bitter notes by aly beck

In the magical Yarran World, a group of extraordinary professionals ventured into dangerous places for knowledge, wealth, thrill, and honor, exploring secrets hidden in the depths of time. Coexisting with dangers, they were given a fitting name—adventurers. With so many adventurers around, there would be a few oddballs, of course. Take for instance, the swordsman who used to be a thirsty hedonist and now spent his days looking for ways to put his life in danger; the knight who saw gold coins as his ultimate pursuit; the schizophrenic and overly curious priest, and the genius mage who was prone to zoning out and could not care of himself. What kind of strange stories would these kooky individuals create when they came together? Alright, all the above are just nonsense. In truth, this is a casual story of an abnormal, unscrupulous middle-aged man and a few problematic girls undergoing self-therapy- I mean, seeking redemption. You have been solemnly warned that this story is purely fictional. If there is any glaring similarity, you probably need self-therapy too.

In the world of the elite Hebert family, whispers abound about Elsa Hebert, their adopted daughter, harboring an unrequited love for Mr. Frank. To his disdain, Mr. Frank went as far as imprisoning her for five long years, shattered by her affection. When Mr. Frank finally tied the knot, it was expected that his bride would be someone else. Yet, to everyone's astonishment, the woman with a criminal past, Elsa Hebert, stood before him at the altar. Anticipating his cruel retaliation, onlookers eagerly awaited the humiliation of this audacious woman. But fate had other plans. On the fateful wedding day, the bride vanished into thin air, leaving Mr. Frank seething with anger. Determined to bring her back, he dispatched his men to retrieve her. When he captured Elsa, a storm raged in his eyes as he pinned her beneath him. His voice dripped with intensity as he posed the ultimate question, "Will you marry me or face the consequences?"

Teela married King Heavenly because she loved him, but life in the Heavenly household was anything but euphoric. Lettie, her hard-as-nails mother-in-law, treats her like an unpaid servant. The family treats her like an outsider. King treats her like a shadow, transparent and forgettable. When Lettie presses Teela to prove her value to the family or get out, Teela has a decision to make. But she’s not leaving without a fight. King Heavenly rules Heavenly Industries with an iron fist, but he leaves his home life to his mother to manage, and that includes the management of his boring little wife. Teela has never complained. She’s never done anything interesting, for that matter. She’s just one more responsibility in a long line of responsibilities that King shoulders on a daily basis, and that is exactly how he treats her — as a responsibility that he’s delegated to his mother. Suddenly Teela steps out of the shadows and into a fight with him and his whole family, and King is baffled by the ruthless actions of his now daring wife. He’d always heard that vengeance is a dish best served cold, but Teela is coming in hot!

''Wait... something's not right?!'' Song Xia walked over to the mirror and her eyes-widened, who was the one looking back in the mirror? ''Who are you?! Where did my face go?!'' She changed a lot! At the age of 20, Song Xia faced a lot of problems in her life. She was forced to marry a rich CEO who had a mistress in his company. She only found out that she was cheated on that night, her best friend had fooled her, her ex-boyfriend was going to marry her best friend, and so on. She drank too much and drove her car that very night. Alas, she got into a car accident and was in a coma for more than 1 year. Now, she has returned as Tang Xuan (ALICE) who looks completely different from the 'ugly' Song Xia in the past. She'll finally get the revenge she was longing for 2 years! [Little Drama] Alice: [How have you been, Dear Fans?] Fans: [Totally fine, how about you?] Alice: [*Sob* I'm getting bullied by my brother! Someone help me!] Fans: [Who is this brother?! Tell us his address! We'll get our weapons ready!] Tang Yan: "..." Hey, hey, where's the justice? Weren't you the one who bullied me by playing a prank on me?? --- Song Xia: I have great fashion sense, okay you lazy and slacking doctor! Tang Yan: *Scoff* You call that fashion sense?! You totally look like an orange! Ellen: *Sigh* Yet my girl won't stop shopping with that guy while using my card.. [The book cover is not mine. Credits to the owner.]

