No Mud No Lotus

On the day I entered my contract marriage with Brian Janson, a flood of comments suddenly flashed before my eyes. [No…! The villainess is going to ruin the male lead’s purity!] [The CEO’s first time should belong to the heroine! Shameless woman, get off his waist right now!] [Are they going to do it or not? I’m on a tight schedule.] [Come on, have some loyalty to the main couple!] [If Brian knew he wouldn’t be able to give Quincy the ‘pure, untouched version’ of himself in the future, he’d probably drown in guilt.] Pure, untouched version? Sorry. I was born a villain, and making trouble is what I do best. So while Brianwas drunk, I leaned in without the slightest bit of guilt. The comments exploded again. [It’s over. They look like they’re about to get married for real!] [Am I seeing things? Did the male lead just… smile?]

“Your marriage was just a game.” Those were the words that shattered Aurora Snow’s world. Five years of marriage. Seven years of sacrifice. Seven years of love… that turned out to be a game. For seven years, Aurora Snow believed her husband was a poor, crippled man who needed her. She worked endless menial jobs, gave up her dream scholarship, and carried the burden of their family just to support him and their son. Until the night she delivered a package to a luxury party… and discovered the horrifying truth. Her “crippled” husband stood tall among billionaires. And the lavish party? It was for the woman he truly loved. To make things worse, Aurora learns her entire marriage was nothing more than a cruel test—an amusement between young wealthy elites to see how far a "principled woman" could suffer for love. Heartbroken and humiliated, she demands a divorce. But fate has other plans. After nearly drowning in despair, Aurora wakes up in the mansion of a cold and powerful billionaire—Damon Stone, a man feared in the business world and plagued by a dangerous secret, a condition that no medicine can cure. He offers her a deal. A contract marriage. Be his wife. Help him control the uncontrollable urges that threaten his sanity. And in return, he will give her protection, power, and a home for her broken family. Aurora agrees. But the deeper she enters Damon's world, the more shocking truths begin to surface. The silent little boy in his mansion… The mysterious night she cannot remember… And the baby she thought she lost forever. Because the greatest betrayal of her life was only the beginning. And the man she married to escape her past might be the one fate chose for her all along.

La novena ceremonia de unión entre el Rey Alfa, Thorne Ravencrest, y yo, finalmente ha llegado. Sin embargo, una vez más, no logré convertirme en su Reina Luna. No porque él rompiera su promesa, sino porque no estoy lo suficientemente calificada. Los Ancianos dejaron muy claro que, cada Reina Luna reconocida por la Diosa de la Luna, a lo largo de la historia debe cultivar 365 Flores de Luz de Luna, utilizando su propia esencia de sangre. Pero cada año, en la víspera de la ceremonia, sin importar cuánto cuidado tenga, siempre falta una flor. Este año, casi me desangré por completo y apenas logré cultivar el número correcto. Extasiada, voy a buscar a Thorne, queriendo sorprenderlo. A través de la puerta entreabierta de la sala del trono, escucho a su Beta decirle: —Rey Alfa, Sera lo ha estado esperando por ocho años. ¿Alguna vez se unirá a ella? Thorne sacude la cabeza. —Le prometí a Willow que este año tampoco podemos unirnos. Su Beta vacila. —¿Y si Sera realmente logra cultivar suficientes Flores de Luz de Luna? Thorne se queda en silencio por un momento y luego aplaude. Un lobo de las sombras aparece y se funde en la oscuridad. Poco después, el lobo regresa con una Flor de Luz de Luna entre sus mandíbulas. Él desgarra la flor hasta hacerla trizas y deja escapar un suspiro. —Sera tiene sangre de sobra. Olvida un año; ella podría seguir cultivando flores por otros diez años y estar bien. Pero Willow ha sido envenenada con acónito. Soy todo lo que le queda, y ella me quiere a su lado en sus últimos días. No soporto rechazar a Willow, lo que significa que Sera simplemente tendrá que esperar un poco más. Me muerdo el labio con fuerza, apenas capaz de creer lo que escucho. Así que las Flores de Luz de Luna que desaparecían misteriosamente siempre fueron destruidas por él. Convertirme en Reina Luna ha sido mi sueño desde la infancia. Pero si él nunca tuvo la intención de unirse a mí, entonces es hora de que lo deje.

One divorce. One hundred dollars. One hell of a mistake. Katherine West had it all, until her husband, George, dropped a bomb on their five-year anniversary: He’s gay, he’s in love, and she’s evicted. Left with a frozen bank account and a shattered heart, Katherine decides to go out with a bang. She spends her last hundred dollars on the most dangerous-looking man at The Gilded Lily, hoping for one night of friction to erase five years of lies. It worked. It was the best mistake of her life. Until the next morning, when a court order forces Katherine and George to live together for ninety days of marriage counseling. George has lost his fortune and moved them into his mysterious new lover’s penthouse to save face. The door opens, and Katherine meets her new landlord: Killian McLeroy. The man she hired last night. The man her husband calls the love of his life." Now, Katherine is trapped in a house of glass with the man who knows her body, the man who stole her husband, and a secret that could burn all of Manhattan down. Ninety days. Two enemies. One bed. Let the games begin.

