Smirking Artinya

“Apa yang bisa saya lakukan supaya nilai saya bagus, Pak?” Diana bersandar di kursinya, menatap penuh arti pada pria yang dikenal sebagai dosen killer itu. Dosen dengan reputasi dingin bernama Damar Setyawan itu menaikkan satu alis. Senyum tipis melintas di wajahnya yang lebih mirip ejekan daripada keramahan. “Kamu sudah gagal empat kali, Diana. Kamu tahu artinya? Gelar sarjanamu bisa lenyap. Masa depanmu habis.” Diana pura-pura menggigit bibir bawahnya, lalu mencondongkan tubuhnya pada pria itu. “Kalau begitu … saya harus cari jalan lain, ‘kan?” suaranya terdengar manja, sengaja dibuat lirih. “Saya tahu Bapak bisa bantu. Saya bisa … membalas dengan cara lain.” Diana berhenti sebentar, menahan senyum nakal di bibir. “Saya bisa kok jadi sugar baby Bapak,” lanjutnya, pelan tapi jelas. “Anggap saja … kompensasi tutup mulut atas malam itu.” Tatapan Damar mengeras, seakan menimbang keseriusannya. Tapi Diana tidak bergeming. Ia justru semakin berani, bibirnya mendekat ke telinga pria itu. “Saya serius, Pak,” bisiknya dengan mata berkilat menantang. “Kapan kita mulai?”

Seorang anak berusia enam tahun, hidup sebatang kara tanpa memiliki kedua orang tua atau keluarga, pertempuran besar membuatnya harus terpisah dengan kedua orang tua, ia juga harus menjalani hidup penuh rintangan di dunia Nirvana, anak tersebut bernama Lan Shi atau Putra pertama Sang pembalik Langit Dunia Persilatan, ayahnya adalah Raja Para dewa, sedangkan ibunya Seorang Dewi keadilan. Identitas Lan Shi tidak diketahui siapapun, di usia enam tahun Lan Shi tinggal bersama kakek An Hui, perjalanannya dimulai sambil mencari keberadaan ayah dan ibunya. Lan Shi memiliki seorang teman ajaib yaitu Peri kecil atau pasir waktu, peri kecil memberitahu kalau banyak orang sedang memburunya, ia memutuskan untuk bersembunyi di dalam kantong kecil milik Lan Shi. Tiga tahun tinggal di hutan, Pria tua menemukan keberadaan Lan Shi, ia mengangkat sebagai cucu asuh dan membawanya pulang kediaman keluarga, keluarga tersebut diberi nama keluarga An, sekarang Lan Shi dipanggil dengan sebutan An Lan yang artinya subur tak pernah layu dalam bahasa dunia persilatan.

Blurb: "Nama aslinya Natalie Amber Kyle. Dulunya bekerja sebagai seorang pelayan di sebuah cafe. Kemudian bertemu dengan seorang agen mata-mata wanita. Mulai mengikuti kegiatan mata-mata dan aktif sebagai agen saat berusia 19 tahun. Sepertinya ia lebih banyak mengambil kasus yang berkaitan dengan wanita penggoda dan sepertinya sedang menjalankan misi dari kliennya," terang Jeremy, panjang lebar. "Hei, Rai. Jangan bilang kau tertarik pada gadis itu. Sekali berhubungan dengannya, riwayatmu akan tamat!" seru Jeremy memperingatkan. Usai menggerakkan satu jarinya di leher. Yang berarti mati. "Kau sangat tahu aku, bukan? Aku sangat suka tantangan. Lagipula bukankah menurut informasi dia selalu menjalankan tugas yang berkaitan dengan wanita penggoda. Itu artinya, para lelaki yang dia dekati pasti berhubungan dengan wanita penggoda. Kurasa dia hanya membuka kedok asli dari para pria bajingan. Aku jadi ingin memberinya sebuah misi." Rai tersenyum, sembari memikirkan sebuah siasat. Benarkah Natalie adalah seorang mata-mata yang menyamar jadi wanita penggoda? Dan apa misi yang dimaksud Rai?

