Discover what lies within, but beware-the truth may come at a price too steep to pay. Serena's life is about to take a dark turn. When her mother died suddenly, she thought she'd be grappling only with loss-but the secrets hidden in her mother's shadowy past reveal an unfathomable legacy. A gifted actress adored by many, her mother shrouded her life in glamour, but left behind a chilling enigma. The key necklace Serena has worn since childhood isn't just a trinket; it unlocks a mysterious box tucked away in the depths of her mother's closet, and opening it will change everything. Within the box lies a truth that will shatter Serena's perception of love and loyalty: her mother made a deal with the devil, intertwining their destinies in ways she never imagined. Betrayal stings in the worst of ways, particularly when it comes from family. But as dark forces converge and the stakes rise, Serena learns her mother left behind one last trick-a doorway into the world of the Aces, a powerful and enigmatic paranormal entity. Caught in a whirlwind of supernatural politics and looming danger, Serena must navigate a terrain where betrayal, loyalty, and sacrifice intertwine. Will she harness the Aces' formidable power to save herself, or will her mother's legacy lead her down a dark path from which there is no return? This novella has been entered into an Open Novella Contest. I chose two prompts: ONC Prompt #93: From a deck of cards, pick one. But what will it reveal about your fate? ONC Prompt #114: For as long as you can remember, you've worn a key around your neck. But what does it unlock? Maybe it's that mysterious box at the back of your mother's closet. ONC2025 Ambassador Pick & Long List Selection Copyright @ Marlee Ervin Cover by: Marlee Ervin Image: Pixabay

*FEATURED* Ao is a wrathful, ravenous former god trapped in a human body and sentenced to roam the Inner Empire for all eternity. Eternity is rather dull, until she meets a green-eyed prince and his friends. The prince offers her a deal; help him and she can get revenge on the ones who stripped her of her godhood. Sounds like a good offer right? But with the prince's offer comes danger, deceit, and enough almond pudding to drown a dragon. Oh well, at least eternity isn't dull anymore. *~*~*~*~*~* Recommended for ages 16+. Contains some mature themes that may not be appropriate for younger readers (violence, language, suicide, non-explicit intimacy). Beautiful cover drawn and designed by @RiaNorton! Featured Aug 10, 2018. Thank you Wattpad ❤️ Wattys long list. Sept 1, 2018. 😱 Best Female Protagonist Sass Awards 2019 🏆 Best Action/Adventure Novel Black Cat Awards 2019 🥉 Best Fantasy Novel Fiction Awards, Shortlisted Best Fantasy Novel Pantheon Awards 2020🥇

WATTYS2024 SHORTLIST | The Ambys 2024 Grand Favourite in Mystery/Thriller | 6 x FEATURED When a brash, rich woman, washes ashore, in a quiet country town, with a knife sticking out of her back, she promises something. A darn good story, and a chance to get out of dodge for the young inspector. But will he solve his first crime, or will he mix business with pleasure and learn to regret the whole thing? *** Devi Dhungel is broken. She's bruised. And she appears to be dead! When she washes ashore on the beach of a secular country town, gossip flutters: 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑖𝑠 𝘴𝘩𝘦? 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 Mystery Cove? 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑖𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝘦? 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑦? Questions that also plague the lonely-yet-handsome town inspector, Hector Juan Martinez. For a man who's been searching for a little oomph in his life, Devi Dhugel brings it in spades. For him, solving the biggest crime to land on his lap could secure a promotion, or at least get him a transfer out of boreville. It's a doable task for the kind-hearted cop if only the victim of the attempted murder would stop lying about being some hotshot author he's never heard of and tell him the real story. Or he may be tempted to get rid of her himself, damn the promotion! This is Murder on the Orient Express, without the murder, of course. And only one man can solve it. Hector Martinez. But first, he's got to figure out what he's doing. *** Genre: COSY MYSTERY X ROMANCE Wordcount: 124K This is a first draft, so may contain errors/typos which will be fixed in edit rounds. Featured on: @Ambassadors - Diverse Fiction (Dec 2024) @action - Thriller (July 2024) @Humor - DiverseLit Humor (July 2024) @AmbassadorsIN - Diwali Reading (Oct, 2023) @WattpadAsianFiction - Hidden in the Sta

Wuthering Heights is a wild, passionate story of the intense and almost demonic love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by Catherine's father. After Mr Earnshaw's death, Heathcliff is bullied and humiliated by Catherine's brother Hindley and wrongly believing that his love for Catherine is not reciprocated, leaves Wuthering Heights, only to return years later as a wealthy and polished man. He proceeds to exact a terrible revenge for his former miseries. The action of the story is chaotic and unremittingly violent, but the accomplished handling of a complex structure, the evocative descriptions of the lonely moorland setting and the poetic grandeur of vision combine to make this unique novel a masterpiece of English literature.

"The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. Set in Denmark, the play depicts Prince Hamlet and his revenge against his uncle, Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father in order to seize his throne and marry Hamlet's mother." -Wikipedia description More readable version of "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" from the Gutenberg library.