Princesses Of Today

On Thanksgiving, my husband Steven Mandel showed up with another woman. Not just anyone—Fiona Osborne, his first love. She had Alzheimer's and only remembered him. And yeah, he said she was moving in. Steven's eyes were ice. "Erica, I stayed away from Fiona out of duty. But I'm not wasting what time I have left without her." Happy 50th anniversary to me. No gift—just a slap-in-the-face love confession. Maya, my daughter-in-law, tried to talk some sense into him, bless her. Then Anton—my own son—cut in. "Mom already kept Dad away from Fiona for years. She's tied ME to you for half my life. Now Dad just wants to take care of the woman he loves—what's so wrong with that?" Steven stepped in front of Fiona like some kind of hero. "Anton's right. Erica, I let you play the wife role for decades. Now, I want to be with the woman I truly love. "If you can't handle that, let's just get a divorce." I stood there, frozen. I'd walked away from a powerhouse law career for this family after we had Anton. I thought I had given everything, and in their eyes, I would be a perfect wife and a perfect mother. But today made it clear—I was never enough. No matter how much I gave, it was never going to be enough. I turned to Maya. She was crying. "You wanna get divorced together?"

MAGICAL (Everything about us... is magical.) Melanie Spears thought she was an ordinary high school girl until she learned she wasn’t. Dragged into a hidden realm where magic rules and royal blood matters, she’s faced with choices no teenager should ever make. Torn between homework and hidden powers, a mysterious stranger guides her toward a destiny she never asked for. As she steps into her royal role, Melanie discovers perks she never imagined, and dangers that could destroy everything she loves. With supernatural forces stirring in both her world and the human realm, she’ll have to be braver than she’s ever been. School assignments clash with forbidden secrets. Friendships are tested. Emotions run wild and so does her magic. When she hears the word “danger,” it’s not a warning. It’s a prophecy. Can she balance teenage life and a destiny she didn’t ask for? Excerpt from the story: "Melanie, can you please stay back?" "What do you mean?" "Can you not go to school today? Stay at home, please." She pleaded with glassy eyes. I pulled her into an embrace. "Can you tell me why you don't want me to leave?" "Danger." she whispered. "I wouldn't have wished for the latter. I should have just maintained the first prayer. All because what I saw...was going to be the end of me, what I saw was terrifying. It was death!"

"From today onwards, I will take every decision of your life. What you will eat, where will you go, when will you speak, what you will wear it will be all as I wish. And if you dare to defy me then till now it must have been crystal clear to you how far I can go to keep my words," his voice unsympathetic and cold, causing a shiver down her spine. Out of fear she was not even able to raise her head and kept her eyes casted down. He lifted her head up with his forefinger, underneath her chin and stared directly into her mesmerizing hazel eyes. "Understood?" Her throat was parched and her mouth was dry. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. The seam of her lips was cracked and pasted with each other and she couldn't find enough courage in herself to say anything using her tongue, so she just nodded and casted down her eyes again. He raised her chin more now with his forefinger and thumb, indicating her to look in his eyes and she did so. "Understood?" He asked again and raised both his eyebrows, warning her. "Yy....ye..ss" she croaked out. Her eyes were widened with fear and hands were fisting the bedsheet. Her cheeks were imprinted with red finger marks. "Good. Now take of your clothes and fulfill your duty" he ordered. She only pleaded him with her eyes. Clearly, she didn't want her wedding night to turn out like this.

What can a woman do when her husband lost his memory and was now in love with another woman? Three years ago, I lay in a coma for a year after a car accident. When I woke up, not only didn’t my husband remember me, but he loves another woman, Ashlyn.  But I didn’t give up on us. Two months ago we got drunk, and we slept together for the first time in two years. But the next morning, Jayden was angrier than ever. He was convinced that he was drugged which was just another scheme of mine to win him back… I can’t forget the image of him staring at me with no emotions in his eyes and hands me the Divorce Agreement. Then I find out I was pregnant. The tiny life growing inside me made me stronger. Now it’s been three years and slowly each day got better. I started a little firm as a marketing and financial advisor, putting my education to use. My business partner, Phillip, has been helping me grow the company and we have grown very close. Phillip was so overwhelmed with emotion today since we are signing our biggest deal; his lips are on mine before I can stop him. When I turn around, the man standing at our glass door, glaring in at me and Phillip, is my ex-husband Jayden Brennan himself. Is there jealousy in his eyes? What does he want now?

Growing up alone and becoming independent at such a young age was never easy for Mallory Addison Finley. For her, it was like walking on pins or entering a narrow loophole. Simply put, her journey was not a smooth-sailing one. After losing her parents in a car crash, her life had become a living hell for her. She had to go to such lengths to survive, even though she was barely alive. Nonetheless, she was under the impression that she would have a promising future in the actual world. She assumed she would have and live a great life. Until she reached her mid-twenties, and yet she couldn’t find a stable job. Hired today, fired tomorrow. She’d grown accustomed to her usual life. Her situation has remained unchanged for several years, and she has never been able to break the chain. Then, one day, the tables were turned on her. There came a time when she least expected it. Her closest friend, Tiffany Maurer, suggested that she apply to Crimson Group Incorporation because they were looking for a secretary, and Luke Crimson, the president of the company, wanted to find a suitable replacement for the position as soon as possible. Mallory accepted her friend’s offer, fearing she would squander the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Little did she know that not only a job awaited her at work, but also, romance. What lies, sacrifices, and pain must she bear as a result of her love for the young billionaire? Will she be able to handle it all? Or will she find herself giving up the man she loves?

