Empty Smiles

On the fifth year after marrying Giovanni Santoro, the Don of the Santoro family, he decides to make a public appearance with his mistress, Valentina Conti. He no longer denies the truth behind the romantic scandals. Videos of them that have been taken in secret, as well as salacious gossip featuring the two, are spread like wildfire in New Albion. It's an act of declaring ownership over Giovanni that he himself has silently permitted. There are even busybodies who don't know their place and decide to prod me for answers with smiles on their faces. "Does this mean someone else is going to replace you as the Donna of the family?" That night, the underworld of New Albion secretly goes through a thorough purge. I file for a divorce with Giovanni immediately before marrying his biggest enemy, Franco Messina. After that, the Santoro family goes into bankruptcy. Their power and authority easily crumble into dust. Giovanni kneels before me. With tears running down his face, he begs me for forgiveness. I just smile while waving the divorce agreement in my hand. "Sorry, but we're already divorced."

: A young Emily Harper seeks a beautiful and peaceful life in Silverhood away from the darkness and gloom in Denton. Silverhood seems to be full of life and laughter but beneath the façade of smiles etched on their faces lies dread and uncertainty…..the final destruction of the human race. The whispers of a hidden werewolf community lurking in the shadows have planned a malevolent war against their sworn enemies, the humans. Feeling a strong connection with the werewolves, Emily embarks on a quest to unveil dark secrets and mysteries about the werewolf community. She meets an arrogant and narcissistic Adam Brentwood who she feels strangely drawn too and he tries to deter her search at all costs but fails when she makes a shocking discovery and finds out who Adam really is and his deadly illness. She’s the last piece to the puzzle, the savior the humans have been waiting for to put a final stop to the werewolves. Caught between love and loyalty, will Emily take sides with love and switch allegiance with Adam or will she put humans first and fulfil the prophesy that will bring the end of the werewolves and the demise of the man she loved?

During an elective class, the campus belle, Jemima Ford, who is our senior, describes her ideal type with everyone egging her on. She says, "My future husband has to be at least six feet two inches tall. His parents must be college professors, and his grades should be top three in his major…" The room buzzes with teasing chatter and gossip. At the same time, I snap up my head in surprise. Why does Jemima's description of her ideal type sound like my boyfriend, Elijah Sanders? The next second, the professor standing by the podium smiles obsequiously and says, "Very well said. If Eli hears this, he'll definitely be very happy! Later, the two of you can meet. That way, he won't get tricked by some naive girl into going abroad." Amid the burst of laughter from the class, I lower my eyes and look at the message my parents sent me. It reads, "Sweetheart, are you really going abroad with your boyfriend? There'll be no one left to inherit our company with you gone."

My wife, Jana Webster, uses her work at the company as an excuse to skip out on Leah Haynes, our daughter's field day. She even tells us not to participate in the activity. Having noticed how disappointed Leah looks, I decide to take her to the field day myself. As soon as we walk into the school, I spot Jana sitting on the couch located on the stage with her first love, Barton Ritter, as well as his son, Trenton Ritter. They look so close, as though they were an actual family of three. With a microphone in her hand, Jana goes on and on about how she's capable of keeping her family happy while maintaining a successful career. As she speaks, she smiles at Barton from time to time. The audience beneath the stage applauds heartily, giving Jana an ego boost. Even Trenton wears a haughty look. Soon, it's time for the Q&A session. I quickly snatch the microphone over. "Ms. Webster, since when do you have a son? Does your husband know about it?"

On the same day I was admitted into the hospital for my pregnancy, my husband, Charles Page, received 108 missed calls on his phone. It was from Sue, his mentee, a girl who had cancer. I asked if he was going to pick up, and he replied impatiently, "All she does is call me all day! Doesn't she have any other family? She's so annoying." Later, that very girl posted a photo of herself on the hospital rooftop, wearing a white dress. The caption said: [If I jump down from here, will I become a butterfly in my next life? Maybe then, everyone won't hate me.] Charles only glanced at the post before chuckling mockingly. "What does she mean, turn into a butterfly? Is she delusional?" But after that, he grew visibly restless, before rushing out and not returning all night. That night, I hemorrhaged and was taken into emergency care. When the nurse asked if I wanted to keep the baby, I looked at the empty space beside me and answered calmly. "No, I don't."

