Twelve Minutes

Selena has always been a down-to-earth level-headed girl, the type to prioritize responsibility for everything. Even after she ends up stuck carting her toxic soon-to-be-ex around the streets of Akron. That is until a mysterious stranger in golden glowing Egyptian tattoos runs into her on the street. After a few colorful words and the strange man helping her carry her soon-to-be-ex to her car. She is dumbstruck when he touches her and both their hands begin to glow resulting in a strange golden luminescent tattoo identical to his appearing on her wrist. Freaked out Selena quickly thanks to the man, who now seems furious at the sudden appearance of the mark on her. Then takes off thinking she would never see him again. Only to run into the man the next day, to her surprise he claims that he is an alien from a long-forgotten race. A race that once came to earth long ago and created the humans, and a demigod race she and twelve other families are descendants of. Now she is tasked with trusting him to keep her safe as one of her mates. She has no idea if she should should trust him, but the only thing she can be sure of is she needs to survive. That means trusting him to keep her safe from the mercenaries of his race.

Warning: This story containes explicit scenes. Intended for those above 18... ******* Aria Blackwood has spent her life trapped beneath her father’s iron rule. When she is paraded through the glittering halls of the Grand Moon Hall, offered as a prize to unite the powerful Twelve Houses, she believes her fate is sealed. But one forbidden night changes everything. The stranger who steals her breath is no ordinary wolf. Kael Nightborne is the King of werewolves, ruler of Nightfall Keep, and the last man Aria should ever desire. When dawn comes, he turns her away, cold, distant, unreachable. Except Aria carries his child. Hunted by secrets, betrayed by blood, and chased into the dangers of the High Wilds, Aria discovers that her father, Victor Blackwood, is tied to horrors buried deep within the Forsaken Heights, sins that could tear the realm apart. As enemies close in from Ironwill Basin Pack to the shadows of Veilshade Peak, Kael is forced to choose between his crown and the woman fate never intended for him. Love was never part of the plan. Neither was a baby that could change the balance of power forever. When the truth finally comes to light, will Kael protect his hidden family, or will the past claim them both before dawn breaks?

Ida gave birth to a new born baby on the day of her wedding anniversary, but her happiness didn't last for long, cause the nurse informed her that her baby died. Before she could break down in tears, her husband and her sister appeared and claimed they killed the child, what's worse, her husband told her the only sex she thinks they had was with another man and not him. He declared heartlessly to her that he had never loved her and that it was her sister that he loved. On that same spot, he threw the divorce paper to her and forced her to sign. Five years later, a cute little boy held onto her leg clingingly and was demanding her to be his mum, since she has less than twelve months left to live according to the doctor, she thought she could spend that time with this adorable kid. Could she be connected to the boy in some twist of fate? What will happen when she got contracted to be a nominal wife to the little boy's father so she can be able to take care of the boy? Unbeknownst to her that the little boy's father, Ben Don was her CEO, at the same time, the anonymous and mysterious richest man in the continent.

Bonnie Walton had a crush on Jude Ashford since the first time she saw him when she was twelve and he was twenty-two. Jude is her brother’s best friend. He was always indifferent towards Bonnie until the summer she turned fifteen and he caught her reading a smut book and promised it was their little secret. Over the years, her feelings for Jude developed from a crush into a burning, heart-wrenching desire.  After years of not seeing each other, she can no longer hide her feelings for him on her eighteenth birthday, and their attraction ignites. They have the most lustful and sinful that leads to Bonnie losing her vCard to Jude.  Jude Ashford is the synonym of perfection, CEO of Ashford Publishing. He never steps out of line, being the most respectful man on the face of the earth. Jude always tries to be away from the spotlight his name brings.  What will happen when the woman that broke his heart ten years ago reappears in his life engaged? Will Jude be able to fight the jealousy he feels and allow her to find happiness with another, or will he fight to be with her?  Now that Bonnie is back in New York and living with her brother, Will Jude, and Bonnie be able to keep their hands to themselves? Or will their red-hot scorching desire for each other to get them to be together and reveal their attraction? Even if it means losing their best friend and brother’s support?

Crystal Blues, a young woman from a low-class family, endured the tragic loss of her parents when she was just twelve years old. Left with the weighty responsibility of caring for her younger sisters, she faced a challenging path ahead. Fortune smiled upon her when her path crossed with an archangel in the name of Mervin Brooklyn who offered his assistance, thus lightening the burden she bore. As fate would have it, Crystal eventually obtained evidence pointing to her parents' murderers, only to discover that they were part of a formidable and powerful family. Life took an even more complicated turn when she found herself entangled in a complex love triangle. Her affections were torn between Mervin, her guardian archangel, and the daughter of the family responsible for her parents' demise. Fuelled by a burning desire to bring the responsible family to justice, Crystal made the bold decision to reveal the damning evidence she held against them. However, the tables quickly turned, and Crystal's loved ones were thrust into jeopardy, becoming bargaining chips in exchange for the proof of the family's wrongdoing. Now, she stands at a harrowing crossroads, forced to make a life-altering choice that could either rescue her from impending tragedy or condemn her to a painful repetition of history.

