Picnic At Hanging Rock

My husband, Alex Carter, is a top AI engineer. He one day gets drugged by a new intern at his company, and one night of chaos follows. He calls me the next morning, his voice hoarse from a hangover and filled with unfamiliar panic. "Em, I messed up. But don't worry. I gave her enough money to disappear from this city." After ten years together, I believe it is just a momentary lapse in judgment. Six months later, Alex's company suffers the worst cyber attack in its history, with core data hanging by a thread. I rush back from a fragrance exhibition in Astral, only to witness a scene at the data center entrance that sends me into shock. Alex stands outside the tightly sealed door, his face showing a weariness and guilt I have never seen before. The doctor says that the intern, Brooke Anderson, is three months pregnant and has spent 72 hours with him in the high-radiation server room. Now, she shows signs of miscarriage. Later, Brooke gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The entire Carter family is ecstatic. I remove the wedding ring that has accompanied me for ten years, my fingertips turning ice cold. I dial the number saved with only one letter "S" and say, "Mr. Sullivan, I accept the collaboration you proposed last time." A low, soft laugh comes from the other end of the line. "Ms. Emma Shaw, that's a wise decision."

Zahara's life was never full of sparkles and rainbows. Sa dami ng ibinabatong pagsubok ng buhay sa kaniya ay halos gusto na niyang sumuko at huwag ng lumaban. Ang nobyo nalang niya ang naging sandigan niya para lumaban sa agos ng tadhana. When no one was there to pull her up, he was there. Kaya nang mapagtantong niloko siya nito ay labis na nadurog ang puso at pagkatao niya. She almost died knowing she was just a orphan with no one loving her. But faith gave her another chance to redeem herself. Her biological Father found her hanging on the brink of death. He took her in, making her the Heiress of his billions worth of wealth. Pero sa paglipas ng ilang taon na pagkakawalay sa bansang pinagmulan, hindi inakala ni Zahara na muli silang maghaharap ng lalaking minsang nagwasak ng puso niya. She did her best to forget about him. Masaya na siya sa buhay na meron siya ngayon. And the worst part is. They are marrying each for the sake of business. How will her ex boyfriend react after knowing that she's alive after all these years? At ano ang magiging reaksyon nito kapag nalaman na nagkaroon pala ng bunga ang pagsasama nila noon? Will this contract marriage be the way to heal their broken hearts? O ito rin ang magiging dahilan para mas lalo silang madurog at mawasak?

When Lana signs a marriage contract with the enigmatic Dax Salvatore, she believes she’s securing not just a lifeline but a chance at a new future. Her dreams of life-saving heart surgery come with a staggering price—a commitment to Dax for one year, with a payout of ten million dollars hanging in the balance. It seems like a fair trade until it becomes a tantalizing gamble that intertwines her fate with not just Dax but his fierce and unpredictable brother, Xavier. As the days turn into a whirlwind of shared secrets and unexpected emotions, Lana finds herself caught in a mesmerizing tug-of-war between the brothers—each pulling her further into a world of desire, connection, and conflict. Dax, with his protective charm, promises safety, while Xavier brings a thrill that leaves her questioning everything. Amidst the chaos of their intertwined lives, Lana grapples with what truly matters—her heart’s health or the unexpected love blossoming around her. With stakes mounting and the year counting down, can Lana navigate the complexities of attraction, loyalty, and her own ambitions? Will she emerge with the ten million dollars and the chance for a new life, or will she risk it all for the chance at a love that transforms her in ways she never anticipated? *** "You can't escape us, Lana, we own you," Dax sniffed my neck. But I could not move, Xavier's arms were around me, keeping me in place. "Please, I will pay back every cent that you paid me for the contract," I begged. "No, Lana, we both want to share you. Your contract will be mended," Xavier replied as he breathed on my neck, causing the hair on it to stand up.

Stella Sullivan is your normal seventeen-nearly eighteen-year-old girl. She likes shopping, taking selfies on her phone and hanging out with her friends until she had to move as her mother has just died and her father couldn't cope. He got into a lot of debt with his boss, and the only payment his boss would take was his daughter. So, as a cover for selling her, her father told her he got a promotion and that they had to move to a quiet country town as part of that promotion. What Stella didn't know was that she was about to be introduced to a new kind of not only living but an entirely different species. Axel Echethier has just turned five hundred years old. He is cruel, ruthless, violent, strict, savage, brutal, and a lot would call him bloodthirsty and barbaric, but that is only to others outside his pack because outsiders cause trouble and then pack members get killed. He is the King of Alphas and nothing gets done with a soft hand. Axel learnt that the hard way when he lost his chosen Queen. He has given up on finding his true mate, but this doesn't faze him as a true mate would just be a distraction and a weakness he doesn't want... **** WARNING **** The first part of this story contains mature scenes, implied rape, and some violence. In the extension "SOLD TO THE ENEMY ALPHA KING" Please read at your own discretion, as this part contains some violence, including physical, mental, and sexual abuse, including some rape, which may trigger some readers. Again, please read at your own discretion.

