The Cocoa Conspiracy
Joy Brown · Completed · 11.8k Words
Introduction
The night before my first bar exam, Margaret brought me my usual mug of hot cocoa as always.
But the next day, despite being perfectly healthy all my life, I blacked out right in the exam hall!
I missed out on finishing the test and failed outright. Meanwhile, my husband, who flunked every single law school class, somehow miraculously passed California’s notoriously brutal bar exam, widely regarded as the hardest in the country.
Margaret told me not to worry, saying I could just retake it the following year, and she kept making my nightly hot cocoa without fail every day after that.
When the second bar exam rolled around, my cousin was staying with us temporarily. She only wanted a tiny sip of my cocoa, yet Margaret screamed at her, calling her shameless.
This time, sharp, crippling abdominal pains hit me the second I stepped into the exam room, and I had to rush to the hospital for emergency care.
Once again, I failed the exam. My cousin, who’d only attended a community college, shocked everyone by walking away with a full attorney’s license.
The whole family celebrated nonstop, and I was the butt of everyone’s jokes.
I couldn’t wrap my head around why my body would break down in every possible way whenever bar exam season rolled around.
Heading into my third attempt at the bar, I told myself this was my last shot—I could not afford to let my guard down for even a second.
But the night before the exam, my mother-in-law showed up at my door yet again, holding a warm mug of bedtime hot cocoa just for me…
Chapter 1
"Clara, drink this hot cocoa while it's still warm. I made it especially for you."
My mother-in-law Margaret held out that steaming, thick cup of cocoa and practically shoved it into my hands. She glanced left and right, then leaned in and whispered, "Shhh, I didn't make any for Ethan or Liam. This is all yours, exclusive."
Looking at that special drink that showed up like clockwork every night before bed, my stomach turned.
This was the night before my third attempt at the California Bar Exam.
As a straight-A graduate from Harvard Law School, I shouldn't have had any problem with the bar exam. But for the past two years, right after drinking Margaret's hot cocoa, I'd had the most batshit crazy accidents.
First bar exam: I suddenly got dizzy in that insanely strict exam hall, passed out cold on the spot, got carted off in an ambulance, and missed the whole thing entirely. Meanwhile, my husband Ethan — who couldn't even recite basic statutes and only knew how to play video games — somehow aced the hardest bar exam in the entire country that same year and got his law license like it was nothing.
Second bar exam: Margaret still showed up with that same smile and that same cup of hot cocoa. The second I stepped into the exam hall full of confidence, an excruciating stomach pain hit me so hard I collapsed on the floor rolling around, sweat soaking through every inch of my clothes. I failed again. But the even crazier part? My cousin Sophie, who only went to a community college, miraculously passed the bar exam that same year!
Two straight weird-ass accidents turned that sweet-smelling hot cocoa into a cup of poison in my eyes.
"Why aren't you drinking? Hurry up and finish it, you've got the exam tomorrow!" Margaret's urging voice had that sharp, insistent edge to it, her eyes glued to my lips like she wouldn't back off until I swallowed every last drop.
I forced down my racing heart, deliberately picked up the cup, and walked toward the door. Coincidentally, Liam — my brother-in-law who was also taking the bar exam tomorrow — was walking down the hallway.
"Liam, you're taking the exam tomorrow too. I can't finish this whole cup by myself, why don't we split it? Give your brain a little boost, take the edge off the pre-exam stress." I called out to him immediately, holding the cup out like I was about to hand it over.
Liam's eyes lit up and he reached for it right away. "For real? I get to try Mom's secret hot cocoa? Gimme a sip!"
Margaret lunged over and slapped his hand away hard.
"What the hell do you think you're drinking?!" Margaret's whole demeanor flipped in a second, glaring daggers at her own son. "Clara has an exam tomorrow, this is specifically for her nutrition! Stop hanging around here like a lost puppy, go back to your room!"
