Water Something

To scrape together my mother's surgery money, I worked myself to the bone at this company for three straight years. My performance was always number one. By myself, I supported half the sales department. Then, a newly hired HR director decided every desk needed an AI camera, claiming it was to optimize efficiency. Every blink, every breath I took was measured and calculated by the system. "Warning. Employee Nathan Gray blinked more than twenty times within one minute. Mental distraction detected. Fine: 50." "Warning. Employee Nathan Gray took 3.5 seconds to drink water, exceeding the standard by 1.5 seconds. Slacking detected. Fine: 100." "Warning. Employee Nathan Gray's mouth corners drooped for over thirty seconds. Suspected spread of negative emotion. Fine: 200." The most ridiculous part was the way he stood in front of the entire department, pointing proudly at my data on the giant screen. "See that?" he said smugly. "This is the power of technology. In front of AI, you lazy freeloaders have nowhere to hide. Nathan, your bonus for this month has already been wiped out by the system. If you don't like it, get lost. Plenty of people are lining up to take your place." What he didn't know was that the AI system he trusted so blindly had its core code written by me. Tonight, I was going to show him what happened when he angered the one who built the machine.

Blurb The downpour washed the dark alleys of Ole Keating Village like Jupiter is wrathful towards the small town. Every time the lightning slashes the skies sending frightening thunders everywhere, the little boy’s strides become faster. “You’ve got nowhere to run, boy.” He harshly covered his ears just to get away from the taunting voice. The heavy rain somehow managed to wipe the blood from his body yet the pain unrelenting to grow. He fell on his knees resulting in another painful and ugly scratch to bleed. He looks like a beaten rag. He hasn’t eaten for days and the fearsome encounter he just escapes didn’t guarantee his safety. Even limping, he tried to get on his feet just to stumble and fall on the cold, hard ground again. A loud sound of the honking car filled his ears as the blinding light approaches closer. Surrendering, he lied flat on the ground wishing the pain finally ends. Sounds of boots slapping the water from the road come into his senses but he’s too weak to care. Someone’s checking on him but all that he can think of right now is the girl she left alone in the old warehouse. “S-save her…” he mumbled, tasting blood in his mouth, “Please save her.” The darkness pulled him and he finally gave in.

My fiance, Simon Rossi, is a mafia Don with a reputation for brutality. He suddenly takes in an orphan girl and spoils her rotten. He names her Giara, saying she's pure, like a beam of light. But that is the name he has promised for our future daughter. He thinks he's hidden it well. But the night before our engagement party, I notice his cufflinks. The ruby ones I gave him are replaced with cheap plastic cartoon cats. I don't believe he's really cheating, so I abduct Giara to get answers without hurting her. Then Simon bursts in with his men. 50 people die, and three armories go up in flames. "Ivina Coleo, consider this a lesson. But don't worry. I'll send her away. Remember, this is the first time you touch her, and the last." But at the engagement party, Giara sits with Simon's parents, smiling right at me. The sight sparks a fury I can't control. I lunge forward, determined to send her away myself. Simon tells Giara to leave, coaxing me through the ceremony. But that night, he binds my limbs with stones and sinks me into the sea. "I told you that was the last time." Cold water fills my lungs. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day I first abducted Giara. This time, I don't want Simon or the wedding anymore.

I had taken leave from the sealed research institute where I'd been confined for six years, just so I could attend my daughter's kindergarten graduation. The moment I stepped through the gates, I froze. A woman holding a little boy by the hand was shoving my daughter, Amy, straight into the gutter. She slapped Amy across the face, then sneered for everyone to hear, spitting venom as she called my little girl a filthy wretch. Drenched in filthy water, Amy dropped to her knees before the woman, trembling in humiliation. Rage burned through me. I stormed forward and slapped the woman across the face. But instead of shame, she jabbed a finger at my nose and shouted, "Do you even know who I am? To offend me is to offend the entire Grant family!" Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she tugged at my sleeve, pleading in a choked voice, "Please leave… she's my dad's nanny. My dad will punish you if you hurt her." The woman planted herself in front of me, her arrogance towering. "The Grant family rules this city. You think you can run from us?" For a brief moment, I stood stunned, then calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my husband. "Your nanny says you run Bexley City. Well, I think that's about to change."

