Staring Contest

The day I went to try on my wedding suit, a stranger stormed into the VIP fitting room and drove a knife into my gut. "Sleeping with my woman, and you dare wear a suit this expensive?" He ripped my shirt into ribbons with a wild grin and threw sulfuric acid straight at me. The knife was buried deep in my abdomen. Pain ripped through me as I collapsed. He yanked my hair, forcing my head up. "Susan Lefebvre is my wife. What the hell are you? Just some filthy side piece hiding in the shadows!" Blood dripped from my fingertips as the truth sank in. The fiancée I'd loved for seven years had been cheating on me all along. "What are you staring at?" He sneered. "Even if I kill you, no one can touch me. My wife runs this city!" Watching that arrogant face twist in triumph, I took out my phone with a trembling, blood-soaked hand and dialed my sister. "Allison," I said, my voice cold and calm. "Come pick me up at the bridal salon. And tell the Lefebvres that the engagement is off."

Tantalizing crimson eyes and jet black hair were all Lily could remember in the features of the enigmatic young man who saved her ten years ago when she was kidnapped. One day, she accidentally saw him again after ten years in the middle of a busy street in an unexplainable situation. Time froze for few seconds, people around her stopped moving, and in his snap of finger defreezes time, as the car in front of him lose control and crashed with the nearby truck. She was left dazed by what had just happened in front of her. The scene shocked her and triggered her memory of him. "The guy who saved me was no human," she murmured staring blankly, remembering their uncanny encounter a decade ago. "Grim Reaper?" Confusion was written on her face. He shook his head. "Non, I am Doom, and I bring death to people." After the street incident, she couldn't forget his face and his lines kept replaying in her dreams like a broken tape which made her wonder if this was part of the after-effects of her trauma or if it was destiny that aligned their stars to collide.

[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] BDSM. NO CHEATING! My wedding was a day I looked forward to the most throughout my teen. I couldn't contain my joy at the prospect of marrying the man who had been the object of my affection for such a long time—my future husband. But who would have thought I was merely a naive girl believing we shared similar emotions? My entire world came crashing down when my wedding night turned out to be the most horrifying night of my whole life. **** "Untie these cuffs!" I was in so much pain that I couldn't move, nor could I bear it any longer. "Why on earth would I do that? We aren't yet finished here." His tone was hostile. “What?” I was shocked beyond belief. He reached out and grabbed me by the restraint he had used to tie me up and pulled me closer to himself. Then he stroked my cheeks soothingly while staring me dead in the eyes. “Oh, honey. We have not yet had our first night!!"

Jethro Miles was an orphan sponsored by my dad. The moment I laid eyes on him, I flipped. Despite my family's objections, we dated for seven years, even as my dad threatened to disown me. Eventually, my dad relented and consented to our marriage. But as we exchanged rings, a young woman in a white dress burst into the venue, staring at Jethro with tears in her eyes. He chased after her, abandoning our wedding. Later, I learned that the woman was his childhood friend from the orphanage. Jethro desperately tried to explain, "Nancy grew up with me. She is like a sister to me. She's been through abuse and divorce. Please, give me time to help her, okay?" Tears blurred my vision as I watched him plead so fervently, my heart plummeting into despair. I managed, "Okay." Jethro took care of Nancy and her son as if they were his real family. What he didn't know were the two secrets I'd kept from him when my dad finally agreed to our marriage: I was pregnant, and I was dying.

Stanley Hamilton and I were basically Southport's favorite hate-watch couple. For Elodie—my oh-so-perfect adopted sister—he wrecked my company and had my parents thrown in prison. I, in turn, drove Elodie to her death, making him watch as she jumped off a rooftop. Our forced marriage? Just a slow ride from mutual disgust straight into mutual destruction. Then came the car explosion. Stanley, who'd hated me forever, still used his last breath to shove me out of the blast. "Vivienne Weston, one lifetime tangled with you is enough. If there's a next one, let's never meet." He touched the tattoo of Elodie's name on his neck, smiling faintly as the flames took him. After he died, I wandered through life half-dead myself until illness finished the job. When I woke up in the past, staring at two betrothal contracts, I didn't hesitate—I picked the guy everyone swore was insane. Stanley and my dad? I handed them right back to Elodie. This time, I wanted no meetings, no memories, no strings. Ever again.

