in the heat of the night: by duty bound

Plump heiress Juliet Jenner accidentally saves Emperor Luka Holmes, who, enchanted by her curves, names her his consort within three days. At home, her slim, scheming cousin had led her to overindulge, and her fiancé abandoned and humiliated her for that cousin.Days later, at a royal banquet, the very couple who mocked her are stunned: the emperor’s new consort is none other than Juliet.

Ian Brown marries Yvonne Miller out of gratitude to her family, and has spent years quietly making her comfortable, growing Miller Group into something genuinely powerful while asking little in return. Yvonne sees only a spineless live-in husband; her heart has always belonged to Sean Jones, the man she truly wants. When Ian's parents ask to meet her over the New Year holiday, she turns them away without hesitation. Then the call comes. Yvonne's own parents are in a car accident and urgently need a blood transfusion. Ian finds her immediately. Yvonne, convinced he's fabricating a crisis to manipulate her, doesn't just refuse, she actively tries to stop him from helping. By the time the truth surfaces, the damage is already done, and the weight of what she threw away settles over her all at once.

Food vendor, Keith Drake, lands in prison after injuring a man while trying to protect his girlfriend, Hannah Grant. In prison, he meets a mysterious elderly man, Trevor Vaughn. Seeing Keith's potential, Trevor takes it upon himself to mentor him and later pulls some strings for his early release. Fresh out of prison, Keith taps into Trevor's resources to outwit the Rogueville thugs seeking revenge and pulls off a bold rescue with the help of e-hailing drivers. Trevor soon elevates Keith to acting president of the Redwood Council, crafting an ostentatious façade to mislead their rival, Carlos Bigsby. Together, Keith and Trevor ultimately expose Carlos's plot to seize power. With everything finally settled, Keith decides against taking over the Redwood Council, choosing instead to return to a quiet life with Hannah. Trevor, meanwhile, steps back into leadership. The narrative charts Keith's evolution from hot-headed youth to measured strategist, and his final choice between the allure of power and love.

After suffering aphasia from a car accident, Heather Phillips is devastated when her husband William Manning asks for a fake divorce to appease his mistress. Taking him at his word, Heather makes it real. Sebastian Hart, heir to the Hart Group, flies back immediately upon hearing the news and proposes to Heather. She leaves with him without looking back, leaving William filled with regret.

As children, Gigi Murray and Milo Sanford made a pinky promise to marry each other. Eighteen years later, Milo has become mentally impaired, but Gigi remains devoted and marries him. After a fateful accident, Milo regains his memory, only to discover that the person who killed his parents is none other than Gigi's adoptive father. Consumed by rage, Milo turns against Gigi. Amidst the turmoil, Gigi's true identity is revealed, uncovering a web of secrets and betrayal.

Since childhood, Melanie Llyod has lived under the shadow of loss, her mother gone and her stepmother intent on securing a vast inheritance. Raised in a world of fragile comfort, Melanie grows weak and dependent. But after a sudden accident, Ashton Llyod reappears in her life, urging her to find strength and independence. The emotions they've suppressed for years begin to surface. Though they share no blood, they've lived as siblings for 18 years. But in the 19th year, everything changes… Kate Llyod, determined to steal Melanie's fiance, relentlessly tries to expose the secret connection between Melanie and Ashton. Amidst the growing misunderstandings, Melanie decides to bury her feelings and honor her engagement. Ashton, too, chooses to distance himself, focusing on his responsibilities. But when a twist of fate leads to a murder attempt, Ashton is left gravely injured and hospitalized. At last, both must confront their true feelings for each other. Yet, the challenges ahead are far from over…

After a severe car accident, 7-year-old Isabella Wellington was abandoned after having her blood drained out by evil family members, in order to keep her own brother alive. 17 years later, Olivia struggles to fight off brutal bullying from the Wellingtons whom she works for. Unknown to the Wellingtons, their target of bullying, daughter raised by a janitor, Olivia, is in fact Isabella Wellington, the precious lost heiress, whom they have been searching for for 17 years.

Pet shop owner Vivien Jay accidentally ends up in a flash marriage with Shaun Gall, the No. 1 rich man in her city. Due to a misunderstanding, Shaun has to disguise his identity and keep his wealth a secret. What hilarious and unexpected stories will unfold between Vivien, who believes her husband is just an ordinary man, and Shaun, who is a real big shot?

MMA Queen Lily Gray's daughter was swapped with Maya Kurt's own child. Eighteen years later, the daughter inherits her mother's boxing skills. However, the mother and daughter are unable to reunite due to interference from Hannah Gray and Logan Hall. In the end, Logan Hall faces justice, and Hannah and Wendy face off in the boxing ring. Regardless of the outcome, both are champions in their own right.

