Simple Christmas Tree

Dad was poor and couldn't afford the kind of lifestyle mum wanted, we had leaking roofs and broken furnitures. Mum got worse when she met her former high school friend who got married to the CEO of a popular company in the city. Few weeks later my mum started keeping late nights, dad would ask why and she would yell at him. How can I forget that beautiful Christmas eve? it was supposed to be a beautiful dinner in our small living room when mum ruined it by announcing that she was getting a divorce. After mum left, dad became a drunk and never looked at my face, he said it reminded him of mum. My mother destroyed our family, my childhood and the little happiness I had as a child, She had another daughter for the billionaire she left dad for and forgot I exist, I became even more heartbroken, after dad died of cancer, I wanted revenge! My name is Sophia Barlowe and this is my story…

‎I died on Christmas Eve. ‎Betrayed by the man I gave everything to, poisoned by my own sister, and mocked for loving too deeply, death should have been my end. Instead, it became my beginning. ‎ ‎When I wake up in a blood-soaked alley, a cold voice welcomes me to the “Demon Games" —a brutal survival arena where one hundred humans fight monstrous trials for a chance at rebirth. The prize? Ten years of life restored… and one impossible wish. ‎ ‎I am weak. Near-blind. Unwanted. ‎But someone keeps saving me. ‎He wears a mask, smells of danger, and commands fear without speaking. They call him a demon. A king. A monster. ‎And worst of all—he claims I belong to him. ‎ ‎As the games grow deadlier and the audience thirsts for blood, I uncover a terrifying truth: the man protecting me is the “Lycan King" , an overlord bound by rules that demand my death. ‎ ‎In a world where love is forbidden and survival demands sacrifice, I must choose— escape hell alone… or drag the king down with me. ‎

My boyfriend, Miles, finally invited me to his family’s Christmas dinner. I passed out on the way there. Half-conscious, I heard him whisper, “Sorry, Eva. Those thugs said you’re just their boss’s type. Too pretty for your own good, babe. Blame that—not me.” “Don’t be scared. If you help me pay off the debt… maybe they’ll let me have you back. I’ll make it up to you. For the rest of your life, I swear.” He wheeled me through the back of a casino. My family’s casino. The boss he was selling me to… was my brother. Ever since our parents died in a crossfire, my brother had taken full responsibility for me. More than a brother, he’d become a father figure—a protector. My stupid boyfriend should be scared—he had no idea how fiercely my brother protected me, or how ruthless he could be to anyone who dared hurt me.

During Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law hinted for the umpteenth time that she wanted a grandchild. However, my husband, Zachary Cole, who had insisted on staying child-free in the past decade, only smiled and filled her plate. After dinner, he slipped onto the balcony. "There, there. Daddy will come see you on New Year's Day," he whispered. I stood in the corner of the living room with a glass of water in my hand, feeling cold as the words sank in. I stepped forward and forced a playful tone. "I just heard you say 'Daddy.' Got a secret kid stashed somewhere?" He rubbed his nose, his voice stiff. "You must've misheard. That's… just a friend's kid." My heart sank. I'd been married to him for a decade, so I knew exactly what he looked like when he was lying.

I hid behind a thick tree trunk and watched silently as a grizzly bear attacked my husband. In my previous life, I was a guide. I led my husband—an environmental photographer—and his female colleague into a nature reserve to film wildlife. While scouting the route, I discovered a nursing grizzly bear and immediately warned them not to take any photos and to retreat slowly. To my shock, they intentionally bumped into me, causing my right leg to be cut and bleed. The scent of blood enraged the bear, and it charged straight at me, sinking its massive jaws into my abdomen. After the bear left, my husband calmly stripped me of all my equipment. Then, wrapping his arms around his female colleague, he kissed her. He turned to me with a sinister smile creeping across his face. "Kate," he said, "I'll be honest. I never loved you. You're dying. Now, all your assets will be mine." I bled out and died. When I opened my eyes again, it was the morning of the day we entered the mountains.

*Excerpt from a small excerpt: Shophia Marin ran as fast as she could to escape the large mansion. Running a long distance, he probably couldn't catch up, she turned her head to see that the mansion was no longer there, so she took a break under the tree. System, is Ralius still chasing me? [ Host, stop chasing but... ] But what? [But when people ran out of here, it pissed him off... the host made him black... he was right behind the host] Huh!!! "Shophia Marin, I'm too far from the villa to run away to relax." - Ralius lifted Marin's chin and forced her to lean against the tree trunk to support her head with her hands, dark eyes looking at her. The black male villain is terrible, the system saves me. [Sorry host I can't help] "You are becoming more and more intelligent, next time I will monitor you." - Ralius carried Marin on his shoulder and returned to the mansion. "Forgive me, I don't want to be here." - Don't trust this useless system in the first place.

I quickly rushed ahead and saw her lying near the edge where the huge cut tree had fallen a few days ago. Half of her body was resting in water while the other half was resting on the side of the tree. "No," I whispered as I ran ahead, instantly jumping into the river and grabbing her body, pulling it into my arms. I was sniffling and trying to hold back my tears while I swam back to land. Once she was placed on the ground, I looked at her helplessly, tears running down my cheeks. My body was trembling, and my wolf was whimpering loudly. I felt nauseous, and my head was throbbing badly. "She's fine," I said to myself in a cracked voice as I raised my hand and placed it on her chest. "Alpha!" Harvey called when he reached where I was. I looked at him with blurry vision, then back at my mate. "Why?" I whispered in a cracked voice. "Why can't I feel her heartbeat, Harvey?" I asked with a heavy heart, then moved my hand to my chest as I felt like I was suffocating.

‘Only love can melt a frozen heart’ a simple quote from a Disney movie Frozen. Brix Killian Montemayor. A heartless man. No one can tame a person like him. Feared by many because of his title. Azelline Kai Lopez. Completely orphaned. At the age of 20 is alone fighting the challenges of life. No matter what job she will go into, just don't starve to death What if these two people meet? A heartless man and a simple girl? Hmm. Can’t wait to find out.......

Quinley Ysabelle, a certified nobody, a loner and a simple highschool student who is about to graduate from the secondary level. But because of a school retreat, everything has changed. Knowing that she is not just a simple human but a hybrid that has a tiara in her head.A princess who possessed such a divine magic inside her. A half-human and half-fairy who will cause the ruin and order of the kingdom. But what if, she got stuck between that two situation because of someone.Could she still choose her heart over mind? Or her mind over heart?

During Black Friday, the intelligent system I develop helps the company run highly targeted ads and brings in 30 million dollars in revenue. But when I apply for the project bonus, the director rejects it. "The system is just an auxiliary tool. The performance belongs to the sales department." I hold back my frustration and pull up the system logs. "88% of the orders come from the system's targeted pushes. According to company policy, I should receive a 0.5% commission." The director glances at me, twirling his pen. "If the sales commission doesn't go to the sales department, should it go to you? And your lousy system exceeds the API limit and racks up extra fees. You still owe us a hundred thousand dollars. We'll deduct that from your salary." Three days before Christmas sales are set to begin, the system completely shuts down because of API restrictions. Late at night, the director calls me. I stare at my computer screen. "Since the system is just an auxiliary tool, why don't you start with manual targeting?"