Orchid Mantis Drawing

" I can be your angel saving you from nightmares and I can also be the monster under your bed, clawing at you when you sleep", Leo whispered drawing her closer to him. " I am ruthless, don't try to change me", he smiled gripping her neck. "You are a monster", Elizabeth spat to which he laughed. Elizabeth, a nineteen years old orphan found herself in the street of America after escaping from the orphanage. Stealing and pickpocketing has been her means of survival. She found herself in the most dangerous situation when she stole an important item from the most powerful American mobster. Will he take interest in her or will she become one of his pawns?

"Whatever you’re to say, say it five feet away! Don’t come near me!" she stammered. "Says the same girl that was hugging me in the hospital like her life depended on me?" In a quick action, he drew her nearer. Her hand placed hard on his chest, trying to steady herself from slipping. "And you’re doing the same now." She tried to struggle, but who was she kidding? When it comes to him, she is powerless, already having lost control of him. Drawn even closer, she sat unexpectedly on his lap, her bare legs coming into full display. "You are a true seducer. My seducer," he smiled darkly, drawing his face to hers as if knowing what was to come. She made to run away, but unfortunately, she flopped. He dragged her back with force, engaging her in a rough kiss. Her breath hitched; her pulse quickened its breath and her eyes widened in shock. "Been so long," Michael moaned. Even though she didn't open up to him, he still forced his way through. Diana, instead of rushing out, became still. Neither was she kissing back nor opposing. He frowned, drawing away from the kiss. Her lips were swallowed and reddish. "Diana?" Her trembling hands were what gave him his answer. “Diana, what happened?” Fear took hold as Michael shook her, trying to pull her back to reality. Instead, it only grew worse; her entire body began to recoil in that same fearful manner. “Please stop... Don’t hurt me!”

I am a postgraduate archaeology student whose fieldwork combines GIS technology with excavation, and during one project I become entangled in a concealed emotional relationship with two lecturers. Linus is restrained, intellectually rigorous, and emotionally distant, offering a sense of order and safety rooted in academic discipline, while Theo is charismatic, passionate, and ethically unstable, drawing me into intensity and risk. What begins as professional admiration develops into intimacy shaped by secrecy, hierarchy, and blurred boundaries. As the excavation exposes layered traces of past lives, I am forced to confront my own desire, ambition, and guilt, and the story ultimately centres not on choosing between two men, but on learning how to live with complexity and accept the consequences of crossing lines.

"Are you that heartless? Why would you want to destroy my brother's life for your selfish purposes?" Violet asked, tears flowing freely on her cheek. "Heartless? I can say that about you too! I have to watch my son deteriorate because he thinks you are his mother! Do you think I want to marry you in the first place?" He mocked, in anger. " That doesn't justify the fact that you are forcing me to get married to you! I will not! And I will get my brother out of prison with or without your help! I think I made a big mistake coming here in the first place" Violet's world came tumbling over when she was forcefully offered a marriage contract in exchange for her brother's life. Having saved the life of the little grand heir of the Clarksville's family, she was stuck in their world by the ruthless heir, Jason Clarksville. It wasn't her fault that his son was thinking she was his mother! But that wasn't what Jason thought as he was hellbent on giving his son what he needed. And for that she needed to get married to him. How could she get married to the grandson of her family's enemy? That would be over her dead body. But what would happen when her only brother was stuck in-between the plots? Will she agree or will she stick to her decision even if it might cost her brother's life? She had no choice but to agree as she had to save her brother. What would happen when the once detested marriage began to bloom into an orchid of love? Will the external forces make them thrive to make it real or will it cause them to hold on to the contract? Find out in this mind-blowing story.

To encourage overall development, the kindergarten had asked each student to create a hand-drawn poster. My daughter Holly refused my help and insisted on doing it all on her own. Little did I know, most of the other children had their parents do the artwork for them. In comparison, Holly's delicate strokes were quickly dismissed. Not only was her work discarded into the trash, but her teacher also called her out in the parent group, criticizing her for being careless with the assignment. As I racked my brain trying to figure out how to help Holly regain her confidence in drawing, I was surprised to see Holly's artwork among the winning entries in the state-level children's art competition. But the signature wasn't hers—it belonged to another student from her class.

Cassie Jones was the girl who went unnoticed—plus-sized, shy, and silently battling her self-esteem issues. But she had a secret: a gigantic crush on Jeffery Richards, the star athlete, golden boy and basketball hero of their school. What she wasn't aware of was that he too idolized her, secretly drawing her and composing poetry about her silent beauty. That was until the day a cruel bet forced his secret feelings out in the worst way imaginable. Cassie, heartbroken, disappeared from his life. Thirteen years later, fate brings them together again. Cassie is a tough PR executive, prosperous, aggressive, and not interested in revisiting the pain of her past. But Jeffery is resolved to demonstrate to her that he has changed—that his love for her never has. Will she learn to trust him again, or will the past repeat itself?

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.

They never knew about her… A fairy tale, for Irwen, was something truly extraordinary—a destiny tied by a bond that seemed unbreakably strong and magical. But her mate had betrayed her, treating everything she had done as meaningless nonsense. Fine. Irwen understood—and decided that betrayal deserved a revenge. The Alpha King had exceeded her expectations. He helped her, and even proposed a marriage contract. He began to heal her frozen heart, drawing them into a more complicated relationship. To Irwen, it felt like stepping back into a fairy tale—one that might end in pain again. “I want you to be my Luna.” “I will protect you.” “I will stay by your side.” But will those promises hold true when they’re faced with something that stands in opposition? The healer and her chains…

Like a moth is drawn to a flame, she's drawn to him even when she knows the consequences. She has been attracted to him the very first time she saw him, only that she had no idea how hard she is going to fall for him, how deeply she is going to care for him. Nathalie is an only child, the heiress to her billionaire family's fortune. She isn't interested in the family business, instead she finds comfort in drawing, painting and photographing. Lucas has an assignment to carry out and damn right he's going to do it, he mustn't let one amazing girl with a honey brown hair and eyes sway him. But can he? He came into the house hiding under the mask of being a bodyguard but it is much more than that. Both his survival and that of his twin sister depends on it.

Riya Rolfe thinks that stories about werewolves and Lycans are just old wives tales so she gets a huge and unexpected shocker when she wakes up as a werewolf and finds herself in a world where werewolves like her are the property of Lycans to do with as they wish and she has to compete for the affections of the Lycan Prince. “What are you wearing?” He said, drawing so close that the smell of cedarwood and the sea filled my senses as he fingered the necklace which’s pendant disappeared into the hollow between my breasts while I struggled to pretend like I was not moved by his actions. “It was a gift.” I said straightening up and staring brazenly into his eyes which glowed dangerously and he growled and snapped the necklace off my neck in one fluid move. “You belong to me, only I can adorn you with jewelry and my touch.”