Zenless Zone Zero Ben Bigger

After spending the past month working overtime and burning the midnight oil every day, I finally closed a business deal that's worth 50 million dollars before the company's annual dinner. My boss, William Lewis, begins giving away the end-of-the-year bonuses with a wide smile on his face. "The finance director helped our company save three million dollars worth of taxes. He will receive a villa by the river as a gift." "The head of IT led the team and solved various difficult problems. He shall receive 200 thousand dollars in cash." "Lily Lane, the receptionist, has always shown a great attitude whenever she greets the clients. She shall receive a Hermes bag." When it's my turn, I wipe the sweat off my palms before accepting my bonus. But upon opening the giftbox, I see three entrance tickets to the local zoo instead. "You must be sick of receiving commissions all the time as the sales director. Why don't you take advantage of this holiday to spend some quality time with your family?" On the way home, I dial a number. "Mr. Skylar, there's a problem with the 50-million-dollar contract. Let's discuss it later."

On our wedding night, my husband didn't stay long enough to toast with champagne. He left me alone at the reception and retreated to the chapel. Because from the very beginning, this stoic, untouchable man had only ever loved my younger sister. For three years of my marriage, I poured myself into thawing a heart of stone, only to be met with glacial silence. "Claire," he said coldly, "I'd rather take vows of celibacy than ever love you." But when the truck came barreling toward me, the man who had resented me his entire life used his own body to shield mine. Just before I lost consciousness, I saw him gripping the paramedic's sleeve, blood staining his lips. "Don't tell that crazy woman who saved her… And don't let my family… make things difficult for her." Tears welled in my eyes. Only then did I realize I wasn't the only one at fault in this marriage. After coming back to life, I chose to join the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces and head straight to the front lines. If we were never meant to grow old together in this life, then let my final wish for him be this: A lifetime of peace, and an eternity of never crossing paths with me again.

Ten years after being the sole survivor of a catastrophic train disaster, a Tanzanian student discovers that his survival wasn't a miracle—it was a mutation. Now, he is the most wanted organism on Earth. FULL SYNOPSIS The crash should have killed him. The truck should have finished the job. Ten years ago, a midnight train to Mbeya was derailed by a mysterious explosion of violet light. Hundreds perished in the wreckage. Only one person walked away: an eight-year-old boy found without a scratch. The world called it a miracle. The government called it a closed case. Now a Form Six student, the boy just wants a normal life. But "normal" ends the day he is struck by a speeding semi-trailer in the city streets. In front of a horrified crowd, his severed limbs don't just bleed—they boil, snap, and regenerate in a terrifying display of biological immortality. Caught on camera, the video goes viral within hours, shattering his anonymity and alerting the shadows. He is no longer a student. He is Patient Zero. Hunted by "Six," a ruthless biotech corporation seeking to harvest his DNA to engineer a new breed of mutants, and pursued by a government desperate to bury the secrets of the Mbeya Incident, he is forced to run. With no allies and a body that refuses to die, he must uncover the truth about what really happened on that train ten years ago before he becomes a lab rat for the highest bidder. He survived the crash. But can he survive the hunt?

My name becomes the sensational topic on the trending list thanks to my company's employees, who have cyberbullied me relentlessly. It all started when an intern named Cecily Plinkton posted a complaint on her social media feed, claiming that the seafood thermidor, a new food item that had just gotten released in the company's cafeteria, was sold for 14 dollars, which was four dollars more expensive than before. "What a scum company! Are the higher-ups that crazy over money? They're just leeching from us white-collar peeps repeatedly!" The entire Internet doesn't hesitate to curse me out. They claim that I'm a cold-blooded capitalist who's greedy enough to charge her own employees for lunch. No one cares about the fact that I've been shelling out my own money in order to upgrade the cafeteria's food choices just so I could make the employees happier. Every day, they get to eat over hundreds of dishes to their fill for free. Every week, the expensive dishes, such as lobsters and crabs, are charged at the net price. Thanks to these free benefits, the administrative department has been suffering from almost a one-million-dollar loss every year. So, I announce that the food prices in the cafeteria will be changed to reflect the current market's prices. At the same time, I've fired the head chef and the kitchen staff and left the meal preparation to another company that produces instant meals. As soon as the announcement is made, the entire company goes into a frenzy. The employees all crowd outside my office while begging me to bring back the benefits with tears streaking down their cheeks.

Twenty-five weeks pregnant, Evelyn Ramsey caught her husband, Carlton Shaw, cheating during her prenatal check-up.   She was heavy, swollen, and exhausted. His mistress called her a "matronly lady" to her face, and Carlton only looked on with scorn. He’d forgotten that Evelyn was once the radiant beauty everyone desired. Convinced she had trapped him into marriage, he filed for divorce.   Eight years of unrequited devotion, from campus to the workplace, ended in total heartbreak. After the baby was born, Evelyn signed the papers and walked away.   Five years later.   Evelyn is back. She’s a powerhouse businesswoman worth hundreds of millions, more stunning and confident than ever. She has admirers lining up to the moon and back.   But there’s a problem. The man who once demanded a divorce never actually finalized it. Determined to end things once and for all, Evelyn takes him to court. Yet the man who once despised her refuses to let her go—sabotaging her dates, driving away her admirers, and clinging desperately to what he threw away. When Evelyn finally links arms with another man and announces her engagement in public, Carlton snaps. He corners her, all composure gone. “You can forget about marrying another man, Evelyn Ramsey.”

