Rushing

"Sign the divorce papers, Nora." I didn't cry. I simply looked at the billionaire husband who had ignored me for three years and made one final demand. "One hundred days, Silas. Move back into my bedroom. Touch me like a man obsessed with his wife. On Day 101, I will sign the papers and walk away." Arrogant and certain, he agreed, assuming it was a desperate plea to use my body to win his heart back. He had no idea what he was walking into. By Day 20, the cold, untouchable CEO is rushing home just to pin me against our bedroom door. By Day 50, he’s pulling me into his lap, whispering breathless, desperate promises in the dark. He is addicted to the friction, using every searing kiss and heavy touch to forcefully brand me as his. He thinks the heated nights we share mean I am finally surrendering. He doesn't know the truth. I’m not using these 100 nights to fall back in love with him. I’m using his counterfeit passion to completely numb my heart. While my body responds to his fire, my soul is freezing over. On Day 100, Silas pours his soul into the most emotionally raw night of my life. He falls asleep holding me tight, entirely convinced his absolute worship has won me back forever. But on Day 101, he wakes up to cold sheets, an empty closet, and a signed contract. His money couldn't buy me. His touch couldn't keep me. Now, the billionaire who thought he was playing a game will burn his empire to the ground to find the wife who gave him her body, but vanished with her soul.

“You moan the same way,” Jake whispered against her throat, his voice rough with desire. “The way your body trembles… the way your nails dig into my back. I love it. …Don’t lie to me, Chloe, I’ve had you before.” Her breath hitched, heat rushing to her cheeks as his words wrapped around her like chains. She wanted to deny it, to push him away, but the scent of his hair, clean, sharp, achingly familiar, sent shivers down her spine. Something about him was the same as that night, the night blurred by heartbreak and too much wine, the night she could barely remember but could never forget. And yet… he wasn’t supposed to be the man she married. ********************************** Venice was meant to be Chloe Rodriguez’s escape, not her prison. One reckless night of heartbreak leaves her in the arms of a stranger whose touch she can’t forget. Weeks later, she’s forced into a contract marriage with billionaire heir Jake Williams Martinez, only to realize he is that same man. But Jake believes he’s marrying her twin sister, Zoe, the wild one he thinks matches the woman from that night. Bound by her sister’s lies, Chloe steps into a marriage built on deception. Yet her heart belongs to another, Jake’s younger brother, Tyler, her ex-lover, whose shadow lingers in every memory. She comes in contact with Ethan, their close family friend who takes every opportunity to to be close to her as he has feelings towards her but wouldn’t want to betray them. When a secret pregnancy threatens to unravel everything, Chloe is trapped between two brothers, two betrayals, and a devastating truth: the father of her child may be the same man responsible for her family’s ruin.

“Are they ours?” I took a step back, trying to distance away from Hudson only to feel another strong pair of arms wrapping around my waist from behind. “Scared?” I shivered, feeling bolts of electric shock rushing through my whole body from his touch. It was Brixton who was now behind me, locking me in his strong embrace. “You want to escape, huh?” “I – I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I bit my lips, then my breath hitched when I saw how Hudson’s eyes flickered into red orbs. “Don’t test our patience, kitten.” He closed the distance between us before cupping my chin to make me stare up at him. My heart pounded rapidly as their intoxicating scent filled my nose. “Or do you want us to remind you again what happened that night, hmm?” ~~~ After being cruelly rejected by her mate and expelled from her pack, Leah seeks refuge in the human city, where a one-night stand with two enigmatic strangers leads to an unexpected twist—her being pregnant with triplets! Determined to escape her past, the only solution she could think of was to fly to another country. Yet, five years later, she finds herself again entangled with Hudson and Brixton, the very same twins she spent the night with and the father of her triplets. They’re the most sought-after bachelors in town – insanely rich billionaires who seems hell bent on… seducing her. Leah knew she had to guard her heart against these playboys, knowing that there was more behind their rich identities. But will she be able to resist the intoxicating pull of desire? With dangers lurking around the corner, what will happen when the twins find out she got pregnant and gave birth to their triplets?

