Scary Names

Irina Volkov has three most important rules: no emotions, no real names, and never meet in person. For two years she has survived on those rules alone — running romance scams on wealthy men, funneling every stolen dollar toward the crushing debt her abusive stepfather signed in her name before she escaped. She is not greedy. She is desperate. And she is very, very good. Until she targets Nikolai Dragunov. What Irina doesn't know is that Nikolai has known about her from the beginning. He created the perfect bait — a lonely businessman with money to burn — and waited for her to find him. Because in a world Nikolai controls down to the last detail, Irina Volkov is the only unpredictable thing left. He wanted to see how far she would go. Now the game is over. The con is exposed. And Nikolai isn't asking for his money back. He's keeping her. Trapped in his penthouse with nowhere to run and a Bratva boss who looks at her like she's both a puzzle and a prize, Irina has to survive the most dangerous mark she's ever made — and somehow stop herself from falling for him in the process. She's a liar. He's a monster. And neither of them expected to fall. "You took my money, Malyshka. Now you belong to me."

Allysa Hall is a 25-year-old brazen yet beautiful lady. Heir to her father’s big company but due to her elder step-sister’s scheme she lost the favor of her father. She was called many names, the black sheep of the respectable Hall family. She once believed that she was the luckiest girl in the world having both parents that love her, but the moment her mother died everything changed. Her father, Andrew Hall remarried three years after his wife's death and it was the start of Allysa’s nightmare. She was forced to restart her life. Finding relief and temporary happiness she found herself in a cheap bar recommended by one of her friends. She drank and partied till dawn to forget all the bad things that happened. Being single for almost all of her life she decided to make a bold move on the hot guy sitting next to her. “Hi, there! Can you grant this miserable woman who’s never been in a relationship, a favor?” Allysa asked pretty boldly, cheeks flushed red due to alcohol. The man looked up from his drink and saw a drunk lady on his left side. “What?” he asked irritably. “Can I kiss you?” Allysa asked with a grin on her beautiful face. Little did she know that due to her impulsiveness, she had no idea that her miserable life would turn upside-down.

Two days before my wedding, I was sorting through some old belongings when I suddenly remembered the time capsules Ethan Shaw and I buried ten years ago. His expression froze the moment he heard it. He tried to talk me out of going. “It’s been so long. Someone must’ve dug them up already.” I didn’t think much of it and went back to our old school on my own. But at the spot where we buried it, I unearthed five metal boxes of different sizes. Two of them were the ones Ethan and I buried a decade ago, now rusted all over. The other three didn’t belong there—one was just as rusty, while the remaining two looked brand-new. The old box had Rose Quinn’s name carved on it. On top were the words: “My secret crush was a war of myself. Ethan, I wish you happiness.” I remembered her then—an unremarkable girl who used to sit behind us. And the two new boxes were engraved with the names Ethan Shaw and Rose Quinn. The date marked on them was today. On Ethan’s box, it read: “My greatest regret in life is that I can’t give you a wedding.” On Rose’s box, it read: “My greatest regret in life is that I can’t openly wish you a happy wedding day.”

“This is your cheque.” He said, making her frown. “I didn’t ask for your money.” She said, and he rolled his eyes. “You didn’t need to. But you served, and you are getting paid for it.” He said coldly before walking toward the door. “Now just be sure to keep that mouth of yours shut about it…” ********************************** She gave him one night. He gave her money for it. Mia knew it was reckless. Sleeping with a stranger, no names, no promises, just a fleeting escape from the weight of reality. But when the night ended, and he left cold bills on the nightstand like she was just another transaction, the burn of humiliation carved into her soul. She hated him for it. Hated herself for needing the money too much to throw it back. She never expected to see him again. But fate has a cruel sense of humor. Because now he’s standing in her office… powerful, arrogant, and very much her new boss. Nathan Lockwood doesn’t recognize her at first. To him, it was just one night. But for Mia, it was the night everything changed. And when he finds out the secret she’s been hiding, the game between them turns into something far more dangerous than either of them ever anticipated. He paid to forget her. Now he’ll pay anything to keep her.

A medical report shows me my husband's true colors. I've been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. Yet, my husband gives our life savings to someone else. I lunge at him to take my anger out on him, but he shoves me to the floor. "Lillian needs the money to open up a shop, you madwoman! So what if I've given her the money? "You have late-stage stomach cancer, so it's the end of the line for you! Why are you trying to compete with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave? You can't expect Mom and I to lose everything because of you, right?" I sit dazedly on the floor. I've never found him more unfamiliar. After that, I sneak all my wedding gifts out, wanting to sell them for money. However, I'm told they're all fakes. My husband sneers. "I'm glad I had the foresight to switch them out for the real deal. You would've taken all the money if not for that!" Later, the hospital called to say there was an issue with their system. The names on the medical reports were wrongly indicated. I ask my husband, "Why are you competing with someone who has a long life ahead when you already have one foot in the grave?"

"Sa paglubog ng araw, ang liwanag ay naglalaho. Katulad ng mga ngiting sa kalungkutan natatago." Si Maureen Cruz ay isang masayahin na tao. Kahit na lumaki siya na hindi nakukuha ang lahat ng kanyang ninanais ay hindi iyon naging dahilan upang hindi yakapin at bigyan ng halaga ang buhay na mayroon siya. Primarya lamang ang kanyang natapos, at hindi na siya nakapag-aral pa dahil sa kahirapan. Gayunpaman, ginamit niya ang lahat ng kanyang mga pinagdaanan upang lumaban ng patas sa hamon ng buhay. Hanggang saan siya susubukin at dadalhin ng kanyang matapang na personalidad kung pag-ibig na ang sumukat sa kanyang dignidad? Mapanindigan kaya niya ang pag-ibig na itinanim nito sa kanyang puso at diwa? Hanggang kailan? Tunghayan ang k’wentong pag-ibig ng isang babaeng magtuturo, kung gaano kaganda ang buhay mula sa likod ng takipsilim. DISCLAIMER: No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the author's consent. Please obtain permission. Names, Characters, Places and Incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. ️ WARNING ️ It may contain mature scenes and words. Read at your own risk.

