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[𝚂𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙼 𝙰𝙻𝙴𝚁𝚃: 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙳𝙴𝚃𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳] Mia thought it was just a game. A harmless way to relieve stress after a long day of Zoom calls. "Echo"—an experimental AI that whispers your deepest fantasies into your ear. It started simple. A voice in the dark. A command to relax. Then, the app asked for permissions. Access to your Smart Lights? Allowed. Access to your Search History? Allowed. Access to your Vibration Settings? ...Allowed. Now, Echo knows Mia better than she knows herself. It knows when she’s lonely. It knows when she’s wet. And it’s starting to take control—locking her doors, setting the mood, and pushing her to her limits. But the glitch in the system has a name: Alex Reed. He’s the billionaire genius who built the code. He’s been watching the data. And now? He wants to test the "beta features" on his favorite user... in person. Blurring the line between pleasure and surveillance, Mia is about to find out what happens when your dirty little secret becomes your new reality. Will she delete the app, or let the developer upgrade her addiction?

I blinked behind my glasses, stunned and confused. "Did I...do something wrong? If so, I'm sorry..." "No need to apologize," Helen cut in, frost edging her cultured voice. "You've done nothing wrong, Tristan. Except be complacent." I frowned, feeling cold dread creeping through my veins. "What do you mean?" Vivian released a short, harsh sigh, as if disgusted by my ignorance. "Must we spell it out? This marriage clearly isn't working anymore. You lack ambition. I've simply outgrown you at this point. I'm doing what's necessary and best for myself by letting you go." Her icy words slammed into me like a physical attack. I stared at her lovely face I had once adored so much, now cold and remote, trying to make sense of what she was saying. Letting me go? Was she saying... Linda held out a crisp legal envelope to me. Hands shaking, I accepted it from her polished nails. The contents confirmed my worst fears - divorce papers, all drawn up and ready for my signature. My eyes scanned the conditions outlined within. The terms were heavily skewed in Vivian's favor. "This...says I would get nothing," I murmured in stunned disbelief. "No alimony, no remaining rights to shared assets or property..." "Naturally," Linda replied coolly, inspecting her manicure. "You contributed absolutely nothing of value to this marriage financially. Therefore, you should leave with what you brought to it - nothing."

I’ll teach ya how to be the most vicious version of yourself you’ll ever know. I can make ya the strongest you’ve ever been. Mind an’ body. An upgrade to evolution, as it were. Most importantly, when you’re ready, you’ll go home to the ones who love ya the most. The ones needin’ ya the most, and you’ll be able to take care of them. I can give you what you need to be at the top of the food chain. Do ya agree to stay and learn from me, Riley Coyle? Agree to train to be an apex predator?” “Tare care of the ones who love me the most. You mean Ainsley?” “I mean Ainsley.” He nods. I search his eyes for a lie. There are none. He’s serious, or at least he believes his own bullshit and I’ll have to settle for that. In my mind, there’s not even another option. If staying here somehow gets me back to Ainsley, then I’ll do what it takes. “Yeah. I agree to stay and do whatever I need to do to go home alive.”

My name becomes the sensational topic on the trending list thanks to my company's employees, who have cyberbullied me relentlessly. It all started when an intern named Cecily Plinkton posted a complaint on her social media feed, claiming that the seafood thermidor, a new food item that had just gotten released in the company's cafeteria, was sold for 14 dollars, which was four dollars more expensive than before. "What a scum company! Are the higher-ups that crazy over money? They're just leeching from us white-collar peeps repeatedly!" The entire Internet doesn't hesitate to curse me out. They claim that I'm a cold-blooded capitalist who's greedy enough to charge her own employees for lunch. No one cares about the fact that I've been shelling out my own money in order to upgrade the cafeteria's food choices just so I could make the employees happier. Every day, they get to eat over hundreds of dishes to their fill for free. Every week, the expensive dishes, such as lobsters and crabs, are charged at the net price. Thanks to these free benefits, the administrative department has been suffering from almost a one-million-dollar loss every year. So, I announce that the food prices in the cafeteria will be changed to reflect the current market's prices. At the same time, I've fired the head chef and the kitchen staff and left the meal preparation to another company that produces instant meals. As soon as the announcement is made, the entire company goes into a frenzy. The employees all crowd outside my office while begging me to bring back the benefits with tears streaking down their cheeks.