The train arrived with a screech of metal on metal, and subconsciously I boarded and found a seat and gazed out the window as if somehow, the tunnel walls rushing by was the only thing that could grant my wish. "I wish you could see me," I whispered the deep words, picturing his face as I spoke. "Like really see me. I wish you could love me just the way I love you." Closing my eyes, I began to feel the weight of the unshed tears behind my eyelids. But just before I brushed them off I murmured again. "Just once, I want to know what it would be like if you truly loved me back." With a final sigh, I wiped the tears fighting to breakfree. Little did I know, some wishes come at a terrible price. When Asher Smith's boyfriend, supermodel Xander Fauler, wakes from a car accident with amnesia, their cold relationship transforms into something passionaate and real. For six blissful months, Asher experiences the love he always craved—until Xander's memories return, along with his icy demeanor. What was once six month's of undeniable love and pleasure just as he had always wanted, slowly turned into a nightmare that he had dreaded so much for the longest time. Amidst the uncertainty of his spot in his love life, Asher began to notice some odd changes in Xander, making him question if their relationship was ever real. As he tries to get a grip of his love life he uncovers a dangerous obsession lurking in Xander's inner circle and a traumatic secret from his past, putting him no way further from his recent doubt, now Asher must decide: walk away from heartbreak or fight for a love trapped beneath scars?

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” his raspy voice dripped with lust and uncertainty as his eyes scanned my exposed cleavages, “your father…” “Shhh.” I stopped him mid-way, placing my finger on his soft lips, “We both want this. I have seen the way you look at me, Mr. Richard. Do not hold back now.” I whispered sultrily. He swallowed hard and I saw him clench his well-chiseled jaws. I opened my mouth to continue my protest when all of a sudden, he grabbed me by the waist, pulled me closer and covered my lips with his in the hungriest manner ever. My body melted, succumbing to his burning desire. *** He was my father’s childhood best friend. He was always there for me since I lost my mother at the age of four. My father grieved hard and found it difficult to recover for many years, so Mr Richard was the father figure I had. However, he left the country after my thirteenth birthday and I almost forgot about him until he returned. I had turned twenty-one and when I laid my eyes on him, all my childhood memories came rushing back. But that wasn’t all there was. I noticed how hot and sexy he looked for that age and how his gaze lingered way too long on my mature body. And then, fate kept bringing us together, all I had to do was call on him. He was just being nice, right? Nothing more should have happened but my body refused to listen to my brain. I wanted him! I wanted him around me all the time, I wanted him to whisper in my ears and punish me accordingly if I did something wrong… I wanted him INSIDE ME.

On the day I was about to give birth, a pack of rogue wolves surrounded me. They tore open my belly and shredded my child to pieces. My Alpha mate Marcus went insane, rushing me to the healing center and commanding the healers to save my life. "If anything happens to my mate, you'll pay with your lives." As they carried me to the operating table, I heard his conversation with his Beta. "Alpha, those wolves disguised as rogues have already been secretly released from the Silver Prison." "As long as we get her forgiveness letter, the Alpha Council won't pursue this matter further." "It's just... both Luna and Miss Celeste are carrying your children. Isn't this treatment of Scarlett a bit cruel..." Marcus's tone turned cold as he shot his Beta a warning glance. "Scarlett cannot give birth to this child! My heir can only be born by Celeste. I promised her that her child would be my Alpha heir." His Beta didn't dare resist, only suppressing his displeasure. "But... there were other ways. We didn't have to let Miss Celeste hire rogues to literally tear apart Luna's child..." "Luna's wolf has been dormant since pregnancy, leaving her without healing abilities. The healers say she might not survive." Marcus became cold, mixed with helplessness. "I didn't expect them to be so brutal." "Keep watch. Make sure the healers save her. If anything happens to her, the healers know the consequences. This is all I can do now. Later, I'll give her all the pack's resources as compensation." The healing center doors slowly closed, severing my love for Marcus forever. When I woke up, there was only the stabbing pain in my lower abdomen and a pile of blood and flesh... Marcus, my child is gone. I wish you and Celeste a lifetime of happiness.

My daughter, Vivian Montiago, is born with a heart condition. To protect her, I decide to spend 200 million dollars on building a prestigious preschool for her in the company's park. I don't want her to be lonely, so I also decide to allow the other employees' children to attend the preschool for free to keep Vivian company. However, on the first day of preschool, Vivian's smartwatch alert keeps going off. When I rush over to the preschool, I find out that Vivian is all tied up and left to die under the hot afternoon sun. Her skin is red and blistering, and her lips are purple as she teeters on the edge of death. "Are you all blind? Call the ambulance!" I yell in anger, grabbing Vivian and rushing out of the place. However, Hailey Lester, my husband's secretary, gets in my way. "You seduced my husband and birthed an illegitimate child. How dare you try to get away without being punished?" she screams, slapping me hard in the face. "I'm telling you that this preschool is a gift to me and my son from Rhett! And you're not allowed to step out of this place without my explicit permission!" "Her life is in danger! We'll talk about that later!" I exclaim, not wanting to argue with her. However, she kicks me to the ground and says, "So what if his bastard daughter dies? He can have a daughter with me if he really wants one!" The company employees don't seem to care about Vivian's health condition at all. They point at me and say, "Ms. Lester is Mr. Montiago's beloved wife, and she also owns this place! You're nothing but a homewrecker trying to take advantage of the free preschool program. Get down and apologize at once!" Fine. Since everyone is as blind as my husband, Rhett Montiago, in realizing who the real deal is, I decide that I am not sparing a single one of them.

