Lightning Thief Medusa

My father loved silence. He believed noise was the mark of lesser people, so he installed a decibel meter in our home. Speaking above 40 decibels meant that we would have to pay him 10 dollars, laughing above 60 decibels meant 50 dollars, and crying or throwing a tantrum was a serious offense at 100 dollars per second. The year I turned four, I fell and broke my arm. I did not make a single sound. I bit down so hard that I cracked two teeth, but I saved thousands in noise fees. He praised me for it and called me a "high-value child," one that was worth the investment. I treasured that compliment and observed the rules carefully, keeping the house wrapped in suffocating silence. Then came the stormy night a thief broke in. He had a knife and was creeping toward my mother as she slept, and I watched it all from the gap in the wardrobe where I was hiding. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shriek and wake my father, to do something, anything. However, my eyes drifted to the decibel meter on the wall, and my hand found nothing but an empty pocket. I did not have enough allowance. One scream would cost hundreds, and I simply could not afford it.

A quick and easy trip. That's all the peace treaty mission was supposed to be. Sebastian knew better than to think it would go easily, not with his best friend at the helm of the mission. And for the first time in Sebastian's life, he is finding himself at odds with the man he is there to protect. And the main reason? The insanely pretty little thief who he is struggling to keep his eyes off of. Even if he has convinced himself it's because he doesn't trust her. Wren has spent her life searching for a way to free her mother from Alpha Alden's slavery and she finally has the answer— War. When a neighboring pack comes looking for peace Wren finds the opportunity to finally start the war she has been searching for. What she didn't expect to find was an attractive Alpha's son and his silent brooding muscle man who won't take his eyes off of her. And she isn't all that sure she wants him to… Plans go awry and mistakes are made but can love really conquer all, or is it merely a weapon to be used against them?

A theft and an abduction -- it's how it all began. Mafia Don Frank is seeking revenge to punish his enemy for stealing from him and abducts the thief's daughter at gunpoint. Jennifer goes with Frank, hoping to save her family by doing so. They hate each other with a passion. Getting along seems impossible as she tries to stay alive in his mansion? But destiny has other plans for them. When Frank's father suddenly pays him a visit, Frank is forced to talk Jennifer into a deal. She has to pretend to be his girlfriend whenever his father is around. She only agrees when Frank promises to leave her and her family alone. During their time together, Frank learns her secret, an old secret she's been hiding from the rest of the world, and Frank's attitude towards her starts to change. Jennifer reconsiders her options when she sees a whole new side to the ruthless mafia don, but neither of them is ready to acknowledge the truth. Will they give in to their feelings and find their happily ever after? What if Frank's rivals hear that she's now their enemy's lover? Will they talk things over? Or will they choose to kill?

In my previous life, everything I do to care for myself somehow ends up benefiting my new housekeeper instead. I apply expensive skincare, yet dark spots and fine lines spread across my face, whereas the 45-year-old housekeeper's face becomes silkier. I jog every morning, yet my body only grows heavier and bulkier, while hers becomes slender and toned. When my husband notices the stretch marks on my abdomen, his face twists with disgust, and he never touches me again. "I genuinely can't bring myself to touch you. How can you look worse than Mirabelle when you take such good care of yourself?" My housekeeper looks at me with a sinister smile. A chill crawls up my spine, and the strange feeling makes me fire her on the spot. Yet, as soon as she leaves, I start aging at lightning speed, entering menopause 20 years early and developing diabetes and high blood pressure. I see every doctor I can, but after hanging on for a week, I die from a stroke. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day she first reports to work. This time, I push away the royal jelly she sets in front of me with a pleasant smile. "I've been avoiding certain foods lately. You can have it instead."

Due to the tumultuous event happened in the 2nd District, a young thief with an extrasensory perception got lost in the Palace. A palace where the Monarchs, the phenomenal Prince, and the great echelons live. The place where elites are loved, and homeless people like her are not welcomed. Status is important in the kingdom of Eufrata. Paupers can't even step into the palace. Bad luck or as it is, the Kingdom is looking for the precious stones. So in order to get out safely and save her fellow paupers, she needs to escape. But she only have two options; Sneak out and be killed by the sentries or join the team and look for the stones. She's stuck in a dangerous struggle and grievous mission. She needs to choose. She lives no Queen nor a princess, she doesn't belong to any royalties. She isn't great as the echelons, she ain't elite either. She doesn't live a normal life, she is not just a normal girl. Because she belongs to the lowest group in kingdom. She is a pauper. But she is extraordinary. Her perception is supernatural, and she is more than that. Will she be able to survive in a breathtaking atmosphere between elites and paupers? Is there a chance for a hopeless romantic between a pauper and an elite? How is she going to survive if she finds out that her capabilities are more than of what she expected? Will she survive when THE HUNT begins? "Watch out, they are the Hunters for the gems."

