Staring Contest

Anastasia Danish Lily Mondragon was born differently. Unusual, for she never shed a tear even after months of being born. When her mother looks at the infant staring back at her blankly, her heart is filled with pure hatred. She believes she is a monster in child's clothing. When Anastasia was eight, she was abducted by a group of researchers. Yet no one knew what she had suffered at the hands of those cruel humans. After a few days, she returned home. Barefoot and bruised, she walked home and landed in her worried mother's arms. She was in a state of coma for more than five months, her body responding weirdly. Anastasia woke up after twelve years. Her body recovered, but all her memories were lost. The worst tragedies happened not so long after. Clueless Anastasia was treated badly by her father, and her mother left without a trace. Now that she's twenty, Anastasia has become more curious about her past. As if something unknown haunts her until dawn. Fierce and determined, she started to make a move toward regaining her memories. But to know the truth, she has no choice but to take a dangerous path. She will meet a being that is supreme to all human beings. Is she willing to take the risk and gamble her life for the sake of bringing back her lost memories?

Aah!“ Jojo groans and pushes Finn away. Her eyes open wide as she looks at him. “Finn? What was that? You are my brother!“ Finn sighs, licking his lips and staring into his eyes. “Am I?“ He asks. He tries to hold himself back from pulling her in and kissing her again. Jojo blinks her eyes in confusion. She lifts her finger and touches her wet lips. “What? You have always been my brother, right? We... we can't do this.” Finn scoffs and leans closer to her again. “Stop being so naive, Jojo. Yes, you are my little sister. But you can be something else, can't you?“ “Something like?“ The more confused Jojo asks, looking into his eyes. But she shudders again. “Brother? Why are you looking at me like that?“ Finn chuckles and holds her chin. “Like what? Isn't it because I want to kiss you again?“ He asks and leans in for a kiss. “Um… Brother…” “Ssh!“ Just at the same time, the door is pushed open, and Vera walks in. Jojo quickly adjusts her clothes. “Your fiancee is here... I'll leave,” she says. But Finn pulls her into his arms and prevents her from leaving. “I want you to stay,” he says, looking up at Vera, whose eyes are teary. “What do you want, Vera?“

Regresé a ese momento de mi vida en que mi tío político —con quien no tengo lazos de sangre— había sido drogado con esa droga afrodisíaca. Pero esta vez, no me convertí en su “antídoto”. En lugar de eso, marqué el número de la mujer que él realmente amaba. En mi vida anterior, me enamoré perdidamente de él. Cuando supe que había sido drogado, ignoré su súplica de llamar a su gran amor… y fui yo quien calmó su deseo. Un mes después, quedé accidentalmente embarazada. Por lo que él se vio obligado a casarse conmigo, pero el día de la ceremonia de nuestra boda, su amada —que había viajado al extranjero para olvidar su dolor— fue secuestrada y asesinada. Antes de morir, le hizo ciento noventa y nueve llamadas pidiendo ayuda. Él, que estaba ocupado cumpliendo con la boda, no contestó ninguna. Después… solo se quedó mirando aquellas llamadas perdidas, sin decir una palabra. Hasta que, el día que tenía que dar a luz, me encerró en el sótano. Le rogué que me llevara al hospital. Pero él solo sonrió, con esa frialdad que jamás olvidaré, mientras me veía morir lentamente, sin poder traer al mundo a nuestro hijo. Sus últimas palabras antes de que cerrara los ojos y muriera fueron: —Si no hubieras quedado embarazada, nunca me habrían obligado a casarme contigo. Si no fuera por ti, habría contestado las llamadas de Luz y, ella no habría terminado así. Tú… mereces morir. Y entonces, volví a abrir los ojos. Era ese mismo día, el día en que él había sido drogado con ese medicamento afrodisíaco.

