No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules

No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules

Xiao Song Shu

5.0
Comment(s)
315
View
11
Chapters

I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind. Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed. He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising." Phoenix Rising. The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago. I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her lie. That betrayal led to my disqualification, academic dishonor, and blacklisting, forcing me to flee the US, utterly broken. Stones in my gut, those words. How could he, after everything, dare to invoke that name, that pain, for this grotesque public spectacle? Did he think a grand gesture could erase the humiliation, the shattered dreams, the life I had to rebuild from nothing? But this wasn't the shattered girl he remembered. Before he could utter another word, my husband and daughter appeared, a living testament that I had not only survived but thrived. My past was about to get a very clear message: I was no longer a victim; I was home, loved, and ready to close this painful chapter for good.

No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules Introduction

I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind.

Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed.

He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising."

Phoenix Rising.

The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago.

I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her lie.

That betrayal led to my disqualification, academic dishonor, and blacklisting, forcing me to flee the US, utterly broken.

Stones in my gut, those words.

How could he, after everything, dare to invoke that name, that pain, for this grotesque public spectacle?

Did he think a grand gesture could erase the humiliation, the shattered dreams, the life I had to rebuild from nothing?

But this wasn't the shattered girl he remembered.

Before he could utter another word, my husband and daughter appeared, a living testament that I had not only survived but thrived.

My past was about to get a very clear message: I was no longer a victim; I was home, loved, and ready to close this painful chapter for good.

Continue Reading

Other books by Xiao Song Shu

More
Her Violin, His Vengeance

Her Violin, His Vengeance

Romance

5.0

Annabelle Owen, a violin prodigy, found her world in Jack Hyde, a tech billionaire who promised her everything. He shielded her, showered her with gifts, and became her entire universe. But then, his half-sister, Everly, moved in, and everything changed. Everly, a manipulative whisper in Jack's ear, slowly poisoned their relationship, turning him against Annabelle. Annabelle, pregnant with their child, discovered Jack's betrayal on their anniversary. He chose Everly, humiliating Annabelle, forcing her to change her dress because it "upset" Everly. He then denied her pregnancy, forced her to donate blood to Everly, and later, in a fit of rage, beat her, causing her to lose their baby. Jack, blinded by Everly's lies, believed Annabelle had cheated. He tortured and humiliated Annabelle, stripping her of everything he had given her, even her grandfather's violin, which Everly deliberately destroyed. Annabelle, broken and desperate, faked her own death by walking into a fire, hoping to escape the nightmare. Jack, consumed by grief and rage, was manipulated by Everly into believing Annabelle was a cheating liar. He sought brutal revenge on Everly, but the truth about Annabelle's innocence and Everly's deceit eventually came to light. Annabelle, meanwhile, had found refuge with her brother, Adan, and entered into a marriage of convenience with Julian Cordova, a war hero in a coma. She nursed him back to health, and they fell deeply in love, building a new life free from Jack's shadow. When Jack discovered Annabelle was alive and marrying Julian, he crashed the wedding, begging for forgiveness. But Annabelle, hardened by his cruelty, coldly rejected him, choosing her new life and love with Julian, leaving Jack to face the consequences of his actions alone.

