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My dad called me right after I got paid. He said my little brother needed money for school, Grandma had medical bills, and there was still the rent, water, and electricity. Then, at the end of the call, he admitted he’d lost money gambling. I sat in the security booth, rubbing my bad leg, completely lost for what to do. A car horn blared, and I quickly raised the security bar. Just one look and you could tell how expensive the car was. It belonged to the boss, who had a thing for amputees. Damn it.

Three days before my marking ceremony, someone set fire to the bridal shop while I was inside trying on my ceremonial dress. Alpha Marcus threw the arsonist into the pack prison, sentencing them to the harshest punishment our laws allowed. I lay in the hospital bed, my body covered in third-degree burns, refusing to wake fully as the reality of my disfigurement sank in. In my semi-conscious state, I heard Marcus speaking with the pack's healing witch. "Alpha, we can still heal her completely with the ancient magic. If we wait any longer, Sarah will bear these scars for life! You just want Miss Rachel to be your Luna at the marking ceremony. This is cruel beyond measure!" "Let her keep the scars. I'll provide for her for the rest of her life, but if she's healed, she'll definitely cause trouble at the marking ceremony." "I promised Rachel that her pup would be welcomed into the pack with full honors. Only when Sarah is completely disfigured will she be grateful enough to raise Rachel's child as her own. The scars are necessary - at least this way, she won't dare mistreat the pup." In the corner of the room, where no one was watching, a tear slid down my burned cheek. So this was the truth. The marking ceremony I'd dreamed of was nothing but a lie. The mate bond I longed for would be my death sentence. If that's how it had to be, I would give him what he wanted.

I'm lying here, my body burning from within as the wolfsbane spreads through my veins. Meanwhile, my Alpha mate, Ryan, is giving the antidote I discovered to his childhood sweetheart, Vivian. With what little strength remains, I beg him to spare just a portion of the cure—enough to keep me alive for a few more days while I search for another remedy. Ryan doesn't even glance my way. He snarls, "I can't believe you're faking illness when Vivian is fighting for her life! Control your jealousy before I lose all respect for you!" Under his command, I'm confined to my quarters to "contemplate my sins." In the end, the wolfsbane consumes me completely. When Ryan discovers what he's done, he digs my grave with his own hands, howling with regret that comes too late.

I wheel myself into the birthday celebration that Wales Price has thrown for me. The atmosphere is originally lively, but a brief silence descends when everyone sees me. The guests are there for different purposes, but celebrating my birthday is not one of them. "Is that Mr. Price's crippled fiancée, Joey Hertza?" "Yeah, but the one he really loves is Anna Giovanni. I saw them kissing in a corner earlier." They use their wine glasses to block their mouths as they speak loudly. They think I'm still the crippled deaf I used to be. They don't know that I regained my hearing last week. I can hear every mocking comment they make. Meanwhile, Wales stands there and allows it to happen. He doesn't stop the guests from talking about me. He seems to have forgotten that I only ended up like this while protecting him. I shoved him away when the accident happened and got trapped underneath the car myself. When I was rescued, Wales swore to stay with me and care for me for life. It's only been three short years since then, but he's already changed. I receive a message on my phone. "Ms. Hertza, the lifelike corpse that you've ordered is now complete. Reply to this message with your confirmation, and your death-faking service will be immediately effective. We will send the corpse to your and Mr. Price's wedding in five days." I don't even hesitate as I reply with my confirmation. Enjoy your wedding, Wales.

Prince Consort Gavin Vale marches to war for his country,only to fall on the battlefield. Yet back in the capital, the princess believes he is hiding away at the Guardian Temple, shirking his duties—and in her bitterness, she chooses to marry another man.But on the day of her wedding, a devastating truth shatters her world: Gavin died fighting for the country,and it was he who once risked his life to save her.Consumed by grief and remorse, the princess takes justice into her own hands, slaying the man who had stolen Gavin's rightful honor.

Dawn, the nation's brightest star, hires a bodyguard—Nate Jagger. Cold,dangerous,and sharp-tongued, he hides a shocking truth: he's the missing heir of a powerful family,gone for five years. In a game of secrets, he thinks he's the hunter—until he realizes he's been living in her dreams all along.Nate, I've dreamed of you… every time.Then let me stay a little longer… before you see who I really am.

