Smiling Proud Wanderer

Celia Johnson, my boss's sister-in-law, joined the company as the finance director and announced that all reimbursements must strictly follow the standards. I spent an entire week running around for the company and finally closed a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal. Because the client had used two extra packs of paper towels, the per-person amount for their meal ended up eight dollars over the limit. Celia folded her arms, glanced at the reimbursement form on my desk, and sneered. "Five hundred and eight dollars?" "Yes. Last night at The Peak Restaurant, where we closed Richard's deal. Zack was there too," I explained patiently. "Eight dollars over the per-person limit. Not reimbursable," Celia said coldly. I tried to reason with her. "This was a special case. The client is high-level, and the deal amount is large, and Zack personally said it would be fully reimbursed last night." She returned the reimbursement form to me. "I don't care who said that. Don't think closing a five-hundred-thousand-dollar contract lets you ignore company rules. Reimbursements must all follow policies. Everyone will follow them to the letter." I took a deep breath. I knew arguing with her head-on would get me nowhere, so I called Zack directly. Zack said, "I did say it would be reimbursed, but I never said company rules could be ignored. It's just five hundred. And you still get commission from closing the deal. You young people need to have perspective." I stopped arguing. I turned around and refused the delivery containing the hard copy of the five-hundred-thousand-dollar cooperation contract, smiling as I explained, "Company rules say all cash on delivery packages must be refused. "Also, today is my last day here. Starting tomorrow, I work for Richard's company. As the client, I will be setting the rules this time."

"Eyes up here," he said. My gaze snapped to his. He was smiling, causing my heart to skip a painful beat. Before I could respond, the music began, and my body instinctively reacted to the sweet melody. I found myself molded to Lex's will, my feet irresistibly following the dance steps. The crowd gasped as Lex pulled me into a more intimate position, his hands roaming over my body in a seductive manner. The experience was both terrifying and magical, allowing me to feel every longing emotion through the dance. I soon found myself lost in his arms. When the music finally stopped, my arms were wrapped around his neck, his hands resting on my back, our noses almost touching. He gazed deeply into my eyes. The ballroom fell silent. Was he about to kiss me? **** Lilly’s life was never easy; she lost her memory and family in a blazing fire. Angelica found and took her in—only to make her a slave to the household. Years of torment and abuse left Lilly weak, vulnerable, and believing she was without a wolf, but that didn't mean that all hope was lost. At night, in her dreams, he would patiently wait for her—the man who brought sunshine into her darkest moments. They would dance the night away, but as dawn approached, he would vanish into the morning sun. Lilly had given up hope of finding a mate, having a family, and leading a normal life. But things are about to drastically change for her... Secrets, lies, betrayal... and a baby on the way. What if Lilly wasn't wolf-less? What if it was all a lie? What if she had a living family? Would she stay and bond with them or make a run for freedom? **** ****STANDALONE BOOK****

"No offense but you are always so grumpy, it's actually kind of cute." I bluntly say to him and watch him throw me a nasty glare, I just giggle at that. "I'm not." he defends himself in a calm yet stern voice keeping his face emotionless. "sure." I find myself saying sarcastically. I think I'm too drunk  because there is no way a sober River will have the courage to hold a conversation with a very grumpy Killian. I expect another scary glare to come towards me but instead I meet with a soft gaze that stares at me with an unreadable expression. "I'm not." This time he says softly, I see him biting back a small smile and , he smiles. I've never seen him smiling before, not this way. Standing on the edge of life, River breathes in and lets himself adjust into a new life, into a new family. After a horrifying past he finds his life wrapped around a shaggy orphanage and several foster homes which makes it hard to believe that he is actually being adopted. Having a family was always a desire of him but to his burnt luck, he doesn't feel like he belongs in his adoptive family. Everyone and everything around him make it clear that he wasn't born to be happy. River is waiting for another push, one last push to end it all and fall from the edge and that's when a grumpy looking Killian Price steps into his life. River can't decide if Killian is the saviour or the devil himself. River's life meets with unexpected secrets mixed with burning desire, adorning the melancholic attire. Soon, he finds out he isn't the only one standing on the edge of the cliff, or he realises he is far from the edge.