Drenched in mud, I've just climbed down the scaffolding and started munching on a cold piece of stale bread when a luxury car speeds past me, effectively drenching me in muddy water. The car window on the driver's side is quickly lowered. A sleazy guy hurls a pack of cigarettes in my face the next moment. "Hey, peasant! This is a reward for you! I got really lucky today, after all!" While I pick up the cigarette pack silently, the man happens to be boasting loudly to the woman sitting in the front passenger seat. "My brother-in-law really is an idiot! He seriously thinks that my sister has a terminal disease! He went to the black market last night night just to sell his blood in exchange for 200 thousand dollars' worth of surgical fees! I end up winning double in the casino with that money of his! "My sister told me that once that idiot gets his hands on the work injury compensation, she'll divorce him right away and buy me a new home!" I grip the bread so hard that it crumples in my hand. After all, my wife, Estella Wilson, was just diagnosed with "late-stage stomach cancer" yesterday. Suddenly, I feel my phone buzzing in my pocket. It's a voice message from Estella. "Hubby, it hurts so much going through the chemotherapy! The doctor told me that I'd be eligible for better medication if we could cough up another 200 thousand dollars. Can you please plead to the foreman and borrow some money from him?"

Over the Fourth of July weekend, I took my boyfriend's sister to his flashy new influencer hub. Fresh off brain surgery, Benedetta Griffin needed a break from her recovery, and I hoped the trip would lift her spirits. In the hub, a streamer was hawking a face cream like a carnival barker. "Listen, fam! The boss lady is slashing prices. Get this $3,800 cream for just $398 today!" Benedetta tugged my sleeve. "That cream is bad news." She'd interned at the FDA last summer and could spot a scam from a mile away. "It's packed with steroids. Long-term use will ruin your skin." Driven by her sense of justice, she marched up to the streamer. "You can't sell this unlicensed junk. The steroids exceed legal limits. Pull it from the shelves." Morgan Lamb froze, but then her fake smile twisted into a scowl. "Who the hell are you to trash my product?" Benedetta didn't back down. "You're scamming people, and you know it." Morgan planted her hands on her hips. "I'm the boss lady here. How dare you slander my brand? Nobody leaves until you cough up $500,000 for damages." "Boss lady?" My stomach churned. My boyfriend's sudden venture into the streaming industry now made sense. He was sinking money into this hub to bankroll his lover. I fumbled for my phone to call him, but Morgan was faster. "Babe, get to the hub. Two haters crashed the party, trying to tank our business."

I put three hundred million dollars into building a business for my brother's first love. They were finally getting married. But two hours before the wedding, the maid of honor suddenly went AWOL. To keep the wedding on track, I dropped a major international deal, booked the next flight out, and flew back immediately. When I arrived, my brother hugged me gratefully and handed me the wedding ring along with a gift box — inside was a necklace, a token he'd promised Celeste. "Sis, I'm counting on you to take care of Celeste's side. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you step in as maid of honor today?" But the moment I walked into the bridal suite, my brother's bride slapped me across the face. "You've got some nerve showing up here, you homewrecking bitch." "You think you can steal my husband at my own wedding? Are you out of your mind?" "Celeste, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I’m Alexander’s sister…" I tried to explain. "Who the hell are you kidding?! My sister-in-law runs a billion-dollar empire. A tramp like you could never." "You want to steal my husband? Fine. Let's see how tough you really are." And just like that, I was tied up and thrown into a pen with a vicious dog. Celeste Davenport — if that's how you want to play it, then enjoy your one-way ticket to the hell.

The following book contains mature contents. I laid beside her and turned her body to make it face mine. I slid my one hand under her waist and pulled her even closer to me until there was no space left between us. I hugged her feeling a lot of things; love, care, pain, hate. “Gabriel?” she whispered. “Yes love.” “I Love You!” There. She said those words to me. If she'd said to me before yesterday then I would've been the happiest and most probably the craziest person on earth. I would declare a holiday in the entire city, I would take her in my arms and kiss her until we both run out of breathe, but today, it was different. I felt only pain. “Zayla?” She did not speak. She was already in her wonderland. “I don't want to love you anymore Love.” ------------------------------------------------------------ Her past was a Werewolf, her present is a Lycan. Her past broke her heart, her present deceived her feelings. Stuck in between Worse and Worst, Then and Now, yet she goes for the odd option; end her life and finish everything at once. "Everything will be fine as long as I'm gone." Experience the life of Zayla; a girl for whom luck never favored and no good cards were ever dealt to her, as she is torn in between a Werewolf whom she loved immensely and was her pride and a Lycan whom she trusted blindly and went against all the prejudice. ... Be ready for Pain, Hate, Betrayal and a Love like no other.

When Eloise Garpin, my daughter, comes back from kindergarten, she tells me that her teacher, Karen Linsell, has given her class a weird assignment. Apparently, everyone is to record their mothers' menstrual week. But what makes things weirder is that whenever I'm on my period, John Garpin, my husband who's often busy with work, keeps offering to pick Eloise up from kindergarten. One day, I come across a post on a social media app. "What should I do? I've fallen in love with my student's rich father! Oh dear, I really like him so much! You have no idea that his taut and slim waist looks so seductive! Every time I see him, I can't help but moan!" Someone begins admonishing her out of fury the moment they see the post. "What the hell? Are you itching to become a mistress? You really are shameless! Goodness, you're so disgusting! I can't believe you call yourself a teacher!" Unexpectedly, the original poster doesn't care about the comment at all. She even posts a photo featuring the aftermath of her carnal fun with the man. "So what if I am? Anyway, we regularly sleep together every month whenever he picks his daughter up during his wife's period. This is so thrilling!" I'm stunned when I see the million-dollar custom watch strapped to the man's wrist in the photo. And today… happens to be the first day of my period.