Smile Like An Idiot

BLURB One night. One murder. One photo that changed everything. I was just a broke journalism student trying to survive college on caffeine, ramen, and late-night shifts, Until I saw him pull the trigger. Lucian Romano. Green eyes like a forest fire. A smile that promises sin. And a last name that owns half the city… and most of its corpses. He should’ve killed me. Instead, he gave me a choice: Delete the photo. Say nothing. Or become useful. Now, I’m his “eyes” inside the university, spying on dealers, dodging bullets, and trying not to fall for the killer who sees me as a pawn. But secrets don’t stay buried. And in this game of blood, betrayal, and stolen kisses… One wrong move, and I’m dead. Or worse, his…

He marked her like property. Then completely turned on her. Cecelia was never meant to survive the bond, she was just meant to bleed for it. Chosen for her pack, used for an alignment, discarded when she became inconvenient. Zeke took everything from her: her freedom, her future, and something she never meant to give; her heart. But she didn’t die. She learned. Now she’s back, unrecognizable, with poison in her smile and vengeance stitched into her skin. His mark still burns on her body. But the girl he broke is gone. And the woman she’s become wants nothing to do with him. She doesn’t want his love. She wants him to break, And this time, she’ll make sure he stays broken.

Two souls, forged in suffering, would collide in a dance of darkness and desire, testing the limits of love and redemption. Their paths meet when Asher's sister becomes the target of a predator, and Kaidën sees an opportunity for justice. As they navigate their dark worlds, they must confront the demons that haunt them. Will Asher's desire for protection and Kaidën's quest for vengeance spark a twisted romance, or will their shattered reflections destroy them? *** “You killed my mother.” Asher's voice trembled with fury. Kaidën's smile was cold, almost mirthful. “Who gave your sister to her husband who sold her to pay off his debts.” “I watched you murder her in cold blood!” Asher’s fists clenched around the gun he held pointed at the killer, memories of that night flooding back. Kaidën leaned closer, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. "I remember begging you to look away. But you didn’t. Did you enjoy it, Asher? Watching the woman who shattered your world writhe in agony? Or would you prefer to keep that little secret buried deep? Ah, but don’t answer that. Come, help me gather the pieces of your father's remains. It’s time to tidy up this little mess." Asher’s eyes widened in horror, realization crashing over him like a wave. All this time, he had been unaware that he was not only a witness to his father’s murder, but had watched it unfold until the very end, just like he had done that night when he watched his mother’s murder. Nodding, he picked up the severed hand of his father—the same hand that had beaten and broken him until his skin grew numb to pain. ‘Oh, sweet Emily, if only you could see our father now. How the mighty have fallen.’

That moment when you are being stood up by your lover on your special day. When you are standing at the altar feigning smile at the one you ought not to marry..the one that fills the space of your beloved.. "Do you take .......to be your lawfully wedded wife" the priest asked. It was not meant to be her nevertheless for reputation, he obliged.. "Yes...I do" ### A young woman is persuaded into marrying her cousin's Fiance to save her family's image. She agrees eventually willing to take the risk. She knew she was entering a loveless marriage with a man whose heart belongs to another. Still, she did it all for family. Clarissa David, faces a dynamic change in fate when her cousin gives her a chance for happiness. Will she be able to steal the Billionaire's heart like she wanted many years ago?

After five years of marriage, my husband, Abel Brooks goes on a business trip that lasts half a year. When he returns, he brings his first love, Cora Garrett, back. She's already three months pregnant. Abel says that life is tough for her and wants her to move in with us temporarily. I object, and he tells me to know my place. His tone is scornful—it seems he's forgotten that the villa we live in was one of my wedding gifts. He and his family have leeched off me all this while. This time, I'm going to stop providing for them. I smile and call my assistant. "Draft a divorce agreement for me now. To think a live-in son-in-law would have the nerve to bring his mistress home like this."

