Past Tense Smile

"Are you the hunter, or the hunted?" Aria Strong, codename Spider, is a killer raised by the Black Dahlia mafia group. When she is tasked with assassinating Cyrrus Lied, the rich billionaire with a perfect image, she infiltrates his company and attempts to seduce him — only to find he is all too eager to comply. But the more she gets to know him, the less she understands. Who is he really? What darkness is he hiding underneath that sunny smile? Aria tightens the net around him, but what she doesn't know is that he has her right in his trap...

Alina Lauraine Santiago is finally beginning a new chapter—college life in the city, away from the shadows of her painful past. But freedom doesn’t erase trauma, and the emotional scars of her father’s abuse and her family’s struggles still cling tightly. Determined to make it on her own, Alina juggles part-time jobs and photography gigs to support herself and help her siblings. Then she meets Harold—charming, kind, and seemingly perfect. But behind his smile lies a truth that leaves Alina shaken and betrayed. After a devastating encounter, she runs from everything. It’s only through the love of her best friends that she finds the strength to return to university and face the pieces of her broken life. That’s when Grayson enters the picture. They’ve crossed paths before, but never like this. A simple deal brings them together, and what starts as casual quickly turns into something more. But when Alina discovers she’s pregnant, fear and uncertainty force her to make an impossible decision: leave Grayson behind without telling him the truth. Years later, fate brings them back together—and Grayson still doesn’t know he’s a father. As they reconnect and old feelings resurface, Alina must confront the secret she’s kept for so long. When Grayson finally learns the truth, their fragile reunion is put to the ultimate test. Just as they begin to rebuild, a new threat rises from the past—one that could destroy everything they’ve fought to protect. Can love be made from pain and second chances? Or are some wounds too deep to ever truly heal?

Olivia Morgan never believed in monsters, but the woods outside her hometown seem to disagree. Haunted by dreams she’s never been able to explain, Olivia’s life takes a sharp turn one Halloween night when she discovers a black wolf caged beneath silver bars. But when the wolf shifts into Ezekiel—a warm-hearted Alpha with an infuriating smile—Olivia’s reality fractures. Upon freeing him, she finds out he's her fated mate and se's bound to him and a world of wolves and Lycans she never knew existed. Her senses heighten, shadows stalk her every step, and Ezekiel insists she’s no longer safe among humans. When her estranged grandfather, Roman, Alpha Ezekiel's Beta, appears with answers Olivia never asked for, she learns she’s not just anyone—she’s the daughter of a prince and part of a royal Lycan bloodline. Torn between the familiar world she’s known and the legacy pulling her deeper into Silver Lake’s supernatural web, Olivia is faced with enemies she can’t yet understand. Malakai, the feared adversary of her family, seems to know more about her past than anyone, and his motives feel far more complicated than simple vengeance. As Olivia unlocks her dormant powers and unearths secrets about her parents’ deaths, she realizes nothing is as it seems. And when an ancient curse sweeps through Silver Lake, threatening everyone she’s come to care for, Olivia must decide: run from the destiny she never asked for or stand and fight.

Kael Vance arrives at the academy with one goal: survive long enough to uncover the truth behind his family’s mysterious downfall. Cold, calculating, and fiercely independent, Kael trusts no one. In a place where alliances shift like shadows and betrayal lurks behind every smile, he quickly earns a reputation as someone not to be underestimated. But his carefully built walls begin to crack the moment he crosses paths with Lucien Draven. Lucien is everything Kael despises—privileged, powerful, and dangerously perceptive. As the heir to the influential Draven bloodline, Lucien moves through the academy with quiet authority and lethal precision. He sees through Kael’s defenses almost instantly, sparking a rivalry that quickly turns into something far more complicated. Their clashes are intense, both on and off the training grounds, each encounter laced with tension, pride, and an undeniable pull neither of them is willing to acknowledge. As deadly trials push students beyond their limits, Kael and Lucien are forced into close proximity, their survival depending on cooperation rather than conflict. Secrets begin to unravel—about the academy, their families, and hidden force manipulating events from the shadows. Kael discovers that his past is deeply intertwined with the Draven legacy, and Lucien is not as untouchable as he seems. What begins as hatred slowly transforms into a fragile, dangerous bond—one built on shared pain, unspoken truths, and forbidden desire. But in a world where emotions are exploited as weapons, loving the wrong person could be ultimate weakness. As tensions rise and loyalties are tested, Kael and Lucien must decide whether to cling to their pride or trust each other enough to survive darkness closing in around them. Because at Draven Academy, the sharpest blades aren’t always made of steel-and the deepest wounds are carved by those you dare to love.

