Wrist Blades

After two years abroad in seclusion as I recovered, I received a selfie from my daughter, Lila Ashford. She was sitting on a bike, dressed in a work uniform. "Mom, you’ll be home soon, right? I miss you so much." My heart softened as I thought about how my girl had grown up. She understood that she needed to start from the bottom and work her way up. I was about to praise her when I noticed her skin seemed tanner, and her fitted shirt was the same one I’d bought her three years ago. It was frayed and worn thin, yet she still hadn’t thrown it away. As a child of the wealthiest family, Lila shouldn’t have to live like this, not even for "life experience". I zoomed in on the picture again. Her shoes were falling apart, the front gaping wide open. The more I looked, the more uneasy I became. The next second, I stumbled across Serena Ashford, my adopted daughter’s posts on social media. She was showing off male models, luxury cars, and on her wrist, the global limited-edition diamond bracelet I had given Lila. What shocked me most was the car that appeared in nearly every photo, the very one I had gifted Lila for her college graduation. How the hell had it ended up with her instead?!

In the final stages of a terminal illness, my family abandoned me and threw me into a horror game. [Another one here to die. I bet she won't last the first night.] [Just listen to that cough. I'm scared she'll die right inside my phone.] On the first night, the head nurse made her rounds, prepared to execute any player whose heartbeat was abnormal. My heartbeat remained steady only because my body was too weak to fluctuate—and I even helped her sew up the tear in her uniform. "Miss, your clothes are torn. You'll get cold. If I mend it for you, you won't be cold anymore." On the second night, the surgeon swung his scalpel, determined to cut away anything imperfect. I handed him a wrist guard I'd made myself, watching his trembling hands. "Doctor, your talent shouldn't be buried by pain." … On the final day, the ultimate Boss gave me a choice: leave with a healthy body, or stay and perish with these strange beings. Back in the real world, the parents who had abandoned me were suddenly in tears, begging me to come home and split the money. I smiled and said to the creatures inside the instance, "I choose to trade my life… for a home for all of you." The next second, a burst of golden light erupted from the system. [Congratulations, player. You have triggered the one and only hidden ending—Divine Redemption.]

For as long as I can remember, my family and I have been living in an underground basement that's completely shut off from the outside world. My parents have told me that the zombie apocalypse is terrorizing the outside world. The air is completely plagued with the zombie virus, and we'll die if we ever leave the basement. In order to save the supplies—which are already dwindling, to begin with—I've starved myself to the point I'm all skin and bones despite being only 18 years old. When I realize that there's only one last can of food left, I leave behind a suicide note. "Mom, Dad, now there's one less mouth to feed. You'll last a few more days." After that, I slit my wrist right away. Once I'm dead, my soul phases through the thick and heavy metal door. Bright sunlight illuminates the entire world. It's a beautiful, peaceful world filled with greenery. I can even hear birds chirping in the distance. Mom, Dad, and a bunch of people are throwing a barbecue party on the lawn. The mouth-watering smell of food being grilled permeates the air. So, it turns out that the zombie apocalypse is just a lie that's designated to trap me inside the fortress. I'm the only one who has died in this sunny, peaceful world.

Elias's grip tightened around Jace's wrist, pulling him closer until their bodies were flush, the heat between them undeniable. His voice was a low growl in Jace's ear. "You're mine now," he whispered, his thumb tracing the line of Jace's jaw. "And I'll make you beg for every inch of me." ......... Jace Rivera is a man on a mission. A struggling artist and bartender, he's desperate to save his brother, Noah, who is dying from a critical illness and needs a kidney transplant. With no money and no hope of finding a donor, Jace's only option is to destroy the Crane family from within. His plan? Seduce Elias Crane-the handsome, emotionally detached heir to the Crane fortune-and use him to exact his revenge. But Elias is more dangerous, more seductive than Jace ever imagined. The closer he gets to the puzzling billionaire, the more he's pulled into a web of obsession, betrayal, and forbidden desire. What starts as a quest for vengeance becomes a fight for survival, as Jace realizes his feelings for Elias are more complex than mere revenge. In a dangerous game of power and passion, Jace will have to decide if his need for justice outweighs the love he's unwilling to admit. Will he risk it all to bring down the Crane empire-or will the fire between him and Elias burn everything to the ground?

