Lovey Rylan, a good secret agent, finds her once thrilling career now a tiresome routine. But her world is turned upside down when a powerful enemy from her past resurfaces, threatening everything she holds dear. Forced to confront buried traumas and navigate a web of deceit, Lovey must rely on her skills and trusted allies to survive. Will she outwit her enemies and protect her friends? Will the shadows of her past finally consume her?
"What are you going to do after the meeting today?" Lovette asked.
I pushed the hidden button on the side of the pillar, revealing a panel. Placing my hand on the scanner, I replied, "I have a ton of work that needs to get done."
"Of course you do," Aaron said, rolling his hazel eyes.
I gave him a droll stare and motioned for him to enter the newly revealed passageway. He chuckled and stepped past me. Lovette hid a laugh and followed, with Zara right behind her. I walked in after them, and the door slid shut.
"Come on, Rylan! You're a twenty-two-year-old dark-haired beauty! You should be going out with friends and having a good time, not working every single night," Lovette exclaimed.
After the retinal scan the next panel, the door opened, and we walked through. I snorted, "As much fun as that sounds, I have to work."
"Good morning, Agent Rylan. Lovette, Zara, Aaron; it's good to see you," Logan said, scanning us to confirm our identities. The next door slid open.
"Hey Logan!" Lovette said cheerfully. "What kind of pie do we have today?" An x-ray checked for unauthorized tracers.
"I believe Miss Aria baked an apple pie today, Lovette," Logan replied, ever the polite super-computer. We reached the end of the passageway and stopped in front of a large steel door. Logan opened it, and we stepped through.
We entered a large room with metallic silver walls, cubicles on one side, and a kitchen counter on the other. A long table in the center was surrounded by chairs, some already occupied by agents. Victoria and her boyfriend, Austin, were laughing loudly. Josh and Anna were quietly chatting. An apple pie sat in the middle of the table, as promised.
Lovette, Aaron, and Zara joined the others at the table while I walked to the far side of the room toward the bathrooms and back exit. I stopped at a cage next to a door, where a bulldog was waiting.
"Hey Owen! How's it going, boy?" I asked, opening the cage. Owen ran out and jumped on me, his front paws resting on my legs. He licked my hand and sniffed my leather jacket pocket. I chuckled, pulling out a dog biscuit. "Looking for this?" He looked at me pleadingly, and I gave him the treat, patting his back while he ate.
"I just don't get it!" Josh exclaimed from the table.
I looked over to see everyone staring at me. "Get what?" I asked, confused.
"How he lets you get so close to him. If any of us try, he'll bite our fingers off!" Josh explained. To prove his point, Owen growled at him.
I shrugged, "He likes me better."
"It's more than that. It has to be," Zara stated.
I looked down at Owen, my mind racing through past memories. My voice sounded distant as I said, "It's just how we trained him."
"Who is 'we'?" Lovette asked, sensing they were missing something important.
Just then, the door to the only actual office among the cubicles opened. An older woman, around 50, walked out, wearing long flowing clothes and a braid dyed blondish-brown hanging over her shoulder. "Well, I best be off!" she said in a sing-song voice. I put Owen back in his cage and stood up. Aria walked over and hugged me. "I know how you get this time of year. Just take it easy and remember we are here for you." I nodded in response to her whispered comment. "Don't work too hard, dear," she said louder.
I gave her a half-smile. "Me? Never!"
She chuckled as she walked out through the back exit, calling out one last goodbye.
The office door opened again, and another older woman, about the same age, walked out. She wore a business suit, and her hair was short and completely gray.
I walked over and sat on the counter closest to the table. "And what were you two doing behind closed doors?" I asked sarcastically. Ezra and Aria had been together for four years and were still in the "honeymoon" phase. I liked to tease Ezra about their relationship. I was the only one allowed to.
"If I didn't need you so badly to close cases..." Ezra trailed off, shaking her head. I smirked. She sat at the head of the table, right next to me. I threw my feet up on the counter and leaned back on my hands. My combat boots made a loud thump.
"So, what tragically boring news do we have to discuss today?" I asked, looking at Victoria, who usually ran the meetings. She glared at me like I was dirt under her expensive shoes.
