Punching Bag With Stand

While my boyfriend, Caleb Lawson, is in the shower, I grab his phone on a whim and drop a message in the group chat he's in with his friends. "Guess who I'm with tonight." I expect them to say my name, but their reply blindsides me. "That freshman who used to chase you when you were a sophomore? She's obsessed with you. She's definitely easier than your girlfriend. Want us to swing by tonight?" My gut tells me he's hiding more than an affair. Just as I start scrolling through his messages with the freshman, a notification from her pops up. "Caleb, I agree to the threesome. I'll do anything you want." Seconds later, another message appears in the group chat. "Just be careful this time. We don't need another body on our hands."

SOLD TO THE ALPHA FOR A ONE NIGHT STAND When he stepped into view, all my breath left me in one sharp gasp. His presence filled the room, an overwhelming force that took my breath away. He stood tall and confident, his black hair styled back, a few stray strands falling over his forehead, giving him a wild edge. His jaw was strong, a neatly trimmed beard only accentuating his chiseled features. He was devastatingly handsome, but it wasn’t just his looks that affected me, it was the aura around him, the power that radiated from every inch of his body. His eyes locked with mine, and an overwhelming sense of power washed over me. My heart pounded in my chest, racing like I had no control over it. This man wasn’t just anyone. There was something primal in his gaze, something dangerous and alluring. Something...otherworldly.

Their marriage was nothing but a bargain. Their love became a battlefield. When fallen heiress Layla Carter is forced into a marriage with Lucian Hilton, the cold and ruthless illegitimate heir of the Hilton empire, all she wants is to save her daughter’s life. Love was never part of the deal. But fate has a cruel sense of humor. The man who once abandoned her that night; the father of her child turns out to be her husband. The woman he thought he could control becomes the one who can destroy him. As old wounds reopen and buried secrets rise to the surface, their fake marriage turns into a dangerous game of passion, power, and revenge, where the line between love and hate blurs, and redemption might come too late.

To get their hands on money so that my younger brother can get married and buy a house, my parents take me to the family tribunal. They show up in ragged clothes, accusing me of being ungrateful and heartless toward my own family. If I'm found guilty, I will be sentenced to life imprisonment. All my assets will go to my parents and my brother. But if I'm not guilty, they will suffer the full backlash instead. I sit on the stand wearing a trendy designer dress and holding a limited-edition handbag. My face full of disdain, I say, "They can sue me all they want! I'd rather die than financially support them!" The court attendees are outraged and start condemning me one after another. But the moment the trial light lights up, everyone freezes in shock.

After I, Rosalie Ricci, was stood up 17 times, the mafia don, Daniel Marino, finally holds the perfect engagement banquet for me. In our second year together, we are ready to get married. But every single time, he has an excuse to hold our engagement off. He says he's busy with work, the timing isn't right yet, or that he isn't quite ready. I never blame him because I love him. I have loved him since our school days. In fact, I have loved him for seven whole years. This is the 18th time. I stand in the banquet hall wearing the gown he personally chose for me and watch as he slips the ring onto my finger. He kisses me with a passionate intensity he has never shown me before. At that moment, I believe that I have finally secured my perfect happiness after waiting seven long years. My happiness only lasts until the guests leave. As I step into the back garden, I see Daniel holding my twin sister, Leah Ricci, in his arms. He says in a hushed voice, "I announced my engagement to Rosalie 18 times. This time, you're finally back." That's when I realize that the engagement banquet that I have longed for is nothing more than a ploy by Daniel to draw Leah back to him. But when I decided to let them be together, Daniel panics.

Everyone in Vallermoore knew I was Cole Mitchell and Finn Archer's most treasured princess. At 12, Cole saved me from my abusive dad's grip and gave me a second shot at life. He vowed to protect me always. At 13, Finn rented out an entire amusement park for my birthday and whispered that guarding my smile was his mission for life. Now I was 23, and they locked me in a pitch-black, freezing attic for three winter days. As I slowly lost consciousness, they were busy fawning over Zoey Hart, their long-lost childhood friend. "Everything you have is mine, so it's time to give it back." After hearing what Zoey said, I left without making a scene or shedding a single tear. However, for years after, they tore the city apart and tried to find me like mad.

Nadia Wilde, the once docile daughter of a wealthy and famous pastor who is loved by the public, has her life turned upside down when she’s sent to prevent her hidden and rebellious step sister from showing up at a one-night stand that could jeopardize her father’s reputation. But in the process, Nadia ends up on the hotel bed instead of Ava and is unable to stop what happens next because, deep down, she’s never been the good girl everyone has always adored. Six years later, Russell Lane, a young CEO whose automobile company is taking over the industry, develops the need for a contract wife, and Nadia, the perfect candidate, falls prey to his trap. With only flaming eyes to remember each other since that fateful day, Nadia recollects who he is, and Russell can’t seem to take his mind off the mysteriously familiar woman. Oblivious to the fact that he’s the father of Nadia’s twins, Russell wants her as his contract wife, and he plans to get her by any means, regardless of what she wants. Can Nadia keep up with a powerful family that tramples down on the likes of her and use this god-given opportunity to climb back up the social ladder? Will Russell be able to overcome the obstacles and keep his company away from the hands of his overambitious brothers and sisters? Most importantly… Will Nadia and Russell make what started as an accidental one-night stand thrive into something much more real, or will their contract marriage, along with everything else, end just as it was supposed to?

"You left these in my rover," he stated, shoving my panties into my hand. "Thought I should return them to you." "Do you want a thank you?" I snapped, quickly tucking the fabric into my pocket before any of my crew could see.*****Theodora Walker never claimed to be perfect. Especially when it came to her love life. The ex-military gunslinger made a name for herself as a galactic freelancer. Handling jobs from hunting down monsters to finding missing girls on her spaceship, Peacemaker, with her closest friends and the best damn crew she could ever want.As the Captain, she never expected to catch feelings for her mechanic, Mads, and tried to overcorrect it by having a one-night stand with a stranger.Now faced with more complications than she can handle she has to find a way to navigate her heart while also navigating the galaxy.The Captain, the Mechanic and the One Night Stand is created by Claire Wilkins, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

It was just a night, but it changed everything. A night of pleasure but it remained a night she'll never forget. It never crossed her mind that one stolen moment with a stranger would rewrite her fate. It was a night of warmth,desire and forgotten rules. But it turned out to be the point where her carefully planned future was shattered. Few weeks later, her dreams lay in ruins, her expectations cruelly erased and the future and life she envisioned slipped through her fingers and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Her life has become clouded with regrets, secrets and consequences of her actions such that she never saw coming, her future looks bleak and filled with uncertainties. Love became complicated, trust feels dangerous and hope; it was just impossible. Yet from the ruins and ashes of that single night, a new path begins to emerge because sometimes, it only takes one night to destroy what you believe in…and one truth to change everything forever.

Avelina Costa had it all—love, dreams, and a future with hockey superstar Zayn Volkov—until he shattered her world with one cruel decision. Pregnant and heartbroken, she disappeared… only to wake up with a new face, a stolen identity, and a thirst for vengeance. Two years later, she's back—living as someone else, standing beside the man who once abandoned her, married to him under a name he doesn't question. But as Avelina draws Zayn deeper into her web of revenge, old feelings begin to resurface… and so do dangerous secrets. Can she truly destroy the man she still loves—or will her own heart betray her first?