Khasani "Kai" Williams has always been cautious, sheltered and shy. But she puts that persona behind her when her mother dies three months before she starts university in a new town. Now grieving, numb and reckless, she creates a checklist of all the things she wants to do before she inevitably kicks the bucket herself. Cue Lance McKnight. Kai's snarky, comical, brutally observant classmate with a sketchbook always in hand, a cavalier attitude and a smirk that makes her weak in the knees. When she assigns him as the perfect person to help her carry out her list (completely unbeknownst to him), she hastily enters a relationship with him. But when Lance finds out about the list, he begins to question whether or not Kai's feelings for him are real. Or if their entire relationship is simply the symptom of an existential crisis.

Joelle Jordan is trying to survive a pregnancy she didn't plan for. Bryce Valentine is trying to secure his place in the NFL. He's not just a future franchise quarterback and one of the most watched athletes in the country. Now, he's also an expectant father. Joelle thought telling Bryce she was pregnant would be the hardest part. Wrong. Because the moment Bryce actually finds out she's carrying his child, he changes. The emotionally repressed, touch-starved boy who could barely leave her alone last semester somehow evolves into something excessive. More devoted. More protective. More possessive. More obsessed. She's not just Joelle to him anymore. She's the mother of his child. While Joelle tries to navigate pregnancy, university, their engagement, and an increasingly public life she never asked for, Bryce throws himself headfirst into securing their future. The NFL. The endorsements. The expectations. The schedules. The wedding. The pressure. He pushes himself harder than ever because suddenly making it to the NFL isn't only about football anymore. It's about creating the perfect life for his new family. The one he's always wanted. And while Bryce Valentine is determined to give Joelle and their child everything... Joelle is not allowed out of his sight.

Joelle Jordan is just trying to survive university and her life at home. Bryce Valentine is trying to survive everyone else. Projected first-round NFL draft pick. Campus celebrity. The most watched college athlete in the country. When the two strike a deal to trade study sessions for Bryce and personal training sessions for Joelle's little brother, everything seems simple enough. Then Bryce crosses the line. Now Joelle is trying to navigate a boy who is emotionally repressed, touch-starved, obsessively devoted, and surrounded by more pressure than any twenty-year-old should have to carry. Add the coaches, media attention, NIL deals, scouts, photo shoots, and Bryce's oppressive father. The pressure that comes with being attached to Bryce Valentine is something Joelle is not equipped for. Especially when she starts getting a little too comfortable with the fact that Bryce can't seem to leave her alone. [[Disclaimer: This story is comprised of drafts that have not been heavily edited]]

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 & 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 Revenge Countless souls have fallen prey to its grasp, their lives shattered as deeply as those they sought to harm, if not more so. For most, mere death isn't the end It's not enough to satiate their thirst They crave retribution, wish for something beyond the grave. They want misery upon those who've wronged them. Long for the torment of those who've wounded them But at the end of the day, it's merely a wish, A burning desire for- well, nothing realistic, really For they are weak. Powerless Some may even deem them useless But then, there exist the select few- those who refuse to settle for anything less than the worst, denying death's grasp to unleash a living hell upon their enemies, Those who take matters into their own hands, seizing control & becoming the architects of their own vengeance, Now those, those are dangerous. For in their eyes, the concept of contentment is a foreign notion, replaced by a searing ache for more- More agony, despair. More misery, more wails. More destruction, chaos. People like him, they feed off of fear, thrive in causing pain. They're cunning, calculating, heartless But frankly, even the most twisted of them seem like harmless amateurs in comparison to him. He reeks of death Exudes darkness, sorrow Death is all that shadows his steps, making his existence a reminder of the inevitable fate that awaits his victims. And whispers in the Russian underworld speak of him as Mors- The god of death So, what happens when a girl, who abandoned her family, her life & the very empire bestowed upon her- just to escape the sight of death, catches the eyes of the reaper? What happens when he pulls her into the abyss of his world, intent on destroying all she has fought to be in pursuit of vengeance? And what happens when, as the day wanes, the embodiment of her deepest fear captures her eyes as well?

