Scheming

On my 18th round of IVF, I accidentally overheard a conversation between my husband and his secretary. Yvonne asked, "Babe, do you really have to have a baby with her? What about us?" Zayn explained, "Don't worry. I've already switched the eggs with yours. So, Candice will actually be carrying our child, and you won't have to suffer through pregnancy. When the child grows up, all the Summers fortune will be his!" I pretended I did not hear a word, focusing instead on raising the son I worked so hard to bring into this world. 18 years later, my son was celebrated as a "computer genius", and he returned home after earning his doctorate. I transferred all my shares and real estate to him without hesitation. That was when Zayn finally decided to come clean and said, "Candice, the truth is, Luca is actually mine and Yvonne's. Let's get a divorce, and it's time for Lucas to be reunited with his biological mother." I simply smiled and replied, "I agree to the divorce." After weaving this web for 18 years, it was finally time to reel it all in.

It was only in the eighth year of our marriage that I discovered my husband had a mistress in the neighborhood. Her place had the same layout as mine, except her furnishings were more luxurious. He was a good husband for her, meticulously caring for his young and beautiful wife. They were even expecting a baby. She sent me a message, eager to get rid of and replace me. She had forgotten I was the one who had been through hard times with him, Clyde Sherwood, and fought alongside him for more than a decade. Her pregnancy was what they both wanted, but there was no way I would allow things to work out the way they anticipated. Taking advantage of his conflicted feelings, I made sure he didn't have any more assets. Everything came with a price. Not only would I make him fall from grace, but I would also make him rot in ruins.

Claire loves her husband, Jason, so much that she thinks he will fall in love with her if she is a good wife. But to Jason, Claire was just a scheming woman who tricked him into marrying her. Jason continued to date Alice despite his mother's disapproval, and he even kicked Claire out and divorced her after his mother's death. Claire's love burned out because of her jealousy of Alice, and Jason even accused her of deliberately killing his mother. But one day... Jason came to Claire and apologized. The man who had been cruel and indifferent to her suddenly became gentle and kind! He even knelt at her feet in front of everyone and promised: "Claire, it turns out that I have been loving the wrong person all this time. In the future, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, please forgive me. But Claire was no longer the woman who humbly loved him, because he had killed that stupid woman after divorcing her.

Liam Pearce is supposed to be celebrating our daughter's birthday when she dies after ingesting wolfsbane. Instead, he's with a human woman as she goes for a prenatal checkup at the hospital. My daughter's dying wish is to celebrate her birthday with both her parents. However, she ultimately dies with regrets. My heart dies with her. I take her ashes to the place she most looked forward to going to in life. That's when I see Liam kissing another woman. She leans into his arms and asks daintily, "Isn't your daughter sick, Liam? Why do you have time to be with me?" "Don't even mention her. Sofia, that scheming woman, must be using that as an excuse to keep me there. You're the one I love the most, sweetheart," he says dotingly. "What about your daughter, then? Who do you love more, me or her?" "You, of course. You're my darling Mia." His words stun me like a bolt of lightning. After crying my heart out, I pack my daughter's belongings. I decide to leave Liam forever. However, he and the rest of the royal family get on their knees before me. They beg me not to leave.

When Alpha King Rhys finally found his mate, he expected fireworks, a puzzle piece to click into place, a Luna to help him rule the kingdom, not this.. this savage rogue. A rogue whose intention had been to assassinate him. Hated upon first sight, Amira cursed the Moon Goddess to find out her mate was the tyrannical Alpha King she'd been trained to kill. With nothing left to do but reject the king and escape almost unscathed, neither Rhys nor Amira expected what came next. It was unheard of to reject the gift the Moon Goddess blessed them with. Only a few were granted a mate, and Alpha King Rhys and Amira did precisely that- Rejected the gift. Cursed by the Moon Goddess, they wake up inside each other's bodies. Switched to live in each other's worlds, Rhys and Amira are forced to figure out how to return to their original forms. Can they stop fighting, bickering, and scheming against each other, or will this curse open their minds and hearts to each other's troubles? EXCERPT: “What in Goddess’ name is this!?” Rhys growled into the mirror; his voice came out feminine and his reflection, not his own. This was a nightmare, a cruel trick of his mind. It was playing on him for rejecting this woman as his mate. The woman he wanted to kill was staring back at him from the mirror, hands clutching her face, eyes wide with shock and fury. The nails grew into claws, ready to scratch at the face of the wench who tried to kill him. But the piercing pain and the pool of blood shocked him into a surreal reality. This was not a nightmare. This was real!? Rhys was inside Amira’s body! So, where was Amira? COMPLETED - Cursed Series -

