The Familiar Of Zero

My boss, Walton Frazier, loves tricking me into wearing tight shirts and having the top three buttons undone before forcing me to entertain the female clients. Then, he drops hints to said that I'm young and have a great physique, only to wait with bated breath for the clients to start touching me. His excuse is that he wants to test the clients' characters to see if they really are worthy to work with. As soon as the clients fall for the trap hook, line, and sinker, Walton will rush out toward them in a righteous manner and slam his wine glass onto the table. After that, he'll start lecturing me as though I've done something awfully wrong. "Is there not a prideful bone in your body? Do you want to hit your sales target that badly that you're willing to forsake your pride as a man?" Walton chooses to trample all over me just so he can build his manly and righteous persona. This time, he specifically prepares a suit with a deep V-line that's made of light material. Then, he forces me to toast to a client with an extremely rich and powerful background in that suit. He even threatens to dock off three months' worth of perfect attendance pay if I don't do this. When I notice the familiar cold-looking yet striking face at the main seat, I can't help but smile. If my older sister, Mable Cobb, were to see me toasting to her in this kind of outfit, I have a feeling she'll clean out the trash for me and make me the boss of this company by tomorrow.

On the first day I reunite with the wealthy Holloways, as soon as I step into the villa, I'm instantly whisked into a car with tinted windows. The fake heiress, Kate Holloway, cuts my ID and bank card with a pair of scissors right in front of my biological parents. She grins smugly at me the whole time. "You see, Rosalie, I've offended that one person who must not be offended at all costs in Ravenfield. You should go kneel in his estate for a few days. Think of this as your way to repay the Hollways for giving birth to you in this world." My heartless parents even tell the driver, "Make sure that she doesn't escape. It all depends on her whether or not our family will be able to survive this crisis." The journey to the mysterious man's estate is bumpy. But the scenery outside the window becomes more familiar as time passes. Finally, the driver stops right outside a well-guarded estate. He reports in a frightened tone, "W-We are here to deliver the girl to Mr. Whitethorn." Mr. Whitethorn? As in the powerful man who is prone to mood swings and can easily make families such as the Holloways go into bankruptcy with just a twitch of his finger? Wait, isn't that Dominic Whitethorn, my adoptive father who has doted on me since I was a little girl? The Holloways have chosen to make me the scapegoat in order to protect Kate. They probably never would've thought that the fearsome Mr. Whitethorn, who's capable of determining their survival, has scoured the entire city for me because I didn't come home last night.

（Sequel of Pregnant and rejected by my alpha mate. Can be read alone. ）Today I had my first kiss. It wasn’t planned. It was also with a complete stranger. As I walked through the halls of my school, Higala Shifter Academy, I paused when a familiar sense washed over me. My boyfriend, Scott, was nearby, and he wasn’t alone. “You are so naughty, Scott,” the she-wolf Sarah chuckled. “Only for you, babe,” he replied, muffled as her lips closed around his. At that moment, I felt sick to my stomach. “Oh, Scott. Stop it. You know we can’t be seen together. What if your girlfriend finds us?” “She’s in class. She’s never late. You don’t need to worry.” My heart was heavy in my chest, but also a wave of fury and resentment crossed me.“Lila?” Scott breathed, staring at me in shock “What are you—” Before he could get the entire question out, I turned to the gentleman beside me, placing my hands on his shoulders and pulling him toward me. He went easily, though his eyes showed nothing but confusion. I closed my eyes tightly so I wouldn’t have to see his expression any longer. Then, our lips touched. Later, I walked into my class but found,It was him… The man I kissed only moments ago in the hallway. The man I had given my first kiss to, was my professor.

Story Blurb The Hart family is known for power, wealth, and an untouchable diamond empire built on legacy and deception. After losing their son fourteen year ago the family goes through some trauma until when a man claiming to be Ethan Hart returns after years of disappearance, the family’s carefully constructed world begins to crack. Sophia Hart has spent her life searching for her lost brother, clinging to memories that never faded. When he finally comes home, something feels wrong. His face is familiar, yet his presence feels distant his eyes hold secrets that don’t belong to the boy she remembers. While the rest of the family is eager to reclaim their heir, Sophia’s doubt grows stronger, threatening to unravel everything they believe to be true. As hidden agendas surface and old wounds reopen, Edward the adopted son raised to protect the Hart legacy struggles with loyalty, forbidden love, and a truth he cannot reveal without destroying the woman he loves. Meanwhile, the returning “Ethan” carries a past shaped by loss, survival, and deception, torn between a role he was never meant to play and feelings he never planned to have. Behind the luxury and glittering balls lies a darker history one of betrayal, stolen identities, and a legacy built on blood and lies. As power shifts and secrets claw their way to the surface, the Hart family must confront a truth that could cost them everything: their empire, their name, and each other. In a world where love blurs the line between right and wrong, and identity can be rewritten, one question remains Was he truly her brother… or was he another imposter?

