She Was Pretty

Five years had gone by since my death. The cops called my mom and told her they got news about me. My mother and brother marched to my grandmother's home and kicked her door down. "Where's Charlie? That shameless woman has been hiding from us far too long. Her brother needs her cornea, and she's giving it to him!" "Charlie's dead," said my grandmother, sobbing. My mother sneered. "As if. The cops called us. They said they had her news. Hand her over or get out of the house, you hag." My grandmother looked at her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. With trembling hands, she took my photo out. "I wonder if you've ever regretted saving your brother, Charlie."

“You can’t blame me. Her father is the richest man in this country. You’re just an orphan. You should be grateful I even dated you. I won’t mind having you as my mistress though.” These were the words of my boyfriend after catching him in bed with my best friend. If it were with any other woman, it would have been less painful. But my best friend sleeping with my boyfriend behind my back? How does one heal from that? For the first time in my life; I am going to be very mean, because how could they? Yes, I was an orphan but does that give anyone the right to trample all over me? Well, I’d become the wife of that richest man! And have them address me as “Mom”

Rita Brown once loved Liam Wilson deeply, and used to believe that during the eight years of their marriage she could win his cold heart and make him love her. She thought she had given him everything! But she was so wrong to think so. So wrong to have loved him from the start. But she didn't realize she would have to give even more to get killed by Liam. She was pushed down from the stairs by him and She watched as Liam looked at her coldly and said mercilessly, " You deserve to die!" Rita was heartbroken at that very moment and swore to herself that if she could live through this, she would get a divorce. Luckily for her, she was reborn and time flew back to three years ago. Now that she had gotten one more chance at life, she swore never to be crazy over Liam and never allow what happened in her past life to repeat itself. She took back her obsession with him, but this time Liam wouldn’t Let her go. When she tried to escape away, he grabbed her waist to his, and said to her, “Do you think you can escape after wining my heart over.” Rita smiled… Did this scumbag think she would fall for him the second time?

In their two years of marriage, Helma King’s husband had been home no more than ten times. The last time he was home, he asked for a divorce. In her devastation, she got into an accident and lost her memory! No longer blinded by love, she refused to humble herself for the sake of peace. Instead, she resumed her position as the little princess of the wealthiest King family. With her headstrong and sassy personality, she kicked ass and taught all the scumbags a lesson. During a show, a reporter asked, “Miss King, is it true that you filed for a divorce because someone stole your husband?” Helma King smiled. “He’s just a man. If she wants him, she can have him. There are plenty of men to go around.” Hearing that, everyone turned to look at Young Master Guller, Helma King’s ex-husband, who was scowling with bloodshot eyes.

On the day I receive my Distinguished Service Medal, I also receive word that my grandma has passed away. My superior grants me special leave to return to my hometown to mourn her death, so I rush to my ancestral home at once. But when I reach the ancestral graveyard behind the hill, I witness something that makes my blood boil. The graves of my deceased family members have been razed to the ground. Even my parents' graves have been brutally dug up. Their urns are now placed under flower pots filled with blooming red roses. Grandma's coffin has been pried open as well.Her body now lies strewn on the ground and has started to rot. I also see Lucy Stewart, my autistic younger sister. Melissa Abbott, my wife's assistant, orders Lucy around like a maid, forcing her to move heavy construction materials around. Enraged, I grab Melissa by the throat and throw her to the ground. "How dare you destroy my family's ancestral cemetery and make my sister do hard labor! Do you want to end up buried here too?" Melissa coughs up blood before crawling back onto her feet, her expression vicious and scornful. "I'm simply carrying out Ms. Fuller's instructions. She says that your ancestral cemetery is located in a good spot. It's also the perfect size to be turned into a private horse ranch and a garden for her future husband. "Ms. Fuller calls the shots here in Joverton City. Who the hell do you think you are, huh?" Resisting the urge to put an end to her life, I call up Eva Fuller, my wife. "I heard you call the shots here in Joverton City. Well, I shall put that to the test today!"