At Sullivan Group's annual banquet, a female university student approaches Peter Sullivan and offers herself to him. The usually cold and distant Peter suddenly freezes because this young woman looks exactly like his deceased first love. He can't help but tease, "You're asking to be my mistress in front of my wife. Are you so sure you won't be thrown out?" The young lady lifts her chin, and her stubborn expression is identical to that of his lost love. "You two got married for business reasons and mutual benefits. Does she have any say over what you do? Peter, only you can save my mom. Will you do it or not?" She's right. I'm just a pawn in a marriage of convenience. How could I possibly influence Peter's choices? But then, I catch a glint of tenderness in his eyes that I've never seen before, and a self-deprecating smile forms on my lips. Maybe, instead of clinging on and being thrown out like trash, it's better if I give up my place willingly.

My body sinks, water rushing through my nose and mouth like icy needles. I keep my eyes open, praying for a miracle. And then—he appears. A glowing form slicing through the water like lightning. His ginger hair floats around him, a halo of fire in the depths, dancing like the sea itself. He looks like an angel. My angel. My beautiful, guardian angel. --- Nineteen-year-old Marinette Karnowsky knows life as a bed of thorns and broken glass. Abandoned, abused, and barely surviving college on her own, she’s grown used to pain. But everything changes the day her long-lost stepsister returns—sweeping Marinette away to a strange, stunning house in a town that doesn’t exist on any map. A town where the supernatural breathes beneath every shadow. There, Marinette uncovers truths she never imagined. Her beloved sister is not entirely human—and the town, not entirely safe. As she tries to make sense of it all, Marinette meets her sister’s best friend: a golden-haired boy with a blazing smile and fire in his soul. The deeper she falls, the harder it becomes to ignore the pull between them—even if it risks everything, especially her sister’s heart. But their connection runs deeper than attraction. There’s a secret buried in the halls of her new college, one that ties Marinette, her sister, and her mysterious fire-haired prince in ways none of them fully understand. And as that secret begins to surface, so does a destiny Marinette never asked for… and may not survive.

Everyone in Vallermoore knew I was Cole Mitchell and Finn Archer's most treasured princess. At 12, Cole saved me from my abusive dad's grip and gave me a second shot at life. He vowed to protect me always. At 13, Finn rented out an entire amusement park for my birthday and whispered that guarding my smile was his mission for life. Now I was 23, and they locked me in a pitch-black, freezing attic for three winter days. As I slowly lost consciousness, they were busy fawning over Zoey Hart, their long-lost childhood friend. "Everything you have is mine, so it's time to give it back." After hearing what Zoey said, I left without making a scene or shedding a single tear. However, for years after, they tore the city apart and tried to find me like mad.

In front of the orphanage gates, Rebecca Schwartz, the impoverished student I had been sponsoring, stood glaring at me with a face full of disdain. "If you don't let Freddie come along, I'm not going to your house either," she declared, her tone sharp and unyielding. In the past, blinded by love and hopelessly infatuated, I would have caved to her demands, humbling myself just to keep the peace. But things were different now—I had been reborn. Staring at this despicable pair, who had once caused my tragic demise, a tidal wave of fury surged within me. Yet, it settled into nothing more than a faint, icy smile on my lips. "Then stay here," I said, my voice cold and steady. "Rot in this place alongside your precious Freddie. After all, trash like you belong in the garbage heap."

“Feisty kitten. Curse all you want. Soon, I'll break you, tame you, and awaken your darkest desires. You'll become so addicted to me like a drug and beg for the crumbs of my love.” Adora dreamed of a fairy-tale romance, waiting for her charming prince. She was destined for not one, but two mates. Two princes who were as different as night and day. One, a devil in a hot body; everything she wanted, yet everything she feared. A seductive rogue with a wicked smile and a scorching touch. The other was too flawless, too perfect, everything she longed for, but she fell short of his expectations. Would she give in to the rogue's temptation and risk losing her soul, or would she strive to be the mate the gentleman deserved and risk losing her heart? Time is ticking and she must make a choice.