Glass Ambitions

Glass Ambitions

Cyber Space · Ongoing · 50.7k Words

791
Hot
791
Views
237
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

Nate, a 25-year-old software developer with a quiet intensity, works at ZenithTech, a rising Chicago tech firm. He lives with Liam, a 32-year-old senior project manager who mentored him after Nate’s parents cut ties over his sexuality three years ago. Nate’s gratitude has morphed into a hidden affection, which he buries in late-night code experiments on his laptop. At ZenithTech, Harper, a 26-year-old marketing strategist with a sharp edge, resents Liam for outshining her in a promotion race two years back. Her father, Graham, the firm’s CFO, harbors his own grudge against Liam for whistleblowing a shady expense report that cost Graham a board seat. When Harper intercepts a private email Nate accidentally sent to Liam—hinting at his feelings—she teams up with Graham to frame Nate for leaking proprietary code to a competitor. They plant falsified server logs, a forged payment, and a fake chat thread, leading to Nate’s suspension and a looming FBI probe. Liam’s rattled, and Nate’s world tilts.

Chapter 1

The office was dead as a graveyard past midnight. All the usual clatter, keyboards clacking, people jabbering, was gone, sucked up by this creepy quiet that made every little noise sound huge. The glass walls bounced back the dim lights, throwing weird shadows across ZenithTech’s slick, fancy setup. Computer screens glowed with lines of code, the only damn things still alive in here. Just me and Liam left, busting our asses to squash a bug before tomorrow’s big show-and-tell.

I rubbed my eyes, fighting to stay awake. The place wasn’t the same as daytime, none of that buzz, people darting around. At night, it was off, too still, like it was holding its breath waiting for something. I flicked a look at Liam next to me. Guy was glued to his screen, fingers flying over the keys like a machine. He was locked in, focused in a way that got under my skin more than it should’ve. Told myself it was just respect, Liam’s a wizard at this crap, probably the best coder here. But nah, there was other junk mixed in, stuff I didn’t wanna own up to. Like how his messy hair caught the light just right, or how his quiet vibe reeled me in. Shoved that noise down deep, locked it up tight.

“We gotta nail this,” Liam said, not even glancing up. “Client demo’s tomorrow, if it tanks, we’re screwed.”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, staring at my own screen like it’d cough up answers. “I’m trying. Feels like the code’s screwing with us on purpose.”

He smirked, just a twitch. “You’re doing alright, Nate. We’ll crack it.”

That hit me harder than it had any right to. Liked that he thought I could hang with him. “Thanks,” I said, forcing a grin. “Let’s keep going.”

We hammered away in silence for a bit. Just the tap-tap of keys and the low hum of the machines. My eyes were burning, screaming at me to quit staring at the screen, but I didn’t stop. Neither did Liam. Then he piped up.

“Yo, hold up, check this,” he said, jabbing a finger at his monitor.

I scooted closer, chair creaking like it was pissed. Our heads were damn near touching as I squinted at his code. “What’d you catch?”

“This function, it’s choking on empty values. That’s why it keeps crapping out.”

I blinked at it. He was dead-on. “How’d I miss that?”

Liam let out a quiet laugh, this soft little sound that flipped my stomach. “Late nights’ll fry you. Happens to everybody.”

“Guess so,” I said, fixing it on my end. Our shoulders bumped when he leaned over to peek, and I froze up. Barely a brush, but it hit me like a jolt, zinging all over. Heart started pounding loud in my ears.

He didn’t clock it. “Looks solid now,” he said, nodding. “Let’s run it.”

I hit the button, and we both stared. Code ran smooth, no crash. I let out this shaky breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “We did it.”

Liam grinned, eyes lighting up. “Hell yeah, Nate.” He clapped my shoulder, all casual-like, but his hand hung there a beat too long. Warmth seeped through my shirt, and I couldn’t budge. My brain went haywire, did he mean something? Nah, no way. I jerked my eyes back to the screen, pretending to double-check, hoping he didn’t catch my face going red.

