Past Tense Smile

To find the missing fake heiress, my family forced me to undergo a memory extraction. They were convinced that I had bullied her for the past three years and driven her to run away. I gave a bitter smile and let them continue. As the memories surfaced one after another, the truth became clear. I was the one who had been bullied all along. My parents, overcome with guilt, clutched my hands so tightly they nearly fainted. My brother’s eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding until he drew blood. In their arms, I looked up in confusion and asked softly, “Who are you?”

She swore off the rink the night her ex, ice hockey’s golden boy, broke her heart in front of the school. Ice was for scars, not second chances. But everything changes when a mysterious transfer student shows up, a brooding goalie with a record as dark as his past and a smile sharp enough to cut. His deal is simple. Pretend to date him, and he’ll help her win the scholarship that could rewrite her future. But as sparks ignite and secrets unravel, she finds herself caught between old wounds and new temptations. Is he just another player in a dangerous game… or the one person who could change everything?

Sofia just landed a job as a housekeeper and nanny in a luxurious apartment in the city's wealthiest district. What she didn’t expect was to run into Archie, a famous actor who happens to live in the same building. While he’s charming to everyone else, Archie has no problem showing Sofia his rudest side from the very start. As their worlds collide, they’re forced to navigate a tense neighborly coexistence filled with conflict—but will it always be that way? "I'm not your fan, you damn narcissist!" "My job is to pretend, and I have to say, you're terrible at it, sweetheart."

At Bridgehall High, Charlotte Tilbury was the picture perfect queen, top grades, a flawless Instagram, a handsome boyfriend, dreamy sex life and a legion of admirers. But a midnight dare on a secret dating app leads her to Sophie, the new girl with a hidden past and a smile that feels real. But when Sophie walks into her school as a transfer student , everyone’s secrets, her best friend’s, her boyfriend’s, and her own, start to unravel. And a rogue gossip page turns the school into a battlefield of lies, Charlotte’s carefully curated world begins to crack. When the truth about Max, Maya, and the mysterious “Lottie” finally erupts, will anyone be left untouched?

Lucy's boyfriend betrayed her when he got his best friend pregnant and kicked her out of the house when she was pregnant with his child. He said the child wasn't his. Lucy has to go back to stay with her evil stepmother and her kids who made her life miserable. She had to stay and take care of her child and save money to move out, but nothing ever goes right for her. Lucy met Henry,who brightened her and her son's life with his warm smile, but their past came knocking on the door to ruin the small happiness they built together. **Excerpt from the book** When I got closer to them, I saw Daniel was looking at the man in front of him in awe as he had the cutest smile on his face. "Danny ,what's wrong?" I asked and he seemed to snap out of his thoughts and smiled as he pointed to the man in front of us. "Mommy, I want a Daddy in a tux." Daniel squealed while pointing his finger at the man and the man turned his attention to him. I was so embarrassed that I drew him to myself and put his hand away. "Danny don't say things like that." I scolded him softly, avoiding eye contact with the man and I wondered if I should apologize until I heard a hearty laugh. "Oh so you want a Daddy in a tux as well?" He asked Daniel, his velvety voice made me stare at him in awe as his face was plastered with an unwavering smile as I watched him as he squatted down to Daniel's level.

Orphaned in a border attack and raised by the Crescent Moon Pack, she’s spent her life trying to earn her place—not just as a werewolf, but as one of them. When the powerful Shadowclaw Pack comes to negotiate a tense truce, she meets him—their cold, formidable Alpha. They are fated mates. But he takes one look at her and refuses the bond. She’s from the wrong pack... the one he’s spent his life fighting. And claiming her would mean betraying his own. But the bond doesn’t care about blood feuds, and neither do the growing feelings neither of them can deny.

"I'm sorry," he looked at me. My smile fell, "Sorry for what..." A silver knife was plunged into my heart before I could understand what was happening. Ava believed she had found solace in Sage. Their marriage seemed affectionate, even loving. But on the night of their wedding anniversary, her world shattered when she was stabbed by her husband. She uncovered a devastating truth, Sage was having an affair with none other than her twin brother. In a shocking twist, she wakes up two years in the past, reborn. Armed with the painful memories of her betrayal and death, she refuses to be a pawn ever again. This time, she won’t be the prey. She will be the predator.

An alarm wakes everyone up at 1:00 am. It turns out that a few college students have gone missing during their exploration in Wolffang Valley. My heart goes tense at the news. After all, my stepdaughter, Nancy Campton, had told me yesterday that she'd be exploring that place! Since Nancy has asthma, I specifically prepare medication that's meant to treat asthma in my medical kit just in case anything happens. After carrying my backpack, I begin urging my husband, Jack Campton, who's also the leader of the rescue team, to set off right away. But he keeps stopping me in my tracks. "What's the rush? Let's wait for Dakota to finish doing her makeup." Half an hour later, Dakota Sweeney, who has a face full of makeup and is wearing a pink rescue jacket, begins complaining in a high-pitched voice. "Why did you keep rushing me? Thanks to you, my eyeliner came out all crooked!" On the way to the valley, Dakota actually pulls out a pair of pink lace panties. After unscrewing the cap of a bottle of life-saving water, she starts washing it with said water. I can't endure her stupid antics anymore. "Have you gone nuts? This bottle of water could potentially save someone's life!" But Dakota replies in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm a woman with principles! I must wash my underwear that I've changed out of on the same day!" Jack shoves me away at that moment. He then snatches the bottled water from me before passing it to Dakota. "Willow Armstrong, you're the crazy one here! Is it wrong for Dakota to take care of her hygiene?" As I stare at Jack, a cold smile slowly spreads across my face. It's not wrong for Dakota to take care of her hygiene. I just wonder if Jack is capable of facing the consequences behind Dakota's tendency to drag things out.

He slid the diamond ring onto her finger with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Smile for the cameras, Fiancee." And as the Flashblubs exploded around them, Serena whispered to herself, " I'm going to destroy you, Damien Alaric."

In politics, love is leverage. Charlie Vale is collateral damage the son of a man branded a traitor, erased by the state and left to survive in its shadows. Dexter Ashcroft is the architect of power, a strategist so ruthless they call him the Kingmaker. When their lives collide, Dexter doesn’t silence Charlie. He owns him. Bound by a contract masquerading as salvation, Charlie becomes Dexter’s public partner and private liability. Every smile is staged. Every kindness costs something. And every truth is buried deeper. But when the past resurfaces and the wrong man is sacrificed again, the crown Dexter built begins to crack. Because the one thing power cannot control is what it destroys. A story of manipulation, redemption, and a love that refuses to survive on lies.