Noble Metal Refining

Les ennemis des parents de ma sœur adoptive m'ont prise pour elle et m'ont enlevée. Avant que les voyous ne m'aient tuée, ils m'ont accordé trois appels pour demander de l'aide. Si quelqu'un acceptait de me donner trois cents euros, je pourrais vivre. Pour le premier appel, j'ai composé le numéro de mon père. Mon père n'a écouté aucun mot que j'ai dit. Il a immédiatement lâché un torrent d'injures. « Où es-tu ? Reviens à la maison tout de suite pour l'anniversaire de ta sœur ! » Pour le deuxième appel, j'ai appelé mon frère. Mon frère a écouté en silence ma supplication, puis il a raccroché avec un reniflement glacé. « Tu n'es jamais là quand la meute a besoin de toi. Qui va croire à cette comédie maintenant ? » Pour le troisième appel, j'ai appelé mon fiancé. Il n'a même pas répondu. Quand j'ai rappelé, il m'a bloquée. Le loup renégat a ri de moi. « On dirait qu'être la fille aînée de la famille des Thomas ne signifie pas grand-chose, hein ? » Après qu'il m'a torturée à mort, il a fourré mon corps dans une valise et l'a jetée dans la rivière.

If you were born again in a world with true gods and magic, what would you do? Earn wealth and become a rich man on the continent? Become a noble and take what you want in your fiefdom? Become a mage and gain powerful strength and knowledge? Travel across the continent and get up close and personal with legendary figures? Become a true god and become an eternal being. Children make choices, but all time travellers have to. Kristen Stewart, Dragon Vein Warlock, Genius Mage, Hereditary Noble of the Kingdom of France, No. 1 on the Continent

Ean's face twisted with anger as he grabbed me by the arm, dragging me toward the old, rusted freezer in the corner of the warehouse. "You're going to feel what Helen felt," he spat. "Maybe that'll teach you not to mess with her." I struggled against him, panic rising in my chest. "Ean, this is insane! It was an accident! Let me explain—" He wasn’t listening. He shoved me inside the freezing metal box and slammed the door shut. The echo of the lock clicking into place made my heart pound in my ears. I banged on the door with my fists. "Ean, please! You can’t do this!" I screamed, but the sound of his footsteps grew fainter as he walked away. He left me with nothing but a single bowl of water, like I was some kind of prisoner. I slumped against the cold metal, shivering. The temperature plummeted almost instantly. The hum of the freezer kicked in, and I realized too late—it wasn’t broken like he thought. It was working, and I was trapped. My body shook uncontrollably as the cold seeped into my bones. I screamed for help until my throat was raw, clawing at the walls in desperation. My bloody handprints smeared across the icy surface, a silent plea for mercy that no one would hear. Seven days passed. When Ean finally returned, the look on his face was one of smug satisfaction. He had expected me to beg, to apologize. But when they pried open the freezer, all they found was my frozen body, stiff and silent, my suffering long over.

"Wider, Millie. Yes, that's it." I lay weakly on the examination table, my hands unconsciously gripping the sheets. The voice behind me was low and restrained, but it made my ears burn. This examination position was too embarrassing. My buttocks were forced to arch high like some kind of submissive gesture. "Doctor, I can't open any wider..." I bit my lower lip, my voice trembling deliberately. I could see my reflection in the metal bars of the examination table. My messy hair stuck to my flushed cheeks as my eyes shone with a watery, dreamy glow.

