Opening Heic Files Novels & Stories

My husband Preston smashed up the solo art show I'd spent three years building for Vivian, the poor girl we had sponsored through college. "Chloe! What the hell did you send Vivian?!" "She read your goddamn text and suffered a depressive episode! She nearly jumped off the rooftop!" I looked at his furious face and the whole thing struck me as absurd. "Preston. What exactly did I send? I told her that today was the opening of my show and asked her not to call you during it." "She's sick! Why do you have to make every little thing a fight! If anything happens to her because of you — I'll never forgive you." With that, he didn't even glance at me. He turned and bolted back out into the storm. I didn't cry. I didn't even have the energy to be furious. I turned to leave, but in the rain, I ran into Rowan—a classmate from college. He used to be the most popular guy at our school — sweet and hot. But now he was severely injured. The torrential rain had soaked his shirt, revealing his perfect abs beneath. Without hesitation, I took him back to my apartment. Preston showed up pounding on the door, eyes red with rage. "Chloe — I'm gone for an hour and you drag some guy off the street into our bed?" I sneered and stepped in front of Rowan. "If you can play free therapist to some other woman, why can't I try being a philanthropist?"

Luna's world revolved around Cedric, her childhood sweetheart and husband. She gave him her whole heart, believing in their destiny, only to find him growing cold, neglectful, and ultimately, unfaithful. He secretly found love elsewhere, leaving Luna heartbroken and alone in their own home. Amidst her devastation, a silent observer emerges: Arthur, Cedric's formidable uncle. Powerful and respected, Arthur, though reserved, has always been there in Luna's darkest moments. He's watched her pain, her tears, and every instance of her being undervalued. One night, shattered by proof of Cedric's betrayal, Luna makes a desperate proposal to Arthur. Knowing Arthur's immense influence and Cedric's obsession with pride, Luna devises a plan: they will pretend to be lovers to make Cedric jealous, regret his mistakes, and long for her return. Arthur agrees instantly, for he has secretly loved Luna for years, keeping his feelings hidden while she belonged to his nephew. What begins as a calculated charade slowly turns real. Arthur's tenderness, respect, and profound admiration—a stark contrast to Cedric's neglect—begin to heal Luna's wounded heart. She finds herself opening up and falling for the man who truly sees her worth. Now, Luna is caught between two men: the husband who once took her for granted but now desperately wants her back, and the uncle who loves her unconditionally, willing to move mountains for her happiness. Who will she choose in this intricate game of hearts?

Late one night after getting off work, I was scrolling through my company group chat when a colleague shared a piece of news. The headline was horrifying. "Night-Shift Courier Murdered During Delivery, Police Suspect Robbery." I zoomed in on the crime scene photo that had been partially pixelated, and a chill ran straight down my spine. Lying in a pool of blood, the courier who had been hacked to death was unmistakably me. I had scrolled into news of my own death. Almost at the same time, my delivery app began vibrating violently. "Urgent pickup! Destination: Unit 704 Hawthorne Ridge Apartments, Building 7. Time limit: 15 minutes. Penalty for timeout: Death." As I stared at the notification that read "Pickup failed three times", the searing pain of my brutal death surged through my body. So that was it. I had already died three times. When I forced open the half-closed security door of 704 for the fourth time, a thin delivery envelope lay quietly inside. I tore it open. A photograph slipped out. It was a picture of my dismembered body. The timestamp showed tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. On the back was a single line written in fresh blood: "Next time, remember to pick it up on time." At that moment, the red indicator light on the hallway surveillance camera suddenly went dark. I looked up. From the ventilation opening in the exact same spot, a single eye was staring straight at me. The mole at the corner of that eye was identical to mine.

I was sitting at the police station. My landlord scolded me harshly and pointed at my nose. Out of nowhere, my mother called and berated me mercilessly. “Chloe went to your place and disappeared! Did you lose her?!” “I know you’ve had grudges against me and your brother all these years, but how could you take it out on your niece?” In my previous cycle, when my mother told me Chloe was missing, I panicked and searched for her everywhere. Instead of helping, my mom and brother’s entire family dragged me to court without hesitation. I could not understand it. Chloe disappeared on her way to my place. How was that my fault? I begged the police to clear my name and review all the surveillance footage in the city. But the footage showed Chloe arriving at my door that day, and I opened the door for her. After that, she was gone, as if she had vanished into thin air. I stared blankly at the footage of her hopping cheerfully into my apartment. I had no way to explain myself. My sister-in-law lost it. She was convinced I had killed Chloe and threw boiling oil at my face in a fit of rage. I ended up in the hospital. I was disfigured and completely crushed, both physically and emotionally. No matter how hard I tried, I could not recall ever opening the door for Chloe. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Chloe disappeared.

