Novel & Cerita Raised Platforms Crossword Clue

At our daughter’s three-month milestone party, my husband Garrett’s so-called "best friend" publicly humiliated me. “Hey, Vivian. I heard you're a little loose down there after popping out the kid.” "If it's that bad, you better get some tightening surgery quick—don't wanna mess up your marriage vibes!" Garrett shot her a playful glare and snapped, "Knock it off, Scarlett! You can't just say whatever pops into your head." Then he turned to me with a breezy shrug. "She's just like that—total tomboy. We grew up together; she means no harm." Scarlett shook her half-exposed breast and pouted, "Oh, come on, don't take it personally, Vivian. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of you." "See, my problem is the opposite. I'm way too tight—hurts like hell during my period. No clue who's gonna get lucky with this later." Then she cut her eyes toward Garrett with a playful wink. " Oh right, you've tried it before, haven't you?" The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes drifted toward me, barely concealing their curiosity. I smiled, set down my wine glass, and looked at Scarlett with fake concern. "That's strange. I don't remember making it that tight when I did your surgery."

On her wedding day, Isla faced a series of disasters no bride could ever imagine. Her fiancé, Jeremy, dropped a bombshell in front of the entire congregation, revealing an explicit video of her and another man—a video she had no knowledge of or clue how it came to be. To make matters worse, Jeremy took things further by proposing to her sister right then and there. Devastated beyond belief, Isla ran out of the chapel—and his life—without looking back. She swore never to let herself be humiliated like that again and decided that love was no longer worth the risk. With her heart in pieces, she headed to the nearest bar to drown her sorrows in alcohol, where, in a haze of pain and anger, she met a handsome stranger. What was meant to be a fleeting escape turned into a one-night stand. She disappeared without a trace, determined to sever all ties with Jeremy. That included quitting her job at his father’s company—she didn’t want anything to do with him or his family anymore. As she searched for a new beginning, fate led her into the path of Jaxon Waverly. Jaxon Waverly—a billionaire CEO by day and a fearless Mafia leader by night. Isla becomes his secretary, unknown to her and Jaxon himself that she is Jaxon’s long-lost love and unforgettable one-night-stand. Determined to win her over, Jaxon will stop at nothing to make her his wife.

Bianca was born noble, raised a slave, and mated to the Alpha who destroyed her. When Alpha Alex rejects her after using her to break his curse, Bianca is cast out, betrayed by the pack she once called home. Left to die, she's rescued by a rival Alpha who sees her worth, not her rank. Now torn between a painful past and a love that heals, Bianca must rise from the ashes of rejection and choose her destiny. 

"Ah… Slow down… My husband hasn't even ended the call yet…" I slump on the floor with my butt raised high. As I listen to my husband's instructions, I continue to shift positions every now and then. Meanwhile, the gym trainer has one hand latching onto my hip while smacking my butt heavily with the other. Under my husband's instructions, he thrusts forward heavily…

Lorenzo De Luca has spent his life in the shadows of his powerful family, never the heir, never the chosen one. Then he meets Mateo Cruz, the fierce, dangerous heir of their greatest enemy. Mateo was raised to destroy the De Lucas, but Lorenzo is the one weakness he never saw coming. What begins as defiance soon turns into a passion neither man can control. In a world where betrayal means death, will they choose their families, or risk it all for each other?

To the human world, they were Irish Twins, very few knew the truth. Lillian and Brayden had been raised by Lilliann's mother, Claire, in secret. But the day had come their power was gaining too much attention. The two teens would have to face off Lilliana's grandfather not just to save themselves, but keep the balance and most importantly the magic world a secret from the human world. Will they be able to save themselves this time or will they need to relive their 18 years again?

