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Two heirs. Two histories. One collision they can't escape. Noah Wellin, 22, was raised inside the rigid world of New York old money—polite, controlled, sculpted by the expectations of Phillips Exeter Academy and later Yale, where refinement is mandatory and emotion is optional. Atlas Sterlins, 26, heir to another Manhattan dynasty, shaped by the same elite pipeline—Phillips Exeter, Yale, and a Stanford MBA—institutions that produce leaders, not lovers; men trained to win, not feel. They come from the same elite orbit: private academies, Upper East Side galas, family alliances, and a social scene where image is everything. Their connection was always there—quiet, tense, dangerous—but they never crossed the line. Until a major partnership forces their families' companies to work together. Suddenly Noah and Atlas are in constant proximity: late-night meetings, travel, deadlines, the pressure of legacy closing in. What they buried for years ignites—slow, sharp, impossible to control. Attraction deepens. Jealousy surfaces. Distance becomes impossible. This is not a gentle love story. This is the unraveling of two men who were never taught how to feel—only how to hide. Between Masks explores: slow-burn M/M tension obsession-driven intimacy New York old-money dynamics high-pressure corporate power plays jealousy and emotional volatility identity conflict and awakening two powerful heirs losing control of the lives they were trained to perfect Told in real time—every shift in energy, every stolen moment, every night where the mask cracks and the truth pushes through—this is the story of desire becoming undeniable and changing everything. Two New York heirs. Years of restraint. One moment that shatters the distance between them. Tags: slow burn, mm romance, queer lit, old money, emotional tension. This is a preview of the novel Between Masks. The complete book is available here: https://books2read.com/between-masks

Artis Hart never expected to see Ethan Brewer again. On Christmas Eve in 2009, they nearly had something. But it ended before it began. Now eight years later, when an accident lands Artis in the hospital and Ethan at her bedside, old feelings resurface quickly and so do the doubts that tore them apart. He remembers the way things ended. She remembers the hurt. Neither of them is sure if the timing is finally right, or if history is about to repeat itself. Told through dual perspectives and timelines, Christmas Lights traces the fragile line between first love and second chances. Artis and Ethan must decide whether the bond they once shared can survive the truth of who they’ve become. +++ Hii, Kai here. So "Christmas Lights" is a pretty atypical book (especially on Webnovel) because each chapter only has a maximum of 100 words. But you are in for a ride because less words = more emotions pumped into them. This is a work I am very proud of and wrote during a difficult period in life. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've been writing professionally for 10 years and now I'm on Webnovel to practice consistency. I'm not that good with writing blurbs but I can assure you that my writing is great. It'll be wonderful if you decide to give me and my books a chance. If you liked the story, consider adding the book to your library and leaving a review. You can also contact me via my socials. Instagram: @kaitsukama Twitter: @kaitsukama Reddit: @kaitsukama And if you want to support me, you can also buy me a ko-fi! You can find me @kaitsukama :) Thank you and see you again!

Helena believed that starting university would be a simple, quiet new beginning. But everything changes the moment she crosses paths with Rafael — the silent boy surrounded by rumors no one dares to confirm. He avoids contact. Avoids people. Avoids even his own pain. And yet, every small gesture contradicts the reputation that follows him: the careful glances, the quiet acts of kindness, the way he seems to notice everything while pretending he doesn’t. When coincidences turn into encounters, and encounters turn into late-night conversations, Helena realizes there’s something behind his silence — something fragile, something heavy, something he’s trying too hard to hide. And as she tries to understand Rafael, she finds herself changing too… seeing his world, feeling the weight he carries alone, and discovering that sometimes the place we call home is found in someone else’s eyes. But the past doesn’t stay buried. And for them to get closer, both will have to face truths Helena was never prepared to hear — and Rafael was never ready to reveal. A story about healing, unspoken wounds, and the kind of love that grows slowly — in silence, in glances, and in the space one heart makes for another.

