The Tale Of The Bamboo Cutter

With the rise of a new crime lord who calls himself the 'Silent Man', Goldfinch is brought to disruptions. A small town in west California, known for being home to numerous criminals. However, no villain in the history of Goldfinch has come close to being as sinister as the Silent Man. Four friends, convinced they can defeat the Silent Man and bring their town to peace, start their adventurous journey, not aware of the tests and life-threatening events the rough road holds for them.

A burglar breaks into our home, taking my mother-in-law and me captive. He stabs my mother-in-law's eyes, blinding her. Then, he slices her tongue and strips her, even putting on a live stream to air the whole thing. He claims that he'll auction my mother-in-law's organs if we can't pay the ransom of ten million dollars. The live stream infuriates the Internet, and everyone starts searching for my husband, the city's wealthiest man. No one knows he's on a luxury cruise ship, holding an engagement ceremony with his childhood friend. He snarls, "What a dumb excuse to trick me out of my money! I'll burn the money for them when they're dead!"

It's my husband, Niall Luther's birthday. I take my son to the hospital to visit Niall since he's working late; I want to surprise him. However, we get into an accident on the way there. When I rush to the hospital with my bloodied son in my arms, I see Niall holding his first love's daughter. He coos at her and says, "This might be a small wound, but there's a risk of infection if it isn't handled well!" His first love, Chelsea Blanc, gives him a chiding look. "You treat Lulu so well that I'm getting jealous." Niall wraps an arm around her. "It's only because I love you. You're the one I love the most." I pull out my phone and call him. He keeps his arm around Lulu White and rejects my call. So, I text him, telling him our son is injured and has been taken to the hospital where he works. I tell him he needs to attend to our son. However, he berates me for lying. I have no choice but to take my son elsewhere for treatment. Before leaving, I see Niall kiss Chelsea tenderly and tell her he wants to take her to an amusement park. That's when I know he and I are over.

20 year old Destinee Shaw was the future Alpha of the Snow Moon Pack, until she didn’t receive her wolf at 18 like everyone else. She was stripped of her title and made Omega, a defect basically human. For two years she was shunned and abused by her Alpha father and pack. Until one day she meets her fated mate Alpha Titus Blackwood of the notorious Venom Fang Pack. In a fit of panic Destinee rejects her pack, shifting for the first time. Little does she know her wolf was the wolf of Selene the Moon Goddess. Aura has abilities and is bigger and stronger than any Alpha.

Ten years ago, he was forced to escape from a rich and powerful family. From then on, he drifted away like an ant, and everyone could bully him. Until that day, he dialed the familiar yet strange number. If you hold my hand, I will make you proud...

"You're so beautiful" she blushed, placing her hands on his face. "The most handsome", she said, still looking at him with the most beautiful hazel eyes. "Take your hands off me" He snapped, pulling away creating distance between them but she closed it...again. "Leave!" He warned for the last time as his last restraint slipped away, fangs elongating. Fear gripped her, she ran but couldn't make it past the door. Catching her swiftly, he slammed her hard on the wall. "Too late princess" he hissed, as his beast surfaced. Nicole is a beautiful regular vampire female, with eyes that keep you locked, leaving heads turning whenever she walks past. But for some weird reason she never fancies any male vampires that came her way until she met Lucas, the most powerful hybrid.. To Nicole, he is just an ordinary man, the most handsome she has ever seen but never did she know that Lucas is no man but a super hybrid vampire who survives only on the blood of vampires. Falling completely for his charm, will Nicole meet her end? Or is the predator about to fall in love with the prey??

I had everything planned a month in advance for our holiday. I was going to take my wife and daughter on a trip to see the country's beautiful landscapes, but just before we were supposed to leave, they both disappeared. I ended up standing alone in the pouring rain, trying to call them. My daughter's voice came through over the phone—it was cold and impatient. "Mommy's having dinner with Uncle Skyler. We don't want to go anymore." Right after that, the call was cut off. I had been blocked. They locked me out of the house on purpose and left me to freeze out there all night. The rain had already drenched me, and I was running a high fever that turned into pneumonia. Meanwhile, the two of them were off enjoying a vacation with Skyler Shire. That was the moment I knew—this marriage was well and truly over.