Before I could say jack, the door flew open. Harper strutted in, heels clicking loud and sharp on the floor. She was all dolled up, crisp suit, hair perfect, like she’d just rolled out of some late-night meeting. Didn’t fit the empty office vibe, and it made me sit up straighter.

“Still at it, huh?” she said, voice smooth but icy, like she was sizing us up.

Liam spun around with that easy grin of his. “Hey, Harper. Yeah, just wrapping up. You?”

“Checking the server,” she said, but her eyes stuck on Liam, didn’t budge, like she was dissecting him. “Seeing how you’re holding up.”

“We’re good,” Liam said. “Bug’s toast.”

“Nice.” Her smile was tight, didn’t touch her eyes, sharp like she knew something we didn’t. “Don’t burn out. Big day tomorrow.”

“We won’t,” Liam shot back.

She gave a quick nod and bailed, but not before throwing Liam another look. Something about it felt off, wrong, like she was measuring him for something. Left a sour twist in my gut, couldn’t pin why.

I let out a jittery breath when the door clicked shut. “She’s a lot,” I said, keeping it chill.

Liam shrugged. “Just doing her thing. Keeps the wheels turning.”

“Maybe,” I muttered, but I wasn’t buying it. Harper always seemed like she was playing chess while the rest of us were stuck on checkers.

Tried to shake her outta my head and focus, but I was off. Earlier, when the code had me slamming my head against a wall, I’d cracked open my email and started typing. Dumb as hell, a draft to Liam, spilling all the crap I’d buried. How I felt, how I couldn’t stop noticing him. Wasn’t gonna send it, just a dumb vent to unclog my brain. But after Harper’s creepy drop-in, I remembered it was still sitting there in my drafts.

My stomach knotted up. Had to kill it. “Hey, Liam,” I said, voice tighter than I meant. “Grab me a coffee? I’m crashing hard.”

He quirked a brow but nodded. “Yeah, sure. Back in a flash.”

Minute he was gone, I lunged for my laptop. Hands were shaking as I yanked up my email. There it was: “To Liam.” Words glared back at me, all raw and ugly. Went to delete it, finger hovering. For a split second, I pictured hitting send, what if he read it and felt the same? Stupid. It’d torch everything, our vibe, our jobs. Took a deep breath and clicked.

But I didn’t trash it. I sent it.

“No,” I hissed, heart slamming so hard I thought it’d bust out. Email zipped from drafts to sent. Panic clawed me up. We shared email access for work stuff, so I dove into Liam’s inbox fast. There it sat, unread. Deleted it, then checked his trash, gone for good. Hands wouldn’t quit trembling, but I’d dodged it. He’d never know.

Liam strolled back with the coffee right as I slapped the laptop shut. “Here ya go,” he said, handing it over. Frowned a bit. “You good? Look like hell.”

“Yeah,” I lied, grabbing the cup. “Just wiped. Long night.”

He nodded, but his eyes hung on me a sec too long. “Let’s bounce. We’re done.”

“Cool,” I said, faking a grin.

We packed up and headed out together. Whole way, I kept telling myself I’d pulled it off. Email was history, Liam didn’t suspect a thing. I was in the clear.

What I didn’t know was the company’s email system tracked every damn move. Down the hall, in some dark office, Harper’s monitoring crap had snagged it all, my sent email, my scramble to erase it. It was stashed away, waiting, and I didn’t have a clue.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

His Mission

His Mission

353.3k Views · Completed · Sakz Hussain
Meet Emily Wentworth. Since the death of her father, she's been living a home life full of abuse. It's remained a secret for years until she meets the town's bad boy, Jake Melvin. It doesn't take long for him to figure out her secret.

