Shoulder Drag

The casino my husband and I ran was about to go through a chaotic police raid. Anyone who got caught would likely end up arrested. We had the time to leave. But we couldn’t all leave. One of us had to stay behind, or the cops would keep chasing us. Elias, my charming husband, didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed Mireille and left me to handle the cops, tossing over his shoulder, “I’ll send a lawyer to you.” Lucky for me, I managed to walk away without any consequences. And then, I saw, Elias, the man who was supposed to have my back, not only did escape without me, he also whisked Mireille away to some fancy resort, like they were on vacation. He looked so carefree, so unbothered. Not a hint of concern for the wife he’d just abandoned. “Think Seraphina’s gonna be mad that we left without her?” Mireille asked, all innocence. Elias laughed, that cold, detached laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. “Please. As if she’d ever get mad at me. She can handle herself.” He didn’t care. But you know what? Neither do I. Not anymore.

Annie Halden was the exact definition of a wallflower. She lived on the sidelines, didn't like attention and worried too much. She wrote letters to herself as her way to get her thoughts out. She never told anyone or let anyone see. Leo Smith, one of the school star athletes and most popular boys, found one of her letters. He started breaking into her locker to read the letters every time there was a new one. He grew concerned about her and wanted to protect her, he wanted to know why she was so broken and who hurt her, he wanted her to know he was there for her - be her shoulder to lean on. How would this friendship work out with Annie being as shy and quiet as she is, never getting close to anyone? How would this friendship last if Annie came to find out the truth about Leo stealing and reading her personal letters?

Catherine Turner was the naive young lady of the Turner family. She should be loved and treated like a precious jewel but the wrong marriage with Billy Rodriguez - the young master of the Rodriguez family - had brought her down to hell. Her beloved husband had an affair with her soulmate and planned to get the Turner family down. He took Turner Group as his property, made her mother and father die in an accident. Her eldest brother had been taken to a mental hospital. Catherine had lost everything, then she decided to risk her life to drag those two ungrateful people to the grave. After all her efforts, she failed and she was killed. When she was near death, she prayed to Mighty God that if she had a chance to do it again, if she could be reborn in a new life, she would change everything. She would stay away from these bad people who just used her like an ugly doll. She would take revenge for what they had done to her. And if she had the last chance, she would find him, Christoper Harris Borrisons. She would appreciate him - the one who did everything for her but did not want her to return anything, even though she had been cruel to him all the time. If there's an afterlife, I will find you and make up for everything that I owed you. And… if there's any chance, I will be truthful to myself, not living a lie anymore.

I was in a car accident while saving my brothers. However, instead of gratitude, they urged the doctors to amputate my legs. "Carol, we're sorry," they said through tears. "We're useless… but don't worry. Even if we have to sell our blood or our kidneys, we'll make sure you're taken care of." Right after surgery, they abandoned me in a shabby apartment. Blood seeped through the sheets as they looked at me with teary eyes—then left in a hurry, claiming they needed to earn money for my treatment. I did not want to drag them down anymore. Enduring the pain, I crawled to the rooftop of a tall building, planning to end my life. That's when I saw it—inside a luxury hotel, a grand celebration was taking place. My brothers were there doting on another girl. She was eating an extravagant cake I had never even dreamed of, wearing a designer princess gown worth a fortune, sparkling with jewels. Everyone called her the Smith family's one and only princess. They had even hired a world-class symphony orchestra to play Happy Birthday just for her. While I lay bleeding in a dingy apartment, they would not spend a few dollars on bandages for me. I watched as my eldest brother gently fed her cake, his eyes full of tenderness. "Jasmine, only you deserve to be our one and only little sister." The second brother placed a tiara on her head with care. "Even for the smallest birthday, we won't let you suffer a single moment of disappointment." The third knelt to help her into a pair of crystal shoes. "Jasmine, you're our most precious darling." Then, standing on the stage, Jasmine held up the black credit card they had gifted her and smiled sweetly. "Brothers," she said, "Carol lost her legs saving you. Maybe you should go see how she's doing?" My eldest brother let out a mocking laugh. "She's not worth it. Now that she's crippled, she'll never be able to compete with you again. She got what she deserved."

