The Brief Bedford Reader 15th Edition Novels & Stories

My mother-in-law suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and was rushed into the ICU. The hospital demanded a $200,000 surgery deposit immediately, so I rushed to the bank to raise my transfer limit. The trainee teller behind the counter took my ID card, swiped it through the reader, then stared at her screen for a long time. "Hello, ma'am. Our system has flagged this transaction as suspicious and potentially linked to elder fraud. Your account has been frozen." "That's impossible! That money is for emergency surgery! My mother is still waiting at the hospital!" The trainee gave me a perfectly rehearsed customer-service smile. "For the safety of your funds, we'll need the account holder to appear in person to unlock the account." I slammed my ID against the bulletproof glass and pointed at the name on it. "Open your eyes and read carefully! I am the account holder! Who else are you waiting for?" The trainee shrank back slightly, looking utterly wronged, then spoke into the microphone in a meek voice. "Ma'am, please control your behavior. The system's risk controls are determined by big data. There's nothing I can do. "If you continue shouting and disrupting financial order, I will have to call the police." Oh, I see. She wanted to play power games using company policy as a weapon? Fine. I was more than willing to play along.

A week after I gave birth via C-section, Mark Whitman invited his friends over to celebrate the birth of our son. The crowd was boisterous—more than a dozen people. Not one of them bothered to remove their dirty shoes. The wooden floor was soon covered in muddy footprints. Mark came into the room and, without a hint of concern, ordered me out of bed. "Everyone's waiting outside. Don't just hide here and rest—you're embarrassing me in front of our guests." I had no choice but to push through the pain, forcing my body to prepare a huge meal for the large crowd, all on my own. When I carried the final bowl of steaming soup to the table, Lily Hoyte—whether intentionally or not—jabbed her hand against the wound on my abdomen. My hand trembled from the sudden pain, and the bowl slipped slightly, spilling the hot soup onto Lily's shoes. Mark's face darkened instantly. "What the heck did you do, Cammy? Lily rushed here right after her plane landed from overseas to see our son, and this is how you treat her?" The crowd quickly chimed in. "Come on, Cammy, no need to be so petty." "Mark and Lily grew up together. If there was really something between them, do you think you'd even be here now?" "Do you even know how much those shoes cost? They're limited edition—easily over ten thousand dollars. And you just ruined them." Lily stood up awkwardly, her eyes misting with tears. "If Cammy doesn't like me," she said softly, "then I'll leave. I don't want to be a bother." But Mark grabbed her hand in an exaggerated display of protection, his voice harsh as he turned to me. "Wipe Lily's shoes clean. Right now." His partiality for Lily made something sharp twist in my chest. My lips quivered as I fought back tears. "The wound on my stomach hasn't healed yet. I can't bend over." At that, his expression grew colder. "Don't use childbirth as an excuse. If you can't bend over, then kneel and wipe them. And if you won't, get out of my house!"

On our tenth wedding anniversary, I was trapped in a cabin with my daughter, Sofia Costello, as floodwaters raged outside. With shaking hands, I used the emergency satellite phone to call my mafia husband, Henson Costello, and begged for help. I dialed more than 90 times before the call finally went through, yet all I heard was the breathy moans of his first love, Angelina Rossi, on the other end. "Henson...slower..." Before I could even process the shock of his betrayal, I heard a conversation that sent me straight into hell. "That kid was dead weight anyway. Trading him for control of Pier 9 was the best deal the family ever made." It seemed that Leo Costello, my son, who had supposedly drowned at the beach five years ago, had not died in an accident after all. Henson had used him as part of a business deal. All this time, I had been drowning in guilt for taking him to that beach, blaming myself for the tragedy. I never knew the truth was this cruel. Tears streamed down my face as my body shook uncontrollably. After ten years of marriage, I finally realized I had never truly known the man I loved and sacrificed everything for. I picked up my phone again and dialed Vincenzo Moretti's number. "Vince, I'll marry you. But you have to help me destroy the Costello family from power." After a brief silence, his voice came through the line. "Aurelia Astor, I've been waiting ten years to hear you say that."

