Sneers

Aria Carter died betrayed. Her husband ignored her. Her best friend stabbed her in the back. Her family sold her off like a pawn. When she opened her eyes again three years earlier, on the night of her arranged marriage to the city’s coldest CEO she swore this life would be different. No more weakness. No more blind love. No more kneeling. Damian Cross, the ruthless billionaire everyone fears, expected a docile wife to decorate his mansion. Instead, he got a woman who met his icy stare with fire of her own. Society sneers at her as the “Cold Wife.” Her family calls her a disgrace. Her enemies plot her downfall. But this time, Aria isn’t here to beg for scraps she’s here to flip the board. Every betrayal will be repaid. Every secret will be exposed. And the husband who once ignored her? He’s falling, dangerously, obsessively, in love. Yet beneath the glittering empire lies the truth of her first death… and if Aria isn’t careful, the crown she claims may cost her heart all over again.

I'm Tristan Scott's driver's daughter. Ten years ago, my father died at the hands of Tristan's abductors as he tried to save Tristan. Tristan had held me close and told me, "I'll care for you for the rest of your life on your father's behalf." Later, my mother's cancer relapsed due to her sorrow after losing my father. Before her death, she hoped to see Tristan and me marry. But on the wedding day, Tristan leaves me at the altar. I weep and try to keep him around, but he sneers and says, "You should know where to draw the line—your father gave his life in exchange for the cushy life you now have. That should be enough for you! You're dreaming if you think you can marry me!" In the end, my mother dies without seeing Tristan put a ring on me. That night, his assistant shares an Instagram story. The photo is of her and Tristan's faces plastered to each other as she shows off the ring on her finger. It's captioned, "My answer is yes."

Synopsis They stripped her of her name, called her Prisoner Twelve, and left her to rot in chains. For four years, Natille endured wolfsbane scars, silver shackles, and silence from the family who should have saved her. Not once did her mother visit. Not once did her sister speak her defense. And the boy she once loved—Florian—watched her exile without lifting a hand. Now the gates open. Florian waits at the end of the path. “Grandmother misses you. The Alpha King pardoned you. Come home.” But home is poison. Her sister Navy smiles through rehearsed tears, wearing the life that was once Natille’s. Her brother Ronan sneers that she only seeks pity. Her mother weeps too late. And yet her grandmother, Elder Nelda, defies them all: “You are mine. This house is your house.” Every scar on Natille’s body is proof of betrayal, but the Wilsons call her manipulative, ungrateful, a danger to their name. Even Florian—now promised to Navy—warns her not to lean on pride. But pride is all Natille has left. And when Navy plunges into the deadly Moon Pool, it’s Natille who dives into silver-laced waters to save her. In a single night, she becomes both savior and suspect, her very survival sparking what could tear the Wilsons apart.

***Captivating Storm Book 1*** Orphaned by the unexpected attack of a rogue pack, Yusria gets adopted by the Beta of the Setting Dawn Pack. 18 years of living under the neglect and abuse of her adopted family leads her becoming the mate of the Alpha's son. Just when she thinks her life would take a turn for the better, she dies under the manipulation of her husband and adopted sister. Reborn and fueled with a desire to find her fated mate, Yusria sets out of the Setting Dawn Pack to embark on a journey that, unknowingly, sets in motion a prophecy long forgotten and buried under the passage of time. "Mate!" The strangled cry of the Emperor rendered the spectating Alphas and Lunas speechless. 'Mate? What mate...?' 'Must be Miss Eradani, right? The Emperor's Lover?' 'Of course! Otherwise, who did you expect? Heh...It's not like the Lykan Emperor can claim a true mate!' Disdainful scoffs and mocking sneers surfaced on the faces of the Eastern Empire's prominent alpha leaders. The barely audible cry of 'mate' from the Great Eastern Emperor Zeonen's mouth made them look at the latter with scorn. Mate? For all his power and wealth, in their eyes, he would forever remain beneath them for being born a Lykan, a creature infamously deprived of the greatest gift of the Moon Goddess. A true mate.

My uncle’s rival, Emmett Meyer, saved me twice. The first time, I was drowning after a shipwreck—until he cut through the waves on a speedboat and dragged me ashore. The second time was after someone had slipped drugs into my drink. That night, I seduced him, a hardened man ten years my senior. In the dim glow of a private room, he guided my hand downward and growled, “I want you so bad, Babe.” He took me ruthlessly, ignoring my sobs and pleas. From then on, Emmett—the untamable “Prince of Silverbridge”—abandoned his reckless ways and devoted himself to me. Or so I believed. Then one day, he coaxed me into his Rolls-Royce and captured our tryst on camera. I flushed with embarrassment and secret delight. Later, as I hurried after him to return some documents he had left behind, I heard the sneers whispered in the hallway: “You’re so wild, Emmett. Everyone heard your girl moaning.” “Damn, the car rocked so hard I thought you’d break it.” “Hey, if Franklin Reed ever finds out that his precious niece has been your plaything for three years… think he’ll have a heart attack?”

