Payoff Chapter 13 Early Novels & Stories

On the last day of the year, my music player app pushed out my 2025 listening report. My keyword was 'Resonance.' I had not actually spent much time listening to music that year. My account had mostly been used by my boyfriend, Jeremy Steward. A small line of text appeared underneath. [At 4:00 A.M. on December 1st, you were still sharing the same song with someone. So this is what love looks like, staying awake through the night.] My breath caught. December 1st was my birthday. However, that night, I had gone to bed early. Jeremy had rushed off right after cutting the cake, saying he needed to go back to the office for overtime. Almost as if possessed, I tapped my trembling hands on the unfamiliar profile that showed up as my most frequent interaction. Their keyword for the year was 'Exclusively Yours.' My heart skipped. I opened the details. [This year, you and this user listened to songs together late at night 688 times. Every time is a private whisper between souls.] Right then, a message from Jeremy popped up on my phone. [Babe, I have to work late again tonight. Don't wait up for me. Sleep early, okay?] At the same moment, that unfamiliar account posted a new update. A photo of two hands intertwined inside a car, fingers tightly laced together. [I love working late with him the most. We'll listen to music together for a lifetime.]

Five years ago, my family died in a car crash. My parents. My adopted sister, Liz. Everyone but me. They left behind grief, an empty house, and a debt so large it swallowed my life. When the collectors came, I turned to the only person I had left—my husband, Adrian. He told me he had cut ties with his own family to marry me and had nothing left. I believed him. For five years, I worked every job I could find, paid every dollar I earned, and told myself love was worth the suffering. When the balance dropped to its final $18,000, I signed up for a paid drug trial at a private clinic. They handed me a waiver, warned me about possible delayed reactions, and promised fast money if I swallowed the experimental dose. I thought it would buy us a new beginning. Instead, I came home early and heard Adrian on the phone. “Let Liz use the card. Evelyn still doesn’t know. She took away Liz’s money five years ago, so she has to earn every dollar back herself.” Then he laughed softly. “One more year, and her punishment is over.” That was how I learned the dead were alive. The debt was fake. My husband had never been poor. And the life I had fought so hard to survive was only a sentence they had given me.

Born from tragedy, Nova grew up Born from tragedy, Nova grew up in the shadow of her mother’s death and her father’s cruelty. Neglected by blood, despised by her stepmother, and tormented by her stepsister, she learned early that silence could be both her shield and her prison. In high school, the only light in her darkness was Daniel — the boy she loved but who shattered her heart in the cruelest way possible. What began as innocent affection turned into a public humiliation that left her broken and alone. Years later, when her grandmother—the only person who ever truly loved her—falls ill, Nova’s world begins to collapse again. Desperate for help, she faces her father one last time, only to be offered a deal that would destroy what little pride she has left. But fate intervenes the night she meets Frederick Lawson — the cold, mysterious billionaire with eyes like winter and secrets of his own. From that night onward, Nova’s life takes a turn she never expected — one of redemption, hidden passion, and powerful revenge. As love blooms in unexpected places and old wounds are ripped open, Nova must decide whether to remain the quiet girl everyone once pitied… or rise as the woman no one ever saw coming. whether to remain the quiet girl everyone once pitied… or rise as the woman no one ever saw coming.

Ava believed she had escaped the life she was born into. Determined never to struggle the way her family once did, she made a choice early on: she would never marry for love, only for security. And when she met Ethan, a powerful billionaire CEO who chose her against all odds, it felt like everything had fallen perfectly into place. Despite his family’s disapproval and the conditions placed on their union, Ava built a life of luxury, stability, and status by his side. For six years, she believed she had won. Until the night of their anniversary. After an evening that feels like a dream, Ethan shatters everything with a single sentence: He wants a divorce. Blindsided and desperate, Ava refuses to accept it. Because losing Ethan doesn’t just mean the end of a marriage, it threatens the life she fought so hard to secure. The wealth. The comfort. The escape from a past she refuses to return to. But as Ava begins to question Ethan’s sudden decision, cracks start to appear beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect life. The man she thought she knew may be hiding more than just distance, and the truth could change everything. Now, caught between love, survival, and the fear of losing it all, Ava must decide how far she’s willing to go to hold on… Because in a world where love was never the plan, walking away might cost her everything.

During the holiday season, a flood hits. The company's warehouse is submerged up to the third floor. Due to the emergency, I have my assistant tell everyone to come back a day early to help. I promise that the company will provide stipends and extra time off to make up for this. But on that day, a Gen Z employee goes live across the internet to report me. "Oh, my God. It's 2025, yet there are still companies forcing employees to adjust their time off and work overtime! Is this heartless boss so broke that she needs to exploit us like this? Will she die if she doesn't squeeze us out of every drop of usefulness? Company notices override the law. Impressive stuff, this is!" Soon, the company ends up on the trending list due to criticism from the online community. Even the regulators come knocking to hold us accountable. In the end, the company is forced to cancel the notice. A lot of equipment isn't salvaged in time, resulting in significant losses. The employee even posts a victory lap. "Give the boss a tiny lesson—see if she dares to force overtime again!" I'm so angry that I laugh out loud. I tell my assistant to cancel the annual benefit we give all employees—an entire month of paid time off for Christmas and the New Year holidays. If we have to stick strictly to the law, then fine. Have it your way!