"I'll purge this household from evil! I'll unearth every single crime they've committed. And I will not stop until I drag every single one of them down to hell with me." ~~ Clearing the debts her late father left behind was all Juniper Laurent's life had revolved around until her half-sister, the true heiress of the renowned Bellerose Frangrance offered her a huge sum to be her surrogate. Desperate to escape the oppressive hounding of loan sharks and finally treating herself to a dream vacation, Juniper readily accepted the offer. But, her life took a drastic turn when the tragic death of her sister shook the nation. Juniper—burdened with a newfound responsibility to raise a child she never bargained for—decided to walk into the Bellerose family, birth their grandchild, and let them handle the rest, but fate seemed not done with her yet as her ex-boyfriend, Cedric came back into the picture. Falling in love again was never part of the plan, especially not with a man who was the epitome of bad news, but her naive heart wouldn't just cooperate. She realized only too late that every decision she'd made from the get-go was steering her down a path of destruction. From falling for the man who had returned only to betray her in the most hurtful way imaginable to trusting the seemingly perfect family that harbored dark secrets, deceit, and crimes they would murder to protect. Now, Juniper is back, forged into a woman of valor, determined to vanquish the evil that has consumed the Bellerose Empire and all those who have wronged her. And she will not stop until she brings justice to all the people they've hurt. Because sweet revenge is best served with a side of drama and a dazzling display of fireworks!

If you were born again in a world with true gods and magic, what would you do? Earn wealth and become a rich man on the continent? Become a noble and take what you want in your fiefdom? Become a mage and gain powerful strength and knowledge? Travel across the continent and get up close and personal with legendary figures? Become a true god and become an eternal being. Children make choices, but all time travellers have to. Kristen Stewart, Dragon Vein Warlock, Genius Mage, Hereditary Noble of the Kingdom of France, No. 1 on the Continent

“Are you being nice because of the pup?” I asked. He breathed out. “I’m sorry how I acted before, no words can justify what I did. I just want to be there for my pup,” he said. “What about me?” I asked, looking down at the food. “I am not promising you anything Maeve, let’s just live peacefully while taking care of the thing that joins us together, I promise to be your friend, probably a shoulder for you to lie on,” he said and immediately he said that I burst out in loud laughter. After her family and pack died the night before her 18th birthday, Maeve is thrown into a world filled with confusion, anxiety, a world filled with guilt. Her mate rejecting the bond and getting pregnant for him. Maeve's life is an absolute mess but she will do anything to get her mate back and make him accept the bond. What Maeve didn’t know is her life was just about to become more confusing, a world full of betrayals, unexpecting attacks, full of mysteries, will Maeve survive or will she go down just like her parents?

Demi Lockheart doesn't believe in love. Her whole life the one man she ever had contact with was her father. A man that treated her as if she was only a hinderance. Abused and feeling useless she would rather never fall in love. Scorned by love she doesn't give her heart to just one person. or any person truthfully. Shaped by her youth she grows up to be a in the entertainment industry, where she meets Porter. A man that was just enough to hide her wild ways, possibly taming her to be a respectable woman. Zaine was the only one that loved and accepted Demi as herself. By her side through it all. It hurt him when she left. He made decisions that weren't for the best, hindering his talent. Fast forward to her birthday party, surrounded by industry friends and her best friend, a gift that brings her past back to her present. Will the past finally win her heart? Will she go back to her wild ways and want it all? Or will she stick with the safe and unhappy path? Only time will tell. "How did it come to this? She looked in the mirror, seeing the grimace on her reflection. Her heart torn in pieces because of what happened. Victoria, her long-time friend came to pat her on the shoulders. There were no words that needed to be exchanged. The two of them had been friends since their elementary school days. They knew what the other was thinking without having to say it. Demi leaned her head against her shoulder staring at their reflection. A decision needed to be made. It had to be made but why was it so hard when all she really wanted to do was love and be loved in return."

Isabella is faced with emotional turmoil as her family sees her as a means to an end and Richard's parents thought she was after their wealth even though she sacrificed everything to be the ideal wife to their son. Her infertility made matters worse as she was unable to give Richard an heir. Just when she believes her marriage is at its lowest point, Richard betrays her by getting her cousin pregnant Now, as she confronts a brutal divorce and battles to reclaim her self-esteem, the question remains: Will Isabella find the strength to rebuild her life and rise above the betrayals, or will Richard's regret drag her back into the mess of marriage she desperately needs to leave?

Adventure, romance, assassins! Alex and Jack run from trouble across the surface of the dusty Earth while deep in the Undersea, the life they left behind tries to drag them back under.Alex, a Delta Six hybrid, finds an unlikely companion in a human man, Jack, while on a mission to steal the Athena file. Alex withholds the file to elicit help from Jack and they set out on an adventure across the Surface. Their relationship is tenuous until a device mysteriously links them together. Now, running from Alphas, an elite group of hybrid assassins, Alex and Jack must weather the hostile surface of the planet to reach their common goal. They soon find they can't both have the thing they want most, but also can't seem to let each other go.FLUX Series is created by Ava Altair an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.