Haunted by the past, Rhiannon Carmichael returns to her hometown for her father's funeral, only to uncover a web of secrets and a possible murder, forcing her to confront the family she left behind. *** Victor Carmichael, the titan of local construction industry, is dead. Officially, it was his failing liver that finally did him in. Off the record? He's been murdered, and the only one who suspects it is his prodigal daughter. Gaffney, South Carolina, holds the ghosts of Rhiannon's past - the past she desperately tried to escape. Forced to sift through fractured memories and lies, she must expose a killer possibly lurking in the heart of her family. Every smile hides a secret, and every hug is a potential weapon. Whodunnit? Her mother, Lorraine, who seems to hold back more than tears? Her resentful brother, Tom? Then there are Beverly, the enigmatic interior designer with a past as murky as the swamps surrounding Gaffney, and Aubrey, the glamorous influencer whose connection to Victor runs deeper than anyone knows... Each clue, each whispered secret, pulls Rhiannon deeper into a dangerous game. As the idyllic charm of her quiet hometown crumbles, the lines between friend and foe start to blur. The more time passes, the more she realises: her returnal to Gaffney is not a blissful family reunion. It's a deadly reckoning. © 2025 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 61: "The silence in room is deafening, as though it has a life of its own. It's time to rewrite the fairytale, but this time, the ending will be yours, and it won't be happy."

*ROUND 2 AMBASSADOR PICK* *SHORTLISTED* Homeless girl, Rosalie, is found on the cold streets of Crausley Sands with nothing but the clothes on her back and a black obsidian stone key around her neck, having no memory of who gave it to her. When Rosalie is taken in by none other than Prince Darick Quentin, she learns of the sudden and mysterious disappearance of his cook, Jared Cutler. Is the strange mirror belonging to Darick's newly betrothed wife, Francine, somehow responsible? The answers she is searching for may lie in the key she possesses. Or the truth may just be hidden in the key waiting to be found, in the abandoned hamlet of Grangston Green, and in the Raven who stalks her every move. Once Rosalie remembers where she comes from, the fate of Crausley Sands rests on her shoulders. If she fails, in twenty days' time, during the Prince's coronation to become King, the spirits of the lost witches will rise to avenge their deaths. To end the Quentin bloodline once and for all. ONC 2025 entry Prompts 55, 110, 114

• academic rival novella • The Structural Biology Lab has three rules: 1. Document everything. 2. Follow protocols. 3. Don't fall for your junior. Mr. Madhava Kamat, a fourth year grad student, is about to break one. Warning: Contents are under extreme academic pressure! --- The characters mentioned in this book belong to the "Pyar Paradise Universe" This is a stand-alone book in the "Fine As Wine" collection. Daily Updates! --- ONC 2025 submission. Exclusively Available in Wattpad. © 2025 Suganthi Lakshminarayanan.

After six years in a progressive French boarding school, eighteen-year-old Lady Alice returns to her family's estate in Surrey, dreading the fate that awaits her-- debutante balls, an arranged marriage, and a life she does not want. She would have preferred to stay in France, teaching and writing love tales rather than living one dictated by others. Once cast aside by her own father and a stepmother, Alice finds their sudden desire for reconciliation hollow. Only her childhood best friend, Michael, Marquess Lovelace, seems like a true comfort. But as she settles back into her former home, something strange begins to happen. A black rabbit, eerily familiar, appears in the shadows-- just like the one that belonged to Edmond, her long-forgotten imaginary friend. And then she meets Count D'Arcy, the enigmatic and elusive neighbour whose presence unsettles her. His eyes, his voice, his very being remind her of Edmond. Could it be him? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? As the social season unfolds, Alice finds herself tangled in a web of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. The past and present blur, forcing her to question what is real, what is illusion, and whether love can exist beyond the bounds of reason. In the haunting halls of her childhood home and under the watchful gaze of Count D'Arcy, Alice must uncover the truth before she loses herself to the unknown. ~~~ My entry for the ONC 2025 based on the prompt 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

Aria has always been in love with Rehansh secretly, even when their relationship has merely been friendship in his eyes. So, when she receives an invitation to his wedding, she can't pretend that it doesn't almost kill her to return to her hometown to attend it. But fate, it seems, has other plans. In a twist of cosmic cruelty, Aria met with an accident on the day of Rehansh's wedding falling into the depths of darkness. Yet, Aria wakes up to find herself in a world that defies all logic - a perfect replica of her own, down to the last detail. Is this a cruel trick of fate, or a second chance to live the life she has always yearned for? The cost, however, is a heavy one: to embrace this new reality, she must sever all ties to her former existence, never to return. *** This story is part of ONC2025. Prompt #15: A mysterious tea shop suddenly appears, and you can't help but wonder: what's its true purpose, and why does it seem so important? Prompt #54: One part of the galaxy claims that you and your soulmate aren't compatible, but another part says you're perfect for each other. Which will you believe? *** Disclaimer: This story is exclusively published on Wattpad. If you see it somewhere else, please do inform me.

Genevieve Miller, an aspiring professional ballerina, is on the verge of achieving her dreams when a chance encounter with a charming photographer at a grocery store turns her world upside down. Chase Coleman needs a fake girlfriend to keep his clingy ex at bay. Genevieve needs to impress the prestigious ballet company where his mother holds influence. It's the perfect arrangement on paper. But as their staged dates blur into stolen moments and unspoken feelings, Genevieve finds herself questioning everything-especially the undeniable pull between them. With her ballet future hanging in the balance and a man she was never supposed to fall for, Genevieve must walk the fine line between pretense and reality. Because when love is just an act... falling might be inevitable. ••• Prompt 22: When a renowned ballet dancer and an up-and-coming illustrator meet, their lives take an unexpected turn. ••• FEATURED ON THE ONC2025 LONG LIST!

Marissa has a bad day. Not only does she lose her job, but her childhood imaginary friend turns up in her home. And Wompy is not a cute little puppy or a cuddly kitten, but a large bat. Why now? She has forsworn her magical skills years ago, and never looked back. As an editor, she definitely has no use for a familiar, at least of all a bat. But when her new job turns out to be more sinister than she expected and she has to decide whom to trust in an increasingly alien world, turning to a familiar might not be the worst option. My entry to the Wattpad Ambassadors' ONC 2025, based on Prompt #105 : Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.