Late one night after getting off work, I was scrolling through my company group chat when a colleague shared a piece of news. The headline was horrifying. "Night-Shift Courier Murdered During Delivery, Police Suspect Robbery." I zoomed in on the crime scene photo that had been partially pixelated, and a chill ran straight down my spine. Lying in a pool of blood, the courier who had been hacked to death was unmistakably me. I had scrolled into news of my own death. Almost at the same time, my delivery app began vibrating violently. "Urgent pickup! Destination: Unit 704 Hawthorne Ridge Apartments, Building 7. Time limit: 15 minutes. Penalty for timeout: Death." As I stared at the notification that read "Pickup failed three times", the searing pain of my brutal death surged through my body. So that was it. I had already died three times. When I forced open the half-closed security door of 704 for the fourth time, a thin delivery envelope lay quietly inside. I tore it open. A photograph slipped out. It was a picture of my dismembered body. The timestamp showed tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. On the back was a single line written in fresh blood: "Next time, remember to pick it up on time." At that moment, the red indicator light on the hallway surveillance camera suddenly went dark. I looked up. From the ventilation opening in the exact same spot, a single eye was staring straight at me. The mole at the corner of that eye was identical to mine.

After deciding to leave Azurea and follow Clara Miller to Northwood City, I was cast out by my parents. "That girl is an orphan–what can she possibly give you? If you choose a life of hardship now, you’ll spend the rest of your life suffering! Once you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back!" I left anyway. For five years, I watched Clara rise step by step, becoming one of Northwood City’s most respected psychologists. Just as she had promised, she gave me a home. As the New Year approached, I planned to take her back to Azurea to reconcile with my parents. However, just before boarding the plane, she abandoned me again–this time for a depressed patient threatening to take his own life. She let go of my hand, her eyes full of pain. "Julian Vance… he’s just like I used to be–alone, with no one to rely on. If I don’t go, he’ll jump. I’m sorry. Just this once. I’ll catch the next flight and meet you there." Then she turned and ran toward the exit without hesitation. I stood there, staring at the two plane tickets in my hand. She had saved everyone who needed redemption. Everyone… except me. Slowly, I tore up her ticket. Then I walked alone toward the security gate and turned off my phone. What Clara did not know was this: Some journeys home, once missed, are gone forever.

My name is Evelyn Brown. I represent the company in the IPO bidding process. Halfway through my presentation, I notice everyone in the room staring at me with puzzled expressions. In that instant, I realize my PowerPoint slides have been swapped for a "Paid Surrogate" advertisement. The wording is utterly humiliating. "I've lived the first 20 years of my life in a poor mountain village. I'm healthy and can promise a son. My price is negotiable." I rush backstage, only to see the impoverished student my father, Eric Brown, has sponsored for years laughing uncontrollably. Leaning against my fiance, Dwayne Woodruff, Katherine Cadwell says, "Oh, Ms. Brown, don't be upset! I was just teasing you to lighten the mood. You just got back home. Don't stress yourself out so much." I grab her arm, insisting she come out and explain herself. But out of nowhere, Dwayne shoves me to the floor. "You've just returned," he says. "We only pulled a little prank on you because we didn't want you to be too tense. If you can't handle even this amount of pressure, how can you be expected to take over the company?" I can't help but scoff. Right in front of them, I send the live recording straight to my father, the CEO. Without a second thought, I dial his number. "Dad, look at what your 'star scholarship student' just pulled. Can we have her and Dwayne kicked out of the company?"

I married a man just hours after being abandoned at the altar. Now I’m staring at a stranger who calls me his wife. Sofie Davis never imagined her perfect wedding would end in ruin, her white dress soaked by rain, her dreams shattered at her feet. Left behind on a day meant to honor her late parents, Sofie is drowning in heartbreak when James Alexander Reed steps forward with an impossible offer: a contract marriage. James, a powerful and emotionally walled-off billionaire, has watched Sofie from afar, drawn to the sincerity and compassion that set her apart from the world he knows. For him, the proposal is a shield against the fortune-seekers orbiting his wealth and a chance to finally get close to the woman he’s never forgotten. For Sofie, it’s a desperate attempt to reclaim her dignity, rewrite the ending, and survive the public humiliation she never asked for. As their fragile arrangement begins to blur, Sofie’s fire and empathy chip away at James’s defenses, revealing a tenderness even he didn’t know he still possessed. But both carry wounds that run deep: grief, betrayal, and the quiet ache of loneliness masked by control. Their journey is messy, tender, and slow-burning. And when love finally demands more than convenience, Sofie and James must decide if what’s growing between them is worth the risk or if it’s safer to walk away before their hearts are fully exposed. Unbound Desires is a story of second chances, healing, and the kind of intimacy that only blossoms when two people dare to be truly seen.