After seven years of marriage, Kelly Jones’s husband, Eric Brown, remains cold and distant.Still, Kelly faces everything with a smile because she loves him deeply. On her birthday, she flies abroad to be with Eric and their daughter, Sophia Brown.To her devastation, she discovers that Eric has taken Sophia to meet her stepsister, Bella Jones—and Sophia even asks Bella to replace Kelly as her mother.Utterly heartbroken, Kelly finally gives up on him.

Gemma Vale, an aristocrat, was forced to become a consort for the crown prince, who was known to be brutal and violent, after falling for a scheme set up by her family in her past life.After she gets reborn to the day of the selection of the crown princess, Gemma keeps her cool as she comes up with plans to lure her manipulative adopted sister and her parents into dire situations instead. Thanks to her skills and wisdom, she wins over the queen's and the crown princess' hearts.Gemma plans out every step with extreme caution. At a palace banquet, she unravels the vile schemes that are plotted against her and takes out old enemies who want her gone. In the end, she's able to turn her fate around by establishing her standing in the Eastern Palace and finding her happiness there.This is a story about revenge, survival, and self-rescue that takes place in a royal palace.

In a world where emotions run wild and secrets lurk in the shadows, Kristen, an orphaned servant, finds herself entangled in a web of love and betrayal. When fate unexpectedly leads her to Justin, the enigmatic leader, and Allen, the newly appointed Lycan King, Kristen's life takes a dramatic turn. As emotions ignite and alliances shift, Kristen must navigate the turbulent waters of romance and deception.

Natalia is the daughter of Alpha,as the wolf in the prophecy, she is chased by many forces, to protect her, her father asked her to leave the pack and headed to New York so she could be safe there, two years later,the danger still existed, but her father thought it was time and he asked Natalia to come back and marry Blake Hunter, Alpha of another pack,he believed that Blake could protect Natalia after their marriage, their packs would be union. Natalia never liked Blake,but she would do what her father said for her pack, however she also learned that another powerful pack is rising, the Alpha of the pack is mysterious and ruthless, what would happen if she found out that the ruthless Alpha was her mate? The forces who were chasing Natalia's power didn't stop, what would she do to protect herself and her pack?

Yolanda, a mascot of the heavenly realm, was kicked down to the mortal world by Celestius to save the drought. She possessed a poor little girl, but underneath her thin frame lies divine power: A wave of the hand makes an old goat give milk and birth, while a stomp of the foot makes a dry well gush forth! A wicked aunt that called her curse was then blown up in the kitchen! A cousin that threw stones at her...

Roxanne Hill, the heiress of the Hills and a Muse Award gold prize winner, gave up on her dream for the sake of her husband, settling down as a housewife for five years. She believed she would live a blissful life, but tragedy struck when she lost her unborn child due to her sister-in-law's treachery. To make matters worse, her husband chose to save the sister-in-law instead of rushing Roxanne to the hospital. Their relationship begins to crumble, while the art world eagerly awaits the return of the renowned artist.

Harvey, the lone Martial King who sealed the Demon Cave for ten years, is publicly stripped of rank by Empress Phoenix after she believes the slander. But the seal breaks, and three demon lords escape and butcher the Rosefinch Empire. The Empire pins the blame on Harvey, ruining him and issuing a manhunt. Facing the Empire's collapse, Harvey at first stays out of it. When the Demon Emperor arrives, Harvey's sister, Yvette, is threatened, and Empress Phoenix begs. Harvey answers, returns with thunderous might, routs the demons, and rescues the Rosefinch Empire.

In a world of universal class changes, the world-ending evil god descends on Blue Star, threatening to enslave all life. Humanity gains the ability to change classes into various professions to fight back. Dragon Tamer, once the strongest profession, became worthless after dragons went extinct on Blue Star.Andy Sanford becomes a Dragon Tamer and obtains the Divine Dragon System, allowing him to summon ancient true dragons—creatures of unimaginable power. The so-called “dragons” in this world are merely lesser drakes, degraded beasts with only a fraction of true dragon bloodline.

Five years ago, waitress Willow Shelby spent a night together with a drugged CEO, Marcus Ives, and bore his heterochromatic twins. When their unusual eyes spark suspicion, Willow and her sons face humiliation, expulsion, and kidnapping. Marcus rescues them, exposes his fiancée’s scheme, and reunites the family. In the end, love and justice prevail, promising a future full of happiness.