Rome Was Not Built In A Day

The day I land a hundred-million-dollar deal for the company, my girlfriend—Paisley Needham, the CEO—finally agrees to marry me. The next day, I wait at the city hall until it closes. She never shows up. Instead, what I get is her official announcement with her assistant, Jude Grayford. In the photo, she nestles in his arms. A crisp marriage license sits in her hand, impossible to miss. The caption reads, "My CEO, Ms. Paisley Needham, couldn't bear to see me going on blind dates, so she just went ahead and got the marriage license with me today. I'm so happy!" My colleagues gossip, assuming I'll be jealous and furious. I don't. I just like the post and comment, "So, when's the ceremony? Don't forget to invite me!" Paisley calls immediately, cursing me out. "I just didn't want to see him being pressured into blind dates by his parents, so I agreed to get married on paper to keep them off his back. It's not like we're actually married. Do you really have to be so petty? "Delete your comment right now and get on your knees to apologize to Jude. If you don't, I'll never marry you." I laughed bitterly. "Even better," I say. "I hope you two have a long, happy life together… and have lots of kids."

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

My dad collapsed from a sudden heart attack and died. The shock hit my mom like a freight train, and she blacked out cold. By the time I raced home from college, his body had already been reduced to ashes in the crematorium. Grief barely had a chance to sink in before the debt collectors pounded on our door. That was when the ugly truth emerged. My dad had secretly racked up billions in loans, saddling my mom and me. A year later, the relentless harassment from those goons drove my mom to despair. She ended her life, and I was forced to drop out of school, scavenging dumpsters just to scrape by. But fate had a cruel twist in store. I spotted my "dead" dad, alive and thriving, hosting an extravagant birthday bash for his secret son. I stormed in, desperate for answers, only to be hurled out by security. My head cracked against the pavement, and everything went black. When my eyes fluttered open again, I was inexplicably back on that fateful day of my dad's heart attack.

My daughter was born with silver poisoning in her blood—passed down from me—which made it hard for her to sense her wolf, and even harder for her to shift. I worked tirelessly, taking on every job I could, to earn enough money to find a cure for her. One night during a late shift, I saw her. My daughter, dressed like a princess in an elegant, Silverlight-woven gown, sat at a table in a high-end restaurant. With her was my mate—supposedly bedridden and paralyzed—wearing a tailored haute couture suit. Across the table sat the famous she-wolf of our pack, the daughter of a respected elder. They had ordered a lavish dinner, the bill totaling over $500,000. After the meal, I overheard my mate ask our daughter, “You remember how to tell the story, right?” She nodded and replied, “Yes. I’ll tell Mom we were working as werewolf junk collectors all night, collecting waste paper crates, and in the end, we only earned enough to buy half a loaf of bread.” My mate smiled, pleased with the answer. The she-wolf then gifted my daughter an entire collection of newly released moonstone jewelry. Before they left, my mate tipped each waitress $5,000. I stood frozen, tears falling as the truth shattered my heart: my mate—and even my beloved daughter—had been lying to me. Even in dormancy, my wolf mourned. A colleague saw me crying and asked what was wrong. I forced a smile and said, “I’m just happy. I got $5,000 tonight. It would’ve been even better… if it hadn’t come from my mate, the one who’s supposed to be paralyzed and lying in bed.” No one knew what I had sacrificed to be his mate. I waited for an apology. But it never came. So I made my decision. I called my father—the one who had been waiting all these years for me to return as his heir. When I disappeared from their lives, just as they had always secretly wished... That’s when they finally began searching for me across the world.

She only wanted to live. He only needed a wife—on paper. But what started as a contract… is about to rewrite their hearts. After Rain Italy Cuervanue refuses to be sold off to an old man to pay her aunt’s debt, she’s thrown out of her own home. Desperate and alone, she flees to the only place that still holds her father’s memory, the beach house he gave her on her 18th birthday, only to find out it’s been sold. And not just to anyone. To Matthew Fuentavello, the youngest, powerful, and most feared CEO in the country, from a family known across Asia. To her shock, Matthew offers her a deal: Marry him for six months, a secret contract to fulfill his grandfather’s condition for taking full control of their empire. In return, she gets the beach house back. The catch? She must also work for him as his secretary. No one must know they’re married, except his family. Rain agrees with no choice left, never expecting that the man she married on paper… is the uncle of her cheating ex-boyfriend, the one who broke her heart with her own cousin. As they pretend by day and blur the lines by night, a dangerous chemistry starts to grow. Office rumors spark. Jealousy brews. And when the whispers get too loud, Matthew drops the biggest bomb—Rain isn’t just his secretary. She’s his wife. Just when Rain begins to believe in their stolen happiness, the past comes knocking. Her ex wants her back. Matthew’s ex, the woman who once rejected the deal Rain accepted, now wants him again. And Rain begins to wonder… Was she just a second option? Or is there something Matthew’s been hiding from the start… something real?