I'm Alex. I'm twenty-one years old, and soon to take over my father's position in the pack, the Alpha of Silver Crescent Moon. And, I'm a girl! Yes, that's my secret. In fact, it's my whole Alpha family's secret. People at first glance take me as a girl. Short hairs, sharp jawline, muscular body, rough nails and my name that's enough to verify me as man in their eyes. When my mom was pregnant, my father was under Elder's pressure. Only having a male offspring as his heir could save his Alpha's position in the pack. He did everything in his possession, prayers to the Moon Goddess, offering sacrifices, doing witchcrafts. All that to have a son. However, the Goddess didn't seem to be impressed by his practices and delivered him me instead, a girl, the last thing he ever wanted. Though devastated by the news, he did not give up. He lied the world that his wife had birthed a boy, forced the witch to make me appear masculine, ruined my female scent and did everything he could to make the world believe his lie. But, his audacity... He asked me to attend the Kingdoms' Mating Festival to choose my mate! I thought navigating a ballroom full of eligible she-wolves was my biggest threat. But, I was wrong. Something worse was waiting for me. Rosemary Thorne, the daughter of high ranking Alpha, was found disheveled and screaming in the forest. She pointed a trembling finger at me and suddenly I became the physical assaulter. If I remain silent on this, I'll get excuted for the crime I could never commit.

At a family dinner, Don Vincenzo’s new pet, a dancer named Ava, came for me. She puffed out her chest and slammed a ledger on the long table. “Vincenzo, I accuse her! Skimming from the family business, our club ‘The Siren’s Song.’ Betraying the family!” Every eye in the room turned on me, sharp as knives. But Vincenzo, my boss… his face went hard. I almost pitied the little dancer who’d crawled her way out of Brooklyn. The “family business” she was talking about? It was my private club. A gift from my father. I just lent it to Vincenzo when he was starting out, to give him a respectable front. I lent it to him for two years, and now it’s family property?

Three years ago, billionaire Damian Veyron buried his brother and vowed revenge on the man who destroyed his life. Now, the man is dead, but his daughter still breathes. Aria Chen has already lost everything, her parents, her dreams, and now her dying sister who needs a treatment she can’t afford. When a stranger in a black car offers her a lifeline, she takes it… until she realizes the price isn’t money. It’s her freedom. He wants her name. Her body. Her submission. A marriage bound not by love, but by vengeance. To save her sister, Aria signs the contract and becomes the bride of the man who swore to destroy her. But the devil in the tailored suit has secrets of his own, and the deeper she’s dragged into his world, the harder it becomes to tell which of them is truly trapped. A gripping dark romance of revenge, obsession, and forbidden desire, where love isn’t the cure, it’s the punishment..

I stare at the email on my screen, unable to move my fingers. Tomorrow is our company's crucial product launch, and I just learn that the patent for the algorithm I spent three years developing is now filed under Matthew Ashford's new assistant, Sophie Bennett. I storm into Matthew's office to confront him. Sophie sits on his desk with her legs crossed, looking completely innocent. She claims that she filled out the form by mistake. "It's just a clerical error. The patent still belongs to the company. What's the big deal?" Matthew stands up from his chair, positioning himself in front of Sophie. I can't believe what I am hearing. "Matthew, this is my research!" "Emma, you're thirty-five. Why are you picking a fight with a twenty-three-year-old intern?" He frowns. Then, he turns to Sophie. "Starting tomorrow, you're the new CTO. Emma needs… some time off." I'm utterly stunned. A decade of marriage and five years dedicated to building a company together have been shattered by a few casual words from him. Thirty minutes later, Sophie posts a photo on social media of herself sitting on Matthew's lap. They are both clinking champagne glasses. "So lucky to have the best boss ever. I'll make sure to be his loyal kitten." Below that, Matthew leaves a comment—three red heart emojis. I shut my laptop and pick up my phone. "Hello. Is this Mr. David Langley from Novara Group of Sundale Valley? This is Emma Whitmore. I've changed my mind. I'm ready to join you." I pause. "And by the way, about that unreleased algorithm upgrade, I have the complete technical blueprint. Make me an offer." Later, I fly to Tallisport with an eight-figure check in hand, while Matthew goes frantic trying to find me.

Today is the sixth time my girlfriend, Shirley Lake, is supposed to meet my parents. My parents and I wait at the restaurant for four whole hours. I call her over and over again, but she never picks up. Just as I'm about to try one last time, I see Shirley's childhood sweetheart, Joshua Solomon, post a picture on his Instagram, with the location tagged at a suburban hotel. The picture shows a woman's pale back, one shoulder bare, with a striking red spider lily tattoo visible on her skin. Underneath the picture was the caption, "We'll make it from 18 to 80." A mutual friend comments, "First-love couples are the sweetest!" I silently hit the like button, then comment, "Make sure to get buried together when you die. And don't come back to haunt anyone else."