The day after my Alpha mate's precious childhood sweetheart Sage accused me of sending rogue wolves to attack her, my mate Kael, along with our two sons, suspended my brother above a massive cauldron of boiling silver, threatening to throw him into the molten metal that would burn him alive. I went insane, rushing toward them, but the pack warriors held me back with iron grips. "Do you understand your mistake now?" Kael stood nearby in his perfectly tailored suit, his eyes cold as winter frost, his voice laced with ice. "Will you ever dare to hurt Sage again?" "I didn't attack her!" I cried, struggling against the warriors' hold. "Kael, let my brother go! He's only eighteen! He just got accepted to Harvard!" Five-year-old River crossed his small arms, his face emotionless. "The evidence is clear. Why are you still lying?" Four-year-old Stone nodded along, his tone innocent yet cruel. "Mommy, if you're so scared of Uncle dying, you shouldn't have attacked Aunt Sage. She's our precious one." My heart contracted violently. Sage was their precious one. Then what was I? What did I mean to them? I looked toward Kael, hoping he might spare my brother for the sake of our years as mates. But he only stared at me coldly, his gaze like he was looking at a complete stranger. I suddenly laughed, though tears streamed down my face. They thought it was just a dummy tied up there and they were just trying to scare me. They didn't realize that Sage had someone switch out that dummy. What's frying in the silver now is my dear little brother. In the boiling silver, my brother's body was already burned beyond recognition. But when I completely gave up and left, why did three men kneel down and beg me to come back?

"Alex... help… please…" I tried to whisper, but no sound came out. I saw them, Alexander had his arms wrapped around Sophia, who was clutching him like her life depended on it. She was pressed against his chest, her face buried in his neck, and she wasn't letting go. "Don't look at her," Sophia whispered loudly. "You'll only make yourself sick with guilt. This isn't your fault. She did this to herself by being dramatic." That's when I heard the scream. "Oh my God! Mrs. Sterling!" Rosa, one of our housemaids, came rushing into the dining room. "Mrs. Sterling, what happened to you?" Rosa dropped to her knees beside me, her hands fluttering over my body like she didn't know where to start. "You're bleeding! There's so much blood everywhere!” I was bleeding? I couldn't feel anything below my waist anymore, but when I managed to glance down, I saw the dark stain spreading across my dress. "Mr. Alexander!" Rosa shouted, her voice cracking with an anger I’ve never seen in her before. She looked ready to commit murder. Did I look that bad? “Your wife is dying! How can you do this to her? How can you stand there holding another woman while your wife bleeds to death on the floor?!" Rosa snarled. "Rosa, lower your voice," Alexander snapped, but I could hear something different in his tone. Uncertainty. "Take Ivy to the hospital and stop making a scene, or you'll be looking for another job." Rosa shot back, tears streaming down her face. "¡Sos un bueno para nada! What kind of man are you?" I was going to die. Right here on my dining room floor, wearing my mother's blood-stained dress while my husband comforted another woman.

An alarm wakes everyone up at 1:00 am. It turns out that a few college students have gone missing during their exploration in Wolffang Valley. My heart goes tense at the news. After all, my stepdaughter, Nancy Campton, had told me yesterday that she'd be exploring that place! Since Nancy has asthma, I specifically prepare medication that's meant to treat asthma in my medical kit just in case anything happens. After carrying my backpack, I begin urging my husband, Jack Campton, who's also the leader of the rescue team, to set off right away. But he keeps stopping me in my tracks. "What's the rush? Let's wait for Dakota to finish doing her makeup." Half an hour later, Dakota Sweeney, who has a face full of makeup and is wearing a pink rescue jacket, begins complaining in a high-pitched voice. "Why did you keep rushing me? Thanks to you, my eyeliner came out all crooked!" On the way to the valley, Dakota actually pulls out a pair of pink lace panties. After unscrewing the cap of a bottle of life-saving water, she starts washing it with said water. I can't endure her stupid antics anymore. "Have you gone nuts? This bottle of water could potentially save someone's life!" But Dakota replies in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm a woman with principles! I must wash my underwear that I've changed out of on the same day!" Jack shoves me away at that moment. He then snatches the bottled water from me before passing it to Dakota. "Willow Armstrong, you're the crazy one here! Is it wrong for Dakota to take care of her hygiene?" As I stare at Jack, a cold smile slowly spreads across my face. It's not wrong for Dakota to take care of her hygiene. I just wonder if Jack is capable of facing the consequences behind Dakota's tendency to drag things out.