The Thousand Splendid Suns

On the first day of work, the company president said that I looked like his long-lost daughter and gave me a salary of 100 thousand dollars, on the condition that I ate together with his wife every weekend. Once my boyfriend heard this, he yelled at me in front of my colleagues, “How could you believe such a cheap lie?! It’s just an excuse for him to pay you for dirty favors! If your mother learned that you got yourself a sugar daddy after graduation, she’d jump off a building!” So, I rejected the president’s offer. Someone told the department manager that my boyfriend and I insulted the president, and he fired us. My boyfriend was really shocked by this. He stayed at my place and loafed around instead of working. When he no longer had any money left, he asked my mother for money. After that, he asked me to sell my organs. After I said no, he knocked me out with chloroform and sent me to an unlicensed clinic. The doctor there did not use the standard procedures, so I died from the pain. When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the day I met the president. This time, I shouted, “Sir, you look just like my father, even though we are not related at all!”

My mate, Luther Evans, had spent 20 thousand dollars on two first-class tickets for the Moonlight Express to Vespera Coast. Just as we were about to board, he pulled me aside and gave my seat to my foster sister, Zoey Turner. He explained, "There's only one empty seat left on the train, and Zoey's son has never seen the ocean before. This is the perfect chance. Kids can't be separated from their mothers, so I'll take them first and get them settled, then come back for you." I nodded and stepped off the train, watching it disappear into the distance. Once they reached the beach, a friend asked Luther why I hadn't come along. He was busy inflating a pool float for Zoey, answering casually without looking up. "The Moonlight Express runs every three days. Avery Smith can just buy her own ticket and come later. I'll pick up some gifts to make it up to her. She's really understanding and won't stay mad at me." A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. The whole family had always favored Zoey, and now even my own mate was no different. Since nobody wanted to see me anyway, I decided I would leave in three days.

While picking up my parcel from the mailroom, I run into Ivan Judd, an underprivileged student from my grade who is working part-time there. While we chat, he finds out that I'd spent 128 thousand dollars during the Black Friday sales. Dumbfounded, Ivan cries, "I've never even seen that kind of money in my entire life! And you're spending it so casually? Did your mom send you to college to study or to blow money like this?" He yanks the parcel out of my hands and physically blocks the exit. "Return it immediately! Kids like you never understand how hard it is for adults to earn money! If you're this wasteful now, what man can afford to marry you in the future?" I can't help but laugh angrily at Ivan's ridiculous attitude. I retort, "What does me spending my mom's money have anything to do with you?" "How does it not?" He looks completely justified when he says, "I'm dating your mom. Every cent you spend counts as our future marital assets!" I am shocked. Isn't Mom a lesbian? Since when did she start liking men?

For a thousand years, the city of Crescent Falls has survived beneath the shadow of an ancient savior. Each century, a man is chosen as an offering to Sariyah—the being said to have once driven demons from the world. When Bastion, the man Ember loves, is taken after daring to refuse her, Ember’s grief turns into defiance, and she vows to bring him home no matter the cost. Her search forces her into an uneasy alliance with Orion St. James, a dangerously charming immortal with a violent past and secrets tied to Sariyah herself. Bound together by a magic neither of them wants nor understands, Ember and Orion are drawn into a hidden war beneath the city—one involving cultists, monsters, and an ancient order known as the Watchers. As Crescent Falls begins to fracture, Ember experiences unsettling visions that hint her bloodline is far more entangled with Sariyah than anyone ever suspected. Strange new powers awaken within her, blurring the line between protector and destroyer, while enemies gather and old loyalties are tested. With the city on the brink of collapse and unseen forces moving in the shadows, Ember must decide how far she is willing to go to save Bastion—and whether becoming something darker is the only way to stop an evil that has ruled unchallenged for centuries. Because some thrones are not inherited. They are taken.

I was just eighteen when I mistook a business deal for a fairy tale, letting a schoolgirl crush blind me to the truth. My prince charming? He turned out to be more of a wolf in an Armani suit. Now, five years and a thousand broken pieces later, I've rebuilt myself into someone I barely recognize, a CEO, a survivor, and most importantly, a mother to my beautiful son Griffin. I thought I'd buried the naive girl who once dreamed in a garden. Apparently, the universe had other plans. My ex-husband's back, claiming he's changed and wanting a second chance. And then there's James Drake, a billionaire with scars that match my own, who makes me wonder if my heart remembers how to beat for something other than revenge. Between poisoned flowers showing up at my office and threats creeping too close to my son, I'm learning that success is the best revenge, if I can stay alive long enough to enjoy it. They say love is sweeter the second time around, but can I trust it when betrayal wore the face of love once before? One thing's certain: I'm not that naive wife anymore. And this time, I'm playing for keeps.

