common sense isn't so common

The night before high school graduation, Ethan Luciano pulled me into his bedroom. His hands were rough, his touch demanding, yet my heart overflowed with a decade's worth of unspoken longing. I'd loved Ethan for ten years, and finally, it seemed my silent wishes had come true. Afterwards, as we lay tangled in his sheets, he whispered that he'd marry me after graduation. Once he took over the Luciano family's empire from his father, he'd make me the most cherished woman in the family. I believed him. The next morning, I sat curled up against his bare chest as he casually told my foster brother, Lucas, about us. My cheeks were flushed, and my heart raced, still clinging to the sweetness of the night before. However, then their conversation shifted into Italian. Lucas smirked, leaning back against the doorframe. "Not bad, Young Boss. Your first time, and the school's 'it girl' just threw herself at you. So, how's my little sister taste?" Ethan gave a lazy chuckle. "Looks like an angel, but a freak in the sheets. Who would’ve thought?" The room erupted in low, conspiratorial laughter. Lucas raised a brow. "So, should I call her my little sister or my future sister-in-law?" Ethan’s tone darkened, his arm tightening around my waist for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "She’s nothing. Just practice," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m trying to hook up with the cheer captain, Sylvia Dawson, but I don’t want her thinking I’m clueless in bed. Cynthia Saville’s just a warm-up." He paused. "But don’t tell Sylvia. I don’t need her getting all emotional." They didn't know that I’d spent months secretly learning Italian, preparing for the life I thought I’d share with Ethan. I didn't say a word. Later that day, I quietly withdrew my early decision application to Caltech and applied to MIT instead.

One day, Nancy Snyder saw Landon's golden boy, Simon Lowery, throw $100,000 at Jill Wiley, an innocent college girl. He said, "Take off one piece, and I'll give you $100,000." Nancy thought it was a great bargain! If Jill didn't wanna do it, Nancy would do it. So she traded her two shoes, two pairs of socks, two shoelaces, and an apron for $700,000. After that,Nancy stayed by Jill's side to pick up the handbag, jewelry, and apartment that Jill had ditched. Nancy also took the job and the chance to study abroad that Jill didn't want. In this way, Nancy eventually became a rich, successful businesswoman!

Landy Taylor quit school as a teenager to put her siblings through theirs.She built Reverie Hotel from nothing and runs it quietly, without fanfare. At her father's seventieth birthday, she shows up simply dressed, and her siblings make sure everyone knows what they think of her. What they don't know is that three of the most formidable people in the country are on their way and happen to call her Mom. The reckoning is public and thorough. Later, a chance encounter on a flight with her son's fiancee, who doesn't know who she's insulting, sets up a second one. Landy has never needed to announce herself. She just waits.

My parents once treated me like a princess, buying me a lavish home, braving the rain to get me cake, and filling albums with my smiles before I turned five.After my sister was born, I lowered the air conditioner by just one degree to keep her cool, only for my mother to slap me and lock me in the refrigerator, saying, "Stay in there until you've learned your lesson." They forgot to unlock the lock, but at five years old, I couldn't escape, just as I couldn't escape being forgotten. It was our neighbor who broke down the door to save me. My parents thought I had died, and when they saw me return, they broke down in tears, begging for forgiveness.

Chloe, a quiet, and reserved college student, has a werewolf bestie Amelia, and she had no plans to bring herself into Amelia's world, knowing all too well that werewolves and humans didn't mix, but that all changed when Amelia invited her to the Aberdeen ball, the biggest party of the year for the pack. How could she say no when Amelia gave her best pouty face and puppy dog eyes? Chloe agreed simply to help her friend feel at ease, but what she wasn't prepared for was meeting the Alpha. They are destined soulmate? No way! At this point, Chloe's childhood sweetheart who she once had a crush on reappears in her life, but now he has turned into a vampire to get revenge on the Aberdeen pack...

