Leaned Forward

The wedding had reached the part where the groom kissed the bride. I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss Stella Stafford, only to end up with a mouthful of fur. Her assistant held up the camera and burst out laughing. "The almighty Mr. Rowe can't even tell if he's kissing a person or a dog?" I stared at the Husky in front of me, its tongue lolling out, and felt my stomach churn. I was about to lay into him when Stella stepped in to block me. "It was just a joke. No hard feelings." Laurent Reilly smirked smugly, his tone dripping with arrogance. "And guess what? This Husky happens to be a female, so why don't you just marry her instead? You're not good enough for Stella anyway." The employees erupted in laughter. Mortified, I kicked him square in the chest, sending him sprawling. The next second, Stella smashed a wine bottle over my head and demanded an apology. I wiped the mix of wine and blood from my face, then dialed an overseas number with a cold grin. "The wedding is short one bride. You in?"

The first time I attended my girlfriend Joyce's friend gathering, after a few rounds of drinks, her male best friend pulled her onto his lap. With a cigarette dangling between his fingers, he grinned. "Call me daddy!" Instead of getting offended, Joyce leaned into him, helpless but indulgent, and said, "Daddy." I froze, scowling, but she waved me off without a care. "It's just a joke! Lucius always never cared for the rules, and everyone knows we have a father-daughter vibe, okay? Don't get it all twisted, Henry! Aren't you a man?" Lucius became even more provocative, throwing a smoke ring at me. "Yo, son-in-law! Aren't you going to bow to me? Come on, kneel and offer me a drink, and your dad's got your back!" Everyone at the table burst into laughter as they waited to see me lose my temper and make a scene. I just smiled, meeting Joyce's impatient gaze with an excited expression. "That's great! I like the way you think, so why don't you call me daddy too?"

I was with Ivan Knowles for seven years. Despite the rumors that always swirled around him, he never gave me a reason to doubt his loyalty. He let me check his phone and even welcomed me to join him on business trips. I never found anything suspicious until our engagement day. The host had just shared how Ivan flew in my favorite white roses from abroad when the big screen, meant to play a video celebrating our seven years together, instead showed a hospital room. The cry of a newborn rang out. Ivan sat on the bed holding the baby. His secretary, Alba Lawson, leaned on his shoulder, wearing the same diamond ring as mine. Tearfully, she explained to me that it was a misunderstanding. "Alba is a single mom," Ivan excused. "I'm just helping her out as her boss. Don't make a big deal out of this." The room went quiet, everyone waiting for me to flip out. I didn't. Instead, I calmly slipped off my ring and handed it to him. "Of course not. I just wish you happiness."

"I am the air you breathe? Oh, I must be suffocating.'' Zaphyra Andrejez always thought of a fairytale themed love. But when her dreams shattered, they crushed her down and tore her apart. Remembering how her first love went despite of forgetting, she found herself falling in love once again. Yet even with her heart stammering when she's around him, she still denies. He didn't want to give up but he felt having no strength to move forward and keep waiting for her only to get rejected again. But remembering what he felt when he first laid eyes on her, he got that smile back again. What will she think this time? Will her feelings change once she feels different? Or will she find another air to breathe?

Danica Laurent never imagined one mistake could change her entire life. After a reckless night with a stranger, she finds herself pregnant and shamed in front of the world. Eden Cross, a ruthless billionaire with everything never planned to take responsibility for the pregnancy when he finds out. He still loves his ex, fashion icon Erica Lancaster. But under pressure from his grandmother and the looming media storm, he steps forward… on one condition. A one-year contract. One year of marriage. One hundred million dollars will be given to her. And after that? She must disappear—without the child. But Danica has dreams of her own. A struggling medical student, she agrees to the contract. But what happens when hearts start to shift? When Eden’s cold heart starts to burn for her? He gave her one year, but she might steal a lifetime.

During a critical meeting, my medical case notes were swapped for "Confession of an Affair”. "Exhibit A: She knowingly intruded into a marriage, a disgrace to her profession." "Exhibit B: Harassing the patient's family and destroying their family." "Exhibit C: Callously endangering lives, deliberately plotting against the wife and child to take her place!" In front of hospital leadership, the patient’s family accused me of being a homewrecker, attempting to shame me into confessing. It was chaotic until she physically assaulted me, leaving me with a concussion. When my husband rushed in from the operating room, I said coldly, "Looks like this ‘real wife’ is being called the mistress! Why would you still defend me?” Without hesitation, my husband stepped forward and slapped the real mistress. “Security!” he called out. “Get this troublemaker out of here, now!”

"I bite and scratch," I warn him. His lips stretch into a cruel, sadistic smile. He is taunting me now, taking two bold steps forward with each tentative one I take back. "You'll crawl and beg too." ••• Seren Williams is running from a dark past shrouded in an enigma of haunting memories and nightmares. She doesn't plan to get caught in a portal which leads her straight to hell's doorstep, just as much as she doesn't plan on winding up in the bed of the very reaper tasked with keeping her captive. And she certainly doesn't plan her desire to be dominated and corrupted by said reaper in the most sinful ways, despite hating his crudity and domineering nature. But she does. And all of a sudden, her life begins to unfold as a tapestry of dark secrets. Will she survive the storm? *MATURE CONTENT*

What happens when you find yourself trapped in a world that was never yours, your father betrays you, your mothers turns her back on you and your siblings hate you. Rowena thinks that her life couldn’t get any worse than being the hidden princess at the castle, all that she had looked forward to her entire life was turning 18 so she could get away from there but when she turns 18 her kingdom turns their back on her and her father tries to have her killed. To escape her father’s hatred Rowena has to strike a deal with the wolf king that had been captured and tortured for years by her people. That night, under the full moon she lets the beast go and also escapes with him but what starts as an escape plan becomes something formidable filled with so much twist and tension.

When her wet dream came true, Christine's already messed up life suddenly turned into hell. Maximo Lombardi, the Billionaire Tycoon, imprisoned her with the accusation of stealing his baby. No matter how much she tried to prove her innocence, Christine found it hard to run away from this paranoid devil. Yet when all her broken past was revealed, Maximo turned to be her only protector. He claimed that he would send all those who had bullied her to the real hell. *** "I never carried your baby!" "I don't care!" He stepped forward, making me flinch. Meeting his fierce eyes, I knew things went worse. "Because you'll carry one for me soon." Maximo claimed domineeringly while his wild kiss fell on my lips.

Dev, a regular train commuter, falls for Bhoomika after seeing her at the railway crossroad near her house, where his train had to stop daily. Despite being married and living with an abusive husband, Bhoomika manages to leave a profound impact on Dev. She is often seen alone and sad, yet her smile never fades. Dev starts to look forward to seeing her every day and becomes a part of her daily routine. As Dev's feelings for Bhoomika grow, he discovers that she is a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her psychotic husband. Bhoomika is trapped and unable to leave due to fear of being hunted down by her husband. Dev resolves to rescue her and provide her with everything she deserves. However, Dev's decision to save Bhoomika is complicated by his family's insistence that he marry their family friend's daughter Roohi.