Recording Hall

I was the belle of the school, good grades and all. But I wasn't the nerd they thought I was. I had been secretly dating my adopted brother's sworn enemy for three years. Lucian Palma had a strong desire for intimacy, so I went along with him in unlocking countless places to make love. He promised that he would marry me after graduation. Once he took over the family business from his wealthy father, he would make me the happiest woman alive. I believed him, even indulging him in his kink of recording us sleeping together. Lucian assured me that those videos were for his eyes only, and that no one else would ever see them. But then, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Lucian and his friends. "Lucian, you had deliberately staged a hero saving the damsel in distress situation to make Nina Etienne fall for you, all just to get it back at your archnemesis, Aaron North. If he found out his little sister had been sleeping with you, wouldn't it kill him with rage? "You've filmed hundreds of intimate videos, haven't you? When do you plan to release them? We'd love to see the nerd stripped bare under you." I didn't confront him about this. Instead, I quietly walked away and agreed to meet the fiance my father had arranged for me.

"Really? You've already had sex with that low-life girl? I thought you said you loved me?" "Language please. You're my father's wife. And that low life is now my wife and I won't have you–" Angelica suddenly removed her clothes and got naked in front of him. Reggie saw it and immediately closed his eyes. "Please put on your clothes, I'm a married man now." Reggie still had his eyes closed. He tried to resist her touch but eventually, he gave in without the knowledge that she was recording their sounds & actions. *********** Maya, a poor girl [illiterate] from the streets of New York City, gets married to Reggie Smith, the CEO of Smith's corporations. At first, it started as a game for Reggie. His only purpose was to use Maya to get back at his ex-girlfriend, Angelica, for getting married to his father. Then he slowly falls in love with Maya who has always loved him with her life. Marriage wasn't a bed of roses to the naive young girl as Reggie's ex-girlfriend kept getting in the way of their marriage. Tacky? No problem, money would change that! Timid and Used? No worries, time to change into a stunning high class lady. Weak and bullied? It's fine, I'd rise 10 times bigger and better! Will she find out about her husband's affair with his father's wife? What will happen when Reggie's brother sets his eyes on Maya, without knowing she's his brother's wife?

Every year, my wife, Jessica Lowe, prepares a huge surprise for me on our wedding anniversary. On the night of our tenth anniversary, she enters the banquet hall with a scantily-dressed male model. She demands that I take off my suit and put it on him instead. I refuse and take out a divorce agreement. In retaliation, Jessica slaps a thick stack of photos onto the table. The photos show me at my most humiliated, shameful, and pathetic moments. She sneers, "Michael Jefferson, you talk about divorce all the time. But each time, you always end up crawling back to me with your tail between your legs, begging me to take you back. "Tell me, what will your comatose mother think if these pictures of you get out? Will she finally wake up in the hospital from shame and embarrassment?" However, Jessica doesn't know that my mother, Eleanor Brown, passed away months ago.

"I, Lopo Foster of the Nightfall Pack, as a result, announce that my fated mate Lupa will join our pack. I hope that everyone will treat both Lupa and Luna Freya with equal respect in the future." My husband Lopo had announced in front of our pack members on our third wedding anniversary that he had found his fated mate. I stared blankly at the two figures cuddled up in the centre of the hall as a wave of numbness washed over me, and I listened to all the pack members congratulating them wholeheartedly. Loop’s so-called Fated Mate, Lupa ,feigning innocence and vulnerability, handed me a glass of wine. But that glass of wine took my life! Yet, the Moon Goddess decided my story wasn't over. She granted me a second chance. This time, I am determined to peel back the mask of that bitch and make Lopo experience a profound regret that will be his living torment!

My neighbors across the hall had a nasty habit of stealing. This included my food deliveries, my shoes from the cabinet, and even my clothes drying on the rooftop. Nothing was safe from them. I had enough. One day, I placed a pair of shoes borrowed from my friend, who was battling an extreme case of athlete’s foot, outside my door. Not long after they stole them, they came banging on my door in the middle of the night, furious about the outbreak on their feet. They even filed a complaint at the hospital where I work. I was so furious that I invited a few homeless patients to move in. A muscular man with HIV, an elderly woman with syphilis, and a young man with severe mental health issues became their new neighbors. The thieves could not handle it and begged the landlord to evict them. However, the joke was on them. My family owned the entire building. If anyone was leaving, it certainly was not me.

