Victorious Christmas Tori

We were stuck on the highway in the middle of the Christmas travel rush. My husband’s childhood friend had not only taken the passenger seat from me, but she had also propped her bare feet up on the center console. “Don’t take it to heart, Yvonne. I’m just a casual person and like to be my true self, unlike you and your fake propriety,” Michelle Gail said. As she spoke, she snatched my phone right out of my hand and read a holiday greeting from a male colleague aloud. “Oh, you have quite a few backup options, don’t you? I bet you cheated on Charles a long time ago.” My husband, Charles Carter, however, only defended her. He said, “She’s just being casual. Don’t be so petty as to hold it against her.” I smiled. They did not know that I had accidentally been bound with a system before. As the system had bound the wrong person, it promised to fulfill one wish for me unconditionally as compensation. Without a moment of hesitation, I swapped the system for the “Forget Common Sense System” and bound it to Michelle. Since she was so “casual,” why would she need a sense of shame? Why would she even need to wear clothes? Since the highway was so congested, she might as well go for a wild run on the road!

On Christmas people should be with their loved ones in the safety of their homes, but I don't have any loved ones, and I'm in the one place that I hate, where I swore never to come back, afraid that I'll get even more broken, and it seems that the more I try to get away, the more obstacles I encounter. "I know a shop not very far from here, and they have the best mechanics in town. If you want, I could come with you and give you directions, I'm heading that way anyway, and for your kindness, I'll make your biggest wish come true," Said the old crazy Santa that jumped in front of my car out of nowhere. "Can you teleport me from here? In another city, country, even on a deserted island? Anywhere but here?" I know that it wasn't nice of me to be sarcastic, but he's the reason why I have to prolong my say here. "No." His short answer was said in an amused tone of voice, but I don't find anything funny right now. "But that's just because that's not your biggest wish." He states it as a fact as if he's never been more sure of anything in his life. I bite my tongue and pray that I won't see the two people I used o love the most, and which now, I despise the most, the two people responsible for my nightmares and my broken being.

"Kneel boys." I ordered watching the triplets with a condescending gaze. They all glanced at each other and when I thought they would hightail it out of here, they fell to their knees with a collective thud. I leaned back on the chair, crossing my legs in a domineering way as my lips curved into a victorious smirk. "That's right Alphas. Stay right below me, right where you belong." Shannon Hirthe, a lowly omega raised by a single mother has always been the scorn of society wherever she goes. Her miserable life is suddenly turned even worse when her mother announces her marriage and mating to the alpha of the dark moon pack. The marriage isn't your ordinary one as it includes triplet heirs who just happen to be her mate and stepbrothers. They hate her for trying to invade their peaceful life so they make her life a living hell. It cannot get worse? It does. She soon finds out that they have murdered her mother and that too in cold blood. She escapes and then returns stronger, better and with a thirst for revenge. She wants to make them beg. Her plan is going smoothly as she has them at her mercy. Or so she thought. What happens when she begins to find herself enraptured by their fiery gazes? What happens when she begins to crave being sandwiched between them? What if a complication appears in form of a little child? What if the past is not as it seems? Everything is quickly spiraling out of control. Will Shannon be able to take control again?

"You're nothing but a dirty pet human to me," Damien sneered, his predatory step making me cower. "Get away from me. I would sue you the minute I escape from here," I retorted, my voice trembling with fear. "Sue me? A Lycan king?" His laugh sent shivers down my spine. "Let's see if you'll ever escape," he grinned wickedly, grabbing me and slamming me against the wall as I winced in pain. "You're mine to break, Talia," his words hit me like a bucket of ice water, his fiery red eyes piercing into mine, sending a chill down my spine. I had to escape. *** After escaping from the mental asylum where she had been imprisoned, Talia finds herself abducted and brought to the werewolf kingdom as a pet slave for the Lycan king—a reality she never knew existed. As she delves deeper into Damien's mysterious world, her feelings for him begin to blossom, leading her down a path filled with danger and intrigue. But when she discovers a shocking connection between her past and Damien's, her world is turned upside down. Amidst escalating tensions and betrayals, Talia and Damien's bond is put to the test, and they must confront their deepest fears and desires to survive in a world where love and loyalty are at war with themselves. Will they emerge victorious, or will the shadows of the past consume them both? Find out in this spellbinding tale of "The Lycan's Forbidden Queen," where forbidden love collides with dark secrets, and the line between predator and prey blurs into oblivion.

During the holiday season, a flood hits. The company's warehouse is submerged up to the third floor. Due to the emergency, I have my assistant tell everyone to come back a day early to help. I promise that the company will provide stipends and extra time off to make up for this. But on that day, a Gen Z employee goes live across the internet to report me. "Oh, my God. It's 2025, yet there are still companies forcing employees to adjust their time off and work overtime! Is this heartless boss so broke that she needs to exploit us like this? Will she die if she doesn't squeeze us out of every drop of usefulness? Company notices override the law. Impressive stuff, this is!" Soon, the company ends up on the trending list due to criticism from the online community. Even the regulators come knocking to hold us accountable. In the end, the company is forced to cancel the notice. A lot of equipment isn't salvaged in time, resulting in significant losses. The employee even posts a victory lap. "Give the boss a tiny lesson—see if she dares to force overtime again!" I'm so angry that I laugh out loud. I tell my assistant to cancel the annual benefit we give all employees—an entire month of paid time off for Christmas and the New Year holidays. If we have to stick strictly to the law, then fine. Have it your way!

