After taking a shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and walked into my best friend's room. I took out a row of tops and asked her which one looked better with my new red dress. My best friend didn't respond for a long time. At that moment, a deep male voice came from my phone. "The black one looks good."
After a shower, wrapped in a towel, I walked into my best friend's room, holding up a few different camisoles and asking her which one would look better with my new red dress.
No response from her.
Then suddenly, a deep male voice came through her phone.
"The black one looks best."
1
Tomorrow is my big interview at Infinite Technologies. To give myself a confidence boost, I dragged my best friend to the mall to help pick out a red dress.
Red had always brought me luck – I wore it for big presentations, important meetings, and even on the day I finally broke things off with my ex.
While we were eating, my friend, Ruby Roberts, got a call. The color drained from her face, and even her new limited-edition handbag couldn't lift her mood.
"Mia, Uncle Jerold is back, and I'll need to crash at your place tonight."
My appetite instantly waned as a tall, intense figure flashed through my mind.
Oblivious to my thoughts, she took an aggressive bite of her food, mumbling, "Mia, you're so lucky you don't have an Uncle Jerold."
Umm...
I couldn't respond to that.
I shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze, and quietly moved all the steak from my plate to hers as a peace offering.
"Mia, you're the best!" she sighed. "If Uncle Jerold wasn't so distant with women, I'd have pushed you to be my aunt long ago."
What?
Distant with women?
Uh... I held back a laugh.
My thoughts were definitely headed in a less innocent direction.
Trying to look composed, I replied, "Ruby, your uncle is way too old for me. I'm more into younger guys, remember?"
She nodded seriously. "True enough."
Finally, the topic moved on.
Our apartment has two bedrooms and a shared living room, with one room for each of us.
After a few failed attempts at sharing, in which she found herself kicked off the bed one too many times, Ruby declared that separate rooms were necessary. I begrudgingly accepted the added rent, and we moved in together.
Most days, it's just me at home.
The moment we stepped inside, she threw herself onto her bed.
"I'm heading for a quick shower," I called out. "By the way, I think the red dress might be a bit sheer. I'll try it on, and you help me pick which undershirt works best."
"Sure thing!" she shouted back.
...
About half an hour later, wrapped in my towel, I headed back to her room with a selection of camisoles in hand.
"Ruby, which one do you think looks best?"
My friend didn't respond for a while.
As I looked up, a low male voice answered, "The black one looks best."
What...?
Right in the center of her bed lay her phone, camera angled perfectly to capture me in my towel-clad state.
My heart leapt.
"What's going on?" she asked, coming in with a box of half-eaten spicy chicken wings in her hand. She looked from me to her phone, her eyes going wide.
"Oh... crap." She slapped her forehead and hung up the video call.
"Mia, I was starving, so when Uncle Jerold called, I just answered it. I didn't think... thank goodness you're not a fan of streaking."
Some best friend.
2
Recalling that intense look and deep voice from last night, I could feel my face heating up.
Ruby looked at the camisoles I held, then picked up the black one, holding it out to me playfully. "Black is definitely the way to go."
"... Right."
That night, she sulked because I didn't make her the usual late-night snack.
Serves her right.
Back in my room, I saw a message waiting for me on my phone, "If you're unsure, you could always ask me directly."
I rolled my eyes.
As if!
It's not like I was planning to wear it for him.
I buried my face in my hands, still warm from embarrassment, and curled up in bed. Images from last night flickered through my mind until I finally drifted off.
At the first ring of my alarm the next morning, I was up. After a quick makeup routine and preparing breakfast for my still-asleep friend, I headed out.
Infinite Technologies was a leader in Cloudhaven's tech world. Like any computer science grad, I'd been dreaming of a job there.
When I arrived, the waiting area was packed, with everyone looking equally prepared for a tough competition.
I clutched my resume, took a seat, and overheard a few of the others chatting nearby.
"Did you hear? The CEO's here today, and he's hand-picking someone for a spot at headquarters."
"Yeah, they bring in a few of the top candidates each year, but it's always super competitive."
"Oh, that makes sense..."
I didn't pay much attention; my focus was on this R&D role. I'd done all my homework on the department, not on the CEO or headquarters.
Half an hour later, the interviews officially began. A man who appeared to be an assistant began calling candidates in for their interviews.
I felt a bit nervous – this was my first formal interview since stepping into the professional world.
My turn came.
Holding my resume, I followed the assistant into the conference room.
Seeing the man seated in the center, exuding authority, I froze in my tracks.
"Mia Nash."
His deep, resonant voice made my heart skip a beat.
Prompted by the other interviewers, I sat across from him and began the self-introduction I'd prepared.
As I spoke, my gaze rested on the other interviewers, but I could still feel that intense, playful stare fixed on me.
That scoundrel.
No wonder he sent me that message last night.
After my introduction, the other interviewers asked me several technical questions.
I answered each one confidently.
Since I had entered the room, the man in the center had only spoken my name and said nothing else. He simply sat back in his large chair, a casual smile playing on his lips, his slightly bent fingers tapping the table rhythmically. Under his palm was the photo I'd attached to my resume.
I felt my ears burning.
