Straight Bait

The explosion wiped out my parents—and their company. All I had left was some insurance cash and a pile of patents nobody cared about. I begged their old partners to back me. Crickets. Then Alex Ross strolled in, played the hero no one asked for, and proposed. Five years deep into our marriage, after my 99th FDA rejection, I finally cracked. I was in the garage when I heard his phone on speaker. Mark's voice came through: "Dude, you're still handing Lily Emma's blueprints before she even files? How many times has she flopped now? Girl's relentless, huh?" Alex? Straight-up ice. "Ninety-nine. She'll quit soon." "You're really tanking your wife to boost Lily's brand? Worth it?" "Lily's launching her new product tomorrow at the Boston Medical Summit. Patent number 100. Watching her blow up from nothing... makes me proud." "But it's all Emma's stuff. Your dad made you marry her for her brain, didn't he?" "Don't bring up my father." His voice turned sharp. "He forced me to dump Lily. I just played along." I sank into the driver's seat, frozen. I wasn't a partner. Just a pawn—revenge bait for his dad and backup fuel for his ex.

"Mm… Slow down, honey... You'll wake Julie..." Chasing a thrill, my best friend, Natalie Turner, and her husband, Scott Turner, were actually making love right in front of me. Their hushed, breathy sounds filled the room, intimate and unmistakable. My face burned the entire time, heat rushing straight to my ears. I barely dared to breathe as I froze in place, waiting until Natalie finally drifted into unconscious sleep. And then, the very next second, Scott climbed onto me.

At the pack's anniversary dinner party, the Alpha, Matt White, told us to write down the gifts we wanted. He would make sure every request was fulfilled. When it was my turn, the newly arrived intern suddenly snatched the paper and pen out of my hands. "Mr. White works so hard managing the pack. We can't let him spend money on us! You shouldn't write down your dream gift," she said. I ignored her, grabbed the list back, and calmly wrote down one item: a washing machine. Peyton immediately flew into a rage and splashed the champagne on the table straight onto me. "I told you not to write anything down! As a Beta, how can you be so inconsiderate of Mr. White?" My coat was completely soaked, and I looked utterly disheveled. I couldn't hold back my anger anymore. I flung the list straight at her face without mercy. She instantly covered her face and screamed, "How dare you hit me! Do you know who my father is? He's the Alpha King! Even Mr. White has to be polite to him. I'll have you kicked out of the pack for laying a hand on me!" I froze. I was the Alpha King's biological niece. My uncle didn't even have a partner, so how would he have a grown daughter?

I’m not gay...sir...I'm not attracted to men...I don't find men attractive.,” Jace said quickly. “Okay...that was way too straight forward.” Elias stood, two hands on his hips, frustrated at what Elias just said. "Sorry sir" "Stop Calling Me SIR!"   Jace kept quiet and didn't respond.  "The other day, you said I was attractive." Elias pointed out, trying not to look more frustrated. "Sir, that was....it was...I just admired and appreciated your appearance...cause we hardly find anyone with your looks...nothing more sir." Jace adjusted himself on the bed, still covered and protecting himself for his own dear sexual orientation. Elias, a powerful and blind Alpha, has waited a lifetime for his mate but he never expected it to be a Null. Nulls are servant-class werewolves, ranked even lower than Omegas, and they don’t go into heat. Especially not someone like Jace a sharp-tongued Null who insists he’s straight and not the least bit interested in men. In their world, Alphas don’t mate below Omega. Servants are expected to bond only with their own kind. But everything changes when Jace starts going into heat, something Nulls aren’t supposed to experience. Is Jace really what he thinks he is? Or is something awakening inside him? Will Jace give in to the pull to Elias? Will Jace and Elias pull off this forbidden relationship?

I had been the company's top sales performer—the kind who brought in tens of millions in revenue. But just because I hadn't praised my boss' girlfriend in the company group chat, she fired me without hesitation and replaced me with her cousin. Not long after, the company's sales dropped straight to zero. That was when she had come to my door on her own to apologize. "Please, come back," she had begged. "My boyfriend said he'll break up with me if you don't return."

Helena Whitmore was never meant to be Adrian Cavendish’s wife. But when her world crumbles, he’s there—with an offer she can’t refuse. A marriage built on necessity. A deal written in ink. But Adrian doesn’t do anything without a reason. And from the moment she steps into his world, she realizes—this was never just business. Because Adrian has secrets. Secrets that make her pulse race and her stomach twist. And the most dangerous part? She’s not sure if she wants to run from him… or straight into his arms.

"Mine", he growled. Caleb pushed me to the locker and made me trip and fall and land straight on my bum. “Ouch!", I yelled out of pain. My angry eyes looked straight into his dark brown orbs. I could hear people snicker and laugh. All this embarrassment for what? For him to growl like a dog! “What is wrong with you?”, I whisper yelled as he inched closer to me. I could still see people laughing, especially my best friends who would pass out any moment now because of laughing too hard. I was about to snap at this idiot again, but then his actions took everyone by surprise, including my reflex system. I swear it was a reflex! His face seemed a little too close suddenly. People were watching us with great anticipation now. He closed his eyes and started to bring his face closer to mine. But before our lips could meet my legs moved on their own accord and met his abs with quite a boom! In a second the anticipation in the crowd's eyes was changed to shock as they saw their student body president lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Well! I swear it was a reflex and at least I didn't hit where it hurts more! This is a love story of a luna who keeps falling and an alpha who happens to be there to catch his luna every single time. Hop on to this dramatic ride and unravel the secrets of the Adolf family!

Yvette Warren, personal secretary to billionaire Orson Cox, announced that the heiress who was accidentally switched at birth 20 years ago was living in this orphanage. Whoever could prove their identity would inherit a billion-dollar fortune. In my first life, the two-faced Laurel Marsh tricked me into giving her my keepsake to claim the family. The Coxes tore her mouth apart. "Fraud!" In my second life, my frenemy, Rebecca Vargas, tattooed a fake birthmark on herself to claim the family. The Coxes had her skin slashed to shreds. "Still a fraud!" In my third life, my sworn enemy, Vita Davidson, took out online loans to get plastic surgery, reshaping her face to resemble Orson's wife. She tried to claim the family and was thrown straight into a mastiff cage by the Coxes. By my fourth life, no one dared steal my identity anymore. They packed me up overnight and delivered me straight to the Cox residence. When the DNA test confirmed I really was the heiress, everyone thought the nightmare was finally over. But on my very first night back, the Coxes shoved me off a high-rise building. "Anyone who dares steal our real daughter's identity deserves to die!" When I opened my eyes again, Yvette was smiling as she asked who the heiress was. Everyone backed away in terror, insisting they weren't the heiress. Yvette's voice turned low and eerie. "But our investigation shows that the heiress is definitely in this orphanage."

Josh Anderson is the untouchable "King" of his high school. He is a perfectionist driven by the terrifying expectations of his abusive father. As Council President, Josh lives by a rigid script of straight A’s and flawless conduct until Tristan Boyle arrives. Tristan is a chaotic, talented "wild card" who shatters Josh’s world with a single grin and a tied test score. Between a secret admirer and a mysterious new rival, Josh’s "System" begins to glitch. To survive his home life and keep his throne, Josh must face a dangerous truth: his perfect life is a lie.

I've loved my husband for five years, but he's never reciprocated my feelings. In fact, on the day after my death, he runs straight into his true love's arms. During my absence, he sneers and says, "She's up to her old tricks again." When he receives a call telling him to identify my body, he's excited. He thinks he can see my reaction to having my scheme exposed. He doesn't know that I'm long dead, though.