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Get the APPMermaids of Calabar Beginning
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Jilted Girlfriend? I Am The Tycoon's Wife
Cara Lewis sat quietly as her boyfriend of three years pushed a plate of dessert across the table, wearing a rehearsed mask of sorrow. He claimed he had to break up with her for her own good, blaming his lack of connections on Wall Street and insisting he couldn't give her the life she deserved. He acted like a martyr making a tragic sacrifice, waiting for her desperate tears and trembling denial. Instead, Cara calmly pulled out a stack of glossy photos and an elegant engagement invitation. She exposed his secret affair with the wealthy Hailie Lewis, completely dismantling his hypocritical social climb. Leaving the cheating narcissist pale and humiliated, Cara paid the bill and walked out, thinking the trash had finally been taken out. But her newly single evening took a chaotic turn when a teenage gaming partner called in a panic. He begged her to crash his elite prep school and pose as his aunt to save him from expulsion. Cara agreed, flawlessly playing the role of the secret new wife to his uncle, a notoriously ruthless Wall Street titan. She was thoroughly dominating the snobby school board when the office doors suddenly swung open. The real billionaire uncle, Beck Greer, walked into the room. Cara's heart dropped into her stomach as his glacial eyes locked onto her, knowing her social existence in New York was about to end. Caught in a terrifying, inescapable lie, Cara made an insane calculation. She stepped forward, firmly hooked her arm through the billionaire's, and smiled sweetly. "Honey, what took you so long? Julian and I were being bullied." She waited for the executioner's axe to fall, but the untouchable tycoon simply covered her hand with his and played along.Across the white tablecloth of Serafina, Bradyn Hubbard—Cara Lewis's boyfriend of three years—set his wine down and leaned forward. He pulled a thick, cream-colored envelope from his jacket and slid it across the table until it rested in front of her.
Cara looked down. The gold foil lettering was fresh from the press.
Engagement Gala
Groom: Bradyn Hubbard
Bride: Hailie Lewis
Venue: The Lewis Estate, Long Island. Next Saturday.
"Cara, let's be realistic," Bradyn said, his voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "Hailie is my ticket to the top. Marrying her is the only shortcut for a guy like me to get a seat on the board. I don't love her—she's just the ladder I have to climb for my career."
Cara stared at the card, then lifted her cold amber eyes to meet his. "So you're proposing what, exactly?"
Bradyn gave a smug, self-satisfied smile.
"We break up publicly. But in private? Nothing has to change. You funded my MBA and paid my rent for three years—I haven't forgotten that. Stay quiet, be my little secret on the side, and once I secure the Lewis assets, I'll make sure you're taken care of in luxury."
Cara stared at his shameless face, her voice dropping into a dangerous, silky calm. "You sold yourself as a kept man to my stepsister, and you expect me to be your dirty little secret?"
"Don't make it sound so ugly, Cara," Bradyn scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "That's how men get ahead in Manhattan. Be realistic, Cara. You're broke and you have no one. Who else is going to take care of you? Don't be stupid. Just take the deal."
Cara looked at him for one quiet second, her lips curving into a razor-sharp smile.
"In your wildest dreams, Bradyn."
Without a second's hesitation, Cara picked up her crystal tumbler and threw the cold bourbon and ice straight into his face.
The freezing liquor drenched his styled hair and soaked the collar of his designer shirt. Bradyn gasped, shooting up from the velvet booth in sheer shock, frantically wiping his stinging eyes.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he snarled, glaring at her as neighboring tables turned to stare.
Cara set the empty glass down with a quiet, deliberate tap.
Without breaking eye contact, she reached into her Saint Laurent bag, pulled out a thick manila folder, and dropped it heavily onto his soaked lap.
"Open it, parasite," Cara said calmly.
Bradyn's hands shook as he ripped the folder open.
A thick stack of forensic-grade photographs spilled across the table. His breath caught in his throat—the photos showed him and Hailie completely naked, tangled in the satin sheets of a suite at the Baccarat Hotel.
Taped right behind the prints was a notarized invoice.
