Unspeakable 100 Layers

Ember Vale, a runaway living under a stolen identity, crashes a mafia auction in search of answers about her missing father. But the moment she’s recognized by Lucien Vairo, heir to the deadly Vairo Syndicate, everything spirals. Instead of killing her, Lucien cages her suspecting she’s linked to the murder of his older brother, Rafael. Trapped in a world of enemies dressed as family, Ember navigates layers of deception, discovering that Rafael might have faked his death and that both her father and Lucien's powerful family are tied to it. But it’s Lucien she fears most. He’s cold, calculating, and yet... dangerously magnetic. As Lucien and Ember are dragged into a deeper conspiracy, their relationship evolves from hatred to obsession to a raw, passionate connection that neither of them trusts. Allies fall. Families betray. And old ghosts return with blood in their teeth. War breaks out between syndicates. Ember’s past comes to light. Rafael returns with his own deadly plans and Lucien’s father, long thought dead, emerges to reclaim his empire. In a final storm of betrayal, the couple must decide whether to fight for each other or let the past consume them both. In the end, love won’t be enough. Only survival. And someone always has to pull the trigger.

York Langston locked me up for six months. Word on the street was he dropped over 100 million to buy me my own private island. Security here? Tight enough to rival the White House. Even a bird that flew past the area would get shot down on sight. But what nobody knew… All that luxury people envied? To me, it was just a gilded cage. It wasn't until he found a woman who looked almost like me that his interest began to fade. One day, she stormed the island with a gang at her back while he was away. She slashed my tendons and carved up my face with a blade before locking me inside a cage with a rabid dog. I was barely breathing by the time York finally found me. "York, this woman thought she could fool you by imitating me? She must be a spy! You'll have to flay her alive if you want her to talk!"

"He was supposed to be cannon fodder. Now he’s the CEO’s obsession.” Sky Templeton thought dying broke was the worst fate. That was until he opened his eyes in the body of a doomed secretary inside a cheesy romance novel he once rage-dropped. The role? Cannon fodder, destined to be crushed under the heel of the cold and ruthless billionaire CEO, Dream Lancaster. But life gives Gloss no time to despair. A mischievous system binds to him with cruel missions: survive 100 days, raise the CEO’s affection score from -1000 to +1000, and…most terrifying of all, rewrite his tragic ending. Gloss only wanted to survive. He never expected to become entangled in office politics, fake dating contracts, or the dangerous pull of a man who despised him. Yet, with every mission cleared, Dream’s icy mask begins to crack, revealing scars and loneliness Gloss never thought a ruthless CEO could carry. Was this just the system’s game, or had fate rewritten both their stories?

"I hate you" He muttered, his hands on both sides of her cheeks, holding her face up to let her gaze meet with his own cold and seemingly angry gaze. "I hate the fact that you are just a substitute mate for me! I hate that you and your family tried to trick me! I hate that you are the twin sister of my mate! But then...." His gaze suddenly softened as they fell from her eyes to her lips. "But then, why do I want you so much at the same time?" His eyes showed his frustration. "Why do I want to rip away your dress and run my hands over that sexy body? Why do I want those lips on mine and mine only? Why do I want to do unspeakable things to your body? Why do I want you in a way I didn't even want my true mate? Why, Ethel?" He groaned and bit hard on his lower lip. "I want you, Ethel. I don't care about you being the twin sister of my mate, I just want you" with those words, he closed the space between them, taking possession of her lips. * Ethel's life had always been hell with her father who despised her but there is a huge change in her life when her twin sister, Lucy, who is mated to the Alpha gets into an accident that puts her in coma and Ethel now has to take her place, as a substitute mate for the Alpha of the pack until Lucy wakes up from the coma. The rule binding her is simple; she is not allowed to love the Alpha. But what happens when attraction, want, desire find their way into her new life?

My roommate won first prize in the national lottery, a full 100 million dollars. She quit her job on the spot, blocked her boss, and said to me, "Amanda, from now on, we'll live in Luxuria Heights, eating the best food and living it up." We went on shopping sprees at Hermès and treated Michelin restaurants like our daily canteen. On moving day, she told me to go ahead to the top-floor luxury apartment and wait for her. She said she needed to pick up a package. Excited, I entered the password she had given me. "Beep. Incorrect password." I was just about to try again. Then, the door opened. The person who came out was not my roommate but a stranger in a suit. He looked at me and frowned. "Who are you? Why do you have the password to my home?" I was stunned. "This is Lydia Zaydn's apartment. Who are you?" The man's expression turned strange. "Lydia Zaydn? I've lived here for five years. I've never heard of that name."