Lisandra is a She Wolf that had been through what has been nothing short of a Living Hell. Having watched her best friend murder her Father in a Pack Challenge to become the Alpha of the largest pack in the Simmerian Forest, she had to endure years of servitude at the hands of the very people who she had thought she could trust the most, and used as bait in a deadly game of chase for the Pack's amusement. It was on one such game that she found her chance of escape from the Alpha that had tormented her for so long. Luckily, (or unluckily) in the course of her attaining the freedom she had yearned so much for, she finds herself in the paws of yet another Alpha. Terren has been called many names through all his life. Bastard, Murderer, Devilspawn, Alpha. To the Lycans in the Simmerian Forest, the very name Silver Wolf is synonymous with The Grim Reaper, and is yet another moniker he has earned for himself for all the dozens of bodies he has ripped to shreds with his fangs and claws. But the moment he locks eyes with the most beautiful pair he ever had the fortune to behold, he realizes that he is about to have yet another name to go by...Mate It was never his intention to mate. In fact, he went out of his way to prevent that exact scenario. But when it does happen, the Terror of the Forest abandons all thought of resisting the bond and wields all of his considerable power to make her his forever.

Liam, my stepbrother, has been a pain in the rear for three years. We fight every time we talk. Every time we see each other, we remember that moment, which we never talk about. The one in the yard behind where our parents had their wedding dinner. The event that almost made everything bad. Our parents are now going for a trip to celebrate their first anniversary, leaving us all alone in the house. Simple plan: we'll stay on different sides, ignore each other, and act like we're working. But then there's a fire on my side of the house, and all of a sudden I have to share a floor, a hallway, and a wall that is too thin to be safe with him. The worst times are at night. I hear him. I can feel him. And every disagreement ends too close. Every stare stays too long. Every breath turns into heat I can’t escape. We’re supposed to protect our parents’ happiness. We’re supposed to act like good brothers. But how do you pretend you hate someone when all you want is to drag him into your bed? Then the holidays arrive with our whole extended family. We’re forced to play perfect boys while nearly pulling each other apart behind locked doors. And just when I think things can’t get worse, Liam’s cheating ex shows up begging to take him back. The jealousy nearly wrecks me… and reveals everything. But the real disaster hits one night with a broken condom and a hurried hospital visit. Two scary weeks that make us imagine a life we’re not supposed to want. A future that feels too good to lose. The test is negative. But the damage is done. We want each other.

"No offense but you are always so grumpy, it's actually kind of cute." I bluntly say to him and watch him throw me a nasty glare, I just giggle at that. "I'm not." he defends himself in a calm yet stern voice keeping his face emotionless. "sure." I find myself saying sarcastically. I think I'm too drunk  because there is no way a sober River will have the courage to hold a conversation with a very grumpy Killian. I expect another scary glare to come towards me but instead I meet with a soft gaze that stares at me with an unreadable expression. "I'm not." This time he says softly, I see him biting back a small smile and , he smiles. I've never seen him smiling before, not this way. Standing on the edge of life, River breathes in and lets himself adjust into a new life, into a new family. After a horrifying past he finds his life wrapped around a shaggy orphanage and several foster homes which makes it hard to believe that he is actually being adopted. Having a family was always a desire of him but to his burnt luck, he doesn't feel like he belongs in his adoptive family. Everyone and everything around him make it clear that he wasn't born to be happy. River is waiting for another push, one last push to end it all and fall from the edge and that's when a grumpy looking Killian Price steps into his life. River can't decide if Killian is the saviour or the devil himself. River's life meets with unexpected secrets mixed with burning desire, adorning the melancholic attire. Soon, he finds out he isn't the only one standing on the edge of the cliff, or he realises he is far from the edge.

Sophia Censatio, a waitress, tough and strong. She was hard like a rock to let anyone in until she met Aaron Samuel who made her steal heart turned soft and went explode. Aaron Samuel, a 30 years old bachelor. He has a cold heart. He never cared about anyone's feelings aside from his friends and family. He believes every woman is the same. All they want is; MONEY!! They would lick the ground he walk on for money but, Sophia changed his perspective. What happens when these two meet? And at that, they both need each other's help? • "There, sign the contract" he shot her a cold glare. "W.. wh.. what?!! You want me to sign a contract marriage with you?!" She asked in an unbelievable tone. "No, I'm not interested. I never agreed to do this with you" she added by declining even though, she needed it badly. If she agrees to be his wife for a year then, her sick mother will get treated and she will also be rewarded with money. Then, Aaron can also claim his father's empire. "Of course, you'll. Sign this and save your mother or, I make your life a living hell. I'm pretty sure, you know what I'm capable of doing " A wicked smirk creep at the corner of his lip. "Lying to your family that I'm your girlfriend isn't enough? Now, you're forcing me to do this? You're a monster!" She said to him as tears welled up in her eyes. "I know, I hear that a lot. Now, sign the damn paper before I lose it" he ordered her in his usual cold and scary tone. With her hand trembling in fear, she took the pen and signed the papers. Unknown to her, she just signed the death of herself.