The Food Lab Novels & Stories

Liam and Julie were in war. He was an arrogant, sexy post-graduate student in science. She, was her unfortunate project teammate. They hated each other. At least that's what they thought.

I've been chasing after Howard Chapman for 20 years. A week before our graduation ceremony, we slept together every night, burning through ten boxes of condoms in just as many days. When I bring him our 11th box of condoms, he turns me away as he's working on his thesis. Worried about his health, I buy him some supplements instead. But as I stand outside his door, about to hand them over, I catch him poking holes in the condoms. His friend chuckles and says, "You're still sneaking Selena Reed birth control pills, huh? You're the only one who'd cook up such a scheme. Selena doesn't know she's already swallowed ten of them, does she? If she did, she'd throw a huge tantrum." Howard snorts. "I wouldn't even touch her if I didn't need her to try the pills and help me figure out which one causes the fewest side effects. "Lizzy's got a weak immune system. She's not as tough as Selena, so I have to be more careful with her. Besides, Selena and I are engaged. There'll be plenty of time to nurse her back to health after the wedding. I won't owe her anything." His friends cackle at his response. "You're not wrong. Selena's been pursuing you for 20 years. She's probably over the moon to marry you. She'd probably hand you her uterus if you asked for it—birth control pills are nothing to her." Howard had just proposed to me yesterday, in front of the whole college. My tears spatter onto the supplement box as I turn to leave. Howard has made his choice, and it's only right that I honor it.

After being chosen by a horror game, I took over a food stall in a small town. A ghoul tried to eat me, his huge, bloody mouth a gaping maw, but I quickly shoved a focaccia sandwich into it. He chewed and then said, “Oh, forget it. With food to eat, I’ll kill her tomorrow.” The next day, I made delicious pierogies, then skewers and stews. All the ghouls who stopped by gave up on trying to kill me, focusing on eating instead. The audience watching me was shocked that I could survive all the way to the end with just my cooking.

My girlfriend Chloe Bennett's childhood buddy, Daniel Miller, binds himself to a transfer system. Everything he eats gets sent straight into my stomach. He creates a live stream channel and eats nonstop for 12 hours a day to rake in money. Meanwhile, I end up in the ER with acute pancreatitis. I try to explain everything to Chloe, but she just looks at me like I've lost my mind. "How could something that ridiculous exist? If food could magically transfer, nobody would starve in the world. You're just jealous he's making money from streaming." Afterward, Daniel's every live stream triggers another pancreatitis episode, sending me back to the ER until I'm barely holding on. I get tested, but the doctors can't figure out what's wrong. They even want to admit me to psych. Later, in a desperate bid to outdo another streamer, Daniel downs ten pounds of mashed potatoes at once. The overload destroys my spleen and stomach, causing massive internal bleeding that kills me. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day of Daniel's very first live stream. This time, I rush out and order 20 takeout dishes before him. "This time, I'm eating first."

I was eight months pregnant and had just gone into labor, but my Alpha mate, Damien, locked me in a silver cage in the basement to delay my labor. When I cried out for help, he just told me to wait. Because his late brother's mate, Victoria, was also giving birth that day. The Pack Seer had foretold that only the firstborn pup would be blessed by the Moon Goddess and become the future Alpha. "The title belongs to Victoria's child," he said. "She lost Marcus. She has nothing. You already have all my love, Elena. The silver cage will make sure you deliver after her." The contractions were torture. I begged him to take me to the clinic. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "Stop pretending. I should've known you never loved me. All you've ever cared about is wealth and status!" "To force your labor early, just to steal what belongs to my nephew… You're truly wicked." Pale and trembling, I whispered: "The pup is coming, I can't stop it. Please, I'll make a blood oath. I don't care about the inheritance. I only love you!" He scoffed."If you loved me, you wouldn’t have forced Victoria into that contract to give up her pup’s birthright. I'll come back for you after she delivers. After all, that's my pup in there, too." He stood guard outside Victoria's delivery room. Only after he saw the newborn pup in her arms did he remember me. He ordered his Beta to release me. But the Beta's voice trembled. "Luna… and the pup… they're dead." And in that moment, Damien went feral.