On my fifth birthday with Zachary Murdock, I sit once again in front of a full table of cold food, just like every year before. Zachary had promised, as always, to spend the day with me. And, as always, he breaks that promise. This year, it's because his childhood sweetheart wanted to shoot a set of "artistic photos". She invited him and a few of his close buddies to be part of it. Without hesitation, he ditches me again and runs straight into her arms. At 11:00 pm, his childhood sweetheart posts a photo to her social media and sets it so that only I can see it. In the picture, four men are in nothing but black briefs and Windsor-knotted ties. They kneel around her while she is draped in sheer fabric like a goddess. The caption reads, "Some people beg for crumbs, but I own the entire bakery." I take a screenshot. Then, I send it to the girlfriends of all three of Zachary’s best buddies. If they all look down on me this much, let's hope they don't end up on their knees begging me someday.

I had just become an adult when my neighbor, Connor Grayson, started flirting with me. We kept our relationship a secret year after year. After a wild night of intimacy, Connor whispered into my ear that he loved me over and over again. The next morning, I could barely stand as I got out of bed. Then I saw Connor bring another woman home. "Selena, this is my fiancée. We're getting married." I thought Connor would let me go. I didn't want to ruin anyone's relationship. However, he wouldn't leave me alone despite my shameful predicament. "Yes, I'm getting married, but did I say you could go? It took a lot of effort to make you fall for me."

My wife, Valerie Larson, had a congenital heart condition. Despite that, she still wanted to have a child with her first love, Eugene Dyer. I refused without a second thought. Ten months later, Eugene's mother, Susan Turner, passed away. Her eyes were still wide open as if refusing to accept death without ever holding her grandchild. Overcome with guilt for failing his mother, Eugene took his own life in his small, rundown apartment. Valerie, consumed by grief and anger, took us on a road trip, only to crash the car head-on into a truck without hesitation. She shouted, "It's your fault Eugene died! If you had let me give him a child, he never would have ended up like that! His whole family is gone, so yours doesn't deserve to live either!" When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Valerie first asked to have Eugene's child. This time, I forced a small smile and said, "Darling, go ahead. Our whole family will support you."

Chandra, the loving wife of the alpha, was being mistreated by her husband even though she excellently manage her responsibility as the Luna of the pack. The alpha cheated behind her back with Amanda, a scheming lady who causes Chandra's death. The poor Luna was sentenced to death with the sin that she did not committed. After her death, she was reborn. Will she fall in love again with the alpha? Or will she meet another man who will love her unconditionally? Who is Alarick in Chandra's new life? Can she make her life happy and fulfilling in this lifetime? Or will she experience betrayal again? There are plenty of questions to ask but the real question is, how can she make use of her rebirth to make her new life better?

My husband's beloved lover suffered from menstruation complications. A traveling doctor claimed that a fresh placenta was needed to cure her. His gaze fixated on my seven-months-pregnant baby bump. And thus, I was pinned down on the bed as they ripped the placenta from my body. My son was carelessly tossed aside. He didn't even get the chance to cry before his tiny body fell silent forever. My husband pinched his nose in disgust, frowning as he looked at me—bleeding out, feebly reaching for my child. “It’s just a premature baby. He'll be fine after a few days of care. Why are you making such a fuss? Sandra is waiting for her medicine." He left and locked the door behind him without looking back. He claimed it was a lesson I needed to learn. By the time he finally remembered us, my son and I had long since bled dry, our bodies cold and stiff.