A Line To Kill

Elara Duval lives two lives. By day, she’s the invisible stepdaughter in a family that dismisses her. By night, she’s ShadowByte, the most elusive hacker in the digital underworld. Anonymous. Untouchable. Safe. Or so she thinks. Damon Cross rules his empire with an iron fist. The billionaire CEO of CrossTech is brilliant, arrogant, and mercilessly calculated. His empire thrives on power, but when a cyberattack threatens everything he’s built, he sets his sights on the one ghost who could save him: ShadowByte. When their paths collide, sparks turn to fire. Their battle of wills is as dangerous as it is magnetic. He sees her as a puzzle he must control. She sees him as the kind of man she swore to never bow to. But when a public scandal forces them into a contract marriage, the thin line between hate and desire begins to blur. What happens when the man who never loses falls for the woman who refuses to be owned? And when Elara’s secret identity risks exposure, will the truth destroy them, or set them free? Crossed Lines is a contemporary romance full of drama, badgirl energy, hidden identity tension, and hate-to-love chemistry, where girl power collides with the arrogance of a billionaire CEO, and the stakes are nothing less than love, loyalty, and freedom.

The golden rule of my life is simple: "Stay away from Leo Wilson." He’s my best friend’s twin, a cruel, untouchable king who makes my life a living hell. In the daylight, he lets his world tear me to pieces while he stands by with that cold, mocking smirk. He wants me broken. I want him gone. But when the campus goes dark, the game changes. Behind locked doors, his aggression shifts into something possessive and frantic. One touch, and I’m forgetting the rule. One whisper, and I’m throwing away the best friendship I have. I’m playing a dangerous, gut-wrenching game. I’m crossing the line, and I know exactly how hard I’m going to fall.

After five years of marriage, my wife’s childhood friend posted a photo of a property deed in his social media circle with the caption, [Thank you, Miss CEO, for transferring the house to me.] I was stunned when I saw the address on the deed—it was my home. Confused, I left a comment. [?] Almost immediately, my wife, Alice, called and scolded me. "He’s a single dad, so pitiful! I only transferred the house to his name to make it easier for his daughter to attend school. It doesn’t affect us living there. How can you be so heartless and lack even a shred of compassion?" In the background, I could hear her childhood friend complaining bitterly. Half an hour later, he posted on social media again and tagged me. This time, he showed off a $150,000 sports car with the caption, [Paid in full! As the saying goes, where a woman spends her money is where her heart lies.] I knew it was my wife who bought him the car to make up for upsetting him. But this time, I’ve made up my mind—I’m filing for divorce.

For ten years, Lily was the anchor. She worked three jobs, endured a repressive upbringing, and poured every cent into a future with Thomas, the man she believed was her soulmate. But when Thomas finally returns from abroad, the "happily ever after" Lily bought and paid for is revealed to be a meticulously crafted lie. The betrayal cuts deeper than infidelity; Lily discovers that her ex best friend has been a part of Thomas’s double life. As she uncovers dark truths about their history and the real reason Thomas was there for a decade, Lily realizes she was never a partner—she was a pawn. Stripped of her illusions and fueled by a cold, simmering rage, Lily realizes that to destroy people of their influence, she needs a power she doesn't yet possess. Enter Julian Vane, a mysterious and formidable figure with his own vendetta against the same circles that ruined Lily. Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage built on strategy rather than love. As Lily steps into a world of wealth, secrets, and shadows, she must decide how much of her soul she’s willing to lose to get even—and whether her new marriage is just another heartbreak waiting to happen.

When I was in college, my mom had terminal cancer, and our family company collapsed due to heavy debts. Just when I was at my lowest, my childhood friend Zach Hall rushed back from overseas. For seven years, he stayed by my side and helped me heal. …Until the night before our engagement ceremony, when I was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. I wanted to tell Zach, but instead, I overheard a conversation between him and the lead surgeon who had operated on my mother. "Zach, your fiancee's mother could've been saved back then. But you stopped me from treating her, just so Jessica could get that poor woman's corneas. If Jessica is the one you love, why marry your fiancee?" "I do feel guilty toward Annie, but I don't regret it. It was the only way for Jess to pick up a brush again and keep chasing her dreams." Through the crack in the door, I saw clearly the tenderness on Zach's face when he mentioned Jessica. "What if Annie finds out?" the surgeon asked. Zach fell silent, rubbing the band on his ring finger. "I don't know. I've already decided to marry her. I'll love her, protect her, and spend the rest of my life making it up to her." The pain hit me so hard at that moment that I almost collapsed, as if my heart was being ripped out.

Autumn Simeons had loved Damian McLaren for as long as she could remember. From childhood to their teenage years, he was her safe place, the one person who made life feel lighter. But while Damian came from wealth and privilege, Autumn’s life was far simpler—and his heart seemed to belong to someone else. She kept her feelings hidden, choosing to be the best friend he could rely on. That fragile balance broke when Damian got a girlfriend who saw Autumn as a threat. Tension grew until, without warning, Damian cut her out of his life completely. One day they were inseparable; the next, he treated her like a stranger. Months later, fate intervened when Damian’s mother, worried about his slipping grades, asked Autumn to tutor him—unaware of the rift between them. Both protested, but their parents insisted. Now, forced into the same space, Autumn must face the boy she still loves, who seems to resent her presence. His girlfriend’s shadow hangs over every exchange, and unspoken history simmers beneath the surface. As old feelings resurface, Autumn realizes some lessons can’t be taught from books—they live in stolen glances, unsaid words, and memories that refuse to fade.