Lin Beifong

BOOK 1.0 OF THE THALORIAN PANTHEON SAGA A caged bird. A puppet. A pawn. Penelope Verdant has spent her entire life living and breathing for her family. Married to the most eligible billionaire bachelor, Charles Halstead, for four years, she has found happiness and love in his arms. Until the day of their fourth anniversary. Her illusions of her marriage are shattered when she catches her loving husband and her twin sister in bed together. Feeling betrayed, used and shattered, she wants a divorce. Except, her husband refuses to let her go. Backed into a corner, Penelope seeks help from a man she should never have met. A man so elusive that no one has seen his face. A man called the Devil of Deals. Desperation turns Penelope into a monster burning for revenge. But the desire for vengeance burning in her blood makes her blind to the dangers of dancing with the Devil. He promises vengeance, but she knows he'll ruin her. It was supposed to be simple. He was to help her divorce her husband. But with the devil, nothing is ever simple. Her path from pawn to queen is lined with tribulations from hell. When obsession runs thicker than blood, when gods are reborn, and when retribution is paid in full, she'll be too deep in the devil's bed to care. (Warning: this story contains mature themes including but not limited to: explicit sexual content, unhealthy obsession, forbidden love, body harm, physical and sexual abuse (not between main characters), violence, taboo family dynamics, and profanity. Viewer discretion is adviced. The characters of this story are all equally damaged, flawed, and morally gray. If this sounds like your vibe, dig in. But be careful, lest you fall into the Devil's bed.)

In my ninth year of being with Tyler Freeman, he flaunts his relationships with other women while I'm only allowed to come and go from his bedroom. He doesn't acknowledge me as his girlfriend, yet he allows his friends to address me as such. I have a name but not an identity. His friends are bored during a private party and want me to perform a strip dance on stage to liven things up. I expect Tyler to at least turn them down on my behalf, but all he does is sip his wine and say, "Go on. You're the owner of this place, aren't you? Aren't clubs supposed to satisfy their patrons' needs? Don't let my friends down!" I look at him emotionlessly. I don't cry or throw a fuss. Instead, I splash a glass of liquor in his face. The following day, I trash the club. Three months later, Tyler finally thinks of calling me. "Where are you? Aren't you gonna get the hell back here? Do you really expect me to beg you to come back? Do you think you're worthy of that?" I pull my newlywed husband to the camera. "Sorry, Mr. Freeman. I'm getting married. You don't need to come, but do get me a wedding gift." Unexpectedly, he threatens to show my husband intimate videos of me when he sees me in a wedding gown.

I lost my eyesight to save Sean Sherman. He had once made a vow in front of everyone, "Rachel Todd, even if you can't see, I will take care of you for the rest of my life." I was deeply moved. I secretly sought out treatment and I kept the recovery of my eyesight a secret as a surprise for him. But on the day I regained my sight, I saw Sean holding his childhood sweetheart, Vivian Cross, in his arms, fooling around with her right in front of me. "You last really long today. Is it because your wife is watching us?" "What do you think? She was the one who bought me these protection products." I understood every word of their sign language. At that moment, my blood ran cold. Suppressing the nausea that was about to overwhelm me, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to the research team that had been inviting me for a long time. I told them yes—I would join their research project. I was going to leave Sean behind and make sure he lived the rest of his life in regret.

Olivia Jamerson spent years stewing in hidden rage for the person behind all her high-school ridicule and embarrassment. That person was none other than Joshua Taylor, son of the football coach and the famed bully of Westminster High. Students feared him, his friends revered him and teachers were sick of him. Two years after graduation and leaving town, Olivia had changed her whole appearance and character so much that no one could recognize her. Drowning in the sea of New Yorkers, Olivia finally felt that she had left her past behind and become a whole new person. At least that was the case until she bumped into the unlikeliest person she expected to meet in the big city—her old bully. Despite being annoyingly hotter than she remembered, the only thing that bothered her was that he was disturbingly nice, but worst of all, he did not remember her. Things turn a whole lot crazier when she finds out that Joshua has amnesia and when he starts flirting with her as if they did not have a complicated past. A big city, sparks and tension, and two people—one with bitter memories of their relationship and one with a blank canvas eager to fill it with potential memories. Will their tragic past catch up to them and will their horns lock once again? Will Olivia hold on to her grudges and lock him out of her life once again, or will she open her heart to the new and improved Joshua?

__________________ Ivy Reed, a twenty year old with a haunting past. Ace Romano, the Italian mafia boss and also Ivy's brother's best friend who instantly takes a liking in Ivy when he first sees her.

