Nine Ties Novels & Stories

After three grueling years of studying, I finally made it into the city agency. Then at a family banquet, I found out that my cousin, Gina Forrest—the one I'd seen at a hometown reunion—had also landed a job in the exact same unit. During the family dinner, right in front of our uncle, who happens to be a senior official, my cousin shoved a doctored confidential document into my hands. She suddenly shrieked, collapsed to the floor, and scattered the papers everywhere. "Clara! That's classified agency material! How could you sneak it out to show an outsider? Just for some lousy commission?" Our uncle slammed the table in rage, declaring he would uphold justice over family ties—have me fired on the spot and report me up the chain. Then, right in front of me, a line of on-screen text floated by. [Gina has really lost her mind. Doesn't she know the main character is the undercover inspection team leader sent specifically to investigate her?] [And look at the uncle still putting on his act. The team's car will be pulling up outside any minute.] Reading the on-screen text, I took a slow sip of tea and said to Gina, who was falling all over herself to prove her loyalty, "This document is classified, all right. But you changed the wrong part." Then I turned to my uncle and said, "And you just said you would uphold justice over family ties? Perfect. You can come back with me to the team and explain all those hiring violations over the past few years." Gina was stunned. The government system she had been killing herself to get into—I was the one in charge of evaluating her.

Zara James thought she had it all—a promising journalism career, a passion for uncovering the truth, and the guts to expose the powerful. But when her exposé on a corrupt politician backfires, her world comes crashing down. Blacklisted, penniless, and humiliated, Zara is desperate to rebuild her shattered life. Enter Adrian Cross, a tech billionaire with a reputation as ruthless as it is alluring. Adrian’s empire is on the verge of collapse, thanks to a scandal tied to his enigmatic and estranged brother, Nathaniel. Desperate to salvage his public image, Adrian offers Zara an irresistible deal: become his fake fiancée, and he’ll give her the exclusive story that could redeem her career. It’s a win-win—or so it seems. Thrown into a world of glittering galas, high-stakes boardrooms, and shadowy secrets, Zara quickly realizes Adrian is hiding more than just a tarnished reputation. Beneath his icy exterior lies a man haunted by betrayal, bound by dark ties to his family’s criminal empire. As their staged romance starts to feel dangerously real, Zara finds herself torn between her growing feelings for Adrian and the truth she’s determined to uncover. But Adrian isn’t the only one with secrets. Ethan Blackwood, a charming stranger who sweeps Zara off her feet, has his own hidden agenda—one that ties him to her worst enemy. Caught in a web of lies, power plays, and dangerous alliances, Zara must navigate the treacherous waters of love and ambition. When betrayal strikes from all sides, Zara faces an impossible choice: trust the man who’s kept her in the dark or risk everything for the one who might be playing her.

I was found by my biological parents only to become a mobile blood bank for their adopted daughter Leila, expected to sacrifice myself to donate blood—even my heart—whenever she fell seriously ill... My parents despised me, and my own brother drugged me, threatening my life to force me to marry a dying man as Leila's substitute. Having lost all hope in my family, I signed a severance agreement, cutting all ties with them, and took a large sum of money for marriage investment. What they didn’t know was that I was the mysterious Nobel Prize-winning doctor in medicine, possessing the world’s most advanced medical research technology...

Five years ago, Melissa confessed her feelings to Jayden Roberts—and he crushed her heart without hesitation. Now he’s her boss. Ruthless. Magnetic. The man everyone fears… except her. When fate ties her to his side as his secretary, their past ignites into something more dangerous than she imagined. But falling for him isn’t her only problem—his charming younger brother awakens feelings she can’t ignore. With a jealous ex, a scheming sister, and family secrets that could destroy them all, Melissa must choose between forbidden love and the truth that could shatter her world. Will she follow her heart… or lose it all?

Selene Hart returns to New York with one goal—to destroy billionaire CEO Damien Cross, the man she believes ruined her family and caused her father’s death. But when a shocking marriage contract ties her to Damien, Selene finds herself trapped inside the dangerous world of the powerful Cross family, where secrets are buried deeper than love and betrayal hides behind every smile. As revenge turns into obsession, hidden truths begin unraveling, about her father’s death, Damien’s past, and a secret society willing to kill to protect its power. Now Selene must decide if the man she swore to destroy is actually the only one trying to save her.

The day my boyfriend got back together with his first love was the day I boarded the flight to Imperia. "Queenie was just a fling," said my boyfriend. "I'll never see her again. We'll be together forever." His friends were worried about my ruining his heartfelt confession, but I would not. Not this time. Before I went to Imperia, I promised my mentor I would join medical research, and I was half a month away from total communication cutoff. I would have to stay around for ten years for the research. I would not be allowed to contact anyone in the meantime. And thus, my ties to my soon-to-be ex were broken.

I watched as my boyfriend put the ring that he had promised to give me on Sophie White's finger at her birthday party. When I questioned him, Mark Goodman shrugged nonchalantly. "I promised to marry Sophie. Since that's not happening now, the ring is compensation." I was left speechless from rage and so disenchanted that I decided to cut all ties with him. Everyone was cheering when Mark later showed up at a gathering with Sophie, both wearing a matching set of rings. But when they all thought I would make a scene, I smiled faintly. "You two really deserve each other. When are you getting married? Do send me an invite."

Maynard Hansen planned a luxury birthday cruise for Darlene Thompson, but the cruise ship capsized when a violent storm swept in without warning. Without hesitation, Maynard gave the last seat on the lifeboat to Darlene. As I struggled in the water, my son, Waldo Hansen—whom I carried for nine months and gave birth to—cried out, "Don't let Mom up! She'll push Ms. Thompson off." Clutching nothing but a broken plank, I somehow made it to shore. By the time I collapsed on the sand, I was frozen, exhausted, and done. I had never felt so alone. Shortly after, I found myself clutching a diagnosis of severe depression in my hand. I was ready to bring this wretched life to a quiet end. But when my husband and son realized I truly didn't want to live anymore, they collapsed into tears. They wrapped their arms around me as they sobbed, "Please don't leave us. We really can't live without you."

It has always been him, he was my first love, and so, I had to let him go. He wasn't made for this life. He, was made for greater things. He was too much of a tornado for this small town, that doesn't mean I miss him any less. It's been 9 years since we last saw each other. Nine years of hatred on his part and self-loathing on mine, why did I let him go? Now, he is a successful billionaire, living the life one could only dream of. I wish things were different now that he's back but that just seems like a foreign concept to him. He doesn't want me anymore, but I can't blame him either. It was me who broke us and it is going to be me who will put all the pieces back together. Even if it is the last thing I do before death comes knocking at my door.

Betrayed. Poisoned. Left to die. When Khaleesi Cromwell awakens on the brink of death, she learns the sickening truth—her mate Dan and his new lover have been slowly killing her. Broken but not defeated, she shatters their bond and flees to reclaim her strength. To save her pack, Khaleesi agrees to an alliance with the enigmatic Alpha Dustfinger Aodhán. But beneath his cold gaze lies a dangerous obsession—and a dark secret that ties him to the murder of her parents. Torn between vengeance and an undeniable pull toward the monster who holds her fate, Khaleesi must decide: Will she become a pawn in his twisted game, or will she rise and seize her destiny?