Standing Ovations

“She was once his weakness. Now she’s his greatest threat.” He used her like she was nothing. An innocent girl who became the plaything of the most feared mafia don in the city — Dante Moretti. No promises. No love. Just pleasure. And when she gave him the one thing he never expected — a child — he threw her away like she meant nothing. “I begged you to love me. You taught me to burn instead.” — Amara Left broken, abandoned, and pregnant, Amara vanished. But monsters aren’t the only ones who rise from the dark. Years later, she returns — no longer the fragile girl he remembers, but the woman standing beside his greatest rival. The queen who carries his biggest regret… and the power to destroy him. “You made me your weakness. I made myself your war.” Dante built an empire on blood and loyalty. But nothing will prepare him for the storm that wears the face of the woman he left behind. And this time… she’s not here to beg. She’s here to burn his world down. “I once loved you enough to kneel. Now I love myself enough to watch you fall.”

She married Cassian Rourke for money. She left him for love—the love he never gave her. Five years of a contract marriage. Five years of hoping proximity would turn into something real. But on their anniversary, when Lyra finally gathered the courage to confess her feelings, she overheard him confessing his to someone else. So she signed the divorce papers, packed her bags, and disappeared with the secret growing inside her. Two years later, she has built a new life. A quiet house. A beautiful daughter with platinum blonde hair and slate-blue eyes. Peace. Until she rents out her spare room to a tattooed grad student with a familiar last name. Luca Rourke. Cassian's half-brother. The family black sheep. And the only person standing between Lyra and the custody battle Cassian is threatening the moment he discovers Eleanor exists. His solution? Marriage. A fake one, of course. But the Rourke family doesn't play fair. And Luca's hiding secrets of his own, secrets that could destroy everything Lyra's fought to protect. Sometimes the greatest danger isn't falling for the wrong brother. It's falling for the right one.

"Ivy, you are not good enough for my family. You just seem to be getting more difficult with each passing day, and frankly speaking, you're not useful to me anymore," Leon said, standing in front of her in his half-naked state. ___ When Ivy discovered her fiancé in a hotel room with her cousin, her world came crashing down. They had been planning to get married in the coming months, but he clearly no longer cared. They say patience is rewarded, but in Ivy's case, the opposite seemed true. She had endured his physical, mental, and verbal abuse, hoping he would change, but she was clearly mistaken. Sleeping with her cousin was the final straw, and Ivy decided to walk away. However, when she realized he had taken all of her money and even taken out debt in her name, she found herself facing a race against time to pay off these debts. "Be my surrogate, and you won't have to worry about the loans anymore!" her creditor pleaded. Left with no other choice, Ivy agreed to be his surrogate. But what would happen when he brought in his donor, only for her to discover that it was Leon, her ex-boyfriend?

Madison Byers returns to the dazzling city of Los Angeles, determined to reclaim her family's legacy after the tragic loss of her father. Yet, standing in her way is a menacing uncle with ambitions to seize her father's empire. In a city where power and wealth rule, Madison's last hope for redemption takes an unexpected twist when she shares a passionate one-night encounter with Tyler Marshal, the charismatic billionaire playboy. Tyler Marshal, accustomed to a world of deceit and danger, suddenly finds himself captivated by Madison's wit and determination. Their lives collide, and a whirlwind of events propels them into an arranged marriage neither of them saw coming. As they navigate the treacherous waters of high society, deceit, and hidden agendas, the fate of their families hangs in the balance. Trusts are shattered, and long-buried secrets claw their way to the surface. In a city where destiny can change with a stolen kiss or a fleeting touch, Madison and Tyler must dance to the unpredictable tune of fate while facing relentless opposition at every turn. Sometimes, destiny also begins with the brush of lips or touch, but how well can both parties dance to its tune with the many oppositions?. In "Thorns of the Heart", a tale of love, intrigue and power, will they emerge victorious or be consumed by their demons?

He was her first everything—first love, first heartbreak, first mistake. Her brother's best friend. Her personal nightmare. The guy who made her life unbearable. He bullied her. Broke her. Took her innocence, then tossed her aside like she was nothing. And when she finally ran, she swore she'd never look back. But fate is cruel. Now she's back, standing in front of the man who ruined her. Only this time, she's not the weak girl he once broke. She's stronger. Untouchable. And keeping a secret that could change everything for him. The moment their eyes lock, the past crashes into the present—hot and unforgiving. Lust. Anger. A hunger neither of them can control. Does he regret what he did? Does he even remember the way he shattered her? She tells herself she won’t fall for him again. She won’t let him back in. But when he grabs her waist, pins her against the wall, and growls that she still belongs to him—she knows she’s in trouble. Because the Alpha always takes what’s his.

