Junior Chef

My name is Christian Thompson, and once upon a time, I was the best striker in European football. That was until he came along—Ashford Ryder, young and carefree, 10 years my junior and the new shining star. I hate him. At least that's what I tell myself. Not just because he's taken my spot, but because he's everything I've struggled all my life to be, and not to be. He's vibrant, he's happy, and the worst of all, he's openly gay. I'm not homophobic, quite the opposite—I've lived in the closet all my life. All my life, I've had to hide who I am to please the people around me. European football hasn't always been this accepting of gay men, and I'd squeezed myself into a box to fit in with what they wanted of me. It isn’t that hard when you think about my family who'd rather disown me than have an openly gay son. So imagine how I feel when the world decides to be more accommodating to people like Ashford Ryder when they shoved me in a box. It's not so easy to hate the happy-go-lucky striker, when he does everything to get close to me, despite my insistent hatred for him. He's like a thorn in my side—a hot, sexy, blonde, 5ft9 thorn I can't stop thinking about. But when one day I lose my cool around the popular striker and land myself in bad press, I end up needing his help. It's supposed to be easy. Spend some time with Ashford Ryder, and show our fans that we can work together—it's what I need to do to save my career. But no one tells you how hard it is to hate someone you spend every waking hour dreaming about.

I'm eight months pregnant when I suddenly faint on the train. My husband panics and cries for help as he kneels beside me. An interning doctor hurries to me. She doesn't bother checking my condition before saying, "The patient needs to undergo a C-section! We have to get the baby out now, or it might die of suffocation!" Then, she slices me open with a fruit knife—she doesn't take any precautionary measures before doing so. She takes my child out. I'm in so much pain that I don't even have the strength to scream. My blood flows everywhere. Yet, a photo of her holding my baby while standing in a pool of blood goes viral. People call her the prettiest doctor alive. My husband and his family are eternally grateful to her. They don't go after her for causing my death; they even make her my child's godmother! Meanwhile, I'm given a simple cremation. No one cares about me. After my death, all my assets go to my husband and his family. Only then do I hear my husband and the doctor talking to each other, sounding smug. "This plan killed two birds with one stone. We got rid of that woman and made ourselves out to be heroes!" That's when I learn the interning doctor is my husband's junior from high school. They got together when he accompanied me to my prenatal checkups! She failed her internship, so my husband came up with this idea—he wanted to use my death to boost her reputation and help her! Even my child eventually died under their "care". When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to the day we get on the train.

It had been five years since I started dating Ross Jenner. His family invited my mother and me to their family home in Fellaton to discuss our wedding plans and to spend Valentine's Day together. It was past 10:00 PM when my mother and I landed, but Ross wasn't there to pick us up because his college junior, Laurel Elledge, had just arrived in Fellaton. He told me to figure out a way to get a cab to the house myself. In a strange place, unfamiliar with the area, it wasn't long before we found ourselves in danger. Just over ten minutes outside the airport, we were robbed. My mother was injured while trying to protect me, and she collapsed, bleeding heavily. Desperate, I held onto her, frantically trying to call Ross. Each call was abruptly cut off, and when I finally reached him, he sounded irritated. "Jennifer, you're an adult, so stop acting like a child. You couldn't even hail a cab on the street? Laurel just got to Fellaton and isn't feeling well. I need to take care of her." Without waiting for a response, he hung up. I tried calling again, only to find that I had been blocked. In the end, my mother's injuries were too severe, and she bled out before the doctors could save her. As I stared at her lifeless body, tears flowed uncontrollably. When I finally checked my phone again, the first thing I saw was a picture Ross had posted on Twitter. In the photo, he was kissing Laurel and holding a bouquet of roses. [Spending Valentine's Day with the one I love most.] I quietly threw the gifts I had brought from home into the trash. Then, I left a comment, which said, [Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.]