I’d been married to my husband James for three years. On Valentine’s Day, he gave his stepsister, Mia, one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, along with millions in jewelry. I, on the other hand, received a free bouquet of roses. When I didn’t look thrilled, he accused me of being a gold digger. “Mia never had anyone to care for her growing up. Why are you competing with her? Isn’t being Mrs. Smith enough to feed your vanity?” Furious, I stormed out of the house. When a car lost control and came barreling toward me, he instinctively rushed to protect Mia, who was standing a full ten feet from the road. I was the one who ended up in the hospital. Lying in that bed, I finally gave up. I signed the divorce papers without hesitation. “Giving up the title of Mrs. Smith is the dumbest decision you’ll ever make,” he told me, looking down at me from above before walking away. Seven years later, we met again. He took one glance at my simple dress and laughed out loud. I didn’t bother to respond. I just held my daughter close and waited for her father—the richest man in the city—to arrive.

There were rules to their marriage. Lily was given the life of luxury and everything she could possibly want to live while her husband held the power and control over her fairytale life. It was a game of beauty and dominance. Lily Blakely: I had no other option but to do the unthinkable. I sold my soul to a billionaire heir, rich and spoiled. My dignity held under the heels of his shiny leather shoes and my heart in his hand. And I had done it all to save my father's life. He didn't know that. For him, I was the gold digger of highest order, one he despised the most. And yes, I didn't expect him to fall in love with me ever. He swore that he wouldn't. Daniel Rutherford: She was as beautiful as cunning. The kind I hated the most. A young, independent girl who sold herself for a life of riches and standard. I wanted nothing more than to stay a thousand miles away from her. But I seemed to fail in doing so the moment she got close enough to touch. I wanted her to repel me, yet every time she was near me I got attracted to her in a way I dreaded. I wanted to push her away, but to my utter disdain I wanted to fuck her even more.

Life became cruel since the day I was born. Why? Because nature chose to give me everything but my wolf. As the daughter of an Alpha, I was meant to be like him. I was meant to have the power and strength to continue his legacy but alas, the moon goddess turned her back against me and decided to make me human like my mother. I hated the life that I lived. It was filled with nothing more but hatred and cruelty from the pack members. The only reason I was still alive was because of my father, but I guess daddy privilege didn't last as long as I could. There came a time where they could no longer endure the destestful presence of a human like me….so my father took me away to somewhere he thought I would find a life. But the moon goddess still decided to frown and me and things only got worse. The cruelty and hatred increased by a thousand times and the hatred created a strong thirst for power inside of me. I wanted the power, and I went looking for it. But the question remains, would this power bind or break me? Would it bring me the respect that I deserve or the torture that I don't? How will my story end, especially when a powerful alpha from Ravenwood is involved?

No one gets to understand Nigerian 419 scam until you`re caught in their dragnet. This story will blow your mind. Franck Dubila and family decided to celebrate the established health of his son Anthony (Junior) in their home in Makepeville. All was going on great, till the moment the story of ‘ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars’ secret gift from grandpa to his grandson sets in. Opening a Pandora box, as 419ers got hold of the intelligence. Thus, provoking, a wanton appetite, as they hatched out a diabolic plan to harvest the money by all cost. But, unfortunately for them, the Machiavellic plan only gave birth to a collateral damage in the course. As little Anthony is caught in a ghastly motor accident during the process changing the face of the whole game. When Franck is whispered the truth at the hospital, that, it was all conmen at their art, it created a tsunami in his spirit seeing the situation in which his son was in. Where he took the most dangerous decision which is to revenge his son`s comatose state. By plunging himself into a bloody manhunt against one of the deadliest 419 cabal of Makepeville. But, will he be up to the stakes, will he be able to hide his plans from his entire family, will he be human enough to forgive the person who betrayed him and his son? For sure, blood will flow and hard decisions will follow.

Catrina Lombardi never chose Vincenzo Morgano’s world; it seized her. Dragged into the dangerous orbit of a ruthless loan shark and sex club owner, Catrina becomes a woman trapped between survival and desire. Vincenzo is cold, dominant, and untouchable, yet the more she resists him, the deeper she sinks into his control… and his bed. But Catrina’s heart belongs to a different battle. Her daughter lies strapped to machines, fighting for her life, and every choice Catrina makes is a desperate gamble to save her. The intrusion of Julian St. Clair splinters her world into a thousand jagged edges. Mistaking Catrina for his missing fiancée, Maria De La Fonte, Julian becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth, unaware that loving Catrina may cost him more than answers. As the tension grows between them, Catrina finds herself torn between the seductive pull of Julian's world and the grim reality of her daughter's condition. Each moment spent with him deepens her turmoil, forcing her to confront not only her past but also the future she desperately hopes to secure. Caught in a web of lies, hidden identities, and dangerous passion, Catrina must decide: Is love worth the price when every man wants to claim her, and every truth could destroy her?