There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch

Mi esposo, el jefe de la mafia, pierde a su primer amor por suicidio. Celeste Reyes no podía aceptar que se casara conmigo. Desde entonces, Darius Sterling la llora públicamente todos los días, y nos convertimos en esa clase de pareja que se desprecia más que a nadie. Sin embargo, cuando la familia Moretti de Eastbourne envía asesinos tras de mí, Darius recibe la bala que estaba destinada a mí. La bala estaba envenenada. Mientras yace débilmente en mis brazos, susurra: —Te he salvado la vida. Mi deuda con tu madre está saldada. En nuestra próxima vida, no volvamos a encontrarnos. Ya no quiero odiarte. Solo espero que siempre seas la chica de al lado. Ahora es mi momento de estar con Celeste. Y así como así, muere en mis brazos. Lloro con todas mis fuerzas, pero Darius no vuelve a mirarme. Solo entonces me doy cuenta de lo tonto e infantil que ha sido nuestro odio durante todos estos años. Más tarde, después de eliminar a los Moretti, me quito la vida por él. Sin embargo, cuando vuelvo a abrir los ojos, tengo 20 años, el año de nuestro compromiso. Rechazo el plan de mi padre de un matrimonio concertado y decido ir a New Verden a gestionar el negocio familiar. Esta vez, me mantendré lejos de Darius y le daré a él y a Celeste mis bendiciones.

WARNING: MATURE CONTENT Isabella Monte is distraught when her family loses everything. Determined not to lose her parents, she swore on her father's hospital bed to get back all they had lost, however her father told her that it was futile as their suffering was caused by Angelo Flores, the wealthiest bachelor in Panama. Angelo would stop at nothing to completely get rid of the Monte's as he blames them for the death of his parents and sister. While at the hospital with her father, Isabella is visited by none other than Angelo and a deal is placed before her. "Marry me and I will let your family go." Against her father's will, Isabella agrees to Angelo's demands. Her hatred for him is stronger than ever as she vows to make him pay for her family's suffering. But, what happens when Isabella finds herself falling for the enemy?

. . . (Past is past. Future is future. The Present is who I am now.) BORN WITH UNUSUAL GREEN EYES AND BLACK WINGS. A CHILD OF A BEAST. HIDDEN FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. Cyan just wanted to be normal and to be treated normal for her entire life. Unfortunately, she wasn't born fully human. Being like that, she didn't experience a normal life, in fear of getting found out by others. One afternoon, out for a walk, she encountered a woman, but she was someone who have the same green eyes and black wings as her. Also claiming to be someone who will take Cyan where she truly belongs. However, that was not only that. The woman told her that there were enemies that also want her for actually being the daughter of a General with unknown whereabouts, and a war between their own kind was brewing. A war that had stopped long ago and was starting again. In order to track her father who left her since birth and to keep her human mother safe from danger, she had no choice but to go with the woman. Now, she was caught with all the troubles she didn't know would come to her. TRIGGER WARNING/ CONTENT GUIDELINES: This story contains mild to strong language and deceptions of violence that may be triggering and not suitable for some readers.

I run into a group of rogues on my way home for my daughter's birthday. I call my wife for help, but she blocks my number. I'm dragged out of the car, stabbed a dozen times, and thrown into the bushes to die. My neck is broken, and my organs are spilling out of my body. The rogues think I'm going to die—they even mention each other's names before me. Then, they drive off in my car while whistling happily. I hold onto my head and organs as I crawl to the roadside, hoping against hope that someone will save me. Before I'm taken to the hospital, I see my wife's social media update—she and her secretary have taken a sweet photo together while celebrating our daughter's birthday. The first thing I do after being discharged is demand a divorce.

I was in love with Ethan Black, a brilliant man with big dreams. I gave him my twenties, my body, my loyalty. I worked three jobs while he chased his startup dreams. And when he finally made it, he became a stranger. Then I found out he got another woman pregnant, the same woman who dumped him in college when his family lost everything. That nearly destroyed me. But I stayed. I told myself love was worth it. But nothing could prepare me for the day he left our four-year-old daughter home alone… to go see her. And our little girl died. I buried my child and with her, the woman I used to be. Now, I live for one thing only: Revenge. He took everything from me. Now I’ll take everything from him. He doesn’t know it yet… but I’m not the same woman he left behind. And by the time I’m done, he’ll wish he never met me.

Ten years ago, I ditched a high-paying job for my family. A decade later, they asked for my kidney—supposedly for my daughter, Talia. Turns out, the real patient was Hudson's first love's son. They didn't even fake remorse. Hudson sneered, convinced I couldn't survive without him. Talia called me old and fat, acting like I should be grateful to help Bianca's kid. A whole decade of sacrifice, and what did I get? No love. No thanks. Just entitlement. To them, I was nothing but a free, disposable maid. So I walked. No regrets. I rebuilt my life, found a job, and never looked back. Then reality smacked them. Hudson and Talia finally realized everything I'd done. They begged me to come back—but my heart was already stone-cold. In the end, I left the country, threw myself into work, and finally learned what it meant to live.

My father hates my mother for ruining his chance with his first love, and his hatred spills onto me, the unwanted child who carries her blood. I'm 18 when I'm kidnapped. The abductor calls Dad, who is a police officer, and threatens him. Dad thinks I staged the whole thing myself and tells the man to slice me apart if he wants to. The abductor tortures me to death. He even cuts my body into pieces and feeds it to the fish. Only then does Dad lose his mind. He tracks down the abductor and hacks him to death.

On my way to the bank, I stumbled across a post: [What's the most shameful thing you've done behind your partner's back?] One comment stood out: [I secretly married my first love, and my girlfriend keeps dumping money into our joint account like an idiot. She actually thinks I'm saving for a house. There's already sixty-seven grand in there. Once she hits eighty, I'm taking it all!] The flood of likes made my stomach twist. I pulled up my account balance. Sixty-seven grand. Not a penny more, not a penny less. So, my boyfriend secretly married his ex.

When the ruthless heir of a crime syndicate comes to collect an old debt, Jade's world shatters. His father owes money he can't repay, and his desperate solution is unthinkable. He offers Jade's underaged sister as a bride to the merciless Salvatore Domenico. But Jade won't let his sister be sacrificed. Instead, he steps forward, offering himself in her place. What Jade doesn't know is that Salvatore has been waiting for this moment. Years ago, Jade's powerful family branded Salvatore's father a traitor and had him killed. Now, Salvatore has returned, not for money, but for revenge. Taking Jade into his world of blood, loyalty, and violence should have been the perfect punishment. Yet, the closer Salvatore draws him into the shadows, the more the line between vengeance and desire blurs. Revenge was supposed to be sweet. But Jade tastes like something far more dangerous.

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.