Sardonic Grin

The day before New Year's, my younger brother announced he was bringing his girlfriend home for dinner. Excited, I drove my new car to pick them up, taking my daughter along with me. However, as soon as his girlfriend got in the car, her face darkened. "Henry, you didn't tell me your sister was staying at your place—and with a kid!" she snapped. I frowned and was about to explain when my brother quickly interjected, "She's not staying. After dropping us off, she'll be heading to a hotel." Only then did his girlfriend's expression ease. I swallowed my discomfort and asked my brother what he was planning. He leaned in with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Sis, don't cause any trouble for me, okay? My girlfriend is the daughter of the Cromwell Group's CEO!" My eyes widened in shock. Was not the Cromwell Group the same company my ex-husband had just handed over to me as part of our divorce settlement?

I kept on running with Kay as we manoeuvred our way through the messy crowd. Kay pulled me through and we finally got out of the club. We couldn't take the main entrance because Yoshim's men were there. We were running through the dark alley, panting and gasping for air. Relief washed over me when I realised that I finally left that hell hole. We kept on running when I heard a gunshot. I immediately halted and felt a warm liquid trickling down my arm. I looked around and saw no wound, I glanced at Kay and my eyes widened. I immediately brought my hand to my mouth trying to suppress the scream that wanted to come out. Kay held his arm as he bled profusely, he groaned in pain and fell on his knees. “Oh my God, Kay are you alright? Ugh, what am I going to do.” I said while hyperventilating. I heard footsteps and looked up only to be met by those same devilish eyes. He wore a grin on his face. And to his left was Gail who clung to him like a barnacle. How did he even know I escaped? “Haha, I overheard your little conversation with the guard, so I told Yoshim.” She smiled while talking. “Gail, what the is wrong with you?” I said with anger and tears in my eyes. She shrugged her shoulders and her mouth curved into a smile. I pressed my hand on Kay's wound to stop the bleeding, he groaned in pain and I couldn't stop my tears. “I should've gotten rid of you a long time ago.” Yoshim said while pointing a gun to my head. I closed my eyes and waited for him to pull the trigger.

Amidst the dimly lit room, the tension was palpable as Clyde's vice-like grip closed around Isabella's neck. She struggled to gasp for air, her defiance clear in her eyes. "You are no one for me, do you understand?" Clyde hissed, his fingers digging into her skin. Isabella, her voice trembling but unwavering, met his intense gaze. "And you are the most darkly comedic and nightmarish chapter of my life." Clyde, cruel laughter in his eyes, flung her onto the bed with a brutal force that left her breathless. "Then let's make this chapter even more nightmarish," he taunted, a twisted grin dancing upon his lips. The story takes an electrifying turn when Isabella, longing for a peaceful visit to her grandmother, finds herself back in her home country. However, fate has other plans as Isabella's suitcase, filled with her belongings, gets exchanged with Clyde's bag - full of illicit weapons. Clyde, a dangerous figure entangled in the criminal underworld, cannot allow Isabella to simply walk away after discovering the dangerous secrets within the swapped bag. As the noose tightens, he's left with a limited choices: kill her or hold her captive, forever altering the course of both their lives. Amidst this high-stakes power struggle, a relentless battle for survival and freedom unfolds, painting the pages of this thrilling tale with suspense and danger.

***** "As long as you can make him pay." I bravely said between my cries. A playful grin appeared on his lips, amused by my pain. He was the devil, but I didn't care. It was a risk I was ready to take. "Anything, including giving yourself to the devil." He chirped That should have been a warning telling me to turn back, but instead, I nodded at him. "Only a devil can handle another devil." His grin grew wider, a laugh escaping his lips. Those evil lips parted, and each word left me more dumbfounded: "For starters, strip right here and now." My mouth fell agape taken back by his request. It was beyond my expectations; I was still lost in a dilemma when the devil spoke again. "I don't have all day, Mrs Romanov." He urged me. ****** A lady's best day was meant to be her wedding day, but that was not the case for Adelina, a Mafia princess. Adelina's dreams were shattered when her newly wedded husband ruthlessly betrayed her family on her wedding day. Pushed by revenge and the desperate need to escape her husband, Adelina persistently sought out the help of Mikhail, a business tycoon shrouded with mysteries unknown to her the secrets he carries. But why would Mikhail, the Lycan King, want to help his brother's wife seek her revenge despite the rivalry between the brothers and the fact Adelina is his fated mate? She will always be a weak human to him. What will be the fate between Adelina and Mikhail as they try to navigate this unwanted bond between them? Why don't you check this intriguing story that blurs the line between hate and love as Adelina and Mikhail's relationship becomes increasingly complicated with each step as mysteries are unravelled?