“Your wife, Ivara, is finally back in your life, Mr. Elzaek, so why are you still running after me?” Eizlina shouted at that man, whom she had loved more than her own self. His infuriated gaze glowered at her shimmering eyes. “Wait a minute….” She bitterly chuckled, while stepping closer to him. “Is it because you want to keep me in your life as your mistress now?” his fists curled at her words. “So that you can force me to continue to open my legs for you, isn't it, Theron Elzaek?” She screamed at him. His jaw clenched, hearing her. “Fine, I will continue to open my legs for you, but now the only difference would be….” She got so close to him that their bodies grazed. “I will open them not just only for you but any man, who would……” he shut her up by aggressively grabbing a fist of her hair. Eizlina hissed in pain. Her body slammed against his. “The only man, who is allowed to touch, embrace and love you…..” he pushed his face closer to hers. “Is me, Eizlina Theron Elzaek….” husking those words, he smashed his mouth against hers. “Only me…Eizlin,” that name from his mouth shattered her heart. **************** Eizlina found her love in Theron, a widower, who forcefully married her just to satiate his vicious vengeance against her closed ones, but her love became a sin when his love and his deceased wife, Ivara, came back in their lives and claimed back everything, which had always been rightfully hers, including Theron and his love. So what would Eizlina do when she found out, the man, whom she had loved unconditionally and whose child was breathing inside her, had never considered her more than just the VEIL OF HIS FIRST LOVE? *DARK-ROMANCE*

"We are enemies." "That doesn't stop me from possessing you." He breathed and every word he whispered later on sent chills down my spine, "You are mine, Amara. From the pale blonde strands of your hair to your faded nail-polished toes. Every breath you take is mine. Not excluding the freckles dusting your cheeks to the pimples on your face. Your misery is mine, which I shall bring upon you myself. From your giggles to your random nonsensical chatter, I own them! Your darn strawberry moments are mine. Every drop of blood that flows through your veins belongs to me and so does your last breath when I snuff life out of you, watching as your pretty green eyes lose their shine and your heartbeat goes dull beneath my palm." His hand traveled to my neck, fingers lacing around it, and he squeezed a bit, "Who do you belong to?" He asked capturing my ear lobe between his lips and I shivered. "Myself and you can't have me!" I swung my head back and crashed it against his, sending him reeling backward. **************** You have got to let your loved ones know what's happening with you' Amara snow Dardanos learns this the hard way when her perfect world is crushed by a secret she kept away from her family. Orian Wolfe Akanther, one of the leaders of the underworld is given the task of taking the werewolf princess as vengeance for the injustice and treachery done to his kind. The plan was simple, to take her, watch her family and kind crumble beneath his finger tips and then kill her but that plan seems to foil when his nonexistent heart leans towards her and he is at the risk of breaking a blood oath.

To cheer up his pretty assistant, my boyfriend brought her to attend a party. I had to bail him out after he was arrested by the police. The charge? Public indecency after consuming illegal substances. When I arrived at the police station to pick him up, he was still trying to comfort his assistant, paying no heed to the possibility that I might have seen the lipstick marks on his neck. After seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, my boyfriend assumed I was upset and explained impatiently, “Winnie was in a terrible mood that day, and I was just there to keep her company. We didn’t take part in any public indecency! It was the other guests who were messing about!” What a terrible excuse. If it was any other day, I wouldn’t be this calm. This time was different. I will no longer press him for answers like a mad woman. As I walked past the police station entrance, an officer looked at my boyfriend and his assistant, who were still all over each other. With eyes full of sympathy, he asked me, “Your partner?” I glanced at my boyfriend, whose focus was entirely fixated on Winnie, and shook my head. “No, just an acquaintance.” At that moment, Winnie was leaning against him, seeking his comfort. I pulled out my phone and texted my dad silently. “I agree to marry President Lee. I’ll leave the wedding preparation to you guys.” “I’ll be back in five days.”