Seconds Minutes

After I announced my exit from the music industry, the public response was overwhelmingly positive. The only person who voiced his objection was my girlfriend's rumored lover, the up-and-coming songwriter Lucas Zacker. He put on a show of sincerity in front of a crowd of reporters. "It's all a misunderstanding. Matthew is an irreplaceable talent in the music industry. I sincerely hope he returns to the stage." I shut off my phone and turned a blind eye to his public plea. In my past life, one of my songs had been identical to his supposedly original single. As such, netizens accused me of plagiarism, cursing me and wishing death upon my family. Frustrated, I posted the entire creation process online, but it couldn't stand up to the timeline. His new song had been released ten minutes ahead of mine. Just because of the ten-minute difference, netizens sent me photoshopped mourning portraits of myself and even went so far as to come to my house and vandalize it with paint. The relentless cyberbullying went on for years, and it drove me into a deep depression. My parents exhausted their life savings trying to clear my name, only for crazed fans to set our house on fire, causing my parents to burn to death. In the end, when his song won an award, I jumped off a building. But who would have guessed that when I opened my eyes again, I was reborn on the very day the new song was set to release.

When Harper wakes up that morning with a headache and prepares to get dressed to go to her little brother's graduation ceremony, she does not imagine that that same day, a handsome gentleman with an enigmatic look and a flirtatious smile will cross her path and that will dazzle her completely as soon as she sees him sitting in that subway car. One thing will lead to another, and in a matter of minutes, a pair of new acquaintances will surrender to their desires, in the bathroom of a subway station. For him, Daniel Ansdell, it will be one more experience, one of so many he has had throughout his life. He is a very confident man, with extensive experience in lovemaking arts, with a strong obsession for sex. He is uninhibited, cheeky and very direct when it comes to asking for what he wants. And although in the eyes of any lady he is perfect, he is not the type of man that a father would wish for his daughter. For her part, Harper is not a white dove, but she is not a veteran in love matters either. Her complicated life has led her to consider a couple of priorities. And having a romantic relationship is not among them. She is a fun woman, without prejudice, but with many responsibilities. Together they will have to face a series of emotions and feelings that will emerge in the midst of a whirlwind of passions. She will not be able to understand why that man awakens her most primitive side. It will be very difficult for him to recognize that she has taken over his thoughts and his will.

The past Day 159 after the first New Species were freed Joy tried to relax in the chair but worry over her client made her fidget. She glanced at the clock, noting he was late again. Minutes ticked by while her anger grew. It was the fourth session in a row that 466 had blown off. He did it on purpose. She knew he was going to be irate over what she’d done in retaliation but he’d left her with no choice. The loud sound of a menacing growl startled her. Her gaze flew to the door a second before it was thrown open. 466 hovered in the hallway, his rich brown hair messed up as if he’d dried it upside down with a blow dryer to give it that fullness. Rage showed in his narrowed, dark gaze. She guessed he’d been the source of the noise. He was pushed forward as one of the guards entered the office behind her client. “Here he is. He wasn’t happy but we got him.” The man shot a dirty look at 466. “Four of his men convinced him to come along or we would have had to drag his inside in shackles. He wanted to fight me.” She winced. “Please sit, 466.” “It seems I don’t have a choice.” He sauntered over to the chair in front of her desk and dropped his big body down hard enough to make the piece of furniture groan. “So much for saying we are free.”

I was treating some friends to dinner at the private club my cousin owned. When we wrapped up, I waved over a server. "Just put it on Nick's tab." The server nodded, but a manager I'd never seen stepped in to block her. Wearing a smile that never reached her eyes, she said, "Sir, Bosco is a members-only establishment. We don't offer tabs." I felt a flicker of irritation. "I'm the owner's cousin. Just let him know." She let out a sharp, mocking laugh and slapped a bill onto the table. Eighty-eight thousand. Exclusive suite atmosphere maintenance fee, ten thousand. High‑end social network filtration fee, twenty thousand. Spontaneous entertainment ambience enhancement fee, fifteen thousand. And a mess of other miscellaneous charges. Since when did Nick's place dare to bleed customers dry like this? "What's wrong? Can't pay and now you're trying to name‑drop?" She looked me up and down with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "I've seen plenty of our boss's relatives. Not one of them is as broke, pretentious, and shameless as you." Right in front of her, I dialed Nick and put the call on speaker. "Ten minutes," I said. "Make sure she disappears from my sight. Otherwise, I'm revoking your authorization for this club."

Orphaned at birth, Lena Warrick spent twenty years locked away in a secluded academy, training to be a warrior. Her heart longed to be free, to escape far away from the village of Lucania! A strange force beckoned her, making her restless to escape! Maybe it was an impossible dream! She was the chosen Luna for Ajax, the future Alpha of the Luceres Pack. His father, Alpha Atticus, promised to divulge her identity only if she gave in. There was no other way than to surrender. However, on the eve of the Luna Ceremony, their pack was attacked by the most powerful group of warriors led by their indomitable Alpha, Zephyrus. In a matter of minutes, he overpowered them, leaving her at his mercy as a war prisoner. After twenty years, Zephyrus Averoff returned to his village, Lucania, to avenge the death of his family and pack at the hands of the ruthless Alpha Atticus. Soon he wiped out the enemy and reclaimed his land, his pack. What about the prisoner he had captured whom his wolf, Zeus, already acknowledged as his mate? To what extent will Lena go to know her true identity? Why couldn’t she accept the mate bond between them? What would Zephyrus do when the dark secrets of her past are out? Would he accept the enemy, reject her, or claim her as his mate? The first book of the Overpowered Series, this story can be read as a standalone book.

