Vanishing Acts

“You have no idea what I am,” Lucian growls, his breath hot against her skin. Chloe’s heart races, fear and desire twining together. “Show me,” she whispers, daring him to unleash the beast within. A town full of secrets. A man who’s more than he seems. And a hunger that could destroy them both. Journalist Chloe Reynolds came to Blackthorn Ridge for a story. What she found was a town haunted by silence—and something far more terrifying than shadows lurking in the dark. Wolves are circling, bodies are vanishing, and the people warn her to leave before the night closes in. But Chloe can’t leave. Not after meeting Lucian, the brooding, dangerously magnetic leader of a mysterious pack. His gaze ignites something primal within her, something she can’t resist. Each heated encounter pulls her deeper into his world, where the line between desire and danger blurs.

Avyanna has spent her life mastering survival. A brilliant scholarship student by day, a strategist and fighter by necessity, she carries the weight of a childhood tragedy that left her orphaned. When she falls for Kairus Chu—the rebellious heir of a powerful conglomerate—she allows herself a fleeting moment of happiness. Their love defies all odds, culminating in a secret marriage despite his mother’s ruthless opposition. But behind the scenes, Avyanna’s trusted mentor, Lord Mendez, pulls unseen strings, shaping her fate for his own ends. Their love is shattered when Zhen, a cunning rival, conspires with Kairus’ mother to frame Avyanna for murder. Betrayed, sentenced to life in prison, and pregnant with Kairus’ child, she refuses to be broken. With her only ally, Huan Yue, she orchestrates a daring escape, vanishing in fire and blood—reborn as Bernadette Lu, a shadow queen of the underworld. Years later, Avyanna returns with a vengeance, dismantling the Chu empire piece by piece. She manipulates Dylan Chu, Kairus’ ambitious younger brother, and unearths the true enemy—Lord Mendez, the man who orchestrated her downfall and her parents’ deaths. As she leaves devastation in her wake, Kairus, now a pawn of his mother’s ambitions, is forced to confront the memories of the love he lost. As Zhen and the Chu matriarch fall, Avyanna stands at the precipice of her ultimate choice: to reclaim the love that once defined her or to walk away forever, knowing that vengeance has carved an unbridgeable distance between who she was and who she has become. When Kairus finally finds her, face-to-face with the daughter he never knew, the question lingers—can love survive the ashes of war?

When the Sanchez clan was on the verge of vanishing in the Mafia world, Adira Dawn Sanchez, tightened the line, protecting her falling clan. After all the attacks from big clans, trying to erase them, the fierce and fearless Adira managed to carry the Sanchez.  However, the two desperate brothers: Oliver and Otis Oliveros, came into the picture with the motive to kill Adira in order to erase the Sanchez. Having their own plans, they chased after Adira.  When Adira is looking for a bodyguard, Oliver sees his chance to enter the cave of Sanchez, while Otis befriends Adira.  But, what would the two of them do when instead of killing her, they ended up falling for her? How would Oliver kill Adira Sanchez when she was captivated by her? Playing the role as Adira’s bodyguard, Oliver ended up guarding her heart instead of ending her life. 

In the gritty heart of Duskville, where shadows hide the crimes no one wants to see, Detective Jackson Reyes works like a ghost—unflinching, relentless, and alone. Scarred by a childhood spent watching his mother suffer at the hands of a cruel man, Reyes learned early that justice doesn’t come easily. So he became it. When Lena, a young woman trapped in a world of coercion and violence, walks into his station and tells the truth no one else will hear, something shifts. As Reyes digs deeper into the criminal underworld controlled by Riko and his men, Lena becomes more than a witness—she becomes a reason. A reason to keep fighting. A reason to believe healing might be possible, even for someone like him. ______ Content Warning: This story contains themes and depictions of sxual assult, r*pe, non-consensual acts, gr*oming, sx traffcking, and dr*g use. Reader discretion is strongly advised. These topics are part of the narrative and may be distressing or triggering for some individuals. Please take care while reading.

Savannah Cole is drowning in debt and desperation when she’s summoned to a penthouse interview with elusive billionaire Colton Briggs. But instead of a job, she’s offered a contract marriage: six months, one million dollars, no intimacy, and no questions. It’s a lifeline for Savannah—until she signs. What begins as a cold, calculated agreement spirals into a twisted maze of secrets. The deeper Savannah is pulled into Colton’s opulent world, the more she realizes nothing is as it seems. A blood-stained wedding dress. A locked vault. A missing heiress who once wore her ring. Whispers echo through the mansion’s marble halls—and every warning points to one truth: Colton Briggs is hiding something dark... and deadly. Bound by lies, trapped by a contract, and stalked by shadows from the past, Savannah must decide—will she survive Colton’s world long enough to escape it? Or is she the next chapter in a legacy of vanishing brides? When love is a transaction, and trust is a gamble, the price of saying “yes” might just be her life.