The pope's death, the union of China and Korea as a single country, and the economic breakdown triggered the third world war. Or is it a secret society that wanted to create a one-world government to end Christianity forever? When the Vatican claimed that they received a retraction from a journalist who wrote about the demented pope, they could not show it to the public. The mysterious death of the pope surprised the world following the disappearance of the writer. That year, there was no Christmas celebration, to commiserate with the Catholic church. The war in the Middle East continued to worsen leading to fluctuations in the oil prices and the price of commodities skyrocketed as a result. There was an economic breakdown even if there was also a digital chutzpah going around. China and Korea united as a single country. They wanted to rival NATO, particularly America. Both countries wanted to be a superpower. Henry, the premier of the China and Korea, visited as a commoner to America and met the brother of the journalist, Isaac. He believed that chaos theory should be laws of chaos and he predicted war. When Isaac received a late phone call about his brother, he set on an adventure to save his brother. Discovering that a secret society was launching a one-world government to launch a war, Isaac asked the help of Henry. In 72 hours, there will be a third world war. "If power is a religion," Henry once said, "then, I'm proud to be an atheist." This inspired the young genius to save the world from New World Order. What if instead of a New World Order, this secret society strengthened the Roman Catholic Church, much to the dismay of the one-world government? Will faith reign over the greedy and evil?

Wendy Lloyd's first love, Hudson Clark, treats me like a walking blood bank. Because of that, I end up dying in the rented apartment Wendy has given to me out of contemptuous pity. Today is the third day of my death. My six-year-old son, Terry Heath, finally realizes that something is wrong with me. When he accidentally cuts his finger from playing with his toys, I don't coax him at all. When he tears open a pack of cookies and feeds one to me, I don't stop him at all. When he lies in my arms and grips me by the hem of my shirt while calling out to me softly, I don't respond to him at all. Feeling rather uneasy, Terry finds my phone and calls Wendy. "Mommy, why is Daddy still asleep?" Wendy responds by sending a photo of her and Hudson enjoying a holiday feast together. She then says coldly, "He's just asleep, not dead. Today is Christmas Eve, so I'm very busy right now. "Tell that arrogant father of yours that he's only free to visit me whenever he's ready to acknowledge his mistakes." After that, the call ends. Terry is left feeling stunned for a long time. Finally, he digs out the last cookie from the trash can and snaps it in half. Then, he feeds it to me again. "Daddy, let's eat."

After nursing the baby, I closed my eyes to rest for a moment. The nanny, thinking I was asleep, brazenly clung to my husband, cooing, "Harlan, if your wife finds out that the son she gave birth to was swapped out long ago and that the baby in her arms is actually ours, do you think she’d be furious?” “You’re so smart. Swapping the babies at the hospital was brilliant. Once our daughter inherits her fortune, we’ll kick her out of the house in no time!” I pretended not to hear their conversation. I continued to raise my daughter with utmost care and devotion. When she returned from her studies, I immediately transferred all my shares to her, supporting her to become the youngest heir of the company. At the handover celebration, the nanny dressed even more extravagantly than I did. She boldly grabbed my daughter and declared, “I am Yasmine’s real mother! You’ve kept her from me all these years, but now it’s time that the truth is revealed!” My husband handed me the divorce papers with a smug look. “For Yasmine’s sake, let’s part ways amicably.” My daughter folded her arms and glared at me. “Since you raised me for so many years, I’ll visit you in the nursing home once a year.” Watching their victorious smiles, I lowered my eyes. “As you wish.” I hope you’re ready to handle the kind of wealth that shatters the heavens!

My dad is a fan of tough love parenting. When I was a kid, there was a time when I obtained full marks on two subjects. But he told me, "Your grades don't mean anything in life. If you were a true man, you'd leap down five floors without batting an eyelash." Some time later, I was awarded for my act of bravery. But Dad scoffed in my face. "Not even a hair is harmed on your head. Why should you be awarded anyway?" I thought Dad wanted me to go through more training in life. On Christmas Eve, he ditched me on a snowy mountain under the guise of wanting me to go through more training. He didn't give me a tent or a lighter. Later on, Dad even brags about his parenting method to his relatives and friends. "A real man should survive and thrive in a desperate situation! I told Julian that he can forget about being my son if he can't even make his way back to the summit!" But the red dot on the GPS tracker installed in his phone hasn't moved for the past three hours. The truth is, I've already frozen to death in the mountains. Trapped in my fist is a crumpled, torn scrap of paper. Meanwhile, my soul is currently floating above the dining table while watching Dad brag about his tough love parenting.

Eight years into marriage, and Fabian's mom finally gave me and my son her stamp of approval. Invited us to spend Christmas in his hometown. My son—Luca--and I were hyped. We picked out a gift for her and hit the road with Fabian. Right as we pulled into the village, Fabian's old friend called—crying, claiming she'd crashed her car. Fabian panicked. Left me and Luca in some random snowy mountain town and sped off. It was pitch black. Snow dumping down. Then Luca screamed. He'd stepped on a trap and dropped into a pit. Blood everywhere. I called Fabian, totally panicked. He goes, "Stella, Roxana's in a wreck. I need to be with her. Stop making everything a competition." Then he hung up. Blocked me. No time to fall apart. I wiped my face, called an ambulance. Too far out. By the time they got there, Luca was already gone. Cold. Broken. Gone. I held him and screamed until my lungs gave out. Meanwhile, Roxana's posting in the social media. All smiles in Fabian's arms. His face soft. Loving. [Highway jam turned into truth or dare. One word—"accident"—and he came flying. So happy.] I exhaled. Tagged Fabian. [Let's get a divorce.] This joke of a marriage should've ended forever ago.