Quietly Hostile

While attending a class reunion with my wife, we ran into her old flame—Caelum Zeth. After the gathering, Talia Grant cornered Caelum against a wall. When she found out he had fallen on hard times, she kissed him. "How much do you still owe? Be with me. I'll give you 100 thousand a month. Will that be enough?" I stood quietly at the corner of the street and snapped a photo of their heartfelt reunion before sending it to my lawyer. I also forwarded it to Talia, along with a message, "Since you two are so in love, go ahead and marry him."

"You're my Amber" I heard his low voice as he moved in and out at such a perfect pace that I felt like I would melt in a matter of seconds. There was very, very little left, and my belly was contracting painfully. "All mine! Amber, a spoiled young woman from a wealthy family, sees her world turn upside down when her father loses the family fortune due to scams. She and her mother are forced to move to the outskirts of New York City, finding themselves in a hostile environment where opportunities are scarce. Desperate for a means of support, Amber lands an unexpected job at a prestigious company. To her surprise, her boss is someone from her past whom she never imagined encountering again. Though initially reluctant to accept the maid position, she soon realizes it's her only chance to have a roof over her head. As Amber immerses herself in the responsibilities of her new job, she discovers long-forgotten memories beginning to resurface. Amidst the day-to-day challenges, she finds herself confronting uncomfortable truths about her past and her own identity. What she initially viewed as a mere temporary job unfolds into a journey of self-discovery and redemption, where secrets from the past intertwine with future possibilities.

Penelope Rivera's little boy toy, Theodore Schneider, is throwing another tantrum. She slides the divorce papers across the table toward me. "Just sign them for show. It's to keep Teddy happy." I clench the cuff of my suit and nod in silence. I sign my name in one swift stroke. As I'm walking out, I hear one of her girlfriends teasing, "Samuel's way too easygoing. Does he actually do everything you say?" Penelope takes a graceful sip of red wine and smirks. "Wanna bet?" They bet that I will quietly go through with the divorce at the courthouse, even if my eyes are red with tears. Listening their laughter, I rub my thumb over my phone screen and reply to the message I've just received. "Will you marry me?" it says. "I will."

The year my boyfriend is dead broke, I leave him. Later, he becomes a mafia boss and uses every means at his disposal to marry me. Everyone says that I am the first love he can never forget, the wife he cares about the most. However, he then starts bringing home a different woman every night, making me a laughingstock. Still, I don't cry or make a fuss. I quietly stay in my own room, never interrupting his affairs. Elton Carter is furious. He kisses me harshly and growls, "Aren't you jealous?" He has no idea that I'm gravely ill. Each night, he brings different women home, oblivious to the truth. Little does he know, I have just seven days left to live.

Clarity was better. “I'll be gone in the morning.” I said quietly. It was sometime between two and three am. We both sat, lost in our own thoughts, my body shamelessly yearning for his comfort, when I'd just broken his heart. I kept sobbing quietly cause there was no stopping the tears that stemmed from a place of pain and guilt. Three times, three solid times, I stopped myself from lurching at his feet. I wanted to be held by him, but even though the distance between us, physically, was so small, we were more than miles apart emotionally. What terrified me more than the look on his face was what was going through his mind. Emma has caught the attention of the playboy in school, who happened to be the sexiest bully, and her Stepbrother.... They battle webs of secrets and lies, from friends and family, and finally, their own ego and desires. Chase wants to be Emma's last 'Goodnight' and her first 'Good morning', so does Kevin. Can he battle the insane attraction she has for Kevin, whom she had unfinished business with? Will Chase throw in the towel and let the rich tech guy swoon his girl? Will Emma ever forgive Chase's betrayal and indifference? Are their issues even solvable? Find out in the fast paced Falling For My Stepbrother 1

Five years ago, when my boyfriend's small company was on the brink of bankruptcy I stepped in to save him, quietly supporting him from the shadows. Without revealing my identity, I became the company’s largest shareholder. Five years later, the night before his company was set to go public, he held me in his arms and said, "Emma, after the company goes public tomorrow, don’t leave. I have a surprise for you." At that moment, I was swept away by the idea of his "surprise," my mind racing with the hopeful thought that he might propose. I didn’t notice the cold glint of malice lurking in his eyes. The next day, as his company went public, he slapped me across the face and sneered, "Do you even see what kind of person you are? Did you really think someone like you could marry me?" He grabbed me by the hair and dragged both me and my best friend in front of a crowd of thugs and beggars he’d gathered. “These worthless cast-offs aren’t good enough for me anymore. Consider them my gift to you. Do whatever you like with them!”