What if you are invited in a falling game? Where your heart is in contingency. You need to act like a real couple in one whole month with activities you need to do together. What's the percentage of you not falling in love? Can you distinguish if he/she shows genuine gesture or is it a trap to make you fall? The prices are immersive, hard to nod off. Will you chose money or love? Or are you dictate your heart for the sake of money? Are you going to fall for uncertain love and vague love? Putting your heart at stake? Or you will play smartly, making your partner fall and ensure your winning place. This is the falling game and everything is fake. Once you fall, you lose. Good day Oxians! You are one of a lucky student to participate in the FALLING GAME. Golden rule: ONCE YOU FALL, YOU LOSE. 1. Exclusive for students of Oxford International School only. Any transferee or exchange students need to sign contracts to avoid problems. 2. Don't kill other participants. You are allowed to harm everyone in the game but killing is a crime. 3. No to inactive. Two absents mean a punishment plus removing to the game. 4. Can do activities and attendances. Failure to comply means a punishment. 5. Act like a real couple. Play your cards well and don't let your heart dictates your mind. We have eyes everywhere. If you are interested, please see us in FG house anytime. For further information and knowledge regarding this game, you may send an email to FGhouse@gmail.com

“Father, please listen to me this time.” I begged with tears in my eyes. “Stop crying. You are spoiling your makeup.” “I can't do this father, he threatened me.” I sobbed into my palms. “You can and you will. Wipe your tears, Alphas don't cry.” I expected him to ask about the marks on my neck and wrists but he didn't. I even twisted my neck bearing the pains but it seemed as though he was blind. ****** Kendall wanted to find her mate as soon as possible so she could get out of her father's clutches. But when she found her mate, she realized that she had made a big mistake in choosing to follow her mate. He was nothing like she thought he was. He was everything she didn't want in her mate. He was worse compared to her father. What she had been trying to run away from all her life, she ended up running into. ***** All he wanted was to find his mate. He didn't expect that she would turn out to be the daughter of his arch enemy and the one person he had been looking for to take out his anger on.

Selene Davies was heartbroken when Sunny Dale humiliated and dumped her on her 20th birthday. She felt that she had done everything right in their relationship, and couldn’t tell where things went wrong. After all, she was raised by her mother to be a lady; prim and proper. That night, she gave in to her wildest desires and threw herself into the warm arms of Declan Grayson, the personification of wealth and power. Selene reckoned that there was nothing wrong with letting herself loose and having a great night. However, what if her fling wasn't just a decade older than her but also turned out to be her step-uncle? Well, he was nothing but a fling, no strings attached, or so she thought. Regret was an understatement when she learned that Declan didn't only take her first, but also publicized their affair. He portrayed her as a slut who gave sexual favors for a measly screen time. Now, she has the black market drug, ecstasy in her system, and when it’s effects kick in at random times, she either gets laid quickly or kicks the bucket. Who, or better still, what would be her medicine, when she has no man in her life? *** "Oh my God! Why does my head hurt so much? And my whole body also hurts like crazy. Ouch!!! Selene suddenly spotted a full-grown man lying beside her, “Hey, who the fu*k are you? And why are you in my bed?” Declan only smiled beautifully, a coy smirk lacing his lips. "Take a look around, sweetheart. You. Are. In. My. Bed!” His deep baritone voice sounded in her ear, stirring emotions she swore never to entertain again, or just maybe she never really felt that way before...

"Your body is mine Kate... Every bit of it... I am going to make you feel the butterfly no one ever has." ** Kate Walter sought out to seek justice for her parents' death, and Dante Romano, who ran a club during the day and led a mafia at night, was a suspect. To dig into the truth, she took a job as a nanny for Dante's daughter. Little did she know that Dante was more than just a boss; he was known for his pleasurable lifestyle. The merciless mafia boss whose aura neither sized nor decreased. Now, Kate faces the challenge of staying focused on her mission without getting caught up in Dante's enticing world. Can Kate fulfill her mission without succumbing to the allure of the seductive mafia boss?

"There's only one thing that can make a simple art exhibition so tiring; Evelyn Bennett." *** Nolan is the first son of the Walter Family and the I-Don't-Give-A-Damn kind of playboy. With Mr. Walter getting sick of the position, Noah has to step in as the President of Walter Corporation. Fire meets Fire when Nolan meets Evelyn Bennett, the Lotte Corp Heiress and "competitive-ass". Always getting at each others throats, they would do anything to save their pride and come out triumphant, but when this "hatred" spins into sparks of passion, things can get very crazy and there are obstacles around the corner.