in the heat of the night: by duty bound

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.

Driven to the edge, Rachel Yale makes a desperate gamble—using herself as bait to draw close to Louis Brown, Newfork's most untouchable power figure. He is ruthless, distant, a man said to have no heart. He sees her motives clearly—yet allows her closer. What begins as disdain and indulgent play turns into dangerous attraction. The god of power falls from his pedestal, becoming her shield, her storm, and her only refuge.

Mia's world turned upside down when her first love, Logan Henry, re-entered her life with his young daughter, Jade Henry. As Jade became a constant presence in the family, Mia's relationship with her own daughter, Molly Justin, grew increasingly strained. Feeling overshadowed and repeatedly pushed aside, Molly slowly closed off her heart until one day, she left with her father, Mason Justin. Only after their departure did Mia awaken to the pain she'd caused. The weight of her indifference and the void left by her daughter's love began to consume her, plunging her into a spiral of irreparable remorse.

College student Lydia Wynn accidentally stumbles into an ancient mountain castle and has a passionate night with a mysterious wolf king who marks her as his mate. The very next day, doctors deliver shocking news—she's somehow three months pregnant.Before Lydia can even process this bombshell, her belly rapidly expands, and within a single day, she goes from innocent student to single mother, cast out by her horrified family. With nowhere else to turn, she reluctantly leaves her newborn at the castle. A year later, she lands a job at the prestigious Everton Group, only to have a five-year-old boy hug her on her first day,calling her "Mommy." He claims he's actually only a year old and that his father is the CEO Ethan Frost.

Gerald Culley transmigrates to a weapons factory in the early days of the nation’s founding, witnessing the legendary general inspiring everyone to develop a domestically-produced Multiple Rocket Launch System (MRLS).Shocked to find himself in the past, he remembers his past life’s love, Carolyn Thomas, and her sacrifice, and vows to change history. Through his unwavering determination and deep understanding of weapons development, Gerald earns the general’s recognition. He and Carolyn form a research team and embark on the grueling path of creating weapons that will defend their nation.

When Hespera's elder legitimate sister Rachel gets pregnant, Hespera is sent to be Rachel’s husband's concubine. But Rachel's delivery day becomes Hespera's death day. Reborn, Hespera plays her cards carefully: she wraps Rachel's powerful father-in-law around her finger, marries him, reclaims her legitimate daughter status, and takes revenge on all.

Despite being married for three years, Muse Dawn doesn't even get to hold hands with Jim Hawkins, let alone bear a child for him. After surviving a plane crash, Muse finds herself in the hospital, where she sees Jim accompanying another woman for a prenatal checkup. This makes Muse realize Jim's never had space in his heart for her. As soon as she ends the relationship, Muse changes back to the granddaughter of the world's wealthiest man. Since she can't be Jim's wife, she'll be his nemesis instead. She'd like to see who's the unworthy one now!

The night before our 17th wedding attempt, my mafia husband, Rafaeal Holloway, looks at me and promises an uninterrupted wedding. He solemnly swears. "Gianna, I promise you. I told Natalia that even if the sky falls, she'll deal with it alone." I am five months pregnant by then. After three years of dating and five months carrying his child, we've never managed to make it down the aisle because he's canceled the past 16 weddings. Every single time, it's for his sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan. The first time, she claims she has a fever. I spend the whole night at the hospital, still in my wedding dress, just to find out she has a mild cold. The second time, she claims her chest hurts. Rafael abandons me mid-wedding and rushes to her side, while she's out laughing over afternoon tea with friends. The third time, she cries for fear of thunder. He bolts mid-vows and leaves me alone in a hall full of staring guests. But everything's different now. Three days ago, a letter arrived from Northern Silenzio. My father, the Don of the Rossetti family, has finally summoned me home. If Rafael walks away for Natalia one more time, I'll leave for good.

Claire’s one-night with billionaire Ethan leads to twins—but her scheming stepsister steals her daughter. Six years later, she returns with her son, crossing paths with her lost child—and the man she never forgot. To find her again, Ethan hides his identity… even letting her believe he’s just a gigolo, all to stay close and win her back.