Dr. Jean S Nicole, assistant professor at the Kiiing's University. The person with great thoughts, great personality and the role model for many. One day some backbenchers were smoking cigarettes, and one of them saw something unusual in the back of the main building of the university, Dr. Nicole was hanging from the roof. They called the Chairman and other staff, after a while police came and started to investigate. At first everyone thought it's a suicide case but police get something weird about VC. Dr. Sapphire and Dr. Nicole both were fighting last week, and the result came as murder. Dr. Sapphire killed his colleague by strangling and then he brought him to the back of the building and hanged him by the roof. Dr. Sapphire, VC of the Kiiing's University get arrested in the murder case of his colleague. Everything changed when the postmortem report came in sight of the investigation officer Clark Black. But it was too late because the Vice Chancellor got hanged by the court. People started to protest against the judiciary and lawsuit because VC was not the actual suspect. Then the question is who's the real suspect, who killed Dr. Jean. After two weeks of this case another suicide case came as a mystery. In this case, the victim was killed by thousands of nails. Most interesting thing was there was no mark of blood after getting a thousand holes in the body. Back in the case of Dr. Nicole's murder, investigation officer get to know in postmortem report that there was no blood in the body of victim. It was strange but it wasn't the end, in just ten days there were thousand cases in which the victims were killed in different ways and every case seemed like suicide but it wasn't.

After working abroad for several years, I returned home, only to have my parents arrange a blind date for me. He was tall and strikingly handsome, honest in character, steady in demeanor, and came from an excellent family background. In short, the perfect candidate for a husband. I told myself that sooner or later, marriage was inevitable, so I settled on him. The day before the wedding, I went to the church—only to be stunned by the sight before me. The entire place had been transformed into something sinister and grotesque. The walls were plastered with terrifying photos of corpses, the floor littered with wax figures of severed arms and legs, and even the flowers had been dyed black, dripping with blood-red stains. But the most infuriating part was the image hanging right at the center of the church—an AI-generated picture of me, pinned beneath my fiancé, as he whipped me. My whole body trembled with fury. I stormed at the staff still working on the decorations, ordering them to stop immediately. Just then, his best friend, Nina Cullen, walked in. "Don't stop. Yves prefers this wedding style." I froze, staring at her in disbelief. "How is that possible? Who in their right mind would decorate something as joyous as a wedding with gore? This is insane!" Nina only gave a cold, arrogant laugh. "That's the theme. If you want to marry him, you'll have to accept it." Speechless, I immediately called Yves. "Yves, I'm not interested in getting married in a haunted house. You'd better restore the church to normal; otherwise, this wedding is off."

In a world where angels and demons clash, Detective Logan known also as Azrael, finds himself caught in a dangerous game of power and destiny. As the youngest detective in Hillburn City, his skills are unmatched and his determination is unwavering. But his purpose for returning to this world; the name Azazel, threatens to unravel everything he has worked for. Meanwhile, Azazel, the mighty ruler of the underworld, plots his next move. With his flaming red eyes and black wings, he possesses a power that surpasses all others. His anger burns like a furnace, and his possessiveness knows no bounds. Only one can tame this devil - Azrael. As the demon hunter Christopher Lee sets his sights on defeating Azazel, he realizes the magnitude of his task. No ordinary hunter can stand against the ruler of the underworld. Determined to bring justice to the world, Christopher hatches a plan to target Azazel’s most treasured possession - Azrael, the angel on his third reincarnation. In this thrilling conclusion, the destinies of Azrael, Azazel, and Christopher collide. With the fate of the world hanging in the balance, alliances will be tested, powers will be unleashed, and sacrifices will be made. Who will emerge victorious in this battle between angels and demons? Can Azrael overcome his weakness for Azazel and fulfill his purpose? Will Christopher’s hunt for justice lead to the downfall of Azazel, or will it bring death and destruction to the world? In a world where darkness and light intertwine, the lines between good and evil blur. Only through strength, determination, and the power of their intertwined destinies can these three characters face their ultimate challenges. Brace yourself for a gripping tale of love, betrayal, and the struggle for redemption in the face of unimaginable forces.