...Maurice stood looking at me, his eyes bright with fury. I saw him tight his fist and loosen it. “Let's get this damn meeting done!" He said, heading towards where I sat. “Of course we should, loser!" “Sit!" I ordered. Maurice stared menacingly at me for a few seconds, before he began to head to the empty bistro chair at my side. ‘Was this pauper thinking he could do anything stupid?!' I scoffed, sipping from my glass again before calling to one of my men. “Get another glass, Bill!" I ordered. Bill went in and in a flash he arrived with a glass in his hands, opening the bottle of spirit and pouring it to the empty glass. “I don't drink during business meetings" Maurice said. “Touché!" I chuckled, waving Bill away. **** Billionaire daughter, Natalie Escobar faces the dilemma of choosing between Kevin Fidell and Maurice Brown. Kevin Fidell is the heir of a multi billion dollar company, the son of her father's best friend and a smooth operator when it comes to love making. Maurice on the other hand, is a smart young man, insanely in love with Natalie and determined to keep the love burning despite Jane being in the picture. When Natalie's father faces a huge downfall in his company, Kevin and his father comes to the rescue, leaving Natalie with no choice than to accept Kevin's marriage proposal. In the eve of their wedding, the worst happens. Kevin's real identity comes to light. Would she proceed with the wedding or would she accept Maurice instead despite his low financial status?. Swipe through the book and find out!

Lance, a Mafia Boss, a man with an iron fist and dispensing harsh justice to anyone who disobeyed his law. He was feared by men and desired by women, but his heart was frozen, kept hidden behind thick icy walls. All that changed when Bella came crashing into his life. Bella was an ordinary woman, but she had a big heart and was determined to break through Lance’s cold walls. She showed him a whole new perspective on the world and slowly melted his frozen heart. Although Lance was wary of opening himself up to Bella, he found himself wanting to be closer to her. Their relationship was tested when Bella’s brother, a petty criminal, was caught in one of Lance’s raids. Lance was determined to punish him according to his law, but Bella begged him to spare her brother’s life. In the end, Lance decided to show mercy, and Bella was deeply grateful. The couple’s relationship blossomed and Lance opened himself up to Bella, revealing his true self. He started to become more caring and compassionate and was no longer the cold-hearted Mafia Boss. Their relationship had a positive efect on Lance’s business. He became more lenient, particularly when it came to punishing those who hurt women or children. This made him even more respected in the city and soon he was known as the kind-hearted Mafia Boss. Bella and Lance’s relationship was not formed without its challenges. They had to keep their relationship a secret due to the danger and scrutiny that would come with it, but eventually they decided to make it public. Despite the disapproval of their families and the danger it posed to them both, will they stay together and continue to love each other's flaws?

When the future Alpha and Beta of the Winter pack fight to hide and deny their inappropriate feelings for one another from everyone including themselves and each other, until secrets, truths and a mysterious magical heritage are revealed. Leading them down a branching, rocky path into the unknown and beyond in search of their happily-ever-after. Will the guilt, grief and pain along the way be too much for the young couple and shatter their world as they know it, or will they rise above it all to conquer and simply survive, or will their many foes and obstacles be too much for them and get in the way. **************** "If I have to dance with one more eligible bachelorette, I'm gonna ... " He stops mid rant as the band starts playing a cover of satellite by Nickelback, and I close my eye swaying to the opening notes. "Chilli?" Suddenly, Elias is back up on his feet, holding out his hand. "Hu?" Bewildered as I look up at him, "May I have this dance?" I look at Erin, who pulls a silly face and shrugs. "Umm," hesitant to his offer. "Come on, I know you like this song. Let's show them how it's done. Plus, it'll be nice not to have my feet stepped on at least once tonight. " he winks at me with a cheeky grin. His not wrong, I do love this song, and part of our training was learning all forms of ballroom dances. Taking a deep breath, I take his hand and let him lead me to the middle of the dance floor. I put my hand on his shoulder as his goes to my waist, which sent a spark through my nerves. Hu, weird, must be the rum and coke. We young wolves aren't allowed to drink much.