Jeremy Hansen throws a divorce agreement at Joanna Thompson on the day she finds out she's pregnant with twins. He also gives her 300 million dollars as their breakup fee. Why? Because his true love is back in the country! Joanna doesn't kick a fuss or throw a tantrum. She takes the money and moves out of their marital home without argument. She doesn't expect Jeremy to be so cruel, though—he wants her to abort the children. Why should she listen to him? "You're not going to abort them, huh?" Jeremy sneers. "Do you think we won't have to go through with the divorce if you're still pregnant with my children?" Joanna sneers back at him. A few days later, she accidentally miscarries. After being discharged from the hospital, she and Jeremy finalize the divorce. Three years later, the paparazzi capture Joanna on a street abroad while holding onto a pair of adorable boy-girl twins. Jeremy stares at the photo as his eyes slowly redden. Then, he flies abroad at top speed to stand in Joanna and the twins' way. "You've played me for three years, Joanna! It's high time that you stop with this tantrum." She takes off her sunglasses and raises a nonchalant eyebrow. "Sorry, but who are you?"

The richest man in the country, Sebastian Vance, has a ring custom-made to my exact measurements, worth billions of dollars, for the woman who will be his bride. In the first life, my stepsister, Mia Lowe, slips on the ring and marries him. Sebastian claws her face, shouting, "She's not the one!" In the second life, my other stepsister, Lorraine Lowe, loses 30 pounds before marrying him. He shoves her down the stairs anyway and says, "She's not the one either." In the third life, my stepmother, Vivian Cole, grits her teeth and slices off a piece of her own flesh just to force the ring onto her finger. Sebastian sneers and pushes her under the bathwater, holding her down until her body goes limp. By the fourth life, out of options and terrified, they finally send me. I slide the ring on, and it fits perfectly. My entire family lets out a sigh of relief. But the second Sebastian lays his eyes on me, he draws a knife and stabs me to death. "Why is it still not her? Where is she?" In the last life, he has his assistant, Owen Hayes, deliver a ring to us. All four of us insist that it won't fit. Owen shoots us a strange look. "Mr. Vance said the rightful owner of this ring is among you."

I send my sister, Lola Graham, to my couture boutique to pick out a wedding dress. As she is leaving, a trainee clerk, Kayla Larson, demands three million for the gown. Helpless, Lola says my name. "I'm the owner's sister. I don't have to pay." Kayla rolls her eyes. "You're pranking the wrong store. Our boss doesn't have a sister. You're just broke and trying to scam us!" she snapped, blocking my sister's way. "This is your last warning—either pay up, or I'll rip that dress off you and throw you out!" Stunned, Lola calls me. When I rush over, I hear my long-time store manager standing deferentially behind Kayla, warning Lola, "You'd better behave. The woman in front of you is our boss' wife. Cross her, and you'll regret it." "Trying to fake your way in here? You've got some nerve," Kayla sneers, adding to my sister's humiliation. My hand freezes on the door. Without hesitation, I cut off my husband's secondary credit card and call him. "Have I been too generous with you? Or did giving you too much money make you think you could afford another woman behind my back?"

On the day of the wedding, Galen Shaw forces me to crack walnuts with my bare hands for his so-called female buddy. My expression goes cold, and I refuse outright. "My hands are for holding a scalpel, not cracking walnuts for her!" He only chuckles and orders someone to hold me down. Then, he glues the walnuts to my palms himself. One by one, he slams them against the ground. "You cheated while studying medicine. Now that you've married me, forget about ever being a doctor again!" I grit my teeth through the pain. My fingers are aching, but I try to explain. "I went abroad to study medicine for you!" His so-called female buddy sneers in a shrill voice. "All that talk about the Shaw family's hereditary disease is nonsense! Galen has been perfectly healthy for over 20 years. Don't tell me you just want another excuse to cozy up with your precious senior?" The moment those words leave her lips, the faint thought of having someone bandage my hand disappears. A shadow crosses Galen's face. "Looks like you haven't learned your lesson!" He throws me into the basement and locks me there for three days. By the time I crawl out, my hands are completely ruined. Later, when Galen's hereditary disease finally surfaces, the doctor tries to comfort him. "This disease may be terminal, but there is still a way. Dr. Robinson has just returned from overseas. She's the only one in the world who can perform this surgery. "I hear that she's your wife."

(Completed) My panic grows and I begin to struggle with him, "Stop! William gets off me, you don't know what you are doing." He pushes me harder against the bed, "Would you feel better if it was your British boy doing this to you?" He slurs as his hands come to touch my face. I throw my face away from his touch and I see him clench his teeth from the corner of my eyes. "You don't want me anymore?" I glare at him, "Not like this I don't. Get off me!" I say, pushing him off but he traps my hands and holds them above my head. "Stop fighting me!" He snaps, "this, this is what you want!" "No, it's not!" I exclaim, kicking my legs which are slowly growing numb from his weight against him. He raises a brow, "You love me right?" I grit my teeth at his tricky question; if I say yes, then he'll want me to want this and if I say no, that would be a lie. "Yes, but not like this!" I answer in frustration. He moves to settle properly, on my legs, "Well I think you should get to know every side of me; including this side." He sneers into my ears left ear, licking my face. His hand unfastens his belt and unzips his trousers and shoves it down. ***Karen thought telling William how she felt about him would make things better between then, little did she know it would be the exact opposite.