Undefeated Soldier King In the field of war, there is a legendary figure, the “Undefeated King of Soldiers”. He has traveled through countless battlefields, each of which is a test of his will. From the desolate deserts to the steep mountains, his footsteps have left indelible marks. This king of warriors not only possesses extraordinary physical strength, but also has a sharp strategic thinking. In the heat of battle, he was able to remain calm and collected, making quick and accurate decisions to turn the tide of battle. His swordsmanship is unrivaled and his fighting skills are the envy of all. He has faced countless foes and has never been defeated. His unshakable determination and indomitable spirit are the driving force behind his victories. He did not fight for personal glory, but to protect his home and people. The story of the invincible King of Fighters has been widely told and has inspired generations of people. He is a symbol of courage, strength and perseverance in the face of adversity. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Why'd I have to be born the oldest? ​Nazma stared blankly at her wardrobe, all alone on a bed that felt way too cold for someone her age. While other girls her age were stressing about homework and first crushes, Nazma had to carry a weight much heavier: the survival of her family and the silence of her own heart. ​“God… if I get born again, can I please be the second kid?” ​She desperately wanted to know what it felt like to have a big brother. Someone to stand out front, not behind. Someone to protect her. Someone to lead the way—so she wouldn't have to be strong all by herself every single day. ​But in the real world, she is the firstborn. The one who must lead. The one who must endure. And when she finally finds the courage to speak up against the world's unfairness, she realizes the harshest truth of all: ​It is a story of a girl's voice in a world that refuses to listen. ​Between the dusty halls of village meetings and the secret screams on her digital screen, Nazma navigates the messy layers of angst, broken friendships, and the suffocating social order. She is tired of being "the strong one." She is ready to be heard—even if she has to disappear from the circulation of their "normal" world to do it.

In a noisy high school classroom, love never arrives on time. Axel is always late—late to class, late to understand his feelings, and late to realize how deeply he affects the people around him. Charismatic without trying and sincere to a fault, Axel doesn’t chase love. Yet, somehow, love keeps finding him. At the center of his tangled world are four girls, each connected to him in a different way, each believing their bond with him is special. Mia, the girl whose laughter makes Axel forget everything else, represents the quiet, innocent pull of first love. Her feelings grow in silence, masked behind smiles, while jealousy slowly creeps in as she watches Axel drift closer to others. Akira, Axel’s childhood friend, knows him better than anyone—or so she thinks. Their constant arguments, shared history, and unspoken emotions blur the line between friendship and something far more dangerous. What begins as comfort slowly turns into a rivalry of the heart. Lisa, calm, observant, and sharp-tongued, enters Axel’s life when emotions are already messy. She doesn’t demand his attention; she earns it. Her presence brings clarity—and forces Axel to confront truths he keeps avoiding. Megumi, the unexpected one, appears when timing is already against everyone. Bright, honest, and disarmingly sincere, she falls without realizing that loving Axel comes with consequences no one escapes unhurt. Between laughter-filled school days, late arrivals, heated arguments, and quiet moments under fading sunlight, Axel is forced to face a painful truth: love isn’t about choosing who feels right—it’s about choosing who you’re willing to hurt the least. As emotions collide and timing fails again and again, Love Timing explores how love can be beautiful, cruel, and irreversible—especially when it arrives too early, too late, or all at once.

At the age of 24, Amelia (Liya- stage name) is the star of the music world Bagging several awards, contracts and even loved by the whole country Her concerts are always packed and tickets sold out immediately they are out Richard is just a regular mechanic Living life day to day to balance bills for his mom's hospital bills He knew her She knew him, but it was a long time ago When she was at her lowest, he came to the rescue and brought her back to her Spotlight