Le jour des cinq ans de mon fils Oliver, je lui avais préparé son gâteau préféré, sans allergènes. Et ce jour-là, il m'a dit qu'il voulait que Rachel, la secrétaire de mon mari, soit sa maman. Pendant que je travaillais sans relâche pour offrir à mon mari et à mon fils une vie privilégiée, ils sont allés au parc d'attractions avec Rachel, pour manger des glaces ensemble. Même après ça, j'ai continué à faire des heures supplémentaires pour soigner mes patients… alors qu'à la maternelle, Oliver a nié que j'étais sa mère, affirmant que Rachel était sa "maman biologique". Et pourtant, j'ai continué à croire leurs belles paroles. Même quand j'ai découvert une vieille photo de Derek et Rachel, prise bien avant que je ne rencontre mon mari. Je croyais qu'en tant que Guérisseuse en chef de la Meute de la Lune de Sang, je pouvais réparer n'importe quelle blessure… Mais certaines trahisons sont trop profondes, même pour la magie la plus puissante. Il est temps, désormais, qu'ils comprennent combien j'ai payé pour construire notre "petite famille parfaite". Il est temps qu'ils me rendent tout ce que je leur ai donné.

Emily Carter, une agente du FBI redoutée pour son intelligence et sa beauté glaciale, est chargée d’infiltrer l’un des plus dangereux cartels de New York pour faire tomber son chef, Victorio Valenti. Fils d’un parrain légendaire, Victorio règne sur le crime organisé avec une froideur impitoyable. Il est connu pour sa brutalité et son absence totale de pitié. Lorsqu’Emily se rapproche de lui sous une fausse identité, elle découvre un homme complexe, à la fois sombre et magnétique. Victorio, méfiant mais intrigué par la beauté et le caractère indomptable d’Emily, la prend sous son aile. Malgré sa méfiance initiale, une tension sensuelle s’installe entre eux, jusqu’à ce qu’Emily se retrouve prise au piège entre son devoir et le désir irrésistible qu’elle éprouve pour Victorio. Alors qu’Emily lutte pour garder son identité secrète, Victorio découvre la vérité. Mais au lieu de la tuer, il lui propose un choix : soit elle reste à ses côtés et trahit le FBI, soit il la détruit. Entre passion dévorante, trahison et loyauté, Emily doit décider si elle est prête à brûler son passé pour l’homme qui pourrait autant la sauver que la condamner.

Dans l’ombre de la ville, Gabriel Moretti règne sur l’un des cartels les plus puissants d’Europe. Impitoyable, calculateur, il ne laisse aucune place à l’erreur… jusqu’à ce qu’il croise le chemin d’Alba, une femme au regard de braise et au passé trouble. Ancienne chirurgienne reconvertie en médecin clandestin pour les criminels, Alba cache un secret : elle fuit un autre empire de la pègre, celui de son père, un chef mafieux qui la destinait à un mariage stratégique. Mais lorsqu’elle soigne Gabriel après une attaque ennemie, elle devient bien plus qu’une simple médecin : elle devient sa faiblesse. Entre eux, c’est une lutte de pouvoir et de désir. Gabriel veut la posséder, Alba refuse de plier. Leur attraction est aussi violente que les guerres de territoire qui les entourent. Mais tandis que les ennemis se multiplient, les trahisons se nouent et le sang coule, une vérité éclate : ils sont liés par un passé plus sombre qu’ils ne l’imaginaient. Dans un monde où l’amour est une faiblesse et où la mort guette à chaque instant, Gabriel et Alba devront choisir : s’anéantir mutuellement… ou faire plier le destin pour réécrire leurs règles. Mais dans la mafia, toute passion a un prix…

Anita Baker and Ronald Si Long did not know that their first encounter had already bound them to an irresistible fate and it was now sealed from that moment in stone forever. If there's one thing Ronald Si Long hates, it is a female, especially when this female happens to be an earthling and human who goes against him. He is the rebellious one not someone being that way towards him! But even with his strength as the strongest and dangerous creature, he finds a true interesting opponent, Anita Bakers. … One thing that Anita Bakers hate is haughty people despite being male or female, rich or poor. Once you prove to be a bully, you aren't welcomed in her non-existent circle. Even though she is a nerd, being in her parents' pastry shop has made her one great pastry chef and her grandparents' secret lab has helped her in believing more in the existence of supernatural beings. She is innocent and naive and falls for Ronald's trick thinking it's a figure of speech and fails. Forced to adhere to his request, she follows him to the unknown with a raised confidence and no fear. On reaching Ronald's real home, she receives a pleasant surprise and embarks to a secretive work. But something about her and her presence has attracted many dangers and attention from the different tribes of Alien Lands, Ronald's real home. Oblivious of their reasons, Anita is forced to rely on Ronald's protection and soon Ronald relies on her and her work to protect both her and his subjects from danger. But, Ronald's heart shackles have been broken! Who and how? He doesn't do love? He is untamed! Spellbound: The Untamed series is compiled by; BK 1: Hired Prey, Love Happened. BK 2: Battle Of The Throne. BK 3: Dragon World.