"I don't care if you are in love with my brother, Kat, I'm still gonna come for you. I'm still gonna want you. I'm still gonna fuck you. And you're gonna let me. You have to..." "Max..." I felt breathless, staring into his eyes. Dark and fierce. Unnerving and yet, exciting. "We can't do this..." "Yes, we can, Kat. Yes, we can. And we will." ................................................................................. Katniss has always had a deep, unwavering crush on Rex Luciano, the Alpha's son. On her 17th birthday, she took a bold step and kissed him at the nightclub. But he had no memories of it, and he sure as hell wasn't at the nightclub that night. Who had she kissed? Katniss wondered. But then she got introduced to his twin brother — the oldest of the Luciano brothers, and a walking menace. Her heart sank. No fucking way did she kiss the wrong brother. One she never knew existed. ************************************ Twisted feelings. Sexual desires. Hard choices to make. What would be the endgame of Katniss, in her twisted, complicated bond with the Luciano brothers?

I was pregnant. On my way to deliver documents to Tristan Goldberg, a flash flood struck. Desperate, I dialed his number, praying he’d answer. After a few rings, the call connected. But instead of Tristan, a woman’s voice answered. "Tristan, whose number is this? Do you want to answer it?" There was a brief pause, and then Tristan’s voice, cold and indifferent, cut through. "It’s just my maid. Ignore it. Hang up." And just like that, the call disconnected. Staring at the torrent rising around me, my pulse quickened. I texted him, begging for him to send a rescue team. Minutes passed as the waters climbed to my waist, churning and relentless. Then, a message from Tristan finally appeared. Tristan: [What kind of ridiculous story are you making up now?] Tristan: [Emily, do you think you're eighteen, playing these childish games? I want that document in my hands within thirty minutes, or we're getting divorced.] A surge of terror shot through me as I looked up, catching sight of a heavy branch snapping loose and crashing down. In an instant, everything went dark.

“Trying to seduce me?” He asked, stepping into her personal space. She gulped. Why was he so sexy and looking at her like that, besides she was only in her towel and there was nothing underneath. That made her more insecure and scared. Scared that she would fall into his arms out of need. He caressed her cheek with one hand, “Can't answer me?” He muttered huskily, staring deep into her eyes. She blinked her eyes, “No, I-I didn't know the door was open,” He smirked, "Are you sure, because your body says differently,” “Uhm… I…” He suddenly leaned in closer, bringing his mouth to her ear, “If you're trying to seduce me next time, leave the towel in the bathroom.” She shuddered. *************************** Alva Garcia got arranged in a cold marriage with a sexy hot man, Jaxon Smith, who happens to be the new successor of his father's biggest internet company in America. What happens when two billionaires are arranged together in a marriage with plenty of secrets and emotions going on within them, will they be able to unveil it or act up until they depart from each other?

I was having lunch in the cafeteria when my pregnant coworker, Cindy Jenkins, reached across with her fork and speared the fried chicken drumstick right off my plate. She did not say a word until she had finished every last bite, then casually remarked, "I'm six months pregnant now, which is when I need the most nutrition. Plus, I'm carrying a boy, the only grandson in my husband's family. Do you all understand how important this baby is?" I stared at her, dumbfounded. "What's that got to do with me? It's not like I'm the father." She completely ignored me and said, "I'm just letting you all know. From now on, you're taking turns giving me your chicken drumsticks." The other coworkers at the table quickly looked down and focused on their food, nobody daring to say anything. Only me, the one person who never backed down, kept staring straight at her. Cindy slammed her fork onto her tray. "What are you looking at? Your drumsticks are mine from now on, got it?"

Amara always had a difficult life. She lost her mother when she was just a one year old baby. Her stepmother and stepsister made her life hell. Amara thought her mate would heal all her pain and suffering, the one whom the Moon Goddess chose for her. Then the infamous Alpha Magnus Stormborn walked through her door. Powerful, dominant, and perfect — her mate. Amara felt it when their eyes collided. The mate bond pulled her into him, but he looked at her like she was nothing. The worst part was that he came as her stepsister's fiancé. Heartbroken, Amara saw them together. The way Magnus’s eyes softened when Chloe spoke has always brought her pain. Amara wanted to reject him, but Magnus denied the rejection. His behavior made no sense. Sometimes she caught him staring at her. He knew she was his mate, then why was he doing that? Did he have his own reasons, or was he just making her a fool? Everything about this infamous Alpha was shady, and Amara wanted to see his real face.