In the third year I've decided to support my girlfriend, Iris Fulton, by opening a flower shop, she has gone into bankruptcy once again. The first time she went bankrupt, I sold the house my grandma had left for me so that I could clear the debt of 700 thousand dollars. The second time she went bankrupt, I was able to locate the bank passbook Mom had left for me as a wedding gift. That was how I paid back one million and six hundred thousand dollars. The third time Iris has gone bankrupt, however, I can only grip the note with my filthy rich dad's phone number while staring at her lost and dazed expression. At that time, I'm debating whether or not I should call him. But that night, I accidentally notice the chat history on Iris' group chat that's displayed on her tablet. "Hey Iris, how many figures are you going to fill into the sum of the bankruptcy contract that's supposed to be cleared this time?" "Let's put ten million dollars. Otherwise, that flower-selling plaything will be able to clear the debt in one go. It'll make things very boring." "As expected of you, Iris! I heard that the plaything waters flowers in the morning and waters your flower garden at night. You're never tired of him, are you?" I put down Iris' tablet before calling my dad right away. "You want me to take over the family business and marry your student, right? Fine, I'll do it. Get your men to pick me up in three days."

"Good evening, Mom. How was your day?" "My day was good, my love. How is yours going?" Her voice was a soothing balm against the stress of the day. "It’s... busy. My boss gave me a mountain of work to finish before tomorrow morning, so I won't be coming home tonight. I’m going to stay late and then head straight back in." "Oh, my dear," she sighed. "Just be careful. Don't get into any trouble." "I won't, Mom. Did you take your medication?" I asked, knowing how she tended to forget when I wasn't there to nag her. "Ah... I’ll take it now." "Mom, please. You need to stay strong for me." "I will, I will. I love you, Annabelle." "Love you too." After I hung up, the silence of the office felt even heavier. The lights were dimmed, except for the glow from my monitor and the soft yellow light spilling from Elias’s office. He was still in there, a silhouette of intense focus as he reviewed the project details. Suddenly, a sharp ping echoed through the quiet room. I jumped slightly, my eyes snapping to my computer screen. Unknown Email. No encrypted address. No profile picture No signature. Whoever sent this, don't want to be traced. "What is this?" I muttered, my skin crawling with a sudden, inexplicable chill. The subject line was written in bold, stark capital letters: BEFORE THE INVESTMENT. My pulse shifted into a frantic rhythm. I hesitated, my mouse hovering over the notification. When I finally clicked, my breath hitched. It wasn't just a message; it was a cache of attached documents, internal financial transfers, offshore account statements, and adjusted revenue projections. I realized instantly that these were different from the official files Elias had given me.

Mom cleared her throat and said, “I have an idea.” I frowned. “What are you talking about, Mom?” “I’m talking about I have an idea.” She stood up and leaned on her desk, saying, “We will hold the Queen’s Guard Tournament.” “I still don’t understand, mom.” “I propose a tournament with several tests, games, balls, bullfights, interviews, dates and parades. I suggest we go wild with different activities that guarantee the election of the new alpha kings.” “Okay… I’ll take the bait. Who will participate?” “Anyone who is an alpha or some equivalent to that. We put their names inside the sky crate so that destiny can choose the 20 lucky ones who will compete for the love of the future sovereign. The three winners will be crowned the alpha kings of the south, east and west. Obviously, the north is occupied by Alonso.” “And what will happen to Sokaris? He’s mine too, mom!” “I wouldn’t worry about him, Maddie. In my dreams, I saw him putting on a great show.” “What will happen if my other fated mates show up?” “Destiny will take care of it, Maddie. Your mates will be selected. But to win, we must give our enemies a mirage of hope that makes them believe they can govern.” “And in the end, they will be exposed to everyone, without us having to intervene,” Mom nodded, with a triumphant smile. I sighed. “If this is our best option, then let’s use the ball that is already being planned as the tournament’s opening event.” Mom nodded. Dad slapped his hands together and said, “Well… we have a tournament to plan and a lot of announcements to make. Let’s get started!” ________________ Reverse harem / 4 fated mates / Magic / Royal Lycan Family / Vampires