A sharp bang on the door made him jump. "Open the door, Sawyer. I know you're there, I saw you. Come on, sweetheart," Daniel cooed through the closed door. Sawyer's heart fluttered at that endearment. Hearing Daniel's voice again was like cool water running down his sweaty back – refreshing, energizing. He felt the intense kicking in his stomach stop as though the baby was listening as Daniel tried to talk him to come out. I'm so sorry, child. Your father...doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't belong in our lives. It's always going to be you and me. Sawyer bit his bottom lip at how selfish his thoughts were. God, had it really come down to this? "I'm so sorry, Dan but I'm not who you think I am. You don't deserve an idiot like me. Please, go home. We have nothing to talk about." "See? You're disturbing us. He doesn't want to talk to you. Let him be," He heard Maddie say. Sawyer exhaled at the silence that followed, thinking that Daniel had deeded his words and left. But Daniel spoke again, a slight edge of command in his voice. "No, Sawyer. You're not a fool. Listen, can you at least open up so we could sort things out, just the two of us."

Alejandro Sanchez has spent years hunting down the infamous crime lord Matini, determined to bring him to justice. But when a dangerous undercover mission forces him to step into Matini’s world, the lines between duty and desire blur in ways he never expected. Matini is ruthless, untouchable, and completely in control until Alejandro infiltrates his empire. What starts as a game of manipulation and possession quickly spirals into something neither of them can escape. Matini does not trust easily, but Alejandro stirs something in him, making him falter. Meanwhile, Alejandro wants to focus on his mission, but when Matini catches up to him, he is forced to become his plaything, entering a dangerous game of wills and something more.

“Don’t do something you regret later, baby doll.” His breath was fanning against my neck. As if some electricity has run down to my spine, I shuddered at his imagining touch. “I have regretted way too much of my stupidity. Now I want to think wisely.” Controlling my running heartbeat, I spoke without cracking a voice. “Fair enough. I will wait for your wise and right decision, sugar.” Saying, he detached his body and looked into my eyes. This time, his eyes were cold. The eyes used to be held warmth for me now have something I can’t pin-point. ‘Why am I getting the feeling something is off?’

Raven’s life changes the moment her mother brings a new family home. Her stepfather, Lucas, is kind but his son, Cassian, is the opposite. He is cruel, cold and impossible to escape. At school, he humiliates her. At home, he watches her like a secret. Raven hates him. She should. He is her future stepbrother. He is forbidden. But hate begins to blur into something else. Something dangerous. Something that makes her heart race when it should not. As Raven’s eighteenth birthday draws closer, strange tension fills the air. No one tells her the truth. Everyone seems to be waiting. Is Cassian her worst enemy… or the one she was never meant to fall for?

When Aria Vale enters the world of The Ruthless Elite, she’s not seeking power—she’s hunting it. After her parents died under mysterious circumstances linked to The Order, Aria reinvents herself and steps into the enemy’s lair, determined to bring it down from within. But Damien Voss, the Order’s most feared weapon, is watching. Trained to detect threats and eliminate them, Damien sees something in Aria that doesn’t quite fit. She’s too clever. Too calm. Too dangerous. What begins as suspicion turns into a battle of wills—and then into something darker. Something forbidden. As secrets unravel and enemies close in, Aria and Damien must decide if love is a weakness... or the ultimate weapon.

His breath was fire against her throat.Her back hit the cold stone wall of the mansion."Tell me who you are," he growled, voice thick with rage—and something darker."I don't know," she whispered, trembling.But her eyes glowed. And deep down, something ancient stirred. Liana Bellarose was mistaken for a powerful Alpha’s bride—and taken. But what begins as a terrifying mix-up quickly unravels into something far bigger. Hidden within her is a power long thought extinct, one that could shift the balance of the entire werewolf realm. Now, every Alpha wants her. But Liana isn’t here to be claimed. She’s here to reclaim everything.