Plastic Smile

It's Family Day at my daughter, Hannah Neel's, preschool, but my wife, Samantha Miller, says she has to work and tells both Hannah and me not to go. Seeing the disappointment on Hannah's face breaks my heart, so I bring her to school anyway. As soon as we step through the gates, I see Samantha. She's holding her childhood friend—Oscar Barnett's—hand, with a little boy clutching her other. The three of them look like a perfect family, laughing and chatting, as if they belong together. When Samantha sees us, her smile fades, and she lets go of Oscar's hand. "Zach, it's not what you think. Oscar's raising his son alone. Today's his fifth birthday, and he just wanted to give him a little taste of a mother's love," she says quickly. I study her for a moment, then kneel and gently take Hannah's hand in mine. "Sweetheart, say hello to the lady."

On Christmas Eve, my father got the man I had secretly loved for ten years drunk and sent him to my bed. When I woke up the next morning, Roy pulled away from my attempt at a good-morning kiss. His voice was cold and distant as he agreed to marry me. After the wedding, Roy wasted no time submitting a transfer request. He took an overseas post and left. He did not return for five years. I gave birth to our daughter, Eve, alone and waited for him to come back home. When I heard that Roy had finally applied to return to a domestic position, I was overjoyed. I spent days preparing, imagining our first reunion as husband and wife. But even when the clock struck midnight, he still hadn't come home. Our daughter, ever so thoughtful, placed her most treasured possession—a photograph of Roy—into my hands. "Don't cry, Mommy," she said softly. "Look, Daddy's right here." I tried to convince myself that his absence was due to a delayed flight. But later that night, while watching the news, I saw him. He was on a crowded city street, holding a young girl in his arms. Beside him stood a woman, her smile soft and warm. Facing the camera, Roy said, "Being with them is my greatest wish." At that moment, something inside me broke. I wrote up the divorce papers, packed our things, and planned to take Eve to change her identity. I didn't want him anymore. The day before we left, a man I had never met came to see me. He was Roy's father. "You could call me Dad," he said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "But I'd rather you call me Ryan." I told him everything about the past five years—how I had waited, how I had hoped. When I finished, he laughed softly, an unusual warmth in his voice. "If it was just business," he said, "perhaps your father should have tied a bow around me and sent me to your bed instead. But I hold my liquor well—if I ever end up wrapped in a bow, you can be sure it's by choice."

For the seven years after our marriage, I spend whole nights in the prayer room before he will even touch me. Eric Compton says it is to atone for what I owe Monica Lynch. When his mother, Barbara Lane, pushes me to fulfill my wifely duties again, I overhear Eric's friends laughing. "Let me think. How many rounds of IVF has Avery done this year? She's trying very hard to get pregnant." "She probably doesn't know there's no way she's ever getting pregnant with Eric's kid." Eric scoffs. "Every time we're done, I give her a glass of milk. After all these years of birth control, it'd be a miracle if she got pregnant." He adds, "Everything she's suffered through is just payback for driving Monica away." I smile bitterly and send the recording to Richard Compton. "I'm not the lucky one meant to carry on the Compton name. Can I go now?"

“You’re marrying Mike Rowling. There’s no choice.” That’s what my mother said, her words as cold as ever. I never imagined my life would come to this—trapped in a marriage to a man I’ve never wanted. Mike is a bitter, broken billionaire, his heart sealed off after an accident that changed everything. He’s a stranger in his own home, and now, I’m his reluctant wife. But there’s something no one knows, not even Mike: my daughter Mia isn’t just my little girl—she’s his, too. A secret I’ve kept buried for years. As the days pass, I can’t help but feel the pull between us. He’s changing, softening, and my heart begins to betray me. But every smile, every touch, feels like a lie because of the truth I can never tell. Then one night, Mike looks at me with eyes full of questions, and I realize—he knows. Everything is about to unravel. Will the truth destroy us, or will it be the key to our future?