Columbia MBA Tuition & Fees: $186,000.00
Tribeca Penthouse Lease Subsidies: $94,000.00
Bespoke Wardrobe & Networking Tabs: $62,000.00
TOTAL REIMBURSEMENT DUE: $342,000.00
Bradyn's face turned an ashen, sickly gray. "You... you tracked me?"
"Three hundred and forty-two grand," Cara said, tapping the total with a manicured nail. "Wire it back to my account by Monday morning. If you don't, these photos go directly to Hailie's father and the Lewis board."
The shock on Bradyn's face instantly curdled into ugly fury. He slammed both hands on the table, leaning in with a desperate hiss. "You crazy bitch! You gave me that money willingly—that was trust money! You can't sue me for gifts!"
"I invested in a partner, Bradyn, not a freeloader," Cara said coldly. "You lived off my money for three years just to become my stepsister's leashed lapdog. Pay back every cent by Monday, or wear the collar in public."
"You fucking bitch—" Bradyn lunged forward, grabbing for her wrist.
Cara smoothly stepped back, out of his reach. She stood tall, smoothing the front of her tailored coat, looking down at him with absolute disgust.
Slowly, deliberately, she raised her hand and flipped him a clean, effortless middle finger.
"Congratulations on the engagement, Bradyn," Cara said softly. "You and Hailie deserve each other."
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Ong's Hat - The Beginning
Ong's Hat was more of an experiment in transmedia storytelling than what we would now consider to be an ARG but its DNA - the concept of telling a story across various platforms and new media- is evident in every alternate reality game that came after. - Games Magazine 2013/0/86779/coverorgin.jpg?v=3aeb4789c462405a705503affebc23ff&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Divorce: Her New Beginning
"Are you sure you packed the antique vase?" I asked my husband, David, my voice echoing in our half-empty living room, packed for our big move overseas. We were starting a new life, a new chapter. But then, an email popped up on his laptop screen from a woman named Lisa Chang, a one-word subject l/0/70232/coverorgin.jpg?v=90e0435bf70c646d6fecb618f76a5e4c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
His Betrayal, My Beginning
Caroline believed she had it all-a devoted husband, adorable twin boys, and a promising future. But her world shatters when she discovers her husband's secret affair with his first love, a woman whose presence threatens to steal not just her husband but her children's affection. When her sons, in/0/77734/coverorgin.jpg?v=0c3f9bdeb2b5a3a698c1dbb3fd27e08c&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Awakened: The Beginning
More than 200 years ago, portals leading to alternate dimensions suddenly appeared simultaneously, all over the world. Various monsters and magical beasts reside within these portals; conventional weapons were rendered useless and mankind's annihilation was inevitable. Then when all hope seemed lo/0/85374/coverorgin.jpg?v=b7ac96283d0b940dbf8e5c0268e1cee2&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Discarded Wife, New Beginning
My fifth anniversary card from Liam was on the counter, perfectly depicting the happy DINK life we' d built. That evening, the picture shattered when he confessed another woman, Chloe Davis, was pregnant with his child. He swore it wasn' t an affair, claiming she' d stolen his sperm, but his famil/0/24611/coverorgin.jpg?v=2f896238754f72b41fa69856e3a78c0e&imageMogr2/format/webp)
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Their End, My Beginning
Her sweet childhood sweetheart is now a cold millionaire. The person, whose heart broke even when she cried over a movie, is the one causing her heart to break. The bestfriend, who shared everything with her, is hiding something from her. Her own family is stealing from her. Worst of all, the cau/0/85434/coverorgin.jpg?v=8618968b2fe332f69ee0af8aa01435f5&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Love’s End, Her New Beginning
For five years, my life was Liam Vance, the visionary I helped build an empire with, sketching user interfaces on napkins and designing the very buildings that housed his dreams. Then he brought Chloe Davis home, an aspiring influencer all wide eyes and soft smiles, and my world started to crack./0/86171/coverorgin.jpg?v=fdd6dbcfc388e943284e9435cc81e4b1&imageMogr2/format/webp)
His Death, Her New Beginning
The city air was thick with sirens, a constant wail that had become the sound of dread. Thirteen brutal murders had everyone locking their doors a little tighter. I never thought the fourteenth would be mine. The call came just after midnight. "Mrs. Miller? This is the police. There's been an in/0/21236/coverorgin.jpg?v=cf204add417c623eeea3e675cee020ea&imageMogr2/format/webp)
No Second Chances: The beginning of the end.
