Social Animal David Brooks

The seventh time Claire Fisher bailed on our marriage license appointment, I finally cut her out of my life—for good. From then on, if she was at a party, I wasn't. When she was scheduled to perform at our college's anniversary celebration, I made sure to leave early. The moment my company announced a collaboration with hers, I resigned without a second thought. Even on Christmas Eve, when she showed up at my parents' house with gifts, I slipped out with a half-hearted excuse about "visiting a friend." I blocked her number. Deleted her from my contacts. Burned every bridge and salted the earth behind me. No calls. No texts. No social media. I didn't reach out. She couldn't reach me. Simple as that. For the better part of my life, I was hopelessly in love with her—waiting on her, caring for her, putting her first in every way that mattered. I gave her all of me without ever holding back. But after the seventh time she left me sitting alone at the City Hall, something inside me broke. I was done. If that meant spending the rest of my life alone, so be it. Better that than sitting in an empty apartment, listening to the silence, holding on to hope for someone who never planned to show up.

Hazel Wills, a lowly omega of the Blackwoods pack. After losing her memory in a gruesome accident, she became an orphan, a lowly one with no chance at love. Finding her true mate had always been her dream, and the moon goddess smiled at her, giving her a true mate, someone to call her own. Liam Brooks, An Alpha Male, the heart desire of all women, rejected his mate due to his growing affection for his ex. What happens when he figures out her true motive? Would he return back to his mate, or he would live bearing the consequence?

Lia Carver was a very optimistic person. So optimistic that she considered a contract marriage as a chance to earn money in billions. Aster Brooks, her contact husband is a billionaire CEO, with wealth beyond her imagination. He hires her to be his contract wife for two years. Aster falls for her even before he knew her and he is waiting for her to accept him. He cares for her and they form a very impressive team. But soon, Lia starts to like him despite their differences. She has every aspect of her life intertwined with his. It doesn't take long for her to understand that this contract was the beginning of her love and also the end. Aster is constantly followed by an enemy who wants his family dead. And Lia gets caught in the web of lies, love, and deception of the previous generations. Their budding love is threatened by the deaths of their family members. Will she still continue to be with him or break away? Will their love withstand the challenges fate has stored for them? And the contract stands between them. What will happen when they terminate the contract? Will they be together? Or become strangers.

I was finally pregnant with his child after being married to Grady Winters for five years. I planned to share the wonderful news with him in person, but on that fateful day, I encountered his first love, who had just returned from abroad. She scalded me with soup, spilling it across me before shoving me down the stairs. Curled up and fighting through the piercing pain in my abdomen, I heard her cold, mocking laughter from above. "Who do you think you are to be Mrs. Winters? I've seen plenty of women who are social climbers." Then, she turned to Grady, her voice laced with pride. She playfully pouted, asking, "Didn't I do a good job, Grady? Don't you think you should reward me as well?"

I stare at the email on my screen, unable to move my fingers. Tomorrow is our company's crucial product launch, and I just learn that the patent for the algorithm I spent three years developing is now filed under Matthew Ashford's new assistant, Sophie Bennett. I storm into Matthew's office to confront him. Sophie sits on his desk with her legs crossed, looking completely innocent. She claims that she filled out the form by mistake. "It's just a clerical error. The patent still belongs to the company. What's the big deal?" Matthew stands up from his chair, positioning himself in front of Sophie. I can't believe what I am hearing. "Matthew, this is my research!" "Emma, you're thirty-five. Why are you picking a fight with a twenty-three-year-old intern?" He frowns. Then, he turns to Sophie. "Starting tomorrow, you're the new CTO. Emma needs… some time off." I'm utterly stunned. A decade of marriage and five years dedicated to building a company together have been shattered by a few casual words from him. Thirty minutes later, Sophie posts a photo on social media of herself sitting on Matthew's lap. They are both clinking champagne glasses. "So lucky to have the best boss ever. I'll make sure to be his loyal kitten." Below that, Matthew leaves a comment—three red heart emojis. I shut my laptop and pick up my phone. "Hello. Is this Mr. David Langley from Novara Group of Sundale Valley? This is Emma Whitmore. I've changed my mind. I'm ready to join you." I pause. "And by the way, about that unreleased algorithm upgrade, I have the complete technical blueprint. Make me an offer." Later, I fly to Tallisport with an eight-figure check in hand, while Matthew goes frantic trying to find me.

