Stare Down

The year I graduated from high school, my dad brought home a woman and a child with a rose on my mom's birthday. When the child offered my mom the rose, my mom gladly accepted it, only to end her life after spending her 39th birthday. … When I got married, I told my husband, Alistair Yates, that a rose was enough to end our marriage if he wanted a divorce. Then, he tried to reassure me that our house would not have anything related to roses. … Five years later, during one of the Yates Group's tender, one of our partners had a rose pinned to her chest. When he saw this, Alistair immediately kicked her out of the company and blacklisted her. That day, I realized that marriage could actually be blissful. Yet, six months after that, I completed my new drug research. The entire corridor was full of roses when I came out of the lab. The person who had been kicked out of the company? She was standing beside Alistair with a bright smile. I looked at him coldly, but he casually said, "Maria prepared all these for you. She's your sister and she wants to make amends with you." It took me two seconds to stare at Alistair before I turned to leave. What sister? I never had one. And from today, I no longer need a husband.

As I head to see my boyfriend, Howard Schultz, who is working late, I get into a car accident. I call him dozens of times for help, but he doesn't answer a single one. Staring at his brightly lit office building not far away, I sink into despair. When I wake up in the hospital, I see a post from his subordinate. It's a picture showing the reflection of the two of them in the glass door, standing far closer than they should, with the caption, "What do I do when my boss is scolding me late at night?" Unwilling to believe it, I call him again. This time, he finally answers. My voice trembles. "Howard, I got into a car accident…" "Celine, I'm still working. I'll send my assistant to take care of it, okay? Be good. I'll see you after I come back from my business trip." I try to say more, but his angry shout suddenly cuts through the line. "Crystal Jennings! You're only allowed to bring one suitcase for this trip. Why do you have three? Do you think we're going on vacation?" Crystal Jennings—the new intern Howard just hired. I stare at the disconnected call, tears drying on my cheeks. I then call my parents instead. "I agree to the engagement you arranged."

Arabella's pleasant life becomes a life of pain in the space of one night. That man put her father in jail and rendered him on bankrupt. The man she hated the most. Maverick Julius. The richest billionaire from a mega-company that dominates trade throughout Europe. She's not sure what the man is hoping to get out of her. Bella realized that she was the object of the man's worst hatred. When they looked at one another, his eyes were so icy. He was certain that Bella should experience all of the pain. "I warn you. Obey every order I give you." He locked his gaze on me. His eyes showed seriousness. As if to say, 'Don't mess with someone like me!' That man was frightening. Don't want to be denied. Very dominant. Once Arabella lived with that man, she discovered a lot of secrets. A secret that Bella never knew existed in that man. What will Bella do? Can Bella conquer that man? "Strip," he gave me command. His hunter's eyes tell me not to refuse what he said. As the man got closer, I remained silent because my legs were too rigid to move. "W-what?" He taps his finger on my chin. Put it up. Forcing me to stare into his lust-filled eyes. "I said, strip! Don't make me punish you for disobeying my rules. You belong to me. Be submissive and you will get that pleasurable pain." Are you intrigued as to what became of them? Discover their entire narrative by reading the entire story!

The ice doesn’t lie. Neither does the hunger. Isaac Corres is done being the quiet shadow behind a hockey superstar. When Derek Coleman dumped him in the middle of a championship run, he didn't just break Isaac’s heart—he ignited a war. Isaac isn't looking for a rebound; he’s looking for leverage. And he finds it in the most dangerous man on the ice: Santiago Vega. Santiago is the Warhawks’ Enforcer—a predator in pads, a wolf who doesn't play by the rules and certainly doesn't do "romance." He’s a wall of muscle, cold authority, and suppressed rage. When Isaac approaches him with a proposition for a fake, high-stakes rivalry to humiliate the man who betrayed them both, Santiago doesn’t refuse. He takes the bait with a growl. But the line between strategy and instinct is razor-thin. In the neon-soaked, frozen tunnels of the San Antonio Ice Arena, their deal turns into a scorched-earth affair. Every stare is a challenge; every touch is a claim. Santiago is used to controlling the fire in his blood, but Isaac’s defiance is the one thing he can’t break—or stop craving. As the series heats up and the physical toll of their "arrangement" turns into a primal, 18+ game of dominance and surrender, Isaac realizes the truth: Santiago Vega wasn't looking for a pawn. He was looking for a mate. The cameras are watching. The fans are screaming. And on the ice, where the air is thin and the secrets are lethal, Isaac is about to find out exactly what happens when an Alpha decides he’s done sharing. One goal. Two hearts on the chopping block. And a heat that’s about to shatter the ice.

