Sans Laugh

I could hear the thoughts of the poorest girl in the entire school. At our campus ball, she deliberately ate food that contained nuts to give herself an allergic reaction and blame me for it. With tears streaming down her face, she cried, "I know you don't like me! I know you look down on girls as poor as me, but you can't bully me like this!" Everyone believed her and turned on me, including my fiancé, Mark Hawkins, who was expected to form a political alliance with my family through our engagement. He pinned me in place and demanded that I apologize to the 'victim'. I shook my head, trying desperately to explain that it was not me who put the nuts in her food. That was when I heard the thoughts of that 'poor' girl, Alice, ''So what if she's the mafia don's daughter? I still brought her down. Being defended by her rich, clueless fiancé feels incredible!' I was stunned. Before I could react, Mark pushed me to the floor and said firmly, "Helen, apologizing won't kill you." A disbelieving laugh slipped out of me. I wondered if he would still say the same thing if he could hear Alice's thoughts. When I finally gained the ability to share the thoughts I heard with someone else, I chose Mark without hesitation.

Every Thanksgiving, my husband, Salvatore, brings home a showgirl from one of his clubs. He makes me kneel and serve them drinks. A lesson, he calls it, in how to please a man. This was the eighth Thanksgiving, and this time, he brought back a girl poured into a tight leather dress. "She doesn't have any decent jewelry," Salvatore announced. "Give her your heirloom diamond ring. Your grandmother's pearl earrings, too. And take off that silk choker for her." He smirked. "And listen, she's young, doesn't know the rules. You'll have to show her the ropes. Especially how to handle a man in bed." Every member of the Genovese family was watching, waiting for my humiliation. I didn't disappoint. I opened my mouth and asked Salvatore for a divorce. Salvatore let out a sharp, ugly laugh, his eyes full of contempt. "Francesca, you pull this same shit every time," he jeered. "Your act is pathetic. Even more dramatic than your performance in bed." He leaned in. "You really want to divorce me? Fine. I'll give you five million in cash if you actually walk out that door." The living room erupted in laughter. They all said I was playing hard to get, that I didn't know my place. But they didn't know. This was the 88th time I had asked for a divorce, and it was the first time I truly meant it.

"Did you ever, even once, imagine yourself loving me?" Sarah posed a hopeful question to Philip. "Don’t make me laugh, Sarah. Everything between us has been purely about pleasure and business.” Sarah had harbored feelings for Philip ever since she first saw him in a sports magazine. When his fiancée abandoned him at the altar to elope with another man, Sarah selflessly offered herself as a replacement bride to spare his embarrassment. After enduring three years of a loveless and toxic marriage, Sarah finally summoned the courage to divorce Philip, who was still pining for his former fiancée. She vowed to herself that she would find another man who would love, trust, and worship her like a queen. This is what she sought if she were to marry a second time. A year later, their paths crossed again. Philip confronted Sarah in a ladies’ restroom, demanding, “Do not let other men touch you!” Sarah remained indifferent; her demeanor noticeably changed. “And what if I do?” she retorted. Philip’s tone grew menacing, “You won’t like what I’d do.” Unfazed, Sarah shot back, “Mr. Cornell, I’ve never liked what you’ve done, even in the past. There’s nothing new about that, and please stop whining like a baby,” before turning and walking away, disdainfully leaving him behind.

