Thirty Three

Two months into my cold war with Sean, the lover he’d been keeping finally danced her way right up to me, the real deal. Everyone expected me to react the same way I always had before, kicking up a huge scene to stake my claim. Instead, I looked at the intimate photos of Sean and her in the group chat, smiled, and sent them my blessing. [Looking good. Wishing you two a long and happy life.] The chat went dead silent. Sean must’ve sobered up from his little paradise because in the middle of the night, he drove home and pounded on my door. He was furious. “Do you think this is funny?” However, I only met his gaze calmly. “Honestly, after all these years, none of it is.”

Ian Tost was the prince of the notorious underworld. Everyone in Harbor City knew he spoiled me rotten. He even went so far as to hire ninety-nine female bodyguards to keep me from harm. It did not prevent a kidnapping attempt on me. One of those bodyguards, Cece Yates, ended up with nothing more than a scratch. Ian immediately brought in the nation’s top medical specialists to treat her. To comfort her, he even took her to the Maldives for a vacation and gifted her an island. Not long after they returned from their trip, Beatrix Kazinsky, my mother, suddenly suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Then, Michael Kazinsky, my younger brother, died in an accident during a competition. I burst into the morgue while in tears, only to overhear Ian comforting Cece. “All right now, it was my fault you got hurt last time. I’ve made Mira’s family pay for it. You’ve got too much grace to hold a grudge against her.” With my nails digging into my palms, I finally realized everything that had happened to my family was Ian’s doing. It was all just because his precious bodyguard got hurt because of me! I stumbled out of the hospital with my brother’s death certificate in a daze. On my phone, messages from that person kept coming. It added up to ninety-nine share transfer agreements, along with his promise. [As long as you want me, my arms will always be open for you.]

Alex, a CEO and university professor, struggles with his disabled legs, leading him to be harsh on himself and others. Claire, the daughter of a prostitute, feels low self-esteem and faces numerous challenges in her life with nothing to offer. They are afraid to approach each other, yet their hearts yearn to be together. 'I never chose to love her; my heart did, and I was powerless against it.' 'Three years, thirty years, three hundred years... as long as your heart still loves me, I will still be here waiting for you.'

Thirty days is long, thirty days is short. It comes and goes in a blink of an eye, again it can wash you over with all the happiness you want. Eva had only Thirty Days. Thirty Days to make her husband fall in love with her. Thirty Days to claim what was rightfully hers, his heart. The question is, Is Thirty Days enough? No?! Then add Sixty Kisses to it! Thirty Days and Sixty Kisses, Eva has her husband on his knees before her. Let's travel through the chapters and unravel her story. Caution: This story contains heavily mature content. Rated 18+

Damien who was known as a ruthless alpha was waiting for his mate for thirty years. He had three Lunas but all were dead. There was a rumor that he killed his mate. But Lilia who was betrothed to another alpha come out to be his mate. What will he do to win her back? and what will be her fate? What will Lilia decide when she would know that she was not her first Luna. And what will happen when she would get to know that he killed his mate.

“This agreement states that Blake Monroe will act as Ethan Blackwood’s girlfriend for a duration of three months, in exchange for the sum of thirty million dollars, to be paid upon successful completion of the arrangement.” I dropped the paper. He watched me with that damn smirk. “Well?” I stared at him. “Are you completely out of your f**king mind?” Blake didn’t mean for it to go that far. It was supposed to be a quick one time thing one reckless plan. But she picked the wrong guy. Or maybe… the right one. Ethan Blackwood. The youngest billionaire in New York. And instead of pressing charges, he offered her a deal: be his fake girlfriend for 3 months in exchange for thirty million dollars. Thirty million dollars. Blake accepted with only one condition No sex between them. From the look of things she needed this money. She had just lost her job and home. Easy, right? Blake finds her self falling in love with Ethan who does not do love and doing the one thing she didn’t want to do in the first place. But when the lies start to feel like truth… What happens when the contract ends and she finds out the truth of her parent’s death? Will he love her back? Will Ethan still want her when this act is over? Or will she just be another deal he planned to walk away from?

My daughter’s kindergarten held a family event, and I rushed there, only to see her holding hands with my wife’s male secretary. “Daddy,” she said, “I wish our family could stay like this forever.” I watched as the three of them hugged, radiant with happiness. Suddenly, exhaustion washed over me. Later, I filed for divorce. Then I left to teach in rural villages for thirty years. If I couldn’t light the lamp in my own home, I’d at least illuminate the path for others.

The life cycle of a butterfly lasts for an average of thirty days. In human time that was nothing. Within that thirty days the butterfly would go through the craziest of cycles, starting as an egg enclosed within a shell that is both impenetrable and fragile. Then that shell would break to let out a creature that was hideous and scary and weird. Soon the creature would enclose itself completely for the second time, never to be seen like that again. It was a period of transformation. In thirty days, a butterfly's life will be complete, coming out of the cocoon as a changed and majestic creature. But humans aren't butterflies and thirty days weren't enough. Book cover credits to the amazing A-Graphics (@hiagraphics). Check her works on https://www.facebook.com/hiagraphics/

Have you ever heard of this secret, mysterious cruise? On a cruise ship that traverses the expansive ocean on New Year's Eve, rows of beautiful yet blind masseuses wait to be selected. To search for my sister, I pretend to be blind and think of a way to sneak onboard that cruise ship. A bigwig selects me and takes me back to his suite. He tilts my jaw and waves a hand before my eyes. "Are you really blind? Let's try something different, then…"

Steven Lambert claimed my mother almost killed his wife and daughter, branding me as a sinner from birth. For twenty years, he and his family tormented me in the name of atonement. I was forced into a cruel marriage with the vile Caleb Carpenter in Cindy's place, only to suffer a tragic end. Only then did the Lamberts realize I was their daughter. Yet all this time, the very existence they believed to be a sinner enjoyed their bottomless affection and adoration.