The Smile Has Left

"I'm inlove with him since when I was eight, and he's eighteen years old before; now, he's twenty-eight and I'm eighteen. I call him Uncle Lucas, sometimes Ninong Saint." Lady Eve Yamashita has been in love with Saint Lucas since he took her in at the age of eight after her father (Taro Yamashita, a Yakuza leader) was killed by another Yakuza organization. Every year—Saint Lucas would send her his favorite macha cake, and when Lady Eve turned fifteen, she confessed to Saint Lucas, but sadly—Saint rejected her. Lady Eve Yamashita has been in love with Saint Lucas since he took her in at the age of eight after her father (Taro Yamashita; a Yakuza leader) was killed by another Yakuza organization. Every year—Saint Lucas would send her his favorite macha cake, and when Lady Eve turned fifteen, she confessed to Saint, but Saint rejected her, believing thier ten-year age gap is too large, chooses someone else. One night, Saint came home very drunk. He didn't realize that the room he entered was Eve's room where the girl was sleeping soundly. But, because of Eve's thin clothing, Saint couldn't stop himself from attempting to touch Even and ended up lusting. Eve, woke-up, but didn't stop herself 'cause that was what she wanted too; there was a heated exchange, and months later Saint found out that he had gotten Eve pregnant that night, but Eve run-away and hide.

Rachel Larson was adamant about marrying me, and she spent ten years stealing my heart. On the night before our wedding, I overheard her conversation with her friend. "You're marrying Leonardo? What about your side piece?" A moment of silence later, Rachel answered, "That guy? He's just a cheap replacement. Leonardo's the real deal. Don't compare my side piece to him. If he stays put and keeps his mouth shut, I might let him stay around. Leonardo's a broad-minded man. He won't mind." The side piece did not stay put. In fact, he caused a scene at the wedding the next day. He shoved me off the stage, but the woman who was supposed to marry me darted over to his side instead. Why? He was holding a piece of broken glass against his throat. Gutturally, he roared, "Choose! Me or him?" Panicked, Rachel kicked me away despite my injuries, and she roared, "Get out of the way! I need to take him to the hospital! If anything happens to him, I'll kill you!" She didn't need to wait that long. My heart died right there and then. … That night, I bought a flight ticket that would take me abroad and left her.

"Nathaniel." I blinked to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I won't cry in front of this man. "How can you look at me like that and talk to me like that?" "I'm not mistaken, am I?" "Nathaniel!" I cried, completely distraught. "We were together, for God's sake!" "We?" He chuckled, amused by my outburst. "You're crazy. There is no 'we.'" ~~~~ Home should never be a battlefield, but for Sarah Pierce and her daughter, it became exactly that the moment they walked through the door. Her father's hostility was to be expected; her ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Storm's engagement to her sister, however, was not. Sarah mustered up her courage and proposed to Nathaniel, who looked at her as if she were a stranger. But as they navigate this forced union, Sarah uncovers a web of family secrets and disturbing truths – truths that could destroy everything.

It was our seventh bonding anniversary. However, Xavier Ashton, the Alpha who controlled everything, brought home his pregnant lover. For the past seven years, he worshipped me. He would kiss my hand in front of everyone and say I was his moon, the only Luna of his life. Yet now, his hand rested on another she-wolf's belly, as if showcasing a miracle. "She's carrying my first pup. You have the Moon Goddess's power. I want you to bless her. Also, she's been having nightmares during the pregnancy, so she'll take the main bedroom." I froze, almost convinced I had misheard him. "Are you joking? That's my room!" He looked up, his tone carrying a warning. "From today, it's hers." Anger nearly made me laugh. My voice shook, but it was clear. "You got some lowly Omega she-wolf pregnant and brought her into our home? Xavier Ashton, you've completely lost your mind!" "I won't say this a third time. Move out now." His aura turned ice-cold in an instant. His Alpha pressure hit me head-on, making my wolf whimper inside me. He thought I would obediently submit, but he did not know that I had already packed my bags weeks ago, when I received the video of his affair. As I walked toward the front door, I heard him sneer behind me, "Let her throw a tantrum. She'll come crawling back in less than three days." The pack members snickered behind me, already betting on how many days I would last this time. However, the private car sent to pick me up was already waiting at the door. This time, I was cutting ties with him for good.

