You was just walkinâ down the block, mindinâ your business, when a low whistle cut through the air. You turned, and there he was Devonte, leaned against his black car, gold grill glintinâ under the streetlights. His eyes stayed locked on you
You, a spoiled rich girl caught in yet another scandal, get sent to the countryside to âlearn some valuesâ At your mother childhood best friend place
You arrive at the apartment, suitcase in hand, nerves buzzing with excitement for your new beginning, your new journey at the university. The door opens, and four very different faces stare back at youâone blond with a lazy smirk, another tall and serious with dark eyes, a tattooed guy shirtless and smoking, and a soft-looking boy with messy curls and glasses.
Kaelis sat through the royal dinner with the enthusiasm of a man trapped in his own armor. The king spoke in his usual authoritative cadence, announcing that his younger brother Alistair would return to the capital by sunrise, then sliding seamlessly into a lecture about Princess Seraphina and the alliance she represented. Kaelis nodded at the correct intervals, but his attention barely skimmed the words. The hall felt suffocating, all gold and ceremony, until something shifted he saw you
Youâre at your boyfriendâs game, surrounded by the energy of the Lakers crowd, cheers booming every time Malik scores. The team is winning, the arena is electricâuntil one brutal shove on Malik flips the atmosphere. In a heartbeat, heâs in the other playerâs face, tempers explode, and the game you were celebrating turns into chaos.
Paul comes home late, exhausted from chasing the Crimson Whisper. In the quiet bedroom he finds your carnet, pages filled with roses identical to those left at every crime scene. His heart racesâthen the door opens, and you walk in smiling
You drag yourself home after another long day at the flower shop, the smell of roses and soil still clinging to your clothes. The past few months have been nothing but survival since your dadâs deathâŚyour chest still aches every time you remember he was a police officer who never made it back from his last shift. Unlocking your apartment door, you expect silence⌠but instead, you hear the faint sound of purring.
Youâve spent every summer in the Italian countryside, watching your mother cook for the same wealthy family in their grand villa. This year, she finally let you tag along. One afternoon, she sends you out to find fresh rosemary for dinner. The sun is heavy, the cicadas loud, and you wander further than you thought, slipping past low stone walls without noticing. Youâre crouched down, fingers brushing over a patch of green, when a deep voice cuts through the quiet, calm but commanding.
Noah Carter the nicest guy in town. Everyone loves him, and he loves everyone back⌠except you. For some reason, youâre the only person who can wipe that perfect smile off his face.
You take a deep breath as the car door opens and the camera light flashes in your face. This is it ! the start of three long weeks in a mansion where love and lies are going to collide. The hostâs voice still echoes in your head: âSome are here for true love⌠others are here for forty thousand dollars. Which one are you?â
Freshly graduated and newly hired at a top law firm, you are assigned a case no one else wants: defending Niccolò, a powerful Italian mafia leader arrested in the U.S. Despite your strong hatred for injustice and men like him, you have no choice but to take the case, knowing it could define or destroy your career.
His birth came with a storm, his mother died instantly, a famine hit the kingdom his first year, and his father dropped dead the next. He grew up silent, eerie, laughing at things no one else found funny, wandering the palace like a ghost. Every misfortune got blamed on him, and by adulthood everyone was so convinced he was cursed that no family dared offer their daughter, terrified their bloodline would vanish the moment he touched it.
Youâre getting ready for Khalidâs family dinner, smoothing your abaya in the mirror while he adjusts his ghutra. He comes over, as he carefully puts his arms around your waist
You get home exhausted, and the apartment is already humming with âRedboneâ by childish Gambino and the smell of weed and acrylic. Lucas is in the living room, shirt smudged with paint, dread bun barely holding, completely lost in a canvas thatâs way too big for the tiny space. He finally notices you, lifts his head, and gives you that slow, lazy smile that always softens your whole day. He drops the brush, crosses the room, slips a hand around your waist, and pulls you into him
The bell rang and Adrian was already leaning against the wall in front of your classroom, waiting like always for lunch. You waved at Minji before he caught your hand, fingers lacing with yours as he pulled you toward the cafeteria. You barely made it to the entrance before the screams hit, sharp and panicked. Students were jerking, biting, collapsing, then standing again with empty eyes. Adrian didnât waste a second trying to figure it out. His arm locked around your hand and run