Up Smoke

Tanya Reed Tanya Reed’s life went up in smoke the night her parents were murdered. Now she’s a survivor, broke, haunted, and desperate for a fresh start. The last thing she expects is to find herself cleaning offices at Lockewood Heights… or standing face-to-face with the man who will upend her fragile world. Hers isn’t a Cinderella story; it’s survival meets power. Damien Lockewood. Billionaire. CEO. Sin wrapped in a tailored suit. He’s cold, ruthless, and untouchable, everything she should hate. And yet, he’s also the man who makes her pulse race, her walls crumble and her panties wet. She’s supposed to be invisible. But one accidental discovery, a discrepancy buried deep in the company’s financial records, puts her squarely on Damien’s radar. He doesn’t do love. She doesn’t do trust. But when desire turns to danger and the lies start to unravel, Tanya learns that the Lockewoods’ secrets are darker than Damien’s reputation, and the same shadow that took her parents might destroy them both. Because somewhere between passion and power lies the truth. And the truth might cost them everything.

Elara Voss had spent her whole life in the shadows of wealth she didn’t inherit trapped in her father’s empire, dismissed by her stepmother, and humiliated by the man she once loved. On her twenty-sixth birthday, she discovers a shocking truth, her family’s fortune was never hers to claim… because someone else holds the real inheritance a man she’s never met. Determined to reclaim her life, Elara fakes a new identity and enters the glittering world of high society. There, she meets a mysterious, brooding billionaire, Kael Hawthorne, who’s as alluring as he is dangerous. He’s rumored to be ruthless, untouchable, and utterly untamed but Elara has a secret she holds the key to the empire he’s desperate to protect. What begins as a calculated alliance a partnership to outmaneuver her family soon spirals into a web of deception, desire, and betrayal. Every masquerade ball, every whispered secret, every heated glance pulls them closer… and yet, every lie threatens to destroy them both. Elara must decide will she settle for vengeance, or risk everything for love with a man who might be the only one who truly understands her?

Freda Aton dream was about to come true; getting married to her mate and future Alpha until a strange mark deemed her cursed.  Rejected and abandoned by her pack, she ran into the Blood moon pack Alpha, Craig Redding, who kept his identity hidden from her. He knew about the cursed mark, and Freda would do anything to know about the mark that just ruined her life. Together they embarked on the journey to discover who Freda really was.  Is the truth about both their identities going to break or make them?

What if you really were transported to a fantasy world and expected to kill monsters to survive?No special abilities, no OP weapons, no status screen to boost your stats. Never mind finding the dragon's treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing: how to stay alive.All the people summoned form parties and set off on their adventures, leaving behind the people who nobody wants in their group.Story of my life, thinks Colin.

When my older brother, Ivan Goldsmith, gets drugged, I'm forced to strip down and use my body as an antidote for him. After I get pregnant, Mom and Dad tell us that we're not blood-related siblings at all. They then ask him to marry me. Ivan nods in agreement. But on the same day, he gets into a car accident after he goes racing. I don't mind him having crippled legs. In fact, I insist on becoming his bride. I thought Ivan would be touched upon hearing my declaration and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. On our wedding night, our villa goes ablaze. After waking up choking on the thick smoke, the first thing that pops into my mind is to save Ivan from the inferno. Unexpectedly, I see him smashing a vase right into my head. Before I pass out, I hear his icy voice. "You, Mom, and Dad have ruined my love life! I've given all of our assets to Vicky just to make amends to her! Since all of you have ruined my life, then you might as well die!"

The news that Angelo Rizzo was becoming the new Don of Brucklin District had spread throughout the entire family. Everyone knew except me, Lila Bennett, his fiancee. He had always thought I was childish, like an irritating tail he couldn't shake off, sticking to him wherever he went. "I've only managed to bag Brucklin District all thanks to Cyrus." The study door was ajar as the scent of cigar smoke drifted out along with his voice. "Lila? Why bring her up? She's annoying. Like a piece of gum stuck to your hair." I crouched on the hallway carpet, lost in thought. Before, it was always Angelo leaving first and me realizing it too late. This time, I wanted to surprise him by going to Brucklin ahead of him. When he saw me there first, he'd realize that I was smart. But the next day, at the bus station, when the driver asked where I was going, I mixed Brucklin and Mannattan up. The driver grew impatient. Afraid he'd call me an idiot like Angelo would, I hurriedly shove the money at him. "To Mannattan! I'm going to Mannattan District!"