Crown Prince Gu Lian was born brilliant—admired by all, his path seemingly carved in stone: ascend the throne and protect the realm. With a loyal general, A Lie; a peerless strategist, Ai Miao; and a fiancée hailed as the capital’s most beautiful woman, he was the perfect heir in the eyes of the world. At age ten, the arrival of Murong Che, a hostage prince from a neighboring kingdom, disrupted the calm like a stone cast into still waters. Gu Lian quickly noticed that Ai Miao, his deep-thinking advisor, paid this heterochromatic youth an unusual amount of attention. To Ai Miao, Murong Che was a flawless “creation”—a vessel to mold, a key piece in a bloodless conquest. But when Gu Lian realized his dreams were haunted not by his fiancée, but by Ai Miao, his life veered off course. On a stormy night at fifteen, stripped of pride, he begged: “I need your love, Ai Miao! I want your mind—so full of empire and ambition—to hold space for me, Gu Lian!” The Emperor and Empress, alarmed by the prince’s dependence and forbidden affection, issued a secret decree. Under the guise of “greater ambition,” Ai Miao was exiled to a foreign land, leaving behind a cruel misunderstanding: a silent departure that shattered Gu Lian’s heart. Five years later, Ai Miao returned triumphant. The prince he had mentored now sat as a puppet monarch; the neighboring kingdom was all but dissolved. But what awaited him was Gu Lian’s frozen hatred, the imperial couple’s silent threats, a scandalous trap of seduction—and a chasm between them that seemed impossible to cross. Misunderstandings, schemes, jealousy, and the weight of duty loomed large. Gu Lian was forged into a blade by pain; Ai Miao clung to his original vow in silence. Until an unexpected aphrodisiac incident ignited everything—burning away their masks. In the collision of desire and truth, they confirmed with their bodies the loyalty and longing that had never faded. “I’ll be your bedmate,” the once-proud prince whispered, stripped of all dignity, eyes burning with obsession. “Just don’t touch anyone else—man or woman. Ever.” And Ai Miao, the master tactician, finally lowered every defense. In the overwhelming tide of pleasure, he saw his heart clearly: All the flawless plans, all the legendary victories—none compared to holding this man. From wary tests to life-and-death trust, from heartbreak to reunion—they must face courtly daggers, imperial pressure, and the tangled mystery surrounding a diplomatic princess. Together, they will purge the rot within and beyond the palace. This is an epic of growth and guardianship. Witness a cold strategist who plots each step for love, with devotion that cuts to the bone; a young crown prince who clings to emotion and carves out a golden age. Two mighty souls, bound to each other alone. Watch them break every chain and write a royal legend unlike any before—at the very peak of power, side by side.

He was never meant to inherit anything—not the name, not the power, not the legacy. The Second Son was a secret the family buried. Sent to the “ordinary track” of an elite dual-class academy, he hides behind the image of a troublemaker—failing on purpose, fighting back, pretending not to care. Until she sees through him. A scholarship girl who wants nothing to do with the elite world accidentally uncovers the truth behind his mask. Their worlds collide, pulling her into the dangerous orbit of a family empire built on lies, betrayal, and a legacy he was never supposed to claim. As the battle for the heir’s seat erupts, she becomes the only person who can destroy him… or save him. A K-drama–style romance filled with secrets, tension, slow burn, emotional depth, and a hidden heir who never asked to be chosen.

WHAT COMES AFTER When You Choose Each Other (A Between Masks Novel) They chose each other. That choice changed everything— but it didn’t make anything easier. What Comes After is a dark, emotionally grounded M/M contemporary romance set in the world of New York old money, power, and legacy. A continuation of the Between Masks series, this novel explores love after secrecy, intimacy under pressure, and the emotional cost of choosing each other in elite social circles where image is everything. Noah Wellin and Atlas Sterlins were raised to succeed, not to feel. Private academies. Prestigious universities. A world built on restraint, control, and expectation. In Between Masks, desire broke through years of silence and distance. In What Comes After, the real test begins. The secret is gone. The masks have slipped. And now the consequences arrive. Family legacies don’t disappear with love. Reputation doesn’t loosen its grip. Power still demands sacrifice. Choosing each other once was instinct. Choosing each other again—and again—becomes a decision with weight. This is not a story about falling in love. It’s a story about staying. About what happens when intimacy is no longer hidden. When love becomes visible—and therefore vulnerable. When two men trained to control everything must learn how to live without armor. Told with quiet intensity and emotional precision, What Comes After explores: love after secrecy commitment under pressure legacy, power, and consequence intimacy without escape routes the daily work of choosing each other two men learning how to live without masks This final installment in the Between Masks series doesn’t promise fantasy or easy resolutions. It offers something rarer: an honest look at love after the collision—when what remains must be real. Because choosing each other is only the beginning. What comes after is everything.

