Sakura Kinomoto Clear Card

When I open my eyes again, I notice that I'm lying on the bed of my archnemesis, Ashton Ford. Ashton calmly puts on his clothes before tossing a card at me, telling me to get out. He then looks at the caretaker stationed by the door and asks helplessly, "Is Sunny still throwing a tantrum? Tell her that we're going to be engaged soon. She can't leave women in my bed just because she's angry." I'm about to say something when a stream of comments appears before my eyes. "Here comes another one hoping to sleep her way into a prestigious position. Mr. Ford only loves Sunny. If she didn't comfort him, he might have taken his own life after what happened to Elizabeth a long time ago." "Can the author stop trying to force these flings onto him? It wasn't easy for Sunny to achieve success after taking over as the female lead. I want to see them live a sweet married life." "Unless Mr. Ford's dead first love, Elizabeth Miller, comes back to life, no one can possibly touch Sunny's position in Mr. Ford's heart." Confusion is written all over my face. I'm Elizabeth Miller. Since when did I become Ashton's first love?

Two years into my marriage with Don Dante, my ex came back. Julian, the man who shattered my heart five years ago. He announced he was getting engaged. And he wanted me as his mistress. "I know I hurt you," he said. "My family looks down on mob ties. It was never going to work. But now? I'm marrying Tiffany. I'm taking over the family empire. I can finally afford to keep you." I just sneered at him. "Did it ever occur to you that I might be married?" He scoffed. "What decent family would have you? The daughter of a mob underboss? Don't be ridiculous." His arrogance made me sick. When I refused, he slapped a black card on the table. Told me to buy whatever I wanted. He said he'd pick me up next week. That we could spend every weekend tangled up in his bed. I spat on the floor at his feet. "Get him out," I told my guard. "And take his trash with him." He didn't get it. Not then. But he would. The moment he found out who I married. I didn't just marry anyone. I married the king of the Chicago underworld. A man he could never touch. And when he finally figured it out, he lost his goddamn mind.

On the night of her eighteenth birthday, Nyx’s world shattered. Her parents celebrated her twin sister and ignored her entirely, a final insult after years of coldness and favoritism. Humiliated and aching to escape, she walked straight into Basque—the city’s most dangerous club. There, under flashing lights and the pull of reckless music, she caught the eye of a man everyone feared—the ruthless mafia boss who owned the night. One drink, one touch, one reckless decision… and by morning, he was gone. A month later, Nyx learned that she was pregnant. Her family’s rejection turned vicious, and she was cast out with nothing but her shame and the child growing inside her. Six years of struggle followed—cheap apartments, dead-end jobs, and a daughter who became her only reason to fight. Then fate threw him back into her life. A chance encounter. A cold stare. A card pressed into her hand. Days later, tragedy struck—her little girl was left clinging to life after a hit-and-run. Desperate and out of options, Nyx went to the only man who could save her… unaware he was the father. His price? "Give me your body,and I'll give you money" Now, Nyx must decide to sell her body to the devil who destroyed her, or watch the only person she loves slip away. But in the shadows of power and lust, nothing is as simple as a deal. And the devil always collects more than you owe.

How much will the surgery on your brother cost? He asked. It's $250,000. I replied. But the contract says that you will be paid $80,000." How are you going to pay for something with that little money? He asked. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. If you agree to have sex with me, I'll give you three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. He said. "What'll you do?" I asked him again as if I hadn't heard him before. I want you to get pregnant normally with my child. He said. Not by having a surrogate? I asked. No. If you agree, though. He answered. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to take him up on his offer. Yes I'll do it. So that my brother can stay healthy. I thought I said the last part. So, that's that. He said. You'll have your own room and a credit card that you can use to buy whatever you want or need. But it can't be taken back. For two weeks, you will sleep in my room and have sex with me every day. You can't leave without my protection or permission. And last but not least, you won't have boyfriends as long as you're pregnant. You'll only belong to me after you sign that paper.

In the VIP lounge of an underground casino, Maeve, the Falcone family's princess, had been plied with too much hard liquor. Fueled by alcohol, someone goaded her into revealing the most shameless thing she'd ever done to win over the Don. She swirled her glass, pointed at me dealing cards behind the table, and threw her head back with a laugh. "Seven years ago, when Declan was in a coma after a shootout, I took his private phone. And I deleted the distress message that bitch sent him. Every last trace of it. Then I replied in his name: You're a burden. Go die." "You'll never guess what happened next. That idiot stood outside the safe house all night in a downpour, like a stray dog. I almost died laughing…" The room erupted in crude laughter. Only the man enthroned at the head of the table remained silent. The crystal whiskey glass in his hand shattered with a sharp crack. Blood mixed with the amber liquor, trickling over the veins on the back of his hand before dripping onto the carpet. His murderous, bloodshot eyes were locked on me. I calmly dealt the last hole card in front of him and offered a clean, white silk handkerchief. "Don Declan, you should wipe your hand. Blood on the felt is bad luck." After all, some stains never wash out.

