"My mom’s not home tonight, and I know you want it," Joseph smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter, blocking my path to the fridge. "We can go ‘til daybreak, Trish. Just say the word." I stared at him, my fingernails digging into my palms. Did it even occur to him that I was only standing in this kitchen because I had just lost my mother? Did he even care that I had nowhere else to go and no one else to call family? "Move," I whispered, my voice trembling with rage. "Make me," he challenged. Trish, 17, thought the hardest part of losing her mother was the grief. She was wrong. The hardest part is moving in with her mother’s best friend, Miss Britney, and realizing she has to live with Joseph Roland, Miss Britney’s arrogant, reckless, and infuriatingly attractive son—only to discover he is the number one badboy at her school. From the breakfast table to the high school hallways, Joseph makes it his mission to get under Trish’s skin. He is everything she hates: a player who lives for chaos. But they are forced to share a roof, a kitchen, and a bedroom wall that feels far too thin. When senior year begins, the tension explodes. Rumors that they are dating flood Mthland High, fueling a war of pranks and public embarrassment. But as the fighting heats up, so does an undeniable attraction neither of them wants to admit. Just as they start to find common ground, tragedy strikes again. With Miss Britney’s life hanging in the balance, Trish and Joseph are left with nothing but each other. In the silence of an empty home, their rivalry begins to dissolve, giving way to a dangerous attraction. What started as a true enemies-to-lovers clash now threatens to either save them… or destroy them both.

The sterile hum of the Iniki Airport conference room still echoed in my ears, a chilling counterpoint to the storm brewing within me. My name is Aiden, and I was just a personal assistant to the director, a quiet cog in the massive machinery of global aviation. But on that fateful day, I became something else entirely: a witness, a father, and a man consumed by a singular, burning purpose.My daughter, Ariana. Even now, four years later, her name catches in my throat like a forgotten melody. She was a star, destined for stages bathed in the spotlight. Ichi City, Greece, our home, was too small to contain her talent. With a voice that could soothe a tempest and a dancer's grace that defied gravity – "twisting her ankle to all angles" she'd say, "that's how you do the leg flip" – she was my pride, my joy, my entire world as a single father. When she announced her eighteenth birthday plan to go to Thailand for auditions, a part of me recoiled in fear for her safety and the gaping void her absence would create. But the rest of me, the part that truly believed in her boundless potential, said yes. That "yes" felt like the best day of my life, a moment of pure, unadulterated hope.The following week, she was set to fly from Iniki Airport, our local hub, to Thailand – a journey that was supposed to transform her from a local prodigy into a global sensation. Little did I know, a far more sinister transformation was underway, one that would shatter my world and leave an indelible stain on the annals of deceit.It began subtly, with a manuscript distributed to all airport staff: "The U.S. Federal Government is pleased to announce the creative, special project known as, The US Reenactment of Greece 2025-2027." The document spoke of a monumental commitment of U.S. resources to "renovate Greece in all aspects of the economy beginning with technology," promising global economic support. To me, it sounded less like renovation and more like an experiment. And the initial phase? Aircraft with Titanic-like technology, starting right here at Iniki Airport, the very airport where Ariana's flight was scheduled.A strict, clandestine meeting followed, bringing together U.S. and Greek federal officials, project overseers, and key personnel from Iniki Airport. As a mere personal assistant, I was an anomaly, an uninvited ear in a room brimming with secrets. When Sec. John Bowls, the project's leader, declared the conference "secret," requesting only federal government officials and direct airport officials to remain, I humbly excused myself. But as I stepped out, an old instinct, honed by years of navigating the opaque world of international collaborations, flared within me: "When there's a collaboration between two nations, it's bad business. When an airport is involved, it's risky business. And when that airport involves the airplane my daughter boarded, then it's my business." My hand, almost unconsciously, slipped a voice receiver behind a small shelf, facing the very men who held the fate of nations, and perhaps my daughter, in their hands.I called Ariana, her voice a sunshine melody even over the phone. "When's your flight boarding?" I asked, feigning casual interest. "Today, Daddy," she chirped. My world tilted. "What?!" The shock in my voice made her flinch even across the distance. I fought to control my rising anger, my fear. "Ariana, just because you're leaving doesn't mean you keep things from me and refuse to do what I say! Didn't we talk about this? I said the flight should be next week, and now you're talking tomorrow! What's wrong with you, Ariana?" I heard my voice crack, the carefully constructed calm shattering. "I'm sorry, Dad," she replied, her voice soft, apologetic. "I didn't mean to disobey you, but the audition is next week, and I have to be there to settle down at least." That was Ariana, always knowing how to disarm me.I hung up, a knot of unease tightening in my stomach. Then I remembered the voice receiver. I switched it on. The words that followed struck me like poisoned darts:"Since we are starting from technology, no better way to improve than advancement in aircraft. That is why we've assembled the officials of Iniki Airport, Greece, so that we can introduce the testing of our new development, the 'Ultra Airway.' This newfound technological aircraft is already on your airport, ready to fly passengers to their destinations in a limited time you'll never imagine."I could almost see the plane warming up, a monstrous, untested marvel, my daughter innocently stepping into its metallic belly. Without a second thought, I jumped into my SUV, calling Ariana, my heart hammering against my ribs. Seven desperate rings later, she answered. "Yes, Dad?" "WHERE ARE YOU?!" I screamed. The sky truly fell when she said, "I'm already on board." Peace, a fragile thing in my life since her mother's passing, evaporated completely.

Vanessa Rodriguez, an international supermodel with the world at her feet, steps aboard the luxurious Elanoya Deck, expecting an unforgettable escape with her boyfriend, Eric. But when she catches him passionately entangled with another woman, her dream vacation turns into heartbreak. Determined not to let betrayal define her, she wanders the grand cruise ship, only to encounter Adrian Blackwood, a dangerously charming billionaire and CEO of Dennison Wines.Adrian offers her an intriguing proposition: be his girlfriend for the remainder of the cruise. Skeptical yet drawn to his enigmatic presence, Vanessa soon realizes that Adrian isn’t just offering a distraction—he has his own secrets, and their entanglement is more than just a game. As their fake relationship blurs into something dangerously real, Vanessa is thrust into a world of deception, hidden agendas, and a passion she never saw coming.But on a deck where wealth, power, and betrayal collide, can Vanessa trust the man who seems too perfect to be true? Or is she just another pawn in a game she never agreed to play?