The Guest List Novels & Stories

When I see someone asking for help in an assignment related to the entrepreneur course on the college forum, I join the group chat using a student account. I even help refine several financial models and market strategies because of my job's nature. Everyone in the group chat is excited, to say the least. Every day, they keep calling me a genius while urging me to improve the details of the whole assignment. Two months later, the assignment's quality is very close to perfection. But the group chat suddenly goes silent. I scroll through the chat history out of curiosity, only to find out that the students have already created another group chat. "That senior isn't an official teammate of ours. Let's not tell her about us using this assignment for an upcoming competition." "Precisely! Our names are the only ones on the list! She'd better not steal the credit during tomorrow's finals!" "With one less person involved, we each get an additional tens of thousands of dollars' worth of rewards!" As I look at the screen, I just let out a soft chuckle. It appears that this isn't an assignment at all. But unfortunately for these students, I happen to be one of the judges sitting at the judging station tomorrow.

At a party, my fiancee lost a round of Truth or Dare. Someone egged her on to list ten good things about my best friend. Olivia didn't hesitate for a second. "Outgoing, good-looking, fit, knows how to make you feel special. Always smiling, emotionally smart, capable, has great taste. And—he really knows how to brighten up a room." Next round, Dylan grinned and tossed the question back at her. "Alright, so what about Ethan? What's good about him?" Olivia turned to me, paused for a few seconds. In the end, she only came up with two words. "He's steady." Someone laughed, trying to smooth things over. "That's it? Anything else?" Olivia furrowed her brow, like she was actually giving it some real thought. But she couldn't come up with a second one. In the awkward silence, I suddenly felt exhausted. Olivia and I had been together for seven years. Our wedding was scheduled for next week. And yet, after thinking so hard, the only good thing she could find in me was that I was steady. This time, I didn't want to be the steady guy anymore.

On my thirtieth birthday, someone placed a photograph of my husband and another woman among my gifts. Dante Rossetti had his arm around Serena Caruso, the young singer he claimed was only a business investment. Every guest at the Don’s feast watched me, waiting for me to cry, break down, or chase after him like I always had. But this time, I only turned the photograph face down and cut the cake. For three months, Dante had been coming home late for Serena’s performances, Serena’s troubles, and Serena’s future. He said he was protecting the family’s investment. He said she was the next big thing. I believed him until the night I needed him most. When my pregnancy took a dangerous turn, I called Dante for help. He never came. That night, I lost the child we had both once treasured. After that, I went to the Rossetti matriarch and made one request. I wanted my marriage dissolved. Dante thought I would always forgive him. He thought I would always wait for him to come home. He was wrong. I left with nothing but the pieces of my broken life. Only after I disappeared did Dante learn the truth. The child he had promised to protect was gone. The wife who had loved him for five years was gone. And for the first time, Dante Rossetti realized that the one person who would have stayed by his side forever was the one person he had pushed away.

Three years after I landed on the wanted list, all 88 pieces of my dismembered corpse were thrown in front of the police station. After the forensics team put my body together, they identified my body as Julian Colt, the fiancé of the Organized Crime Department, Captain Kyra Schneider. Everyone, from elders in their eighties to young children, wanted me to see justice because not only had I betrayed Kyra and her team, but I had also publicly joined the criminal organization and become the lover of its leader. I was fired from the police force and hated by my loved ones. Kyra hated me the most, and she used the most cruel method of retrieving my memories to be broadcast to the world. On judgment day, the city square was filled with spectators, but when my memories were retrieved, along with the huge word 'innocent' splashed on it, everyone went crazy. "Traitor! A man like him should have been executed." "The evidence clearly points to his guilt. How is he innocent? Everyone knows how he helped the criminal organization to kill numerous police officers!" "Don't be tricked by him! He must have altered those memories!"

Lucius Ashcroft's adopted sister, Lucy Abbott, is carrying a pup. As the date of our marking ceremony approaches, Lucius brings Lucy back to our home. The moment he steps through the front door, he begins issuing me orders. "Lucy's very picky with her food due to her pregnancy, so you must cook meals for her from now on. My pheromones are needed to bring comfort to her unborn pup. You should give away your spot in the master suite to her and move to the guest room instead. "I need an heir to inherit from my bloodline, Diana, so you should be more gracious. Since you want to become my Luna that badly, you must learn how to be understanding." I don't bother saying anything. Instead, I pack up my things and walk toward the front door calmly. The butler tries to stop me, yet Lucius just sneers at me. "Let her throw that tantrum of hers. She'll come crawling back to me in less than three days anyway." Everyone laughs upon hearing his words. Then, they place a bet of ten million dollars right in front of me. The bet states that I will definitely cry and beg Lucius to let me back into the house like an unwanted pest before nightfall. But what they don't know is that Alpha Richard Mille of the Silvermoon pack has been waiting for me for a very long time. This time, I'm leaving for real.

