Villainous Laugh

As I gazed into his eyes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, as if I had known him for years. "There's something about you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Something that draws me to you." He smiled, revealing a set of perfect teeth. "I feel it too," he said, his voice low and melodic. "It's like we were meant to meet." I couldn't deny the electricity that coursed through me as he spoke, and I found myself leaning closer to him, wanting to feel his warmth. "Who are you?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. He chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I'm just a guy," he said. "But I've been told that I have a certain charm." I couldn't help but laugh at his modesty, knowing full well that he was more than just a guy. He had an aura about him, a sense of confidence and self-assurance that was both intimidating and alluring. As we continued to talk, I found myself opening up to him, sharing things that I had never told anyone before. It was like he was a confidant, someone that I could trust with my deepest secrets. And as we parted ways, I knew that I had met someone special. He was more than just a guy, he was a kindred spirit, a soulmate that I had been searching for all my life.

My superior, who attains his position through connections, turns out to be the high school heartthrob I once pursued—Jack Montgomery. Back then, I gave up on studying literature despite being good at it to study science instead. As a result, my grade point average dropped from 3.9 to 2.1, and I ended up attending a community college. Jack, on the other hand, earned a Master's degree in business in Ezelia. He became the director of the investment management department at a company upon his return. He mocks me for being a lovesick fool who chose to study science for his sake and now has to work for him. His words successfully provoke me into action. I work as a low-level analyst while staying up late every day to prepare for the Graduate Management Admission Test. I plan to turn my life around with this, but I end up dropping dead from overwork. When I open my eyes again, I'm back at the critical moment of course selection in my sophomore year. This time, I decisively choose to study literature and kick that scumbag, Jack, aside. "Nobody is allowed to hinder my studies!" He claims that I'm playing hard to get, and all I think is that he's ill in the head. Let's see who gets the last laugh when I make it into the prestigious Hareford University!

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!

Keira buried her face in his chest, her voice trembling. “Maybe I’m not good enough for you.” He ran his fingers through her hair, then whispered. “You’re perfect for me. One walking disaster in this relationship is enough.” She sniffled, a small laugh breaking through. “Are you comforting me or mocking me?” He tilted her chin up, his lips hovering just above hers. “Both,” he whispered. And then he kissed her. ****** Keira Small has spent her life in the shadow of her family’s legacy as the daughter of the prestigious owner of Small Solutions Tech. But instead of following in her father’s footsteps, she chooses to keep her identity a secret and work elsewhere—all to be closer to the one man she’s never forgotten. When she’s sent to deliver documents to her enigmatic boss, the CEO of Dawnborne Inc., she doesn’t expect to find him intoxicated—or to end up in the bed of the one man she had never expected to have: her childhood crush. But one night of passion isn’t so easily forgotten, as an investigation was held by the CEO to find who the woman he slept with was. Buried feelings begin to resurface and secrets threaten to unravel, Keira must decide: will she continue to hide who she really is, or risk everything for the man she’s always wanted?

For months, Liam has been silently captivated by Alex, his charismatic personal trainer whose fiery determination hides a soft heart. Every shared laugh, every lingering glance during their sessions at the gym feels like a spark, but Liam harbors a secret that keeps him from confessing his feelings. Liam is a werewolf. He’s spent years concealing his dual nature, keeping people at arm’s length to protect himself and those around him. But Alex is different. He's someone who stirs feelings in Liam he thought he'd buried long ago. The bond between them grows stronger with every interaction, but Liam’s fear of rejection and exposure holds him back. When Alex begins noticing strange behavior, and Liam's unexplainable strength. And then his aversion to late-night workouts during the full moon, and fleeting glimpses of something primal in his eyes that turns curiosity into confrontation. One stormy evening, Alex corners Liam with a single question that shakes him to his core: “What are you hiding from me?” Now, Liam must decide whether to reveal his secret and risk losing the one person he’s ever truly cared for or run from his feelings, forever haunted by what might have been. In this tale of love, trust, and self-acceptance, two souls must navigate the shadows of fear and the light of truth to find out if their connection can transcend the boundaries of the ordinary and the supernatural.

Ever wished life could be more interesting? Then be careful about what you wish for... Chloe Tennyson is an 18-year-old wolf-less spoilt princess who had everything easy for her until one day a heartbreak leads her to commit a grave sin by sending some Rogues to kill her frenemy all because she and her boyfriend were fated mates and not her... But when the cruel deed is done, and the Alpha her father finds out what she has done. He immediately sends her away from the pack to a ruthless friend Alpha for disciplinary action and protection from the rebelling pack mates... But things don't go as planned because it seems the ruthless older unmated Alpha is attracted to the spoilt princess... His wolf won't give him a break. *** "Behave," he said icily when I grabbed his crotch. "What is it? Can't handle a sexy woman like me, AlPHA?" I mocked haughtily. He scoffed. A smirk crossed my lips when I felt him grow under my palm. He grabbed my throat and squeezed, earning a gasp from me. "Continue teasing me like that and I'll make you beg me to f**k you." I huffed a laugh while rolling my eyes, "I've never begged for anything in my life... Instead, you will beg me to f**k you."

