guardian hero don't you dare

When the CEO comes across a child collecting bottles who bears a striking resemblance to him, he sweeps the child into his arms and asks, "Who is your mother?"

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!

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

Layla Monroe, a mystic arts practitioner, is reborn as the third daughter of the Dugan family—only to be buried alive by her own father as a sacrifice. She survives a thunder strike and crawls back from death’s edge. Using her mystic arts, she takes revenge step by step, forcing her enemies to suffer their own cruelty. To survive, she enters a contract marriage with Crown Prince Julian Lauren, but through palace struggles, wit, and power, she rises—until even the cold prince falls for her, and she becomes unstoppable.

After being swindled out of her savings and left in debt by her scumbag ex, Lisa replaces her rich bestie Elsa on a matchmaking blind date to make some quick cash. To her surprise, the date turns out to be none other than her CEO, Alex. From that moment on, Lisa becomes a “fugitive” in the thrilling game of hide-and-seek at work as she juggles her double life, spending more time with Alex. Amidst all the chaos, sparks start to fly, and love begins to blossom.

Cast out by his parents' old friend, Sean White awakens as an SSS-Rank Insect Tamer, yet is scorned by all as worthless. His engagement is broken, his inheritance seized, leaving him with only a withered mantis. However, when the system activates and the insect nest descends, his forces multiply by one every minute! On the trial grounds, his endless swarm crushes former prodigies.Before his family's gates, void-borne insects tear through space itself. Only when the entire Clark family is shrouded in the shadow of his swarm do they realize in terror: this so-called "waste" has long held the power to overturn the world.

On Lindsey's wedding day, the groom, Ethan, ran away. Lindsey then randomly found a handsome guy, Marcelino, at the wedding venue to complete the ceremony with her, humiliating Ethan's family. Marcelino, wanting to avoid a blind date, used the excuse of dealing with high-ranking executive embezzlement issues at a branch company. However, unexpectedly, he entered into a marriage of convenience with Lindsey and gradually fell in love with her.

Three years ago, Jenny's mother passed away after a serious illness. On her deathbed, she entrusted Jenny to her best friend Mia, who was the richest person. Under Mia's arrangement, Jenny entered into a flash marriage with Mia's son Charles. Right after the marriage, Charles went abroad for work. Three years later, Charles returned home. He mistook Jenny for someone else and accused her of infidelity. Jenny, having waited for her husband in vain for a long time, also felt resentful towards him. Charles hired a detective to investigate Jenny, and by a strange twist of fate, Jenny herself was the one who took on the investigation assignment. During their work interactions, the two developed admiration for each other. Persuaded by Mia, Jenny also rekindled her hope for her husband. However, they missed the chance to clear up misunderstandings at a family gathering. Charles mistakenly thought Jenny was late, left in a fit of pique, and insisted on getting a divorce. Later, Jenny was framed by Jennifer and Johnson. At the critical moment, Charles arrived and rescued her. In an attempt to bring the two together, Mia arranged a bidding conference. At the conference, Charles made a high-profile bid to humiliate Jenny's ex-boyfriend. But due to another misunderstanding, the two missed the opportunity to recognize each other once again...

To cover for her boyfriend, Nora Stuart admitted to killing someone in a car accident, and she was sentenced to three years in prison. One day, a man found Nora and wanted her to donate her blood to his grandson, Eric Finch. Nora accepted this deal to get out of jail early, but only to find out her boyfriend had been cheating on her with his boss. Feeling heartbroken, Nora agreed to marry Eric Finch.

I found out I was pregnant at the same time as my mafia husband’s childhood sweetheart Rosa. To protect her baby from being aborted by her parents, my husband claimed her baby as his own. As for mine? He coxed me, saying he will claim only after her baby was born. I confronted him, demanding to know why he would do this to me. His response was cold and unwavering: “Claiming her baby as mine was the only way to protect them both. I won’t let anything happen to her or the child.” In that moment, as I looked at the man I had loved for ten years, I realized my love for him had died. Not long after, my family condemned me, calling me a slut for having a child without a father and pressured me into getting an abortion. Meanwhile, my husband was in another city, with his sweetheart, helping her through her pregnancy. By the time he returned, I was already gone.

To cover for her boyfriend, Nora Stuart admitted to killing someone in a car accident, and she was sentenced to three years in prison. One day, a man found Nora and wanted her to donate her blood to his grandson, Eric Finch. Nora accepted this deal to get out of jail early, but only to find out her boyfriend had been cheating on her with his boss. Feeling heartbroken, Nora agreed to marry Eric Finch.