Dear best friend, I had sex with our daughter after you died. 🦪 Dora lost her father on her eighteenth birthday, and she swore to find his killer and end his life herself. Because of this, she signs a ‘fight till death’ deal with Umbra, a deadly secret organization her father worked with. A fight where only one of the two fighters would walk out of the ring alive. Dale Lazarus, a man secretly in love with his best friend’s daughter, killed his best friend in a fight. One of them had to die for the other one to live, and it was Dora’s father who didn’t walk out of the ring. Dora doesn’t know this: that Dale Lazarus, her father’s best friend, and also the man she’s shamelessly obsessed with, is the killer she’s after. She swore to his face that she was going to wipe her father’s killer off the planet, not knowing she was talking about him, and He trains her to kill her father’s killer, knowing he was training her to kill him. What happens when Dora realizes she signed a deal to kill the man she is obsessed with? ~ Content warning: This book contains several sensitive topics that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader's discretion is advised. Specific warnings include: Graphic violence and gore, Explicit sexual content, Description of grief and loss, and strong language.

When my mind-link request had been ignored by my parents for the twentieth time, I went to the Werewolf Council, clutching the report on silver dust corrosion in my hand. “Hello. I’d like to renounce my pack identity—effective immediately.” Ten minutes later, my parents burst in, dragging my adoptive younger sister, Elsa, with them, panic written all over their faces. The door burst open with a bang, and my Beta father charged in like a storm. His fangs bared, claws twitching. “You’re nothing but a spoiled brat craving attention! Stop this pathetic act. You’re an embarrassment to a Beta’s name!” My mother, a forensic specialist for the pack, immediately snatched the report from my hand. After a brief glance, she let out a cold sneer. “You faked this report just to get our attention? You’ve been a liar since you were a pup.” Elsa clung to both of them, tears in her eyes as she sobbed, “I’m sorry, Jenifer. It’s my fault for holding the shifting ritual. But please... don’t lie to our parents just to make them feel guilty!” Blood was still pouring from my nose, but I wiped it away calmly and stood tall before the werewolf councilors once more. “I haven’t had a real family for a long time. Please—remove all my personal records from the pack. I just don’t want my funeral—scheduled for three days from now—to be delayed.”

Billionaire Isaac Lloyd viewed his impoverished wife Emily merely as a tool to appease his family's incessant pressure for his marriage. He consistently neglected Emily's feelings, often leaving her alone in their mansion while he would be out all night. It wasn't until Emily had had enough and sought a divorce, moving out, that Isaac realized he had grown accustomed to her company. He regretted his actions deeply, resorting to every possible means to bring Emily back to his side. Despite his efforts with roses, luxurious dates, and jewels, nothing could win back Emily's heart. She had already found her own world where she transformed and grew into a movie star, adored by all of Hollywood. Holding the Oscar’s best actress trophy, Emily said, ‘I would like to thank my ex-husband. Had it not been for his neglect and abandonment during our brief marriage, I would never have had the opportunity to build my acting career.’ Emily's fans exclaimed, ‘Divorce was the best decision Emily ever made!’ The Best Actor winner smiled, ‘I believe no one dares to ignore Emily now!’ Meanwhile, Isaac was hidden in the audience, watching as the spotlight illuminated Emily's path forward. He incessantly searched on his phone: 'How to win back my ex-wife who has become the Best Actress?' 'What to do if my ex-wife doesn't love me anymore?' 'Why didn't I cherish the love of my life when I had the chance?'

I wheel myself into the birthday celebration that Wales Price has thrown for me. The atmosphere is originally lively, but a brief silence descends when everyone sees me. The guests are there for different purposes, but celebrating my birthday is not one of them. "Is that Mr. Price's crippled fiancée, Joey Hertza?" "Yeah, but the one he really loves is Anna Giovanni. I saw them kissing in a corner earlier." They use their wine glasses to block their mouths as they speak loudly. They think I'm still the crippled deaf I used to be. They don't know that I regained my hearing last week. I can hear every mocking comment they make. Meanwhile, Wales stands there and allows it to happen. He doesn't stop the guests from talking about me. He seems to have forgotten that I only ended up like this while protecting him. I shoved him away when the accident happened and got trapped underneath the car myself. When I was rescued, Wales swore to stay with me and care for me for life. It's only been three short years since then, but he's already changed. I receive a message on my phone. "Ms. Hertza, the lifelike corpse that you've ordered is now complete. Reply to this message with your confirmation, and your death-faking service will be immediately effective. We will send the corpse to your and Mr. Price's wedding in five days." I don't even hesitate as I reply with my confirmation. Enjoy your wedding, Wales.

