You are twenty-five, and your life is a salaryman who did nothing but writing emails non-stop under fluorescent light. Morning blends into night, and the days collapse into each other until you can't tell one from the next. Every evening, you walk the same streets. Neon flickers. The city exhales. You pass the bars, the arcades, the park - but none of them call to you. And then, one night, you see it. A small shop, half-empty, lit by a warmth the street doesn't have. A gentle voice greets you. A cup waits for you. It's nothing more than that. A chair, a drink, a conversation you didn't expect. Yet somehow, it stays with you. Because sometimes, the smallest kindness is enough to change how heavy the night feels.

Irina Sidorova was never meant to survive. A bastard child of the Bratva, she was locked away - a stain on her father's legacy. While her sister was groomed to be the perfect mafia bride, Irina was given nothing. Until the ruthless Aurelio Bernardi, head of the Italian Mafia, demands her hand in marriage... on the eve of her sister's wedding. The Bratva is shaken. Irina is confused. Aurelio is hiding something. But Irina has secrets of her own - secrets sharp enough to draw blood. Now, thrown into a world that only sees her as a pawn, she has one goal: burn the board before they can play the game. Her father wants her gone. Her husband wants to control her. But Irina? She wants war.

One day, the universe was split into two realms. Reality and fantasy were soon separated by a dimensional barrier with many mythical creatures migrating towards the Realm of Fantasy. Within these creatures rests the mighty dragon race, which quickly became the dominant species with their vast elemental prowess. A power that could devastate the very planet itself with ease. Humans wished to capitalize on such mighty strength, and soon, a bond was forged between the two species...and yet there are those who wish to threaten the realm. Heroes were formed, and together, they pushed back against the darkness for millenniums! But one day...tradition shattered and the heroes began to fall one by one... Centuries later, a 27 year old man from Earth was brought into the Realm of Fantasy by a rather rude goddess! The boy was quickly sent to the new world, one that was clearly above his paygrade! Left with no choice, the boy soon needed to find a way to survive in this world. Meeting new friends and allies along the way...while the lurking darkness watched from the abyss... - Story by Sage Author's Note - Upload Schedule is Every Wednesday at 3:00 pm EST. It's my very first story, so bear with me, but I hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to show support and leave feedback, I'm always looking to improve!

Wattys 2025 Shortlister! Can be read as a Standalone. || Book 1 **A spicy enemies-to-lovers romance with a fake marriage contract trope.** To rescue her missing best friend, a lawyer must marry her arrogant boss, only to realize her entire life has been built on lies. ************ Sofia Reyes has fought her way to the top of New York's legal scene, hiding scars she can't fully remember. But just as she's about to claim the promotion for Junior Manager she's worked so hard for, her best friend, and her boss's fiancée, Kiara, disappears. This forces Sofia into a marriage she never asked for; an alliance bound by secrets, contracts, and survival. Xavier Kingston is everything she loathes: ruthless, cunning, and impossibly arrogant. Yet behind his cold, calculating exterior lies a hunger for something real, something neither of them dares to admit. As Sofia navigates their fake marriage, the line between duty and desire blurs dangerously. Their chemistry ignites, but the truths Sofia uncovers: about the law firm, Kiara's disappearance, and her own hidden past, threaten to destroy everything. In a world of billion-dollar deals, betrayals, and forbidden glances, love might just be the deadliest game of all. **Cover image by Freepik**

Regina Lovelace is a tough, no-nonsense private investigator with a singular goal: to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder of her beloved sister. With her loyal partner and husband, Murphy Benedict, by her side, Regina plunges into a world of deception, danger, and dark secrets. But as she digs deeper, she begins to realize that the case is far more complicated than she ever imagined-and the people closest to her may be hiding more than just the truth. Each new clue leads Regina down a twisted path, where nothing is what it seems, and everyone has something to hide. As the investigation escalates, Regina must confront her own painful past and question everything she thought she knew about her family and those she trusts. But the closer she gets to uncovering the killer, the more her own life is threatened by those who will go to any length to keep their secrets buried. In Death In The Details, the line between ally and enemy blurs as Regina faces unexpected betrayals and shocking revelations. With the clock ticking and danger closing in, can she unravel the truth before it's too late? Or will the details be the death of her?

Detective William occasionally wondered what happened to his beloved great grandfather's wife, who was murdered in cold blood many years ago. Solving the crime would please him but it's a cold case now. What happens when he gets to solve the murder but not at all like he expected? [Short Story: COMPLETE] *cover made by @Gugus4682 (thank you) ^^ **Inspired by the Mystery Contest 24-Killing Time Writing Prompt**

Ezra Crowe, a grizzled, half-mad old rig hand, known for drunken rants and forgotten birthdays, is found dead one fog-laden morning He slips during a stormy shift and is seen tumbling over the railing by two crewmen. A body is never recovered, just his tattered coat snagged on a steel beam below. Mourned? Not really. He was unreliable, irresponsible... forgotten. But then people start vanishing. One crushed under a rigged valve. Another "falls" into the dark sea with their boots laced shut. And then there's Callum, an underpaid, tired, and barely noticed right-hand. He slowly realized Ezra never died. He faked it. Disappeared into the belly of the rig, the rusted guts where even rats fear to tread, and now he's meting out his own brand of justice for secrets long buried: embezzlement, cover-ups... betrayal that cost lives years ago.

1936 Chicago. Mark Wilson takes over his father's crime empire upon his death. The only problem is if he wants to keep it, according to his father's will, he must share it with his half-brother. His incompetent half-brother, that is. #Shortys2025