Liam held his red, stinging hand and yelled back, all attitude. "Why the fuck not?! I'm taking the exam too, I'm your real son, why does only Clara get hot cocoa? Mom, you're so fucking biased! Do I even exist to you?!"
Margaret snorted and fired back like she was totally in the right. "Why don't you look in the mirror and see what kind of grades you'd get? I'm biased toward Clara and I'm damn right about it. She's a Harvard grad with straight A's. What the hell do you have to compare?"
"So what if she went to Harvard?!" Liam was fully pissed off now, pointing straight at my face and laughing, pure contempt in his eyes. "Her grades might be fucking impressive normally, but she's failed the bar twice in a row! Two years ago she scored worse than Ethan, last year she couldn't even beat Sophie that community college loser! She's just a book-smart, real-world useless joke! What's the point of pumping her full of hot cocoa every day? You'd be better off feeding it to a dog!"
Those stinging words stabbed into my ears like knives, instantly ripping open every ounce of resentment I'd been bottling up.
Yeah, I'm the Harvard law genius, Ethan's the fuckup who fails every class, Sophie's the one who couldn't even get into law school. Why the hell do those two losers get to pass the California Bar Exam no problem, while I — the one who's fully prepared — can't even make it through the exam hall?
Margaret's face went completely dark. She pointed down the hallway and roared. "Shut your fucking mouth! Get back to bed right now, and if you say one more word I'll tear it off!"
Liam rolled his eyes hard, muttered a bunch of curses under his breath, and stormed off.
After chasing Liam away, Margaret turned back around, and the anger on her face instantly switched to a loving smile. "Clara, don't listen to Liam's bullshit. You just had bad luck the first two times, your body wasn't adjusted right. C'mon, listen to me, drink this hot cocoa, get a good night's sleep, and tomorrow's exam will be totally fine."
She pushed the cup back to my lips without giving me a choice, that sickly sweet cocoa smell hitting me right in the nose.
I looked into those expectant eyes of hers, and a cold chill spread through my entire body. If the first two times I just wrote it off as bad luck, now — putting together all the coincidences from the past two years, plus how she'd rather slap Liam than let him touch this cocoa — a horrifying guess had fully formed in my head.
This hot cocoa was definitely not for nutrition.
I took a deep breath, forced my trembling fingers to steady, forced out an obedient smile, and reached for the cup. "Thanks, but it's really too hot. I'll put it on the table to cool for a minute, I'll drink it right away."
Margaret stared at me suspiciously for a few seconds, then nodded reluctantly. "Fine, but don't you dare forget to drink it. Finish up and get some rest, I'll come get the cup in the morning."
The door clicked shut, and those heavy footsteps down the hallway faded away.
I picked up that cup of hot cocoa — the one that almost cost me my entire career — walked quickly to the window, and didn't hesitate for a second before pouring every last drop of that thick liquid into the flowerpot on the windowsill.
The dark brown liquid was swallowed by the dirt instantly, silent and gone.
I stared hard at the completely empty bottom of the cup, and the corner of my mouth curled up coldly.
This time, there shouldn't be any accidents, right?
Last Chapters
#12 Chapter 12
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#11 Chapter 11
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#10 Chapter 10
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#9 Chapter 9
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#8 Chapter 8
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#7 Chapter 7
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#6 Chapter 6
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#5 Chapter 5
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#4 Chapter 4
Last Updated: 6/25/2026#3 Chapter 3
Last Updated: 6/25/2026
You Might Like 😍
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.
The Princess's Revenge
Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.
Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.
As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
King of the Underworld
However, one fateful day, the King of the Underworld appeared before me and rescued me from the clutches of the most powerful Mafia boss's son. With his deep blue eyes fixed on mine, he spoke softly: "Sephie... short for Persephone... Queen of the Underworld. At last, I have found you." Confused by his words, I stammered out a question, “P..pardon? What does that mean?”