Alors que mon accouchement approchait, un trou énorme est soudainement apparu dans la comptabilité d'armement de la famille Gauthier. Les hauts responsables ont immédiatement pris une décision. Moi, l'épouse du chef de la famille, celle qui n'avait soi-disant rien de mieux à faire, j'ai été envoyée personnellement vérifier l'arsenal. Je pensais que ce n'était qu'une simple formalité. Mais je ne m'attendais pas à ce que Léa Morel, la sœur adoptive de mon mari Gabriel Gauthier, profite de l'occasion pour faire exploser tout l'arsenal. La détonation était assourdissante. Les flammes ont illuminé tout le ciel. J'ai été coincée sous les décombres effondrés, incapable de bouger. Une douleur violente m'a lacéré le ventre, comme si une lame me déchirait de l'intérieur. Pourtant, je n'ai pas appelé la ligne privée prioritaire de mon mari. À la place, j'ai envoyé un signal de détresse à mon père, parce que, dans ma vie précédente, j'avais contacté Gabriel dès la première seconde de l'explosion, en utilisant cette ligne prioritaire. L'enfant avait donc finalement survécu. Mais Léa avait disparu dans l'explosion, sans laisser la moindre trace. En apparence, Gabriel disait ne pas m'en vouloir. « Léa n'était qu'une étrangère de la famille. Rien n'est plus important qu'un héritier. » Il avait même dépensé une fortune pour faire venir des spécialistes en obstétrique, chargés de veiller sur moi chaque jour, me répétant sans cesse de rester tranquille et d'attendre sereinement l'accouchement. Mais le jour où j'avais accouché, tout avait changé. Il m'avait enfermée de ses propres mains avec mon enfant dans un entrepôt abandonné imbibé d'essence, avant d'y mettre le feu. Nous avons brûlé vifs. « Si tu n'avais pas fait exprès de gagner du temps, Léa ne serait jamais morte. Tu crois vraiment pouvoir me tromper en jouant la victime innocente ? Tu rêves ! » « Tu aimes jouer avec le feu ? Très bien. Je vais te faire ressentir toi-même le désespoir qu'elle a connu à la fin ! » Quand j'ai rouvert les yeux, je suis revenue au moment même de l'explosion de l'arsenal.

I'm the scapegoat who was hired by the rich Shelton family to marry into that family under the guise of repaying them for their benevolence. But my wife, Jenny Shelton, hates me for ruining the wedding meant for her and her first love, Jackson Wembley. She has hordes of treasure under her name, and yet she only gives me five dollars every day to survive. I've starved to the point I'm all skin and bones. Jenny, on the other hand, goes through partners like mad. She even drives while under alcoholic influence in order to make her new boyfriend laugh, which results in her crashing into the generator powering in the hospital and causing my mother's death. Later on, Jenny merely throws me a black card. "Wow, you really have the heart to arrange for your mom to live in that small and rundown hospital, huh? Then again, a money-minded person like you is capable of doing everything in this world. "Take this card and get your mom transferred to a VIP ward. Don't think about stealing from this card; I'll always check the bills." But I just throw the black card away and start preparing for my mom's funeral. What Jenny doesn't know is that Jackson had chosen to flee from the altar and abandon her back then. I was just a tool hired by her family in order to comfort her. Now that my mom is dead and I'm done paying back the debt, it's time for me to leave.

Catalina Ramirez has always been the subject of gossip on campus—labeled a playgirl not for what she did, but because of what people think they saw. When her long-distance boyfriend left for the Philippines, rumors flew that she cheated with her boy best friend, Aiden. What no one knew was that Aiden was simply protective of her, always by her side, never crossing the line. But to others, closeness easily looked like something more. With striking blue eyes as calm and deep as the ocean, Catalina doesn’t need to lift a finger to catch anyone’s attention. Her beauty is effortless, her voice captivating. As a member of a rising campus band, she sings with a passion that defies the quiet disapproval of her mother. Who has always tried to pull her away from music. Catalina feels it deep in her bones: her mother is hiding something from her, something about her past, something she’s not ready to confront. Then came Logan Axel Tyndall. At first, Catalina thought it was nothing but a harmless crush, an infatuation she’d get over in a week or two. She tried to laugh it off, but soon found herself stalking him, chasing after the way he walked, talked, and carried the world like he knew more than he let on. Before she knew it, she wasn’t just falling... she was drowning in him. But Logan wasn’t just another boy. He held the missing pieces of a puzzle she never knew she was trying to solve. Through him, secrets begin to unravel. Questions long buried rise to the surface.

