The Best (Wo)Man
- Reads 208
- Votes 20
- Parts 5
Ongoing48m
Last published Thu, Dec 4, 2025
She came home to survive her brother's wedding. He's determined she won't ruin it--but the more they clash, the harder it gets to ignore the spark.
When Penelope Vance returns home after fourteen years to stand as her brother's best man, she collides with Beckett Davis-her twin's best friend, her unexpected match, and the last person who can distract her from the secret that could shatter everything.
----
Penelope Vance has spent over a decade curating distance-from her family, her past, and the version of herself she left behind at fifteen. Now, at twenty-nine, she runs SVelte Syndicate with Olive Sloan, her best friend and business partner, in a world built on control and quiet influence.
But when her twin brother announces his wedding, Penelope is forced to return to the town that exiled her. What begins as a reluctant homecoming becomes a reckoning with grief, estrangement, and the intimacy she's only ever allowed Olive to witness.
And then there's Beckett Davis--the stand-in Best Man who sees too much, asks too many questions, and refuses to let her slip back into the shadows. Even when she wouldn't even reply to any of his texts.
All Rights Reserved
#20
smartmouth
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
Unravelling Aurora | ✓
A girl, haunted by her past was living in solitude. A man, running from his own demons. When their paths collide, the girl wants to run, but the guy is determined to chase after her aura. *** Aurora Ravenscroft was living her life in solitude, planning to continue like that. Her carefully laid plans changed drastically when her annoying neighbour's new roommate barged into her life. Phoenix Anderson was fighting his own demons, desperate to make a new life, a new man out of him by focusing on himself. But he became infatuated with the aesthetic enigma next door. Her aura held more anguish that he forgot his own misery. Will Aurora let go of her tragic past and allow Phoenix to teach her to rise from the ashes?Complete
Forgotten
Forgotten ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aurora has had a hard life, dealing with abusive parents, a twin that wants her dead and a baby brother who depends on her solely to name a few. What else could go wrong? Enter her biological brothers and father who have not seen her since the twins were 4. A few months out from being 18 and free, Aurora is forced to move in with her new family and her twin. What will happen when her new life and her old life collide in one messy event? And will anyone else enter her life to mess it up even more? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Started: 04/07/2025
Paper Rings & Poisoned Promises
He was the love she lost. Now, he's the husband she never wanted. Ava Sinclair's life was never hers to control. Born into a powerful but crumbling empire, she's forced into a marriage of convenience to save her father's legacy - and herself from a cage of abuse. The twist? Her new husband is none other than Grayson Hale - the man who shattered her heart years ago. Once, they were inseparable - until betrayal tore them apart. Now, Grayson is a cold, calculating billionaire with a ring in one hand and revenge in the other. Ava is just a pawn in his plan... or so he thinks. But nothing is simple when love, lies, and legacy collide. Behind every glance hides a memory. Behind every touch, a secret. And behind every promise... a price. Trapped in a mansion filled with luxury and poison, Ava and Grayson must navigate a world of family betrayal, corporate deceit, and a past that refuses to stay buried. In a marriage built on paper rings and poisoned promises... can love survive the lies, or will it burn everything down?Complete
Wish you were mine
Penelope Davis, a beautiful and innocent girl, was born and raised in a wealthy family. She had everything-caring parents and a supportive sister-except for the love of the man she adored. She believed she had him, until the day she discovered he had used her, shattering her heart. In her pain, she left, disappearing with a broken heart. Now, two years later, Penelope returns home for her sister's wedding. Everything seems the same, except for her. The sweet, innocent girl has transformed into a gorgeous, confident woman. Although she still loves him, she knows that some things aren't meant to be-or so she believes. Sean Anderson is a handsome, ruthless businessman, yet also a kind-hearted soul. He loves deeply and is willing to go to any lengths to protect his loved ones, even if it means sacrificing his own life. What will happen when Penelope realizes that things aren't always what they seem? What will happen when she meets him again after two years? Life is unpredictable, and no one knows this better than Penelope. How will she face her challenges? Will she give up easily, or fight until her last breath? Everyone has been keeping secrets from her, but there's nothing she can do about it-yet. This is a story of lies, secrets, and love. Get ready for a mind-blowing rollercoaster ride.