“Alina!” he called out with wide eyes and tried to break free from the bonds that enslaved him but to no avail. I writhed in the grasps of the bouncers, attempting to get to him but my efforts proved futile, the drugs had taken all strength left in me. "Well, look what the cat dragged in", a voice that I had come to detest slurred, dragging my attention to the man that sat just opposite Stephan. "Bring her closer", Nikolai ordered his men and they did as he commanded. "Finally, I'll have you again", he exclaimed with my weakened self in his hands. " Not only will I make love to your fiancee right in front of you, I'll make sure to kill the seed inside her with my bare hands, and upon your death, I'll take good care of her...brother", he said with a loop sided smile before redirecting his gaze to me as I laid beneath him. *** Stephan Perez is rumoured to be one of the most ruthless mafia Don the century has ever produced, an underworld king who rules with an iron grip and plays by his own rules. Alina Lyubov is a naive and seemingly ordinary woman with a troubling past. Forced into a life of stripping to pay off her debts, she comes across Stephan, the man from her past and the very reason she had to flee home. What happens when these two cross paths and when one of her clients, who happened to be Stephan’s biggest rival becomes obsessed with her? Will the new couple drown in the flames that ensnares them or would they finally achieve true redemption? Take a chance, read “The Stripper’s Protector", and find out.

"Zyran, look at me. If you walk out that door with her, you can't come back," Roosevelt pleaded, her hand instinctively covering her stomach. Zyran paused, his hand on the doorknob, while his childhood sweetheart wept softly against his chest. He didn't look back. "She needs me, Roosevelt. You are strong; you can take care of yourself." The door clicked shut, sealing his decision. He didn't notice the blood trickling down Roosevelt's leg, nor did he hear her whisper, Roosevelt had everything a woman could want: beauty, a great reputation as a top interior designer, and a marriage to Zyran, the city's coldest and most elusive billionaire. Though Zyran spoke little and showed hardly any affection, Roosevelt loved him quietly. She believed his hardness was a shield she could one day break through. On the eve of their fourth anniversary, Roosevelt got the miracle she had hoped for: a positive pregnancy test. She dreamed of the moment his icy demeanor would warm into a smile, finally bringing their family together. But before she could share the news, the ghost of Zyran’s past returned. A fragile, teary-eyed woman from his youth reappeared, seeking his protection and time. As Zyran’s attention shifted, Roosevelt slipped into the background of her own marriage. She thought she could bear the neglect until a life-changing accident forced Zyran to choose between his wife and his past. He made his choice, and by the time the billionaire understood the weight of what he had lost, Roosevelt and the secret she carried was already gone.

**MATURE CONTENT** It was supposed to be a harmless prank. A fake marriage contract. Just a little revenge for all the years Segundo Congreene spent secretly liking Olivia Carmen while hiding behind weakness and fragility. But when Segundo tricks Olivia into marrying him, the game turns terrifyingly real. Trapped in an old mansion, hidden away from the world and without internet, Olivia starts to fall for the man she once thought was harmless. Yet beneath Segundo’s soft smile lies a dangerous obsession. Because Segundo has loved her for years. Watched her. Followed her. Obsessed over her.

Dad has a stroke and needs money to save his life. I'm left with no choice but to borrow money from my secret CEO boyfriend of five years. Before I can even say anything, he frowns and tells me he's busy. Then, he hurries off to attend his childhood sweetheart's birthday celebration. He only remembers me the following day. "What did you need?" I hold Dad's death certificate and smile wanly at him. "Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that we're over."

Ten years ago, the Varyn Pack slaughtered the Serans, leaving nothing but ashes behind. But one survived... The Alpha’s daughter. Born of both Alpha and Omega blood, she was an anomaly. An Almega. Now she’s back, hiding behind the mask of a weak and naive omega, her smile deadly and her goal to destroy the Alpha of the Varyn Pack and his Pack itself. She will make him trust her. Desire her. Fall for her. And when he does, she’ll destroy him and everything he loves, slowly, beautifully, and without mercy. Because an easy death would never be enough.

Since childhood, Gael grew up in a messy family. There's no day and night that Gael does not see his father abusing his mother and his younger brother, and himself. Because his father abused his mother, one day he woke up only to find that his mother had left the two of them in the care of their abusive father. Since then, Gael lost his smile, and fate became cruel to him. Gael's mixed-up life became even more difficult after encountering a cruel Gangster... What fateful events would unfold between the two?