"Lilith, are you sure there's nothing wrong with this soup?" "What, you’re doubting your own mother’s love now?" she sneered. Grinding my teeth, I forced it down—only to feel a searing pain twist through my gut like knives a moment later. Alpha Kane burst into the room and gathered my lifeless body into his arms. His eyes burned crimson as he roared to the Eternity Pack: "I’ll burn this world to the ground for what you did to her." But fate wasn’t done with me yet. It gave me another chance. Back on the day of the poisoning, my cold smile slicing through the stunned silence. "This time," I said, "you’ll be the ones begging on your knees." And as it turns out… Revenge is sweet, but love? Even sweeter. "I can heal your leg," I said, lifting Kane’s blanket. Only for him to grab my wrist with a deadly grip. "Getting handsy now?" he smirked. "I’m checking your injury," I shot back, eyes narrowing. "Unless… there’s something else that needs ‘treating’ too?" "Sign it," I slammed the marriage certificate in front of him. "In exchange, I’ll help you walk again." "Do you even know what mate duties include?" His eyes drifted downward, tracing the curve of my waist— and lower.

Five days before my wedding, a group of MadeMen drag me to an underground casino. "I'm the fiancé of Lorenzo Gambino, Don of the Gambino family and Gambino Corporation! Think of the consequences you'll face if you dare touch a hair on my head!" My stern warning is met by mocking laughter. I curl up in agony under the brutal blows of their baseball bats; they pierce my ankles with sharp blades, severing my tendons. I gather the remnants of my consciousness to shield my abdomen, where my and Lorenzo's child grows. Lorenzo finally arrives with hired mercenaries. He razes the underground casino to the ground and saves me. I lie on the hospital bed and force myself to hang on. I don't want to end up in a coma. Unexpectedly, I overhear Lorenzo's conversation with a doctor. "It's not too late to operate, Boss. If we delay this any longer, Ms. Jones won't be able to stand anymore! There are many other ways for you to marry Ms. Valente—why did you have to do this to Ms. Jones?" "Being crippled is the only way Renee will obediently accept my and Kelly's child. I can keep a cripple by my side but not a troublemaker. Kelly values ceremony more than anything—I promised her I would give her a perfect wedding," Lorenzo says coldly. "But… Ms. Jones is pregnant. She's four months along…" "Make her miscarry, then." Tears stream down my face without anyone noticing. It turns out no one wants to bless the wedding I've been looking forward to. If so, any woman who wants to be Lorenzo's wife can have him. He's just a small mafia boss, anyway. I'm going back to being the heiress of the East Coast mafia's Don. I'll be the queen of my own life.

“Run.” That’s the last thing Lena expects to hear from the man who’s been choking the life out of her. Commander Kai should hate her. Everyone in the clan does. But the moment the hidden mark on Lena’s wrist ignites, everything changes. The council calls her an Echo, a forbidden power that can feel other people’s emotions, steal memories, and uncover truths no one wants exposed. Before Lena can prove she’s innocent, someone frames her for murder. Now the clan wants her dead. Forced beyond the borders meant to kill her, Lena expects the wilds to finish the job. Instead, a dangerous exile named Vance saves her life and offers her a deal. Protection… in exchange for her power. But Lena isn’t the only predator drawn to the awakening Echo. Somewhere beyond the clan borders, Jax, the silver-haired predator has already begun watching her. But as Lena’s Echo awakens, something terrifying becomes clear. The clan didn’t ban Echo bearers because they were dangerous. They banned them because Echoes hear lies. Now three powerful men are drawn to the woman everyone else fears: The commander who should be hunting her. The exiled warrior who refuses to let her go. And the silver-haired predator who understands her power better than she does. But the real danger isn’t the men fighting over her. It’s the truth her power is about to reveal. Because once Lena starts hearing the secrets hidden in their hearts… no one will escape the echoes.

