What Is The Bro Code

There's a saying that circulates among anglers: "If a dead fish still takes the bait… reel in and leave." The day I went fishing with my dad, we ran into exactly that. What unsettled me was not the fish. It was the look on my dad's face: an excitement that felt completely wrong. Then a message flashed across my livestream, and a chill ran down my spine. [Get out. Now. Your dad is about to trade your life for the one who died in this river a year ago.]

In a small town, Mia, a rebellious young werewolf, finds herself trapped in a dead-end job and a life she never wanted. Running away from her pack and an arranged mating, she crosses paths with Asher, a wealthy and wounded billionaire. Despite their rocky start, Asher becomes captivated by Mia's fierce spirit and the unspoken connection between them. As the world conspires to keep them apart, Mia's past comes knocking at the door, threatening to expose her secrets. In a desperate bid to protect Asher, Mia makes a heart-wrenching decision, fleeing the city and leaving him behind. Haunted by his love for Mia, Asher embarks on a relentless search, uncovering clues and enlisting help along the way. But danger lurks in the shadows. Can Mia and Asher rewrite their destinies and forge a path to happiness, or will they succumb to the forces that threaten to tear them apart forever?

Vespera gave up everything for Randell Sterling. She buried her brilliance, hid her beauty behind thick frames and baggy clothes, and played the role of the obedient, invisible housewife. She thought her devotion would eventually melt the ice in his eyes. She was wrong. For five years, she was nothing more than a glorified nanny to their son and a convenient ornament for his public image. But the illusion of her marriage shatters the day she walks into Randell’s office to surprise him—only to find him with his "executive assistant," Caroline. The betrayal cuts deep, but the fatal blow comes from her own flesh and blood. When Vespera reaches for her five-year-old son, the boy she nearly died birthing pushes her away and runs into the mistress’s arms. "I don't want you! I want Mommy Caroline!" Broken, discarded, and replaced, Vespera signs the divorce papers and vanishes. Three years later, the tech world is on its knees for a ghost known only as 'V'—the elusive director of a multi-billion dollar startup. Randell Sterling is desperate to acquire V’s technology to save his empire. He arranges a meeting, expecting a socially awkward nerd. Instead, he walks into a boardroom and faces a woman who stops his heart. The glasses are gone. The timid girl is dead. In her place stands a stunning, ruthless queen with a new man by her side—Randell’s sworn business rival. "Hello, Mr. Sterling," Vespera smirks, clicking a pen that could cost more than his car. "Price just went up. Double."

The housekeeper, who was always punctual, was late today. "Madam, I'm so sorry… dinner isn't ready yet. Please don't be upset with me…" "But this time, there was no helping it. I waited downstairs for over half an hour, and no one swiped in. I even called Mr. Gregory, but he didn't answer. That's why I'm late." My hand froze mid-motion as I was changing shoes, and a frown creased my brow. "Lydia," I said, "didn't I have Richard give you the access card?" Lydia Pendel froze, her face blank. "Access card? Mr. Gregory never gave me one." "Never?" I repeated. "Yes," she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead, her voice careful. "All this past month, I've been sneaking in whenever another resident opened the door, or calling Mr. Gregory so he could let me in. "Today, Mr. Gregory didn't answer at all, so I was stuck downstairs, feeling helpless…" That was strange. Because over the past month, the electronic lock on the front gate had clearly recorded swipes from that backup card.

In their four years of marriage, Ethan Sterling had always refused to visit any romantic couple destinations with his wife, Pearl Whitmore. He said she was shallow and just chasing trends. However, when his first love came back from overseas, he could not wait to take her up the legendary mountain where it was said couples who climbed it successfully would grow old together. Pearl divorced him and moved abroad. However, Ethan followed her to the new country, sobbing as he searched for her in the ruins...

"Mr. Charlton… Please don't… I could get pregnant…" On Christmas Eve, my best friend pulled me along to help cover for her and her boyfriend. After several rounds of drinks, a burning hand slipped beneath the fabric of my tight dress. It moved slowly over me, stroking and teasing, as a man's low voice murmured by my ear, "Relax… I'm only touching. I won't go any further."

The nanny, Polly Jackson, pushes me down the stairs when I'm seven months pregnant. I suffer from major blood loss and go into premature labor. Before I can question her about it, Zachary Campbell brushes me off with a lame excuse. "Polly didn't mean it. You and the baby are fine, so don't be so petty about this." I get out of bed to move around. I'm at the bathroom door when I hear Zachary and Polly's conversation. "Are you sure that wretch can stay alive, Zachary? Switching it out won't be that easy if it dies." "Don't worry about whether Daisy Jameson's baby can live, Mom. Either way, mine and Danielle's child will be the Campbell family's sole heir." I pretend I've never heard this and raise my son for 18 years. During a banquet held in honor of a share ownership transfer, Polly suddenly shows up with my mentally impaired daughter. She cries, "Mason is my grandson! It's high time he's returned to his rightful place after being raised by the wrong family for so long!" I'm unfazed. I even laugh at her words. "Fine, then!"

I am enjoy swimming, I don't know how long Marco has been gone. I didn't realize that I had reached the bottom of the waterfall because of the hot weather and the feeling of the cold water on the body feels really good that I even thought if I sat at the bottom of the waterfall to let the water pour over my almost naked body. I've only been there for a minute when I felt my brassiere come off my chest! It's because there's no lace and the brassiere I am wearing is in tube style. I was shocked by what happened and confused what to do first, how to cover my naked breasts. Should I jump off the water again to get my brassiere before the water washes it away, or should I stay here in the falls to get help from the water to cover my naked body. I looked around first to find Marco for help but he wasn't there! He is nowhere to be found! Shit! I immediately went down to chase after my brassiere when it was being swept away by the water. Now I am not sure if Marco not being here is a good or a bad news, but as I think of it realized that I would really faint if he sees me naked right now! Good thing I know how to swim so I got my brassiere at the right time. I immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Great! Just in time!" I said to myself while holding my brassiere. Of course, my breasts are exposed, well I'm the only person here so it's okay anyway. "Wow, nice breasts. Round and big!" It was as if my soul left my body when I heard an unfamiliar voice from somewhere.

The day two students got into a dispute, I ran into Morris Freeman, my ex from ten years ago. The boy who had been fighting wiped his tears and called him "Dad". Morris froze when he saw me, then finally remembered what was going on and apologized. "Ms. Langstaff, I'm sorry for causing you trouble." I handled the compensation by the book and wrapped everything up. When it was over, he lagged behind, clearly wanting to say something. "Back then, I remember you didn't want to be a teacher." I gave a faint smile and walked him to the office door. "People change. So do their ideas." Just like my feelings for him. That chapter had been closed a long time ago.

I don't know how it happened. One minute I'm living an extremely lonely life and all it takes is getting lost to change all of that. But, change is good, right? Yeah, if you take the fact that I was entrusted with the most adorable little girl as good. Throw in a reunion with a twin brother that I haven't seen in years and a gang of bad boys to the pile and all is peachy keen. As complicated as it seems, there's more. Now, I have to keep a certain mystery boy away from me for my own sake. I have to deal with a brother that thinks these bad boys are his new best friends. And on top of all of that, someone's after me. Forget the fact that this is senior year. Why can't I just be Khloe Mason, an uncoordinated mess of fandoms. Now, I'm The Bad Boy's...What?