Ruins

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Audry Simons was going to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a police officer, but when he was killed in a gang shootout, she swore to get revenge. But who was responsible? This becomes increasingly hard to answer when Audry joins the Molton Family, one of the most powerful gangs in all of Detroit. She is swept into a world of secrets, lies, and danger around every corner. Can Audry find her father’s killer before her true intentions are revealed? Or will the leader’s son, Daniel Molton, discover her secret? She ends up growing closer to Daniel, and their connection could be the thing that ruins her entire mission. I didn’t even care that we were in a room full of people. I just wanted his hands on every inch of my body. He was looking down at me with those expressive eyes of his. The look in them made my panties grow wet. The Undercover Cadet's Bloody Romance is written by Amelie Bergen,  an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Selina Okoye lost everything when her father was falsely accused of fraud by Raymond Bellington—the powerful CEO of Bellington Holdings. The scandal sent her family into ruins and took her father’s life. Years later, Selina is forced into a strategic marriage to Adrian Bellington, Raymond’s only son and heir to the same empire that destroyed her family. Cold, calculated, and quietly noble, Adrian agrees to the union for his own reasons—an inheritance clause that demands he marries before taking over the company. Determined to never forgive the Bellingtons, Selina plans to endure the marriage for the sake of her family’s survival and leave when the time is right. But Adrian is nothing like his father. And as cracks form in her hate, feelings she thought were impossible begin to grow. Just when trust begins to bloom, Selina uncovers a dark family secret—one that threatens to break everything they’ve started to build. Can two enemies-turned-strangers find love in a marriage built on pain? Or will the past destroy their future before it even begins?

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ DARK ROMANCE AND MATURED CONTENT. "This is kidnapping," my voice cracked as I followed him. "You can't keep me here." "I think I can," he chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. He draped his coat over the kitchen counter, then turned back to me. "And that's what I plan on doing." A violent shudder ran through me. He meant it. "It won't be long before someone realises I am missing," I said, hoping that logic would reach him. "And come looking for me." His smirk deepened. "Who will?" Once a predator locks onto its prey, there's no letting go! A woman craving the attention of her husband runs into the caporegime of the Kingston family, a crime family that has ruled the underground for years. She knows he is bad news. She knows she should flee, but she ruins her marriage when she gives into his temptation. And now he never plans on letting her go.

I was once the shadow at Nathan’s side, summoned at his will. Pregnant with his child, only to be fed contraception pills by him. On the day of my miscarriage, he was celebrating Liora’s birthday. She took away my parents' love, stole my identity, and destroyed my token, while he stood by and criticized me for being dramatic. They teamed up to lock me in cold storage, tricked me with an AI-generated apology, and even accused me of faking illness when I bled heavily. The day they tossed me out like garbage, I saw the true face of this deceitful pair—the man who abandoned me for vanity, and the woman who exploited a fake pregnancy and staged car accidents to drain him of his last worth. But I didn’t die. Danny found me, half alive, and showed me what it feels like to be cherished. Now, standing on their ruins, those who hurt me have become the badges of my rebirth.

Freya Daniella Howard, 24 years old, first heir of Howard Constructions is in ‎love with her boyfriend ‎Benjamin, but scared to tell that to her parents ‎because she knows Benjamin will not meet with ‎their expectations. When her ‎mother asks who she is dating, she without much thought says her best ‎friend's ‎name - Rafael. ‎ Rafael, 28 years old, sole heir of Eastmond Builders, secretly dating a model ‎because he ‎knows his high and mighty parents have high plans for him. ‎Though he's not much bothered because he only wants to savor his love-life for now and focus on his dream; to be eligible enough to be the CEO of his ‎family's business. ‎ However, Freya's lie which was intended to be unharmed ruins all his plans ‎and he becomes her ‎betrothal out of nowhere. Their families celebrate the ‎moment and tie them into Wedlock -- too swift for ‎them to comprehend what in the world has happened to them.‎ Is it fate or Freya's heedless mistake that confined them into marriage?.....hard ‎to answer. ‎

WARNING‼️: This is no sweet love story. It's a raw, dark. This is obsession, Power, Control, Pain,and the kind of pleasure that ruins you for anyone else. "Ten million for a woman who doesn’t know her worth—until he shows her just how much it costs to please him." Aria was just looking for her sister, Instead, she ended up bound, blindfolded, and sold at a secret black-market auction. But Luciano De Rossi isn’t just a collector of fine things, he's the devil, and Aria is his newest obsession and his collateral for her sister’s debt. She’s a virgin, a fighter, a woman who swears she’ll never beg. He’s a man who loves to hear her scream and for the next ninety days, she belongs to him. Every inch of her. Every breath. Every orgasm. Whether she likes it… or not. But the deeper she falls into Lucian’s dangerous world of secrets and sin, the more her hate turns to need, and the more he burns to break her completely.

In one devastating day, Wisdom Weisz lost everything—her home reduced to ash, her marriage shattered by betrayal. While she stood in the ruins of her life, her husband was tangled in sheets with her best friend at the same day, showing not an ounce of remorse. Broke, heartbroken, and with nothing left to lose, Wisdom finds herself drowning her sorrows at the bar of a luxury hotel. There, fate throws her into the path of a man she’s crossed before—mysterious, powerful, and impossibly wealthy. He makes her an outrageous offer: become his wife... for hire. No love. No strings. Just a business arrangement—and a hundred thousand dollars deposited in her account with a single word of agreement. Desperate for a fresh start—and a perfect chance to strike back at her ex—Wisdom says yes. But nothing about this arrangement is simple. What begins as a cold contract soon blurs into something dangerously intimate. As secrets surface and emotions tangle, Wisdom realizes one terrifying truth: She may have agreed to be his wife on paper. But her heart? That’s a whole different deal.

On the night of my awakening, which was also my 18th birthday, my parents locked me in a silver cage in the basement while my foster sister Emma prepared for her ceremony upstairs. Then, the Blood Moon Eclipse struck, forcing every member of the pack to evacuate. Emma urged our parents to help. My heart warmed, and I thought they would come to save me. However, the only thing my father carried out was Emma’s stuffed wolf doll. They clutched Emma and fled for their lives, leaving me behind in the collapsing basement. When I crawled out of the ruins, they were already in the safehouse, celebrating Emma’s successful awakening as a White Wolf. Ten years later, I became the heir to Blackstone Consortium, controlling half of the werewolf world’s economy. When we met again, the former leader of the Silvermoon Pack knelt before me. “I've finally found you, my daughter.” My gaze was cold as I faced the stranger in front of me. “You’ve got the wrong person.”

When Kaelen Drazmir, heir to a divided werewolf pack, finds a young woman lying near the ruins of an abandoned monastery, he never expects her to change his world. She remembers nothing of her past—only a name: Serenya Veyra. As Kaelen shelters her, fragments of her memory return in flashes of fire and blood. Each vision draws them closer, even as it warns of danger. Serenya’s past is tied to forces that could tear apart Kaelen’s pack, and enemies are already hunting for her. A rival Alpha seeks to claim her for power. A dark sorceress vows to use her blood to awaken an ancient curse. And the Harvest Moon, only weeks away, will decide whether Serenya’s fate leads to salvation—or ruin. With time running out, Kaelen and Serenya must uncover the truth before the prophecy binds them forever. But the closer they come to answers, the greater the risk of losing everything they hold dear. A story of forbidden love, deadly secrets, and a choice that could ignite a war—this tale will pull you into a world where every heartbeat counts, and every shadow hides a threat.