billy strings away from the mire

I go into business with my childhood friend, Ian Ziegler. The business is a success, earning 1.2 million dollars in profit. Ian gives me my share—a whopping 5,000 dollars. Noticing my dissatisfaction, Ian puts his arm around my girlfriend, Nina Foster, and tosses the keys to his Bentley onto the table. "What, is five grand too little for you? Fine. Since you're so broke, I'll give you a chance to turn things around for yourself. There's going to be a soccer game tonight. We're both going to place our bets. If you win, you can get all 1.2 million, plus my car. "But if you lose, your girlfriend's mine. You'll also have to get on your knees and lick my shoes right here in front of everyone." Everyone else in the room cackles gleefully, eager to watch me humiliate myself. Smirking, I nod. "Sure. I'll take that bet." These people have no idea that five years ago, I'd single-handedly taken down the Northwest Aravian illegal soccer betting circuit. I'd set a trap for a match-fixing syndicate, beating the crooks at their own game. I'd walked away from that life after that. But now, Ian has seriously decided to challenge me to a soccer bet?

The night before our 17th wedding attempt, my mafia husband, Rafaeal Holloway, looks at me and promises an uninterrupted wedding. He solemnly swears. "Gianna, I promise you. I told Natalia that even if the sky falls, she'll deal with it alone." I am five months pregnant by then. After three years of dating and five months carrying his child, we've never managed to make it down the aisle because he's canceled the past 16 weddings. Every single time, it's for his sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan. The first time, she claims she has a fever. I spend the whole night at the hospital, still in my wedding dress, just to find out she has a mild cold. The second time, she claims her chest hurts. Rafael abandons me mid-wedding and rushes to her side, while she's out laughing over afternoon tea with friends. The third time, she cries for fear of thunder. He bolts mid-vows and leaves me alone in a hall full of staring guests. But everything's different now. Three days ago, a letter arrived from Northern Silenzio. My father, the Don of the Rossetti family, has finally summoned me home. If Rafael walks away for Natalia one more time, I'll leave for good.

Sarah Young had a crush on Zain Xavier for seven years. Unexpectedly, she became his wife, and everyone laughed at her for going from rags to riches. However, she ignored them and only cared that Zain was finally hers. When they got married, she didn't care if he didn't love her now. She was confident he would fall in love with her in the end. However, it soon became boring as Zain was never interested. Sarah felt that she was rich, pretty, and had amazing curves. Why should she waste her time on a cold robot like Zain? Immediately after coming to her senses, she slammed the divorce papers before Zain. After that, they would both go on different paths. Zain could hit the high road while she had fun with young, handsome men. After the divorce, Zain often found his ex-wife's scandals on the trending list. Last night she was captured having dinner with the new rich in xx tech company, and today she was building a new "love nest" with a handsome internet celebrity??? Zain threw his phone away and cursed, "Fuck with this love nest! That's my woman!" To that, Sarah, who was enjoying life, replied, "Sir, who are you?" 

Four years of marriage. One signature—his own—that set me free, though he never realized what he was signing. I was Sophia Moretti, the invisible wife of James Moretti, heir to the city’s most powerful mafia family. But when his childhood sweetheart, the dazzling and privileged Vicky, returned, I finally understood: I had always been temporary. So I played my final move. I slid the papers across his desk—divorce disguised as routine university forms. James signed without a second glance, his fountain pen scratching across the page as carelessly as he'd treated our vows, without noticing he was ending our marriage. But I walked away with more than my freedom. Beneath my coat, I carried his unborn heir—a secret that could destroy him when he finally realized what he'd lost. Now, the man who never noticed me is tearing the world apart trying to find me. From his penthouse to the underworld's gutters, he's turning over every stone. But I'm not some trembling prey waiting to be found. I rebuilt myself beyond his reach—where not even a Moretti can follow. This time, I won't be begging for his love. He'll be begging for mine.

My younger sister and I spent ten years fighting over Rowan Vale, the Alpha of Silver Ridge Pack. In my first life, I became his mate. Everyone said he was obsessed with me. Why else would he keep me carrying litters for seven years and give Silver Ridge six heirs? When I went into labor with the seventh, I nearly bled out. Rowan sent the healers away and forced wolfsbane down my throat himself. Only then did he tell me the truth. If it were not for the fact that only a daughter of the Hart bloodline could bear pureblood Alpha heirs, he said, he never would have claimed me at all. I had been useful for one thing only: giving him heirs. Now that he had enough, I had none. I died hating him. In my second life, I handed the bond papers from Silver Ridge Pack to my sister. “Go,” I told her. “You’re the one he wants.” Five years later, she was sent back to me half-starved, shaking, and marked by restraints. Through sobs, she told me Rowan had never loved her either. He had kept her because she was still a Hart daughter, because she could give him heirs, and because her scent could calm him during rut. She died less than two months later. When I opened my eyes again, I was in my third life. The unsigned bond papers from Silver Ridge Pack lay on the table between us, and my sister and I could only stare at each other. Who, exactly, did that Alpha want?

Elena endures seven years of a loveless marriage with Nicholas, who remains obsessed with his first love, Olivia. After their daughter Lily is hurt time and again, Elena draws up an agreement giving Nicholas three final chances. He wastes every last one, forcing Elena to walk away—only for Nicholas to finally realize his true feelings, much too late.