(Unholy Allies Series#2) Kathrine Raynott I was barely three when my father, Alpha Lincoln, sold me off to a sixty year old bastard to settle his debts. All these years I've tried all that it takes to escape Alpha Lincoln's hell-like mansion. I have one last time to try ten minutes before my twenty-first birthday party begins. And this time I managed to escape... Except in a sack with a handkerchief around my mouth and eyes blindfolded... Kidnapped! Rogue Cordiero A businessman in the daylight and the Bratva boss in the night, I live a life I have written for myself. And they fear to conduct business with me as I hate being cheated. So when a foolish Alpha tries it with me, I'm determined to take back what's mine along with his daughter. She's gorgeous. Eleven years younger but a seductress that's got my eyes hooked to her little body. She's a fighter.... I like fighters! The only problem is that... She's been sold, and that she's been looking out a way to escape. I helped her with it... And now she wants me to keep her-- asking me to protect her. I am a villain in my life... But I want to be a hero in hers. Can be read as a standalone:) I'd still recommend you to read Book #1 (The Savage Alpha's Rebel)

✨❤️ L' âmes des sept ✨❤️ Il sonnait exactement une heure et trente minutes dans la ville de Grenoble, une nuit différente et surtout particulière dans le grand hôpital de Grenoble. Un grand vent violent souffla menaçant de faire des cornes, un ombre passe. Huit bébés naissent au même moment. Mais sept meurent en un clin d'œil. Un seul a survécu portant ainsi en lui l'âmes des sept. Mais, cette même nuit, il avait disparu comme par magie. Cinq ans plus tard des choses assez étrange commencent par se passer. Entre la peur et la volonté de découvrir le mystère, une seule jeune femme arrivera à percer le secret quinze ans plus tard. Le bout du tunnel n'est pas si prêt d'être vu. Mais l'amour risque de frapper. La légende raconte que seul un amour pur et vrai serait capable de briser le sort de cette malédiction. Elana serait-elle la clé de ce mystère ? .......

The last thing Valentina Serra sees before she dies is the crack in the ceiling above her bed. She is 45 years old. She is not unhappy. That, she realizes in the last seconds of her first life, is the most devastating thing she could say about it. She opens her eyes in a university lecture hall in Barcelona. She is 20 years old. Her notebook is open, her pen is in her hand, and she can feel — with the precision of someone who has lived an entire life — exactly how much she is about to waste if she does nothing. She does something. Armed with 25 years of memory, Valentina sets out to close every loop she left open: the military commission she dismissed, the marketing career she let others architect for her, the relationship she stayed in long past its expiry date, and the mother she visited but never truly knew. One by one, she reaches for the life she talked herself out of the first time around. But the two people closest to her — the friends who have always been there, always supportive, always first to suggest the safer, smaller option — are watching. And when Valentina begins exceeding the quiet ceiling that they built for her, Isabel and David begin to coordinate. Then there is Ethan Cole. Washington D.C. Investment sector. Five years younger, which bothered her the first time. He will walk into her life again in Barcelona, and this time Valentina already knows what the long dinner and the careful conversation and the late-night walk along the Passeig de Gràcia will mean — if she doesn't talk herself out of it. She is not going to talk herself out of it.

I've just returned from the world's biggest tech summit when my mentor, who's like a father to me, calls. He tells me he's arranged for me to marry his close friend's son, Jonathan Ford. Jonathan is one of Javron's rising stars. A few of my patents are licensed to his company, and they form the core technology of his new product. I work late to wrap up everything in the lab. Then, I dress up and head to the engagement ceremony. Unexpectedly, I'm stopped at the door by Jonathan's secretary, Linda Jones. She wears a lavish gown and looks more like the bride than I do. "Turn around and scram if you know what's good for you," she says with a sneer. "You're just an orphan from the countryside—think twice about whether you're worthy of our CEO." I ask, "Does Jonathan know you're making decisions for him like this?" She lets out a contemptuous laugh. "You're nothing but a pretty face who needs to ride on her mentor's reputation to get married. How can you possibly understand the weight I carry in Mr. Ford's heart?" A blush spreads across her face as she speaks. I study her for a few seconds, then call Jonathan. "If your idea of courtesy is leaving your fiancee standing outside the venue, then here's how I'll repay the favor. I'll let you read the contract and watch as I sell my patents to your competitor. How does that sound?"

Dave Sun has just turned eighteen and arrives in Kings City with nothing but a backpack and a dream. Ever since he was a child, he imagined the city as a place where fortunes were built and dreams came alive. But the moment he steps into its glittering streets, he realizes the truth—Kings City is beautiful on the outside and brutally cold on the inside. After days of job hunting and constant rejection, Dave loses the little money he has when he is robbed late one night. Exhausted and hopeless, he sits in front of a towering company building just to rest before trying again the next morning. That is when everything changes. Three sleek black cars emerge from the company gates. Within seconds, two men drag Dave into one of the vehicles. Terrified, Dave struggles—until he meets the man sitting inside. Ryan Blood. The man is breathtakingly handsome, calm, and terrifying. A man who looks like a god… and rules Kings City’s most powerful mafia empire. Before Dave can escape, he is injected with something that pulls him into darkness. When Dave wakes up the next morning, he finds himself lying on a luxurious bed in a room that looks like it belongs in a palace. His wounds have been treated, his clothes changed, and the man responsible is sitting beside him. Ryan calmly introduces himself as Dave’s lover and future partner. Dave refuses. But Ryan is not a man used to hearing the word no. Chained to a bed and trapped in Ryan’s world of danger, power, and obsession, Dave is forced to live inside the mansion of the most feared mafia boss in Kings City. Ryan insists Dave belongs to him—and he will keep him in chains until he accepts it.