Being part of a reserved family, Suki knows her place within the community of the Moonstone pack. She has her duties and she completes them perfectly, just as her father orders. As the daughter of the Beta, the second in command, she’s set to live a life of importance within the pack, helping to aid it to greatness, and that’s only meant to become stronger once she finds her mate. Like every other werewolf, she has dreamt of what it would be like to find her mate when she comes of age, to know what the power of the mate bond truly feels like. However, on her 18th birthday, she doesn’t just experience one bond… she experiences TWO. Two separate bonds with two completely different males - bad boy Brendan and the perfect soldier Reynard. How could this be? It defies the laws of nature, all werewolves are given one mate and one mate only. As she and her two mates try to understand their anomaly of a mate bond, they also have to deal with an even greater threat that’s approaching - something that’s not only a threat to their pack, but to the entire werewolf species. Will they be able to save the pack? And who will Suki choose as her mate to seal the bond? Brendan or Reynard…? NOTE: This is a spin-off story to my other original story, "The One True Alpha", and though it is not essential to read that story before this one, there will be brief mentions and appearances of characters from that story within this right from the start, as well as some potential for minor spoilers of that story. If you enjoy this story, then you'd likely enjoy reading TOTA too! (It's already complete, so check it out!)

*******Rated 18+ (MATURE AUDIENCE) **************** This book is for adults only: It contains explicit content, mature themes ad strong language "My turn," he growled, voice dripping with hunger. He stroked his long, curved length, smearing the bead of precum at the tip. Instead of guiding his cock to my mouth, Shawn pressed his tip against my tight, puckered hole. He slicked himself with my own arousal before pushing forward, breaching my ass with a firm thrust. "You can take it," he urged, sinking his thick shaft deeper into my back passage. The overwhelming fullness of the triple penetration hit me all at once. Leo's and Axel's throbbing cocks pounded into my pussy, stretching me beyond what I thought possible, while Shawn's hard length plunged deep into my ass. This electrifying collection brings together tangled sheets, stolen glances, and the kind of slow-burning tension that makes your skin buzz. Each story dives into a different shade of passion — from step siblings with secrets to a bride having revenge sex with her fiancé’s groomsmen. Inside these pages, boundaries blur, tempers spark, and bodies learn the language of want. Whether it’s a brief encounter that changes everything or a long-denied craving finally unleashed, every tale will leave your pulse racing and your mind wandering long after you close the book. Dive into desire without limits. This sizzling collection delivers fierce chemistry, dangerous temptation, and encounters that spark long after the last page.

Meet Savanah! Her life is pretty simple, or so that's how it looks from an outside point of View. Go to school, Hang out with friends, You know your everyday life of a Highschool senior. With Abscent parents, An aggressive boyfriend and a protective bad boy that lives next door, Her usual calm life becomes problematic and fast. Follow Savanah as she navagates a life where love hurts not only mentally but physically. Through her journey of love and friendship she learns lesson's in what's right and what's wrong! What's acceptable and what is not, In this High school Drama! Filled with Handsome guys, Hightened Jealousy and a tornado that is Savanah's Life. TRIGGER WARNINGS- DOMESTIC violence, bad language and a few sex scenes. Drama Drama Drama. This is a romance/Drama where you follow the female leads growth through love,relationships, and domestic violence. "One girl, Two Brothers & a whole lot of problems"❤️💖❤️🤯 "A Swirl of emotions & A Heartache Romance"💖 MATURE CONTENT Ahead. Violence, Sex and probably more👀🙊 Wrote the first few chapters many years ago so bare with me it gets better I promise 😊 Highest ranking #2-Dangerous love Highest ranking #5-Boynextdoor Highest ranking #1 Highschool Drama TRIGGER WARNINGS- DOMESTIC violence, bad language and a few sex scenes. Drama Drama Drama Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved to the author MissAshleighDre. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author. except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Copyright © 2018