Emily is suddenly thrown from one world of danger and uncertainty into another. The two teens ride the rollercoaster of love, unbelievable betrayal and heartache.
The mafia princess return

The mafia princess return

368k Views · Ongoing · Tonje Unosen
Talia have been living with her mother, stepsister and Stepfather for years. One day she finally get away from them. Suddenly she learn she have more family out there and she have many people that actually love her, something she have never felt before! At least not as she can remember. She have to learn to trust others, get her new brothers to accept her for who she is!
I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé—Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

181.6k Views · Completed · Jessica C. Dolan
Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé.
Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now—billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn’t mind. I’d crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one?
Wrong.
One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That’s when it hit me—he didn’t love me. He didn’t even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn’t even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup.
So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster—my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise.
Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.
Enter him.
Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I’d met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes.
It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised.
But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life.
And, as it turned out, the best decision I’d ever made.
Because my one-night stand isn’t just some random guy. He’s richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with.
And now, he’s not letting me go.
Omega Bound

Omega Bound

421.1k Views · Completed · Veronica White
Ayla Frost is a beautiful, rare omega. Kidnapped, tortured, and trafficked to rogue clans and corrupt alphas to do with as they pleased.  Kept alive in her cage, broken and abandoned by her wolf, she becomes mute and has given up on hope for a better life until one explosion changes everything. 

Thane Knight is the alpha of the Midnight Pack of the La Plata Mountain Range, the largest wolf shifter pack in the world. He is an alpha by day and hunts the shifter trafficking ring with his group of mercenaries by night. His hunt for vengeance leads to one raid that changes his life. 

Tropes:
Touch her and die/Slow burn romance/Fated Mates/Found family twist/Close circle betrayal/Cinnamon roll for only her/Traumatized heroine/Rare wolf/Hidden powers/Knotting/Nesting/Heats/Luna/Attempted assassination
My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate

615.3k Views · Completed · Veejay
"No... You can't do this to me..." I almost squeezed the words through my teeth, my voice trembling.
My drunk stepfather remained indifferent, his weight suffocating, making it hard to breathe as my heart raced.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and two figures burst in.
"Get off her!" a deafening roar echoed.
I didn't expect the twin brothers who'd bullied me at school to come charging in like gods to save me.
After my grandmother passed, I had to move in with my mom and stepdad, who treated me like a servant. I prayed every day for my 18th birthday to come, so l could leave and escape this broken home.
However, on my first day at my new school, l encountered the legendary twins everyone feared.
To make matters worse, the Moon Goddess revealed they were both my mates!
After helping me out with my stepdad, my twin mate cornered me, played with my hair, and whispered possessively, "You belong to us, our little mate..."
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

1.6m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Goddess Of The Underworld.

Goddess Of The Underworld.

276.1k Views · Ongoing · sheridan.hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her. Then finally into lycan princess, stronger, faster, the moon finally answering back, giving her exactly what she needs to protect her family.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armor, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of a border pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to stay; of cake, iron, and daylight negotiations. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
Mr. Ryan

Mr. Ryan

207.2k Views · Completed · Mary D. Sant
"What things are not under your control tonight?" I gave my best smile, leaning against the wall.
He came closer with a dark and hungry expression,
so close,
his hands reached for my face, and he pressed his body against mine.
His mouth took mine eagerly, a little rudely.
His tongue left me breathless.
“If you don't go with me, I'll fuck you right here.” He whispered.


Katherine kept her virginity for years even after she turned 18. But one day, she met an extremely sexual man Nathan Ryan in the club. He had the most seductive blue eyes she has ever seen, a well-defined chin, almost golden blonde hair, full lips, perfectly drawn, and the most amazing smile, with perfect teeth and those damn dimples. Incredibly sexy.

She and he had a beautiful and hot one-night stand...
Katherine thought she might not meet the man again.
But fate has another plan

Katherine is about to take on the job of assistant to a billionaire who owns one of the biggest companies in the country and is known to be a conquering, authoritative and completely irresistible man. He is Nathan Ryan!