I cocked an eyebrow at her. She shook her head slightly before saying, "Well, we busted a large drug deal yesterday at the south corner of the campus." I clenched my fist at how accomplished she sounded. If only she knew how trivial these cases were compared to what we used to do before the suits took over.
"Very good. Anything else?" Ezra asked.
"We have a new tip that seems legitimate so far."
"Okay, put the information on my desk after the meeting," Ezra said, sounding strange.
I pondered what could have caused Ezra to act like that, so I missed everyone going around the table saying what they contributed this week. I also missed Victoria asking me what I had done. However, the clearing of a throat caught my attention, and I looked up to see everyone staring at me for the second time today.
"And what did you do to contribute to our VERY IMPORTANT cause, Rylan?" Victoria asked.
I scoffed, "Important cause? All we do is keep college students from getting the high they so desperately want."
"What we do changes things for the better!" Victoria screeched.
Something in her voice pushed me over the edge.
"No! No, it doesn't! It doesn't change a damn thing!" I yelled. At this point, I had jumped up from my lounging position on the counter. I was standing with one fist clenched tight and the other pointing an accusatory finger at Victoria. Everyone was shocked at my outburst. It was so different from my usual laid-back attitude. I was shocked too. Aria's warning about this time of year affecting me was perfectly timed.
"Rylan, are you okay?" Lovette asked, concerned.
"I'm sorry, but I can't be here right now," I said gruffly.
I dropped my arm and turned on my heel, marching toward the door next to Owen's cage. My body was stiff with tension as I threw open the door and marched through, slamming it behind me. To my left were the bathrooms, and in front of me was the back exit leading to a small parking lot. On my right was a blank wall. I marched over to it and ran my hand down it in a specific pattern. The rock work swung out to reveal a door. I punched in the code on the panel, and the door swung inward.
I stalked through the doorway and into the elevator. The door and wall slid back into place, and the elevator took me down.
Charming. Reckless. Untouchable. That's how the world knows Cole Maddox - tech mogul by day, infamous playboy by night. With a devil-may-care smile and a black card to match, he's never had to chase a woman... Until her. Sienna Blake has no time for billionaires with egos bigger than their empires. Fresh off a betrayal that nearly destroyed her, she's laser-focused on building her fashion brand - not falling into bed with the man whose face dominates every gossip column. But when Cole sets his sights on her, his flirtation turns into a dangerous obsession. What started as a bet among friends becomes something neither of them expected - raw, real, and entirely out of control. Because Cole's never lost a game... And Sienna might be the first woman to break his heart.
Sophia tried to save her family's bankrupted company by agreeing to an old man. When Sophia escapes her arranged marriage to a wealthy stranger, she finds herself in the arms of a handsome and mysterious man. But when their wild night together results in an unexpected pregnancy, Sophia's world is turned upside down. She discovered that her baby's father is none other than her powerful CEO, Alexander. Will their love prevail? Will the secrets and lies tear them apart?
In modern-day Seattle, a group of outcasts discovers they are werewolves, descendants of an ancient tribe thought to be extinct. As they navigate their newfound identities, they must band together to uncover the truth behind a series of supernatural murders and face a powerful enemy threatening to expose their secret to the world.
Sisters; Ainsley and Ashton live blissfully unaware of the war until their father, a covert Union soldier, brutally murders their mother. Forced to flee, the sisters become outcasts, abandoned and alone. Their lives take a drastic turn when Alfie, a soldier, rescues them. Under his guidance, Ainsley and Ashton undergo rigorous training, transforming into skilled fighters ready to take on the Unions. Will they forgive their father? How will they fight their enemies?
Private Casey, abandoned and captured by enemy forces, finds herself questioning everything she once believed in. As she uncovers the truth behind the war and the atrocities committed by her own side, Casey is offered a chance to join the enemy's ranks and fight for a just cause. Torn between vengeance and redemption, she becomes a double agent, using her insider knowledge to help the Resistance bring an end to the conflict. In a high-stakes battle against corruption and betrayal, Casey must navigate a dangerous path to forge a new future for a war-torn world.