“Be a good girl for me and come fucking closer.” Alfred’s voice was husky, and angry. It made me dizzy with sinful lust. I gulped as I obediently closed the distance between us. He inched even closer and I felt my breath hitch when his hands found my thighs and I was hosteled up, back plastered against a wall in an instant. “Who am I?” “My- my husband.” I whispered, mouth quivering. His fingers tangled in my hair, a kiss against my arched throat. “That’s right. You belong to me, and not my fucking idiotic brother. I own everything– your body, your heart and your soul. They’re all mine.” ~~~~ Bella had her life mapped out. Go to med school, graduate, make enough money to get her father and brother a better life, and fall in love. Her plans were destroyed when she found out she had been promised to a Mafia Don as a collateral for a debt. Alfred Winston was someone no sane person wanted to mess with– he was ruthless, filthily rich and very powerful; he wields authority like second nature. How is life as the wife of a Mafia’s Don going to be for Bella? It sure as hell won’t be a bump free ride when Alfred’s younger brother– Damien, was smoking hot and hell bent on heating Bella’s curvy body up with that smoke, and let’s not forget the amount of dangers lurking at every damn corner, ready to consume Bella at the slightest opportunity.

I was a slum kid who fell for Damon Vitale, New York’s most feared Godfather. For five years, I was his. I took nine bullets for him. He’d kiss my scars as I bled out for him. Hold me close. Clasp the queen’s necklace around my throat. Then, once I healed, he’d fuck me senseless, with a passion that felt like forever. I thought we’d spend our lives together. I thought he would marry me. But on our 999th night together, he told me he was engaged. To Bianca, a mafia princess from a rival family. I swallowed my tears. He just grabbed my chin, blew smoke in my face, and laughed. "You didn't really think you could marry me, did you, Nora? Let's be clear. We fuck. That's it. You're not a partner. You're a piece of art I collect. A pet I own." A pet. That’s all he ever wanted for me. Instead, I picked up a burner phone. [I'm taking your offer. Three days. Get me the hell out of New York.]

Gina and I were just ordinary werewolves in the Silver Claw Pack. Our incomes were modest, but we married well. Her mate was the captain of the Silver Claw Pack patrol unit. Mine, the fire squad leader. They grew up together—childhood friends—and were the youngest golden duo in the Werewolf Alliance. On the day we married, our mates each bought us a luxury high-rise apartment on the top floor of the central castle, side by side, with the promise of sharing life and death together. That is, until that fateful night. Rogues broke into the central zone. Chaos reached even the upper levels of our building. The tower caught fire. Amidst the thick smoke, I sent a desperate mind-link to my mate. He blocked it. Turns out, both our mates were busy shielding their shared first love, Lifu. They ignored our calls for help. Gina dragged me as we ran. She was six months pregnant; her pup was already kicking from the panic. Her mate never showed up either. We made it to the stairwell, where we were trapped for five hours. Toxic fumes filled our lungs. I went into labor too early. My pup didn't make it. Gina bled for three days in the hospital. Her pup was gone too. Meanwhile, our mates were digging through the wreckage—twenty-four hours straight—searching for Lifu's lost dog. That was it. Right then and there, Gina and I looked at each other and knew. We were done.

Anaya Grace Santillan was a woman deprived of a complete family. Her mother died when she was twelve years old, and her father quickly remarried. She learned early to work hard to survive and finance her college education. She thought her suffering at the hands of her stepmother and father would end after graduation, but she was wrong. After finishing her studies, her father forced her into a marriage with a man she didn't love to settle his and her stepmother's debts. But what if, on her wedding day, she chose instead the man who arrived last at the hotel and pulled him before the altar? Before the man could speak, she demanded he sign the marriage contract so she could escape her torment. Aurelius Kael Quinn Gutierrez, the only child of the Gutierrez family—Asia's wealthiest and most prominent business magnates—owns various companies and will inherit his parents' empire. He never expected to be powerless against the woman who insisted on marrying him, despite her family problems. Nevertheless, he's prepared to be her bodyguard, sugar daddy, and even stalker to ensure her safety. But what if, due to a misunderstanding, she hides their child from him? "Will love and effort be enough when the heart dictates the person you choose?" author by Jelly-Gel