Will Kate be able to resist the charms of this attractive, powerful and seductive man?
Read to know a relationship torn between anger and the uncontrollable desire for pleasure.

Warning: R18+, Only for mature readers.
Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions

Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions

272.6k Views · Ongoing · Elizma Du Toit
Some bad decisions come back to bite you. Literally.

After finding out her boyfriend cheated, the last thing she expected was to stumble across a wounded man in an alley. And definitely not one with fangs. But thanks to a mix of cocktails, shame, and her questionable life choices, she takes him home. Turns out, he’s not just any vampire—he’s a king. And according to him, she’s his fated mate.

Now, she’s stuck with an overprotective, brooding bloodsucker who keeps rescuing her, a growing list of enemies who want her dead, and an undeniable attraction that’s making it very hard to remember why falling for a vampire is a terrible idea.

Because if she’s not careful, she won’t just lose her heart—she’ll lose her humanity.
Nanny And Her Four Alpha Bullies

Nanny And Her Four Alpha Bullies

423.8k Views · Completed · Eve Above Story
Chloe's underclass mother is married to a billionaire, and she transfers to an elite school to become the first female werewolf warrior.
But her origins make her a thorn in the side of the school's four ruling brothers.
They have to take a little baby girl, less than a year old, to school.
But the baby girl resists everyone ...... except Chloe.
So Chloe, a new adult, is forced to become the baby girl's nanny and live in the bullies' dormitory?
To protect what’s mine

To protect what’s mine

329.2k Views · Ongoing · Winter Rowe
Amalie is more special than she ever thought possible. Why would the twenty-two-year-old think any different after she has been told she’s nothing for her whole life by her family? Adoptive mother of a three-year-old, Ama has been locked up by her family for the past seven years. But everything changes when her old friends, the Alpha twins, Markus and Calyx, take over the Moonstone pack. Finding out that the twins are her mates, she is a white wolf, and has a connection to the Moon Goddess, is just icing on the cake of her life is a huge mess. Ama just wants a normal life with her mates and protecting her pup, but life rarely gives us what we want. She is thrust into world that she no longer remembers and has forgotten her. Amalie is charged with protecting those closest to her. But she has her own past to overcome as she heals and attempts to move forward. Will she come out alive or lose herself along the way? After all, someone has to be pulling the strings, why not pull her along for the ride?
The Son of Red Fang

The Son of Red Fang

171.1k Views · Completed · Diana Sockriter
Alpha werewolves should be cruel and merciless with unquestionable strength and authority, at least that’s what Alpha Charles Redmen believes and he doesn’t hesitate to raise his kids to be the same way.
Alpha Cole Redmen is the youngest of six born to Alpha Charles and Luna Sara Mae, leaders of the Red Fang pack. Born prematurely, Alpha Charles rejected him without hesitation as weak and undeserving of his very life. He is reminded daily of his father’s hatred for him paving the way for the rest of his family to become the same.
By adulthood, his father’s hatred and abuse towards him has spilled over into the rest of the pack making him the scapegoat for those with the sadistic need to see him suffer. The rest are simply too afraid to even look his way leaving him little in the way of friends or family to turn to.
Alpha Demetri Black is the leader of a sanctuary pack known as Crimson Dawn. It’s been years since a wolf has made their way to his pack via the warrior’s prospect program but that doesn’t mean he’s not looking for the tell tale signs of a wolf in need of help.
Malnourished and injured upon his arrival, Cole’s anxious and overly submissive demeanor lands him in the very situation he’s desperate to avoid, in the attention of an unknown alpha.
Yet somehow through the darkness of severe illness and injury he runs into the very person he’s been desperate to find since he turned eighteen, his Luna. His one way ticket out of the hell he’s been born into.
Will Cole find the courage needed to leave his pack once and for all, to seek the love and acceptance he’s never had?

Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of mental, physical and sexual abuse that may trigger sensitive readers. This book is intended for adult readers only.