Tyson Gray transmigrates into a beast taming world as the most humiliating thing imaginable: an F-rank little yellow chick, freshly discarded by the S-rank campus belle who wants nothing to do with him.What she throws away turns out to carry an ancient phoenix bloodline and a devouring evolution system that compounds with every creature he absorbs. He contracts with Esme Sutton, an E-rank beast tamer whose own contracted beast abandons her but whose potential is off every known chart, and the two of them begin climbing together. From small yellow chick to Cinder Hawk, to Inferno Crest, to Immortal Phoenix. Every opponent who looks down at them gets a front row seat to the correction.By the time the Demon Lord and the Wood family's schemes fully surface, Tyson and Esme are no longer something anyone can afford to underestimate. One phoenix, one tamer, completely undefeatable.

Leo is fated for disaster—until his master reveals the only way out: marry Wynne, the Sutton family heiress. But his outrageous demand for a 1.88 million dowry nearly makes her lose it. Things take a turn when Leo saves the beautiful CEO Jean, finally earning some respect. Back home, his future mother-in-law objects and pushes her daughter toward her childhood sweetheart, Martin—only for Leo to repeatedly put him in his place. So a deal is made. If Leo can get the Sutton Group into the Sky Trade Union, the marriage is approved. Armed with medical skills, he secures production deals, wins over allies, and even takes in a new disciple. At the Sky Trade Union Conference, Leo crushes his rivals, cures the chairman's decade-old illness, and seals the deal. In the end, with sparks flying, Wynne takes the lead and drags him straight to register their marriage.

After Miranda Quinn, the heiress of the Quinns, spent an intimate night with Daniel Jonas, he mysteriously vanished without a trace. Miranda's stepmother and stepsister conspire to catch her in the act and accuse her of promiscuity, leading to her expulsion from the house. Feeling betrayed, Miranda retreats to the countryside and apprentices under an expert doctor to learn medical skills. Discovering her pregnancy later on, she gives birth to quintuplets. Six years down the line, she returns to her homeland with her children and opens a clinic. Meanwhile, her five children are eager to find their father...

I open my eyes to a twisted corridor, the air thick with rot and roses. I'm thrown into a deadly game with 99% mortality, forced by a system to court non-human beings—a crying stitched monster, a time-controlling puppeteer, an abyss lord who feeds on fear. While others flee, I read love poems to vengeful spirits and dance with skeletons. Fail, I die; succeed, I survive. But when romance meets horror, can I trust my heart?

Tired of the life of violence, Frank becomes an ordinary taxi driver, hoping to live out his days in peace. However, when he accidentally rescues two girls from kidnappers, he's hired as the driver for one of them, Wendy. What seemed like a simple job quickly turns dangerous—Frank discovers that Wendy is the prime target of multiple powerful forces...

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...?"

When college student Chloe Fawn discovers she's pregnant, she's determined to raise her baby alone, until she learns the father's shocking identity: Ethan Toll, the domineering CEO of Sunnix Group! This powerful billionaire storms into her quiet life like a force of nature, refusing to let her go and showering her with love beyond her wildest dreams!

The night before our 17th wedding attempt, my mafia husband, Rafaeal Holloway, looks at me and promises an uninterrupted wedding. He solemnly swears. "Gianna, I promise you. I told Natalia that even if the sky falls, she'll deal with it alone." I am five months pregnant by then. After three years of dating and five months carrying his child, we've never managed to make it down the aisle because he's canceled the past 16 weddings. Every single time, it's for his sworn sister, Natalia Sullivan. The first time, she claims she has a fever. I spend the whole night at the hospital, still in my wedding dress, just to find out she has a mild cold. The second time, she claims her chest hurts. Rafael abandons me mid-wedding and rushes to her side, while she's out laughing over afternoon tea with friends. The third time, she cries for fear of thunder. He bolts mid-vows and leaves me alone in a hall full of staring guests. But everything's different now. Three days ago, a letter arrived from Northern Silenzio. My father, the Don of the Rossetti family, has finally summoned me home. If Rafael walks away for Natalia one more time, I'll leave for good.

On her first night in LA, Mexican girl Lucía is sold by her best friend Consuelo—only to be rescued by billionaire Julian. They share one passionate night, but neither remembers the other’s face. Consuelo steals her identity, claiming she was the one with Julian. When Lucía’s family faces deportation, she must fight for love, truth, and her place in America.