For years, the witches and vampires of Shadowbrooke co-existed secretly, without much incident. Until one winter evening in 2002. Luca Delacroix was on a hunting trip when the monthly court hosted by his clan turned disastrous. What began as a normal night for the residents of the sleepy town ended horribly when fledgelings in blood-lust took Shadowbrooke under siege. It took a small coven of witches, a powerful spell, the Chaos Star and a virgin's blood to end the terror. But in the aftermath, Julian Delacroix, Luca's brother, along with several of their clan members, were eternally bound to the manor's cellar, forsaken to wither and perish from thirst. It's 2022, and Luca's returned to Shadowbrooke after two decades. His sudden reappearance threatens to destabilise the peaceful town again. He'll stop at nothing to get his brother out, and the Youngblood Coven will not hesitate to destroy him. While the witches scramble to get the missing piece of the Star of Chaos, the rune they once used against Luca's clan, he has to fight hard to stay one step ahead of them. But, his plans go awry when he meets and falls in love with Cadence Youngblood, the same woman responsible for his brother's infernal prison. Cadence is everything he shouldn't want, but for her, Luca is willing to take the backlash from his clan and risk her coven's wrath. © 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

“I’m sorry, Donna… the baby didn’t make it.” Those words shattered her world. Her husband’s betrayal finished the job. Once Luna of Ironclad, Donna is cast aside—rejected, beaten, and sold like cattle. The people who once bowed before her now laughed at her humiliation. Even her closest servants turned against her. “Five years without an heir. She has no value left.” But on the auction block, when all hope was lost, a stranger’s voice cut through the crowd. “One million.” The hall fell silent. His presence makes even Alphas bow their heads. And when his eyes meet hers, Donna felt it— the undeniable pull of a bond she thought was lost forever after being rejected. “She is mine,” he declared. “My mate.” Broken. Betrayed. Branded again by fate. Donna’s story is just about to begin.

Clayton Amos finally agrees to marry me during my fifth year as the antagonist of a novel. On the day of my wedding, the chandelier in the middle of the hall suddenly snaps and falls. At the most critical moment, he shoves me aside and runs over to protect Gladys Dawson, the protagonist of the novel, and his first love. Clayton's arm is slashed as a result, and blood pours out of the wound, dyeing his pristine white suit red. Meanwhile, Gladys remains unharmed in his arms. I hold a hand against the bleeding wound on my neck and finally accept the fact that Clayton never loved me. This is when the system appears and asks me, "Hailey Paltrow, would you like to abort your mission now?" I nod in silent response. "Since he's going to end up losing all four of his limbs and ultimately wish for death, I'll let him have it."

"I'm getting married again." She announces, minutes after returning back home after three years of absentia. Her family looks at her like she's grown two horns. "What?" "Don't be alarmed." "Who is he?" She smiles, drops her fork and looks them in the eye. "His name is Ashton Wright." "Isn't he...!" "Yes. He's the elder brother of Richard Wright, my ex-husband." * For three years, Ivy Hall endures every form of abuse possible until the encounter that breaks her steely resolve. At her ex husband's betrayal, she enlists the help of his elder brother in her revenge against him and her best friend, and surprisingly, he agrees. She moves from Richard Wright to Ashton Wright. Some might wonder, what's the difference if they are from the same family... She smiles and shakes her head. "I'm moving from grass to grace."

On the day of her wedding, Alexa experiences the biggest joke of the century as her fiance of three years walks into the wedding hall with no one else but her step sister leaving her standing foolishly on the altar. In just one day, Alexa loses her marriage, her career and her family. She is thrown abroad by her father after her reputation was ruined by her step sister and mother. But one year later, Alexa returns to the country, filled with determination to find the truth about her mom's death and to get her revenge. To do that she needs local power, one great enough to rival her family? Alexa gets in contact with Darwin who makes her sign a marriage contract based on benefits, will these two with their own agenda learn to fall in love? What secret is Darwin keeping from Alexa and would their relationship be strong enough to withstand the enemies of the future, well, let's see!