On the third day of attempting to conquer Blake Stone's heart, he confesses his feelings to me. But the thing is, the affection meter displayed above his head shows the number "0". After we start dating, Blake pampers me to no end. He even proposes to me in a grand fashion on our sixth year anniversary. With tears in my eyes, I'm about to nod when I see a range of comments floating across my vision. [Blake must be exhausted from all the acting, huh? He has to reel in his disgust and keep up the act with Joanna for six years in order to protect Keira from her.] [That idiotic replacement actually got so immersed in this act! I'm laughing my ass off right now!] It's as though my blood had transformed into ice. No wonder the number never changed throughout the years. At the same time, the system's icy voice rings out in my mind. "The final phase is now activated. The countdown to the time left to conquer your target's heart has started. You have ten days left. If you fail, you'll be wiped out from this world." I just smile as I draw back my hand that was about to wear his ring. Then, I wipe my tears away. "I'm sorry, but I'm sick and tired of this stupid strategy game."

The Ravennites: children of the lost Seluitah tribe and the white refugees from the Old World. For generations their civilization had remained hidden and kept secret from the constant, prying eyes of the Outside. Life as the Ravennites once knew it, however, would soon fall to bitter change when enemies from the Outside world seek to take away from them everything they had always known and loved. Lost and helpless, the Ravennite civilization has all but fallen into ruin. That is, until a young outsider named Alex Lee discovers the hidden culture and the dire situation that has overshadowed them. Suddenly thrown into the middle of the conflict, Alex feels as though he has no choice but to make a stand and help his brave new friends in the fight to take back what is being stolen from them; while along the way gaining an incredible new insight on the life which he had left behind, and developing a powerful bond with a young Ravennite girl. The choice is his to make: to join with the Ravennites in their fight against their greatest enemies, or to fall into darkness along with all that is left of their hidden civilization, running away is no option. Whatever the path he chooses to take, however, what Alex does not yet realize is the exact nature of the mysterious forces which he constantly senses continue to surround him, and that they have had their sights set on his bloodline for a long time.

Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. The story contains explicit adult content of a sexual nature and should not be read by anyone under the age of 18. Xoxo. Beg me to take you," he murmured. His voice was rough, reverberating through my bones. "Beg me to bend you over that couch and fuck you." The words were out of my mouth before I could think about them. "Oh, yes," I whispered. "Please." He paused. Then, to my everlasting dismay, he pulled back, removing his hand from my pants and leaving a wet, cold trail behind. A deep chuckle rumbled through his chest, turning my knees to pudding. "No," he said. It took a second to register. "What?" I cried. "Why? You asked me to... why?" And he laughed. He laughed at me.

Keeping her safe has become his life's mission. 
 Gage Hendrix is a man without roots. As an MSD Team Leader for the Department of State, he operates in high-threat environments. Serving in dangerous postings around the world, his team provides emergency security support and crisis response. Keeping the US ambassador's daughter safe in Sri Lanka? An unusual assignment for an "action group" used to dealing with evacuations, wars, incursions, and coups. Expecting a spoilt princess, Gage finds a hard-working therapist with a huge heart and sad eyes. 
 Hiding from heartache is no longer an option. 
 Chantal Durant's best friend has gone into hiding with intel that could lead to a nation's upheaval. Enemies have targeted the last person who helped her to escape… Turning a tragic past into a constructive existence, Chantal dedicates herself to helping others. She likes her work, likes her routine, and doesn't like that her safety is now in the hands of a cocky MSD agent. Her undeniable sexual attraction for the ruggedly handsome bodyguard would not only end his career but could get them both killed. 
 As multiple threats close in, Gage is faced with harrowing decisions. Trapped in an unfamiliar landscape, both Gage and Chantal will have to act fast to make it out alive. "If you're looking for the perfect blend of action and steam set against the backdrop of exciting international locales...your first stop should be Louise Dawn." - Janie Crouch.

Everyone in the company fears Killian Vale—the ruthless billionaire CEO of ValeCorp. He doesn’t speak unless necessary, fires employees without blinking, and has a face carved out of stone. He built an empire on logic and power, not emotion. Then she walks in. Emery Quinn—a soft-spoken, stubbornly independent woman with zero interest in corporate games—takes a job as his executive assistant out of desperation. She needs money to save her younger brother from a dangerous situation. She expects to hate Killian. He expects her to quit. What neither expects is the tension that builds between them—the dangerous, slow-burning tension that starts behind office doors and seeps into stolen glances, late-night calls, and locked conference rooms. But Killian doesn’t do relationships. He doesn’t do feelings. And she’s too smart to fall for someone like him. Until the day he finally snaps and says: “You're the only person who's ever made me feel anything, and I hate you for it.”