He Wanted My All, I Took His

He Wanted My All, I Took His

Modern

5.0

I was scrolling through a local forum, a mindless habit, when a post titled "A Warning to a Woman in Tech" caught my eye. It described two people plotting at a cafe I knew: a man complaining about his "tech executive" girlfriend, and a woman suggesting they "get her to relax" by putting something in her drink. They wanted her money, her inheritance, planning to stage an "accident." My fingers went cold, but the nausea passed-it was too generic. Then, the final detail: "The man… wore a very distinctive watch, a vintage chronograph with a dark green face." My phone clattered to the floor. Not Liam. Not the watch I bought him for our anniversary. The man who brought me soup when I was sick, who supported my career, who spoke of being my equal. He was a lie. All of it. Every sweet gesture replayed, tainted, a calculated part of his long con. The anger, hot and sharp, consumed me. Chloe Davies. Liam's old acquaintance, openly jealous of my success. I remembered him dismissing her, "Don't worry about her. You're the only one that matters to me." I believed him. The realization hit like a physical blow: the man I loved, and the woman I distrusted, were partners in a plot to destroy me. His parents, with their sickeningly sweet talk of "making it official," had been part of it too. My father' s ironclad prenup-that was the wall he couldn't climb. It wasn' t just a legal document; it was the trigger. They wanted to ruin me, stage an "accident," for him to inherit. The venomous greed took my breath away. They weren' t just after my money; they were after my life. But they had miscalculated. They had no idea who they were dealing with. Liam Parker wanted a war. I would give him one.

You'll also like

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

While I Was Bleeding Out, He Lit Lanterns For Her

Katie Oettgen

As I lay on the floor of our manor, bleeding out from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, I used my last ounce of strength to call my husband, Cole. I begged him for help, my vision blurring. But the only thing I heard was the clinking of champagne glasses and his mistress's giggle in the background. "Stop the drama, June," Cole snapped, his voice cold. "We're about to go on stage. Don't call again." He hung up, leaving me to die alone on the Persian rug while he accepted an award with another woman on his arm. I woke up in the hospital days later. My baby was gone. They had removed my fallopian tube. Cole finally arrived, smelling of expensive scotch and his mistress's perfume. He didn't hug me. He didn't cry. Instead, he leaned over my hospital bed, pressing his knee into the mattress until my fresh stitches tore open and bled. "You embarrassed me by calling an ambulance," he hissed. "My mistress, Alycia, says you're faking it. Clean yourself up." He left me bleeding again to go announce a $10 million donation to Alycia's "groundbreaking" medical research. I stared at the TV screen, numb. The research Alycia was taking credit for? It was mine. I wrote that patent years ago under a pseudonym. They thought I was just a poor, orphan housewife who needed Cole's money to survive. They had no idea I was actually a billionaire scientist hiding my identity. I pulled the IV needle out of my arm. A drop of blood fell onto the divorce papers I had been hiding. I didn't wipe it off. I signed my name right over it. Then I walked into the bank, reactivated my dormant account with $128 million, and bought the penthouse directly overlooking Cole's house. The mourning widow is dead. The avenger is born.

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules No Second Chances: My Empire, My Rules Xiao Song Shu Romance
“I stood at the Northwood University Alumni Gala, a successful architect, a wife, and a mother, years after I' d left everything behind. Then, my ex, Ethan Hayes, stepped onto the stage, and the whole room hushed. He finished his speech and, to my horror, dropped to one knee before me, publicly proposing marriage with the words, "Phoenix Rising." Phoenix Rising. The name ignited a searing pain, a brand from a past I' d buried years ago. I remembered my senior year, my award-winning design stolen by Olivia Monroe, and Ethan, my then-boyfriend, standing by her side, calmly confirming her lie. That betrayal led to my disqualification, academic dishonor, and blacklisting, forcing me to flee the US, utterly broken. Stones in my gut, those words. How could he, after everything, dare to invoke that name, that pain, for this grotesque public spectacle? Did he think a grand gesture could erase the humiliation, the shattered dreams, the life I had to rebuild from nothing? But this wasn't the shattered girl he remembered. Before he could utter another word, my husband and daughter appeared, a living testament that I had not only survived but thrived. My past was about to get a very clear message: I was no longer a victim; I was home, loved, and ready to close this painful chapter for good.”
1

Introduction

16/06/2025

2

Chapter 1

16/06/2025

3

Chapter 2

16/06/2025

4

Chapter 3

16/06/2025

5

Chapter 4

16/06/2025

6

Chapter 5

16/06/2025

7

Chapter 6

16/06/2025

8

Chapter 7

16/06/2025

9

Chapter 8

16/06/2025

10

Chapter 9

16/06/2025

11

Chapter 10

16/06/2025