Who Made Playtime Cry

Everyone in the city knows Lena Moore award-winning investigative journalist, fearless, sharp-tongued, and impossible to intimidate. She’s built a career exposing powerful men and tearing down corrupt empires. What she doesn’t know is that the quiet man she keeps running into at her neighborhood café Eli Carter, the one who listens more than he talks, who fixes broken chairs for free and always smells faintly of ink and rain is one of those men. Eli isn’t just rich. He’s the silent owner of multiple companies, operating behind shell boards and faceless executives after his family was destroyed by public attention years ago. He chose anonymity over dominance. Their connection grows slowly. Conversations about ethics, loneliness, and truth. Late-night walks. Shared silences. Real intimacy. Then Lena is assigned a career-defining investigation. She’s hunting a mysterious billionaire whose companies are quietly reshaping the country. She’s hunting him.

“Why did you accept the marriage?” Audrey asked, her fingers drumming impatiently on the table.  Lucas leaned back, his gaze drifting over Audrey as a lazy chuckle escaped his throat. “It's a contract.”  A bitter smile twisted Audrey's lips. “How many months do I have to pay off the debt?” Lucas’ eyes snapped up, his brows furrowing into a shock. He hadn't expected her to be this....bold and unapologetic. He thought she would cry and plead for mercy.  “Twenty million dollars,” he muttered. “A debt even your father can't pay?”    ……………. Desperate to escape the $20 million debt her father leveraged to force her to marry Lucas Erickson, Audrey Sterling struck a deal with Thomas Whiteson, the heir of the Whiteson empire: pretend to be his fiancee for three months, and he'll pay off her debt.  But when she discovered she's an heiress to 40% share of her grandfather's company and can only claim it if she marries a man approved by her father, her world spun.  Thomas suddenly demands marriage, her father only approves of Lucas.  Trapped between loyalty to her grandfather's legacy, a deal with Thomas, and a heart falling for him, Audrey must choose: love or inheritance?

Raleigh has lived her whole life looking at the world through rose colored glasses, seemingly nothing can put the exuberant girl down. That is until she meet the tech billionaire Logan hunt, the coldest and most cynical man she ever met, not only does Logan not believe in love, but he thinks her sunny attitude is ridiculous. There is an immediate clash of personalities between the grumpy billionaire and sunny journalist, but in between every thrown barbs and snide remarks is an undeniable spark, feeling that neither can resist. Their verbal communication filled with wits and banter, each of them meets with a mix of frustration and fascination. As they journey through misunderstanding and miscommunication, Raleigh and logan find themselves having a second thought about their beliefs and boundaries. Is it possible for two souls so opposed to find something in common? Can love bridge the gap between the grumpy logan and a sunny Raleigh

My hands fix other people’s tension every day. Mine stays knotted, Mom’s hospital bills, Natalia’s soft kisses I can’t fully return, Johnny’s quick, ashamed fucks in the spa storage room like we’re doing something criminal. Then Kristofer Hayes books me again. He’s older, richer, more dangerous than anyone should be allowed to be. What was meant to be a one night stand which I thought would be enough for us both. It wasn’t. Now he’s paying my mother’s bills without asking, watching me like I’m already his, pulling me into a world where wanting a man can get you killed. I keep telling myself I can walk away. But every time he touches me, I forget why I ever wanted to hide.

Amara Okoye believed she was living her dream. After three years of love, she was finally ready to marry Daniel—the man she trusted with her heart and her future. But on the morning of her wedding day, her perfect world collapses in the most humiliating way imaginable. The man she loves doesn’t show up at the altar. Instead, he secretly marries her own cousin… and disappears with all her savings. Broken, betrayed, and standing in her wedding dress outside the church, Amara thinks her life is over. Until a mysterious billionaire steps into her path. Alexander Wolfe—cold, powerful, and dangerously handsome—offers her a shocking proposal. “Marry me instead… and I will destroy everyone who betrayed you.” Driven by heartbreak and a thirst for revenge, Amara agrees to a contract marriage with the ruthless billionaire. But what begins as a deal soon ignites a dangerous attraction neither of them expected. Because Alexander Wolfe is hiding secrets of his own. And the truth behind why he chose Amara may ruin her life all over again.

It was no secret that Ryker Frost would burn the world for one person…his little sister, Summer. So when their rapacious father sold her off to Zarek Lachlan…a sadistic billionaire rumored to have buried his brides before dawn…Ryker did what no sane man would dare. He took her place. Now bound in a marriage meant to be a death sentence, Ryker finds himself face to face with a monster… one who watches him like prey instead of a sacrifice. Two S-class Alphas. Two predators forced into one cage. Ryker—twenty-four, F1 champion, tech prodigy, and a schemer to the bone. Zarek—twenty-eight, a man wrapped in blood and secrets. This was never meant to work. Because when two dragons meet, one doesn’t survive. On their wedding night, Ryker smirked victoriously. “Bet you didn’t see this coming.” Zarek only smiled. And suddenly… it didn’t feel like Ryker was the one in control. [Alternate title: married to my sister's fiancé]

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!

I'd been home for half a month, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that Mom wasn't quite herself anymore. She looked and sounded like she always had, but something felt different. Then, one day, I got a message from her that sent a chill down my spine. "Lily, hide! There's a ghost in the house!" At first, I thought she was pulling a prank on me—or maybe her account got hacked. Then, there was a knock on my bedroom door. Mom, who had just finished cooking, called out to tell me the meal was ready. I was still hesitating when another message popped up. It was a voice message. "Trust me, Lily. I'm your real mom! The one out there is a ghost! Run!" It sounded just like Mom's voice from outside. My mind was racing in panic. Not hearing me respond, Mom giggled from the other side of the door and said, "I'm coming in."

My girlfriend, Elsa Smith, always avoided meeting my parents. Yet, she had no trouble turning around and playing the role of her ex-boyfriend Leo Quinn’s fiancée, happily meeting his relatives instead. And the meeting took place in the apartment I had prepared for us to live in after the wedding. What she did not realize was that I happened to be Leo’s distant cousin. She pretended not to know me and clung sweetly to Leo, saying, "This apartment was bought by my hubby, fully paid for." All the relatives were praising them as a loving couple. To keep me from exposing her, Elsa came over to warn me, "I’m just helping a friend deal with marriage pressure. If you mess this up, we’re done." So, I sincerely offered my congratulations. "Since Leo and I seem to have the same taste in houses and women, I’ve got some wedding supplies that I’m sure he’ll like. I’ll gift them to you both." That was when Elsa finally started to panic.

For ten years, Kim Danielson loved Nathan Pearce. But when she finally became his wife, he made one thing clear—he could never love her back. She spent two years chasing an emotionless man and fighting for his attention, which left her heartbroken and exhausted, turning her love into bitter resentment. Determined to reclaim her happiness, Kim demands a divorce. But Nathan refuses to let her go. Just as Nathan starts to soften toward her, his first love returns, ready to take her rightful place by his side. At the same time, Kim’s old friend, Giovanni Ferraro, steps in, offering her the love and devotion Nathan couldn't give her. Caught between a man who will never love her and one who’s ready to give her the world, Kim faces an impossible choice—fight for the marriage she built on pain or embrace a future filled with passion with Giovanni Ferraro.