Greed is a powerful feeling that has changed the world over thousands of years. Science, religion, and magic have built a new era and there are some who want to end it all, for the sake of a dying world. It is only up to certain beings to awaken the world and cleanse the lurking evil within the desi/0/35443/coverorgin.jpg?v=52d3f23a9480db3ed4188c120c6c7a24&imageMogr2/format/webp)
The Beginning Of My Life As A Billionaire
I grew up in a poor family. My foster mother worked tirelessly as a maid to support me. In order to climb out of poverty, I studied hard and got into a prestigious university. But not long after, my foster mother fell seriously ill and quickly racked up two hundred thousand dollars in medical expe/0/40155/coverorgin.jpg?v=d24f2cf10f0c247acd49077e80fa40bd&imageMogr2/format/webp)
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My Husband's Funeral Was The Beginning Of My Revenge
For three years, Elena mourned the husband she believed was dead. Then, on her deathbed, she saw him. Alive. Standing beside the woman he had left her for and before she could confront them, she died. But fate gave her one more chance. She woke up three years earlier, beside the husband who wou/0/85241/coverorgin.jpg?v=9af9a4475113c6880cdfb2ab5367fdaf&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Amnesia's Gift: A New Beginning
The antiseptic smell was sharp, the ceiling a stark white as I blinked myself awake, the rhythmic beeping of a machine my only company. A dull ache pinned me to the mattress, and I stared at the IV in my arm, a blank slate where memories should have been. Then, the door swung open, and three figur/0/85372/coverorgin.jpg?v=315f9ccb394428bc5fb1a386434512f3&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Beyond Repair: A New Beginning
The system overload alarm shrieked, sparks flying, monitors flickering. My own algorithm, my miracle cure, was dying, and it was taking me with it. Liam Thorne, facing me, declared, "Bring her back, Ava! You said your algorithm could heal anything!" His face a mask of cold fury over his lost love,/0/86739/coverorgin.jpg?v=a1fd97b0716beacbe44f1d9307c98f3d&imageMogr2/format/webp)
His Betrayal, My New Beginning
I had a secret: for three years, Liam Hayes, my brother's best friend and five years my junior, was mine in the dark. I loved him completely, even sacrificing career opportunities for him. When I finally asked for us to be open, I discovered his true intentions were to use me to make his childhood s/0/86936/coverorgin.jpg?v=4453ab0f0d8b233fb73ef361b2a9cb42&imageMogr2/format/webp)
Her Choice, My New Beginning
On our fifth anniversary, I waited alone at "La Lune," the restaurant of our first date, a single white rose and a velvet proposal box in my pocket. But she never showed. No text, no call, just a creeping coldness in my chest. This wasn't like Sophia. Then I saw it on Instagram: a flashy video from/1/104078/coverorgin.jpg?v=aa0788b368a55289d96a84b623509990&imageMogr2/format/webp)
The Discarded Bride's New Beginning
After eight years together, I thought Floyd was my future. But when a wooden frame collapsed at the lake, he ran right past me to help another woman. He didn't even glance at my shattered arm. "Wait a minute, Katerina!" he yelled, scooping her into his arms and sprinting away. His betrayal only g/0/98735/coverorgin.jpg?v=917dfba3dc9da1141fa8554186ca75bd&imageMogr2/format/webp)
A New Beginning After Divorce
After three years of marriage, he abandoned her, but treated Maria Harris like a treasure. He ignored her and treated her harshly. Their marriage was like a cage. Linda Abels is very patient, because she loves Shane Harvey deeply! Until it rained heavily that night, he left her pregnant and flew ab/0/85230/coverorgin.jpg?v=96b0e73e818c1fd789c8555b7e3a6e00&imageMogr2/format/webp)