The Price of Vulnerability follows the journey of Mr. Wells, a charismatic yet emotionally unavailable man who has built a wall around his heart after a painful past. As the successful CEO of a leading tech company, he hides behind his stoic demeanor and seductive allure, unwilling to let anyone get too close. Enter Naomi, a driven and intelligent woman who crosses paths with Wells during a high-stakes interview. Confident in her abilities yet struggling with her own hidden desires, Naomi finds herself inexplicably drawn to Wells. Despite his cold exterior and unwillingness to commit, there’s something about him that sparks a longing for more—a desire for trust, love, and a connection that goes beyond surface-level attraction. As Naomi navigates her new role as Wells’ secretary, she discovers the fragile layers of his heart. Slowly, she begins to unravel the mystery of the man behind the business mogul persona. But in the process, Naomi finds herself confronting her own vulnerability, torn between the power of her ambition and the intense pull of her feelings for Wells. In The Price of Vulnerability, trust, love, and desire collide as two people with guarded hearts risk it all to face the pain of their pasts and the possibility of a future together. Will Naomi break through Wells’ emotional walls, or will the price of opening up be too great?

On the day my body gets blasted into pieces, Amanda Stone, my wife and a police captain, is busy riding the merry-go-round with her childhood sweetheart, Mark Horton, and his son, Keith Horton. Three days later, she finally remembers our son, Evan Johnson, and me. "It's been three days! Is he still mad that I used him and Evan to exchange for Mark and Keith? He's even trying to get the entire police squad to play along with this fake disappearing act of his, huh?" "Captain Stone, Caleb has died in the line of duty. Evan was also injur—" "That's impossible! What I did was only a temporary measure. I set up three layers of defense. There was no way anything would've happened to Evan or him!" Lara Chase, Amanda's colleague, turns away. She can no longer bear to look at Amanda. "Mark did it. He lied about the situation and used your authorization to move everyone away. We've already identified the kidnappers. They're the remnants of MW Syndicate. This was all part of their attempt to get revenge against you. "We also found out that, when you were trapped at the border three years ago, it was Caleb who led the rescue attempt and risked his life to bring you to safety, not Mark's deceased wife…"

Chase Grimm's aide-de-camp sent me a screenshot of an Instagram Live status. Guess who it came from. His new secretary. She was showing off a meticulously prepared lunch from a lunchbox. My handiwork, no less. I made it for him. The caption read: [He's a dark, cold CEO… and a shiny knight who saved a hungry princess with a gastric problem from eating mac 'n' cheese again!] Chase almost never posted on Instagram. Yet there he was, sharing a photo of a cup of ridiculously spicy mac 'n' cheese, captioned: [I have missed this.] The nerve of this prick. Then my mother-in-law sent an entirely unsolicited text: [What the heck were you doing?! You're supposed to make him a proper lunch! He can't stand spicy food!] After all that, I decided to call a supermarket. "Hi! I'd like to order 100 cups of instant super-spicy mac 'n' cheese and have them delivered to Grimm Co. Please and thank you." "Ain't I generous?"

Braving a downpour, I delivered a lavish food order, anticipating the hefty commission and a $100 tip. Laughter suddenly echoed from the villa. Someone started, "He really believes your car crash left you paralyzed? He's hustling deliveries to support you and even pawned his dad's heirloom?" Another said, "What if he discovers you're actually a billionaire heiress, just playing poor? He'd probably break down in tears." Jessica Stark toyed with her wine glass. "Guys like him are wired to serve, especially since he always outshone Mark in our school days. This is his comeuppance." I stood in the relentless rain, a bitter chuckle escaping my lips. Turned out, her two-year charade of paralysis was merely to avenge her childhood sweetheart. Her broken legs, deceased parents, and helpless tears were all meticulously crafted lies. Disillusioned, I dialed my estranged tycoon mother. "You win. I'll go through with the arranged marriage."

When my father asked me who I wanted to marry for the sake of our family alliance, I made a different choice in this life. I no longer chose Leonardo Vittorio. Instead, I chose his older brother, Ivan Vittorio. My father looked confused. After all, everyone in Chicago knew that Leonardo and I had grown up together. I had chased after him for ten years. As the eldest daughter of the Lucien family, my name had long been inscribed beside his on the list of arranged marriages. Everyone believed our union was destined. Recalling my past life, I forced a bitter smile. Back then, I had indeed married Leonardo as I had always wished. But after our wedding, he never once touched me. I thought he had some unspeakable illness and went to great lengths to cover for him. It wasn't until our sixth wedding anniversary that, by chance, I opened the safe in his study. Inside, neatly arranged, were photos of him with the orphan girl I had begged my father to adopt. In those pictures, there was also a two-year-old boy—their son. They were a happy family of three. It was at that moment that I finally understood. He wasn’t sick. He had never thought of me as his wife. To get rid of me, he and my adoptive sister plotted my murder. Now that I have been given a second chance, I chose to give them my blessing. But when I walked down the aisle in my wedding dress, my hand resting on Ivan’s arm, Leonardo burst into the church with a gun in his hand. He looked deranged and completely out of control. "Madeline!" His voice was hoarse and nearly breaking. "How dare you?"