Soo Jin thought his life was boring until he discovered a shocking truth: his mother was murdered, and his father married to his mother's killer. Soo Jin wants revenge, but as a high school student, there's little he can do, until he learns that the murderer has a son: Mi Young. Soo Jin then enters his school with one goal: destroy him. But he would never know that, Mi Young's best friend, Ji Woo, would becomes the only light in Soo Jin's dark world. Will Ji Woo still choose him after discovering he was trying to ruin Mi Young's life?”

Three years ago, Vincent's world fell apart when his soulmate, Majori, cruelly rejected him in front of everyone, choosing another man—his best friend, Brian. Heartbroken and confused, Vincent watched as the love of his life walked away, seemingly severing every bond between them. Now, Vincent has risen to power as the formidable Lycan King of the Blue Moon Pack, leaving his tragic past behind or so he thought. Fate intervenes when he finds Majori once again, this time bloodied and broken, being hunted by a rogue pack. Torn between vengeance and the flicker of hope he dares not acknowledge, Vincent rescues her, only to imprison her in his own kingdom. But Majori is not the same carefree, mischievous girl he once knew. Hiding a dark secret that kept her away, she has suffered in silence, bearing the scars of a brutal past. As the tension between them rekindles the embers of their shattered bond, a web of lies, betrayal, and dangerous power struggles threatens to destroy them both. With old enemies closing in and Brian emerging as a formidable threat, Vincent must confront not only the truth about his mate but also his own tortured heart. As Majori’s health deteriorates and the stakes escalate, Vincent faces an impossible choice: let go of the past and fight for their future, or lose Majori forever. Yet, the biggest secret of all, the one Majori has been hiding for years could turn Vincent’s entire world upside down and change the fate of the packs forever. In a battle for love, power, and survival, can Vincent and Majori overcome their painful past or will the flames of betrayal consume them both? Update schedule: 7 chapters per week, but with no fixed days.

Aiven Hale only wanted one thing for the holidays: a quiet December, far away from heartbreak, exams, and his overly dramatic sister. But everything shatters the moment a stormy-eyed idol crashes into his life—literally. Raze, real name KiyoshiRaiden, the cold and untouchable center of global sensation ECLYPSE, is known for three things: his lethal beauty, his impossible attitude, and the rule he never breaks— “No one gets close.” Yet fate decides to be chaotic. A viral video. A misinterpreted moment. A New Year countdown gone wrong. Suddenly Aiven becomes the mysterious boy seen with Raze, chased by fans, media, and chaos he never wanted. To protect him, Raze does the unthinkable: He brings Aiven into his world. Living under one roof with five idols, dealing with a possessive CEO, jealous group members, and a sister who interrogates him every hour—Aiven struggles to breathe. But the more time he spends with Raze, the more he uncovers the truth behind the idol’s icy mask: His loneliness. His fear. His quiet affection… especially for Aiven. With Christmas lights glowing around them and a New Year countdown ticking closer, their hearts collide in ways neither expects. But the world isn’t kind to idols who fall in love. And Raze’s world? Even colder. As secrets erupt, rivalries explode, and fame becomes dangerous, Aiven must decide: Will he run from the chaos… or stay and fight for the boy who stole his New Year—and his heart?

