Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels Novels & Stories

"Shut down for rectification, fined $500,000, plus $300 compensation per customer. That’s the penalty from the Food Safety Bureau. Let’s see if you dare serve us gutter oil again!” Yves Larson, a part-timer at a construction site, sends me a provocative text purposefully, as though he's worried that I don't know what's going on. I just stare at the sign that says "closed for renovation", which is hung on the front door of my eatery. Never would I expect that the budget eatery that I've opened for the sake of the workers will be transformed into a blade that's aimed at me, thanks to the very same workers. That night, I sit in the apartment that my dad has left to me before his death. There, I spend the whole night smoking. Early the next morning, I head over to the bank and withdraw the money left behind by my dad, which is 260 million dollars. Half a month later, my eatery is open for business again. Work resumes at the construction site as well. Yves leads the construction workers to the restaurant at lunch. "I've taught him a good lesson last time. This time, I'm very sure that he won't have the guts to serve us cheap food made of shitty ingredients!" What he doesn't know is that the original eatery is already demolished. In its place stands a luxurious five-star restaurant. I stand in front of the main entrance as I perform a welcoming gesture to the workers. "This is a five-star restaurant that offers a private dining experience to you. The minimum bill for each table is 4000 dollars. You're welcome to dine here."

Nicole Blake discovers her husband Rhett has been sleeping with her best friend Ashley and has been since before their wedding day. Trapped in a marriage built on lies, abuse, and stolen silence, Nicole makes a calculated move: she invites Ashley's nineteen-year-old son Evan to live with her as an act of revenge. What she doesn't know is that Evan has been secretly in love with her for years and has his own reasons for walking through her door. What begins as a cold, deliberate scheme slowly becomes something neither of them planned for. But the deeper they fall, the more dangerous their world gets — blackmail, a crypto conspiracy, and violent confrontations that force them to choose between burning everything down and fighting for something real. Some revenge stories end in destruction. This one ends in something neither of them saw coming.

Am sorry Eric but my heart belongs to someone else. To another man and he is none other than your dad. So we can't have anything between us. I really love him. I told Eric finally after going into circles the all day. You know he also....... Shut up you bitch!!!! He vexed out on me before l could continue the sentence.

BLURB “What … What are you?” Noah asked, voice cracked, eyes wide as the cold breeze grazed his skin. Before him was Liam, in his werewolf form, frozen in place. ******* Liam Rayne has loved his best friend for years, unfortunately, his best friend — Noah Carter, isn't gay, hates rich people and can never know Liam's biggest secret. Liam isn't just a college student, he is the future Alpha of one of the most powerful werewolf packs in New orleans and Noah is his mate. So Liam does the only thing he can do —stay close to Noah, stay quiet and pretend friendship is enough but when a theatre role forces them to play lovers on stage, control eludes him because the more Noah stares at him, the more his wolf claws to the surface.

His large hand wraps around my throat just enough to make my pulse race, pinning me to the rain-slicked cabin wall as thunder rolls outside. “We can’t keep doing this,” he growls, but his hips grind against mine, hard and insistent, while his free hand slips under my skirt to find me already soaked. I whimper, arching into his touch, craving the sharp sting of his palm across my ass, the way he commands me to come for him like I’m his dirty little secret. My father’s best friend, the man who’s been in my life forever finally breaking every rule to claim me roughly, deeply, until I’m trembling and marked by him. What begins as one reckless, forbidden night spirals into an addiction of heated stolen moments, whispered dominance, and raw need… until the truth crashes down, pregnancies and betrayals threaten to shatter us, and everyone we love demands we end it. But how do you walk away when the only person who owns your body and heart refuses to let go?

My mother-in-law, Eleanor, was having a heart attack, and my husband, Ben Dover—a heart surgeon—was the only one who could save her. Did I call him? Nope. I just stood there, watching her gasp like a fish out of water. In my last life, I'd begged Ben to come save her. He brushed me off, accusing me of interrupting his time with his mistress, Ima Schit. No matter how much I pleaded, he wouldn't come. Eleanor had died in the hospital. And when Johnny, my father-in-law, demanded answers, Ben flipped the script, saying I'd never even called. He made Eleanor's death my fault. Johnny, blinded by grief and fury, killed me. But plot twist—I woke up. Right back to the day this circus started.

She's everything he shouldn't want... and yet, she's all he seems to think about. Everyone knows the ancient rule; Never go for your best friend's younger sister. But that's exactly what he did. The problem is... he can't seem to stop. Especially not when she gives his those eyes as he thrust his hard cock into her tight little cunt.

I was working as a stunt double for a fight scene when a rising idol actor stabbed me with a real knife and sent me straight to the hospital. My actress girlfriend rushed over in a panic, fussing over me with endless concern. Before I could even feel touched, a floating comment suddenly appeared above her head. [When is Scott finally going to realize that the Best Actress linked him and Francis through a Beauty System?] [The more Scott cares about a certain part of his body, the more perfect that same part becomes on Francis!] The next second, my manager of five years hurried into the room as well. Another barrage of comments floated up. [The manager's no better. She tied them to an Achievement System. The harder Scott works, the more achievements Francis gets!] I stared at the two women in front of me and fell silent. So… my only option was to give up and do nothing?

After marrying the man she had been eyeing secretly, Aria thought that she would have a happy ever-after. But on their third wedding anniversary, her world was shattered into a million pieces. She had been eager to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but when she went looking for husband, she found him on top of her step-sister, on his office table. Shattered, and unable to make sense of what was happening, Aria accepted a deal from her ex-husband's arch-enemy, but before they agreed to anything, they had to set rules. Aria's rule nu, Would Aria and Damian stick to their rules, or would they let their hearts rule?

Eighteen-year-old Eunice secretly loves Denver, her brother Paulo’s best friend. Before he leaves for U.S. medical school, their passion culminates in her losing her virginity; he vows to return and seek Paulo’s blessing. Scared of Paulo’s reaction and pressured by parents to focus on studies, immature Denver panics and ghosts her, believing distance is best. Years later, hearing of her pregnancy via a friend and getting shut down by Paulo (protecting her secret), he misinterprets it as her moving on and stays away. Eunice, feeling abandoned, raises son Leo alone in silence. After ten years, Denver returned, now a pediatrician engaged to another, treats Devon and spots the uncanny resemblance and timeline. Confrontation reveals Devon is his son; misunderstandings unravel. Denver ends his engagement and pleads for forgiveness . Eunice must choose: reclaim their love or safeguard her heart after a decade of pain from fear and miscommunication. A tense second-chance romance on the misunderstanding trope, delving into regret, pride, and enduring love.