Frank had been adopted by his foster parents who doted on him dearly. But everything changed the day his foster parents officially recognized Timothy, their biological son. No matter how earnestly Frank explained, his adoptive father chose to believe the newly acknowledged heir over the son he'd raised for over twenty years. Frank had overlooked the bond of blood. On Timothy's birthday celebration, Frank died in a car crash. In his final moments, Frank realized the entire tragedy had been orchestrated by Timothy. Consumed by regret and rage, his world plunged into darkness. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back to the fateful day, his wife’s leap from the building.

The Empress's daughter, Xia Yan, was forced to leave the palace at birth. The Emperor searched for her for seven years, only for her stepsister to assume her identity in her stead. Determined to prove who she truly is, Xia Yan becomes the youngest magistrate, solving cases and eventually capturing the Emperor's attention. With the help of Zhuge Bowen, she reclaims her rightful identity and all that belongs to her.

When the Fitzroy and Saxon families orchestrate a marriage between Emmanuel Fitzroy and Anastasia Saxon, both Emmanuel and Anastasia resist being controlled by their families’ plans. They each flee the arranged blind date, only to fortuitously meet one another. As their feelings deepen, they remain unaware of each other’s true identities. During her internship at Fitzroy Group, Anastasia finds herself impersonated by the intern Zinnia Saxon and subjected to bullying by her colleagues. With sheer determination and Emmanuel’s unwavering support, Anastasia demonstrates her true potential and navigates through the challenges. As their real identities are eventually revealed, Emmanuel and Anastasia embark on a new journey together, poised to embrace the next chapter of their lives.

On the fifth day after I get born into this world, my biological mother chooses to abandon me. But I'm not sure what she's thinking when she's picking out the location, for she actually abandons me at the entrance of the Bianco family. When the beautiful women of the family notice me, they are quick to frown. "Why don't we take him in?" Since then, I have 109 sisters in my family. At home, I'm the bratty ruler among my sisters. In order not to cause them any trouble, I've been leading a normal life for more than a dozen years. That is, until I've encountered bullying in high school. Giovanni Rossi, a rich student, has me cornered in the washroom with his lackeys flanking him. Not only do they dump cold water on me and tear my clothes off me, but they also use their phones to take pictures of my face. "What are you glaring at, huh? You're just a low-income student, so why are you still putting on airs around us? As if a piece of trash like you can ever get into college!" But since the beating I've received is far too brutal, so I holler at the top of my lungs as I yank Giovanni and jump off the third floor with him. When I wake up, Marcella Greco, the school's nurse, berates me angrily. "All Giovanni did is beat you up, and yet you're already planning to kill him, huh? Shouldn't you be reflecting on yourself when others scold and lay a finger on you? How dare you plot revenge against him instead! "I want you to summon your guardian here right away! If you can't do that by today, you can forget about leaving!" All of my hair stands on end as soon as I hear the command. Weakly, I ask, "Are you sure you want to meet my guardians, Ms. Greco?"

On the fifth day after I get born into this world, my biological mother chooses to abandon me. But I'm not sure what she's thinking when she's picking out the location, for she actually abandons me at the entrance of the Bianco family. When the beautiful women of the family notice me, they are quick to frown. "Why don't we take him in?" Since then, I have 109 sisters in my family. At home, I'm the bratty ruler among my sisters. In order not to cause them any trouble, I've been leading a normal life for more than a dozen years. That is, until I've encountered bullying in high school. Giovanni Rossi, a rich student, has me cornered in the washroom with his lackeys flanking him. Not only do they dump cold water on me and tear my clothes off me, but they also use their phones to take pictures of my face. "What are you glaring at, huh? You're just a low-income student, so why are you still putting on airs around us? As if a piece of trash like you can ever get into college!" But since the beating I've received is far too brutal, so I holler at the top of my lungs as I yank Giovanni and jump off the third floor with him. When I wake up, Marcella Greco, the school's nurse, berates me angrily. "All Giovanni did is beat you up, and yet you're already planning to kill him, huh? Shouldn't you be reflecting on yourself when others scold and lay a finger on you? How dare you plot revenge against him instead! "I want you to summon your guardian here right away! If you can't do that by today, you can forget about leaving!" All of my hair stands on end as soon as I hear the command. Weakly, I ask, "Are you sure you want to meet my guardians, Ms. Greco?"