"Afraid of me? Why are you so afraid, princess?" He placed his hand on the wall next to her head, effectively trapping her between his body and the cold stone. "I'm not afraid of you," she lied, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands. "I'm not afraid of anything." He chuckled darkly. "You should be." His lips barely brushed against hers in a tantalizingly soft touch. She was frozen in the spot, her mind a chaos of escape thoughts, but her body refusing to carry her away. It was like he took advantage of her daze, closing the remaining gap and crushing his lips against hers. _________________ In a corrupted world full of superficial and greedy people, in a world driven by lust and desire, Regan's thoughts and actions are alien to most. She feels like an outsider amidst a blur of faces that mirror the very disdain she holds for society. But she's not naive. And what will happen when she's thrust into the heart of the very system she despises?

Some spells need to be broken... before they break you. Laura Quillspell's greatest wish is to win the golden medal at the Harvest Feast dessert competition and finally defeat Ambrose Waycaster. But when the harmless spell she infuses into her chocolates turns into a potent love potion, she gains two unwelcome admirers: her exuberant best friend and Ambrose himself, her infuriating rival, who now looks at her as if she hung the moon. With less than a week left before the festival, Laura must undo her magical mess before she loses the competition, her dignity, and maybe, just maybe, her heart. --------------------------------- 🥇 ONC 2025 Round 1 winner --------------------------------- This is my entry for the Open Novella Contest 2025, based on prompt 126: "Because you're you, and I'm me, and we just don't fit." - Idea of You, Book by Robinne Lee It's a rough first draft, so some inconsistencies might crop up. Feel free to point them out if you come across them while reading. ^-^

In a world where secrets are deadly and trust is a luxury,Lena Mendoza is on a mission to uncover the truth behind her parents' mysterious deaths. Desperate for answers, she lands a job at V.E.I.L, a covert organization with more ties to her past than she could ever imagine. As she dives deeper into her investigation,Lena crosses paths with Liam, the older brother of her best friend, and discovers they share a dark connection-Operation Blackthorn, the mission that claimed both their parents' lives. With danger lurking at every turn, Lena must rely on her skills and newfound allies, including her close friend William, to navigate the treacherous waters of espionage and betrayal. But as tension builds and secrets unravel,Lena and Liam find themselves drawn to each other, their simmering attraction threatening to complicate their mission. In this high-stakes game of deception, can they uncover the truth without losing themselves-or each other-along the way?

In every friendship, there are unspoken rules you're not supposed to break. And at the very top of those rules, the one that forms the foundation, is this: Girl Code #1: Never date your best friend's ex. * * * * * She never meant to fall for him, the man who once belonged to her best friend. For nearly six years, Erin had loved him. And she had been there through all of it, the bliss, the distance, the heartbreak. When fate brings Aulia back into her life unexpectedly, it should've meant nothing. A polite hello. A distant memory. But instead, it sparks something neither of them can ignore. Now, caught in the middle between loyalty and longing, she finds herself wrapped in a love that feels real, but shadowed by guilt. Because as their relationship deepens, so does the weight of the secret she hasn't told Erin.

Hell and Back follows Johnny, a young man who drowns during a beach party and finds himself in a terrifying, unknown realm. As he struggles to understand his fate, he is pulled into a harrowing journey through darkness, judgment, and an unimaginable descent. With reality unraveling around him, Johnny must face forces beyond human comprehension-and the consequences of what comes after death.