My name is Ivy Lawson. At 3:00 am, I get a call from Christina McSpire, a parent of one of my students. "Hello, Ms. Lawson, I noticed Zoe only spent five dollars on her meal yesterday. Did she not eat any meat?" she asks. Pushing through my exhaustion, I reply, "Don't worry, Mrs. Street. I'll check on it tomorrow." Another half hour goes by, and she calls again. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Can you remind Zoe to bring an umbrella?" I can hardly keep my eyes open. "Got it," I reply absentmindedly. A few minutes later, my phone rings once more. "Please make sure Zoe brushes her teeth for three minutes. It's also important that she scrubs each side of her face at least three times." Suppressing my frustration, I calmly respond, "Zoe is in her senior year of high school. I'm sure she's capable of taking care of herself." I expect that to be the end of it, but when I wake up, my silenced phone shows over a hundred missed calls.

My husband, Alex Walter, was the head of the Bodyguard Association. When I was about to be killed by the kidnappers, he was comforting his childhood crush, Susan Miller, who was sobbing in his arms. While the kidnappers stopped for a meal, I called Alex five times calmly. He was angry when he finally answered. "Susan was just rescued from the kidnappers, and she needs me. If you want me to come home, stop using your own kidnapping as some excuse to compete for attention. It is pathetic!" Hearing Susan's sweet and delicate voice in the background, I had no time to argue with him. Instead, I called the Bodyguard Association. The operator informed me that Alex had pulled all the city's bodyguards away thirty minutes earlier to rescue Susan. When the kidnappers returned, they mocked Alex's heroic efforts to save Susan, mobilizing the entire force for her. If I remember correctly, this was Susan's twenty-eighth kidnapping this month. As the kidnappers approached me with guns and tasers, I closed my eyes in despair. Before I died, I used all my strength to send Alex one last text message, [No matter what, I loved you. Move on from me.]

Richard Lorde’s childhood friend had just become a widow. On our fifth wedding anniversary, he brought his childhood friend and her daughter into a karaoke box and removed my ring right before everyone. “Lily needs a proper status right now. It’s no longer right for you to wear that ring. “Resign from your job tomorrow and take care of Lily and her daughter.” Everyone in the room fell silent as they waited for me to blow my top off. But I said nothing. I calmly brought out the divorce agreement I had already signed, put it on the table, and left. My best friend stood up to advise me against it, but Richard just swung the wine glass and snorted. “Let her. She’ll come begging for my forgiveness before tomorrow.” When I slammed the door shut, I heard laughter from the room. What they did not know was that half an hour ago, I had received a message telling me that my visa application had been approved. The person in charge of picking me up had been waiting at my house ten minutes ago. This time, I was not turning back.

À quelques minutes de deux cérémonies de mariage prestigieuses à Chicago, deux vies basculent. Emmanuella Johnson, jeune femme d'une beauté fragile et éthérée, et Logan Smith, héritier au charisme sombre, sont lâchement abandonnés à l'autel, laissant derrière eux une humiliation publique et des familles dévastées. Face au désastre, Leslie Johnson, la mère ambitieuse et stratège d'Emmanuella, voit dans leur malheur commun une opportunité. Elle propose une solution radicale à Logan, se marier l'un à l'autre. Un mariage blanc, une bouée de sauvetage mutuelle pour sauver les apparences, éviter le scandale et gagner du temps. Sans se connaître, poussés par le désespoir et la fierté blessée, les deux jeunes gens disent « oui ». Ils deviennent époux devant une assemblée médusée, unissant leurs destins par un pacte né du chaos.

Cesare Xandri, the rising gangster of the Nalitan mafia, unexpectedly lost a bet at an elite private casino in Ithel, the kind that smells like cigar smoke and blood money. The penalty was simple, he had to call his hard-to-tame pet. The phone was on speaker. The men circled him, whistling and hooting, waiting to be entertained. He asked what I was up to in a relaxed and amused tone. I replied softly, insinuating he was sinful, hiding my defiance behind innocence and fake devotion. When I finished my insult, the room fell silent, then burst into loud and uncontrollable laughter. The call ended. Less than thirty minutes later, the mansion gates were smashed open. He stormed in smelling of gunpowder, a Beretta still in his hand. He pushed me against the wall furiously beneath the Virgin Mary statue. I leaned into him without hesitation, fingers brushing the heated gun, and I met his gaze without fear. I chose virtue and rejected him in my past life, in return I was thrown into the open sea to die. I intended to be his temptation when I got a second chance at life, I wanted to be a beautiful sin that ends his story under the Cecilian sun.