stubbornly. Mia discovers that Dave is adopted by her own biological father, a man of immense power and influence in the country. But their relationship takes an unexpected turn when Dave confesses his true feelings. "Big brother wants to you, Mia," Dave admits, leaving Mia shocked and confused. Struggling to come to terms with her emotions, Mia rejects the idea of romance with her "brother." However, Dave is determined to shed the brotherly label, longing to become her partner in love. “No… you are my brother and ten tears older than me…” she says while trembling. Dave takes a step towards her. “Who cares about being your brother? I want you… I want to make you mine, forever…”

When my boyfriend, Mark Jamison, gets in a car accident that leaves him paralyzed, I pawn the ring my mother left to me before she died to help him. With hands that have never been used to do any work or a single household chore in my life, I start lugging around delivery bags. In the middle of a rainstorm, I get assigned to deliver a food order worth 10,000 dollars, with a 100-dollar tip. Just as I happily celebrate my luck, I overhear the raucous laughter coming from inside the villa. "She actually believes you got paralyzed in a car accident? She now spends all day doing deliveries just to support you financially? She even sold off her dead mom's ring?" "She'd probably cry her heart out if she ever finds you're actually a wealthy scion worth tens of billions of dollars, who's just pretending to be poor!" Mark twirls the wineglass he's holding and says, "A lowly woman like her was born to wait on others. She brought it upon herself by always being better than Rosie back in school. Messing with her is the punishment she deserves." I continue to stand in the rain, tears rolling down my cheeks. This is how I find out Mark has spent the last two years faking his condition just to help his childhood sweetheart get back at me. His so-called paralyzed legs, deceased parents, and helpless tears are all just part of a meticulously executed lie. I haven't talked to my father, the richest man in town, for years. But now, I have finally decided to call him. "I lost, Dad. I'll accept the marriage alliance and marry the guy you picked for me."

Curtis paused to savor the view. She was totally open to him, her lower lips slick and swollen. Her whole body trembled, and that more than anything showed him just how close to the edge she already was: she was losing control, and he loved seeing it. Not able to stand it for one second longer, Curtis kissed her inner thigh, trailed his tongue up its curve. Tessa gave a small gasp as he slid between her folds, his tongue gliding up to her pulsing clit. He gave it a teasing little lick, then moved down again. She moaned in frustration now, felt his satisfied grin against her pussy. **** Curtis Manning is built from silence and scars; an ex-boxer, former soldier, and bouncer at Dangerous Curves who learned early that love costs too much. Commitment was never an option.... until Tessa walked in, all blonde curls and emerald eyes, and claimed his heart without even trying. Curtis has loved her from the start. Now she’s destroying herself – and he’s powerless to stop it. Tessa Mahoney is a former ballet dancer clinging to control in a life that never gave her any. Food is the enemy, numbers are safety. She’s determined to shrink herself back to nothing, even if it kills her. When Curtis forces Tessa to confront the truth, he expects to lose her forever. Instead, she forgives him, and gives him everything he’s ever wanted. Then Curtis’s past comes roaring back, violent and unforgiving, threatening the woman he loves. As his darkest truths surface, Curtis must face the hardest question of all: once Tessa sees who he really is, will love survive? And if it does,will Curtis be able to live with himself?