Midnight Thoughts

"I don't care what it takes. Find her!" With those words, William, the youngest and most good looking billionaire in Shanghai urged his security team to double their efforts, to leave no stone unturned in their search for the woman who had captured his heart in a way he had never imagined possible. His eyes fell upon the deep crimson marks on the sheet. A sense of pride and happiness welled up inside him as he realized that he was Sarah's first, and he had been the one to introduce her to the world of physical intimacy. He cherished the thought that no one else had shared that special moment with her, and the idea of anyone else touching her filled him with a possessive anger that simmered just beneath the surface. However, Sarah a young beautiful orphan heiress to a vast multi-billion dollar empire, had vanished into thin air after giving her innocence to William Xu, the most sought-after young bachelor billionaire. The burning question that gnaws at his soul was whether he would ever succeed in locating her. The bitter truth was that she had expertly veiled her true identity, leaving him with nothing but a mystery. What had driven her to willingly surrender herself, only to vanish from his life in the blink of an eye? The elusive motive behind her actions remained locked away, a puzzle that haunted his thoughts day and night. The reason of Sarah's departure is a riddle he was determined to solve.

“Do you know how utterly beautiful you are, Serena” he mumbled stop trailing kisses all over the neck. “Tell me” Serena breathed. “I don’t think any precious stone or any gem in the world can outshine you, mia dolcezza” “Now aren’t you a flatterer” Serena sighed, her eyes still closed and her breath hitched. “I don’t flatter, mi cara.” He whispered in her ear. Damon grabbed the strap of her gown and tore it revealing part of her breast and part of her already peaked nipple. Serena was at the verge of protesting about him tearing her gown before his mouth descended on her nipple, rendering her speechless, all she could do was suck in her breath as the feelings assaulted her senses. Her toes curled up of their own volition and her hands came up to his head positioning him there as he flicked her left nipple with his tongue, circling gently and then biting. Serena gasped, her glazed eyes opening. “Be quiet” Damon commanded as he moved his mouth to her right nipple, his hand toying with the one he had just sucked, teasing their red peak into hardness again. Serena was gasping, unable to form coherent thoughts, Was this how it felt to drown, She thought. Damon’s hands were performing their own magic, she could feel his erection probing the center of her already moist vagina and she widened, giving him closer access. Her panties were already soaked with the wetness. His hand began moving, caressing her inner thighs before they came upon her center. He brought up his face to meet hers and smiled at the look of pure, sexual pleasure on her face.

On Christmas Eve, my father got the man I had secretly loved for ten years drunk and sent him to my bed. When I woke up the next morning, Roy pulled away from my attempt at a good-morning kiss. His voice was cold and distant as he agreed to marry me. After the wedding, Roy wasted no time submitting a transfer request. He took an overseas post and left. He did not return for five years. I gave birth to our daughter, Eve, alone and waited for him to come back home. When I heard that Roy had finally applied to return to a domestic position, I was overjoyed. I spent days preparing, imagining our first reunion as husband and wife. But even when the clock struck midnight, he still hadn't come home. Our daughter, ever so thoughtful, placed her most treasured possession—a photograph of Roy—into my hands. "Don't cry, Mommy," she said softly. "Look, Daddy's right here." I tried to convince myself that his absence was due to a delayed flight. But later that night, while watching the news, I saw him. He was on a crowded city street, holding a young girl in his arms. Beside him stood a woman, her smile soft and warm. Facing the camera, Roy said, "Being with them is my greatest wish." At that moment, something inside me broke. I wrote up the divorce papers, packed our things, and planned to take Eve to change her identity. I didn't want him anymore. The day before we left, a man I had never met came to see me. He was Roy's father. "You could call me Dad," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "But I'd rather you call me Ryan." I told him everything about the past five years—how I had waited, how I had hoped. When I finished, he laughed softly, an unusual warmth in his voice. "If it was just business," he said, "perhaps your father should have tied a bow around me and sent me to your bed instead. But I hold my liquor well—if I ever end up wrapped in a bow, you can be sure it's by choice."

