dinner with a decoy

The Zhekova family's young master approached Cindy Clarke with an old phone and said, "You dropped this five years ago, and I picked it up. Do you still deny it?" Five years ago, she was set up and got pregnant. Cindy Clarke never imagined that the father of her son would turn out to be the Prince Charming that the entire nation loved. She had a weak father, a scheming mother, and a sister plotting to harm her? None of that mattered! Adrian Zhekova said, "Whatever they want, I'll give it all to you. Let them be jealous." If her opponents slandered Cindy Clarke? Adrian Zhekova said, "I'll shut down their account." Don't like it? Endure it! Morgan Clarke said, "Sob, sob... Arthur Woods says I'm an illegitimate child without a dad." After the Woods family went bankrupt, Adrian Zhekova turned to Cindy Clarke and asked, "When are you going to make us official?" Cindy Clarke replied, "Since I met you, it's been like having a cheat code. Everything goes my way." Adrian Zhekova replied, "That's right, I'm that cheat code."

Old phone in paw, Mr. Zhao corners Ye Fei: “You left this with me five years ago—still pretending we never happened?” Back then, Ye Fei got tricked into Mommy-hood, and Baby’s dad turns out to be the nation’s top heart-throb! Coward dad, scheming mom, meanie sister? → Zhao buys her the moon and watches them pout. Internet trolls? → One click → *poof* account gone. Little Ye Xiaomo tugs Zhao’s sleeve, pouting like a dumpling: “Daddy, Wang says I’m a wild kid with no dad!” Zhao pats his head: “Wang’s Wi-Fi just took a nap—forever.” Final scene: Zhao wearing an apron, waving a ladle: “So, when do I get upgraded from secret dad to official husband?” Ye Fei giggles: “Ever since I met you, life’s on easy mode!” Zhao winks: “Exactly—I’m the built-in cheat code!”

“Adrian,” Raya whispered, voice trembling. “Choose — her or me.” His eyes darkened. “Why should I choose,” he said softly, stepping closer, “when I can have you both?” Her breath caught. “You’re insane,” she whispered. He brushed a thumb over her lips. “No,” he murmured, “i'm yours as you're mine. Whether you want it or not.” ~~~ To save her father, Raya agrees to become the fiancée of a man who could destroy her. She thought she was walking into a simple contract. But when she steps into Adrian Blake’s world, she steps into a maze of power, obsession, and dangerous secrets. Adrian never loved Seraphina, the woman he was supposed to marry. He only needed her family’s influence to seize the Blake empire. But when Seraphina vanishes… Raya becomes the perfect replacement. She’s stubborn, penniless, and nothing like Seraphina. Except for one disturbing detail She looks exactly like her. His terms are everything she should refuse: • Pretend to be his fiancée. • Pay off her father’s impossible debt. • Leave when he says so. Simple. Until she realizes the man behind the cold mask isn’t simple at all. The more she falls for him, the more dangerous he becomes. Because Adrian Blake doesn’t want love. He wants control. And now, he wants her. When the truth about Seraphina begins to unravel, Raya must choose: Run before she’s swallowed by Adrian’s darkness… or stay and risk losing her heart, and her identity, to the man who already owns her.

Personal chef Beau St. Clair, recently divorced from his cheating husband, returns to the small Ohio River town where he grew up to lick his wounds.<br><br>Jack Rogers lives with his mother, Maisie, in that same small town, angry at and frightened by the world. Jack has a gap in his memory that hides something he dares not face, and he’s probably suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.<br><br>Maisie, seeking relief from her housebound and often surly son, hires Beau to cook for Jack, hoping the change might help bring Jack, once a handsome and vibrant attorney, back to his former self. But can a new face and comfort food compensate for the terror lurking in Jack’s past?<br><br>Slowly the two men begin a dance of revelation and healing. Food and compassion build a bridge between Beau and Jack, a bridge that might lead to love. But will Jack’s demons allow it? His history could just as easily tear them apart as bring them together.

Henry Appleby has an appetite for life. As a recent high school graduate and the son of a wealthy family in one of Chicago’s affluent North Shore suburbs, his life is laid out for him. Unfortunately, though, he’s being forced to follow in the footsteps of his successful attorney father instead of living his dream of being a chef. When an opportunity comes his way to work in a real kitchen the summer after graduation, at a little Italian joint called Fiorello’s, Henry jumps at the chance, putting his future in jeopardy.<br><br>Years ago, life was a plentiful buffet for Vito Carelli. But a tragic turn of events now keeps the young chef at Fiorello’s quiet and secretive, preferring to let his amazing Italian peasant cuisine do his talking.<br><br>When the two cooks meet over an open flame, sparks fly. Both need a taste of something more -- something real, something true -- to separate the good from the bad and find the love -- and the hope -- that just might be their salvation.