“To defeat scums, you must start early! Yes, I do admit, I was weak in the past, but now that I have been given a second chance to rewrite my story, I will make it worth it!” Paige Adams maintained a malicious grin on her face. Paige Adams, a weak and meek girl suddenly turns into an arrogant, bold, and confident woman when she is reborn to her past timeline life, after dying from a fire fiasco plotted by her wicked family. She is transported six years ago and plots her revenge still taking her meek self to hide her true identity. During her course of revenge, she bumps into the cold, brutal Young Master of the Grays on a blind date, and to save herself from the tragic date, she pulls the young master into a kiss and is locked in a marriage of convenience lasting for two years. What will happen when Paige Adams reveals that she is not from that timeline but from the future and is unable to return to the future? “I am not the weak girl you thought you knew! I am Paige Adams from the year 2022 and not from 2016, and this time, I will make you pay for what you've done to me years ago in TEN FOLDS!” She laughs maniacally while watching him as he bled to death. “This is just the beginning! Get ready to witness who I truly am!”

Amelia Nightshade has spent her entire life surviving. Orphaned at a young age and raised by a cruel uncle who treated her like nothing more than a burden, she learned early that the world shows mercy to no one. Working quietly in a small bookstore with her only friend, Iris, Amelia believed she had already endured the worst life had to offer. Until the night she discovers the truth. Her uncle has sold her. As payment for a dangerous debt, Amelia is delivered to Lucien Cross—a cold, ruthless mafia boss and one of the most feared business tycoons in the country. A man whispered about in dark corners. A man whose enemies rarely live long enough to regret crossing him. But Amelia refuses to be another victim. Instead, she offers Lucien a bargain. A contract marriage. Eight months. A temporary wife in exchange for the complete repayment of the debt that binds her to him. Lucien agrees, intrigued by the quiet strength behind Amelia’s fearless eyes. What begins as a ruthless deal soon turns into something far more dangerous. Because Lucien is a man haunted by a tragedy from his past—the brutal night his parents were murdered and his little sister vanished without a trace. And Amelia is unknowingly tied to the very people responsible for that night. As secrets unravel and emotions grow stronger, Amelia and Lucien must face a truth neither of them is ready for. The woman he is beginning to love may be connected to the greatest tragedy of his life.

Smut Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content, obsession, stalking, power play, and dark themes. He was supposed to destroy her. Instead, he built his entire world around her. Drisana Varma has spent her life being controlled and traded like a pawn. So she learned early: manipulate before you get manipulated. She’s never met a man she couldn’t read, use, or stay one step ahead of. Until Armani. He’s too quiet. Too watchful. Too dangerous. When he casually mentions a small habit only her faceless stalker has ever noticed, Drisana starts digging. What she uncovers unravels her entire life. She should run. Instead, she signs his contract and moves into his apartment. What begins as a calculated game of leverage quickly spirals into something darker and far more addictive. Behind the obsession, the power plays, and the rules they both stopped pretending to follow, raw hunger takes over. Nights blurred by rough hands, whispered threats, and filthy need. But beneath the lust and possession lies a buried secret that connects them both, a dead woman whose shadow stretches back long before either of them was born. A truth deep enough to destroy them. Some secrets refuse to stay buried. And when this one rises, it will burn everything they’ve built… including each other.

Evelyn Hart thought she had it all figured out. A dream job at a top marketing firm, a handsome fiancé, and a future that sparkled with promise. But dreams shatter in an instant. Walking into her apartment early from a business trip, she finds Anthony in bed with the last person she ever expected. Her own cousin, Sylvia. The betrayal cuts deeper than any knife, leaving her broken and gasping for air in a world that suddenly makes no sense. Desperate to forget, to feel anything other than the crushing pain, Evelyn finds herself at an exclusive lounge where LA's elite gather. One drink leads to another, and then she sees him. Richard Westwood. Powerful, magnetic, dangerous. He is everything she should avoid. At 42, he is nearly twice her age and her fiancé's mentor in the business world. But tonight, none of that matters. Tonight, she just wants to feel alive again. One night of passion changes everything. When morning comes, Evelyn discovers the mysterious stranger who made her forget her name is the one man she should never have touched. Richard Westwood does not do relationships. He does not get messy but something about Evelyn has awakened a hunger he thought long dead. Now, caught between revenge and desire, Evelyn must decide: walk away from the forbidden, or break every rule for a chance at real love?

The doctor said I only had three days left to live. Acute liver failure. My only hope was an experimental clinical trial. It was extremely risky, but had the faintest sliver of a chance to survive. But my husband, David, gave the last available spot... to my adopted sister, Emma, also my daughter’s godmother. Her condition was still in its early stages. He said it was the "right decision," because she “deserved to live more.” I signed the papers to forgo treatment and took the high-dose painkillers prescribed by the doctor. The cost? My organs would shut down, and I would die. When I handed over the jewelry company I’d poured my heart into, along with all my designs, to Emma, my parents praised me, saying, “Now that’s what a good big sister should do.” When I agreed to divorce David so he could marry Emma, he said, “You’ve finally learned to be understanding.” When I told my daughter to call Emma ‘Mom,’ she clapped her hands and said, “Emma is such a gentle and kind mother!” When I gave all my assets to Emma, everyone in the family thought it was only natural. No one noticed anything was wrong with me. I’m just curious. Will they still be able to smile when they find out I'm dead?