Years Of Rice And Salt

Five years had gone by since my death. The cops called my mom and told her they got news about me. My mother and brother marched to my grandmother's home and kicked her door down. "Where's Charlie? That shameless woman has been hiding from us far too long. Her brother needs her cornea, and she's giving it to him!" "Charlie's dead," said my grandmother, sobbing. My mother sneered. "As if. The cops called us. They said they had her news. Hand her over or get out of the house, you hag." My grandmother looked at her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. With trembling hands, she took my photo out. "I wonder if you've ever regretted saving your brother, Charlie."

I'm about to get married under the witness of the Goddess of the Moon. However, Carl Erickson, my partner of ten years, doesn't know it yet. Carl has recently hired a new assistant—Ivy Keating. Everyone in the wolf pack knows something amorous is going on between them; they frequently "discuss work" until the wee hours of the night. A celebration that's supposed to be for our anniversary turns into Ivy's birthday celebration. Carl orders a ten-layer mango cream cake for the celebration—it's Ivy's favorite. They get cream everywhere, but they've forgotten I'm seriously allergic to mangoes. A regular mango is as lethal to me as wolf venom is. I'm taken away by an ambulance to be rescued, and I'm alone when I wake up. Carl is still at the party, celebrating Ivy's birthday. My wolf growls unhappily, and my love for Carl dies. It's then that I agree to the marriage my family has arranged for me. I'm going to marry a true Alpha.

"I forced my billionaire husband's first love out and then I fell into the abyss. Six years later, he said he had fallen in love with me, but I was no longer attached."

Eight years after I married that award-winning actor, he publicly declared he was dating the top starlet, Celine James. He even posted a picture of the two of them celebrating their adopted “baby’s” birthday. I did not call him to interrogate him as usual. Instead, he hurriedly explained, “It’s just a pet we adopted. As its ‘dad’, I have to be there for its birthday.” I said calmly, “Rather than adopting a furbaby, why don’t we get a divorce? Then you can have an actual baby with her.”

All her life, Nicole was told that a woman isn’t supposed to have a voice or speak up for herself. She was raised to obey and to say yes to everything they wanted, and she did just that. She said yes to them taking everything from her and agreed to marry the man her family chose because he was deemed the right match to help the family business. They told her he was the best man for her, and she believed them. She gave in back then, but no more. All they said were lies. He wasn’t the right one for her, nor would he ever love her as much as she loved him. Or was she mistaken? In a maze of deceit and manipulation, she decided to take control of her life and end it all. They think she’s powerless, but she’s not. As Nicole embarked on her new journey, she faced several unexpected challenges. Hidden truths from her past came to light, alongside dramas and plots from those who wished her harm. Could Nicole put her past behind her and embrace the future, or could she get the love she had wasted for so many years?

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

In my previous life, my brother and fiancé teamed up to sabotage my company for the sake of my so-called best friend. After I went bankrupt, they stood beside her watching me collapse in the pouring rain, laughing mockingly at my pathetic state. "Linda Turner, you look as pathetic as a drenched dog!" they sneered. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the project bidding meeting three years earlier. In my previous life, when my company was just starting out, my brother and fiancé had warned me against using the Turner and Peterson family connections. They claimed it wouldn't be fair to others, but then turned around and handed projects to my best friend under various pretexts, just to see her smile. Now that I was back, I watched them secretly manipulating things just like before, giving my projects to my best friend. I finally gave up on them completely. When they found out I was leaving the country, my brother and fiancé set off fireworks all night, celebrating that they'd finally gotten rid of me, the burden. But three years later, at the Trada Corp's bidding meeting, I took the stage as the CEO's wife—and they couldn't hide the redness in their eyes.

32 year old Sophie decided it's time to stop hiding so she filled up an application to be a Sugar Baby. Weekends that used to be filled up with Netflix and comfort food are now changed into a high-paying profession. Well, weekend profession. She's still the busy working mom of 2 during the weekdays. 19 year old Abigail is the average college girl who has a cuckoo aunt. Her proposal has backfired when her aunt decided to use her info in the profile she's setting up at Cupcake, a Sugar Baby website. Let's hope nobody finds out Abigail signed up as a Sugar Baby. Let's pray harder for Aunt Sophie who has the confidence to pull off being an Abigail during the weekends. Cross your fingers! And your legs too, Soph. I mean, Abby. Err, Weekend-Abby. Cross your legs, Weekend-Abby!

Anna Valerian's life takes an unexpected turn when a single moment of betrayal pulls her into the arms of Jace Lysander, a man as enigmatic as he is dangerous. Their rushed union is shrouded in secrets, their connection electric yet fragile. But as Anna steps into Jace’s world, she realizes her own past is far darker and more twisted than she ever imagined. In a house filled with whispers of deceit and a family bound by treachery, Anna must navigate the delicate line between loyalty and survival. Jace’s gaze promises both salvation and ruin, and every step forward uncovers another devastating truth. As the walls close in, trust becomes a deadly gamble, and Anna finds herself questioning not just her husband’s motive but her own place in a game she never agreed to play. In a tale of love, revenge, and shattered illusions, one question looms above all others: how far would you go to uncover the truth?

Bruises. That’s all Louis has ever known. At twenty-seven, you’d think he’d have escaped the violent grip of his abusive father—but breaking free from the man who raised you, no matter how monstrous, is never simple. Life has never gone easy on Louis, and now, he carries a secret that’ll finally get him killed by his father: his sexuality. He hides it, suffocates it, tries to erase it—but it never leaves him. All he needs is a savior. Someone to pull him from the dark hole he’s sinking in. But hope has never been more than a cruel fantasy—and he’s long since stopped believing in rescue. Then comes Elias Montgomery. The most feared and ruthless Don in the Midwest. Silent. Disciplined. Calculating. And utterly alone. No one dares cross Elias. He keeps his enemies close, and the traitors? Six feet under. Love has never been part of the equation, not after what happened the last time. So, what happens when, against all odds, Elias crosses paths with Louis? Will he bury the tension—and the dangerous spark between them—for the sake of his image and empire. Or will he risk it all for a boy who’s known nothing but pain?