At the celebration where Lorenzo Alvarez is crowned the new mafia boss, his men arrange a few performances. A dancer in a backless top and short skirt twists around the pole under the lights. "Don't look," he murmurs, covering my eyes with his hand. "This kind of cheap entertainment isn't worthy of you." His men jump in immediately. "Lorenzo still spoils Ms. Valenti after all these years. That kind of devotion is rare. We're so jealous." "A man as loyal and single-minded as Lorenzo is hard to find." I rest a hand on my belly, planning to tell him tonight that I am pregnant. But when I return from the restroom, I see the same man who had just held me in his arms leaning back in his chair while the dancer straddles his lap. Lorenzo slips his business card and a thick fold of cash into the waistband of her skirt. He laughs, relaxed and unbothered. "Isabella is wonderful, sure, but life needs a little passion. This ragazza is just something new. A bit of fun. "Keep your mouths shut. Don't go running to Isabella and upset her. Otherwise, you'll have a problem." Cold rushes through me. I do not approach or confront Lorenzo. I simply take out my phone and answer the email I have been avoiding for days. "I agree to participate in the confidential experiment."

My cousin, Tiffany Wilkinson, brought her new boyfriend, Isaac Lloyd, home for the first time. The dinner was going great, chatting and laughing like everything was perfect. Out of nowhere, Isaac locked eyes on me, his face lighting up with fake surprise as he practically shouted, "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere? Aren't you in that 'Elite Escort Group'?" He added, "I swear I saw your rate card in the group photos... It was only 200 dollars or something?" He slapped a hand over his mouth afterward, putting on this innocent act like he had just let something slip. The lively dining room went dead silent in an instant. My relatives' looks turned cold and judgmental, making me utterly uncomfortable all over. "He looks so decent on the outside, but he's actually doing that kind of thing behind closed doors." "You're such a disgrace to the Wilkinson family. Don't even tell people you're related to us from now on." Dad was so furious he slammed his wine glass down, and Mom sat there wiping away tears. I calmly dabbed my mouth with my napkin, then looked at Isaac with a knowing smirk. "Makes sense that I look familiar. I'm with the Vice Squad, and I just busted you in a sting operation last month!"

Scarlet never believed in destiny—until she died. Now bound to a mysterious system, she awakens in the bodies of betrayed women across countless worlds. Her mission is clear: avenge the fallen, slap the traitors, and conquer the hearts of different untouchable men. From an academy ruled by gods in human form to kingdoms dripping in blood and betrayal to glittering cities where power is bought with desire—Scarlet must weave vengeance and temptation into every step she takes. She is no saint. She is no savior. She is the temptress who thrives on revenge, a woman whose charm is as lethal as her kiss. But with every world, every mission, and every heart she wins… Scarlet begins to wonder. Is she the player in this game of fate— Or the one being played?

On her eighteenth birthday, Osline thought she would be mated to her long-time boyfriend, Noah. But the blood moon had other plans, and she ends up claimed by Jacob, the ruthless Alpha of the werewolf lands. When she tries to reject him, Jacob refuses. He traps her in a sixty-day contract and makes it clear: if she refuses, her father will die. Now Osline is trapped in his house, under his watchful eyes, with his dangerous twin brother Dominic who seemed to have an interest on her. Desire, betrayal, and secrets surround her—and Noah is not gone either. Three men want her, each for their own reasons. Who will win her heart, and will she survive the truth Jacob hides behind the locked door?

On the day my boyfriend gets engaged, I'm locked in the bedroom even though I'm supposed to be with him. By the time I make it to the venue, I see him passionately kissing his first love. When I confront him, he scoffs. "Kirsty’s a wealthy heiress who can help with my career. Isn't being my girlfriend enough for you?" With my answer loud and clear, I turn and call home. "Mom, Dad—about that arranged marriage you mentioned... I'm in." The day he marries Kirsty Bainbridge is also the day I marry my alliance partner. And the moment he sees me in a wedding dress, he completely loses his composure.