the house across the lake

I was the sole front desk clerk at a haunted hotel. Welcoming players, checking in on the bosses’ quarters, and slacking off a bit were all part of the job. At least, that was what I thought. It turned out my days were far from ordinary. A blood-drenched little girl in a tattered red dress kept ringing the service bell. Her eerie voice echoed, “Miss, why didn’t you come play with me?” A creepy black cat with glowing eyes wouldn’t stop meowing and rubbing against my legs. And then there was the old woman with claws like knives, cheerfully knitting me a sweater… out of players’ skin. One day, I took a day off to care for my sick mother. That was my biggest mistake. The entire game instance erupted in chaos. Bosses interrogated players, demanding to know where their precious front desk clerk had gone. “Did she abandon us? Is she never coming back?” I ran. They chased. But no matter how fast I fled, their grip on me only tightened. In the end, escape wasn’t an option.

Avery Sallow wants nothing more than saving her ailing mother from the clutches of death. Graduating with honors from one of the best colleges in Empire City, she hustles through the city for a job, which landed her in the net of Michael King, her 'devilishly handsome' boss. Michael King is the cassanova of Empire City, the richest and youngest CEO in town. Betrothed to his childhood friend, Nicki Sandalwood, he is caught between fulfilling his promise to Nicki, or taking his chance with the 'nerve-wrecking' assistant that haunts his night. Will their hatred for each other quench the spark of love they feel for each other? Will they prevail over the forces that put them on the other side of the divide?

My grandmother only knows how to draw one thing—infants. They're ugly, but people line up to buy the paintings. I watch as she takes those women into unlit rooms. Then, their bloodcurdling screams will ring out. Oddly enough, they always thank my grandmother when they're leaving. One day, I finally find out what exactly my grandmother paints. I discover the truth when I see an infant crawl out of one of the women's bellies—it looks just like the one my grandmother has painted.

I was the broke scholarship kid, stuck sharing a room with Sherry, the spoiled heiress. From day one, she was all fake smiles and "let's be besties." She'd take me out for fancy meals. She even introduced me to Kenneth—her rich childhood buddy. It was fine—until Kenneth and I started dating. That's when the claws came out. One day, she "accidentally" dumped hot soup all over herself and claimed I'd done it on purpose. Then she demanded I pay her back. I gave her every cent I had, but it wasn't enough. Next, she accused me of stealing her wallet. The school bought it. I got written up, everyone turned on me, and Kenneth? He dumped me with, "You're just an ugly duckling trying to be a swan." I couldn't fight back. Humiliated, alone, and dragged through online hate, I dropped out. Then I let the river take me. And then—I woke up. Back to the moment Sherry introduced me to Kenneth.

"You think you know hate, Avery?" His voice a dangerous rumble that seemed to roll straight through me. "Hate is easy. It’s the love that complicates everything." "Love? Don't talk to me about love. You wouldn't recognize it if it clawed its way into your heart." Liam's expression darkened, "And whose fault is that, remind me? You destroyed every ounce of it." My eyes filled with tears instantly, my voice so thick, it hurt my throat as the words came out. "And you made me pay for it, in the most horrible way. A person who loved a girl with his whole heart would never be able to do what you've done, what you've allowed to happen. That's why I hate you, because you never loved me, or else you couldn't do all this to me." His eyes sparked with anger "You have no idea what you're talking about." "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," I shot back bitterly, "But it seems like the only thing you're good at is pretending. Pretending to care, pretending to love—" "That's enough!" his voice boomed. "You want to see how real my feelings are? I should teach you a lesson on underestimating them." I tilted my chin up in defiance "Go on then, teach me." The next moment was a blur of motion as he closed the distance between us. His hands gripped my face, not gentle but not cruel—a fervent, desperate hold. His lips met mine in an intense, raw kiss, fueled by anger and deep, relentless desire. The kiss was punishing, his mouth moving against mine with a fierce urgency that left no room for doubts or second thoughts. As he pulled back, his eyes bore into mine, challenging, questioning, daring me to deny what lay between us.

Dale reincarnates in a woman’s body when he promised to live again not wanting to leave his beloved, Chelsea. However, how can he show his love towards Chelsea when he is a girl and how will he make her love and accept him as a woman? What if the woman he reincarnated happened to be… his ex-girlfriend?

I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart. Today was my birthday. It was also Leslie Buck's birthday—Katherine White's childhood sweetheart. I unlocked my phone and opened Leslie's social media page. As expected, a new post awaited me. "Grateful to have you by my side for every birthday. Let's keep our promise to celebrate every one of them together in the future!" The photo showed two hands forming a heart in front of a cake. One of them was Katherine's. I could tell from the bracelet she wore. It was the one I had given her. I gave the post a like, then set my phone aside. Without hesitation, I dumped the dishes Katherine liked into the trash and went out to a restaurant to order the food I liked, celebrating my birthday alone. From now on, I would make sure to enjoy every birthday of mine.

Beatrice’s once-happy life came crashing down on her Seventh birthday after her parent's unexpected visitor. Forced to be enslaved and treated like trash by her supposed mate, Beatrice believed she would never be happy again. Until the night with the Lycan King sent her rethinking her whole life. He was here for her, but she knew he reeked of doom. Choosing peace, she fled with her unborn baby, but what happens when their paths cross Seven years later? When an important business deal forced them to meet eye to eye. Will Xander ever be able to forgive her after believing that he was the reason she committed suicide Seven years ago? Will she run away again, especially now that she has three of his kids?

Albert is a detective, author of a book on criminal psychology called: "The Punisher." One day, he received an invitation from the chief of the police department of city A to participate in investigating a case. With his help, the case was quickly solved. This was a sad case that left a deep impression on him. After solving the case, he thought it would end here. Unexpectedly, right after that, a series of cases happened in city A. In each case with different forms and perpetrators. The special thing is the mysterious black rose which is tightly stuffed in the mouth of the victims. "Is it a coincidence? Not true! An evil hand in the back is manipulating all of this. Who is that person after all? What does that rose mean?" Since then he has been drawn deep into this mysterious case. He meets Melanie, a girl from the action team of the crime-solving team. Here, together, they step on the path to find the truth. Together they witnessed tragedies.After investigations, they discovered clues to help find the manipulator behind. The mystery of 15 years ago is gradually revealed. the black roses was telling a tragic story. Will Tran Nghia face what? How does he have to make a choice? The line between innocence and evil is like a thin flame. With just a little bit of lead it will burn so fiercely that it cannot be extinguished...

My mom treated me like the dirt beneath her shoes but worshiped my cousin like a queen. Since I could walk, I had scrubbed clothes and cooked meals, but I would still be yelled at or smacked if I messed up. On the contrary, my cousin twirled in princess dresses and played the piano. She was cherished by my aunt and uncle like she was the center of their world. Then came the day everything changed. At my cousin's birthday party, my mom got drunk and spilled the secret—she switched me and my cousin at birth. It turned out that I wasn't her daughter; I was my aunt's daughter. I was over the moon. Finally, I thought I'd found my real family, people who might actually care about me. But when I told my aunt, she just smirked. "You think I didn't know? I don't want you. You'll never be my daughter." Her words hit me like a bucket of ice water. I couldn't understand. Why didn't anyone want me? But that day, I made a vow—I'd never beg for anyone's love again. Years later, when I got into Mayward University—the best educational institution in the country—I threw two DNA test reports on the table in front of them. For the first time, they both looked terrified.