Stealing Glances

Jealousy, obsession, and secrets lurk beneath the surface, threatening to tear Lily's world apart, as she navigates the twist and turns of love and friendship, she must decide which boy is truly right for her and face the consequences of her choices. ______________________ Eighteen-year-old Lily Davis, who has never been in an intimate relationship, finds her self-torn between two boys in her senior year. Mark, the arrogant, cocksure and most popular boy in school who commands attention with his entourage wielding his sharp wit to garner both envy and admiration. On the other hand, there's Ethan, the enigmatic newcomer, captivating attention with his mere presence. His tall and attractive physique a magnet that draws admiring glances toward him. Lily was never interested in getting a boyfriend but her bestfriend puts the idea in her head, along as the sudden apperence of Ethan who caught her attention at first glance. She makes an attempt to know Ethan but later finds out Mark is his childhood bestfriend and because of this, she gets close to both of them, drawn to their unique personalities. But soon, Lily realizes that there is more to them than their perfect smile and handsome faces. The secret and unsaid words that hid beneath their Charming personality comes to light as she finds out that the perfect truth can turn out to be the biggest lie. Does she really love them? Or is she caught in a web of manipulation? Can she really trust who they say they are?

Ferngrove must pay for their crimes of stealing an ancient jewel from a Fae High Lord, Valen, and harnessing the power within it. So every century, a daughter of the chief must be taken to Lyria, the realm of the High lord and there she will spend her remaining life paying for her ancestors crimes. After another century, Valen descends on the village once more, taking the beautiful daughter of the chief of Ferngrove, Maerwynn. And he imprisons her in his Court subjecting her to a cruel fate. As the days pass, Valen finds himself inexplicably drawn to Maerwynn, her unwavering strength and beauty stirring something long dormant within his dark heart and when Maerwynn, finds out she's more than a mere human and her destiny is tied to Valen, she gathers enemies like bees to honey. Determined to protect her from the dangers lurking within his own realm and beyond, Valen finds himself making sacrifices he never thought possible, defying the very nature of his being but nothing can stop the war coming. But nothing can stop the war coming, for it will consume completely. ************************* He fixes me with a steely gaze, his voice taking on a darker edge. "You have no business with my Court or any other Court in Lyria, to be precise. You're here to atone for the sins of your ancestors, and you will do so while knowing your place," he declares, his words cutting through the air like a knife. I swallow hard, feeling a heavy weight settle in my chest at his harsh tone and the gravity of his words. "And what is my place?" I inquire, my voice barely above a whisper. His gaze hardens, and his words send a chill down my spine. "My prisoner."

As the daughter of a billionaire, I grew up in a world full of luxury. But when I turned 18, I gave everything I had to my brother's best friend, Nathan Gildon. He was the one my brother trusted most, the one he personally brought up. Nathan was smart and ambitious, and when he smiled, it felt as if he was handing you the whole world. I had had a crush on him for years. Last night, I thought he finally loved me back. I thought I wasn't just the girl who snuck glances at him across crowded parties anymore. I thought I was the woman he'd bring into his future. But the next morning, I heard him on the balcony, laughing with an investor friend. "Mavis is just practice. I need some experience before I pursue Claire. Besides, her family can open a lot of doors for me." I didn't cry, question him, or explain myself. I just packed my bags and changed my college applications. One week later, I was on a plane to Eltoria. And the man who betrayed me that night? He went crazy trying to win me back.

I slaved away for my husband and son. But what did I get in return? Cold shoulders, cutting words, and distance. Then one day, my husband suggested a “fake divorce” so my stepsister could adopt a child. Fine. Fake divorce it is. Except… if it’s just fake, why are the two of them heating up the sheets behind my back? Then, Fake divorce just turned real. My ex-husband thought I’d beg to come back. My stepsister thought I’d envy her for stealing my husband and son. They both thought I’d shatter. Wrong. I’ve got my career, my revenge, and oh—did I mention? I’m dating a drop-dead gorgeous man who actually knows my worth. And suddenly, life tasted sweeter than I ever imagined.

She couldn't love him. His heart didn't belong to her. It belonged to another woman; one that had loved him for years. And in her heart, the heart that he was slowly stealing with each sweet word and every act of kindness, she knew he loved that woman still. Maybe she would have hated him longer if he had been anything like his mother. The woman who forced her into this marriage by threatening her sister's future. But he wasn't. Samuel Madden was everything she dreamed of ending up with but settling for him might mean settling for half. Half of his heart, half of a family, half of a husband. He had everything planned. The ring, the house, the way he'd ask the woman he loved to marry him. But with one word from his mother, threatening to ruin her life, he found himself at the altar, saying void vows to a woman he met only a month ago. He was ready to settle and wait until he was free again, but Kali Hastings wasn't an easy woman to dislike. Sure, she had flaws, but they were nothing compared to her tender heart and perky personality. Now, he was falling for a woman who was daily conquering more and more of his heart. But at what cost? There was more connecting them than even she knew. A truth that had been buried in his family since he was born. Would she still want him when she found out the truth?