What will you do when you find out that your supposed boyfriend whom you have been dating for two years sold you to a hybrid mafia gang, a vampire and a werewolf? Someone you never thought would hurt you and you are hoping that he will claim you when you turn eighteen even if he didn't turn out to be your fated mate. He was the one who pushed you into the hands of the enemies.   "You can't run from us, little pancake and you don't need to, we will take care of you," he said with a wicked grin that showed off his elongated fangs. "Don't you come near me? If you touch me, I will make you never use those hands again" I threatened even though I was scared to die, they wrinkled their face with a look of disgust. "Now let me take care of you." he reached for my dress but suddenly they let go of me and were shifting on the floor, I looked in confusion. "Stupid, why didn't you tell us that you are his?" "is she mine?" he asked, I jumped off the floor, tugging my hand around his neck. "I am his." ====== The Hybrid series: The hybrid Alpha's scary face Book 1: Rejected at First Glance, Now Desired Book 2: My Hybrid Beta Although this book can be read as a standalone, it will not be a bad idea, if you read the parent's book, which is, the hybrid alpha's scary face.

Harriet Avellino received a death sentence for killing the old billionaire, Sorren Fabroa, the owner of Fantell Architecture Firms. After serving the Fabroa Family and did her very best as the chairman’s secretary, Harriet couldn’t believe that she’ll be sentenced guilty at the crime she did not do. Although everyone knows how much Sorren treat Harriet as if his real granddaughter, no one took her side. At her last day, Harriet's friend visited her in the jail. She is Reese, an old friend who turned out to be the missing daughter of a billionaire Astell Wyatt, and also the fiancee of the man Harriet is in love with. Harriet thought that Reese visited her to tell that she believes her and to mourn in sorrow at the sad end of her friend. However… “I know you aren't the one who killed sir Sorren. But you need to disappear, Harriet,” said Reese with a grin on her lips. “For my happiness, the real heir must die. You'll do it since we're friends, right?” At the last day of her life, Harriet just found out that Reese stole her identity. She snatched her position as the heir of Wyatt corporation, and the chance to be the fiancee of Zion Fabroa, the man Harriet loves the most. But it is too late. When Harriet sat at the electric chair to receive her sentence, she knew it's too late for her. However, by the time she closed and opened her eyes, a miracle happened. The time turned back. And so, going back to the past, Harriet vowed to revenge at the people who abandoned her, who stabbed her from the back and those who stole her love and wealth that should be hers. The real heir came back with vengeance.

“I don’t share what’s mine, Dove,” he warned. “And who said I’m yours?” Even as I was rejecting the notion of 'belonging' to another person, heat stole my body and mind in the predatorial claim, with the dark warning of the stranger's body and eyes. “You,” a dark and still warm grin steals his gorgeous features as every inch of me rose to his hands, silently begging for his continued attention....“You were made for me Dove and I want you to be mine this week..... Forget the cheating ex on a once in a lifetime vacation to the keys..... Ellie has no idea what fate, or her childhood friend have in store. Find out in Part One of DJ and Ellie's Second Chance BDSM Romance.

When Aster decided to confess to her childhood friend, Xavier, she feels relieved to find out that he feels the same way about her. However, he claims that he's not ready yet, asking for her to wait until he becomes the partner he thinks she deserves. Waiting for him would've been the easiest thing she'll ever have to do in her entire life if only her stupid mate, Khai, with his dangerously adorable grin and unwavering desire to befriend her, hadn't decided to conveniently show up a week after her confession. Shenanigans ensue as Aster tries to refuse her fate, believing Xavier to be the only one for her. ( cover drawn by yours truly )

"Are you nervous, Miss Bologna?" What the fuck? Did he just read me? I shifted slightly in my seat. "Detective Gunner, you seem to think you know me. But let me assure you, you don't." He shook his head, an inky black curl moving down his forehead. "I might not know you, Miss Bologna, but all one point two million followers don't know you either." A cocky grin crossed his face, drawing my attention to those damn dimples again. I uncrossed my legs and then crossed them again. "It's a necessary precaution." He held his arms up and shrugged. "And I get that. Being the daughter of the wealthy, powerful, notorious Wall Street guru, Dante Bologna has its downsides, I suppose." I glowered at him from underneath my lashes. "Tell me what you want, Detective Gunner." He tucked his phone back into his pants pocket. "I want you to tell me what the fuck is happening in this city." * * * To Love A Bologna is a four-volume series about the trials, temptations, and heart-burning romance of the Bologna family. | This first volume is focused on Nessa, the last and only daughter of the renowned mafia lord, Dante Bologna, and her love interest, Detective James Gunner who is on a quest to catch and destroy the Bologna family. When detective Gunner discovers the truth about the Bolognas, will he be able to go through with his plans? Or will his stolen heart make the choice for him?

If there’s one thing I know to be certain in life, it’s to expect the unexpected. I never expected to become a teen mom or have to flee a toxic relationship years later. And I certainly never expected to go head-to-head with Jacob Harris, doctor of veterinary medicine, to prove I’m worthy of running the struggling rescue full of misfit animals I suddenly inherited. Jacob is as smug as he is good looking, and I refuse to let that cocky grin or sharp jawline distract me. I won’t go down without a fight, and this time, it’ll be easy to stand my ground when my opponent is someone I can’t stand—even though my body reacts whenever he’s around. This time I’m not backing down no matter how much he gets under my skin. But the more I push, the more he pulls..until I don’t know what I’m more at a risk of losing: the rescue or my heart.