After sixty-six months of waiting,on the day of our Mating Ceremony, my fated mate, Alpha Asher, rejected me. He held his first love, Cora, in his arms, his gaze on me cold and cruel. "Cora is already carrying my pup," he said, his voice void of any warmth. "I am rejecting you. Once the pup is born and its place in the pack is secure, we can still be mates." He added, a cruel smirk on his face, "Besides, being my mate is the greatest honor an Omega like you could ever hope for." Everyone expected me to endure the humiliation, to wait quietly for Asher to come back and finally accept me. But that very night, I followed the Moon Goddess's guidance and left for good. Five years later, I returned to my old home. My mate Ronan called away on urgent business. So he had no choice but to arrange for a local Alpha to greet me. I never expected it would be him: my ex-mate, Alpha Asher. Exhausted from the long journey and weary from my pregnancy, I was met with mockery. With Cora on his arm, he sneered at my plain clothes, telling me I was nothing without him. "Seeing as you've hit rock bottom and look like some pathetic rogue, I suppose we can be generous enough to take you in. Our pup could use a healer." I just laughed coldly and refused. He has no idea — I’m now the Luna Queen to the Alpha King. His entire pack existed only at my mercy.

(18+ Warning: This novel contains explicit scenes of violence, aristocratic cruelty, sexual content, and themes of blood magic, non-consensual binding, and character trauma.) Sofia Quispe was never meant to be a simple noble. As the supposed pureblood heir to the powerful Abribi Covenant, her fate was sealed in a political Blood Union to three powerful vampire princes: the dominant Zilo Graves, the ruthless Klaus Blackwell, and the ambitious Zack Rivera. This union was meant to secure the throne and unite the kingdom. But during the Ceremony of Binding, the blood doesn't lie. When Sofia fails to Awaken her vampiric gifts, a desperate bloodline test reveals the shattering truth: she is not a pureblood noble, but a disgraced Dhampir—half-human, half-vampire—the product of her deceased mother’s forbidden betrayal. In the rigid aristocracy of the vampire world, Dhampirs are considered abominations, a stain on bloodline purity. Renounced by her enraged father, Lord Quispe, and brutally rejected by the Princes who fear political ruin, Sofia is cast out of the Covenant citadel and into the perilous human world, a day-walker with no power, plagued by the maddening Blood Hunger caused by the trio’s incomplete Blood Mark. Rock bottom forces her into the shadows of the city, where she works at a supernatural bar, fighting to control the erratic power surges of her cursed bond. When a violent attack by feral vampires leaves her vulnerable, she is saved by Phuwin Montague, a powerful, enigmatic Vampire Sovereign from a rival faction. Phuwin sees not a flaw, but a unique political weapon—a Dhampir marked by a Prince. Drawn into his dangerous orbit, Sofia trains with an ex-military vampire hunter, learning to master her hybrid nature and the dark potential of her blood. But the psychic echoes of the incomplete bond still haunt her, pulling her

Alizah Iris, a jolly-natured girl, just as her name suggests. She has always been enlivened and filled with bright colors. Her ambitions were as simple, to give her father a good life who was indebted in the weightage of huge loans. But one could not blame his father for it, every money he owed to people was well invested by him in Alizah's education. She was one determined girl but her academics were as poor as her financial status. When every teenager of her age was having a perfect teenage life with dates, parties, and high school, she was busy living a dual life when she enters 'Avalon High School'. She had a part-time job to attend and so tells the reason for her poor academic, she could barely give time to studying after dealing with 2-3 jobs per day. Avalon High wasn't meant for her, it was meant for the elite class students who belonged to rich families. Well, Alizah was given admission under scholarship by her god guardians, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford, who owned a well-known company in London. They were one of the creditors of Alizah's father. They were kind people who believed in charity. Everything goes fine, but could the silence before the storm ever be called peaceful? Like that, not everything that was coming Alizah's way was for her good. He was a hipster and a badass guy. Ronan Morris, the richest heir in Avalon High. He was like a rock who could not be melted no matter what. The stars crossed and so did their paths. He was a psychopath who only knew to play mind games and when he realized Alizah was easy to be targeted, that day Alizah's fate was cursed because no one wants to be the target of Ronan Morris.