I was treating some friends to dinner at the private club my cousin owned. When we wrapped up, I waved over a server. "Just put it on Nick's tab." The server nodded, but a manager I'd never seen stepped in to block her. Wearing a smile that never reached her eyes, she said, "Sir, Bosco is a members-only establishment. We don't offer tabs." I felt a flicker of irritation. "I'm the owner's cousin. Just let him know." She let out a sharp, mocking laugh and slapped a bill onto the table. Eighty-eight thousand. Exclusive suite atmosphere maintenance fee, ten thousand. High‑end social network filtration fee, twenty thousand. Spontaneous entertainment ambience enhancement fee, fifteen thousand. And a mess of other miscellaneous charges. Since when did Nick's place dare to bleed customers dry like this? "What's wrong? Can't pay and now you're trying to name‑drop?" She looked me up and down with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "I've seen plenty of our boss's relatives. Not one of them is as broke, pretentious, and shameless as you." Right in front of her, I dialed Nick and put the call on speaker. "Ten minutes," I said. "Make sure she disappears from my sight. Otherwise, I'm revoking your authorization for this club."

"She will come back," she promised. "She just needs time to sort her head out." "Not her heart?" The dry distinction made Charley wince. "I'm sure she loves you," she persisted. "She's just not ready to commit to marriage." If you just give her time, then I— Black eyebrows with a fascinating silken gloss gave her a curious look. "Are you actually standing there, Miss Jones, suggesting that I should wait for Adelina to sort her head out?" Well, was she? Lifting her chin, "If you love her—yes," she insisted. "Then you are a romantic fool because it is not going to happen." He moved suddenly, straightening away from the desk. "There is a wedding arranged for next Saturday morning, and I intend to make sure that it goes ahead." Without a bride? Charley stared at him. "You mean—you're going to find her and drag her back to marry you?" A silly kind of laugh left her throat at the very image of Adelina being dragged by this man down the church aisle, kicking and screaming. ‘No.’ Reaching behind him, his long fingers picked Adelina's letter up again—this time to fold it with slow, neat precision. "I mean to replace her with someone else."I want reparation for being taken for an idiot, and if that means putting you in Adelina's wedding dress and marrying you in her place, then that is what is going to happen."

You're the spawn of that monster, so tell me, did you really think the Moon Goddess pairing us together was a blessing?" His voice was low and cold and his grip on my chin burned. "Then reject me!" I spat in defiance, although my fists were trembling from the aura this man let out. A dark laugh escaped his lips. "Reject you? No, little red. My brothers and I have a better plan. We're going to keep you. And then we'll make you wish that you died a million times over." Hailey Yuriel fled the moment she accidentally killed her tyrant of a father. For years, she hid and survived in the gutter, her sharp mind her only tool Her plan was simple. Never let them catch you, but fate had a way of being cruel. A brutal accident hurls her straight into the arms of the five Grey brothers - the ruthless Alphas of the Blood Moon Pack. The very men whose family her tyrant of a father destroyed. The moment their eyes meet, something impossible happens. The mate bond ignites between them. All five of them. Now, Hailey is a prisoner of their revenge especially since they can’t reject her, so they vow to make her life a living hell. But Hailey is no docile woman. She’s a survivor and she won't let them break her. At least that's what she thinks.

When Seth Gibson told me his legs were crippled and that only snowmelt from a mountain's peak could cure him, I did not hesitate. I scaled the mountainside, climbing over 15,000 feet just to get some snow for him. When I staggered back, bruised and scratched, cradling the snow outside the hospital room, I overheard cruel voices down the corridor. "Seth, today's the deadline. Nevaeh still isn't back. Could she have died up there?" "I heard that the mountain's pretty high. She might have gotten altitude sickness. What a shame! She's already risked herself for Seth ninety-nine times. This was supposed to be the last time before the game ended." "Serves her right! She used to bully Janice, Seth's childhood friend, didn't she?" I saw Seth through the crack in the door. He was standing at the window, his legs perfectly intact, and his expression ice-cold. "Enough," he said flatly. "If she dies, the game ends." I froze in disbelief until it finally sank in. Seth had been pretending all along. A laugh nearly escaped me. What a relief! I could finally get rid of this weight on my shoulders. I pulled out my phone and called his uncle. "I'll marry you," I said.