At her dad's birthday banquet, Willa Sawyer was tricked by her stepsister, Wendy Sawyer, into having a one-night stand with a stranger. Willa's fiancé, Scott Torres, ruthlessly called off their engagement, and she became a laughingstock of the entire city.Then, her mom got ill and was in urgent need of money for surgery. Willa turned to her dad for help, but he wanted her to sleep with an old man to secure a deal. Out of anger, she quickly married a stranger, Shane Zoller, only because he'd pay for her mom's treatment. She thought she married an ordinary guy with slightly better looks and character, but she never expected him to be a powerful and mysterious heir to a rich family. She thought this would be another hellish ordeal, but he actually doted on her.He said, "In my world, you never have to endure anything or anyone; you just bask in my adoration. Mrs. Zoller, I met you too late. I wanna spend the rest of my life with you."

Seven years ago, Shaina stabbed her own father and was sent to prison. Two years later,Jason stood waiting outside the prison gates with an umbrella, only to be told, "She was released long ago." When they met again seven years later, she froze during an interview session as she recognized him. Someone asked, "Mr. Yale, do you know her?" He replied coldly, "No, I don't." His words shattered whatever hope she had left. Later, she resigned and decided to leave for good, but he angrily cornered her against the wall and asked, "How dare you run away again...?"

My twin sister and I marry twin brothers from a powerful mafia family. She marries the elder, Leo Smith, a federal judge. I marry the younger, Sam Smith, a surgeon. While I'm hospitalized for a high-risk pregnancy, I'm abducted by criminals demanding ransom. They use my phone to call Sam 32 times, but every one goes unanswered. Enraged, one of the abductors beats my stomach with a baseball bat to vent his anger. I try desperately to protect my unborn child, but I lose the baby anyway. Finally, the abductor calls Sam one last time. This time, he answers, only to snap, "Annie almost miscarried. I was just taking her for a checkup. Can you stop calling and trying to get my attention?" With no ransom coming, the furious abductors tie me up and throw me into a swimming pool. Then, they leave. Just as I'm about to take my last breath, my sister arrives and pulls me out. Seeing me almost dead from the miscarriage, she calls Leo in a panic. But all she gets is a cold answer. "Currently punishing the man who nearly caused Annie Morgan's miscarriage. Do not disturb." She tries to call the police, but her phone dies. With no other option, she drives me away herself. On the way back, a sudden blizzard hits, and a landslide blocks the road. The car breaks down. We're trapped and shivering in the cold. Thankfully, a forest patrol finds us just in time. We survive. When we wake up in the hospital, the first thing that comes to us is that we have to get divorced!

To fulfill her grandpa's promise, Linda Bell spent six months incognito in the shadow of Scott Group, the corporate kingdom of her betrothed, Carey Scott.By day, an unassuming pawn; by night, the invisible hand steadying his failing empire with the silent might of her family's influence.She resurrected their IPO from ruin... yet her warnings fell on deaf ears.Blinded by his calculating assistant Elsie Walter, Carey scorned her every olive branch. Until the day she shed her disguise like a second skin and revealed the storm beneath.The boardroom fell silent. The heiress emerged.Then she vanished, leaving his stock prices in freefall.

To fulfill her grandpa's promise, Linda Bell spent six months incognito in the shadow of Scott Group, the corporate kingdom of her betrothed, Carey Scott.By day, an unassuming pawn; by night, the invisible hand steadying his failing empire with the silent might of her family's influence.She resurrected their IPO from ruin... yet her warnings fell on deaf ears.Blinded by his calculating assistant Elsie Walter, Carey scorned her every olive branch. Until the day she shed her disguise like a second skin and revealed the storm beneath.The boardroom fell silent. The heiress emerged.Then she vanished, leaving his stock prices in freefall.

