Jesse and her brother Sam survive a terrifying ordeal in a cursed house, believing they've destroyed the evil entity that haunted them. They move to a new apartment, trying to escape their traumatic past. However, weeks later, a mysterious woman arrives, revealing that the creature they thought they killed is still alive. It wasn't the house, but the fear it fed on that gave the creature its power. The woman, who was once part of the curse, explains that one of them must face their deepest fear to weaken the creature enough to destroy it once and for all. Sam, haunted by his own fears, volunteers to be the bait, despite Jesse's protests. He enters a hidden, cursed room in their apartment, where the creature emerges, feeding on his fear. As Sam faces the darkness, Jesse joins him, and together they confront the creature. By confronting their fears, they manage to weaken and destroy the entity. With the curse finally broken, Jesse and Sam emerge victorious. The trauma of the past lingers, but they've overcome the terror. The two siblings leave the apartment behind, ready to start fresh, knowing that true strength comes from facing the darkness within.
It was late September when Jesse and her, brother Sam, first saw the house beneath the hill. The cool evening air bit at their skin as they made their way down the old, dusty road, their footsteps crunching over the dry leaves that littered the path. The town of Oakridge had always been quiet, the kind of place where everyone knew everyone else's business. But this house-this house was different.
Nestled at the bottom of a steep hill, its silhouette loomed ominously against the dimming sky. The windows, dark and lifeless, gave off the impression that the house had been abandoned for years, if not decades. The walls were covered in ivy and the roof was caved in at strange angles, as though the house itself was slowly sinking into the earth.
"I don't like it," Sam muttered, his hands shoving deeper into his jacket pockets. He was younger than Jesse, but there was an undeniable edge of maturity to him that made her second-guess her own unease. She turned to him with a half-hearted smile, trying to shake off the growing tension in her chest.
"It's just an old house, Sam. There's nothing to be afraid of," she said, trying to sound convincing. But the words felt hollow as they left her mouth. There was something in the air tonight, something that made the wind feel colder, sharper than usual.
Jesse's gaze lingered on the house, and for a brief moment, she thought she saw movement-just a flicker at one of the windows. She blinked, but when she looked again, the window was empty. She frowned, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Let's go," she said quickly, pulling her brother's arm. But Sam, always the curious one, refused to move. His gaze was fixed on the house, a strange expression twisting his features.
"Jesse, look," he whispered. She turned toward him, following his gaze to the front porch of the house. There, standing perfectly still, was a figure. It was a man, his face obscured by the darkness, but Jesse could make out his broad shoulders and the faint outline of his posture.
For a moment, Jesse's heart skipped a beat. "Who is that?" she asked, her voice shaky.
But before Sam could respond, the figure turned sharply and vanished into the darkness of the house. The door creaked as it slowly swung shut behind him.
"Maybe it's just someone who lives here," Sam said, though his voice wavered slightly. "Let's go check it out."
Jesse grabbed his arm with more force than she intended. "No, we're not going up there. I don't care what it is. I don't like it."
But Sam, as stubborn as ever, wrenched himself free and started walking toward the house. Jesse hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly followed him. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were being drawn into something they didn't understand, something that had been waiting for them for much longer than they knew.
The closer they got to the house, the more oppressive the air became. The oppressive silence weighed on them, the only sound being the rustling of the wind in the trees. When they reached the front porch, Sam's foot hovered just above the first step.
"Are you sure about this?" Jesse asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Sam didn't answer. He simply pushed the door open with a creak that echoed into the empty house, and they both stepped inside.
The air inside was thick with dust and decay. The floorboards groaned beneath their feet as they cautiously stepped deeper into the darkness. The only light came from the dying glow of the evening sky, seeping through cracks in the walls and the broken windows.
Jesse's heart raced. She wanted to turn back, but something in her-something primal-kept her moving forward. She followed Sam, who seemed to know exactly where he was going, as though the house had some magnetic pull on him.
They reached a narrow hallway, and Sam paused in front of a door. Jesse felt a cold chill crawl up her spine, her instincts screaming at her to leave.
"This is it," Sam muttered, his hand hovering just above the doorknob. "This is the room I saw."
Jesse's stomach churned. "What room?"
Sam pushed the door open, and they both stepped inside.
The room was small, with rotting wallpaper peeling off the walls and a large, broken mirror hanging crookedly above a faded dresser. There was an old rocking chair in the center of the room, its wood warped and splintered.
But what caught Jesse's eye was the painting. It was a portrait of a family-two adults and two children. They looked strangely lifelike, as though they could jump out of the canvas at any moment. The eyes of the family members were cold, distant, yet they seemed to follow Jesse's every move.
"That's... that's the same man," Sam whispered, his finger pointing shakily at the father in the painting.
Jesse felt a shiver run through her. The man in the portrait looked eerily familiar, but she couldn't place where she had seen him before. Her mind raced, trying to connect the dots. Then it hit her-the figure they had seen outside the house.
"This is wrong," Jesse said, her voice trembling. "We need to leave. Now."
But before she could turn, the door slammed shut behind them with a deafening bang, plunging them into darkness.
Jesse and her brother Sam survive a terrifying ordeal in a cursed house, believing they've destroyed the evil entity that haunted them. They move to a new apartment, trying to escape their traumatic past. However, weeks later, a mysterious woman arrives, revealing that the creature they thought they killed is still alive. It wasn't the house, but the fear it fed on that gave the creature its power. The woman, who was once part of the curse, explains that one of them must face their deepest fear to weaken the creature enough to destroy it once and for all. Sam, haunted by his own fears, volunteers to be the bait, despite Jesse's protests. He enters a hidden, cursed room in their apartment, where the creature emerges, feeding on his fear. As Sam faces the darkness, Jesse joins him, and together they confront the creature. By confronting their fears, they manage to weaken and destroy the entity. With the curse finally broken, Jesse and Sam emerge victorious. The trauma of the past lingers, but they've overcome the terror. The two siblings leave the apartment behind, ready to start fresh, knowing that true strength comes from facing the darkness within.
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
To the public, Arabella was Owen's trusty secretary who catered to all his needs and served as the primary blood donor of his beloved, who was in a coma. Behind closed doors, she was Owen's submissive wife. Arabella was quiet and obedient, and she endured every humiliation without a word of protest. Rumored to be a neat freak, Owen had tossed the last woman who had dared to kiss him into the river. Yet he pinned Arabella against the wall and demanded, "Give me a child, and I’ll let you go!" Arabella pushed him away and flashed him a cold smile. "You are not worthy!"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Her fiance and her best friend worked together and set her up. She lost everything and died in the street. However, she was reborn. The moment she opened her eyes, her husband was trying to strangle her. Luckily, she survived that. She signed the divorce agreement without hesitation and was ready for her miserable life. To her surprise, her mother in this life left her a great deal of money. She turned the tables and avenged herself. Everything went well in her career and love when her ex-husband came to her.
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true stature—the wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
"Miss Brown, I am the butler here at your service," the butler replied. "My master wants to buy the baby in your belly." "What?!" Does that mean the abortion didn't take place? Did they kidnap her from the operating table just to buy the baby? But why her? "You..." Alice was about to ask a question, but the man in front of her calmly continued, as if he had expected her question, "You're pregnant with his child, and he needs a child. That's all I can tell you." Alice was forced to sign a surrogacy contract and eight months later gave birth to two healthy babies. Fortunately, the man was unaware of her daughter's existence. It wasn't until five years later that fate brought them together again...