When Maya's world is turned upside down by a surprise pregnancy, she's forced to make a choice: marry the father, Elijah, a mysterious and powerful man with secrets of his own, or face the dangers that have been lurking in the shadows of her life. As Maya navigates the treacherous landscape of her new marriage, she begins to uncover the truth about Elijah's past and the reasons behind his proposal. But the more she learns, the more she realizes that Elijah might actually be the evil she has been running away from, all her life ... An evil that had already stole her heart. Will Maya be able to uncover the secrets that Elijah keeps, or will she become the latest casualty of his ruthless ambition? Dive into this gripping tale of love, power, and deception to find out. “What are you doing?” I asked, my body shaking in fright. “That's not me” he said, smirking. “They are here for you, Maya. Your past have finally caught up to you. You move one inch, your beloved best friend goes down for you… another innocent blood smeared on your dainty hands” he said smiling wickedly. Slowly I walked towards him. I couldn't let Tiffany go down for me. I couldn't let another innocent soul die for me. This was my fate. My happy ever after was all a fairy tale after all. I took the pen, signing my name across the thin black line. Tears went down my cheek, dripping on the contract, the ink smudged on the paper. I could feel his warmth spread over me, his nose trailed delicately on my ear, wet sparks over it. “Welcome to your hell, Astrid Grey” he said, my real name rolling out of his lips like a curse.

Eric Clapton never expected his ex-wife would move on overnight, and be living her best life. His friends have always mocked him for marrying such an ugly woman. When his mistress showed up, he couldn't exercise the smallest patience to stay married to Liana. "My mind is made up, Liana. Let's get a divorce. $90 million and the penthouse in Rochester will be compensation for your mental damage. Is that enough?" Eric put down the envelope and pen on the pillow beside her. Liana sat up, eyes glued to the man she has dedicated three years of her life to. "Is that all you have to say and offer?" She asked, her eyes holding a trace of detachment. Eric was stuck in thoughts. This was unlike the fragile and indecisive woman he married. Liana smiled as she gazed at his unreadable expression. "I can see you're really prepared for this, you know. This is obviously the first time in three years since you returned home before 11:00 pm, Eric." She added, her lips curling up into an enigmatic smile as she decisively scribbled her signature on the papers. The next morning at the courthouse, she held the divorce papers, her fragile heart tearing apart as she watched her ex husband smiling when he walked away, his hands carefully wrapped around another woman's waist while they strode to his car. Seeing him replace her so quickly was really heart wrenching, but right there, she saw another man who just got dumbed by his fiancee at the crucial hour, and without hesitation, she walked up to him and proposed to replace his fiancee. Now, what will Eric do when at the moment of his regret, he realised that she didn't only move on, but she's now his boss's wife?

He's vulgar. He's cruel. He's childish. A proud, entitled, sexist fuck-boy who has no iota of regard for girls and only sees them as nothing less than a mere conquest object for his sick, twisted sexual fantasies. He's all shades of red. I know that. Very well. More than anyone else. And yet... He's all I can think about. He's taken up every single space in my head for free, and I'm beyond obsessed at this point. Every day I think about him. I can't help it. I crave his attention like I need it to survive, I burn his touch, I ache for his... mmm! I shouldn't want him. I know I shouldn't. Especially since he's the son of the very man who broke my family apart. But as I said, I can't help it. He's just like poison... like sin... so deadly... and yet feels so right... so... sweet! His name is Devin Sinclair. And if I'm to be honest... I'm not so sure how much longer I can resist him for. ... NB: This book explores themes of enemies-to-lovers, forbidden student-professor age gap and bisexual romance. It is rated 18+ as there will be explicit, graphic content between chapters. Please, read at your own discretion. Due to the nature of this book, there will be frequent POV changes of these characters between chapters. Happy reading : )

*** This story has steamy scenes that are not suitable for minors.*** Isabella 'Izzy' Garcia is a thirty-year-old female werewolf who enjoys her freedom all too much. She is content with her well-balanced life except for that one thing that causes her anxiety every year — the mate-finding ceremony. And being thirty means that she will soon be trapped by the mate bond that all werewolves suffer from. For her, it is nothing but a permanent prison — the only blight in her werewolf existence. When the mate-bond-sentence has been announced, she realizes that she will not only suffer from one mate, but from three mates! And she knew then, that the Moon Goddess must have hated her so much! Miles Bennett is Izzy's friend and confidant, originally a pack outsider who climbed the rank until he became a Beta. On Izzy's thirtieth birthday, he confessed his love for her, only to be rejected on the same day. Landon Hayes is the proud alpha of Izzy's pack. He is a confident alpha who offered Izzy the position of Luna the instant his mate bond with her activated. But like the rest of her mates, his offer was shot down the instant it was uttered. Carter Grayson is Alpha Landon's beta who is flirty and always has an unrequited love for Izzy. He has always been jealous of Miles, but never wanted to be just a friend to her. He is very vocal about his mate bond with Izzy and believes that the Moon Goddess has finally listened to his pleas. And he is very certain that he won't waste the opportunity given to him.