Who is she in this life? A bride, a pawn… or just a substitute for someone who will never come? Rosy, a girl cast out by her own family, had her identity switched to be married into a noble household. A wedding with no invitations, no blessings only the cold binding from a man named Captian Anderson, the ruthless CEO behind the largest corporation holding the key to the entire banking and finance industry. Forced into marriage to save her family’s failing company, Rosy had no idea she was stepping into a maze of conspiracies, deceitful pasts, and chilling secrets no one had ever spoken of. She must live with a man rumored to be incapable of feeling, someone whose eyes reflect no emotion, yet always see through her as if he has known her for a very long time. Between love and control, trust and lies, Rosy has no choice but to stand up and reclaim herself, even when the love that begins to blossom may become the greatest threat of all. "To survive this velvet prison, she must learn how to make her captor love her to death."

Mei and Otis once loved each other during the most innocent years of their youth, only to break up in the middle of a heavy storm, leaving countless words unspoken. Years later, fate forces them quite unwillingly to become… roommates. A girl who’s cold on the outside but warm on the inside, sharp-tongued yet soft-hearted; A guy who’s rough around the edges but deeply loyal... The two of them crash back into each other’s lives amid hectic summer days, torrential rain, and the smallest moments of daily life. She says she doesn’t like him anymore. He says he’s long forgotten their past. But neither of them has ever changed their phone wallpaper, their old habits remain, and every time they face each other, their hearts skip a beat. From petty arguments, endless teasing, to sudden moments of quiet tenderness— there is still something between them that hasn’t ended. A storm arrives, dragging up all the feelings they buried. A silly blue penguin raincoat. A late-night phone call. And a truth both of them stubbornly refuse to say aloud: “I still like you.” A gentle, humorous, heart-achingly sweet urban romance about two people who once lost each other and slowly learn how to find their way back to each other’s hearts.

Celeste Concepción is a struggling actress with big dreams, a self-proclaimed work ethic and an unshakable belief that she is drop-dead gorgeous. After years of playing "background character #27," she finally lands a real role only to have it snatched away at the last second. Just when things seem to be at their worst, fate throws her a lifeline in the form of Philip Benedict Garcia. When the dashing CEO swoops in to rescue her from a sketchy situation, CeCe sees the perfect opportunity for a first-class life upgrade. Why chase auditions when she can land the role of a lifetime as his sugar baby? The only problem? Philip isn't your typical rich romantic. He's immune to her charms, unimpressed by her dramatics and worst of all... he actually expects depth. Oops. What starts as a simple get-rich scheme spirals into something far messier. Real feelings, real consequences and the horrifying realization that love might be worth more than luxury.

Love between the eternal and the mortal always ends in tragedy. Lisa had known this since childhood. She’d heard enough tales to understand how such stories always conclude. Yet when Mark entered her life, she allowed herself—for one fleeting moment—to believe in a fairytale with a happy ending. She thought she could outwit fate, keep Mark hidden from the clan, and build a fragile semblance of peace. But during their quiet vacation, a strange file suddenly appears on her laptop. At first, the text merely mirrors small details of their day, amusing Lisa with its eerie coincidences. Until the next page predicts Mark’s death. How many lives is an immortal willing to sacrifice to save the one she loves?

Emma Carter has everything under control… until Ethan Walker walks into her life. Forced to work together on a school project, Emma and Ethan discover that behind the rumors, the sarcasm, and the avoided glances, there is a connection that is impossible to ignore. Amidst hallways filled with whispers, late-night texts, and moments where their hearts beat a little too fast, both must decide if it’s worth risking their reputation, their pride, and their hearts for something that could change everything. A story of drama, intense romance, and unexpected humor about that first love that arrives without warning and stays much longer than it should.

When the handsome yet reserved financial analyst Curtis Harper meets the girl of his dreams, Nadine, he’s determined to change his ways for her — even if it means stepping out of his carefully built routine. With the help of Allie, a warm-hearted barista carrying struggles of her own, Curtis sets out to learn the language of connection and spontaneity. But as lessons blur into late-night talks and laughter, hearts begin to shift in ways no one expected. How will fate unfold when love rewrites the plan?