after the storm comes the calm

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

Lauren, a young woman who has been mistreated by her stepmother and sister after her mother's death. She is a hardworking individual who is looking for a peaceful life, away from the chaos and drama of the wealthy. Lauren's life takes an unexpected turn when she goes on vacation and meets Kaizer, a famous bachelor and CEO who is in need of a fake girlfriend to avoid an arranged marriage. Kaizer proposes a deal to Lauren, offering her a way out of her current situation in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend. Lauren is torn between her desire for a peaceful life and the opportunity to escape her stepmother and sister's mistreatment. She must navigate the complications of a contractual marriage and the challenges of living in the high society world. As Lauren and Kaizer's relationship develops, she must also confront her feelings towards him and decide what she truly wants. The story will explore themes of family, love, and self-discovery as Lauren makes difficult choices and ultimately chooses what is best for herself.

I wheel myself into the birthday celebration that Wales Price has thrown for me. The atmosphere is originally lively, but a brief silence descends when everyone sees me. The guests are there for different purposes, but celebrating my birthday is not one of them. "Is that Mr. Price's crippled fiancée, Joey Hertza?" "Yeah, but the one he really loves is Anna Giovanni. I saw them kissing in a corner earlier." They use their wine glasses to block their mouths as they speak loudly. They think I'm still the crippled deaf I used to be. They don't know that I regained my hearing last week. I can hear every mocking comment they make. Meanwhile, Wales stands there and allows it to happen. He doesn't stop the guests from talking about me. He seems to have forgotten that I only ended up like this while protecting him. I shoved him away when the accident happened and got trapped underneath the car myself. When I was rescued, Wales swore to stay with me and care for me for life. It's only been three short years since then, but he's already changed. I receive a message on my phone. "Ms. Hertza, the lifelike corpse that you've ordered is now complete. Reply to this message with your confirmation, and your death-faking service will be immediately effective. We will send the corpse to your and Mr. Price's wedding in five days." I don't even hesitate as I reply with my confirmation. Enjoy your wedding, Wales.

She was wrongly thought of as a person that kidnapped her younger sister just to marry him. She was tortured cruelly even when she was seven months pregnant. But for the sake of her baby and the so-called love for him, she swallowed her resentment and carried on. However, she found it so hard to endure his cold attitude when her sister turned out to be alive and came back safe and sound. At the cliff, the rogues sent by her sister advanced upon her with evil intentions. In despair, she jumped off the cliff with her baby. In this life, she would never see him again.

Mary had given everything to the war. Her dedication, courage, time and her will to be happy. But, the horrors of the war was one thing she took back- a present she could never return. She is also plagued by doubts and a conscience haunted by the words of a bitter brother. Faced with regret and shame, Joel mourns his brother’s death. But he believes that if she had not been Johnny’s nurse, his brother would still be alive. Can they, thrown into the same boat and faced with circumstances too big to handle alone, work together to save everyone?

"Why do you always look at me like that?" she whispered. "Because you're unlike anyone I've ever known," Damien replied, his voice low and husky, sending shivers down her spine. "Your presence is like a thorn in my side." Eira scoffed. “You're nothing but trouble, Damien. A brooding vampire with an ego the size of a castle. But you need me. Without me, you’ll be dead.” “I hate that," he admitted. She smirked. "Hate that you need me? So, what is it, Damien? A weakness you'd rather keep in the shadows?" Damien leaned in, his face dangerously close to hers, his gaze dropping to her lips. Eira's breath caught, her shock palpable. "I might need you, Eira, but I don’t want you," he said, his eyes betraying a desire he refused to acknowledge. "Remember that." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her thoughts in turmoil and her lips tingling with the ghost of an almost-kiss. *** The Silverstone Pack is out for blood, determined to avenge their alpha's brutal murder. All eyes are on Damien, the prime suspect, who now lives in the shadows, focused on survival. His only goal is to stay one step ahead and keep himself well-fed. But everything changes when he encounters a girl who is mysteriously immune to his powers. In her, he finds a glimmer of hope he thought long lost. Eira, heartbroken from a recent breakup, unexpectedly crosses paths with Damien. Her confrontation with him quickly turns into a nightmare when she is taken captive. Damien, desperate and cornered, offers her a chilling deal: help him save himself, or face unimaginable suffering. With little choice, Eira agrees, setting off a chain of events that will forever change the course of her life.

When Samantha Hall meets Lucas Storm at the Water Gardens on that fateful night, she realizes that she wants more than the contract marriage he has to offer her, but she knows that entering into the billionaire’s life would not be a very easy task. Lucas Storm has a lot on his mind - his younger brother is about to take over the company he has labored to build, and the only way he can save it is by showing his father he is responsible and settling down. That is when he meets the beautiful and easy going Samantha. But with deep feelings of love threatening to get in the way of their contract and an age old family feud for the billion dollar company, Lucas is thrown into a dilemma - he has to choose between Samantha and the company Would he lose it all and follow his heart or risk trying to get them both? Find out

High School Love! It all starts with the good girl meeting the bad boy and falling in love with him, fighting the battles together, letting out deepest secrets and at the end of the day, they live happily ever after! But is that really it? What happens AFTER!After getting each other's heart.After fighting for each other.After the whole mushy and cliche love.After all the promises.After high school. Just After!

On her way to Nashville to try her hand at a singing career, Alyssa Collins meets Logan Ambrose, her soul mate in every way. Not only is he a great singer and guitar player, he has a down-to-earth personality to die for. Soon, he proposes and they make plans for the future, but everything changes in an instant. A month later, she wakes from a coma only to learn that her life has changed forever. Lost and distraught, Alyssa tries to make sense of her life. Needing to make a change, she puts her singing career behind her and finds herself in law school. Ten years later, she is a lawyer and she takes a job in New York with a prestigious firm. When Alyssa goes to New York for a political fundraiser, something happens that changes her life again. With more questions than answers, can she find it in herself to go on with her life … if tomorrow never comes?

Perfect is boring. What's life without our secrets? It's what makes us who we are. But, Janelle doesn't know that. She has a perfect life. She's the best fashion designer . She has the sweetest parents, the best Nanny, her friends are to die for and the love of her life is one of the city's most eligible bachelors. But did everything have to fall apart when she least expected it? Perfect isn't normal, after all.