My parents once treated me like a princess, buying me a lavish home, braving the rain to get me cake, and filling albums with my smiles before I turned five.After my sister was born, I lowered the air conditioner by just one degree to keep her cool, only for my mother to slap me and lock me in the refrigerator, saying, "Stay in there until you've learned your lesson." They forgot to unlock the lock, but at five years old, I couldn't escape, just as I couldn't escape being forgotten. It was our neighbor who broke down the door to save me. My parents thought I had died, and when they saw me return, they broke down in tears, begging for forgiveness.

Valentina, an American girl who just graduated from college, thought she could start a new chapter in her life, but she didn't expect to find disaster for the whole family because of her brother's gambling debts. They have offended the mafia Romano family. In order to prevent her brother from being killed by the mob, Valentina has to agree to marry Alessandro, the head of the Romano family. After a dramatic wedding, Valentina is placed in Romano's mansion as a "canary", but she is always looking for a chance to escape. After receiving a death threat, a terrified Valentina makes a secret escape plan with the help of Alessandro's cousin, but even she doesn't realize that she's fallen in love with Alessandro.

Elena Graywood couldn't understand why her grandfather insisted on her marrying a man from a mountain village. Until, this man revealed to her that he was actually a divine physician with unparalleled medical skills.

Memory stolen. Love betrayed. As Gabriel clings to a new wife, Sebastian fights the shadows alone. But destiny doesn’t forget. When the past catches up, will Gabriel remember before Sebastian sacrifices everything to bring him home?

Elite lawyer Kylin Taylor walks into a cafe and finds her fiance Zane Walker attending tenderly to his mistress. She doesn't make a scene. That night, she slides a condom into a legal contract and hands it to Zane's closest friend, David Evans, Eryland's most talked-about playboy. "Hotel tonight? It's on me." What begins as cold, surgical revenge becomes something stranger: she uses David to deliver Zane a humiliation; David plays along with every sign of enjoying himself.But as the game deepens, he drops the act entirely and and starts betting everything he has on her instead of the thrill. Kylin realizes, with a jolt, that she never had control of this board to begin with. Someone laid these pieces into position ten years ago, and it wasn't her.

Elite lawyer Kylin Taylor walks into a cafe and finds her fiance Zane Walker attending tenderly to his mistress. She doesn't make a scene. That night, she slides a condom into a legal contract and hands it to Zane's closest friend, David Evans, Eryland's most talked-about playboy. "Hotel tonight? It's on me." What begins as cold, surgical revenge becomes something stranger: she uses David to deliver Zane a humiliation; David plays along with every sign of enjoying himself.But as the game deepens, he drops the act entirely and and starts betting everything he has on her instead of the thrill. Kylin realizes, with a jolt, that she never had control of this board to begin with. Someone laid these pieces into position ten years ago, and it wasn't her.

On my eighteenth birthday, Alpha called me up in front of the whole pack and told me to choose—one of his sons as my mate. Whichever I chose? He'd be the next Alpha. I didn't flinch. I picked Cayce, his eldest. The room went dead silent. Everyone knew I used to be stupidly in love with Kain, the younger one. I'd confessed at every pack dance. Took a silver dagger for him once. Cayce? Coldest, meanest wolf we had. Total menace. No one got close. But they didn't know the truth. In my last life, I was bonded to Kain. On the day of our Bonding Ceremony, he slept with Lena, my cousin. My mom lost it. Shipped Lena off to Duskwolf Pack to get bonded to their Beta. Kain? He blamed me. Paraded in she-wolves with Lena's same ice-blue eyes. When he found out I was carrying his pup, he made sure I saw him with every one of them. It was torture. When labor hit, he locked me in the dungeon. Blocked everyone out. My pup got crushed. I died hating him. Maybe the Moon Goddess felt sorry for me—she gave me a second shot. I came back. This time? I let Kain keep Lena. Didn't think he would ever regret it.