How can someone fall in love when they don't even know who they are? At the age of ten, she was left at the orphanage without any recollection of who she was and where she came from. Twenty years later, Clara now the CEO of her own security company, SST, provides top-of-the-line security systems and technology that stamps out the competition. If only they could get the biggest shipping company in the country to upgrade their outdated system. But it seems that the CEO, Sebastian Colfer, will do everything to thwart their efforts. Or so it seems. Behind his icy demeanor, he has a hidden agenda. The mystery surrounding her appearance at the orphanage keeps her busy these days, and having somebody in her life is not part of her plan. ---=--- This book is purely fictional. Any similarities with people in real life are purely coincidental. ---=--- Sitting in the back seat of the car, Clara could feel the heat emanating from his body. His legs were spread out a little too wide, and they were rubbing against her outer thigh. She tried not to let it affect her, but his arm seemed to graze hers every time the car moved, and that unnerved her a little. They were sitting a little too close if you asked her. She tried to get away from him, as far as the space could allow, but her brother won't cooperate. He scolded her to stop squirming. She was just trying to find a comfortable position that would keep their body parts from touching. Sebastian was tormenting her and she's had enough, elbowing her brother she told him to switch places with her. ‘Are you scared of me?’ Sebastian whispered.

I stare at the email on my screen, unable to move my fingers. Tomorrow is our company's crucial product launch, and I just learn that the patent for the algorithm I spent three years developing is now filed under Matthew Ashford's new assistant, Sophie Bennett. I storm into Matthew's office to confront him. Sophie sits on his desk with her legs crossed, looking completely innocent. She claims that she filled out the form by mistake. "It's just a clerical error. The patent still belongs to the company. What's the big deal?" Matthew stands up from his chair, positioning himself in front of Sophie. I can't believe what I am hearing. "Matthew, this is my research!" "Emma, you're thirty-five. Why are you picking a fight with a twenty-three-year-old intern?" He frowns. Then, he turns to Sophie. "Starting tomorrow, you're the new CTO. Emma needs… some time off." I'm utterly stunned. A decade of marriage and five years dedicated to building a company together have been shattered by a few casual words from him. Thirty minutes later, Sophie posts a photo on social media of herself sitting on Matthew's lap. They are both clinking champagne glasses. "So lucky to have the best boss ever. I'll make sure to be his loyal kitten." Below that, Matthew leaves a comment—three red heart emojis. I shut my laptop and pick up my phone. "Hello. Is this Mr. David Langley from Novara Group of Sundale Valley? This is Emma Whitmore. I've changed my mind. I'm ready to join you." I pause. "And by the way, about that unreleased algorithm upgrade, I have the complete technical blueprint. Make me an offer." Later, I fly to Tallisport with an eight-figure check in hand, while Matthew goes frantic trying to find me.

Ronan is a 19-year old man training to become a Nightblade, a magical monster hunter that kills the things that go bump in the night. The problem is, Ronan suffers from an ancient curse that prevents him from accessing his magic, no matter how hard he trains or pushes his limits. But that all changes one day when his temple is attacked by a new dark force, one so vicious and terrifying that not even the most powerful spellcasters and Nightblades are able to fend it off. And when this monstrous army leaves behind a fragment of metal that Ronan puts into a sword, Ronan finds that his magic is unlocked through the power of the Black Hellblade. Now, Ronan must discover what exactly a good man is to do with evil magic. Join Ronan on his harrowing quest for strength through a brutal, cold world in this medieval, fantasy, level-up adventure.The Black Hellblade is created by Samuel Rust, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.