Shots In A Fifth

On the night of our fifth wedding anniversary, I set the table, lit the candles, and waited on the couch for my husband to come home. As I scrolled through my feed to pass the time, a message notification popped up–from his old classmate, Susie Cartman. "Angela, thanks to Calvin's seed, I can finally have my own baby." The message came with a selfie–her grinning at the camera, holding up a medical slip in one hand, flashing a peace sign with the other. I touched my stomach, where our child was quietly growing. Calvin… Did you really think everything in life would always go your way?

"Ms. Jones, the service to fake your death that you requested has been arranged. Here's the agreement. Please sign here." Isabella Jones glanced at the contract that the person placed before her. Client: Isabella Jones Cause of death: Falling from a mountain, eaten by wild animals. Unable to retrieve the remains of the body Time of death: One week from now One week from now would mark the fifth anniversary of her marriage to Samuel Grant. It was also the day she had planned to fake her death and leave him. Since that was the date it all began, it might as well be when it ended.

A holiday assignment turns into so much more for this grumpy Wyvern. It’s the holiday season, but instead of snowboarding and doing shots of cinnamon vodka off his favorite bartender, Jasper Wessex is given the assignment from hell—literally. Protect a woman on the run from a minor Egyptian Demon--um… who the what now? He wants nothing more than to pass on this nut-ball case till he opens her file. Struck dumb by her picture, his Wyvern scratches against his skin. He can’t resist the owner of those flashing blue eyes. Carolina Moore is in danger. Home from an archeological dig, she’s brought back a seriously unfortunate souvenir--an ancient Egyptian Demon who thinks she is his property! Luckily, she has a friend who has contacts with the mysterious Wyvern Protection Unit. But what can she do when her protector poses more of a threat than the Demon she’s running from?

When my wife brought her lover home for the fifth time, I decided enough was enough. I said nothing, not a word of complaint or protest. Instead, I superglued the windows shut and locked the bedroom door from the outside. From the bedroom came the muffled sounds of her little escapade, breathless and feverish, carrying through the walls like a shameful melody no one asked to hear. Calmly, I sat in the living room, picked up the phone, and called my mother-in-law. "Jessie," I said, putting on my best tone of urgency, "it's bad—real bad! Your daughter's locked herself in the bedroom and says she's gonna end it all!"

They call it Area Alpha 101. It doesn’t appear on the world map or the satellites, but it’s rumoured to be there. It’s unofficially the largest continent on Earth, but the humans aren’t educated on it. Only the top shots in the governments and monarchies know about it, but have kept it a secret from everyone else. No-one answers questions regarding it. People have been quoted saying that they tried to get in, but they only hit a barrier. This barrier is said to be invisible, yet you can’t see what’s on the other side. For centuries, no-one has been able to get past the barrier, and those who try, come away ‘bewitched’, or so it has been reported. You know what the funny part about this is? There are literally signs that say “NO HUMANS ALLOWED” just a distance away from the ‘barrier’. You can imagine the insane theories that the human civilization has come up with in regards to what they imagine could be behind the barrier. The biggest guess as you yourself would probably guess is aliens; but that’s just it – NO-ONE knows what’s behind the barrier. Except me that is. Or so I thought.

“You’re mine now, Wifey. You don’t call the shots; I do.” Just weeks before her wedding, Kourtney Allen’s world shatters when she catches her fiancé in bed with her sister. Her devastation deepens when her family sides with her sister, forcing Kourtney to walk away from the life she thought was hers. Writhing in pain and coughing up blood, she plots her revenge. Unexpectedly, she got a husband — Sebastian Woods, the ruthless, untouchable billionaire feared as “The Stone-Hearted CEO.” Known for his cold demeanor and strange aversion to women, he’s shocked to discover Kourtney doesn’t trigger his mysterious condition. Intrigued, he offers her an escape: a marriage on his terms. But the man’s idea of marriage is control, and Kourtney refuses to be tamed. As secrets from her past emerge and his first love returns, their fiery dynamic threatens to explode. Can Kourtney break free from the chains of his obsession, or will she surrender to the man she swore to despise?

Claire's love for Richard was legendary—three years of devotion that everyone envied. Until the day she found her best friend Monica on top of her husband in their living room, and her world shattered. "Sign it, Claire," Richard said, tossing divorce papers at her hospital bed, his once-warm blue eyes now ice cold. "You disgust me. You're clingy, obsessed, and suffocating." One year later, Claire Winfred returns to town—transformed, powerful, and engaged to billionaire Alexander Hayes. But she hasn't come back for a new beginning. She's come back for revenge. Now she's the one calling the shots, trapping Richard behind his desk, her hand gripping his tie. "Tell me, Richard," she purrs, "do you still find me disgusting?" "Yes," he lies, even as his body betrays him. "Then explain why you're so hard right now." The seduction has begun. But in a game this dangerous, who will be the hunter and who will be the prey?

To the world, he's the enigmatic Capo of the Chicago Outfit, a man of power, control, and unwavering resolve. He's sculpted his life meticulously, sticking to a code that demands order. Yet, sometimes, even the most disciplined minds can be led astray. Claire “Cindy” Parker is the life of every party, a vivacious burst of sunshine that lights up any room. She's the dance-off initiator, karaoke microphone grabber, and the queen of themed costume parties. But beneath her party-loving spirit, Cindy hides a well of pain and dark memories, mastering the art of masking her inner pain with humor and charm. When these two collide, sparks don't fly; instead, it's like a showdown from an old Western, and shots are fired, both literally and metaphorically. Their personalities are oil and water, refusing to mix, igniting heated arguments that often lead to explosive situations. Yet, beneath the surface tension, an undeniable attraction simmers, their paths destined to intertwine. Slowly but surely, they begin to unravel each other's layers, exposing vulnerabilities they've long kept hidden.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, Jacob Carter once again abandons me for his so-called first love, Wendy Miller. "Wendy's raising a child on her own. It's not easy for her. Can't you be a little more understanding? You're also a woman, aren't you?" Jacob said. In my previous life, that argument turned into a nightmare. He locked me in the house, and when a fire broke out, I was burned to death. After being reborn, I don't just give them my blessing. I pack my bags, walk out on my own terms, and apply to study architecture overseas. And now? Jacob's the one falling apart—crying and begging me not to go.

Jabal and Jasmine are hybrid twins, born by a werewolve-witch parents. On the night of their birth it was said that they've been born with special power, but can only manifest when they clock eighteen. A few days to their fifth birthday, war broke out in their pack, leading to their father and mother's death or so they thought. They were saved by their father's friend to flee to the human territory. He hid the truth from them and trained them as human. Several years have passed and the twins are now eighteen. They began to manifest strange powers which make them different from their mate and made them withdraw from the rest. They ran away from home in search of the truth about their real identity. The truth which could change their lives and bring them into the realm of supernatural, magic, witchcraft and mystery.