Novel & Cerita Smug

On the day of my wedding gown fitting, a stranger burst into the VIP suite and stabbed me with a knife. “You think you deserve a dress this expensive after stealing someone else’s man?” She tore at the delicate fabric of my skirt. Then, with a twisted smile, she hurled a bottle of acid at me. The blade was buried in my lower abdomen. The pain drove me to my knees. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Gerald’s my husband! What are you? You’re nothing but a mistress who can’t even be seen with him in public!” Blood dripped down my fingers. That was when it finally sank in. The man I had been with for seven years had been keeping another woman by his side. “What’re you staring at? Even if I kill you, with my husband’s influence, no one will dare touch me!” Staring at her smug face, I pulled out my phone with hands slicked in blood and called my brother. “Matt…” My voice was unnervingly calm. “Come pick me up at the bridal shop. And please inform the Hoover family that the engagement is off.”

She stole my wedding. I stole her future. On the morning of my wedding, I caught my fiancé Kellan tangled in the sheets with my stepsister. The betrayal should have shattered me. Instead, it lit a fire in my veins. So I did what any woman scorned would do. I pointed to the most dangerous man in the room—Drexon Moreaux, Kellan’s ruthless billionaire uncle—and declared, “Him. I’ll marry him instead.” Drexon could have laughed in my face. The Moreaux empire’s heir apparent, a man forged in boardroom battles and whispered about in elite circles, had no reason to entertain my reckless demand. But he said, “I do.” Now, my stepsister’s smug smile is crumbling. My ex-fiancé is forced to call me Auntie. And Drexon? He watches me with dark, calculating eyes, as if I’m a puzzle he’s determined to solve. This marriage was supposed to be my revenge. But with every lingering touch and midnight confession, Drexon is turning it into something far more dangerous—something that feels like love. Too bad the Moreaux family doesn’t believe in happy endings…

Valentine's Day. I was stuck on ER duty at Brighton City Hospital. Theodore Madoff, who was supposed to be working late, strolled in carrying his student—Cecilia Kuntzer. She had red marks everywhere and that smug little smirk. "Relax, Mrs. Madoff. Just stomach pain. Lucky me, Prof. Madoff rushed me here." Theo pushed me to treat her. Turns out? She was pregnant. From rough intercourse. And the dad? Theo. My husband. The same guy who'd sworn off kids with me for ten years. Felt like a punch to the gut. But I still saved her baby. Next day, she uploaded a video—ID in hand, cheesy PowerPoint, accusing me of malpractice. Claimed I killed her kid. Then Theo asked for a divorce. Priscilla—his mom—stormed the hospital, shrieking about her dead grandbaby. She brought a mob. All these "righteous" strangers who stabbed me to death. Right there in the ER. I died with my eyes wide open. Then—bam—I woke up. Valentine's Day. Again.

I had returned to the past with my younger sister, Wendy Anderson. In the past, she had married a CEO. After we returned to the past, she insisted on snatching a security guard from me. My parents favored her, so they almost passed out from anger when they learned that she was marrying a security guard. She said nonchalantly, “Liam will be successful one day. Just you wait and see.” In the first year of marriage, she gave birth to Liam Smith’s son, Charlie Smith. She was very smug about that. She looked down on me, who gave birth to a daughter. “Go away and don’t pass your bad luck to me. I’m planning to give birth to nine more sons for Liam. We’ll be a perfect family of ten sons.” She expected a wealthy life ahead of her. However, she did not know that Liam had a crazy wife back in the countryside. He also had seven difficult older sisters and three mean mothers and aunts that she would have to appease.

“MATE!” “NO!” “I didn’t ask!” “Still No, my mate killed me long ago.” Silence… “You killed your mate?” “No!” “Aw! I got a broken doll! “ The smug bastard grinned. -- Mallory´s life didn’t go as planned, even after she believed her true fairytale had started. Betrayed, beaten, and broken beyond repair, she welcomed death when it finally came. The moon goddess granted her a new life, a choice. She chose to remember. Haunted by her past and trauma, she devoted her life to *unalive* the worse criminals, humans, and shifters. Working for the council, she managed to keep running from her nightmares. Suffocating the pain and panic attacks by escaping into subspace, guided by Mr. Bear’s firm hand. Love is not in Mallory´s world; she doesn’t want it. Don’t deserve it, and the mere thought scare her to the core. Why would two mated males have such care for her? Why would another claim her as his? She doesn’t recognize them as mates—any of them. But that doesn’t seem to scare them away. Reverse harem, BDSM, revenge, trauma, triggers! Torture, human trafficking +++ Not a beautiful romance but a dark romance with lingering trauma.