During the outdoor orientation boot camp, Wanda Lawson, the daughter of the richest tycoon, suddenly suffered from a heart attack. She collapsed to the ground and went through a seizure, her complexion bluish-gray. My boyfriend, Joseph Jensen, the drill instructor of the boot camp, overheard my pretentious roommate, Ella Ziegler, murmur, "She's usually fine, so why is she suddenly suffering from some sort of attack when it's time for the drills to start? She must be faking it in order to laze around!" Because of those assumptions, Joseph kicked the medication that Wanda managed to pull out of her pocket into the nearby river. "Get lost if you want to play dead! Don't drag us down with you!" I quickly dived into the river and scooped the medication out. Thanks to my efforts, Wanda's life was saved. Her father was enraged when he found out about the news and wanted to hold someone responsible. With tears streaking down my face, I begged Wanda to not expose Joseph. She nodded quietly to me. Joseph narrowly escaped the judgment. But Ella was expelled by the university right away for her malicious and provocative words. She even had a permanent stain of poor conduct marking her record. On the third day after Ella returned to her village, her family forced her to marry an older man who had remained single for far too long because of his violent temperament. Wanda's father was grateful to me for saving Wanda's life, so he listed me into the list of beneficiaries of his family's trust fund. The amount of money I received was second only to Wanda's portion. On the night news of Ella getting beaten to death by her husband got out, Joseph lovingly invited me to the place we first met so that we could go hiking. When I stood on the steep slope of the mountain, Joseph suddenly snatched the backpack filled with supplies, which included a life-saving whistle, from me. Then, he shoved me off the slope. "Why must you be such a busybody? If you never saved Wanda, she wouldn't have been able to testify against Ella because she'd have died! A murderer like you should just die!" Having broken my spine from the fall, I ended up dying at the foot of the mountain. After my death, not only Joseph got to receive the trust fund thanks to his relationship to me as my fiance, but he also began sponsoring low-income students by using Ella's namesake. That was how he reaped both wealth and reputation in one go. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Wanda suffers from the heart attack.

Twenty-five years ago, Alpha Raul—ruthless, feared, and obsessed with power—forced a treaty with the Silver Crescent Moon Pack by claiming their only heir, Sarah, as his Luna. Their union was built on dominance, not destiny, and the consequences shaped the future of the entire region. Now, Raul’s empire spans countless packs. But his hunger has grown into something darker: a craving for immortality. As he delves into forbidden rituals and blood magic, his daughters become tools in a plan to strengthen his influence. Each Christmas, Raul hosts a grand ball that conveniently results in Goddess-gifted mates for his daughters—first Fox, then Lily, then Oleander. The timing is too perfect. Too orchestrated. Mia, the eldest and rightful Alpha heir, is the only one who sees the danger. She witnessed Raul meeting with a mysterious woman who extinguished fire with a single gesture—evidence of magic no wolf should wield. As her sisters bond with powerful heirs from the surrounding packs, Mia senses Raul tightening his control, preparing for something catastrophic. With her mother Sarah’s quiet warnings and the hidden wards she’s placed throughout the Packhouse, Mia begins to uncover the truth behind Raul’s growing power and the real purpose behind the mate bonds. But when Mia encounters her own true mate, destiny collides with rebellion. To save her sisters, her pack, and herself, Mia must confront the monster her father has become—and decide whether fate is a weapon she’s ready to wield. Blood. Magic. Fate. The rise of a rebellion begins.

I grew up with the Vipera brothers. They have always considered me their younger sister and spoiled me silly. But after that car accident, my relationship with them changes completely. The accident leaves me with severe burns on my body, and I'm in constant agony. On top of that, my face is disfigured too. The moment I'm wheeled out of the ICU, I call the Vipera brothers to let them know that I'm safe. However, the only response I get from them is an impatient dismissal. "Sofia, Bianca hurt her fingers during the accident. We're taking care of her now. Don't bother us by throwing a tantrum." Soon, Bianca Rossi uploads a selfie of herself with the Vipera brothers in a luxurious hospital room. She's wearing three wolf fang bracelets on her wrist. I'd given those to the Vipera brothers as a Christmas gift last year. To get the fangs from the particular species of wolves they liked, I trekked through the jungle alone with a gun and battled feral wolves the entire night. I completely let go of any remaining feelings toward the famiglia that raised me and decide to leave them for good. When the Vipera brothers see me again at a grand banquet held by the Ferro famiglia, they are overwhelmed with regret.

cold finger brushed my chin. It was barely there, but it sent a quick, immediate thrill through me, as though my body was unsure whether to retreat or lean in. He raised my head slowly and purposefully. At first I fought; my muscles clenched with terror, but his hold was unbelievably strong, and his touch was commanding but delicate. I had no choice but to follow. Then our eyes connected. My breath caught in the back of my throat. Elara’s lineage was cursed. A werewolf by blood, a witch by fate, and something far more dangerous by destiny. She had spent her life looking forward to the mate ceremony but she gets the shock of her life as he rejects her and she is attacked. Everything that she has ever know about herself is not what it seems. Rejected by her mate, she is hunted by the supernatural council. But the night has other plans. When she falls into the hands of Abbadon, the Vampire King, she expects death. Instead, he saves her, binding their fates in ways neither of them understand. With war looming and the council determined to erase her existence, Elara has no choice but to embrace the darkness within. The witches who should have stood by her have turned against her. The werewolves see her as an abomination. And the council’s most feared enforcers are closing in. When her home is burned to the ground and her family slaughtered, she swears vengeance. No longer just a fugitive, she becomes the storm that will bring the supernatural world to its knees. Will she survive or will she forever be an abomination to be hunted until her death?

On our wedding anniversary night, my husband, Lucian Moore, comes home with a seven-year-old orphan named Chloe Martin. He even hands her the necklace he bought me for our anniversary and lets her play with it like a toy. Because of her, my son, Ryan Moore, shouts at me for the first time. "You're a bad woman! I don't want you to be my mommy!" I watch the three of them sitting together, warm and cozy, and I say nothing. Instead, I buy a ticket to leave the country. At first, they think I'm just acting out and will come home in a few days. But when they return from Feanland after celebrating Chloe's birthday, they find out I've joined a ten-year classified research project and will not come back again. At that moment, they fall apart.