My mom, Susan, had a habit of sending me to get her shopping. However, she would always leave out a zero when paying me back what was owed, blaming on her poor eyesight. I never minded. In fact, I would just cover the cost without another word. Then, Summer, my sister, had to throw shade. “Mom sends you money whenever she wants something. You never show us the actual costs, though. I bet you’re making a nice little profit off Mom behind our backs.” Susan smiled and didn’t even bother to defend me, as if confirming Summer’s accusations. My heart sank. Over the years, I had bought her things from major appliances to the smallest groceries, and each time, the payment she sent was short. Susan would just brush the whole thing off by saying, “Oh, my eyes aren’t what they used to be. My bad.” I had poured hundreds of thousands into her expenses, only to end up with a reputation as a thief who cheated her own family. When Susan sent me money for the New Year’s Eve catering, I simply booked food that fit the budget she paid for.

Mia Nova is sold to the devil to clear her fathers debt. Luca Barone, known in whispered fear as Diavolo, doesn’t just collect money, he also collects souls. Luca expects to meet a broken Mia who will plead for her life with tears and vivid fear. Instead he meets a petty thief who fears nothing. She smiles when he threatens to sell her to men, and makes jokes about her breast size not being enough for these men. In Luca’s world, the biggest currency is fear, but it seems Mia is bankrupt. When she steps into Pandemonium, his secret lair where powerful men are undone, she becomes the queen of the night, raking in five hundred million dollars in her first night. They make a second deal. The freedom of her soul costs six billion dollars in the six months of her gracing the golden chair every night. A kiss seals the deal. That same kiss changes everything between them. He becomes possessive, and she wants to surrender to him, but the ghost of the woman who graced the chair before her, returns with a fire that is set to burn everything down. Mia must decide between running from the Devil who owns her, or staying with the man who no longer wants to.

Blurb The downpour washed the dark alleys of Ole Keating Village like Jupiter is wrathful towards the small town. Every time the lightning slashes the skies sending frightening thunders everywhere, the little boy’s strides become faster. “You’ve got nowhere to run, boy.” He harshly covered his ears just to get away from the taunting voice. The heavy rain somehow managed to wipe the blood from his body yet the pain unrelenting to grow. He fell on his knees resulting in another painful and ugly scratch to bleed. He looks like a beaten rag. He hasn’t eaten for days and the fearsome encounter he just escapes didn’t guarantee his safety. Even limping, he tried to get on his feet just to stumble and fall on the cold, hard ground again. A loud sound of the honking car filled his ears as the blinding light approaches closer. Surrendering, he lied flat on the ground wishing the pain finally ends. Sounds of boots slapping the water from the road come into his senses but he’s too weak to care. Someone’s checking on him but all that he can think of right now is the girl she left alone in the old warehouse. “S-save her…” he mumbled, tasting blood in his mouth, “Please save her.” The darkness pulled him and he finally gave in.

My company hosts an appreciation gala to thank long-time clients. I go to the company's cold storage to retrieve the batch of wine just flown in from overseas when a stream of comments suddenly appears before my eyes. "That was close! She almost caught Daisy covered in red wine and looking all seductive. Good thing Tristan reacted fast and hid her in the freezer." "Can Scarlett just leave already? Look how cold Daisy and Tristan are. They are shivering. What if they catch a cold?" I pause mid-step, my gaze landing on the freezer behind me. Red wine is dripping out, and a piece of fabric is caught in the door. On it, I see the motif I personally sew onto my fiancé's clothes. Just then, the comments appear again. "Tristan plays it cool, claiming he is all about platonic love and staying chaste for Daisy. What a touching romance!" I smirked coldly. The platonic act is fake. The truth is he's cheating on me. Without a word, I turn around and toss the clothes they leave on the floor into the trash. Then, I lock the cold storage door and call the boss, who is in the middle of giving a speech. I exclaim over the phone, "A thief broke into the company! I locked them in the cold storage. Please bring some men and come over quickly!"

My mate and my brother hated me for twelve years. They believed I stole their precious Sarah's herbal research and bullied her for twelve years into silence. At my marking ceremony, they exposed my "crimes" to the entire supernatural world. "She's nothing but a bully who torments her packmates and a thief who stole the herb formula from Sarah!" But Sarah smiled through her tears: "The formula doesn't matter anymore." "As long as it saved our wolves from silver poisoning, what does it matter who created it?" "I've already forgiven her." She became the pack's angel of mercy. I was condemned by thousands, until the very wolf I'd saved with my medicine poured silver water over my head. In my despair, I dragged Sarah down with me into death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in my second year of high school. Sarah was slicing her arm with a silver blade, smiling as she asked: "Have you thought about how you'll apologize to me?" Something in me snapped. My Alpha power surged forth, crushing her to her knees. I grabbed the blade: "Let me show you what real cuts look like."