Silent Japan

On the day before the Christmas holidays start, my wife, Irene Owens, intends to promote me and give me a raise in order to celebrate my feat of closing a hundred-million-dollar deal. But her assistant, Cody Harrington, purposefully feeds her some cake. Irene, who's known to be a germaphobe, doesn't show any trace of disgust as she subconsciously accepts the spoon, which is tainted with Cody's saliva, into her mouth. The employees begin cheering for them on the spot. Some ask if they are about to get married. Not only does Irene not refute those questions, but she also promotes Cody to a department manager on the spot. When a colleague next to me realizes how silent I've been, he nudges me in the side. "Hey Seb, you're the veteran employee who's stuck by Ms. Owens' side for so long. Why aren't you reacting to the news?" I merely sneer as I toss my share transfer agreement to Cody. "A promotion isn't enough, is it? You can have these shares as your wedding gift."

His hand clamped around my chin, rough and unrelenting, sending a sharp ache through my jaw. His eyes bored into mine, dark and merciless, as if he could strip away my very soul. “You belong to me now,” he snarled, his voice low and venomous. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat a desperate plea to escape. --- Nyx Caprienne was feared by all, known as “The Queen of Death.” A mercenary without equal, she moved like a shadow, silent and lethal, leaving destruction in her wake. Her latest mission was simple. To hunt down a man who seemed untouchable. A man drenched in blood and power, his name whispered with fear. To Nyx, he was just another target. Another job. But this time, fate turned the game against her. This man was more than she’d anticipated. Beneath his wealth and charm was something far darker, a predator who thrived on chaos. He wasn’t just dangerous; he was the devil himself. And now, Nyx was caught in his web, realizing too late that this was a fight she might not survive.

No matter how hard she tried, Darius always met her with nothing but cold indifference. He forgot her birthday. Dismissed her achievements. Even their daughter turned her back on her, choosing Emma—the woman with a sweet smile and a heart full of lies. One glance from Emma mattered more to Darius than all the years she stood by his side. One whimper from Emma was enough to make him drop everything and rush to her like she was the only woman that ever existed. She waited. She gave her all. And in return, she was left behind—again and again. Even her own daughter stood with Emma now. So she finally made her choice. She left. She was once a blazing star in the AI world—a prodigy feared and admired. And now, she was done playing the quiet, obedient Luna. She stepped back into the battlefield, into the world that once bowed at her feet. The she-wolf doesn’t stay silent forever. Silence was never her nature. Fighting was.

Gideon Hart, a man known for keeping every woman at arm's length, gets drugged and wakes up in a hotel with me lying beside him. Afterward, he comes to me and offers ten million as compensation. When I remain silent, my best friend, Lena Quimby, jumps in like she's been waiting for her cue. She snaps that money can't buy everything, trying to reject the offer on my behalf. Before I can say a word, comments start flashing before me like a live stream chat. "Here we go! The male lead, the female lead, and the side character are all on screen together!" "Lena's so classy. Way better than that gold-digger Evelyn." "Watch Evelyn reject the money and still get clowned!" "Who wouldn't pick the sweet, innocent heroine?" Glancing at Lena's flushed cheeks and the way her eyes stick to Gideon, I almost let out a cold laugh. Then, I turn to the man in front of me and hold up my Venmo QR code. "Sure. Wire it!"

Two decades earlier, the realms of the Four Courts waged war against the covens of witches. Neither side would yield, though both were bleeding themselves dry in a war that spanned five brutal years. The Courts relied on their noble bloodlines, the witches on their wild and ancient spells. Each skirmish ended in ash, with neither enemy capable of breaking the other. Then a sorcerer from the Courts revealed a weapon: an octagonal crystal forged from eight different stones, each carved from the essence of a court. On the battlefield, before witches or nobles could comprehend what was happening, the crystal ignited. A blinding eruption of light burst forth, eight rays fusing into one unbearable brilliance. It was not merely sight that was torn away in that flash — but power, essence, and soul. Both Courts and witches alike fell, drained of the magic that had defined them. When the light faded, the battlefield lay silent under a sky of glittering dust. The enchantments were gone. The witches’ spellcraft, the courts’ line-born sorcery — extinguished forever. Neither side had won. Both had lost. And magic never returned.