Every week, mt mate Alpha Bruce dragged a new side-chick into our bed. Right in front of me. They clawed at each other like I didn't exist. Each time felt like silver shredding through my chest, my wolf howling from the inside out. He did it to hurt me. On purpose. Over and over. Using their bodies to spit on what we used to be. Then came our ten-year anniversary banquet. He waltzed in with his side-piece—Moye. Five years he'd been screwing her. She wore my heels. My custom gown. Even the mate ring and necklace I once thought meant forever. Bruce stood there, smirking in front of the whole pack. "Don't like what she's wearing? Strip yours and hand it over. And don't bother coming to my bed tonight—she's a hundred times better." The room howled with laughter. I was the punchline. But I stood up, met his eyes, and said, "I want to break the bond." He snorted. "You've said that, what, a hundred times? I'm over it. You begged me to mark you, remember? Gave up your pride for that Luna crown." More laughter. But what none of them saw coming? This time, I was done. Done with him. Done with the Luna title. Done chasing something dead. I was ready to sever the mate bond—for real.

Roses are red, tequila hits hard, and I danced like I owned the damn night. Now? Everything’s a hot mess. Emily Hart just landed the dream job, personal secretary to the sinfully rich, dangerously fine CEO of Steele Empire. So naturally, she did what any girl with a fat offer letter and a killer dress would do: hit the club, danced like a vixen, and threw back shots until reality blurred and pleasure took the wheel. That’s when he happened. Dominic Steele. Billionaire boss. Ruthless in the boardroom. Untamed in the bedroom. He saw her, hips swaying, lips smirking, black dress clinging like a second skin, and he didn’t ask for a name. He just took. One night. One filthy, breathless, back-arching night. No promises. No names. Just raw heat and moans that echoed past midnight. Until Monday morning happened. Now, the man who made her beg without words is standing behind a glass desk in a tailored suit, And she’s the new secretary who can’t look him in the eye without remembering how he made her scream. She thinks he’s cocky as hell. He thinks she’s the sweetest kind of chaos. But when a missed period makes an unexpected appearance, it’s no longer just business. It’s Daddy, please……. with a whole lot of tension, temptation, and trouble in between.

My mother-in-law, Mabel Grath, always liked me to arrange family trips. But she only transferred a small fraction of the cost. She called it a “deposit.” “I’m just following what you young people do with deposits. It’s not like I’m going to skip out on the rest.” After the trip, however, she never mentioned the rest of the payment again. I did not really mind. I quietly paid out of my own pocket for five-star hotels and luxury meals every time. Then one day, my husband’s sister, Marlene Grath, dropped a sarcastic comment in the family group chat. “Noelle Frost loves playing travel agent with my mom’s retirement money. “For all we know, she’s signing us up for cut-rate shopping tours and skimming the kickbacks.” Mabel replied with a smirking emoji. It seemed she was silently agreeing with her daughter. My heart sank. Over the years, I had taken them on trips all over the country and abroad. I had covered at least 100,000 dollars out of my own pocket. Yet, I still ended up looking like the one taking advantage of them. Mabel transferred four hundred dollars to me again and asked me to arrange a seven-day tour to Erope. So, I went ahead and booked them a one-day farm stay just outside the city.

I spend ten years helping my fiancé fight and claw his way to the top. Finally, he becomes the head of the local mafia. But once he has everything, he falls for another woman. Suddenly, he wants nothing to do with the promise he made to marry me. Just as he boasts about throwing her the wedding of the century, one of his men can't hold back his confusion. "Olivia stood by you through everything. Weren't you crazy about her? And now you're marrying someone else?" Joshua Harding snuffs out his cigarette, slowly turning the silver couple's ring he shares with Abigail Mauser between his fingers. "Olivia?" He scoffs. "She's got blood on her hands. How could she ever compare to my sweet, innocent Abigail?" The subordinate hesitates. "But Olivia's sharp. If she finds out and turns against you, then what?" Joshua frowns before smirking coldly. "Belcove is completely under my control. It's not like I'll lose it without her around." Little does he know I'm standing outside and listening to every word. I drop the medicine I brought him into the trash and pull out my phone. I text his biggest rival, Michael Sheridan. "Want Joshua's turf and his life? I'm handing them to you!"