The housekeeper’s daughter, Selena Greene, deliberately chose to get married on the same day, at the same hotel as me. When our cars passed each other on the way to our weddings, she rolled down her window and asked to switch my bridal bouquet with hers. My bouquet, however, wasn’t just any bouquet. It was hand-carved from priceless jadeite by my grandfather himself—a one-of-a-kind heirloom and his blessing for my wedding day. “Trish,” she pleaded softly, “please. I’ve sacrificed so much for this wedding. I just want it to be perfect. I’ll give it back to you as soon as we get out of the cars.” My heart softened. Against my better judgment, I handed her my bouquet and took her cheap, plastic flowers instead. However, when we stepped out of our cars, she refused to return it. Worse still, during her ceremony, she tossed my jade bouquet onto the floor, shattering it into countless pieces. That bouquet had been my grandfather’s way of being present at my wedding. It was all I had left of him. Yet, in front of everyone, Selena put on an innocent act and accused me, “Who takes back a bouquet after a switch? A glass bouquet like this is all over online shopping platforms for ten bucks. I’ll just pay you back. Trish, you’ve made my life hard enough on normal days. Do you have to humiliate me on the most important day of my life, too?” Furious, I confronted her, but she ducked behind my fiancé and my brother, wiping at her eyes like the victim. My fiancé immediately went to comfort her, leaving me standing alone at the ceremony, humiliated and ridiculed by everyone. My brother, too, called me cruel and heartless. He cut me off financially and threw me out of the family home. Selena’s husband, having quickly risen to success with the help of powerful backers, unleashed his relentless revenge on the now penniless and alone me. In the dead of winter, hired thugs found me and brutalized me to death. And Selena? She became their princess, adored by all three of them. I sank into darkness, full of rage and regret. However, when I opened my eyes again, I was transported back to the day of the wedding.

Grace Hammond lost the most important person in her life, her grandmother, Juliet. Left with little beyond a failing farm and not much clue how to run it, she's trapped-- either she gives up three generations of roots and leaves, or she finds some help and makes it work. When a mysterious letter from Juliet drops a much needed windfall in her lap, Grace knows she has one chance to save the only place she's ever called home and posts a want-ad.The knight that rides to her rescue is Robert Zhao, an Army veteran and struggling college student. A first generation Korean American, Rob is trying desperately to establish some roots, not just for himself, but for the parents he's trying to get through the immigration process, a secret he's keeping even from his best friends. Grace's posting for a local handyman, offering room and board in exchange for work he already loves doing, is exactly the situation he needs to put that process on track.Neither is prepared for the instant chemistry, the wild sweet desire that flares between them. But life in a small town isn't easy. At worst, strangers are regarded suspiciously, and at best, as profoundly flawed-- and the Hammond women have a habit of collecting obscure and ruthless enemies. Can their budding love take root in subtly hostile soil and weather the weeds seeking to choke them out?

When Lisa's stepfather's advances became too much for her jealous mother, she framed Lisa, accusing her of having an affair with her stepdad and throwing her out. Lisa seeks solace at a club, only to drown her sorrows in a night of heavy drinking. This leads to a fateful encounter with Branden, a mysterious stranger who rescues her from a predatory man at the club after he falls for her upon seeing her for the first time. As the night unfolds, Lisa's life takes a surreal turn when she ends up in Branden's bed, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of what transpired. A month later, Lisa discovers she's pregnant, and the only clue to the father's identity lies in the hazy memory of that wild night. Returning to the scene of the encounter, she meets Jim, Branden's younger brother. She goes ahead to tell him, believing he's the father, but is shocked as she's been interrupted by the famous and wealthy Branden Grevor. Confusion ensues when Jim excitedly claims he's the father, leaving Branden stunned that his brother had been intimate with his guest. As tensions rise between the brothers, Lisa flees in confusion, leaving her torn between two brothers and a truth she never expected. Will the truth tear the brothers apart? Who is actually the father of Lisa's child? Can Lisa find love and acceptance amidst the tangled web of betrayal and blurred lines?

When Ivy returns home for the summer, she’s not the wide-eyed girl her billionaire stepfather raised after her mother’s death. She’s twenty-one now—sharp-tongued, sexy, and trouble in heels. The little girl is gone. In her place is a brat who knows exactly how to push Alexander Wolfe’s buttons… and maybe, just maybe, tempt him to sin. Alexander has spent years locking away his desire for the forbidden girl he swore to protect. He built empires and buried lust behind boardrooms and bourbon. But when Ivy saunters back into his mansion with those legs, that attitude, and that wicked glint in her eyes—every line he drew begins to blur. She wants to tease. He wants to ruin. But what starts as a game of temptation quickly spirals into obsession. As secrets unravel and past sins claw their way to the surface, the line between protector and predator, love and lust, begins to crumble. And when Ivy’s dangerous ex resurfaces and an unexpected pregnancy shakes their world. Alexander will be forced to choose between keeping his twisted desires in the dark… Or claiming his little girl in the most sinful way possible. He raised her like a daughter. Now, he’s ready to make her his wife.