Lilith POV A pair of cold, bloodshot eyes stare back at me; if eyes could , I'm sure I would be dead by now. No wonder this place looks so familiar; it is because it's the mansion belonging to my owner, the man I was sold to, "Don Air." My orb fell on Flora, who was kneeling on the floor. Her hair was messy, and I could see bruises from her shoulder down to her arms, making me wonder what happened to her. "I gave you a to do, and you messed it up, huh?" The cold voice of Don Air was forwarded to Flora. He stomped his feet on her body continuously, and her screams and cries filled the atmosphere, bringing nothing but horror. "Master, please! Oh, please!" She cried in pain as she continued to get hit; her body was somersaulting on the floor. I look around the large sitting room, wondering why nobody is helping by stopping this cruel master or even pleading on her behalf, but I see few with pitiful expressions. My gaze met the man known as Thierry, the man's son. For awhile, I forgot he even existed. I got a sharp glare from him, and I looked away. "Please?  "If you are sorry, then you will not think of ruining my business, you good for nothing harlot," he yelled at Flora before leaving the girl. "You!"  His voice thurd in my ear, and I cringe in fear as goosebump from fear clouded my body. He was walking towards me with such a dominating and dangerous demeanor. "Argh!"  I was pulled by my hair and flung to the wall barely. I felt a liquid running down my head down to my nose—it's blood!

"I love fantasies. Impossible, only imaginable fantasies. The ones that would take me beyond and beyond my monotonous life. To other worlds. But this, isn't going to end well," I was saying to myself while lying down with closed eyes and recurring thoughts, starring at the bluest skies and the brightest stars. This city leaves me gawking at its beauty and at the same time allures me to its darkest mysteries. As I was running to find the only thing that could push me out of this fantastical realm, the clustered thoughts in my mind hits me hard everyday, leaving me sleepless and clueless. "You were at that place at that time. It may or may not be desirable. Fate, maybe. But, it's you," the familiar woman's voice kept repeating inside my head. "Begin with what you know and dig the unknown," the man I loved the most said, leaving me chase the knowns inside my scrambled mind. I was going after every single possible hint to take myself away from the life I've always wished to live. "I don't want this. Not for me. Not for my family," I falsely admit to myself, still secretly enjoying every moment of it. She, Idaliah Bristor seems to have a flamboyant life which takes a mysterious turn when she enters the unmapped city of BcHaven. Let's walk and roll with her as she says, "Whatever it may take, I'm giving it a go". Etymology: GEMICIDE - • Gem- The Gem Team • cide - Killing/Sacrificing 'Gemicide', the term I coined means that the Gem Girls without any hesitation is ready to sacrifice themselves or get killed to save their city.

Everyone has their dark side but some— like Ruby Fridays, have the darkest. High school can be tough for many teenagers, but for her, it was peculiarly hellish. Clever as evil and twice as pretty, Ruby's beauty was both dangerous and lethal. Trouble always follows her, and strangely enough—she's familiar with the feeling of blood on her hands, and the glimmer of naked secrets and truths that keep her enemies up until sunsets and dawns. But when she got enrolled in a prestigious institution—the infamous, "Rosbite Lustro Academy," despite her tainted school records, she realizes that her ruined fate is already sealed by the almost perfect image of the school— that is nothing but a façade to masked the darkness that lurks within its vicinity. Like a twisted fate, as if reflecting Ruby's name, the Academy holds a sinister game of Truth or Dare every Friday Nights. And the official rules are simple yet sinister. Choose truth? You must reveal your deepest, darkest and most hideous secret. Choose dare? Well, that could be even more dangerous—even deadly. When the game takes an even darker turn with her appearance, suddenly no one at the Academy knows who to turn to and trust with the day by day murders in the broken mists. Yet in the darkness, Killian Wilde, a disguised angel who's surprisingly Ruby's counterpart, decides to interfere with her ruined path. Together with him, they will try to venture into the unknown, to understand the world created on their own. Together, they will look for the missing pieces and connect them. Together, they will unravel the cases and reveal the secrets beyond the broken glasses of their hearts. But with them versus the twisted game, can they win against it, even if it's their own secrets and lives at stake?

