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."

Oh, God Not again, but again. All that flashed through my head in the space when Gavril let me back down, and bang! Bang! He cursed, pulling up my panties, then fastening his own pants. He had a gun out, and where did he get that gun? But he had it pointed down, and he took my hand, pulling me to the back of the shed. _____ Naomi finds herself trapped in a nightmare she never asked for. Held captive and was Forced into a marriage with the monster of her nightmares, she struggles to reclaim her identity and freedom. With every moment, her spirit is crushed as her name is erased, and her life is shattered. Garvril Kirilenko, a relentless and dangerous billionaire Boss , refuses to accept no for an answer. From the very beginning, his rough hands tore apart her dreams, leaving her with a choice: submit to a life of torment as his wife or face a fate worse than death. Their marriage, built on lies, becomes a twisted web of secrets and manipulation. The truth, if revealed, could cost her everything. But remaining silent means enduring the unimaginable. In the depths of his depravity, he breaks her, claiming her body as his own. Night after night, she surrenders to his dark desires, her suffering becoming his pleasure. Yet, amidst the pain, a glimmer of hope emerges when she discovers she carries his child. Now, with the life of their baby hanging in the balance, she must navigate a treacherous path to survival. Will she find the strength to protect herself and her child from the clutches of this monstrous Billionaire Boss? Or will she forever be trapped in a loveless, torturous existence?

Twenty-four hours. Half a million dollars. Or his mother dies. Omega Caelen Ryn is out of options: his mother is dying, treatment costs half a million dollars, and loan sharks are closing in with brass knuckles and threats. Then a lawyer appears with an offer from Alpha billionaire CEO Aldric Fenmore: marry him for two years, every debt disappears, and his mother will be saved. The rules are brutal: separate bedrooms, zero feelings, don't fall in love. Their marriage is a transaction. Nothing more. Their first kiss is for the cameras. In public, they play devoted spouses. Behind closed doors, they're strangers. Until Monaco. When Aldric's race car spins out at 200 mph, Caelen realizes the truth-he's fallen in love with his husband. And when Aldric kisses him after his victory, raw and desperate and real, the contract between them shatters completely. They broke every rule. They fell impossibly in love. Aldric's ex returns, the man who destroyed his ability to trust, bringing a ruthless business rival and a plan for revenge. What starts as sabotage escalates into kidnapping, violence, and a premature labor that leaves both their lives hanging by a thread. In the trauma room, as Caelen bleeds out, the doctor delivers words that break Aldric completely: "You have to choose. We can only save one." The husband he loves. Or the child they never planned for. In that impossible moment, every vow they made, every sacrifice they offered, and every fragile dream they built together came down to a single, devastating choice. A contract that was supposed to end. A love that refused to.

"Please trust, I really do love you! I’ll do anything, please forgive me!" He pleaded, desperately hanging on to my hand. It was too late, I looked down on him as tears formed in his eyes. I was already too hurt to trust those eyes. Everything was a lie, I was a fool for giving him everything. How could I have been so stupid to have been fooled by him. I gave him everything. My throat felt dry, I was too tired and hurt to even muster words up for him. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I closed my eyes, my cheeks starting to feel the trail of tearing falling on them. "You’ve finally been ex… ex-exposed!" My voice finds itself by the end. --------- Melissa, a 17 year old girl, who grew up in the same house all her life with her mum Martha, and her sister Barbie. Right when Melissa feels like life is going her way, her mum gets transferred to the home company in California as a secretary. Melissa was in no way ready for a new environment, but still packs her bags to go to California with her family. Having to start a new high school where Melissa struggles to fit in, even making an enemy along the way. Crushing on Steve, the boy who's in love with Bethany, her enemy, school is anything but enjoyable. In a chostic turn of events, Melissa falls head over heels in-love unaware of the secrets that could change her relationship forever. Did Melissa make the right decision? Exposed

(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

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.

My name is Dakota Wetherby. On the very day my husband, Theodore Aldridge, and I get legally married, he brings his ex-girlfriend, Sofia Moretti, into our home. "Sofia recently suffered a miscarriage, so she's going through a very difficult time. I'm genuinely worried about her," he says. "We're just friends. It's only natural for friends to comfort each other," he adds. Sofia is Theodore's college sweetheart. Rumor has it they separated on good terms when she went abroad for further studies. Clad in Theodore's jacket, she curls up on our bed. Her pale, ashen face is streaked with tears. "I'm so sorry, Dakota. I had no idea you two were getting married today. "I was too upset and didn't know who else to reach out to, so I called Theo. "He was only comforting me because I lost my child. It's completely my fault for overstepping and ruining your wedding day. "You can ask for whatever compensation you want. Just please don't blame Theo for this." I hold the freshly issued marriage certificate from the courthouse and walk up to her. "Since you've brought it up, I suppose I'll reluctantly accept your compensation. "Theodore and I are married for business reasons, with billions in projects hanging in the balance. "Tell me, how exactly do you plan to make up for all of that?"

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.

I had been on a business trip overseas for less than six months when I suddenly received a call from the hospital. "Mr. Jones, your wife is having a difficult labor. Should we proceed with a C-section or try to continue with a natural delivery?" The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen. When I left, my wife had not shown any sign of pregnancy. How could she be giving birth less than six months later? I quickly dialed her number. The moment the call connected, I heard her cries of pain. "Honey, what's wrong?" From the other end of the line, I could hear a nurse urging her to push harder. However, my wife forced her voice to sound calm. "Sweetheart, I just slipped and fell a moment ago. It's nothing serious. You should keep focusing on your business trip. Don't worry about me." As I listened, the faint sound of a baby crying filtered through the phone. My grip tightened so hard around the phone that it nearly cracked. "Is that so? Then, get some rest," I said calmly. After hanging up, I immediately called my father, the richest man in the country. "Dad, Rebecca's cheating on me. She's in the delivery room right now, having another man's child. Stop all investments in the Harris family immediately. I want her thrown out with nothing to her name."

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.