Payoff Chapter 13 Early Novels & Stories

She married a stranger to survive her worst day. He married a stranger to give his dying grandmother peace. Mira was supposed to marry her boyfriend of three years. Instead, he called on their wedding day to say he loves her best friend. She was heartbroken and humiliated. Daniel Chen, on the other hand, was raised single-handedly by his grandmother. His parents left him at an early age to chase their career. He needs a wife in four hours or his dying grandmother's last wish dies with her. Daniel had contracted a wife to get married to him but she didn’t show up on their wedding day. Daniel and Mia happened to meet at the registry, coincidentally. When Mia overheard Daniel's conversation on phone, she eventually made up her mind to marry him. She was meant to marry today anyway. Read out to find more about the marriage of convenience that becomes inconvenient. A romance where the wedding comes first and love might never come at all.

When the universe drops two breathtakingly beautiful males in your lap by chance, you can’t possibly turn that down, can you? Grace Astor is faced with that decision as she finds out more about Finch and Jack Jacobson who happen to also be … her employees. She’s a spoiled, thick and curvy billionaire's daughter coasting through her early 30’s without a hope in the world at finding love. They’re both shifters from another world so far removed from hers it seems the stars had to perfectly align for this match. The universe serves to take Grace down a few pegs, putting her more on the twins’ level. Can they win her over? How will she handle learning their secrets? An Omega is an extremely rare find and the guys have no intentions of letting her slip through their claws. Will all the different forces at work determined to keep them apart win out or can they claim their mate? Find out on the love rollercoaster of The Omega’s Twin Hybrids!

After I accidentally uploaded a rant post instead of my resignation letter, the messages went like this. Me: [Did you see the file I submitted?] He: [Mm… yeah. I saw it.] Me: [Then why didn't you reply? You don't approve?] He went quiet. I lost my patience and typed back, [If you're not saying anything, I'll take that as a yes. I'll come by your office this afternoon.] He replied almost instantly. [That fast?] Me: [Fast? How is that fast?] He: [I need some time to think.] Two seconds later, another message came in. [Is that okay?] I said yes. He ended up leaving work early and even gave the entire company three days off. Sitting at my desk, I thought about it for a long time. He was the owner of the company, yet there he was, acting like he was afraid I might leave. Was he really that desperate to keep me?

"Happy Birthday!" Caroline opened the door to Dillbert's office. He was Caroline's boss and lover. Caroline brought a cake that she made herself early this morning especially for Dillbert. But Caroline's eyes blinked when she saw Dillbert hugging a beautiful woman in a knee-length white dress. My intention was to give Dillbert a surprise but instead he got the surprise. The cake she was holding almost fell but Caroline reflexively held the cake with her other hand. Caroline hurriedly changed her shocked expression and bowed respectfully. "Who is she darling?" The beautiful woman asked while looking at Caroline with a cynical look. She looked at Caroline from head to toe. "She is just my personal assistant." Dillbert answered quickly without hesitation. Then Dillbert turned to the beautiful woman in his arms and tightened his embrace, as if afraid of losing her. "Just a personal assistant," Caroline thought. It's true that she's Dillbert's personal assistant but she's also his girlfriend.

Following a challenging period of rejection and divorce during her early marriage, Hazel faced numerous obstacles while taking care of her younger twin siblings, Daisy and Zayn. However, her determination led her to secure her dream job, prompting her to relocate to a different city in search of a fresh start and the potential for lasting love. Yet, her plans were swiftly overturned when she discovered that her new boss happened to be her ex-husband. The man who had callously rejected her with no explanation was unbelievably the one who offered her a position, fully aware of her identity from the start. Necessity compelled her to accept the job; for it was his financial support that she depended on for survival. Now, she found herself tangled in a complicated web - contending with his new girlfriend, a coworker who harbored affection for her, and a ruthless rival of her ex-husband who would stop at nothing to lure her away. Harnessing resilience and fortitude, could she navigate these challenges without completely losing her sanity?

