Pick A Number

Skylar Carter has spent her entire college career focused on one thing: her future. With law school applications looming, the last thing she needs is distractions, especially from cocky jocks who think the world revolves around them. But when her best friend drags her to a frat party, Skylar finds herself in the orbit of the king of them all, Liam Westbrook. Liam is the golden boy of college football, destined to be the number one pick in the NFL draft. He’s used to women falling at his feet, used to getting what he wants without trying. But when he meets Skylar, a girl who refuses to worship him, he's instantly intrigued. She’s smart, feisty, and unimpressed by his status, which only makes him want her more. What starts as a bet soon turns into something deeper, something neither of them expected. Skylar is determined to resist him, but Liam is relentless in his pursuit. As the tension between them simmers and sparks fly, their undeniable chemistry threatens to upend everything they thought they wanted. But love does not come without risks. Skylar has her future mapped out, and Liam is on the brink of superstardom. Falling for each other was never part of the plan. Can they handle the heat, or will their worlds pull them apart before they even have a chance? A sizzling enemies to lovers romance, filled with banter, electric chemistry, and two ambitious souls colliding in the most unexpected way.

I was preparing a gift for our six-year anniversary when my best friend sent me a photo of my Alpha boyfriend kissing another she-wolf. "Wait, when did you get to Chicago?" The she-wolf in the picture looked a lot like me, but it wasn't me. That's when I found out that my boyfriend of six years had been searching for replacements for his dead childhood sweetheart the whole time. I was number 5. The she-wolf in the photo was number 18. I rushed to Chicago and tracked down Lucas using his phone's location. "Dude, this number 18 really looks like Ally, even more than Sophia does!" "Nah man, Sophia still looks more like her. She's number 5 after all - if she didn't look so much like Ally, why would Lucas have stuck with her for six years?" Lucas flicked his cigarette ash, looking completely relaxed: "They both look pretty similar, but number 18's way better in bed. Sophia's too uptight." "I heard you had someone pick out a diamond ring. You planning to propose? To Sophia or this new chick?" Lucas leaned back into the couch with a cocky grin: "Haven't decided yet. Why don't you guys choose for me?" I turned around, my whole body shaking as a chill ran from my head to my toes. After calming down, I texted my best friend: "Your Alpha cousin, the one who had a crush on me and waited four years - is he still single?"

On the day of the mating ceremony, I'm supposed to be marked by William Ernst and become the Luna of the Shadow pack. However, Annie Denver, my younger twin sister, suddenly comes back from abroad. Dad, Mom, and William end up abandoning me, choosing to pick her up from the airport. While Annie posts a family photo on Facebook, flaunting how everyone in the family loves her, my family cuts me off whenever I try to contact them through mind-link. They end up closing the mind-link. After calling countless times, William finally accepts my call and asks me to stop rushing him. He tells me that today's mating ceremony is canceled and will be rescheduled on another date. My dearest parents, brother, and the man I love the most all turn me into the laughingstock of the entire pack—and the most ridiculous bride of all. Despite being laughed at, I didn't cry or make a scene. After taking care of everything, I write a number in my journal—the 99th time. This is the 99th time they have disappointed me. From this moment on, I won't beg for their love anymore. I fill out an application for Arcetic expedition, ready to leave them. They all think that my silence and constant compromises with Annie mean I've matured. They fail to realize that I'm disappointed to the core. I am leaving for good.

I bought a million-dollar set of gold as my bridal accessories at the jewelry store. The wedding date was fast approaching, but the pieces still had not arrived. I personally went to the store to pick it up, but the sales assistant said the price of gold had increased, and I had to make up the price difference. “In the past two weeks, the price of gold has risen by $98 per gram. Since you purchased 1,314 grams, the price difference amounts to $128,772, which rounds up to $130,000.” She showed the number on the calculator to me, and I became speechless. “Two weeks ago, I already paid the full payment. You said the store provides the delivery service, so I did not take it with me. This is a scam!” The sales assistant looked at me with a scornful expression. “We’ve been in business for ten years, and we do honest deals only. Keep running your mouth off, and I swear I’ll sue you for defamation!” What she said had reminded me that the ten-year lease contract that I signed with them had expired. I immediately took out my phone and called her boss. “From this year onward, the rental cost will increase by 50%. If you can’t afford the rental cost, move out immediately!” “Why?” I sneered and said, “You’ll have to ask your staff then!”