Calen was a benchwarmer on the university swim team, someone who never actually competed. The captain, Karl, was everything he wasn’t, a campus golden boy. Three records broken. A new girlfriend every other week. One night, Calen realized he’d left something behind and went back to the locker room. That was when he heard it. Ragged breathing. Strained, barely held back. And beneath it… the slow, awful sound of metal bending under pressure. He pushed the door open. Karl stood with his back to him. His bare muscles writhed beneath his skin, moving wrong, his spine standing out in sharp ridges. His fingers were dug deep into the steel locker, nails tearing through metal, leaving long, brutal gouges. The air was thick with the smell of blood… and something wild. Predatory. Karl snapped around. His eyes burned gold in the dark. Blood stained the corner of his mouth, and when he bared his teeth, the canines were far too long. Far too sharp. He ran. He barely took two steps before something crashed into him from behind, slamming him to the floor. Karl’s weight pinned him down, his body radiating heat… too hot, almost painful. A low voice brushed his ear. “You saw something you weren’t meant to see.” “I won’t say anything….” Karl lowered his head, his nose grazing his neck as he inhaled slowly, deeply. “…You smell fucking irresistible.”

This is wrong,” he stated the obvious. Eyes locked with mine like a metal to a piece of magnet. “Yet feels so right,” my response came out curt and sharp. That’s how much the tension has me caged. He came in contact with me, his breaths erratic and mine weren’t any different at the feel of his touch. Something has shifted and he it was no longer what it used to be between us. No psychic is needed to spell that out. But how? He’s Noel, the guy I’ve sworn to spend the rest of my life tormenting. And I’m Cheryl, the girl he’s promised to never let know peace.

Leena and Zack are two best friends from childhood. The modern day Bonnie and Clyde, their relationship was the envy of many. Especially, that of her Stepmother Lily and step sister, Kara. Both children of Billionaires, their relationship is threatened when their parents suggest a union between the two of them. Zack's family ran an oil company which wanted to divert into raw materials trade. Leena's father's Company is involved in the refining of raw materials like crude oil and other resources for factories as well as other businesses. The oil business is good, but they see the need to expand, and Leena's Father, Mr. Davis thinks it would be a great idea to link up with them. That is when the idea to get married comes up. The idea to set up a relationship between Zack and Leena surfaces. After years of maintaining a civil and loving relationship, Leena is surprised at how much Zack's attitude changes towards her after their engagement. He treats her with contempt and swears to make her life miserable. Leena's fatehr had pleaded with her to accept the marriage proposal for the sake of saving the Company, even though she knew it was a terrible idea and did not want to go ahead with the marriage. Not until she returns from a business trip, and Zack proposes to her.

Thirty years ago, a progressive rock band called The Yellow Kings began recording what would become their first and final album. Titled “The Final Reconciliation,” the album was expected to usher in a new renaissance of heavy metal, but it was shelved following a tragic concert that left all but one dead. The sole survivor of that horrific incident was the band’s lead guitarist, Aidan Cross, who’s kept silent about the circumstances leading up to that ill-fated performance—until now. For the first time since the tragedy, Aidan has granted an exclusive interview to finally put rumors to rest and address a question that has haunted the music industry for decades: What happened to The Yellow Kings? The answer will terrify you. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Alana and Alena are identical twins. One unfavorable night their father was attacked by the gang. He was almost killed. Luckily, he was still breathing, but he needed a lot of money for his operation. Alena offered herself as an exchange for her father's life. The only one who could save them from losing their father was the leader of the Blue Knuckles, Allessandro Castellucio. Alana drugged her twin sister on her wedding day and volunteered herself as a bride to the Mafia boss. Allessandro Castellucio was known for murdering, torturing, and making money. He was well defined as a heartless creature. A devil existed in a place called heaven because of his money and power. But what would happen if a metal was put in a foundry and burned with unstoppable fire?

One mistake Felicia made in her life was to trust her twin sister. In exchange, her life, her dreams and even her future was taken away from her. When she thought nothing could get worse, she was forced to be marked by the man she dreaded the most in her life. … Beta Andrew lost his hopes in mate bond and love when he lost the love of his life. He thought he was never gonna find anyone. His heart was locked away in a metal cage after he encountered betrayal from his chosen mate. Until one smile shattered that cage one day. Will Beta Andrew ever get to find his true mate? Or will he live alone forever?