Meera was born wrong. A wolfless omega in a world ruled by powerful Alphas, she learned early that survival meant staying invisible… staying quiet… staying beneath everyone. But the day she steps onto the ice, everything changes. Because the seven most dangerous players on campus—the Alpha hockey kings—finally notice her. And they don’t like what they see. To them, she’s weak. A joke. Something to break for their amusement. They humiliate her. Push her. Test how far she can fall. But what starts as cruelty quickly turns into something far more dangerous. Obsession. Because the more they try to destroy her… the more they realize they can’t let her go. And when the truth about Meera begins to surface—when her hidden power threatens to flip the entire hierarchy— The same Alphas who bullied her will be the ones fighting to claim her. Too bad she’s no longer the girl who begged to be accepted. Now? They’ll have to beg for her.

In the gritty heart of Duskville, where shadows hide the crimes no one wants to see, Detective Jackson Reyes works like a ghost—unflinching, relentless, and alone. Scarred by a childhood spent watching his mother suffer at the hands of a cruel man, Reyes learned early that justice doesn’t come easily. So he became it. When Lena, a young woman trapped in a world of coercion and violence, walks into his station and tells the truth no one else will hear, something shifts. As Reyes digs deeper into the criminal underworld controlled by Riko and his men, Lena becomes more than a witness—she becomes a reason. A reason to keep fighting. A reason to believe healing might be possible, even for someone like him. ______ Content Warning: This story contains themes and depictions of sxual assult, r*pe, non-consensual acts, gr*oming, sx traffcking, and dr*g use. Reader discretion is strongly advised. These topics are part of the narrative and may be distressing or triggering for some individuals. Please take care while reading.

“Just who is the woman behind that mask?” It’s no lie that Evangeline Laendler is one of the best con artists around. The trail of devastated moneybags who are both heartbroken and near bankruptcy because of her is enough proof. It’s all owed to her impeccable skills of switching through disguises and emanating the characteristics that her targets want to see. But this was not the life she and her dear brother had wanted for Evangeline. So when a high-priced opportunity to retire early suddenly comes, Evangeline accepts it. It was easy anyway. Seduce the billionaire heir, sway him to do terrible things so he doesn’t inherit the company, break his heart, then leave. Easy. It’s not like there was more to this guy’s story, right? What was unknown to her was just how messy and tangled this new job was, revealing secrets that even she never knew about her life. In any case, she will keep fighting to keep the facade on. Although this time, someone might just be able to unveil the real Evangeline hiding underneath.

Liam Parker has always known one truth: love is a luxury he cannot afford. Marked by a condition that promises violence and an ending he won’t survive, Liam lives by rules that keep people safe—especially himself. He fights. He disappears. He never stays long enough to want more. Maya never meant to need saving. Trapped in a house that stopped being safe long ago, she learns early that silence is survival and hope is dangerous. Loving anyone feels impossible when fear already owns every breath. When fate places her next door to a man who refuses to care—and a monster who refuses to be gentle—their lives collide in ways neither of them planned. Liam knows loving her would destroy them both. Maya knows walking away might cost her everything. Some hearts aren’t broken. They’re denied. And some men aren’t heartless. They’re simply unlovable.

Savannah Cole is drowning in debt and desperation when she’s summoned to a penthouse interview with elusive billionaire Colton Briggs. But instead of a job, she’s offered a contract marriage: six months, one million dollars, no intimacy, and no questions. It’s a lifeline for Savannah—until she signs. What begins as a cold, calculated agreement spirals into a twisted maze of secrets. The deeper Savannah is pulled into Colton’s opulent world, the more she realizes nothing is as it seems. A blood-stained wedding dress. A locked vault. A missing heiress who once wore her ring. Whispers echo through the mansion’s marble halls—and every warning points to one truth: Colton Briggs is hiding something dark... and deadly. Bound by lies, trapped by a contract, and stalked by shadows from the past, Savannah must decide—will she survive Colton’s world long enough to escape it? Or is she the next chapter in a legacy of vanishing brides? When love is a transaction, and trust is a gamble, the price of saying “yes” might just be her life.