“I, Rhys Blackford, reject you, Felza Blackford, as my chosen mate.” His words felt like sharp blades slicing through my body, and I couldn't seem to stop those knives or the words from penetrating me. “Rhy…Rhys! Don't do this,” I croaked out shamelessly, even after catching him with his destined mate. I know this all seems confusing, but yeah, I caught my mate and husband with his destined mate in our bedroom, and he chose the cowardly way of punishing me for his sins by rejecting me. “We vowed to never hurt each other, Rhys! Even if we meet our destined mates,” I reminded him, standing up straight and looking into his eyes. “It was before meeting her, but now that I know the feeling of a real mate bond, I don't want you anymore,” he threw the words carelessly with indifference. I know the Moon goddess paired mates to have a symphony in packs, but sometimes bonds and destiny didn't stand a chance in front of true love and soulmates. But now I know it's bullshit because the so-called true love and soulmate kicked me to the ground and ruined me.

They say the perfect crime leaves no witnesses. But what happens when the victim refuses to stay dead? On the happiest day of her life, she was betrayed by the only person she trusted. He took her fortune. He erased her name. He watched her burn and toasted to her memory. He thinks he is safe. He thinks the past is buried six feet under. But what if the grave was empty? Three years later, a mysterious woman walks into his life. She is everything he desires: powerful, beautiful, and dangerous. She knows his secrets before he speaks them. She knows his weaknesses before he shows them. He is drawn to her like a moth to a flame, unaware that she is the very fire he tried to extinguish. He thinks he’s found a new partner. He has no idea he is shaking hands with his own executioner. She is standing right in front of him, wearing a stranger’s face but holding a dead woman’s grudge. How long can a murderer look into the eyes of his victim without realizing who she is? And when the mask finally slips... will he have time to scream?

They're supposed to be forbidden. At least, it’s what I keep telling myself whenever I see them. Yet, when my once close friends of 18 yrs begin to drift away, I’m suddenly left standing, alone, even as they move into their new roles within the pack. My role being null and void, even with me being born the son of a Gamma. Always being told I’m useless as the pack treats me with zero respect. “Worthless Runt” “Freak” “Pathetic” Only a few choice words that my pack likes to use against me whenever they see me. And when becoming bruised and battered seems to be a newfound favorite I take a risk and try to flee only to be stopped by them. My future Alpha, Beta and Delta. “Where are you going?” “Out” “Uh huh sure, and you're taking that with you?” Snatching my bag, they move to look at me with knowing stares, a stare filled with longing, pain and purpose. “Give that back.” “I think not little mate, your ours, now and forever and were not letting go” Crap. I think things just got a whole lot more complicated than it needed to be.

Shelia：3 years ago, I concealed my identity and married the dream girl of the whole country. Hugh, he is a firefighter who helps others and is a pilot who maintains peace. His wealth is his least worthy topic to mention. A year ago, he joined the peacekeeping force. When he came back, there was another woman standing next to him. "Sign this divorce agreement." This was the first thing he said after we reunited and met again. I chose to let go and no longer hide my past. But Hugh came back and asked me with sorrowful eyes, "Why do you lie to me?" Hugh: 3 years ago, my first love left me and I married a nurse, Shelia. A year ago, I met my first love while on a duty because she literally took a bullet for me. After my peace keeping mission, I decided to divorce Shelia. But accidents happened one after another, including terrorist attacks, kidnappings, nude blackmail photos, mysterious car accidents... I found that both these two women had ulterior motives and secrets. Who is lying? Who is my true love?

To get a divorce from Dante Conti, I volunteered to walk away with nothing—even our three-year-old son. Seeing that I had deliberately changed back into the old clothes I wore before marriage, Dante froze for a moment, then sneered, "So? You don't even want Nico, the heir you fought so hard to give birth to?" "Careful. Play your part too long, and you won't be able to recover the scene," he warned. I pushed the signed agreement toward him. "Don't worry. This isn't acting." Dante shot me a puzzled look before signing his name. "So obedient? Fine. I'll be magnanimous and let you see Nico from time to time." He set down the pen, his gaze appraising me. "And if you regret it… come to me now, and maybe—just maybe—we could remarry—" I cut him off, standing and walking away without a word. He had thought I married him for the Mafia's power, that's why I had given him an heir to inherit his family. But once he knows I'm dead, there will be no more misunderstandings.