in the heat of the night: by duty bound

Three years ago, to repay Sara Crane's father for saving his life, Ian Griffin married into the Crane family. He secretly helped the Cranes reach a higher standing in society so that they would one day learn his true identity. Three years later, after making his last delivery for the day, he coincidentally saves Stella Wade, the Queen of Commerce, who was attacked by Estrya Assassins. After instructing his subordinate to handle the aftermath, he hastily leaves. Little does he know, Stella has fallen for him at first sight and wants to offer herself to him, along with Nimbus Group, which she has been managing for years.

After recovering, Heather planned to pretend to be blind and proposed to her boyfriend Darren, hoping to give him a surprise. However, Darren passionately kissed other girl right in front of her and even made a bet with his friends, asking someone else to take his place to keep her occupied while he enjoyed his freedom. Filled with grief and anger, Heather thought, "You're choosing a husband for me, is that it?" She threw herself into the arms of Alonzo, and demanded a kiss in front of him. Little did she know, Alonzo had long been deeply in love with her! In this game of power and dominance, who will come out on top? And who truly holds the upper hand?

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.

Once a crown prince, Finn Clark lives as a commoner after being rescued by Helen Smith, who raises him amid scorn and hardship. Though only a lowborn's daughter, she shields him, urging him to train in secret and wait for his moment. Enduring humiliation from Mark Smith and protecting his love Grace Conley, Finn hides his strength—until the combat tournament, where he shocks the realm and unknowingly draws his father,Emperor Sean Clark, closer to finding him.

Reborn into a cybernetic world where "synchronization rate" determines everything, I was once a overworked office worker who died from exhaustion. Now, even as the strongest being, I choose to live as an F-rank "trash" who spends his days flirting with beautiful women and enjoying a laid-back life. But trouble keeps coming for me anyway—my ex-wife demands a share of my fortune, my family forces me into an arranged marriage, a brother dies protecting me, and even my own elder brother wants to drag me down with him. Fine. If you won't let me rest, I won't pretend anymore. One punch per problem—until everyone learns their place.

Koiti Mikage, the world's wealthiest man, had spent years concealing his identity while working as a cashier to raise his son, Kazuma. Unexpectedly, Kazuma ended up marrying Yuki Hanyo. The Hanyo family was domineering and overbearing, so Kazuma tried to keep the wedding from Koichi, yet Koichi showed up uninvited. At the wedding, Kazuma was belittled at every turn, prompting Koiti to step in and defend Kazuma. Despite initial mockery, Koiti just responded by presenting extravagant gifts. But when faced with persistent provocations, Koiti no longer held back. At that moment, his powerful and influential goddaughter burst in, declaring her desire to marry into the Mikage family, which sent shockwaves through the crowd.

When Empress Maria Devin falls gravely ill, she seeks her long-lost daughter, Lillian Devin, to pass the throne.Once devoted to her husband, Matt Goodwin, Lillian is betrayed and forced into divorce. Protected by the loyal eunuch Jerome Barry and aided by Chris McNeil, she uncovers the truth, punishes the wicked, and rises from abandoned wife to empress, reclaiming her destiny amid betrayal, revenge, and palace intrigue.

Cast out by his own family as useless, Justin Lowe opens a supermarket in the apocalypse and staffs it entirely with S-rank anomalies. His monsters clock in, follow orders, and keep the shelves stocked while human survivors trade hexcoins for goods that shouldn't exist: prehistoric snacks, high-tech weapons, supplies from no known supply chain. Each transaction upgrades the store. Each upgrade unlocks something stranger. The anomalies are terrifying everywhere except inside Justin's shop, where they are, inexplicably, perfectly obedient. Dragged repeatedly into the power struggles and crises of the survivor world, he navigates each one with wit and nerve rather than force. In the end, it isn't a weapon or an army that defeats the cosmic evil bearing down on what's left of humanity. It's a commercial contract, and the man who signs it becomes the world's last savior.

Annie never knew her mother's love. Carole despised her, reserving all her doting affection for Fiona, the daughter of a past romance. Carole believed her marriage to Ben was a drunken mistake, and Annie was simply the regrettable result. Unable to bear the abuse Annie suffered, Ben resolved to take Annie and leave Carole for good. Despite this, on her own birthday, Annie chose to give her mother one final chance.

How does it feel to end up at the wrong table during a blind date? David mistakenly marries a gorgeous CEO, and from then on, his life is completely transformed!

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.

Theia Quill and Glen Webley shared a night together, unaware that it would result in the birth of twins, Caspian and Celeste. Years later, Caspian discovers that Glen Webley, the CEO of Webley Group, is his and Celeste’s biological father. Determined to find out the truth, Caspian, along with Celeste and their mother, confronts Glen.

Ten years ago, Flainn emerged as the champion of the Global Forging Contest but became infamous after the mysterious death of his master, Dashiel. Living in obscurity, his life takes a turn when Dashiel's daughter, Maryln, seeks his help to restore her father's Dragon Sword for an upcoming competition. Reluctantly agreeing,Flainn risks exposure as his extraordinary skills are revealed during the forging process.

You've gotten reborn as a tiny sapling in a prehistoric forest.Having survived a millennium of solitude, you've grown into a humongous tree. By chance, you end up saving an ancient clan, who makes you the clan totem and worships you. The flowers you bloom bless the entire clan, allowing them to stay youthful forever while developing super strength. But when war sparks, it's up to you to lead your believers to victory and conquer the prehistoric land.

Ordinary office worker Milo Reed accidentally saves CEO Avery Stark—and they swap their sensory systems. Avery smells a foul stench from her porridge, while Milo smells seafood in the bathroom. Milo rides his motorcycle through freezing wind without feeling cold, while Avery shivers in her luxury car. One day, Avery locks him in her office, grabs his tie, and asks, “Have you noticed anything… different about your body?”

Three years ago, I drugged the mafia heir, Vincent. After that one wild night, he didn’t kill me. Instead, he fucked me until my legs went weak, gripping my waist and whispering the same word over and over: “Principessa.” Just as I was about to propose, his first love, Isabella, returned. To keep her happy, Vincent let a car hit me, had my mother’s heirlooms thrown to stray dogs, and sent me to prison… But when I was finally broken, flying to Boston to marry someone else, Vincent tore New York City apart to find me.

“I need your help to fake a private jet crash,” I said quietly. “It’s the only way I can ever leave Luca Moretti.” People said he’d given up the Mafia throne for me. They called him the man who traded power for love— the heir who walked away from blood and gold just to marry a waitress from the slums. For years, he made the world believe in us. He built empires under my name. He sent me roses every Monday. He told the press I was his salvation. But love doesn’t always mean loyalty. While I was busy believing in forever, he was building a second home behind my back— one filled with laughter, toys, and twin sons who had his eyes. The night I disappeared, his empire burned. He tore apart cities, bribed governments, and buried men alive just to find me. But by the time he did— I was already gone. And the woman he’d once died for no longer loved him enough to stay alive.

They have known each other since they were young, yet his bride isn't her. After being drugged, the wealthy man, Bradley Judd, saves her by spending a night with her. When they meet again, five years have passed. She returns to the country with a pair of twins, trying her best to keep them hidden. Nevertheless, he still finds them in the end.