Whatever Next? Lessons From An Unexpected Life

Due to my outstanding work performance, my boss grants me special permission to have flexible working hours. I am out until very late last night meeting a client, and I have only been asleep for a while when a call from my colleague wakes me up. "It's already 9:30 am! Why are you late again today?" I explain to her patiently that I worked overtime last night to finalize things with a client and have them sign the contract, so I won't be going into the office in the morning. My colleague snickers. "You'd better not think that you can skip work whenever you like just because you've achieved top sales in our department. "Today is our boss' son, Mr. Hammond's first day in the office. He might just tell you to pack your things and leave if you were to upset him in any way!" Despite the splitting headache I'm having, I try to recall it in my head. Alex Hammond, the man she's just mentioned, sounds very much like that fiance of mine, who desperately wants to tie the knot with me.

On the day Raina Whitmore makes the Helios Rich List, she smiles for the cameras and declares, "I wouldn't be here without my secretary, Kieran Vale. He's the most important person in my life." While she confesses her love in the interview, I lie in a hospital bed, worn out and fading. I'm her husband, the one who's held her company together all these years. But I don't get a single word of thanks. My daughter, Talia Hart, even looks at me with pure disdain. "Dad, you've held Mom and Uncle Kieran back long enough. It's time you let go and let them be together." Rage surges through me. My chest tightens, and everything goes black. When I open my eyes, I'm back 30 years earlier, standing in the Whitmore residence to choose my fiancee. This time, I don't hesitate. I skip right over Raina and choose her aunt, Elara Whitmore.

They called me cursed before I ever had a chance to breathe. Before I failed to shift, before I was sold like livestock. Before they learned that what’s locked inside me… shouldn’t be touched. This isn’t your typical werewolf story. I wasn’t chosen, I wasn’t loved or given simple living decency. I was broken, then made into a being, they never saw coming. What happens when the girl no one wanted… becomes the one thing they all fear? Read carefully, because not everyone survives the truth.

Gianna Rossi struggled in the slums for over a decade before she accidentally discovered she was the biological daughter of the don of the Ricci famiglia, also known as the Gray Wolf famiglia, Domenico Ricci. She tried to reunite with her family, only to be ruthlessly driven away by the Soldati outside the estate. They left her battered and bruised. Her lover, Matteo Santoro, wiped the blood from her wounds and swore he would infiltrate the famiglia himself to seek revenge against the Ricci family's fake Principessa on her behalf. Once he successfully seized power and took control of the Riccis' arms operation, he would restore Gianna to her rightful place as the cherished daughter of the Ricci family. She believed in his sacrifice and endurance. She hid in the shadows as his secret lover, convinced that his public displays with the fake Principessa were nothing but an act. Yet one night, Matteo got engaged to the fake Principessa. Gianna stood in the corner wearing a server's uniform, watching their happiness unfold. She was a fool who had been played for.

Chanel Danica Suarez, a musically inclined fashion designer is living her dream. Everything she ever wanted is already on her reach. But despite having material things, she still felt emptiness inside especially, when she lost her mother. The piano became her companion which eased her longing and made her feel loved. But when she met Dior Louis Saavedra, the dullness that once filled her life became brighter. Could he be the missing note to her broken piece? Or would he be another reason for her to keep falling apart?

Of the five boys who'd been raised to marry me, Lance Riverford was the one who hated me the most. And yet, he was the one I loved the most. Three times I was reborn, and three times I forced him to be my husband. Each time ended the same way—he and his childhood sweetheart killed me. When I opened my eyes for the fourth time and met that same look of loathing in his eyes, something inside me finally let go. I turned away and chose his rival, Jace Elden, as my husband instead. But at the wedding, Lance demanded with tears in his eyes, "Why did you choose someone else this time? Are you doing this just to spite me?" That was when I realized… he'd been reborn too.

Isabella Mihdi has fallen from grace in a continental way. She used to have it all: beauty, money, power, status... until her bad decisions took their toll, making her lose everything and everyone. And she lost it all in such a catastrophic way that now she has no choice but to give up and retract, leaving everything behind... including her fated mate and their daughter. It’s not like she deserves them anyway. Liam Fierro has had the most complicated year of his life. Ever since his fated mate appeared in front of him, everything has gone from bad to worse. She has rejected him, ignored him, cheated on him, broken his heart countless times and, most recently, abandoned him and their pup. Liam spends his days around criminals, murderers and bad people overall. And yet, his fated mate is worse. That doesn't mean he doesn't want her back, though.

Gabriel Russo had been born under a dark cloud. He knew his history like the back of his hand; his mother made sure of that. He knew what blood ran through his veins and what it meant. He also knew that there were some with that same blood who would kill him if they could. Born the product of a horrible act inflicted upon his mother by one of the Ricci brothers, now the adopted son of another very powerful family, he's the heir to two of the most powerful Familias in the West.The Life The Beginning is created by Jordan Silver, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

His hand clamped around my chin, rough and unrelenting, sending a sharp ache through my jaw. His eyes bored into mine, dark and merciless, as if he could strip away my very soul. “You belong to me now,” he snarled, his voice low and venomous. My heart hammered in my chest, each beat a desperate plea to escape. --- Nyx Caprienne was feared by all, known as “The Queen of Death.” A mercenary without equal, she moved like a shadow, silent and lethal, leaving destruction in her wake. Her latest mission was simple. To hunt down a man who seemed untouchable. A man drenched in blood and power, his name whispered with fear. To Nyx, he was just another target. Another job. But this time, fate turned the game against her. This man was more than she’d anticipated. Beneath his wealth and charm was something far darker, a predator who thrived on chaos. He wasn’t just dangerous; he was the devil himself. And now, Nyx was caught in his web, realizing too late that this was a fight she might not survive.

I was not expecting to pick the wrong man to marry even after I had a chance to redo my life. In my previous life, I chose to marry James Howard, my then fiance. But he cheated on me with Verde Sala, a fake heiress, for three years. They even had a child together. For her sake, he broke my legs so that I would hand over my role as the principal dancer to her. This time, I chose to marry Elwood Howard, James’s uncle. I thought that this meant that I had escaped my fate and could fulfill my dreams, but on the day the principal dancer was supposed to be picked, I got into an accident again. After learning about this, Elwood sent Verde to jail, even if it meant offending all of the powerful people in the city. I was touched and thought that I had made the right choice in this life. That lasted for five years until I heard Elwood’s conversation with our son. “Dad, Verde said that you only married Mom so that you could provide a letter of forgiveness as the victim’s family. “Since Verde is out, could you divorce Mom? I want Verde to be my mother.” Upon hearing that, Elwood remembered my trust in him and shook his head. “No. I’ve betrayed your mother by destroying the evidence and giving Verde a new identity to avoid being indicted, so I’m going to make it up to her for the rest of her life. “She will always be my wife. Don’t ever say such things to your mother and make her sad.” The pain from before could not compare to the pain in my heart at that moment. Our marriage was just a scheme to protect Verde? Elwood only loved Verde? And my son was the same? If that was the case, I did not want Elwood anymore. Nor my son.