Scrunching Nose

"Save me, and you'll get 100 million dollars!"Larissa Solace accidentally saves a man. Her reward? 100 million dollars as well as Ambrose Hamilton, the man whom she just saved."Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. Hamilton said she wants to buy a luxury goods store!""She can use my card for that.""Oh no! Mrs. Hamilton punched someone in the nose!""Why didn't you punch that person for her?""Mister, that celeb is so hot! Can I become his fan?""Sure thing."That night, Larissa buys a train ticket and flees the city overnight. "Screw you for saying that, Ambrose!"Before Larissa meets Ambrose, her life is a pathetic mess because her sister has stolen everything from her. After that fateful meeting, she finds herself getting pampered like a princess.

My mother-in-law and I were traveling together. We'd just checked into the Solenne Hotel in Rivera City and decided to hit the pool. Then this woman—dressed like money and attitude—pinched her nose like we stank. "This is a luxury hotel. How did you people even get in? Sneak in just for the pool? Ugh, I need a test after this." Buzzkill. I snapped, "It's a hotel pool. Guests swim. If that's a problem, go build your own." Her face twisted. "Excuse me? Do you even know who I am? My husband owns this place. We always stay in the top suite. So get out. You reek of broke. You're contaminating the water." Georgina and I traded a look. Ice cold. This was her son's hotel. My husband's. Since when did he come with a second wife?

In my last life, my sister and I got adopted into two very different worlds. My mom? The "cool" type. Let me perm my hair in elementary school, signed off on a nose job in middle school, and shoved me toward one of Northport's richest heirs right after college. Ella's mom? Hardcore strict. Pulled her out of a fling with some delinquent and married her off to a quiet professor with a just-decent paycheck. Ella hated it. Wanted my life so bad. So when I ended up in the hospital pregnant, she used her shiny doctor title to kill me—and my baby. Then boom—I woke up, and we were back to adoption day. This time, she dove for the mom she thought handed me the dream. What she didn't know? That "cool mom" she worshipped was straight-up a monster.

"One wish,” whispered Rica. “A love that will last forever.” Rica jumped out of her bed when she saw a man lying in the bed next to her. She stared at him, fascinated by his handsome face. He had an attractive aquiline nose which complemented his projecting cheekbones and alluring lips. His black glistening hair was coiffed to perfection. She closed her eyes. “This is just a dream,” she told herself pinching her own skin to wake herself up. “This is not a dream and I am your husband.” Her eyes widened as she stared at the manly figure standing in front of her. His perfect amber-colored eyes met hers. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. She was so confused. Yesterday, her boyfriend broke up with her, and now a stranger has appeared claiming they were married to each other. Is he the one she has been waiting for? A love that will last forever?

After his dream career as a footballer comes to a tragic end before it even got started, Twenty-three-year old Samuel Cartwright is forced to pursue a lackluster job as a high school substitute Literature teacher when his father gets into a bad accident. With no real interest in teaching, he is less than enthused to face the spoiled rich kids than run the elite school where he’s been hired on a whim. It is no mystery to him that he doesn’t belong there and that the Principal intends to fire his father at the first opportunity that she gets. With his Dad’s job on the rocks, Samuel does the unthinkable – he gets into an affair with a man two years younger than him. Of course, Ryan isn’t just any student. He’s the Principal's out-of-control son. It seems that both teacher and son have an ax to grind with the Principal. What better way than by having an illicit affair right under her nose?

When I turned 18, my mother married my stepfather, a retired mafia kingpin, and I moved with her into a luxurious mansion. Just when I thought my life was heading toward happiness, my stepbrother, the new mafia boss, stormed into my life. He was like a devil, with delicate eyebrows, a high, sharp nose, and lips that were always tightly pressed together beneath a cold expression. Every time our eyes met, I felt a chill run through me, making it hard to breathe. I tried my best to avoid him, but he had no intention of letting me go. “My stepsister, from the moment I first saw you, I knew I couldn’t let you go. You can’t escape—you’re destined to be mine.” I stared into his possessive eyes as his body pressed down on mine. “No, you're my stepbrother, we can't……"

When my boyfriend came to my family home to ask for my hand in marriage, my sister-in-law, who was usually cold and aloof, became a completely different person. She flung her arm around me warmly and asked, “Cassie, who’s your favorite? This boyfriend or one of the dozen or so men that you’ve brought home before?” As I denied her accusation and interrupted her, she cheekily batted her eyelashes at my boyfriend and cooed, “Oh, yes, yes. Cassie has never brought another man home. You’re the lucky first!” In the midst of dinner, she deliberately took her own soiled underwear out of the bathroom, pinched her nose, and waved it around as she screeched, “Oh my goodness, Cassie! I know you don’t really care about hygiene, but we have guests today! How can you have no shame? It smells so bad!”

During Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law hinted for the umpteenth time that she wanted a grandchild. However, my husband, Zachary Cole, who had insisted on staying child-free in the past decade, only smiled and filled her plate. After dinner, he slipped onto the balcony. "There, there. Daddy will come see you on New Year's Day," he whispered. I stood in the corner of the living room with a glass of water in my hand, feeling cold as the words sank in. I stepped forward and forced a playful tone. "I just heard you say 'Daddy.' Got a secret kid stashed somewhere?" He rubbed his nose, his voice stiff. "You must've misheard. That's… just a friend's kid." My heart sank. I'd been married to him for a decade, so I knew exactly what he looked like when he was lying.

His eyes softened so full of emotions, his hands on my waist holding me tighter, pulling me closer to him. "You're my forever." He whispered. A smile reached my lips as I wrapped my hands around his neck, "forever is a long time, Hudson." He only leaned down kissing my lips, softly. Only for a second, then he laid a kiss on my nose, then my cheeks, my temple, on top of my head. He pulled me against his chest his lips brushing against my ears. "I sure damn hope so." ꧁𒊹︎꧂ Independent Olivia Keith, a free Spirit. Full of confidence. With a surprising sense of humor. College graduate. Just now having a kick start on her career working in one of the richest car companies in the New York. Alexander Hudson young CEO by day, notorious playboy by night. Vowed to never fall in love again due to his past relationship hardships. She was stubborn, and he was persistent.

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.