Frida, a first-year medical student, has always been focused on academics, with no time for relationships or intimacy. Though her friends tease her for being a prude, they don’t know about the wild fantasies she keeps locked away, wondering if anyone would ever see her for who she truly is. Laziel her ex-best friend turned enemy, a tech genius and adrenaline-fueled F1 racer who’s every girl’s dream but her personal nightmare. Their shared past is full of unresolved tension and high school scandals she’d rather forget. When Frida starts receiving mysterious red sticky notes promising to bring her most forbidden fantasies to life, she’s intrigued and terrified. But as the anonymous promises heat up, her imagination betrays her, and the faceless lover in her fantasies starts to look a lot like Laz. What happens when desire crosses the line into obsession? And what if her enemy is the one person who knows exactly how to make her wildest dreams come true?

When shy teen musician Kael uploads a rough demo, he never expects it to grab the attention of a rising studio. Thrown into the underground music scene, Kael must confront doubt, pressure, and his past as he fights to find his voice—on the mic and in life. Story was written 1 year ago

She smiled like spring. He stayed quiet like winter. Lin Keqing, the soft-spoken new girl, never meant to stand out. Gu Yuyan, the cold top student, never meant to care. But one day, a note appears. “I heard your rhythm.” “I wrote you a reply.” A secret paper exchange begins— and with it, an invisible thread between two people who never expected to be seen. As whispers grow louder than voices, and silence becomes their only language, Lin Keqing and Gu Yuyan must choose: Hide their hearts—or risk letting them bloom. A tender coming-of-age story about music, memory, and the quiet kind of love that heals.

**Jamie lowered himself so that his face met mine. "Are you stupid?,” he spat, cocking his head to the side. 
"Jamie!” I rushed between gasps, "you're hurting me." 
Pulling my head forward a few inches, he then slammed it back against the wall. My ears began to make a sharp ringing sound, and I had to close my eyes in order to try and silence the pain.** Isobel Tully accepts her abusive relationship as something that's meant to be, a karmic consequence of her past. She believes wholeheartedly that she deserves nothing better than her life with Jamie… But then she meets local musician Will. Kind, funny, insanely attractive Will... and he just so happens to find out her secret. As her existence at home becomes more and more unbearable, Isobel must decide if she's willing to risk her life for the opportunity to have the one she's always wanted, but will she get tangled up in a web of lies before she gets the chance? All Rights Reserved.

"Caden Fernando Miller. Hot, notorious and the most famous bad boy of Crestmont High. Attention seekers flirt with him. Idiots fight with him. The ones who are rewarded with a piece of sense, they stay away from him. If you fight with him, you know you'll lose soon. Hot tempered, mysterious and those oh-so hot looks. That's enough for a girl to fall head over heels for him. If only he cared to give a shit about them. Not to forget, he is also the youngest gang leader in New York city with his cruel ways and deadly secrets. Skylar Anderson. She's not a nerd. Or a cheerleader. All she cares about is her family, her best friend, chocolate cupcakes filled with heavenly nutella, and her sleep. Really. She lives a normal and carefree life, trying her best not to flunk Physics. Until she receives a letter in her mailbox......and that normal, carefree life goes right above the clouds."

Everyone wants to be Immortal. But when one actually achieves that goal, everyone asks themselves the same question: 'What do I do now?' Some have an answer in the beginning, and some don't. Eventually, those who hit the ground running, slow to a standstill. Those who started slow, eventually soar freely among the heavens. However, both types will come to a standstill many more times than once throughout their existence. I, myself, contemplated for a while about my next venture. Ultimately, I wanted to write my memoirs and give my fellow immortals something to keep them entertained. As I thought of the past, I came up with the idea to write my cultivation notes. Real cultivation notes. Not on a single sword art or martial skill. Not about some Dao or occupation. My name is Orym Vamoria. Orym in the Elvish tongue means 'Ten Thousand Skills.' I'm going to write about how I've mastered them all. During my first life, a great martial artist had a saying: "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Tell me, do you think he would fear a man who practiced ten thousand skills more than ten thousand times? Haa, I wonder... Anyways, the journey began long before I was born on the Chaos Serpent Planet. My journey started on a planet destroyed eons ago --Earth. Pay attention because even the smallest life detail can affect your cultivation. Written in First Person Omniscient: A rare form of the first person is the first person omniscient, in which the narrator is a character in the story, but also knows the thoughts and feelings of all the other characters. It can seem like third-person omniscient at times.