On the day Yara Cullen was released from prison, it was raining. A chilly wind carried the drizzle, striking her as the media swarmed the prison gates. "Ms. Cullen, in the Crestwood Estate sexual assault case, your client lost the lawsuit and took her own life six months ago. Her mother is demanding accountability. Do you have anything to say?” "Ms. Cullen, your attorney's license has been revoked, and your mentor was forced to retire. What are your thoughts on this?" No matter how the reporters pressed, Yara kept her head down and pushed forward, forcing her way through the crowd. A black G-Wagon was parked by the roadside, where Westley Langston leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette. Beside him, Elena Cullen tugged at his arm. He turned, glancing toward the prison gates.

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.

Guilt eats you up, filling up most of your thoughts, dreams, and shadows every hint of happiness, making you feel like you do not deserve any form of happiness. "Chained By Guilt" is about that kind of love story. What started as a beautiful night when they were in high school turned into a nightmare that left Ezra Klein confined to a wheelchair and full of resentment and anger, while Sarah Norwels was left with guilt and regret. Will the two let the past eat them up when they reunite after so many years or will love win and finally heal them?

Starla Xander was orphaned at a young age. With both her parents gone, it was her uncle, Xavier Lloyd, who rescued her from that hopeless home. For over a decade, he had cherished her, shielding her from the world, treating her like the most precious gem in his life. And so, inevitably, she fell in love with him. She truly believed he loved her too. She thought that one day, they would get married and build a future together. But when Starla finally confessed her feelings, Xavier reacted as if she had crossed an unforgivable line. “Starla, I’m your uncle. Get rid of those disgusting thoughts!” And that wasn’t even the cruelest part. He chose the most brutal way to reject her. On the twelfth anniversary of the day they met, he stood before her with a beautiful woman by his side. He met Starla’s eyes and said, “Meet her. She’s your future aunt-in-law.” As she watched them standing together—so effortlessly close—something inside her shattered. She let out a soft, bitter laugh. “I understand now.” Without another word, she turned away, pulled out her phone, and called her research mentor. “Professor Zimmer, I’ve made my decision. I agree to the cryogenic preservation procedure.”

Grazziena, a beautiful eighteen-year-old lad, struts her catwalk on the ramp. It is already ten o’clock in the evening, yet the Beauty Contest is just in its mid-way. She is afraid and she is getting nervous. She will shift into her cursed wolf form when midnight falls. She was cursed by Thutaara, the powerful witch of Mt. Reveree. Her only cure can be found in the last words whispered by her Luna Mother before she took her last breath. Finding the cure is however incomprehensible. Until she met Governor Draeko, who swept her off her feet. But then her life was swamped with doubts and confusion when Lumaro, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Cold Mountain Pack, suddenly appeared claiming her as his mate. Between the Young Governor Draeko and the soon-to-be Alpha Lumaro of the Cold Mountain Pack, who is her true mate and her cure?

“I, Emily Blakesley, reject you, Calix Ledger as my mate and Alpha.” Emily Blakesely has suffered bouts of nightmares since she was a child, the reason her parents have kept her locked behind the walls of the castle. They believe they’re protecting her from whatsoever that was causing the nightmares. What happens when on her eighteenth birthday ball, Emily meets a stranger from her nightmare, in an encounter in the garden which leaves Emily unable to shift at the chime of midnight? And now everybody believes the princess has gone mad. Broken, rejected, and wolfless, can Emily find her redemption? * * * * * Calix Ledger was on his way to exerting revenge on the Alpha who took everything from him when he caught sight of a beautiful girl on the bridge of Cathena. One moment of distraction and he misses his only chance at revenge, and now he learns the girl he just saved is the enemy's daughter. What happens when the moon goddess plays games and matches Calix with no other but the mentally deranged daughter of his enemy? And she just had the effrontery to reject him. Would Calix find himself protecting the same girl he vowed to destroy?

I was on my own, minding my miserable, meaningless life until he came along. Just like that, he walked majestically into my life as if he owned it. It wasn't a perfect life, heck not even close to being a good life but at least I didn't need to have those forbidden thoughts raid my mind unceasingly. Ruining my innocence and inducing my already miserable life into a big pile of confusion and boy, was I in for a big surprise.