Riann Hsu's life takes a drastic turn when she got engaged to Edward Vanderbilt, one of New York's richest billionaires, based on a deal. The terms are clear, the most important one is: clear abuse allegations against Edward and rebuild his dead reputation, and he'd help her repay her mom's debts and hand her the socialite role on a silver platter. The only thing keeping her from having a peaceful marriage is the animosity between her and Theodore, her fiance's son and devil-reincarnate. They're both biding their time to destroy each other. But the line between desire and hatred blurs when, in a moment of mutual wanting and vulnerability, he shows her just what his mouth is capable of aside from throwing snark comments her way. From pushing aside her growing feelings for Theo to discovering strange clues that reveal dark secrets the family hides, she has to fight off every obstacle lining up her way to remain in the household. As she digs deeper into the family's buried past, the mystery turns out to be darker than an ordinary case of domestic violence. Everyone in the Vanderbilt family holds an agenda of their own, and if she wants to find the culprit before they target her this time, she has to pretend she is just a naive, housewife unaware of the danger lurking around. But investigating an unsolved case by herself is risky, and it's only a matter of time before someone sees through her pretense and ruins her plan. · · · [ status: ongoing ] ‣ extended blurb + trigger warnings inside

Berkley and Dean had grown up together because their Dads were best friends and business partners. Even though they were total opposites, they were best friends too. They were so close they could finish each other's sentences and read each other's minds. When she lost her Mom, Dean was the one that helped her get through it. He had always been there for her when she needed him. He looked out for her and protected her from guys that had bad intentions, and she trusted him more than anyone else in the world. He even gave up going to his dream school so he could go to college with her to make sure she was okay after losing her Mom. When she decided she wanted to lose her virginity, her roommate convinced her it should be with Dean because she wanted her first time to be with someone special, that meant a lot to her. Who could be more special than her best friend? Dean refused because he said it would mess up their friendship, but when he found out that refusing her meant she was going to do it with a guy he hated instead, he eventually gave in. He was so protective of her that he would do anything to keep her away from that guy. The deal was, they were going to do it one time and then go back to being friends after and act like it never happened. The problem was, they didn't think through all the consequences that come along with having sex with your best friend. **** Warning! Very mature themes & sexual content - 18+ ***** Highest Rankings: #1 in Teen Romance out of 94,000 stories #6 in Romance out of 1.9 million stories. #4 in Love out of 2.2 million stories #1 in Friends to Lovers out of 19,000 stories #1 in Best Friends out of 112,000 stories. #1 in Teen Love out of 32,000 stories #1 in Complete out of 23,000 stories. #1 in Mystery-Thriller out of 22,500 #1 in Romance-Friendship out of 13,000 stories. #1 in Erotic Romance out of 11,000 stories #1 in Mystery Romance out of 3,600 stories #1 in Crush out of 63,700 stories #2 in College out of 87,000 stories

Twenty years later, it's time for an heir to take the throne and time for a new ruler to lead the wolves. It is time for a new beginning. It is time for a new King and Queen to rise. _____________________________________ They said I wasn't ready. They said I wasn't smart nor strong enough to lead as Queen. The weight of our world was on my shoulders and it was slowly killing me. I was hated before I had even begun. What I didn't know was what the future held: a mate. A king to rule beside me. Little did I know that mate would be the most feared man to walk our grounds. They feared him and now they will fear us. I am the Queen and he is my king: The Lycan. And together, we will rule.

STORY 5 I'd pick your thunder, I'd pick your rain: over anyone's sunshine any day.