Yvonne Johnson grew up in a rainy city. Despite inheriting all of her grandfather's estate, she was locked away in a wooden attic by the Smith family, forced to feign madness and survive in decay, left to rot on her own. To exact revenge, she escaped the old residence and set her sights on Liam Hanson, using herself as bait, laying trap after trap, drawing him in step by step.

"In his past life, Prince Kian chose the werewolf princess and fathered the child destined to rule the world. However, for that crown, his jealous brother burned him and his son alive. But fate gives him a second chance. In this life, his brother seizes the werewolf bride first, believing he has stolen Kian's future. Yet Kian turns away and chooses the one everyone despises— The forgotten vampire princess."

Shelley Radcliffe is framed by her stepmother and runs away in anger, where she encounters Heron Fenwick, who is being kidnapped. In an effort to help Heron retrieve his amulet, Shelley loses the use of her hand for playing the piano and the cello. However, Heron mistakenly identifies Elysia Radcliffe as Shelley. Five years later, when Heron returns to the country, he pursues Elysia wholeheartedly, only to once again find himself in a series of misunderstandings…

Charles had once risked his life to save Cheryl, only to watch her devote everything to an imposter.Heartbroken and disillusioned, he turned away and married an ambitious beauty, returning to the pinnacle of power. When Cheryl finally recognized the scar on his shoulder—the one he'd earned saving her—she also saw the glaring wedding ring on his finger."What a pity, Cheryl," he said faintly. "You're too late."

On my twentieth birthday, I had to choose a husband before all of Olympus. Everyone thought I would choose Apollo Olympion, the radiant heir of the sun god and the man I had loved for years. In my last life, I did. Because of me, he gained Zeus’s favor, sacred estates, and the right to rise above every divine heir. But after our marriage, he gave his sunlight to Celeste, the dying flower nymph my mother had taken in. When Demeter drove her away, Apollo blamed me. From then on, he hated me. He humiliated me, broke me, and finally let my sacred medicine become slow poison. I died carrying his child, on the night the spring inside me withered. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on my twentieth birthday. This time, I let them have each other. So before Zeus and every god in the Golden Hall, I chose Cassian Hadeion, the last blood of Hades. The cursed underworld prince everyone mocked. Apollo sneered. “Choosing him just to make me jealous?” I ignored him. Because in my last life, after I died, Cassian was the only one who avenged me. Then Apollo stepped closer and whispered, “Funny. That wasn’t who you chose last time.”

Orphan Sierra Lowell is suddenly found by her divorced parents who were "dead for over a decade." To investigate the truth behind her childhood abduction, she goes undercover and follows her mother into the wealthy Reid family mansion. As her disguises fall away, the Reid family members who once looked down on her gradually become her loyal followers. Meanwhile, she finds true love with Philip Harper, one of the city's most powerful elites.

Zelda Lang never expects to find herself in a whirlwind marriage with Theo Wolfe, the powerful CEO of the Wolfe Corp. Bound by a promise to her late mentor, she secretly sneaks into Theo’s room every night to treat his mysterious illness. Despite her efforts, Theo keeps his distance, wary of her motives. Little does he know, the woman he's pushing away is the very miracle doctor he's been searching for all along…

Amelia Russo has loved Shawn Butler for many years, but his heart remains steadfast in its longing for his first love. Determined, Amelia gracefully steps aside to make room for that woman.Shawn deludes into believing his happiness lies in Amelia's absence and jolts by an unexpected revelation upon receiving her medical card. "Shawn Butler, as the final days of my life trickle away, I no longer choose to waste my love on you."

High school graduate Annie Xavier dies in an accident on the day she's accepted to Quinbert University, but her mother, Lydia Smith,misunderstands her and pushes her away,causing her to give up the will to live.Manipulated by her adopted daughter, Lydia unknowingly harvests Annie's organs, including a heart for the adopted daughter. Only when the funeral home calls does Lydia uncover the shocking truth and expose the adopted daughter and her father's scheme.

Six years ago, after Elena was pushed into the sea, she was saved by the Dragon King, Yale, had a one-night stand with him, and gave birth to a pair of twins. One of the twins, Tina, was raised by Elena, and the other one, Minnie, was taken away by Yale. Six years later, Elena started to look for Tina's father to treat Tina's disease. After all the misunderstandings due to Tina and Minnie's identical looks, Yale and Elena finally uncovered the truth and confessed their love to each other...

Betrayed by her boyfriend, Ruby Ayers is forced by her mother into a contract flash marriage with his elder brother,Toby Shaw. Ruby pretends to accept it, planning to run away on their wedding night—only for Toby to catch her personally. Little does she know, she once saved his life.Now, the narcissistic ex comes crawling back, and the scheming stepsister sets trap after trap—but Ruby turns every scheme against them with ease. What will her stepsister do next? Stay tuned!

Six years ago, after Elena was pushed into the sea, she was saved by the Dragon King, Yale, had a one-night stand with him, and gave birth to a pair of twins. One of the twins, Tina, was raised by Elena, and the other one, Minnie, was taken away by Yale. Six years later, Elena started to look for Tina's father to treat Tina's disease. After all the misunderstandings due to Tina and Minnie's identical looks, Yale and Elena finally uncovered the truth and confessed their love to each other...