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 & 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗼 'Poor little soul.' A pure, innocent soul forced to face the harsh realities they said. A soul that was led down the path of darkness, One that was bent and made to be other's nightmare, only to end up deemed nature's lost cause. How tragic, right? Wrong. Because this, this is not nearly as simple. You see, mostly, if not always, the only real difference between a hero and a villain is a matter of perspective- WHO is telling the story. But not in his case. What if he really embodies the epitome of a real-life villain, instilling terror in the hearts of all those who cross his path, or even hear whispers of his name? What if he's a wicked man who ceaselessly gets whatever his icy heart craves? A monster who seeks power more than salvation, A nightmare who believes vengeance is unerring. A killing machine, devoid of heart or soul, let alone a pure one. Damien, they call him, His name whispered with terror and fear, Because Damien is not an ordinary man, but a man who clawed his way out from the depths of hell. One who's driven by a relentless pursuit of the very thing that threatens to bring downfall to the world we know. He is the reigning terror among monsters, holding dominion over the dark underworld of New York City, Even with his true identity hidden from the prying eyes of all. Damien is no ordinary man. But he is the Devil. So what happens when an angel meets the devil? When a naive runaway escapes one demon, only to find herself in the clutches of the worst of them all? ⊱ ʚɞ ⊰ ~𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ~𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 ~𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 ~𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 Complete✔️

18+ | 2026 WATTYS SHORTLISTER | First Draft | Not edited. |"You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." | The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞. 𝐇𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧. Her ambition runs too thick and her patience stretches too thin. She disappears when the pressure builds, returns polished and untouchable, like she wasn't just clawing for air in the dark. She was only supposed to steal a few files-files she knows too well. Just enough to secure her place at the top. Instead, she captures the attention of a man who built his empire from ruin. A man who doesn't forgive betrayal. He wants control. He wants obsession. He wants to ruin her. And she might just ruin him right back.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. 𝐇𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭. She hides behind bold boots and brighter dresses, yellow loud enough to drown out the cracks in her heart. It almost works. Until the man her papa crossed decides to collect what he's owed. He doesn't ask. He takes. Tattooed hands. A ruler of empires built on blood. He closes the distance. She tries to keep it. But he's always liked the chase.

READ DISCLAIMER Elizabeth Nadir has never had control. All of her life she has been controlled and never the controller. Those who held power over her always did what was best for them and in the end, it almost got her killed. After escaping the hell created by the ones closest to her she vows to never let another man control her again. Now she is on the run with her four-year-old son and taking whatever means possible to make sure they survive. Even if it means stealing from one of the most powerful and deadliest men in the country, unintentionally. Silas Jonathon Wolfe has always had control and he feeds off of dominating in every aspect of life. When he meets a woman who fights for control just as much as he feeds from it, it drives the darkness inside of him mad. But feelings are pushed aside when he wakes from his one-night stand with his most prized possessions missing along with a flash drive that could ruin everything. If things get worse for wear, he'll have to kill to make sure the flash drive is returned before anyone finds out the secrets it keeps. 60/60

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐚𝐦. . . . There are things you're taught not to do. Rules you're told to follow. People you're meant to forget. Flora never planned to end up here, but after one too many mistakes, her life dives for rock bottom. Now, she's trapped in a world she doesn't understand, haunted by a past she can't outrun. And at the center of it all stands the boy she'd sworn to forget. What once was fate, fractures into an illusion and twist into something dangerously evil. They were kids together. Friends together. 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵. She's new. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵. She's fresh meat. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦. What happens when they reunite? Secrets unfold. Chaos runs free. And the line between love and ruin sharpens into a thin blade, as history proves to repeat itself in its cruelest form. A girl. A boy. And a mad house that feeds on sin. There's no place to hide here. You can run, but you'll never get away. "𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘮. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺." 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