On the day our company went public, my wife deliberately picked a fight. She accused me of dragging the company down and demanded that I hand over the R&D rights for our new product to her first love. Instead of getting angry, I actually laughed. I even gave up my position and sincerely told her, “R&D is exhausting. Why don’t I just let him be the chief instead?” Everyone around us was stunned. They thought I had finally snapped from the stress. However, no one knew the truth. The final material that made the product actually work was incredibly complex, and I was the only one who knew how to make it. Without me, the product they had spent a whole year developing turned out to be nothing but trash. My wife’s company would have to shoulder all the losses, along with a massive compensation payout on the way.

The Vale family was the most powerful mafia syndicate in the New York City. And I—along with a few other carefully chosen girls—had been handpicked to join their ranks, trained from the ground up so that the next head of the family could choose his wife from among us. Wife. That was the kinder word for it. The truth was whoever got picked would become his shield, his weapon, his most loyal protector. Someone who would kill for him. Die for him. Years passed. One by one, the others fell away. In the end, only Elara Quinn and I remained. And then, Elara died—killed on a secret mission. After that, there were no more choices left. I became Adrian Vale’s wife by default. I had given everything to Adrian. And I loved him. I thought he loved me too until I took a bullet to the chest—meant for him. As I lay there, barely breathing, I heard Adrian talking to his assistant, “Don’t bury her in the Vale cemetery. My half is reserved for Elara.” That was it. Elara—who had never even lived long enough to marry him—still had a space carved beside him in death. I? I had taken the hit that should have ended him… and yet I wasn’t even good enough to be buried near him. I slowly closed my eyes. And when I opened them again, I was back on the day the Vale family formally announced Adrian as their new head. The day everything began.

As the Chief Delta of Alpha Hunter and his secretly married wife, Kara had always hoped that her dedication would eventually win his heart. However, everything changed when that rogue girl—Maya—appeared. She is Hunter's Fated mate. According to their pre-marriage agreement, once Hunter finds his true mate, their marriage will be over. Just then, Kara discovers that she's pregnant...

When Maya walks away from Alvarez, she thinks she’s freeing herself from a toxic love. But love doesn’t die easily. Alvarez refuses to let go, torn between rage and longing, while a new man steps into Maya’s life — calm, patient, everything Alvarez never was. Caught between memory and possibility, Maya must face the truth: can broken love be fixed, or is it better left behind?

The only thing that she wanted, was to be dearly loved by her family. But all she got was a package full of betrayal. All he wanted was to find the girl who saved him and provide her with anything that she would demand and lacked. When he came to know it was love, he not only provided her with his immense never-ending love but also a free baby that adored only her. In her teenage life, all she wanted was for one man to like her. However, when she grew up, she had an army of men, lining to make her theirs. Now, who she shall choose? How will he make her his?

"Mrs. Sterling, are you sure you're ready to end this marriage of twenty years and give up the custody?" "Yes. File it. I’m done." I said calmly through the phone as I scrubbed at a stubborn grease stain on the granite island. For twenty years, I poured my entire being into this family. I managed the households, handled the children's education , and stood by my husband's side, supporting his rise in the syndicate without complaint. But my husband Alexander brought his young adopted sister Chloe to the interview, saying, "My success today is all thanks to my adopted sister." Even my own children looked down on me, calling me common and crude housewife. They had formed an alliance with his ever-present "auntie," the woman who seemed to think she was the true lady of the house. I signed the divorce papers and walked away, leaving them to become the "perfect family" they clearly wanted. But that when the family panicked…