She was known as ‘Manslayer’ a ruthless woman who kills someone for money, she's fearless that knows no boundary. She's merciless and love seeing someone begged on their knees. She is Addison Mackenzie who killed her own emotions. Not until she met a man who changes her. He shows kindness, he just walks through her wall fuck her life, everything about her. Unknowingly, he freed her heart from where it belongs. He’s a damn thief who stoles a piece of her and now, she has got nothing but uncertainty. He showed love, a fucking love that she doesn’t even know the meaning and what can it does. Unfortunately, because of a mission she gave him rage, and everything was ruined. Will love conquers it all? Will she listen to his lullaby? Or she will just walk away as she did over and over again?

I confirmed Vincent Lowe was cheating on me on the day of our third wedding anniversary. The dining table was filled with dishes, yet he barely touched his fork before heading out the door. "Where are you going?" I asked. His answer was unnervingly straightforward. "A friend's treating me to dinner. Cassidy Mason—you know her, right? It's a free meal. It'd be a waste not to accept." An hour later, however, I received a voice message from Cassidy. In the message, Vincent's voice was lighter and livelier—so different from how he ever sounded with me. "They say you should marry someone you can truly enjoy a meal with. I really regret meeting you so late. If only I had known you earlier, I would've married you instead." I listened in silence. Then, alone at the table, I finished every last bite of the meal I had prepared. Afterward, I left a divorce agreement behind.

Happiness is the only emotion a broken soul can't seem to experience. They can only dream of it and hopefully find serenity to fill the void, with the hopes of one day being able to feel it in their being. Akaiia Bleau Stepanova, is she destined to feel this brokenness forever or does her initial definition even begin to cover what true brokenness feels like? Let the flames of life and death drain my essence. An evil thought that grinds in my brain since I heard of my sentence. A bitterness that made himself at home inside of me. Sometimes I just wish I could change my fate, but yes it is just wishful talk. My story is one full of emotion. Treason, hate, love and pretend. A wild combination, you might say. .... "I do." She says with the most beautiful smile, one that even reaches her eyes. One so rare and truly beautiful to witness. "Aiden River King, what is your answer? Do you take Akaiia Bleau Stepanova as your lawful wedded wife?" The priest questions. As soon as I'm about to answer a voice I remember to clearly ego's through the church walls. ... The tears staining her eyes are like daggers in my chest.

A race against time. A test of trust. A mystery that could reshape history. Deep beneath the ancient ruins of Messra lies a labyrinth—its twisting corridors and hidden chambers a monument to forgotten secrets and lost wars. The APG Mark 1. A machine gun designed to kill tanks. Conceived in the darkest days of World War II, hidden by the Nazis in the labyrinth’s heart. For Jessica Chase, an archaeologist and cryptographer, it’s more than a puzzle—it’s a chance to unlock the past and claim a weapon that should never have existed. A weapon of myth, waiting to be found. Jessica’s search draws her back into the orbit of Sean Michael, her ex-boyfriend and the one man she vowed never to trust again. Together, they must navigate a maze of stone and shadow, pursued by those who would kill to possess the APG Mark 1. But as they journey deeper, the labyrinth’s secrets threaten to consume them all. And with every step, they realize the greatest danger may not be the weapon they seek—but the truths they unearth about themselves.

The contractions were ripping me in two. My vision was going dark. My husband, Don Vittorio, the man who ruled Chicago, squeezed my hand. His dark eyes burned with love. "Just a little longer, mia cara. You'll meet our baby soon." Sweat poured down my face. I still found the strength to smile for him. Then a nurse walked in. She held a syringe. I thought it was to stop the pain. But Vittorio’s hand fell away. He took a single step back. The needle sank into my arm. I heard Vittorio’s voice. It was cold steel. "Dose her carefully. She holds on until midnight. Not a minute sooner. Not until after Ornella delivers." And then I knew. He thought I married him for the money. He was stopping my labor. All for a sick Falcone family rule: the first son born is the next heir. Pain tore through me. I reached for him. Tears streamed down my face. I begged him to stop. He bit his lip. His voice was pure ice. "My brother is dead. Ornella carries his only heir. You will do as you are told. You and your child will not steal his birthright." The drug hit my veins. The violent squeeze in my belly, like some invisible hand, just… stopped.