On my eighteenth birthday, Alpha called me up in front of the whole pack and told me to choose—one of his sons as my mate. Whichever I chose? He'd be the next Alpha. I didn't flinch. I picked Cayce, his eldest. The room went dead silent. Everyone knew I used to be stupidly in love with Kain, the younger one. I'd confessed at every pack dance. Took a silver dagger for him once. Cayce? Coldest, meanest wolf we had. Total menace. No one got close. But they didn't know the truth. In my last life, I was bonded to Kain. On the day of our Bonding Ceremony, he slept with Lena, my cousin. My mom lost it. Shipped Lena off to Duskwolf Pack to get bonded to their Beta. Kain? He blamed me. Paraded in she-wolves with Lena's same ice-blue eyes. When he found out I was carrying his pup, he made sure I saw him with every one of them. It was torture. When labor hit, he locked me in the dungeon. Blocked everyone out. My pup got crushed. I died hating him. Maybe the Moon Goddess felt sorry for me—she gave me a second shot. I came back. This time? I let Kain keep Lena. Didn't think he would ever regret it.

"Selene, your bloodline is too lowly. You don't deserve to be a Luna! You must let your Alpha mark his sister-in-law!" My mother-in-law despises me because I'm a lowly Omega. When my mate's brother dies in an accident, my mother-in-law wants me to allow my mate, Eugene Latham, to have pups with his sister-in-law, Kristy Unwin, because of her superior bloodline. Otherwise, Eugene will lose his right to become Alpha! Eugene wraps his arms around me tenderly and says, "You're the only one in my heart, but you need to understand that the pack can't go without an Alpha. I'll announce to everyone that you're my Luna once Kristy's pregnant and I become Alpha, okay?" I love him deeply, so I believe him. However, when Eugene goes from sleeping with Kristy once a month to sleeping with me once a month, I realize he's no longer a mate who belonged to me alone. When Kristy announces that she's pregnant and that she and Eugene are going to get married, I'm the only one who's kept in the dark. My heart shatters into pieces when I see the glimmering Luna's ring on her finger. If this is what Eugene wants, I'll fake my death and leave him. I won't ever return.

In 2026 she runs empires. In 1993 she wakes up disfigured, limping, robbed of her dowry, despised by her own son, and thrown out of her home by a husband and his mistress who between them nearly finish the job permanently. The body she inherits belongs to Mya Lane, a woman destroyed by everyone who was supposed to protect her. What they don't account for is who is inside it now. She carries a smartphone from thirty years in the future and the instincts of someone who has outmaneuvered boardrooms full of sharks. The scars heal faster than anyone expects. The money comes next. When her husband, his mistress, her mother-in-law, and her brainwashed son come at her one by one, she meets every single one of them with everything she has.She doesn't leave until every debt is settled and the divorce papers are signed on her terms.

Don’t miss this dynamic DJ Duo double feature! In this installment of GoodChat, Leo Ferreiro and Ryley Schroeder tackle the reality of what it takes to “make it” in the modern entertainment industry. From tear-jerking openers to bass-thumping conclusions, see how their bromance evolved into the beginnings of an acting empire.

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.

When my mind-link request had been ignored by my parents for the twentieth time, I went to the Werewolf Council, clutching the report on silver dust corrosion in my hand. “Hello. I’d like to renounce my pack identity—effective immediately.” Ten minutes later, my parents burst in, dragging my adoptive younger sister, Elsa, with them, panic written all over their faces. The door burst open with a bang, and my Beta father charged in like a storm. His fangs bared, claws twitching. “You’re nothing but a spoiled brat craving attention! Stop this pathetic act. You’re an embarrassment to a Beta’s name!” My mother, a forensic specialist for the pack, immediately snatched the report from my hand. After a brief glance, she let out a cold sneer. “You faked this report just to get our attention? You’ve been a liar since you were a pup.” Elsa clung to both of them, tears in her eyes as she sobbed, “I’m sorry, Jenifer. It’s my fault for holding the shifting ritual. But please... don’t lie to our parents just to make them feel guilty!” Blood was still pouring from my nose, but I wiped it away calmly and stood tall before the werewolf councilors once more. “I haven’t had a real family for a long time. Please—remove all my personal records from the pack. I just don’t want my funeral—scheduled for three days from now—to be delayed.”