golden stage

The year I loved Channing Waltz the most, he shattered my hopes. I remember, as I was hauled into the restroom, beaten mercilessly by strangers, there he stood, grinning like the sun itself. His face beamed with a brightness that made my heart sink. The burns from his childhood friend's curling iron marred my skin, leaving a trail of scars, and all the while, he took out his phone, snapping pictures of me in my undressed humiliation and posting them online for the world to mock. I cried, begged him to spare me, but he only laughed coldly, his voice as sharp as a blade. "You haven't even begun to suffer what my sister went through. What's the hurry?" That was when the truth hit me like a lightning strike. He had come to me, drawn me in with warmth, with affection, pretending to care—when all along, it was merely a means to an end. He had used me to set the stage to avenge his sister.

Seven years ago, Emily Hart poured her heart out to Cole Grayson, the school’s golden boy. But instead of a kind rejection, Cole publicly humiliated her, leaving her heartbroken and vowing never to let anyone see her vulnerable again. She transformed herself, gone was the shy, sweet girl. In her place stood a confident, successful woman determined to chart her own destiny. Now, her father, a self-made billionaire, strikes a major business deal, sealing it with an arranged marriage for Emily. The groom? None other than Cole Grayson. The shock of facing the man who once shattered her lingers, but Emily refuses to let him dominate her life again. Cole isn’t happy either, he’s already engaged to his glamorous fiancée and despises the thought of marrying Emily. Forced into a loveless union, their hatred burns hotter than ever. Yet, as circumstances conspire to keep them together; living under one roof, attending public events as the perfect couple, they begin to see the cracks in each other's facades. Old wounds resurface, fiery clashes turn to unexpected sparks, and Emily wonders: is hate truly the opposite of love? In a wide range of betrayal, longing, and second chances, Emily and Cole must decide if they can rewrite their story.

“Admit it,” He growls, pressing my back into the wall. “You like it when I piss you off.” Fuck, I hate Hayes so much. My breath hitches and I brace my hands against his chest. “You’re delusional.” “Am I?” He smirks and leans in, mouth hovering just inches from my ear. “Then why do you look like you're about to kiss me–or punch me? Either way, Carter, I win.” “Fuck you!” I spit. Dorian chuckles darkly, roughly kicking my legs apart so he can press his knee hard up against my dick. “Oh you will, Golden boy. And when you do, it won’t be because I forced you. It’ll be because you begged for my cock.” For Noah Carter, hockey isn’t just a game–it’s an escape. The golden boy captain with a killer smile and a secret he can’t afford to slip, Noah’s carefully crafted lie is falling apart with every practice and every time he locks eyes with HIM. HIM. Dorian Hayes is fire on the ice with only one mission--Make it to the NHL. But there’s one person he never expected to see when he got in Bridgewater to play for the Artic-Blades. Noah Fucking Carter. The one person he hates with everything inside him. Cue in a plan to destroy everything Noah stands for. But every time their bodies collide on the ice, Dorian can’t deny the pull. It’s infuriating, maddening…and addictive. He doesn’t want to want Noah, but when their rivalry shifts from Icy stares to scalding touches, Dorian is forced to confront a truth he’s spent years skating away from: sometimes, the person you hate the most is the only one who truly sees you.

During a charity gala, my boyfriend bids on a pair of matching watches but gives one of them to his true love. The media excitedly capture the scene and ask, "You bought a million-dollar watch without even batting an eye, Mr. Loewe. You've been single all these years—is it time for you to make an official announcement on your relationship status?" Everyone off stage applauds him, and I join them. I give him my blessings for his so-called announcement. To make it up to me, he attends my birthday celebration. Yet he pushes me into the cake to make his true love happy. Unbeknownst to him, there's a steel rack in the cake to keep it steady. I end up bloodied and on the brink of death.

Shiloh's mom was killed a few days before her 13th birthday. After her mom's death, her father sent her to Paris with her nanny. Feeling unloved and abandoned by her father, she developed a rebellious heart against him. She's not allowed to go home in her own home. After 15 years she decided to come home to face her father. Heath, who is a young man whom Shiloh's father put in prison for a crime he never committed. But thanks that he's favored for parole. Now is the time for payback.