A faint moan escaped her lips as Williams released her mouth and attacked her neck. He sucked on her his favorite spot making sure to leave a mark there just as how a wolf would leave a mark after he claim his mate.      "You are mine" He whispered as he moved away from her.    Raw frustrating was only want she could feel as Melissa opened her eyes to find herself in Williams's arms. Even when she feels like she hates him, she wants more of what only he can give her.    She still wants his lips on her and every other place it would be after there. She wants to wrap her legs around his waist and pull him closer, screaming his name as they climax in a rough ride of blissful pleasure.    "Let's make it a contract" Williams gave her the pen.     Just as if her brain had just started working, Melissa blinked. She stared widely at the pen than at Williams's face.   His lips look pink and inviting, his eyes still have that dark glitters it always has whenever he wants her. Even as he held the pen to her face, his eyes were not glued to hers, they were staring at her slightly swollen lips.     She sucked in her lower lips and blinked innocently.    "Fvck!!!" Williams groaned "You know what you do to me whenever you do that!" He smirked and lean closer to her "But let's make an agreement first".

"When I set my eyes on your beauty, I become like a vampire that is staring at blood." ~~ How about loving someone with great expectations that you will end up together with him but later on find out that fate has decided otherwise for you two? That he has to be a villain and you a hero? Lavina is very depressed when this happens to her but since a heartbreak doesn't mean the end of one's life, she decides to go on with her life. A life which is a cake with problems as a cream. A life in which her father makes a decision that makes his family a public enemy, every pack member wanting them dead and death remaining the only way out one could think of. At that critical moment, she meets Byron, a lycan who shields her out of kindness risking his only asset in life, his life. "You're my mate!" Byron whispers into her ears. Geez... They are mates trapped together in a swirl of hatred and mystries from centuries circling around them. Their packs have been rivals for a millenium. Only hatred towards each other was what their mothers breastfed them. 'If you find one of them kill him' was the motto that their fathers told them to learn by heart. Is he going to be her forever shield? Or he is going to turn his back against her leaving her inbetween the fangs of enraged wolves? What if Lavina finds out that Byron is the one who killed her twinsister? Will his protection still mean anything to her?

Elena didn't expect the drastic turn her life took in just one night. From discovering she was getting married, in place of her sister, to a mystery man, to bumping in on her unremorseful boyfriend cheating on her. Miserably, she agreed to take her sister's place. She thought she knew all what to expect and she prepared herself for it; a boring loveless marriage. Her soon-to-be husband was an extremely wealthy son of the Walton's but the rumors deemed him bedridden. He was also crippled and with a face scarred with burns. Elena thought she knew how their relationship would go until she eventually dived into it. Not only did the mystery ugly Billionaire turn out to be her worst nightmare and nothing like her thoughts, but he also had more secrets that would leave Elena wishing she hadn't judged too quickly. But there was no escape route for her now... *** His eyes narrowed as he stared at my nude figure, like a predator staring at his prey. "I've been gentle for you too long. And you've been a bad girl. It's time I mark you, and show you who you belong to now." "I'm yours, Master. I know I'm yours-" My voice was shaking as I knew this dangerous man wouldn't allow me to disobey him. I'm his bride as well as his personal slave. "I need you to prove it to me," he rasped near my ears while holding my hands to touch his desire, "Show me."