In the tenth year after I had married in his place, my brother, Thayer Ashford, suddenly returned. The whole family fell silent as they looked at him. He yawned as he spoke with careless ease, “I traveled through thirteen countries. I’m exhausted. “Where’s Seraphina? She should be in primary school by now, right? Why hasn’t she come to see me?” Seraphina was Thayer’s daughter. Back then, Thayer had abruptly announced he had a child. Yet on the very day of his wedding, he staged his own death, leaving behind Seraphina and his fiancée, Isolde Fairchild. The Fairchilds belonged to the old-money elite of the city. My parents did not dare offend them, so they decided to package me—fresh out of graduation—and send me to the wedding in Thayer’s place. Over these ten years, I became a competent husband and a responsible father. As my parents watched Thayer’s brazen composure, their gazes shifted toward me. I gave them a faint smile. “Sera went to Novaforge with Isolde.”

Shylie Reed worked her way to the top-with no family, no backup, no handouts. From living in a cramped apartment to owning luxury penthouses, from studying in the dark to speaking on global tech stages-she made it. She became someone. But just when life gave her the things she only dreamt of, a silent enemy took it all away: COVID-19. When she wakes up, she's 16 again. A nobody in high school. Her family still ignores her in favour of the "sweet" adopted daughter who later ruined her life. But this time, Shylie isn't the same. This time, she's not playing nice. Armed with her adult mind, vast knowledge, and future insight, she plans to graduate early, dominate every field, and build a financial empire from scratch. But she didn't expect to attract attention from Darren Tan, the school prince... or Elias Tan, the cold, powerful businessman who becomes her unexpected mentor-and something more. She lost everything once. This time, she's playing for keeps.

"There's a problem with your theory," he murmurs, the touch of his fingers down my jawline, down my neck, a silent warning. I'm in the midst of a cold, calculated predator. "One side of me wants to preserve that precious innocence of yours, while the other, well, wants to absolutely destroy it." Not much is known about Alpha Ren. Simply that he lives in a small island in a big estate away from everyone. His secrets remain hidden within the shadows of his distance. He's untouchable. Homeless, Brielle stumbles upon a job at the docks. Whispers speak of better jobs upon Ren's island. And when his ship sails in, Brielle gets a chance, and takes it. Smuggling herself on, she finds herself as a servant within his endless estate, working to keep herself alive. However, as curiosity increases with the elusiveness of the Alpha, Brielle finds herself finding out Ren's terrible secret. Perhaps the Alpha everyone sees on the surface has another side to him. A side, so dangerous, there's only one person who can keep it at bay.

Looking into the eyes of the brilliant Gregory Green, the world around her disappeared. The grin on his face grew wider as he watched a star struck Willow, gaze deeply into his eyes. Picking up her hand in front of all in the room he shouts ," she is mine! The room was silent and Willow snapped out of her hypnotic trance,looking at the ring on her finger, she tried to tug it off. To her surprise it felt as if it was getting tighter. Gregory watched her struggle,his laugh echoed in the room as he slowly leaned in. Willow stepped back,assuming he was diving in for a kiss. Pulling her into him,his hot breath tickled her ears as he whispered," this is no ordinary ring,babygirl. you are mine forever!" She shook her head , a clear indication of her saying no but the guests at the diner started to applaud. No one dared go against Gregory Green,the richest man in the city. No one dared! Until he forcefully wedded Willow Winter, a waitress in a little diner! A mischievous Willow sets alight to his life,until he claims her heart!

If hurting me was her aim she surely succeeded. She laughed thrilling at my silent anger. She knows I can do nothing even if I want to. I don't have a wolf and she knows it as she showed me her vicious claws. "Stand up," she ordered. Abandoning my food I scrambled up to my feet. "Very unattractive, I wonder how Krist thinks you are suitable for this job." She eyed me with disdain. I watched her pull out a blood dagger and handed it to me. Bewildered I took it. My eyes shooting a million questions at her. "Participating in the Bride Selection is just a tip in the ice," Amanda laughs enjoying my distress. "What matters is that you must kill the Alpha King Damien as soon as he marks you as his bride." I let the blood dagger fall to the ground in shock. They are sending me to kill the Alpha King Damien. Her words and her laughter rang through my thoughts. "...Kill the Alpha King Damien."