Attending the ten-year high school reunion for the cheerleading squad and football team, I arrived in an old domestic Ford, while the parking lot was filled with Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Maybachs, and even a gold Bugatti. It was as if I were the only relic from another era. The moment I stepped out of my car, a former classmate, whose name I could no longer remember, looked at me with a sneer. “Well, if it isn’t the coach’s pet. How is it that after all these years, you’re still driving this beat-up old Ford?” “This thing looks like it belongs in a scrapyard from the last century!” During dinner, everyone gathered around the Bugatti owner, raising their glasses in celebration, while I was left ignored at the side. Only the cheerleading assistant sat next to me, raising a glass in my direction with a comforting smile. “Don’t let it get to you. Your car may be old, but I believe you’ll be driving a luxury car one day.” I let a small smirk curl at the corner of my lips and lowered my voice. “This car may look unimpressive, but it’s been fully upgraded with a carbon fiber body. It’s already worth over half a million dollars. Too bad, none of you even recognized its true value.”

After years of secretly dating her billionaire boss, Mable is shocked by his engagement news, realizing she's been a stand-in for his lost first love. Fleeing his pursuit, Mable stumbles into a whirl of fate, love and scandal.

My brother-in-law, Timmy Lynch, racks up 50 million dollars of illegal gambling debt but leaves my contact information behind. By the time the interest snowballs to 100 million dollars, the debt collectors show up at my doorstep. After I persuade them to leave, my wife, Celia Lynch, and my mother-in-law, Meryl Unwin, finally come out of the room. Celia's face is pale as she says, "Let's get divorced. I'd rather leave with nothing. Your gambling debts are your own problem, so don't even think about dragging me into this." No matter how many times I explain that it was Timmy who bet on an underdog team and lost, she refuses to believe me. Meryl even slaps me across the face and roars, "Not only are you trying to trick my daughter into paying your debt, but you're also slandering my son? Listen to me, Celia—divorce him immediately!" Then, she turns to me and says, "I might as well tell you the truth now. Celia is pregnant, and the baby's father is your buddy. Just give up already and sign the divorce papers." Wait, what? I literally just won a 100-million-dollar prize from winning a World Soccer Tournament bet last night. I was going to ask if they need help covering Timmy's debt. How did this suddenly turn into a full-on divorce? Fine, then. They can pay back his massive debt themselves.

Innocent college student Liam Harper wakes up to discover he’s transmigrated into the body of billionaire CEO Clare Sullivan’s husband. He thinks he can coast on his wife’s wealth, but quickly learns the original owner was an absolute scumbag—a gambler,thief, and cheater who even had an affair with Clare’s younger sister, Jade Sullivan! When the manipulative Jade openly provokes her, Clare finally gives up and throws down divorce papers. In that critical moment, Liam explodes into action! He tears up the divorce agreement, kicks Jade out of the house, and grabs Clare’s hand with genuine sincerity: “Honey, don’t cry—I’m not divorcing you!”

Aurora ends her three-year secret relationship with Emerson, believing it is just a transaction. She has no idea he is the mysterious best-selling author X she has always admired. When Emerson returns as the CEO of her company, he turns into her dominant boss. As they are forced to live under the same roof and uncover the truth about her father’s death, old feelings ignite again. A sudden pregnancy and family conflicts have once again pushed their love to the edge.

I am diagnosed with severe systemic lupus erythematosus, and I only have three days left to live. When my husband rejects my 188th plea for help, I take my test results and enter the hospice care center. "Hello, I'd like to schedule my own cremation process and apply for government aid." Ten minutes later, they arrive. Before I can speak, my lawyer husband, Jasper Horton, coldly slaps me across the face. "You're faking a terminal illness just to steal attention from Janice?" My doctor brother, Casey Carter, snatches the medical report from my hand and scoffs at it. "Lupus? If you're going to fake being sick, at least make it believable. Only one in a million people gets this." I endure the pain in my body, return to the counter, and hand in the application form and my medical records once more. The staff member sees the butterfly-shaped rash on my wrist and sympathizes with me. "I have no family left," I say. "I'm requesting cremation in three days, location doesn't matter. I just don't want my death to burden anyone."

Vertical superstars Tess Dinerstein and Lottie Guidi test their unbreakable friendship and discuss everything being a girlboss in the entertainment industry entails. From Shakespearean origins to modern day mantras (plus a surprise special guest), you won’t want to miss the insight these titans of vertical entertainment have to offer!