There’s a thin line between desperation and destiny ****** Sophia Jenkins has lived her life in the shadows of hardship. At 23, she juggles multiple jobs, trying to lift her family out of debt while caring for her terminally ill mother. Her only dream is to escape the weight of her broken home and rewrite her family’s fate. But fate had other plans. On her birthday, when relentless debt collectors humiliate her and her father, Sophia’s world shatters—until a mysterious man steps out of a sleek black car, commanding the chaos with nothing but his presence. Leonard Morano. At 40, Leonard is the ruthless head of the Morano mafia empire, a billionaire controlling over a hundred businesses and underground casinos. What no one knows is that he was once Martin Jenkins’ best friend—and the man who silently watched Sophia grow from afar before vanishing when she was fifteen. Now, he’s back. And he’s not offering help. He’s demanding marriage. With the chilling words, “Marry me, and I will smash every obstacle in your way,” Leo pulls her into a world of luxury, power, and deadly secrets. But can Sophia survive the dark underworld Leo rules? Can love truly bloom in the cracks of fear, obligation, and a past that refuses to stay buried?

She gave him one unforgettable night. He gave her everything… except his name. Thrown into the cold streets by her abusive mother, eighteen-year-old Ava finds fleeting comfort in the arms of a stranger, a mysterious man with storm-gray eyes who makes her feel wanted for the first time in her life. But by morning, he's gone, vanishing without a trace… and leaving her pregnant and alone. Two years later, Ava’s life is a brutal cycle of survival, scraping by with her toddler son, Eli, dodging eviction, and praying for a miracle. That miracle comes in the form of a high-paying job at Blackwood Enterprises. There’s just one problem... Her new boss? Liam Blackwood. Billionaire. Ruthless CEO. And Eli’s father. When Liam discovers the shocking truth, he demands answers, a paternity test and control. But Ava is no longer the fragile girl he once held in his arms. She’s a mother. A fighter. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her son… even if it means going to war with the most powerful man she’s ever loved. But someone is watching. Threatening. And they’ll stop at nothing to destroy everything Ava’s fought to rebuild. Will she lose the man she fears, and secretly desires? Or will the truth about that night cost her the only family she’s ever known?

Years ago, ruthless mafia heir luciano De Rossi fell for a mysterious woman with a wicked smile—and lost everything. She betrayed him, vanishing with secrets that could destroy his empire. Now, she’s back. Or so he thinks. When Luca crosses paths with innocent and headstrong Eva Moretti, he's convinced she’s the same con artist who once played him. He draws her into his dangerous world, determined to get revenge. But Eva isn’t the woman he remembers—she’s her twin. And while she’s caught in his web of deception, he finds himself tangled in emotions he vowed never to feel again. As passion ignites and the past claws its way into the present, Luca must decide what’s more dangerous: the enemy who broke him… or the twin who might heal him.

Aria once believed in forever—until her husband Zane Callahan shattered her world with a divorce that felt like a death sentence. Broken, betrayed, and bleeding from the loss of their unborn child, she disappeared into the shadows and rebuilt herself as a one-week wife-for-hire. No strings. No scars. No emotions. Until Kane Callahan walked in. He needed a bride to inherit his dying father's empire. She needed one more contract before vanishing again. But one thing neither expected? The tangled past that bound them—because Kane is Zane’s estranged brother. Aria swore she would never love again. Kane swore he would never forgive. But secrets don’t stay buried. And neither do hearts that never truly stopped beating. By Monday, the contract ends. By Monday, someone will break! By Monday, a love built on lies might just be the only truth worth saving.

Cora’s life takes an unexpected turn and she finds herself torn between survival and betrayal. Devastated but determined to navigate back her life, she colluded with Keith, her once childhood crush and now a successful billionaire. In order to bring down Elliot, Keith's father, she got entangled with Keith in an arranged marriage. However, as their relationship develops, she must navigate her growing feelings for Keith while also protecting herself from the dangers that surround them. Will she be able to protect herself and her developing relationship with Keith while also solving the mysteries laid in front of her. Cora noticed the difference in how Keith acts towards her and that made her set a trap. She discovers he has a twin who lives in the basement of his house and impersonates him. She was in love with Keith but now she has to discern who she is truly in love with. Keith or his twin, Ted. The day Keith was to confess his love to her, she was stopped by Elliot who told her Keith was adopted and that he was the son of that former international smuggling ring who he killed. He also told her he found out who sent the assassins to her before the wedding and that it was Keith himself. He had the whole scene staged. Ted on the other hand also fell in love with Cora and wanted her for himself. Seeing as she chose Keith, he decided to rape her and make her pregnant with his child. That way, she would be stuck with him. Cora got a strange call from her mother. Denouement Cora's mother called to inform her of her father's death. Keith confronted Elliot and told him he knew he was adopted and that he was aware he killed