EXTRACTS..... "Oh poor boy, your friends left you," she said and climbed onto the table. Frederick followed her every movement with his eyes. Kristen ran her tongue on her lips and pulled her gown a bit up, revealing her pinky pantie. Frederick swallowed at the sight of her pantie. He couldn't tear his eyes off her. "Do you want to know what I can do?" She asked seductively but was disappointed he did not answer her rather he moped at her. Something like this is a huge turn-off for her. She rolled her eyes and got down from the table. "You look like a log of wood. You simply don't want what I can offer," she said and started walking off. Frederick caught her wrist unconsciously and pulled her to himself, "can you show me please?" ****** All Kristen could offer was sex and nothing more due to her tragic past. She met Frederick at one of her craziest nights and slept with him but then, Frederick could go extra mile to make her see that there is more to life than holding on to THE PAST. When she thought life was being fair to her, something terrible happened which opened up a past no one knew about. She lost her memory leaving her with no knowledge of who Frederick was and giving her a whole new identity. Frederick would have to fight for a love he had nurtured for so long when Lous, an alleged fiance of Kristen surfaced.

Aria Moonclaw was the cherished daughter of Alpha Mason Moonclaw, leader of the Silverfang Pack. After losing his beloved mate, Mason poured every drop of love and hope into Aria, training her to become something their pack had never known a female Alpha. The elders scoffed, the traditions forbade it, but Mason’s faith never wavered. Aria would prove them all wrong. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday the night before her awakening , Aria longed for one final taste of freedom. Slipping beyond the pack’s borders, she chased a white rabbit into the forest, unaware that fate was luring her into darkness. Beneath the silver light of the moon she once adored, her life shattered. A stranger emerged from the shadows powerful, ruthless, inhuman and in moments, her world was torn apart. Broken but alive, Aria stumbled back under the cruel gaze of the moon, her body bruised, her spirit splintered, and a mysterious crest glowing faintly on her wrist, a mark bound to destiny itself. What she thought was a human attack hides a deeper, older truth her assailant was no mortal, but a creature of royal blood. Soon after, Aria’s reality unravels again when the man she calls father reveals a devastating secret she is not his blood, nor the child of Silverfang by birth. Now, with betrayal in her veins and a mark she doesn’t understand, Aria must rise above pain, prejudice, and prophecy. For the Moon Goddess has chosen her not just to lead, but to face the darkness that claimed her… and to uncover who she truly is.

Roxanne's fiancé was suddenly snatched by her stepsister. In return, she got into a forced marriage with her stepsister's fiancé, a wealthy billionaire whom her sister had rejected because he was disabled.Bound by familial obligations and in order to reclaim her late mother's shopping center, Roxanne agreed to replace her sister and marry the "Crippled" billionaire, Henry Ford. Little did she know that she had thrown a rock and picked a diamond instead. Henry Ford, the crippled billionaire, was more than meets the eye! For Roxanne, the grass was indeed greener on Henry Ford's side. …"Make me yours, Henry," Roxanne said, her eyes pleading. Henry's electric blue eyes whirled with affection as he gazed into her eyes. His love was all that mattered to her. "Roxy, are you certain? Once I make you mine, there's no turning back." Henry's eyes darkened as he got closer to her. “Is this what you really want?”"You don't want me?" Roxanne asked instead, looking sad. Henry grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap. He glanced down at her and whispered, "I've wanted you from the very first day I laid my eyes on you." Roxanne's heart skipped a beat as she felt the intensity of his grip. She could sense the raw desire in his touch, and it sent delicious shivers down her spine. “Then prove it,” she whispered breathlessly.