The Rise Of The Dragon

"บนระเบียงที่สูงเสียดฟ้า ท่ามกลางแสงไฟของเมือง เธอเฝ้ามองโลกเบื้องล่าง ราวกับกำลังถามหาสักที่ ที่หัวใจได้พักพิง ท่ามกลางความวุ่นวายที่ไม่มีวันจบสิ้น เธอโหยหาความสงบและรักแท้มาเติมเต็มช่องว่างในหัวใจ"

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

My grandmother only knows how to draw one thing—infants. They're ugly, but people line up to buy the paintings. I watch as she takes those women into unlit rooms. Then, their bloodcurdling screams will ring out. Oddly enough, they always thank my grandmother when they're leaving. One day, I finally find out what exactly my grandmother paints. I discover the truth when I see an infant crawl out of one of the women's bellies—it looks just like the one my grandmother has painted.

"The House of Mortem has taken what belongs to us. For years, they have raped our girls and women, burned our houses, and taken our brothers captive. Tonight, we take back what is ours and restore the lost glory of the House of Vagamor." If Alpha Orvyn knew better, he would have read the stars and counted the cost before going into battle against the all-powerful Alpha Kazamir of the House of Mortem. To bring down the usurper of his father's throne, Alpha Orvyn made a promise to his late father's grave stone to get back what was rightfully theirs, no matter the cost. Most of her subjects outside the castle walls thought Princess Olive lived an enviable life. But little did they know that the Princess is nothing less of a bargaining tool in the hands of her powerful father, Alpha Kazamir. He wanted to marry her off to the arrogant Alpha Cassian of the House of Stortstrand in return for his riches and ruthless mercenaries. The paths of the two lost souls cross in what seemed like a cross fire, sparking off an incandescence of forbiden love between them. Will the duo be able to navigate the forbidden route of their new found love? Wiill their secret romance bud into rainbows and rubies, or will it rain blood and hell on them?

Avery Sallow wants nothing more than saving her ailing mother from the clutches of death. Graduating with honors from one of the best colleges in Empire City, she hustles through the city for a job, which landed her in the net of Michael King, her 'devilishly handsome' boss. Michael King is the cassanova of Empire City, the richest and youngest CEO in town. Betrothed to his childhood friend, Nicki Sandalwood, he is caught between fulfilling his promise to Nicki, or taking his chance with the 'nerve-wrecking' assistant that haunts his night. Will their hatred for each other quench the spark of love they feel for each other? Will they prevail over the forces that put them on the other side of the divide?

Since Axe was a little boy, he had been raised by a multi-million mafia boss to be his bodyguard, but not just that... After Axe has grown up to be a man, he finds out that his seven bullies are now successful and powerful rich men, and they are set on making Axe's life a living hell, just as in the orphanage. After all, he's just a useless bodyguard, or is he?

Dale reincarnates in a woman’s body when he promised to live again not wanting to leave his beloved, Chelsea. However, how can he show his love towards Chelsea when he is a girl and how will he make her love and accept him as a woman? What if the woman he reincarnated happened to be… his ex-girlfriend?

On my fifth birthday with Zachary Murdock, I sit once again in front of a full table of cold food, just like every year before. Zachary had promised, as always, to spend the day with me. And, as always, he breaks that promise. This year, it's because his childhood sweetheart wanted to shoot a set of "artistic photos". She invited him and a few of his close buddies to be part of it. Without hesitation, he ditches me again and runs straight into her arms. At 11:00 pm, his childhood sweetheart posts a photo to her social media and sets it so that only I can see it. In the picture, four men are in nothing but black briefs and Windsor-knotted ties. They kneel around her while she is draped in sheer fabric like a goddess. The caption reads, "Some people beg for crumbs, but I own the entire bakery." I take a screenshot. Then, I send it to the girlfriends of all three of Zachary’s best buddies. If they all look down on me this much, let's hope they don't end up on their knees begging me someday.

"You think you know hate, Avery?" His voice a dangerous rumble that seemed to roll straight through me. "Hate is easy. It’s the love that complicates everything." "Love? Don't talk to me about love. You wouldn't recognize it if it clawed its way into your heart." Liam's expression darkened, "And whose fault is that, remind me? You destroyed every ounce of it." My eyes filled with tears instantly, my voice so thick, it hurt my throat as the words came out. "And you made me pay for it, in the most horrible way. A person who loved a girl with his whole heart would never be able to do what you've done, what you've allowed to happen. That's why I hate you, because you never loved me, or else you couldn't do all this to me." His eyes sparked with anger "You have no idea what you're talking about." "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," I shot back bitterly, "But it seems like the only thing you're good at is pretending. Pretending to care, pretending to love—" "That's enough!" his voice boomed. "You want to see how real my feelings are? I should teach you a lesson on underestimating them." I tilted my chin up in defiance "Go on then, teach me." The next moment was a blur of motion as he closed the distance between us. His hands gripped my face, not gentle but not cruel—a fervent, desperate hold. His lips met mine in an intense, raw kiss, fueled by anger and deep, relentless desire. The kiss was punishing, his mouth moving against mine with a fierce urgency that left no room for doubts or second thoughts. As he pulled back, his eyes bore into mine, challenging, questioning, daring me to deny what lay between us.

I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart. Today was my birthday. It was also Leslie Buck's birthday—Katherine White's childhood sweetheart. I unlocked my phone and opened Leslie's social media page. As expected, a new post awaited me. "Grateful to have you by my side for every birthday. Let's keep our promise to celebrate every one of them together in the future!" The photo showed two hands forming a heart in front of a cake. One of them was Katherine's. I could tell from the bracelet she wore. It was the one I had given her. I gave the post a like, then set my phone aside. Without hesitation, I dumped the dishes Katherine liked into the trash and went out to a restaurant to order the food I liked, celebrating my birthday alone. From now on, I would make sure to enjoy every birthday of mine.