My sister, Bella, had a baby in a back-alley shithole. Then she disappeared. A midwife tracked me down using an address Bella left behind. She shoved the newborn at me like a sack of garbage. My parents fell to their knees. Crying. Begging me to take her bastard. Just like that, my future as a promising artist was gone. The neighbors, the priest, my landlord… they all called me a whore. A sinner who had disgraced God. They ran me out of the neighborhood . My life was over. Eighteen years later, Bella waltzed back into my life. A cheap thug with a fake Rolex dangled from her arm. She held my son, crocodile tears streaming down her face. She called me jealous. Accused me of stealing her flesh and blood. Of keeping a mother from her child. And my son? The one I bled myself dry for? The son I poured every last cent into, turning him into a brilliant painter? The son I starved for, so much that I ended up in a hospital bed? The moment he saw his "real" mother, he cast me aside without a second thought. "You pathetic, broke bitch!" he spat. "You stole everything from us! All the happiness that was supposed to be ours!" My parents threw me out like a dog. Bella's thug husband had his men corner me in the red-light district. They pinned me against a wall, their threats vile and clear: Never come back. I had no way out. I threw myself off the Brooklyn Bridge. Then, I opened my eyes. I was back. Eighteen years in the past. Then came the knock. Hell had found my door. I wasn’t going to be the fool who gave everything and got nothing. This time, I took control.

It all started with her dying and some random ass system coming up to her. --- Counterattacking the female lead Yu Meng: Easy, done, everything is solvable with violence. （￣︶￣）↗　 Female lead sacrificing her own best friend Yu Meng: I will put this bitch in her place. (●'◡'●) Boyfriend-male lead dumping the cannon fodder-me for the Bai Yueguang, white moonlight-female lead: Yu Meng: I am clearly way better than those losers, why do I have to pay attention to them? (✿◡‿◡) Destroying the reborn younger-sister with low IQ Yu Meng: My dearest sister, I don't bite. Come hehe (^◕.◕^) Me, the cannon fodder older sister, is accused by the stupid younger-sister female lead who is reborn, of killing her and stealing her life: Yu Meng: Oops, I robbed off your life again, sorry, not sorry ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Making the cheating couple suffer: Yu Meng: Ew but ugh, can we take a moment to appreciate my Husband? (❁'◡'❁) Fighting with the imperial harem beauties for the Emperor's love: Yu Meng:.... Help, the Emperor's acting weird. ('･ω･')? ------------------- "Husbanddddd, do you still love me?" "You have been asking the same thing for the 10th time this night (╬▔皿▔)╯"

“You need to learn manners, kitten.” I growl, prowling towards her. "Don't call me that, you kidnapper!” She screeches, throwing another bedside lamp at me. “Take another step forward and I'll—” I grab her and bend her over my knee. I twist both of her hands behind her back, despite her struggles and screams. “What are you doing?!” She shrieks. "Teaching you what happens when you act like a spoilt brat.” I yank her dress up to reveal the smooth skin of her ass, and plain white panties. And land a hard slap on it. *** Dymond Hilary's obsessive ex-lover is trying to murder her. It gets too dangerous, so she runs to the next city, Los-Angeles, with nothing to her name. No job, no home and no means for survival. To make ends meet, Dymond resorts to pickpocketing and stealing. This serves her well, until she made the terrible mistake of stealing from Nile Garres, the most ruthless and tyrannical billionaire in the country. As punishment, he kidnaps her. First to humiliate and teach her a lesson, but then found himself fascinated by his little redhead pet, who he would protect and pamper with all his wealth and power. But how does this ruthless billionaire react when he discovers that his feisty little kitten was pregnant for a powerful rival billionaire? And he finds out she was on someone's murder list? And this "someone" was her psychopath ex-lover?

My twin Alpha brothers believed that I have deliberately hidden the vast inheritance left by our Alpha parents so that our adoptive sister Sophia couldn’t by the medical equipment to treat her silver poisoning. For the sake of our adoptive sister, my twin Alpha brothers dragged me before the Council's tribunal. They accused me of stealing pack assets and deliberately harming pack members. If the charges stuck, the Alpha Council would strip away my Alpha power to treat Sophia. My brothers had no idea that years ago, I'd nearly died protecting them. If I lost my Alpha bloodline strength, I would die. In my own brothers' eyes, I was already a criminal beyond redemption. But when the Council used ancient magic to extract my memories for judgment, everyone wept for me. And when my brothers learned the truth, they fell to their knees, begging my forgiveness.

In our pack, every werewolf can create one moon stone in their lifetime. These stones can enhance our wolf's power and are crucial for becoming Alpha. In my past life, I worked tirelessly to craft my moon stone. I wanted to become our pack's Alpha more than anything. But on the day of the Alpha selection, something went terribly wrong. After absorbing my moon stone's power, I couldn't control my wolf. Instead, my wolf submitted to Katherine, my mate's stepsister. Katherine hadn't always been part of our pack. When she was alone and vulnerable, my mate, Beta Ethan, had convinced me to accept and care for her. The pack erupted in cheers as Katherine became the new Alpha. Ethan, who had always claimed to love me deeply, proposed to Katherine in front of everyone. They sealed it with a passionate kiss. Suddenly, I was public enemy number one. Everyone accused me of stealing Katherine's moon stone, saying that's why I couldn't control its power. Even Ethan, my mate, looked at me with disgust. "Thief," he spat, severing our mate bond on the spot. The pack turned on me. They chased me down, their teeth tearing into my flesh. As I lay dying, my body broken and bleeding, I saw Ethan and Katherine together. They nuzzled each other, whispering sweet nothings while my life ebbed away. In my final moments, I realized a cruel truth. While Ethan's wolf was my fated mate, his human heart belonged to Katherine. But even as death claimed me, I couldn't understand. How could the moon stone I crafted serve Katherine instead? Then, darkness. And light again. I opened my eyes to find myself back in time, one week before the Alpha selection. This time, I made a different choice. Instead of crafting a moon stone, I left the pack to train alone in the volcano. Ethan's voice filled my head through our mind link. He demanded to know why I'd left the pack at such a crucial time. I cut the connection without a word. Shifting into my wolf form, I jumped into the lava.