This was pure torture.
Having been around him for nearly half a year, I knew that whenever he smiled like that, it usually didn't end well for me.
3
The room was filled with a tense silence.
With Jerold Roberts keeping quiet, none of the other interviewers dared to make a decision, their eyes darting between him and me.
This was Jerold's doing, of course.
That petty man – if anyone had a right to be upset, it should've been me.
He knew I was coming to interview at Infinite Technologies, yet I had no idea he was the CEO.
Fine.
Straightening my back, I met his gaze directly, refusing to be the one who looked away first.
Jerold's mouth curved into a slight smile. Then, abruptly, he stood up. The other interviewers quickly followed suit as he walked toward the door, his voice floating back as he left. "She's hired. Have her report to headquarters tomorrow."
6 years ago, Lydia suffered a brutal betrayal orchestrated by her own husband and step-sister, who drugged her and framed her. In a twist of fate, she ended up having a one-night stand with a stranger. Don't even remember what he looked like. Later, in the throes of death, she discovered the truth about her mother's death all those years ago. In the blink of an eye, she lost everything. 6 years later, Lydia returned with her genius son, vowing to exact revenge on all her enemies! Little did she know, she encountered an incredibly familiar man at the airport! *** The man was briskly pushing open the door to the restroom, heading to the urinal. Even with such a mundane action, he did it with unparalleled elegance and grace. Lydia, following him in a daze, saw his fierce lower body and suddenly snapped back to reality. She let out a high-pitched scream, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, her cheeks flushed, and stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do. Lambert furrowed his brows slightly but remained calm as he continued to relieve himself. The sound of water hitting the urinal made Lydia's face even redder. She angrily shouted, "You pervert!" Little did Lydia know that Lambert, seeing her in this state, had a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Memories from many years ago flashed through his mind, and his heart couldn't help but stir. It was her!
Once upon a time, there were two kingdoms once at peace. The kingdom of Salem and the kingdom of Mombana... Until the day, the king of Mombana passed away and a new monarch took over, Prince Cone. Prince Cone, has always been hungry for more power and more and more. After his coronation, he attacked Salem. The attack was so unexpected, Salem never prepared for it. They were caught off guard. The king and Queen was killed, the prince was taken into slavery. The people of Salem that survived the war was enslaved, their land taken from them. Their women were made sex slaves. They lost everything, including their land. Evil befall the land of Salem in form of Prince Cone, and the prince of Salem in his slavery was filled with so much rage. The prince of Salem, Prince Lucien swore revenge. 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳 Ten years later, thirty-years old Lucien and his people raided a coup and escaped slavery. They went into hiding and recuperated. They trained day and night under the leadership of the fearless and cold Lucien who was driven with everything in him to get back their land, and take Mombana land too. It took them five years before they ambushed and attacked Mombana. They killed Prince Cone and reclaimed everything. As they screamed out their victory, Lucien's eyes found and pinned the proud princess of Mombana. Princess Danika. The daughter of Prince Cone. As Lucien stared at her with the coldest eyes anyone can ever possess, he felt victory for the first time. He walked to the princess with the slave collar he'd won for ten years rattling in his hand as he walked. He reached close to her and with a swift movement, he collared her neck. Then, he tilted her chin up, staring into the bluest eyes and the most beautiful face ever created, he gave her a cold smile. "You are my acquisition. My slave. My sex slave. My property. I will pay you in spades, everything you and your father ever did to me and my people." He stated curtly. Pure hatred, coldness and victory was the only emotion on his face. .
Natalie used to think she could melt Connor’s icy heart, but she was sorely mistaken. When at last she decided to leave, she discovered that she was pregnant. Even so, she chose to quietly leave his world, prompting Connor to mobilize all of his resources and expand his business to a global scale—all in a bid to find her. But there was no trace of Natalie. Connor slowly spiraled into madness, turning the city upside down and leaving chaos in his wake. Natalie finally surfaced years later, with wealth and power of her own, only to find herself entangled with Connor once again.
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
After my family's sinister plots collapsed, they lashed out at me, taking their rage to a violent level. Cornered and desperate, I married Jaxton—the town's most sought-after bachelor—due to an unplanned pregnancy. Love had no part in this marriage; I assumed he married me purely out of responsibility, his heart belonging elsewhere. The moment I chose to let him go and turned to leave, he grabbed me and pinned me down hard. "Jaxton, you promised you'd never touch me!" I snapped, glaring fiercely. His eyes flashed arrogantly as he leaned closer. "You're the one who started this!"
"We are divorced, Adams." She sighed and wanted to walk away, but he held her. "It doesn't matter." He answered, his voice laced with determination. "I don't love you anymore." "That doesn't matter either. What matters is that I want you, and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it." ***** Alicia's life has been a series of ups and downs. She suffered abuse from her husband and his family because she couldn't give him a child. She thought she had seen it all, but not until the day she returned home only to receive the divorce papers from her husband's parents. She pleaded with them, but was met with deaf ears, and so she signed the documents and left. Little did anyone know that she was pregnant. She returned six years later with her baby girl only to find her Ex-husband craving her once more. How will she take this, and what other surprises does fate have in stock for her?