Soft Binding

As a low-income student who's specifically recruited by the elite college this year, I can still feel my hands trembling as I clutch the letter that tells me I get to study for free. Not only are my tuition and miscellaneous fees waived, but I also get to receive 30 thousand dollars' worth of student grant per year. I even get to have free access to the leather seats inside the library, the equipment inside the gym, as well as the aerial garden on the roof. The best surprise for me has to be the cafeteria. All low-income students get a 50% discount on their meals, but the quality of their food doesn't decrease at all. Best beef is used in the steak dinners offered by the cafeteria, whereas a seafood platter showcases the entire huge lobster. Even the most basic mac and cheese meal has different types of freshly grated cheese baked into it. As I sit in the brightly lit classroom and look at the rich students around me, who wear custom-made uniforms and have branded watches latched around their wrists, all I have is one thought. I must be on good terms with them. But my seatmate, who's also a low-income student, isn't as thrilled as me. In fact, she just looks at the people around her with disdain in her eyes. After the first lesson, a rich student arrives at our table. He might not sound polite at all, but at least he's not putting on airs. "Do any of you have time to head over to the cafeteria and buy me breakfast?" I'm about to respond to him when a shrill voice booms out next to me. "You're so annoying! What, you think you rule the campus since you're rich? Had I known that this classroom is filled with useless scions like you who just waste their lives away on nothing, I wouldn't have enrolled in this college in the first place!"

Heaven lost her parents at a young age and grew up in an orphanage, she's determined to make a better life for herself and her best friend, Faye. But when she meets Daniel, a handsome and principled, enigmatic, ruthless businessman, she's drawn into a world of high stakes, mystery, intrigue, and zero emotions. As they navigate their complicated marriage deal and their growing feelings for each other, Heaven must confront the truth about Daniel's past and decide if she's willing to risk her heart on a man with secrets about her life.

Eric Bleu, the powerful Alpha of Bleu Brooks Pack and a billionaire doctor, has everything—except love. After his mate Jesse left him, he swore off romance, dedicating his life to his daughter, Harley. But when Harley’s kindergarten event requires both parents, Eric is forced to find someone to play the role of "Mom" for a day. Enter Annie Macaulay—a quiet bakery worker with a mysterious past. Desperate to convince her brother that she has a real boyfriend, she accepts Eric’s offer. What starts as a simple act turns into something much more dangerous as secrets unravel. Unknown to Eric, Annie is not just an ordinary woman—she is Lady Lilly, a notorious assassin wanted by the CIA. And unknown to Annie, her beloved brother, Jaime, is the very agent hunting her. As tangled lies begin to unravel, hearts break, trust shatters, and enemies close in. Can love survive when everything between them is built on deception? Or will their fated bond crumble under the weight of the truth?

Professor Alexis Wolfe knows better than to want his student, but Dorian Vega, the handsome rebel dark haired student. One stolen kiss turns into a reckless obsession and he can’t deny the pull between them. But when his wife Julien catches him in a lie, he realizes that sin is sweet, and secrets are even deadlier. What began as a forbidden attraction soon unravels into a game of power, deceit, and dangerous seduction. Soon, anonymous emails begin flooding Alexis’s inbox—each signed only with an “L.” They mention private memories he’s never shared, the scent of his cologne, the words he once whispered to someone long gone. At first, he thinks it’s blackmail. But the tone is too intimate, too knowing. Then one message arrives with a photo: a hand on his shoulder in a mirror, a hand that isn’t there when he turns around.