Ava Smith, the only child of Elliott Smith, the beta of Westwood pack was determined to be the next beta of her pack because she had always wanted to make her parents proud and be the son they never had, but all of her dreams were crushed before she had even started. She was being bullied, mocked, tortured, and broken by the alpha's son and his friends. Damon Walter. She hated that name to the core. He was her worst nightmare. He was the reason she had to let go of her dreams and leave her parents and she vowed never to come back to that pack. Ava had no choice but to go to that pack she hated the most because her husband-to-be, an Alpha from another pack sent her to Mistwood pack because he had made a promise to her parents that she would attend the mating ceremony happening in Westwood pack. What happens when fate decides to play a little game with Ava, she figures out that the new Alpha of the Westwood pack, Damon Walter, is her mate. Damon Walter, the alpha of Westwood pack, was rejected cruelly by his mate on the night of the mating ceremony. He was taken aback by that rejection but he vowed to make her his no matter what. Now he had to prove to his mate that he was worthy of her. What happened when he figured out that he was the cause of her misery and she rejected him because she wanted exact revenge on him? Now the cold Alpha must do whatever it takes to win back his mate and make her accept him back.

“I fell for every lie you told me, Lena; you should be proud of yourself; you’ve managed to deceive me, Alpha Damien; that’s a stunt not everyone could pull.” “What do you mean?” “So, you are going to play innocent again?” He asked, then chuckled. It was humorless. “This time I won’t be the fool; I won’t fall for that innocence the second time, Lena, and I promise you, I’ll make you pay and have fun while I am at it.” ******* Lena was a weak wolf, a slap in the face of her parents. Being the daughter of Alpha and Luna, they expected more, and for that reason she was deemed useless. When her father finds an opportunity to marry her off to one of the most powerful Alphas in the world to settle pack debts and also gain an alliance, he will do anything in his power to make it work. Lena was never supposed to fall in love with Alpha Damien; he was the cruel, emotionless Alpha, unable to feel, yet she fell for him. No one could make her feel the way he did. She was the Alpha’s little obsession, and he always got what he wanted. She knew it would only be a matter of time, and his drive would die. She had to accept the fact that he would never love her, but she wanted more, more than he was willing to give, more than he was capable of giving. Would that lead to her destruction? What happens when secrets are revealed and innocent Lena is tainted by the darkness of the world she has been tossed into?

Aria's life was chillingly quiet until a True Mate came along in the form of Relaz. He was noisy, extremely talkative, and especially annoying. Once allowed, there was no end to his gabbling. But when Aria realizes that Relaz is more than he seems, much more than just a carefree, always smiling and talkative man, he is something much more ruthless, will their relationship be put in jeopardy or will they try to work together irrespective of their misunderstandings and solve a puzzle, when they realize that the people around them are planning their destruction? Teaser... " You aren't my Relaz. That's right. I should get lost? Then no problem. All this while, you've been seeing me as nothing more than baggage, an extra load, right?" "I-i" Relaz stuttered. But he still didn't end up saying anything nor did he turn to look back at her. Aria laughed mockingly, "You're right. I'm so stupid. How could I have blamed the mood goddess all this while when she had given me such a treasure like Relaz as my mate. Now that he is no longer here, nor can I see the ghost of him, I've realized, how much the moon goddess had loved me. But it's a pity, I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid..." She raised her hands and started slapping her cheeks with each 'stupid' she said and backed away slowly with tears on her face, desperately hoping that she could see the trace of the mate who once held, and loved her like no other. It was a pity she left too early and didn't manage to capture the tear that had managed to escape his tightly closed eyes, nor did she see the cold expression he wore all along, cracking and revealing immense grief. For what is love? Pain. Sacrifice.