Five years after a devastating divorce, Sierra returns to her hometown, not just as a successful entrepreneur, but also as the mother of twin boys who are the spitting image of her ex-husband, Derek. Their relationship crumbled when Derek left Sierra for his high school sweetheart, Claudia. Heartbroken, Sierra moved to Texas, where she rebuilt her life and her shattered heart. Upon her return, Derek's carefully controlled world is thrown into disarray. Seeing Sierra again, successful and with children who unmistakably share his features, reignites feelings he thought were long buried. Determined to win her back, Derek realizes he must confront not just his past mistakes but also the secrets and lies that tore them apart. Sierra, on the other hand, is conflicted. Her life in Texas has made her stronger and more independent, and currently Matt is trying to win her over. Trusting him again isn't easy, especially when Claudia, the woman Derek left her for, is still very much in the picture and unwilling to let go without a fight. Derek attempts to mend his relationship with Sierra and become a part of his children's lives. In a heart-wrenching journey of redemption, forgiveness, and love, Derek and Sierra must face the ultimate question: Can love truly conquer all, or are some wounds too deep to heal?
Elisa watched as the most important people in her life showered the evil imposter-The fake heiress, with love. Elisa, the lost daughter of one of the most wealthiest family was found 18 years later and was brought back to her rightful home. However, someone had already taken her place. A fake heiress, the pampered little princess. Her coy acting and innocent façade made Elisa's real mother love her more than Elisa, her real daughter. That made Elisa, though, the true daughter end up as an adopted child. "Elisa, could you try not to appear in front of her too much as it could trigger her insecurities." Her parents had told her because of the fake heiress. "Elisa, You've taken everything away from her. Why can't you give her a little more?" Her fiancé had ordered her. Because of an unfortunate accident plotted by Isabelle-The fake heiress, Elisa was sent to prison and her family cut ties with her without a second thought. Four years, after much torture which led to her being crippled and blind on one eye, she was released, but got hit by a truck. While laying on the pool of her blood, she wanted to question, Why? Why had they all treated her so cruelly, while they love Isabelle unconditionally? She badly wanted to rip off Isabelle's mask of innocence, to reveal the fake, manipulative woman beneath. She was full of hatred. But after her death, she woke up back to when she was 18 years like all that happened were all nightmare. She was elated. She was reborn to re-live all that had happened in her last life, but now, her mission was to reveal mask beneath that woman and make everyone that made her suffer in her past life pay. It was her time for revenge! And definitely, she won't mess this up!
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Janet was adopted when she was a kid -- a dream come true for orphans. However, her life was anything but happy. Her adoptive mother taunted and bullied her all her life. Janet got the love and affection of a parent from the old maid who raised her. Unfortunately, the old woman fell ill, and Janet had to marry a worthless man in place of her parents' biological daughter to meet the maid's medical expenses. Could this be a Cinderella's tale? But the man was far from a prince, except for his handsome appearance. Ethan was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family who lived a reckless life and barely made ends meet. He got married to fulfill his mother's last wish. However, on his wedding night, he had an inkling that his wife was different from what he had heard about her. Fate had united the two people with deep secrets. Was Ethan truly the man we thought he was? Surprisingly, he bore an uncanny resemblance to the impenetrable wealthiest man in the city. Would he find out that Janet married him in place of her sister? Would their marriage be a romantic tale or an utter disaster? Read on to unravel Janet and Ethan's journey.
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.
For ten years, Daniela showered her ex-husband with unwavering devotion, only to discover she was just his biggest joke. Feeling humiliated yet determined, she finally divorced him. Three months later, Daniela returned in grand style. She was now the hidden CEO of a leading brand, a sought-after designer, and a wealthy mining mogul—her success unveiled at her triumphant comeback. Her ex-husband’s entire family rushed over, desperate to beg for forgiveness and plead for another chance. Yet Daniela, now cherished by the famed Mr. Phillips, regarded them with icy disdain. "I’m out of your league."
Elena, once a pampered heiress, suddenly lost everything when the real daughter framed her, her fiancé ridiculed her, and her adoptive parents threw her out. They all wanted to see her fall. But Elena unveiled her true identity: the heiress of a massive fortune, famed hacker, top jewelry designer, secret author, and gifted doctor. Horrified by her glorious comeback, her adoptive parents demanded half her newfound wealth. Elena exposed their cruelty and refused. Her ex pleaded for a second chance, but she scoffed, “Do you think you deserve it?” Then a powerful magnate gently proposed, “Marry me?”