After two years of development, my game finally launched successfully. My wife had promised me a $75,000 bonus, but instead, she gave the entire $750,000 payout to her male secretary, Wayne. All she tossed me was a $50 grocery coupon. "You're just a stay-at-home husband," she said casually. "You don't spend much. Go buy some groceries and cook dinner." I stared at her in disbelief. "That money is for our son's transplant surgery," I said. "If it's delayed for even a few days, he'll die." Her expression did not change. "He's weak. If he dies, he dies," she said flatly. "At least you won't bring any more bad luck into the office and pass it on to Wayne." She turned away, her tone instantly brightening as she talked about taking Wayne out that night to celebrate with a lavish dinner worth tens of thousands of dollars. In that instant, my heart froze. She had forgotten one thing. The game might be registered under her name, but I still held the core encryption key. I picked up the phone and called a rival company. "You've been trying to get Genyxis's core technology for a long time, haven't you?" I asked calmly. "All I want is $75,000, and it’ll be yours.”

Interior designer Isla Moretti has always been invisible to billionaire Kai Westbrook, or so she thought. When danger from her past resurfaces, Kai makes her an offer she can't refuse: marry him. It's purely practical. A business arrangement with an expiration date. But the more time they spend together, the more Isla realizes Kai's been keeping secrets. And some of them involve her.

My boss had a new boyfriend called Eugene Larson. The first day he came to the office, he put on a great show of exerting his dominance. He deleted my number from my boss's phone right in front of me. Eugene waved his phone in front of me while playing innocently. "You can talk to me about anything you need to communicate to Tina, Mr. Sanders. I'll help you pass the message to her. I don't have much sense of security, so please don't mind this. It's to avoid any misunderstanding between us." I was hoping my boss, Tina Kayden, would be able to say something fair on my behalf, but all she did was stare at Eugene approvingly and adoringly throughout the conversation. She turned to me and said, "This is a pretty good plan, Mr. Sanders. Do take good care of Eugene from now on." As there was no way for me to reject her, I was forced to add Eugene's contact to my phone. However, the moment he had my number, he flooded my phone with messages. [Mr. Sanders, is the client you're meeting tomorrow with the surname Charleston a man or a woman?] [Where are you having the meeting tomorrow? Wear something casual tomorrow. It would be best if you avoid washing your face and hair. Otherwise, I would think you're trying to seduce my wife.] [I believe your relationship with Tina is innocent. You're not allowed to betray me because I'm treating you like my buddy!] [By the way, you have an extra duty from now on. You need to remind Tina every 30 minutes to send me a message telling me that she loves me.] As I read these ridiculous messages, I laughed in anger. I put my phone on silent mode and flung it to the side before going to bed. The next morning, I woke up to dozens of missed calls on my phone.

"I bite and scratch," I warn him. His lips stretch into a cruel, sadistic smile. He is taunting me now, taking two bold steps forward with each tentative one I take back. "You'll crawl and beg too." ••• Seren Williams is running from a dark past shrouded in an enigma of haunting memories and nightmares. She doesn't plan to get caught in a portal which leads her straight to hell's doorstep, just as much as she doesn't plan on winding up in the bed of the very reaper tasked with keeping her captive. And she certainly doesn't plan her desire to be dominated and corrupted by said reaper in the most sinful ways, despite hating his crudity and domineering nature. But she does. And all of a sudden, her life begins to unfold as a tapestry of dark secrets. Will she survive the storm? *MATURE CONTENT*

Elena Carter’s world is turned upside down when her divorce is finalized, only to discover that she’s pregnant—and the father could be either her ex-husband, Ethan, or Daniel, the stranger she shared one unforgettable night with. Torn between the two men, Elena is forced to confront a past filled with betrayal and a future she never expected. As Ethan grows determined to fight for his unborn child, his jealousy and obsession threaten to destroy everything, while Daniel remains an elusive presence, caught up in his own life. With emotions running high and the truth slipping further out of reach, Elena must navigate a web of love, lies, and heartache. Will she ever know who the father is? Or will the consequences of her choices haunt her forever?

I die on my wedding night. When Zachary Gordon receives a call from the police asking him to identify my body, he snorts disdainfully. "Who cares whether she's dead? I'll be there for the funeral." "We're not joking, Mr. Gordon. You should come down here." He glances at the woman in his arms as a hint of impatience flickers in his eyes. "Fine."