Thirty days into our argument, my girlfriend kissed her first love passionately right in front of me. I quietly asked my boss for a transfer to the Northern City branch, which was thousands of miles away. Her friends clapped and teased me. “Ivan, your girlfriend’s getting a new boyfriend. Aren’t you going to win her back?” I held her hand and sincerely said, “I’m sorry.” She looked down at me with a proud smile. “Okay, I forgive you. Tomorrow, pack your things. We’re going to see my parents.” I smiled and agreed. But she did not know I was leaving for Northern City that night.

The world is divided. Tensions between different species and governing hierarchies lead to bleak cities full of crime and distrust. Violence is common and life is hard, even for the seemingly superior Shifters. A Lycan rogue rejected by his own people helps a human woman. Either the best or worst decision in his life. Together, they find that misleading truths have led the world for too long. Together they question age-old traditions and force a new path forward. With the changes in power brewing and questions of equality beginning to rise, the old guard awakens to face this new ideological threat. Will this unlikely pair have the strength to survive in a world that is ever more hostile? Love can do many things, but it cannot bring back the dead.

The day I signed my organ donation papers, my family was gathered around my adopted sister, Hailey, holding a cake they'd baked themselves to celebrate the start of her first clinical trial. I have terminal brain cancer, and my stepsister, Hailey, had stolen my husband Zane's medical credentials. She'd blackmailed a member of his staff to swap her healthy medical records with my terminal diagnosis, stealing the one spot in an experimental treatment that could have saved my life. The pain became too much. I swallowed a handful of painkillers, only to overhear the nurses whispering, "It's a good thing Dr. Zane secured that spot for Hailey. They said she only had three days left." So, in the last 72 hours of my life, I quietly let go of everything. When I signed away the publishing rights to my novels, my father and brother gave me a satisfied smile. When Zane handed me the divorce papers and I signed without a moment's hesitation, he sighed and praised me for finally being "so reasonable." And when I was the one who coaxed our daughter, Olivia, into calling Hailey "Mommy," Olivia gushed that her new mom was the best. Even when I offered Hailey the seaside villa and all my assets, their expressions softened into something like relief. "Don't worry," my brother soothed, gesturing toward Hailey. "We're just keeping it safe for now. Once she's gone, it'll all come back to you." I gave them everything they wanted. So why, when they find out this was all Hailey's vicious lie, do they come crying, saying I'm the one they wanted all along?

Yvayn is beginning his Anointment Journey now that he’s reached the age of manhood. As the son of the emperor, he must journey to the neighboring empire and meet his allies. Yvayn had lived a secluded life and now he is thrust upon the world in which his life is forever changed by events foretold in forgotten prophecies that were buried by former clan leaders and religious zealots. His world comes crashing down around him as events unfold from evil machinations that begin to destroy his world around him. Yvayn also finds himself lost and wandering into the lands of his mother and befriends his relatives under a new name. He confronts bias and judgements against him by protecting his family from a hostile lion then befriends a lost and injured wizard and decides to take him back to his home. Meanwhile Yvayn’s guardian tries to find Yvayn. Termas decides to return home when he befriends a young girl named Cai. He returns to the capital city and begins to build an army to defend the city from the evil forces that are quickly coming. He follows them into one massive battle where everything seems to fall apart from an even larger enemy. He has to fight against old clan enemies as well as religious zealots to try to keep control all while admitting that he lost Yvayn somewhere on his Anointment Journey. This is just book one of three.