Dans une ville marquée par le crime et la corruption, une puissante famille mafieuse, les Romano, règne en maître. Leur chef, Alessandro Romano, est craint et respecté, mais son empire est menacé par la montée d'un rival, Vittorio Moretti, un ancien ami devenu ennemi. L'histoire débute avec une tentative d'assassinat sur Alessandro, orchestrée par Vittorio, qui souhaite prendre le contrôle du secteur. Cette trahison ravive des rivalités anciennes et des jalousies au sein de la famille Romano, exacerbant les tensions entre les membres, notamment entre Alessandro et son frère, Marco, qui se sent toujours dans l'ombre de son aîné. Le récit est ponctué de combats brutaux, de blessures et de trahisons. Des alliances se forment et se brisent, tandis que la tentation de la vengeance pousse certains personnages à commettre des actes de violence inouïs. Alessandro, rongé par la jalousie et la méfiance, commence à perdre le soutien de ses hommes, ce qui complique son combat contre Vittorio. Au fil de l'histoire, Alessandro réalise que la véritable force ne réside pas seulement dans la peur, mais aussi dans l'unité et la loyauté. Mais alors que les tensions atteignent leur paroxysme et que les lignes de bataille se dessinent, qui perdra tout et qui sortira vainqueur de cette guerre fratricide ?

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" "W-what?" She stuttered. "You didn't say anything about joining you." He gave her a once over before clenching his jaw. "Now I have. Get dressed we leave in thirty minutes. I'll be waiting downstairs." **** Kallista Hughes Jones is a 25-year-old chef whose world is shattered when she loses her job and house and moves back into her family’s home. Life becomes even more chaotic when her half-sister, Penelope, disappears on the morning of her wedding to billionaire CEO Jaxon Hawthorne, leaving behind only a cryptic note. In a shocking twist, Kallista finds herself standing in for her sister, marrying the enigmatic Jaxon-the very man she spilled coffee on the day she lost her job- in a whirlwind of confusion and obligation. **** Jaxon Hawthorne, a 35-year-old billionaire known for his aversion to touch and disdain for emotional connections and relationships. Jaxon views marriage as a mere formality to placate his demanding parents. He has no love for Penelope, but when she vanishes, he goes ahead to marry Kallista to dispel rumors and appease his parents. What begins as a tense and transactional arrangement soon changes into something more as Kallista slowly cracks the walls around Jaxon’s heart. As Kallista and Jaxon grow closer, their newfound happiness is threatened by cryptic warnings, mysterious messages, seeds of doubt, and violent attacks that nearly claim Kallista’s life. An almost forgotten person from Jaxon’s past emerges, leading to a deadly game where betrayals are exposed, lives are lost, and their love is tested in unimaginable ways. In a story of love, redemption, and sacrifice, Kallista and Jaxon must overcome the darkest chapters of their lives to find their happily ever after. But at what cost?

Pour sauver ma famille, je mourais d'un empoisonnement à l'argent. Marcus, mon fiancé, qui m'avait promis de ne jamais m'abandonner, voulait désormais prélever mon rein en bonne santé pour Céleste, la fille adoptive de mes parents. Personne ne se souciait de savoir si je vivais ou mourais. Alors, j'ai refusé le traitement conservateur. Je me suis injecté la potion de vie de la sorcière. Le prix ? Dans soixante-douze heures, je devrais mourir d'une défaillance totale des organes. Durant ces trois jours, j'ai offert mon centre de guérison privé — celui que j'avais construit de mes propres mains — à Céleste. Maman et Papa ont rayonné de joie. « Ma bonne fille, tu as enfin mûri. Tu prends soin de ta sœur, maintenant. » Marcus a voulu reporter notre mariage pour s'occuper de Céleste. J'ai accepté calmement. Il m'a félicité d'avoir enfin fait preuve de compréhension. J'ai même cédé mon poste de guérisseuse en chef de la meute à Céleste. Mes parents et Marcus étaient si enthousiastes qu'ils ont organisé une grande fête en son honneur. Ils ont invité toutes les personnalités influentes de la meute pour célébrer sa nouvelle fonction. Je me demandais simplement une chose : après ma mort, verseraient-ils une seule larme pour moi ?