Lucia had never believed in rebirth. She had read about it a few times in books tucked away on her shelf, but she never imagined it could be real. Yet, here she was—reborn. This time, she swore she wouldn’t let kindness be her downfall. She would make them pay. Her so-called best friend and husband had used her, drained her of everything, and left her with nothing. They manipulated her, deceived her, and when they had no more use for her, they poisoned her—leaving her to suffer in agony for over a year. What a vile couple. On the night of her death—her own birthday—they stood before her, laughing as they confessed their betrayal. They had taken everything from her, and now, they wanted her to know the full extent of their cruelty. Her husband and best friend, her supposed confidants, had been lovers all along. Worse, they had killed her true mate. Lucia had wept until there were no more tears left to shed. Too weak to fight, too broken to scream, she watched as they reveled in their wickedness, even making out right in front of her as she lay dying. That night, amidst a raging storm, Lucia took her last breath. But when she opened her eyes again, morning light streamed through the window. "Is this heaven?" she whispered, confused. A familiar voice answered. "Lucia, you’re awake! Let me get the doctor!" Brittany exclaimed before rushing out of the room. In that instant, Lucia knew the truth. She had been reborn. And this time, she would make them pay—for everything they did to her and her family.

Raven Statham has one week left to save her grandmother’s crumbling bakery before her mother sells it. Drowning in debts, rejected by investors, and clinging to the only legacy she has left, she turns to the one corporation known for rescuing failing businesses — D’Angelo Enterprises. What she doesn’t know is that the CEO is not just a businessman. He is Kade D’Angelo, the Reaper of the criminal underworld, a man who kills with the same ease he breathes, a man bound by a vow: marry before thirty-three, or lose his throne to his estranged brother, Damon. When Raven accidentally witnesses Kade murder a man in cold blood, she becomes a liability he cannot ignore. And when she tries to flee, she unknowingly signs the wrong contract — not a business partnership, but the marriage contract prepared for a mafia heiress sharing her surname. By the time she discovers the truth, five black cars are outside her bakery, Kade D’Angelo standing among them like the devil she had met by accident twice already. *** Excerpt from the Book: The door opened. A familiar smell drifted inside before the man did and my stomach twisted. Kade walked into my home, filling the small space with his presence. His eyes found mine immediately, cold, unreadable. Kade's lips tilted, just slightly. "I see you're just finding out about the document you signed, Miss Statham," he said. "What do you mean marr—" I started, clutching the file, eyes wide with disbelief. "Good," he interrupted, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Because we're getting married. Tomorrow.”

My boyfriend was crippled when he saved me, while his adoptive sister suffered from heart failure after protecting us from misfortune. She had to depend on the expensive imported medicines to sustain life. To pay for their treatment, I sold myself as a lifecasting model on the black market. Not only were my hands and feet coated in the heated silicon, but I also needed to endure strangers touching me without flinching. I needed to pay if the replica was damaged. I begged through my tears, only to receive a few slaps to my face in return. They scolded, "You signed up for this. Don't act innocent now." Humiliated, exhausted, and aching, I still took the money straight to the hospital to buy medicine for his sister. When I passed by the VIP lounge, I heard a familiar laughter. "Chris, this is the 998th test, isn't it? Are you really marrying her once she passes the 999th test?" With a slight frown, Christopher answered, "Yeah. Although testing her is a family tradition, and they're having you to supervise, don't overdo it. I won't have another bride." I froze. Every sacrifice. Every humiliation. Every bit of pain I had endured—it had all been a test. A game to see whether I was worthy of marrying him. Staring at my bruised reflection in the fire-resistant glass, I let out a sudden chuckle. Then, with trembling hands, I turned on the old phone I hadn't touched in two years. I felt tears roll down my cheeks when I told the other person on the line, "Declan, take me home. I regret everything."