It wasn’t the teens Sandeep had inspired that had made her two terms teaching at Central Academy a nightmare; it was the staff. From her lecherous headteacher to her unreasonable head of department, everyone had made her feel unwelcome and excluded from the moment she had arrived at the school. Only one colleague, Ruksana, had accepted Sandeep, mainly because, as another young Asian woman, she had received the same racist...

Just another dead pornstar. Her parents will mourn the loss, but society won't. People will see a pretty girl saddled with debt, cut down in her prime in a seedy profession, tut and move on. That's the way this business works. Always has. It’s quiet in the studio, only a faint whine from the LEDs that circle the rows of dials and buttons on the editing console. I stare down at her lifeless body spilling out of the crop to...

Samantha, now seventy-eight years old, sat in the office of Mr. Anderson, a family lawyer. Her four adult children—Megan, Kayla, Brian, and Olivia—surrounded her with an air of support, their united presence a source of strength during this trying moment. The weight of time was evident in Samantha's aged hands and weary eyes. Megan, forty-seven, sat on one side with her hand resting gently on Samantha's shoulder. Kayla, f...

The late-morning sun pierced through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting sharp, accusatory lines across his desk. Derrick, tall and broad-shouldered, reclined in his leather chair, draped in a bespoke navy suit. His deep mahogany skin contrasted sharply against the crisp white of his shirt while his fingers drummed a restless rhythm across the desk. Sometimes, those fingers stroked his beard, a subtle gesture betraying...

Riley stumbled out into the cold night air, tears streaming down her face as the reality of what she had just witnessed sank in. Six years. Six long years she had devoted to Jaimie, pouring her heart and soul into their relationship. And this is how he repaid her? By shamelessly making out with not one but five other women right under her nose? Riley's heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest when she saw Jamie...

Honor Banet's plan for a single small profitable patisserie-bistro was swiftly blasted to pieces by a combination of customer demand, Marq Haydn and other events beyond her control. After opening on Carlisle Street, Rick Ford's prediction of people lining up for miles had not exactly come true ... but it came close. After four months, Marq apologized for getting it wrong and advised that she should open another branch on...

"No clothes, huh? How convenient," Sarah said to Honor, grinning. The store had a decent bistro within sight of the till. They were sitting at a table, nursing coffees while Marq was standing in a queue, a basket of new clothes in hand. Honor grinned back. "That's what I said." She giggled as she looked in his direction, lips parting. "I have no idea why he needs them anyway ..." She had made full selfish use of all two d...

"Woooooo!" Sarah screamed again as she drove the van through another intersection. "Oh my @#&%! You were so effing awesome!" Honor smiled at her friend, gesturing at the other cars around them, all with drivers looking with some alarm at the screaming woman behind the wheel. Sarah didn't care. "You kicked so much ass!" Sarah punched the air, hitting the roof of the van and screaming again. Honor laughed this time and join...

"What the hell did you do to my best friend?" Sarah whispered, staring at his face. She was on the website of Ascent Kapital GmbH, headquartered in Zurich, looking at his picture on the founders' and management page for the umpteenth time. He kept his black hair short, almost a buzz cut, and he was wearing a black suit, a light blue shirt, and a silver and matching blue fractal pattern tie in his headshot. His smile was s...