The year I was at rock bottom, I took on three "conquest" missions. Number One was a tech prodigy. Number Two was a genius doctor. Number Three was a top dog in the legal world. Judging by how busy they all were, I thought that with some careful time management, handling all three would be a piece of cake. However, I forgot one thing. Three CEOs meant dealing with three difficult girlfriends. That morning, Number One CEO Eric's childhood sweetheart accused me of stealing her charm bracelet. Eric beat me, yelled at me, and made me stand all day. That afternoon, Number Two's Ron's girlfriend tore into me, figuratively ripping my kidney out. Ron warned me that he had only let me get close so I could serve as a stand-in for her. By evening, Number Three's Lance had his girlfriend taking secret photos of me and spreading rumors, and he told me to be gracious, saying she was "just joking." I could not take this nonstop 24-hour torture anymore, so I told the system, I quit. I want to go home. The system replied, "Quitting is simple. Just die in this world." I listened. However, after I executed my death escape, why did all three CEOs completely lose their composure?

“Oops, my fingers slipped! These pictures were for someone else but I guess the cats are out of the bag now!” A cold chill ran down my spine as I scrolled through raunchy pictures of my Alpha husband and my sister. Five years of unrivaled love and dedication just for him to sleep with her sister on a stupid business trip. Well two could play that game, she unblocks a number and dials it with her heart in her throat. “One night–that’s all you get, after that we go back to being strangers,” She says, and a soft,dominant voice comes out from the other end. “My chauffeur will be there to pick you by right, wear the gown,” “That gown? Not in your wildest drea–” She's caught off by a new influx of pictures and she chokes her words, “Fine, but I'll need to drink–” “No,” he replied calmly, “I want you to remember everything I'll do to you tonight,” Two weeks later the pack doctor hands her a white envelope, “Congratulations, Luna Alice, you're pregnant!” Alice finds herself thrust into a web of lies of manipulation, caught between two brothers. Will she choose a familiar affection or traverse the plains of foreign passions?

My sister abruptly returns to the country on the day of my wedding. My parents, brother, and fiancé abandon me to pick her up at the airport. She shares a photo of them on her social media, bragging about how she's so loved. Meanwhile, all the calls I make are rejected. My fiancé is the only one who answers, but all he tells me is not to kick up a fuss. We can always have our wedding some other day. They turn me into a laughingstock on the day I've looked forward to all my life. Everyone points at me and laughs in my face. I calmly deal with everything before writing a new number in my journal—99. This is their 99th time disappointing me; I won't wish for them to love me anymore. I fill in a request to study abroad and pack my luggage. They think I've learned to be obedient, but I'm actually about to leave forever.

“Is this a…contract?” “It has everything you would need if you want to go on dates with me for the next couple of weeks. From the times you can call me to the days I would not be available to pick up calls or even respond to text messages no matter how urgent they are. There’s also a number of locations we can have our dates and another number of places I would never set foot in. Things you can talk about and things you should stay out of. There’s a detailed list of questions you can ask me there and an even more detailed list of things you should never mention. It’s not too much. All you need to do is go through it, sign the contract and we’re good to go. I’ll text you the dates and locations of our dates and have my driver come pick you up.” Emily was bewildered. “You’ve got to be joking.” ——- Emily Stark was given a choice- to either get married to a billionaire she had never met her entire life in place of her sister who had ran away in fear of getting married or somehow find a way to pay her parents’ debt of thirty million dollars in a day. She is immediately stuck at a crossroad but knows she has no choice but to succumb and get married. After all, it was just marriage? How much complicated could it be? Well, unless your husband to be is a cold ruthless billionaire who only cares about his work and has absolutely no interest in you. And to make it worse, thinks marriage is nothing but another business deal. A contract to be signed and simply gotten over with with time.

The wedding's in half an hour, and my fiancé's assistant, this woman, just hands me this paper. Rule number one: No physical contact with him outside, not unless he explicitly permits it. Rule number two: Intimacy is to occur only when he initiates it. She is obligated to satisfy his desires at least once a month. Rule number three: He can demand his due at any time, any place, and she cannot refuse. ... After I finished reading this entire two-page contract, I had to fight to keep a smile on my face. Swallowing the fire in my gut, I called my fiancé. "Marcus, what the hell is this?" "What do you mean, 'If he fathers a child, she must raise it, no matter who the mother is'?"

Number 1: Kidnap the Mafia's Wife. Number 2: Great, the bitch is gone. Stage an accidentally-on-purpose meet up to get his attention. Number 3: Have his eyes on me the whole night. Number 4: Let him take me home. Number 5: Experiment: take one; put a gun to the bastard's head. The last thing Indigo Mae expected was for a terror from her past to come knocking on her door at midnight. And by all means, the last thing she could have possibly hoped for was this little visit being the reason she gets roped into a twisted and deadly experiment, using the most dangerous man in the continent as her labrat. All Indigo ever wanted was a breakthrough. Unfortunately, life has other surprises. And it all begins with her getting thrown, hands tied, into a sinister Mafia world of conspiracies, lies, desires and death. Or, in other words, this mad man called Alessandro Ferrara.