Sophia Moreau is a challenge no man has ever won. A self-made CEO, ruthless and untouchable, she built her empire from the ground up, leaving no room for weakness. No distractions. No mistakes. And definitely no men who think they can outplay her. But Travis Cole? He doesn’t walk away from a challenge. For years, Travis has kept a list—a private game between him and his closest friends. The women no one else could have, the ones deemed impossible. He’s never lost a bet. Never failed to break down the walls of even the most untouchable. And when Sophia’s name is thrown into the mix? He’s supposed to say no. She’s supposed to be off-limits. But one encounter with her, one sharp-tongued argument, one look in those firestorm eyes, and suddenly—he wants her. More than the game. More than the win. More than he should. What he doesn’t realize? She’s the one game he was never meant to play. And when she finds out the truth, when she learns that he made her a bet— She won’t just walk away. She’ll make sure he is the one left broken. Because Travis might have fallen first… But Sophia? Sophia was never meant to fall at all.

When my husband, Jared Hunt, receives a promotion that requires him to travel to Belmont, a big city, he submits a list of family members who will be traveling with him to the organization. He has submitted two names; the first one being our son, Jackson Hunt, and the second being a knowledgeable young woman, Sabrina Hayes. She's a friend who has traveled to the village with him in the first place. Life in the village is difficult. There's no way Jared will let Jackson suffer in the village. As for Sabrina, he has already given her his word to take her back to Belmont a long time ago. But when it comes to me, his actual wife, he thinks I should be gracious and offer the opportunity of traveling to Belmont to others. "It's completely useless for a country bumpkin like you to go to Belmont. Sabrina is very knowledgeable, so she's a more suitable candidate. Jackson and I will come back for you when an opportunity comes up in the future." As I listen to Jared's perfunctory explanation, I can feel my heart breaking. But what Jared doesn't know is that I'm not a country bumpkin despite having lived in the village longer than him. The truth is, I'm the talent that Belmont wants the most. The promotion that Jared cherishes the most is actually something that I don't want.

My girlfriend found out that my water bottle cost $30,000. She then demanded I buy her father an $8 million luxury apartment in the city center. I politely refused. She said furiously, “Don’t be so stingy! He’ll be your father-in-law someday. What’s wrong with getting a head start on being a good son-in-law?” She even compiled all of our expenses during our relationship into a PowerPoint presentation and demanded we split everything. “If splitting everything equally is too much trouble for you, then just cover it all. You can afford it! “My family and I have already discussed it. I’ll give you a one-dollar gift. It means you're my only one. How perfect is that?” When she noticed I was silent, she played her final card. “If you can’t agree, then let’s forget about getting married. “You’ll never see me, your darling baby, ever again!” I looked at the detailed list of expenses on the screen. It even included $2 she had spent on a bus ride to see me. I smiled and said, “Sure. I’ll give you a $143-million gift, with more romantic meaning. And I’ll buy that apartment for your father right now.”

~Rina Zante Shunned, a half-caste omega and dirt-poor, I have gotten used to the dirty stares people throw my way. And even though I try to ignore the taunts, it’s impossible. Now, my mom has gotten a job as a maid in the alpha’s house. It is a big deal and I should be elated. I was but no longer. How can I when the alpha’s son, devilishly handsome Vincenzo has placed me on his bully list? He desires to bend me to his will. To be a puppet, a mere slave to slake his lust on. Try as I might to run far away from his cold smiles and wandering hands, I can’t. Trapped is what I am. ~Vincenzo Moreno They call me a beautiful bastard. Heartless. Ruthless. Wicked. I am and I'm out for her blood. Despite the fact that she is a nobody, my wolf still craves for her and I will do all I can to make her mine. Because, what I want, I get and I want her. To immerse myself in the innocent wreck that she is. If I should ruin her in the process then, so be it. After all, she is my possession, mia innocente bella.

Everything was going downhill. Caterina Mari Santelli is having trouble. At first she struggled to remember who the man in her hospital room was. Now, she doesn't exactly know if she loves him or hates him even more (the thought of planning a wedding to a man you hate isn't exactly inviting). She's also in distress knowing that her plans aren't going the way she planned. To add to her list of dilemmas, she's having PTSD and is afraid to even hold a gun, much more shoot one. Lucas De Marchi is just a dazed man walking. Something warm towards Caterina was building inside of him. He knows exactly what that feeling is and knows exactly how dangerous it is. But despite his efforts to stop his feelings, he always finds himself doing dirty business with her or for her. He's confused about Mari, and he's worried about his family and his sanity. To finally put that luscious cherry on top, Matteo Santelli, Caterina's uncle, has heard of her and Lucas' soon-to- be-wedding and is mad for being uninvited. Now the church doors are open. Only problem is, no one knows exactly if it's for a wedding or a funeral.