According to company policy, anyone who achieves the feat of being the top salesperson for three years in a row will receive a thousand-square-foot apartment as a bonus. To achieve this goal, I work day and night, chasing every order I can find. But once I finally meet the criteria, I'm told that the policy has been abolished. Saul Hurst, my direct superior, brushes me off with a bonus of 500 dollars instead. Smirking at me, he says, "Being good at sales is all well and good, but you still need to improve your understanding of the company's rules and values. "Young people need to stay humble and know their place. Don't keep trying to show off. It isn't good to constantly hog the spotlight." I don't lose my temper. Instead, I manage to stay unusually calm as I took the "massive bonus" I got in exchange for three years of hard work. Two days later, our company headquarters conducts its annual sales evaluation. When one of our clients offers me a sales deal worth eight million dollars, I turn it down on the spot. After all, I believe that part of what it means to be professional is to do as my superior says. Since I'm supposed to stay humble and know my place, I've chosen to keep a low profile and not do anything that puts me under the spotlight. Besides, even if our branch fails to meet the total sales target, I'm not the one who's going to be held accountable for that.

"I'm a jerk, but you stole my heart"---->Derek"I'm a better person when i'm around you"---->Halsey"I fell in love with you because you loved me when I couldn't love myself"---->NicholasBut what shocked me the most were Alec's words..."I want you. All of you. Your flaws. Your mistakes. Your imperfections. I want you and only you."---->Alec Brad.It all started when i agreed to move in with them. The four bad ass of Greenville. Currently, i had been forced to attend a party with them and we were all playing truth and dare at the moment with other high schoolers.The bottle was spun around and it landed between me and Alec. I was to ask the question."Truth or dare?" I say slightly slurring on my words due to the little drinks i had taken."Truth" he replies with a lot of confidence, smirking at me, his green eyes holding my gaze.This was the perfect time to ask him what has always been bothering me. And then my question rolls out of my tongue."When was your last kiss?"He seemed shocked with the question but covers it up quickly with an evil smile, as he searches around for something, or maybe someone. Having found it, he turned around to face me and answered my question."Now"And with that, he pulls me up in a swift movement, grabs my waist, draws me closer to him,and then you can imagine what happens next. My asshole is kissing me.

I was the firm’s star. The one they called for the impossible cases. My latest miracle? The “Titan Project” patent case. I made the firm a billion dollars. My cut was supposed to be a two-million-dollar bonus. But today, a fresh-faced intern waltzed off with it. I thought payroll had made a mistake and stormed straight into the senior partner's office. “Preston. My two-million-dollar bonus. Tell me there’s been a mistake.” Preston didn’t even bother to look up. “Victoria, I’ve looked into it. We won this case because of Chloe’s client management.” “She was schmoozing clients. Late-night golf games. Weekend yacht parties. While you were what, exactly?” “You never showed your face outside the courtroom. Teamwork is everything.” I almost laughed. It was absurd. “She’s a rookie who can’t even recite the rules of discovery.” “Enough!” Preston cut me off. “The firm doesn’t make mistakes. I see what everyone contributes.” “If you're not happy, you can prove your worth somewhere else.” He tossed a severance agreement on the desk. My heart went cold. I signed it on the spot. Before I left, I got the last word. “Preston, next time the firm has a real fight on its hands, you’d better call your social butterfly, Chloe. Don’t bother me.” He blew a perfect smoke ring, smirking right through it. Unfazed. Soon later, my phone blew up. It was him. Begging me to come back and save his ass.