Warning!!! Content may contain BDSM, violence,taboo romance,weird kinks and is rated 18+ “Strip. Now.” His voice was low, lethal. My breath caught. “Adrian…” “Don’t say my name,” he growled, eyes dark with fury. “You think you can walk around in that tiny dress, letting other men stare at what’s mine? Take it off. Every piece. I want you naked and trembling before me.” “I..I didn’t mean..” “You meant to disobey. And for that, I’ll teach you exactly what happens to bad little virgins who tempt their husbands.” His lips brushed my ear, hot and cruel. “Strip!!, Bambina (doll). Or I’ll do it myself.” *** Elena Carter had been untouched all her life—the hidden heiress raised in shadows, her father’s secret weapon. He promised her everything—his fortune, his empire—if she destroyed Adrian Blackthorne, the ruthless rival he claimed had murdered her mother. Adrian needed an innocent wife to clean his reputation. Elena needed to play the part of the sweet virgin bride to ruin him from the inside. But nothing prepared her for nights that blurred punishment and pleasure, or for the cruel twist of fate...her ex, the man who broke her heart, was Adrian’s nephew. Now he wants her back and both men are willing to tear their family apart for her. Who will Elena chose?. She thought she was in control. She didn’t know she was the one being destroyed.

To cheer up their depressed adopted daughter, Ashley Reid, my parents don't dare to treat me nicely. They've even locked me in a pitch-black room more than 700 times, just to put a smile on her face. At first, they feel guilty toward me. But eventually, even my older brother, Liam Reid, who used to care for me the most, treats it like it's all perfectly reasonable. When Ashley's depression finally starts to ease, I work up the courage to kneel and beg them to seal off that room for good. But at her birthday party, simply because I'm wearing the only T-shirt I own, she starts tearing up and asks my parents if I don't like her. My parents and Liam rush to comfort her and, yet again, lock me away in that dark, endless room. "Summer, you're her elder sister. You have to be more considerate of her feelings." "If you hadn't insisted on wearing something so tacky for her birthday party, she wouldn't have gotten so upset." "You've gotten used to it after all these years, right? One more time won't matter to you." I curl up in the corner, gripping my hair, unable to say a word. Three days later, they finally let me out. They remind me not to upset Ashley again. But I just stare at them blankly. "Sorry, who are you?"

Billionaire Bennett Graham urgently needed a wife to close a business deal but his fiancée wasn’t ready to tie the knots yet. So his grandmother picked the most unassuming maid for him. Everything was supposed to go incredibly well, and all he had to do was wait until he divorced her a year later. But after seeing Maliyah’s ocean eyes…it wasn’t looking simple anymore. *** Before I could get her up, it was as if she felt the light and an uncomfortable sound came out of her mouth. "Uh-huh..." She raised her hand to cover her eyes. But I didn't have time to wait for her to wake up, so I told her to "Get Up." My voice seemed to scare her, and her light-fearing eyes suddenly widened and she kept moving to the corner. The only voice in the quiet art room was her fear-filled voice, "No...please...go away...don't come close to me." She was afraid of me? I hadn't even spoken to her before, what was she afraid of? This was definitely not going to work, I couldn't talk to her if she couldn't calm down. Then I moved closer to her, my hand on her trembling shoulder, and I whispered soothingly “Calm down.I’m not going to hurt you.I’m not going to hurt you.”I assured and then she moved her hair away from her face as if to stare at me properly. Our eyes met.It was that moment. It felt as if I was enchanted for a moment. Those ocean eyes were the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.

I wish my husband were dead. I married him to save someone I loved. Now I’ve been trapped in this loveless marriage for years. He parades his mistresses right in front of me. Strikes me if I say something he doesn’t like. When he’s away on one of his business trips, I head to a bar to blow off steam. My intention is to go home alone, but that changes when I see him, the sexiest man ever. He buys me a drink. Stares at me in a way my husband never has—or any man ever. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s all the right things. Asks if he can take me home, and I want to scream my answer at the top of my lungs. But I decide to tell him the truth instead. “I’m married.” My husband isn’t faithful to me, but he’s dangerous. Dangerous, as in, he kills people. Lots of people. “And my husband is someone you don’t want to cross…” “I’m not someone you want to cross either.” His stare doesn’t falter with the information. On his right hand is a diamond ring, carved into a human skull. Built like an ox, he looks like he could be dangerous too. The energy he emits from his strong body is subtly hostile, but not directed at me. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” I should say no—but I don’t think I can.

Hermione Jones is back in town and she is not tiptoeing.She is taking down anybody that hurt her before and anybody that dares hurt her daughter,Cheryl.The Brickley's are having sleepless night.Their secrets are being dug out tainting their name but they won't go down without a fight.

Betrayed by the man she loved the most, and a family that never loved her, Ivy finds her world crumbling down before her. She gets convicted for a crime she never committed, and her stepsister takes her place as the new wife of her billionaire husband. Fueled by anger and quest for revenge, Ivy returns with a whole new force and personality that threatens to take down those who ruined her life for ten years. Now, she's back- but with her secret babies, and a new partner. She's going to stop at nothing to take those who betrayed her down!