"You know I can't talk while you're here", he says. His voice is rough, dangerous and hungry. I swallow, my throat dry. But I don't look away. "Why?" I ask, my fingers trace his jaw, trembling. "I'll be good. Promise". A dark laugh rumbles through his chest. "I don't want good", he says, voice rough. "I want you screaming my name… just not here. Not in front of the president and the damn press". His control slips as he buries his face in my neck. His lips burn where they touch. "Christ", he mutters. "What are you doing to me? I have a speech to deliver. But I can't even remember the first line. I swear I know it, but…" "You're a dirty bastard", I whisper, breathless. "Yours", he says, his teeth grazing my earlobe. "So… what do I tell the president?" –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Aneeka's messy divorce leaves her heartbroken. With her inheritance on the line, outwitting her cheating ex should be her only goal. But fate has other ideas. Just 24 hours after the divorce, she unexpectedly marries Derek Simon, the country's most eligible bachelor. What starts as a wild, prove a point kiss explodes into an undeniable, all consuming passion. The pull between them is real, hot, and impossible to ignore. Is this her second chance at love? Or a disaster waiting to happen?

My husband, Alex Carter, is a top AI engineer. He one day gets drugged by a new intern at his company, and one night of chaos follows. He calls me the next morning, his voice hoarse from a hangover and filled with unfamiliar panic. "Em, I messed up. But don't worry. I gave her enough money to disappear from this city." After ten years together, I believe it is just a momentary lapse in judgment. Six months later, Alex's company suffers the worst cyber attack in its history, with core data hanging by a thread. I rush back from a fragrance exhibition in Astral, only to witness a scene at the data center entrance that sends me into shock. Alex stands outside the tightly sealed door, his face showing a weariness and guilt I have never seen before. The doctor says that the intern, Brooke Anderson, is three months pregnant and has spent 72 hours with him in the high-radiation server room. Now, she shows signs of miscarriage. Later, Brooke gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The entire Carter family is ecstatic. I remove the wedding ring that has accompanied me for ten years, my fingertips turning ice cold. I dial the number saved with only one letter "S" and say, "Mr. Sullivan, I accept the collaboration you proposed last time." A low, soft laugh comes from the other end of the line. "Ms. Emma Shaw, that's a wise decision."

My husband Bruno's goomah was pregnant with their second child. At the family dinner, he caressed his lover Ava's rounded belly. "This one will be a boy, the future heir to the Marino family. As my wife, it is your duty to raise him." This was the second time he had openly acknowledged one of his bastards. I didn't make a scene like I had before. I just calmly lifted my head and looked Bruno straight in the eye. Raucous laughter erupted from the family members around the table. "Remember last time, when she acted like a madwoman? Looks like she's finally learned her place." "The Rossi family's businesses have all been carved up. What can she do besides be an infertile trophy wife? She'll be kicked to the curb sooner or later." Bruno's face was expressionless, allowing them to hurl their insults at me. I fought back the tears burning my eyes and even managed a small smile. "Bruno, let's get a divorce." Bruno looked as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, his lips curling into a dismissive smirk. "Liliana, if you can come up with the hundred million dollars you owe this family, I'll sign the papers right now. Otherwise, stop making a scene." I didn't argue, and just dialed an encrypted number. "I accept the terms we discussed." A lazy laugh echoed from the other end of the line. "A hundred million? Merely the cost of a port. I can have it for you anytime, my princess."

"You gonna spank me, uncle?" That was it. Surging forward I grabbed her and pulled her close to me. I could easily feel her heart beating steadily against my chest. Clearly she was taking all of this as a joke and I would need to prove to her I meant what I said. "You know," I husked leaning close to her ear. "Spanking you doesn't sound half bad." Letting an amused laugh escape me, I did just that. I smacked her amazing ass and squeezed enjoying the feel of it in my hand. Damn, she was going to make controlling myself hard. Arissa Armondi was born to be the alpha heir of her pack. However, once she discovers she doesn't have a wolf, she becomes nothing more than an omega and her life of promise comes crashing down right before her eyes. Thrown into a life of kill or be killed, she becomes nothing more than a killing machine with a strong desire for blood and a wall of steel against the outside world. Ivan Fredrickson is the war hero alpha with a strong sense of right and wrong. He lives his life by the rules and has no time for love or mates. Therefore, he decides to find an omega to help bear him an heir to one day lead his pack. This desire causes Ivan and Arissa's paths to cross and so begins their love/hate relationship. What will happen when Ivan begins to realize that he and Arissa are mates? Will they be able to move past their demons and grow closer? Read Sold To The Untouchable Alpha to find out!