My mom was a brilliant programmer. She created an app called "Shake for Allowance." After my brother and I downloaded it, she told us, "From now on, this is how you'll get your living expenses. On the first of every month, just shake your phone. Whatever number you get is the amount you'll receive. "The range is from zero to ten thousand dollars." At first, I was excited. Every month, I shook my phone with anticipation. However, every time, the result was the same: 0 dollars. My brother, meanwhile, always landed the highest amount. "Wow, sis, your luck really sucks," he said. Even when he showed me the transfer record for ten thousand dollars, there was a smug smile on his face. When I confronted Mom, she brushed it off, saying my luck was bad and that no one else was to blame. With no other choice, I worked three part-time jobs just to support myself while studying. On the night before my final exams, I collapsed from exhaustion and died. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the very day my mom created the "Shake for Allowance" app.

To the girlies who said, "fuck the Knight in shining armor, give me a scarred Knight." —But DIDN'T EXPECT TO BURN Anna was supposed to be enjoying her sister’s wedding after-party, not stuck in a locked car with the groom’s infuriating older brother. Jason Knight—best man, shameless flirt—had been under her skin since they met for rehearsals, and now, in her space. He wasn’t supposed to make her skin heat with one touch. And she wasn’t supposed to end the night tangled in bed with him. One night. That’s all it was meant to be. But what Anna doesn't know: Jason isn’t just her brother-in-law’s maddeningly smug brother, he’s the boy she once humiliated in high school—the one who never forgot, and he’s spent every one of the years after changing everything about himself. Now, he's back with a grudge, a memory that cuts deep, and a plan. Twenty-one days. One dangerous game. Anna is about to learn that some grudges don’t fade, they smolder and ignite. When old wounds collide with white-hot chemistry, will revenge blur into something even more dangerous? or will it be their ruin?

The first thing I do after getting off the plane is to text my wife, Ella Spencer, that I'm safe and sound. Since I'm too eager to send the text, I end up sending the text to my work group chat. Before I can delete the message, the new HR employee, Dexter Brooks, suddenly calls me on the phone. "You're fired." I question him immediately, "All I did was text the wrong group chat! How does that warrant a dismissal?" Dexter shouts at me immediately, "How dare you send such lovey-dovey messages on the company's group chat! I will not tolerate this behavior in my company!" His statement catches me off guard. "Your company?" Dexter's arrogance kicks up a few notches. "What, are you saying that this is your company? Ms. Spencer is my wife! Her company is naturally mine!" After a moment's silence, I send another text to the work group chat. "Ella Spencer, you must be feeling quite smug now, huh? Not only did you claim that the company is yours, but you also switched your own husband out for someone else."

"It started as a prank. So...how did I end up on my knees for my neighbor in his office?" Zoe Justice (20) is finally free—no dorm rules, no nosy RAs, no lukewarm cafeteria mac and cheese. With her grandparents’ inheritance and a playlist full of bangers, she’s ready to celebrate her first night as a bona fide homeowner. New digs, new vibes, and definitely a party worthy of the milestone. She expected a few noise complaints and maybe a fussy neighbor or two. But she didn’t expect the cops to roll up before 9 p.m. and shut down the whole thing like it was some kind of crime scene. Apparently, someone across the street didn’t appreciate her welcome-home energy. And when Zoe spotted him—the smug, too-serious man on the porch, standing there like he owned the cul-de-sac—she knew exactly where the betrayal came from. So naturally, she let her middle fingers and death glare do the talking. Veterinarian or not, Mr. Peace-and-Quiet was officially on her list. And she? She wasn’t going down without a little payback. But what happens when the prank war turns into a love affair neither of them saw coming?

On the night I discovered my husband, Charles Lockheart's affair with the secretary, Whitney Keaton, both of them ended up dying in a fire. I was left with a pair of twins. Despite my family's objections, I decided to adopt the twins. For the next 18 years, I put in all of my resources, blood, sweat, and tears to raise them. Finally, they are accepted into Hallwood College, a globally prestigious college. But on the day the twins get into Hallwood College, Charles and Whitney, who are supposedly dead, make a shocking appearance before us. Whitney links arms with Charles, a wide smile on her face. "As expected of our biological sons! They really are amazing for getting accepted into Hallwood College! It's all thanks to you raising our sons that we got to spend so many years in our honeymoon phase!" Charles wears a victorious and smug look. He doesn't feel guilty in the slightest for faking his death. "Let's get a divorce, Brittany. Now is the best time for the twins to be reunited with Whitney and me." Everyone turns to look at me, waiting for me to have an emotional breakdown. But I remain cool and composed as I reply icily, "What a coincidence. I feel the same way."