It only takes a few days for Ollie D'Angelo to lose his boyfriend, his job, and his home. Instead of mourning what he doesn't have, Ollie celebrates what he does: the freedom to pursue his real passion -- cooking. He begins Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, and it takes off.<br><br>Late one night, Ollie catches Hank Mellinger, a streetwise hood down on his luck, about to rob his car. Ollie soon discovers that appearances aren't necessarily what they seem. Hank isn't a criminal caught red-handed, but a hungry young man trying to make a life for himself and the four-year-old niece he's trying desperately to take care of.<br><br>Instead of calling the cops, Ollie offers Hank a job and a way to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Together, they discover they can really cook ... and that their shared passion for food just might lead to a passion for each other.

Welcome to the enigmatic tale of Reinhart Glast, a warrior wrapped in a hard hat, hit by a storm of misfortune in his prime years. Threatened by Parkinson's Disease, his world crumbles into a heap of depression, pushing him to the edge of despair. As he contemplates death, life serves him a bittersweet twist - instead of oblivion, Reinhart's existence is whisked away to another realm, where he is plated as... an instant dinner? Fork your way through the unfathomable world of Fallenia, a simmering cauldron across dimensions, where the air stirs with magical energy known as Mana, and humanoid dragons, the Dralkons, color the sky. At the heart of this world lies the Roost of Grammel, where Queen Maze sits on the overheated throne, ensnared in a whirlwind of conspiracy and strife. With her kingdom on the razor's edge of chaos, the heat of politics blisters relentlessly. In the spice-ridden milieu of Maze's royal tribulations, our unlikely hero Reinhart appears, struggling to digest his peculiar fate. Their paths merge in an unusual mélange of destiny and dire need, as they bite into the thick crust of Fallenia's challenges. The epic adventure of this duo cooks up the central plot of our story, as they navigate the cauldron of deception, whip up alliances, and serve their enemies with defeat.

Arnold Jr., the only son of Arnold Palmer, one of the richest and most powerful men in America, was born into a wealthy family. He was cruel, mean, and the most notorious bully the school had ever known. After a scandal that nearly ruined his reputation, Arnold Jr. and Olivia's paths crossed. He tried to make Olivia's life a living hell, but she fought back with all her might. Hate turned to love, and enemies became friends, uniting the once-feared rivals Arnold Jr. and Olivia. However, their bond always threatened to break, as Arnold Jr.'s former enemies, who had suffered at his hands, constantly sought to harm him, and Olivia was always drawn into their unfortunate situations. Will love conquer greed, betrayal, lust, and a lifelong secret that had kept them apart? Will Arnold Jr. find more meaning in life than hatred and cruelty? The journey begins in the story "Dinner with the devil ."

A backwater bunch of students wedge between highRivalry as they go in pursuit of contraband come~Oddities: exciting Slot"Chordized life forms & gradually coaxing Options to redesign their own nature. Part of them already genetically spliced /-\ including Pyramis, who has been disinte'Greated by whiir'pool among his father's museum archives, covertly intercepted by the SILPH~fibers who speak of magnifying resources via rich*jeWells, while M%Arched by the Cyber*coping for hybrid#Tat Renaissance. Microscopic geometries glisten at him, boiling under the skin; if any want Influence, they'll have to Filter bait, then Etch new templates over core Foundations. And it's bombs away with Buccaneer bartering that coincide with Rubecca, half of town Legends, witch no one can quickly Peg what she's romped out of her cottage over - but she's Giant'vanced enough to have charmed an insect nest into a G'@stral beacon. Wait, that's merely a parcel-truth among the Maternity: even they don't foresee what new~Wave machinations come stirring behind mentors & flooding between Pir@sitic bOOty. Gestures & genders begin to hanggg questionably about who Guards what (*costumes & hostages doth ripple..).); promi'Sealing tremendous tHornZ as the seekers strive to polish crystals to cutting-edge circuits & harvest the Abodes of neck'tar W^ere fore-shaken i./Deals must restruct'Shore preconceptions ~ + Even if they're monitored around the clock for honesty, the crew won't remain earthbound Fur-long once they understand t@tts & perMute~Ability...

Samara is a demon who travels through a tear in dimensions to satisfy her curiosity about humans and their world. She is taken with the primitive charm of the human world, and especially enjoys their tasty food. But as she grows closer to her new human companions, demands from the demon realm pressure her to return. Samara must decide if her budding relationships with humans, specifically a Holy Knight named Kivani, are worth abandoning her life in the demon realm. Fallon is a human who has spent the years since her sister’s murder preparing for revenge. When she comes of age to join the Holy Knights, it’s the perfect opportunity. She just has to pretend to be a boy and be the best initiate to gain access to her target. Unfortunately, an infuriating boy is always a step ahead in the challenges. As Fallon puts all her training to the test, she learns that the truth may not be what it seems. And the boy who might ruin her chance may actually be able to help her.