On the run
Penelope Cooper is not who she appears to be to everyone in her life. 4 years ago, in the middle of nowhere, she set her life down a new path. With her phone being thrown into a field, one terrifying phone call, she was officially on the run. In one of the biggest cities in the world, 2 hours away from where she was expected to be, Penelope changed her hair, her personality and the name everyone knew her by. One god forsaken day, the office she has worked at for 3 years is sold. Alexander Seagrave was not what Penny was expecting that Friday afternoon, nor was it a change she would be excited to see. But when Alex sets his sights on his quiet, nervous PA, he finds there's a lot more under the surface than he initially thought. The fear in her eyes was just the beginning and with one crazy late night visit, everything changes. ~~ "I'm keeping some of my secrets." "Your entire life is a secret Poppy and the more I find out about you the more I am completely floored." "Well stay on the floor because I'm not telling you another thing." ~~Complete
HER SHATTERED LIFE
📚Her Shattered life "In the ruins of her past, she found the man who could rewrite her future." Tropes:--> ╰┈➤Cold × kind ╰┈➤love at first sight ╰┈➤Broken girl × powerful man ╰┈➤ Found family ╰┈➤ Mafia & business rivalries ╰┈➤Slow-burn ╰┈➤Protective male lead ╰┈➤ Best friend's brother dynamic ╰┈➤Dark secrets & hidden pasts ╰┈➤ Trauma, healing & love ⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅• She had mastered the art of silence-of hiding bruises behind smiles and pain behind lowered eyes. But the night she chose to run, everything changed. He wasn't supposed to find her. She wasn't supposed to matter. Yet fate placed her in the path of a man powerful enough to protect her... or destroy her. What happens when two broken souls collide-one running from her past, the other chasing truths buried in shadows? Her life was shattered. His world was dangerous. And together, they were about to ignite a storm neither could escape. When a shattered life collides with power and secrets, love becomes both her salvation and her greatest danger. ⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•
ROSES AND GUNS
In the world's eyes, she's a prized alliance-a porcelain heir from the infamous Sicilian Arsenic bloodline, draped in silk and silence. But Aurah Lunas Arsenic has been broken long before her wedding veil was placed. Whipped by the very man who raised her, ignored by a brother who once swore to protect her, and now-offered like a sacrificial pawn to the Roman Valezions. To Caezar Valezion, she is nothing but a walking threat. To his twin brothers and their adopted sister Sienna, she's a shadow, unwelcome and distrusted. To the world-they are a power couple. To themselves-strangers behind chained hearts. Aurah stopped believing in love long ago. And the moment she stepped into the Valezion mansion, she knew one thing: this pain would follow her anywhere. Her life, her scars, her silence-they were never hers to keep. But her soul? That was slipping. What happens when a girl too tired to fight keeps trying to fall... And the boy trained to watch her break starts catching her every time? Can Caezar save the girl he swore to never love... before she stops saving herself? --- you can choose this story blind eyed cuz I've written it much better than the last one and the plot here is amazing and mine .🤌🏻🤍💫Complete
Rules of the Heart
She plans love stories for a living. He doesn't believe in them. When her best friend suddenly calls off the wedding, she's determined to fix it. But the groom's gone silent, and the bride's older brother-the annoyingly cold, maddeningly gorgeous CEO-wants it all buried. She's not letting it go. He's not letting her in. But the more they fight, the harder it gets to ignore the heat simmering between them... and the secrets threatening to ruin everything. Some love stories aren't planned-they crash into you when you least expect it.Complete
A girl, haunted by her past was living in solitude. A man, running from his own demons. When their paths collide, the girl wants to run, but the guy is determined to chase after her aura. *** Aurora Ravenscroft was living her life in solitude, planning to continue like that. Her carefully laid plans changed drastically when her annoying neighbour's new roommate barged into her life. Phoenix Anderson was fighting his own demons, desperate to make a new life, a new man out of him by focusing on himself. But he became infatuated with the aesthetic enigma next door. Her aura held more anguish that he forgot his own misery. Will Aurora let go of her tragic past and allow Phoenix to teach her to rise from the ashes?
More detailsContent Guidelines