Why is the world so cruel?” Nora had spent fifteen years of her life being the perfect daughter, obedient, loyal, and silent. She cooked, cleaned, and sacrificed her dreams to please her father, believing love was something she could earn through pain. But on the day of the will reading, her world shattered. Every property, every piece of her father’s empire, was left to her younger sister. All Nora got was a letter with three empty words: “Forgive me, Nora.” With nowhere to go and nothing to live for, she finds herself entangled with Adrian Cole, the city’s most arrogant billionaire playboy, a man known for breaking hearts, not healing them. He’s everything she swore to avoid: proud, dangerous, and emotionally untouchable. But when their paths collide, secrets unfold, secrets that link their families, their pain, and their pasts in ways neither expected. What starts as a cruel game of seduction soon turns into a storm of emotions neither of them can control. He played her heart... Until he realized she was the only one who could break his.

Even though this longing keeps coming to say hello, I still hope to be able to let go of this longing. With you I know, that happy turns out to be as simple as this Aahhh... This warm spring restores me to memories of three years ago. It's been that long but it still sticks in my mind. A sweet girl with a brown hair and hazel eyes haunted my mind. I don't know what magic she did to me cause I can't stop thinking about her. Not to least how long I sat in the Moidef cafe, next to the table on it there were three empty cups that were then filled with coffee in this morning. If she is here, surely she will scold me. I smile considering that. I didn't want to be dissolved in the thoughts, I immediately saw the watch in my hand that had shown a figure of three. Ah... three hours in the spring. Triple hour. I and her. In the spring. Unseen my memory back at the backlash of the past. 15th of December, 2017 ' Let's increase the speed...!' She shouted.

My husband doesn't love me or our daughter. It's been six years since she was born, but he's never held her. The doctors say he has an emotional disorder, and that he doesn't know how to express the way he feels. But when his true love returns, he smiles at us for the first time. He even brings our daughter a gift. I think it's because he's finally seen sense… until she and I see the photo he uses as his phone's wallpaper. In it, his eyes are crinkled as he smiles. He has one arm around a little girl whose front tooth is missing, and he holds his true love's hand with the other. My daughter tugs on my hand, and her eyes redden. "Mommy, do you think we should leave? Should we give Daddy three final chances? Let's leave him if he still doesn't want us after that."

The day Pedro Palmer's mom was supposed to get my kidney, I ghosted. He waited outside the OR for ten hours. What did he get? A death notice. After that, he went full beast mode on his career. Five years later, his company blew up. Media darling. CEO. Power suit. And yeah, he was holding another girl's hand, all smiles for the cameras. "Do you have anything to say to Ruth Rackham? We heard she supported your early days," a reporter asked. Not even a pause. "Yeah. Thanks for vanishing. For letting my mom die with questions. For wrecking me. She taught me not to trust anyone." He stepped in closer, eyes cold. "This is what you wanted, Ruth? Too bad. Love's gone. And you? Not even worth my hate." That's when Nellie Lyon, the reporter, went pale. "Mr. Palmer... Ruth Rackham died five years ago. She was the test subject. She donated her body—before she passed..."

It was a bad idea. She knew it but she had no choice. After finding herself penniless after the death of her parents who nevertheless had a good fortune, Rose had no other idea than to loot the trunk of her old house to pay for her little sister's treatment. Anyway, it wasn't a theft because nobody knows about this safe... The house was empty because it was for sale, she was going to sneak in and she would never set foot there again. It was a perfect idea... When she entered the house, she suspected that there was someone but she persisted and continued... -Who are you? What are you doing at my house? She was so relieved that no one had touched her money so she hadn't even heard the footsteps... She turned to see a man...a man with a mask covering half his face. .. Frightened, she did not expect that this night could change her life... -I'll let you take your trunk and I'll offer you double more so that you serve as my escort, for one night... Rose could not understand such a proposal. However, she had no choice...