Lily Sterling, an 18-year-old, is the younger daughter of a wealthy businessman and is married off to Zared Williams, CEO of the biggest corporation and a billionaire in London. For all of her life, Lily's parents treated her like an animal because of her academic problems. She has always yearned for affection and love.At first sight, she falls madly in love with Zared. Zared's most striking feature is his ocean blue eyes, which make him an incredibly charming man. However, he treats Lily badly and is incredibly cruel to her; in the meantime, Lily constantly battles to gain his affection and trust. Lily spends a great while yearning for Zared's love without knowing there is someone out there willing to sacrifice all for her and love her without end, leading to a love triangle

In the quiet of the forest, the darkest fears are born. The people of Dunballan, harbour a dark secret. A secret more terrible than the Beast that stalks the dense forests of Dunballan. A secret that holds David McCavendish, last in a long line of Lairds, in its unbreakable grip. It’s down to Sally, David’s lover, to free David from the sinister clutches of the Beast. But, with the whole town against her, she must ally herself with an ancient woodland force and trace Dunballan’s secret back to its bitter origins. Those origins lie within the McCavendish family history, and a blasphemous heresy that stretches back to the beginning of time. Some truths are too terrible to face, and the darkest of these lie waiting for Sally, in the Quiet Places. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

"What do you want from me?" he asks, staring at the woman who transforms from an exquisite, perplexing beauty into sexual temptation. "I want you to kill me." “You’re already dead, strigoi.” As he clutches the doorknob, her voice caresses his ears — “I want true death.” Her tone softens, too alluring to refuse. “And only you can give it to me, WOLF.” When an outcast vampiress meets the most desired Alpha CEO in the city, there should have been bloodshed. Fate, on the other hand, has different plans for them. Wolves, vampires, and the entire supernatural underworld will come between them. But those are simple to overcome in comparison with their own prejudices. For Paul, she's a tainted soul. In normal circumstances, he would give her what she wants, death. But the rules he loves so much compel him to protect her. For Laura, he's just a means to an end, someone who holds the key to what she desires. Love is just a stumbling block in a life she doesn't want to live. Join Discord: https://discord.gg/QNZtVmVWc5 All my social media accounts can be found on my website: https://helenbold.com

My mate Jackson died saving me in the great fire. I couldn't accept the truth that he was gone, so I decided to end my life by jumping into the silver pit. But the Alpha David saved me—twice—while making his rounds among the soldiers. He stayed by my side, comforting me, afraid I might try to take my life again. Slowly, I began to accept the idea of being claimed by him. But then, at his birthday party, I overheard something that shattered me. "I want to claim her as my Luna," he said, "but I still can't compete with her deceased mate, even after being with her for three years. She always pulls away when I get close, and I give up each time because I don't want to force her. But if she were to die for me... my wolf would be overjoyed—he would finally have found his fated mate, someone willing to die for him." I was stunned—especially by the plan he revealed next. So, before he could put it into action, I decided to fake my own death. That day, dressed in a wedding gown, I walked into the sea right in front of him. Later, I heard he went mad, deploying every soldier he could to search for me. But when all efforts failed, he was left alone, kneeling by the shore, sobbing like a broken mate— the sea answering him with only silence.

[ A Beauty & the Beast retelling ] Anyone can ask for a favor from Fortune 500 pharmaceutical heiress, Camille Delacourt―who has the city of New York wrapped around her perfectly manicured fingers and rules it with an iron fist. Dealing out social ruin and favors in equal measure; every request comes at a cost, and once done, you'll forever be in her debt. But when a seemingly crude Italian business mogul who claims he is looking to expand into American markets arrives with a proposition that she can't turn down, things take a sudden twist. Because there's always room to fall, and all is fair in love and war.