Empty Smiles

Elliot Carter never loses. Not to his father. Not to anyone. And definitely not to the infuriating 'golden' boy who suddenly moves into his house. When Elliot’s father marries Asher Brooks’ mother, his already broken world cracks even more. Asher is everything he despises—calm, disciplined, admired by everyone at university. The kind of guy who smiles like he has nothing to prove. From the moment they meet, it’s war. Elliot thrives on pushing buttons. Asher refuses to be provoked. Their fights are sharp, personal, and relentless, until one night, anger turns physical… and something far more dangerous ignites between them. A line is crossed that neither of them can uncross. Asher refuses to feel guilty. Elliot refuses to admit he wanted it. Now they’re trapped under the same roof, and the more they try to hate each other, the more dangerous the attraction becomes. Because this isn’t just rivalry. It’s obsession. And when control becomes the weapon of choice, someone is bound to break. The only question is... Who will break first?

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.

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."

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..."

"If I leave now, I'll never come back! I might end up dying. Is that what you want?" She asked. "Yes. Who cares if you die? I'm already lenient with you for not sending you to jail!" I said. __ Elise Sinclair got entangled with the wrongest person in the world, her step-uncle but what happens when he cast her aside when the world turned against them. Years later, she came back as the most sophisticated while she threaded on thin ice. She got threatened by her unknown enemy from the past. How will she navigate all the setbacks in her life? Damien Sinclair was empty and emotionless after Elise left. He had to enter into a relationship with his ex because of a few circumstances surrounding the situation. However, his heart still longed for Elise. When he finally sees her again, his hope is reignited, only to be dashed again. How will he get his love back? Will he go to the ends of the earth for her?

Kai has spent his whole life trying to survive an abusive uncle, cruel classmates, and a world that never wanted him. He’s invisible. Until the day he walks into an empty classroom… and meets Mr. James Ashford who has a cold look. James sees everything Kai tries to hide—his fear, his hunger, his desperation—and he wants it. What starts as “private tutoring” quickly becomes a contract, new rules, a new home, and a new version of Kai shaped by the hands of a man who should never want him. But when threatening messages appear, describing what they’ll do to Kai just to break James, the teacher becomes something far more dangerous than a protector. James is willing to destroy anyone or anything to keep Kai safe. Or keep him his. Kai knows he should run. He knows he should be terrified. But the most dangerous cages aren’t locked… They’re whispered, touched, and promised by a man who says: “I’ll burn the world before I let it take you.”

Three days before our wedding, my fiancé, Raphael Russo, was killed in a gang shootout. They didn't even find a body. As I was drowning in grief, comments suddenly flashed before my eyes: 【Wake up, girl! the coffin's empty! He faked his death! The scumbag ran off to be with that scheming bitch chloe, the one pretending to be sick!】 【While you're crying your eyes out at the funeral, Raphael is fucking Chloe’s brains out in a hotel bed.】 【When he comes back, he'll claim he has amnesia. You won't know a thing and you'll forgive him. You poor thing…】 A month later, news of my marriage to Mafia Don Marcello Falcone spread through New York. Raphael’s right-hand man cornered me, furious. “How could you betray the Boss?” I tightened my grip on Marcello’s arm and smiled. “A girl can’t mourn forever, can she? I’m sure Raphael, in spirit, would be happy for me.”

"Xander. Please, have pity" she pleaded miserably at my feet.Disgusting. I thought and scowled....Her pitiful state did nothing to me.Seeing her lying in her own filth, crying in pain and on the brink of death brought a little bit of satisfaction to my distorted empty heart.......Crossing the threshold of her cell, I turned my head and looked one last time at the pitiful mess that was my mother. *******Meet Alexander Rage.Sociopath, psychopath and neighborhood villain with a secret agenda. You could say his behavior is influenced by his horrible past or just the fact that he's a sad miserable vampire.But then again,he might just be really evil deep down. Elite vampire. *******Meet Elle Rivers.Not so quiet,shy, straightforward kinda girl.Middle class vampire.Isn't too fond of the elites and prefers to stay at home taking of her father and serving as the village doctor.Do they find love in each other in the mad chaos that is their lives?This is a cliché-ish vampire book. Read at your own risk. Though some unexpected twists and turns are promised.

While we're having our dinner on Christmas Eve, my mom suddenly asks me loudly, "Do you have your chastity?" I look confused. "What?" My mom just smiles very smugly. "I knew you were the adventurous type! You must have lost it because of someone else!" After that, she shoots my husband, Louis Hartson, a knowing look. "You don't know about this yet, right? Before Yvonne married you, she was an absolute player in the dating pool. Her father and I couldn't keep her under control at all!" I widen my eyes in shock. "What are you talking about?" My mom is even happier when she sees how angry I am. "Oh? You have the guts to do it, yet you're too cowardly to admit to it?" I can only clench my fists tightly under the table after hearing my mom's slanderous accusations. Since she likes spreading baseless rumors about me this much, I'm not going to keep her secret for her anymore.