After being fired for a small mistake, Sabrina’s luck changes when she becomes the secretary to a billionaire CEO…and discovers that Atlas Collins is the handsome stranger that tried to save her job. Though they’ve only met once, Atlas seems familiar to Sabrina, a feeling she can’t shake. Can Sabrina trust the man Atlas has become, or will the CEO’s secrets be too much to handle? Without warning, Atlas begins unbuttoning his shirt. I knew that Atlas had a gorgeous face and wonderful personality; now I’ve been blessed with seeing his sculpted body. Atlas clears his throat and I’m forced to tear my eyes away from him. When I see the flirty smile on his face, I realize he caught me staring. “I know you would love to stand here all day and look at my body,” he teases, moving towards the door, “But we have a lot of work to get through.” The CEO’s Secrets is created by Chloe Higgins, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

I hid behind a thick tree trunk and watched silently as a grizzly bear attacked my husband. In my previous life, I was a guide. I led my husband—an environmental photographer—and his female colleague into a nature reserve to film wildlife. While scouting the route, I discovered a nursing grizzly bear and immediately warned them not to take any photos and to retreat slowly. To my shock, they intentionally bumped into me, causing my right leg to be cut and bleed. The scent of blood enraged the bear, and it charged straight at me, sinking its massive jaws into my abdomen. After the bear left, my husband calmly stripped me of all my equipment. Then, wrapping his arms around his female colleague, he kissed her. He turned to me with a sinister smile creeping across his face. "Kate," he said, "I'll be honest. I never loved you. You're dying. Now, all your assets will be mine." I bled out and died. When I opened my eyes again, it was the morning of the day we entered the mountains.

"I was just trying to steal some bread when the bond hit. One second I'm a rogue surviving on scraps. The next, I'm fated mate to THREE Princes. Not one. Not two. All three heirs to the throne. Damon, the brutal Crown Prince who thinks I'm a trap. Kieran, the charming second son who wants to seduce me. Caius, the scarred eldest who says he'll destroy his brothers to win. They say I have to choose one within a year, or the bond kills us all. The one I pick becomes King. The other two lose everything. But here's the problem: I don't want any of them. I just want to survive in a palace full of she-wolves who'd kill me for breathing. In a court where every smile hides a knife. With a bond that gets stronger every day, making it impossible to think straight when they're near. And the worst part? The longer I'm here, the harder it gets to imagine choosing only one. Because what if I'm falling for all three?"

Elena wanted to cry her heart out to whoever would listen, but her heart was dry. She couldn't even find it in her to do anything other than smile, nod politely and recieve the insults and abuse dished out to her. Afterall, she believed that there was nothing she could do. She was above the age of mating and she was still unmated. Each blood moon came and went and the moon goddess in some sort of joke or irony refused to grant her a mate. It wasn't just her lack of a mate, she also couldn't wolf out. No matter how much she tried, it just didn't work. What came to every werewolf so easily ran away from her. Elena felt tired and defeated. Even if she wanted to fight her uncle how would she do it? Physically she was almost the weakest in the pack. Malnutrition had told on her leaving her with extremely pale skin and a skinny body. Sometimes to herself she wondered how she was still alive.

Sighs, accompanied by small cries, continued to slip from Victoria's mouth. The stings that continued to give her pleasure often caused Victoria's hips to rise, as if she wanted to be completely satisfied by Alex. "I will never let you go, Victoria. So don't ever regret what we did today," he said with passionate eyes. Victoria tilted her face and returned Alex's gaze, which looked sexy in her eyes at the time. Then Victoria smiled and as she put her arms around Alex's neck she said, "Can I back out now that we've come this far Detective Thornfield?" A smile appeared on Victoria's already beautiful face. Love comes like unexpected rain. But pain is a predictable certainty. So it was with Alex and Victoria's love. A love that had to be prevented by all the rules. A love story that goes beyond human romance. A vampire version of Romeo and Juliet. What is the journey of this romance between two vampires from different clans? Experience the full story only in Shadows of Bloodlust.

I am soulless, cruel, and have no heart. I do not feel anything when I take their souls. They deserve it as their souls are impure. These dirty humans have souls whereas, I, do not. I cannot contain my jealousy towards them as they can die as they please whereas, I, cannot. I was once a mere mortal who loved a Goddess but I was betrayed and turned into something beautiful but hideous for eternity as my soul left me and lie asleep for eternity somewhere in the dark abyss. My beauty is lethal as I can deceive my prey. I have lived far more than any human can apprehend and I cannot remember how it feels to be a human and this little girl, an innocent beauty, a mere mortal, I should loathe, take her soul, and leave her dead cold. But why am I hesitating? Her innocent blue eyes and her bright smile is illuminating my darkness. I, Endymion, am a soulless immortal, must take her filthy soul with no hesitation and regret...