Social Beings

Mae's family faces the threat of losing their home and business, leading her to seek help from the only man that can help: the cold-hearted billionaire to whom her family owes a debt. But when she is face to face with the billionaire, she recognizes him as the stranger she had a brief, sizzling encounter with, a night of fun that left her with a bittertaste of rejection, after he had dismissed her as nothing more than a one night stand. Ethan Crowe has had his full of charlatans and social climbers. When he finds Mae in his office, he remembers her as one of them but her appearance presents an opportunity to fulfill his own agenda. With his grandfather's ultimatum of marriage looming, Ethan strikes a deal with Mae. Despite their mutual animosity, they agree to a marriage of convenience to meet their respective needs. As they navigate the charade of love, can they fool the world and Ethan's grandfather, while adhering to the terms of their arrangement?

In our five years of marriage, my husband, Derrick Wickham, bails on me 99 times for his childhood sweetheart, Jessica Harson. This time, after he stands me up, I find two plane tickets to Frantines in his office. "I was planning to surprise you for our anniversary. Since you've already seen them, we'll just meet at the airport," he says icily. I eagerly pack and get myself ready, arriving early at the airport. I wait from the wee hours of dawn till the late hours of night, but Derrick fails to show up. Then, I see a post on Jessica's social media. "It's my birthday today. Though he doesn't have the time to go on a trip with me to Frantines, I forgive him because he brought me to the amusement park instead!" In the past, I'd have called him, crying and demanding answers. But this time, I'm truly done.

The hermit Ryder Quin never thought that one day, her crush of three years now, the very handsome Aiden Caley, would suddenly want to be her friend. What's more, a stranger broke into her backyard one night, his face hidden underneath a hood, and ever since then he would show up at night and leave before midnight. The quiet and uninteresting life of hers unexpectedly was thrown into chaos. Having an introverted personality, Ryder struggles to keep up with the very energetic Aiden. However, because of the lack of her social skills, all of Aiden's flirty remarks and hints miss the mark, leading to Ryder accidentally friend-zoning her crush, all while trying to figure out who the stranger that meets her every night is. With the mystery of the stranger's identity and the awkward moments spent with Aiden pickling her mind and heart, Ryder realizes that she has been dragged into a whirl of feelings she has never experienced before.

My heiress wife's childhood sweetheart has just announced his engagement to someone else today. For some reason, she seems heartbroken. As her husband, my mind turns into a mess when I hear the news. Everyone in our social circle knows that my wife's family is incredibly wealthy. When she buys luxury goods, she basically buys out the whole store. But today, she coops herself up at home and doesn't go out. Worse yet, she doesn't give me the money for this month's living expenses. I'm seriously losing sleep over this. "Honey, please accept reality and move on. Is there anyone who hasn't been a fool for love?" The second I hit send, my heiress wife bursts out of the bedroom, where she was holed up. "Tell me for whom you were a fool. For whom did you humble yourself?"

I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart. Today was my birthday. It was also Leslie Buck's birthday—Katherine White's childhood sweetheart. I unlocked my phone and opened Leslie's social media page. As expected, a new post awaited me. "Grateful to have you by my side for every birthday. Let's keep our promise to celebrate every one of them together in the future!" The photo showed two hands forming a heart in front of a cake. One of them was Katherine's. I could tell from the bracelet she wore. It was the one I had given her. I gave the post a like, then set my phone aside. Without hesitation, I dumped the dishes Katherine liked into the trash and went out to a restaurant to order the food I liked, celebrating my birthday alone. From now on, I would make sure to enjoy every birthday of mine.

When Idrish is accused of killing an elven royalty, the female hunter is forced to join the winter arena in the king's favor. But as a commoner of Springgan, a country with a bloody history of slavery and hierarchy, can she protect the ones she loves...when she can barely protect herself? *** What happens when an elf is in possession of a power that's beyond one's social standing? Idrish Aeric is living at the bottom of Springgan's strict hierarchy, barely able to scrape a living for her younger siblings through hunting and foraging. Her simple life flips when she receives a legacy from a royal elf and she has to run to protect her family. In order to escape death, she's forced to enter the elven royal family through marriage and join the winter arena in the king's favor. But in a world ruled by power and slavery, is Idrish ready to step up her game to change the system--or will she wind up dead before the song of the winter solstice plays?

On Children's Day, the most popular social media post is about me. The caption is: "Mr. Shane Norton spends his birthday with his son David Norton and his first love, Ruth Feynman. Has he finally decided to divorce Ayla Sanderson?" I quietly press the "like" button. When my phone rings, I'm in the midst of taking down the balloons I put up for our wedding anniversary. "Honey." My husband sounds anxious as he tries to explain himself. "David suddenly insisted that we go to a theme park, so I—" In the background, I hear David laughing. "Dad, Ruthie says that I can sleep with her tonight!" I look at the mess in the house. The balloons are drooping, and the cream on the cake is congealed. "You don't have to explain," I hear myself say. "I understand." It's just that this time, I don't want you or David any longer, Shane.

On the day I get back together with Leo Laycond, he uploads a photo of us on his social media account. I stare at the post for three long minutes until I notice a silver lock icon on the bottom right corner. It turns out that Leo has blocked Lisa Laycand, his younger adopted sister. That sister of his is always the person he cares about the most. I tell Leo calmly, "If you yearn for Lisa even more, I can always cancel the mating ceremony." Leo panics immediately. He deletes the restriction in front of the entire pack so that they can witness our reunion. Half an hour later, Lisa rushes into the training grounds in nothing but a thin dress. Then, she "collapses" in front of Leo. I watch as Leo scoops Lisa into his arms. It's an action that's very familiar to him, as though he's done it hundreds of times. Suddenly, I realize that the engagement with Leo bores me to no end.

Ash Parker is a rare scholar at elite Saint Blaise's Academy (SBA). She's a good kid, just trying to get by in school, despite being a social outcast among her affluent peers. Just before her 18th birthday, a sudden transformation turns her life upside-down. Her werewolf blood is awakened and she gains the ability to shapeshift into a terrible beast. Hunter Guzman is a handsome boy who's popular at the Academy. As the sole heir of a rich and powerful clan, he's got everything going for him: killer looks, athleticism, charisma, and influence. He's also secretly a werewolf, descended from a strong, noble line of Lycidae. The two accidentally encounter each other on a hunt and form a fast bond. Ash thinks that being with Hunter will help her understand and control her newfound abilities. On the other hand, Hunter thinks that he and Ash are the One True Pairing that will save the Lycans from extinction. Is there a middle ground for two wolf kids trying to navigate love and transformation?

22 year old Dalia came to New York City to escape a traumatic past and start a new life. She met Alexander with whom she had a one night stand the weekend before she started her work as a personal assistant in one of the largest firms in the city. Her one night stand turned out to be her cold and strict boss whom she had to work closely with. 27 year old Alexander is one of New York's hottest billionaires. He went off the social media radar after an incident that left a dent in his life. He came back after 3 years and had a one night stand with someone that turned out to be his new personal assistant. Will they be able to move past their traumatic past and give in to the chemistry between them? What will happen when both of their pasts come back into their lives and they have to face them again? Will they be able to navigate the waters of deception and betrayal and find their happy ever after?