Eu entrei no livro e virei a bela figurante sem importância. E o meu irmão é o único homem normal da história, porque o papel dele é o de primeiro amor frio, abstinente e inalcançável que a protagonista jamais consegue conquistar. Quando a protagonista chora e se declara para ele, ele está estudando. Quando a protagonista quer se entregar de corpo e alma, ele está empreendendo. Enquanto a protagonista se perde entre vários homens, ele já se tornou um magnata, com renda anual nas centenas de bilhões. Eu achava que ele viveria uma vida inteira de pureza e autocontrole. Até que, certa noite, vi ele segurando uma peça da minha roupa nas mãos, murmurando o meu nome em voz baixa...

I leave my boyfriend without a word when he's at his lowest. He later makes a name for himself and forces me to marry him. Our relationship goes viral online and becomes the subject of everyone's envy. They all say he's desperately in love with me, but he later sleeps with other women in our bed. I fall from grace and become the city's biggest laughingstock. I don't cause a scene. Instead, I move into the guest bedroom and leave the master bedroom for them. He's furious as he grips my neck roughly. He bites my lips, drawing blood. "Why aren't you mad?" Because I'm sick. I don't have the time to wait for him to see the error of his ways anymore.

I am the only son of the richest man in Fairmont. Before my coming-of-age, my mother selects nine girls for me, one of whom I am to marry when I turn 18. I choose Ruth Lonsdale, the girl who had grown up by my side since we were kids. But on our wedding day, Ruth secretly leaks my whereabouts to kidnappers and takes every single bodyguard my mother had assigned to protect me. After I am abducted, I call her and beg for help, but she answers with a cold laugh, "You're still acting? You had a bunch of thugs go after Jack, and I haven't gotten even with you for that yet! Anyway, I only took your bodyguards to protect him and make him feel safe. Don't make such a big deal out of it." She then hangs up. Enraged, the kidnappers stab me repeatedly before throwing my body from the rooftop. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day I'm supposed to choose my bride. This time, I didn't even glance at Ruth's photo. I point to the most ordinary-looking girl of them all and say, "I choose her."

“Lila,” I began softly, choosing my words. “About last night...” She stood abruptly, cutting me off. “Don’t. There’s nothing to apologize for. It happened.” I frowned, trying to gauge her. “So, what are you saying?” She crossed her arms, steadying herself. “I’m saying I have a deal for you.” “A deal?” “We keep seeing each other—secretly. No one has to know. No strings attached.” I stared at her, wondering if she was serious. But from the look in her eyes, I knew she was. ********** Lila Frost, a brilliant bio-genetics student and the fiercely protected sister of Alpha King Ronan, returns to Silver Lake for a quiet summer focused on her research. But one reckless night changes everything when she shares an unforgettable encounter with Caden Walker—her brother’s dangerously irresistible best friend. Their one-night stand ignites a fiery connection, and they agree to indulge their passion without complications—no love, no strings attached. But when Lila discovers she’s pregnant, her world unravels. Torn between her growing feelings for Caden and the fear that he could never love her back, Lila retreats into her studio, burying herself in her work to escape the truth. The secret she carries threatens not only her heart but also her bond with her overprotective brother. As Caden remains unaware of Lila's internal struggle, Ronan uncovers the truth about their relationship—and his fury knows no bounds. Now, Lila must confront her feelings, her brother’s wrath, and the uncertainty of what her future holds. Can she risk everything for a chance at love with Caden? Or will she lose him—and herself—trying to protect her heart?

As New Year's Day approaches, a new hire who has only been with the company for six months, who is a mama's girl, calls the police and tries to have me arrested. She suspects our company is some kind of a scam. But the truth is, the company exceeded its performance targets this year. That is why I prepared a million-dollar year-end bonus, a ten-day premium trip to Graceland, and equity grants for my employees. Yet, she waves around a video her mother sends her, claiming that high-paying jobs like the one I offered are all traps. Not only that, she slanders my company all over the internet. Netizens become outraged and call me a scammer disguised as an entrepreneur. Having become the target of public criticism, I simply issue a notice, saying, "The company will immediately begin transfer procedures, and all perks are canceled." As soon as the announcement comes out, my employees, who have just taken out loans to buy homes and just gotten their visas for the trip, are completely stunned.

Pernikahan yang kujalani tak pernah di retui oleh orang tua ku terlebih ayahku yang menentangku karena pria itu tak sepadan dengan keluarga kami.