But he simply smiled at me and brushed my hair away from my face with gentle fingers: "You are safe now.”
Sephie, named for the Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, she's quickly finding out how she's destined to fulfill her namesake's role. Adrik is the King of the Underworld, the boss of all bosses in the city he runs.
She was a seemingly normal girl, with a normal job until it all changed one night when he walked through the front door and her life changed abruptly. Now, she finds herself on the wrong side of powerful men, but under the protection of the most powerful among them.
After One Night with the Alpha
I thought I was waiting for love. Instead, I got fucked by a beast.
My world was supposed to bloom at the Moonshade Bay Full Moon Festival—champagne buzzing in my veins, a hotel room booked for Jason and me to finally cross that line after two years. I’d slipped into lacy lingerie, left the door unlocked, and lay on the bed, heart pounding with nervous excitement.
But the man who climbed into my bed wasn’t Jason.
In the pitch-black room, drowned in a heady, spicy scent that made my head spin, I felt hands—urgent, scorching—searing my skin. His thick, pulsing cock pressed against my dripping cunt, and before I could gasp, he thrust hard, tearing through my innocence with ruthless force. Pain burned, my walls clenching as I clawed at his iron shoulders, stifling sobs. Wet, slick sounds echoed with every brutal stroke, his body unrelenting until he shuddered, spilling hot and deep inside me.
"That was amazing, Jason," I managed to say.
"Who the fuck is Jason?"
My blood turned to ice. Light slashed across his face—Brad Rayne, Alpha of Moonshade Pack, a werewolf, not my boyfriend. Horror choked me as I realized what I’d done.
I ran away for my life!
But weeks later, I woke up pregnant with his heir!
They say my heterochromatic eyes mark me as a rare true mate. But I’m no wolf. I’m just Elle, a nobody from the human district, now trapped in Brad's world.
Brad’s cold gaze pins me: “You carry my blood. You’re mine.”
There is no other choice for me but to chose this cage. My body also betrays me, craving the beast who ruined me.
WARNING: Mature Readers Only
Game of Destiny
When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.
Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.
When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.
Cursed Fates
The Alpha King's Human Mate
“I have waited nine years for you. That’s nearly a decade since I’ve felt this emptiness inside me. Part of me began to wonder if you didn’t exist or you’d already died. And then I found you, right inside my own home.”
He used one of his hands to stroke my cheek and tingles erupted everywhere.
“I’ve spent enough time without you and I will not let anything else keep us apart. Not other wolves, not my drunken father who’s barely holding himself together the past twenty years, not your family – and not even you.”
Clark Bellevue has spent her entire life as the only human in the wolf pack - literally. Eighteen years ago, Clark was the accidental result of a brief affair between one of the most powerful Alphas in the world and a human woman. Despite living with her father and her werewolf half-siblings, Clark has never felt like she really belonged in the werewolf world. But right as Clark plans to leave the werewolf world behind for good, her life gets flipped upside down by her mate: the next Alpha King, Griffin Bardot. Griffin has been waiting years for the chance to meet his mate, and he's not about to let her go anytime soon. It doesn't matter how far Clark tries to run from her destiny or her mate - Griffin intends to keep her, no matter what he has to do or who stands in his way.
Pregnant by My Husband's Rival Alpha
Those words should have destroyed me, but the truth was worse: I'd been used as a broodmare by the man who swore to love me, set up in a hotel room with a stranger because My husband Alexander Cross couldn't father children himself, and now I carried the secret babies of Damon Lester—the most powerful and dangerous Alpha in San Loris—while my own family replaced me with the daughter they'd always wanted. But when that same stranger's doctor appeared at my door, when twenty million dollars exchanged hands over a fake perfume bearing my secret identity, and when Damon's gray eyes locked onto mine with recognition I couldn't afford, I realized my carefully hidden life as the legendary perfumer Vera was colliding with a pregnancy that could cost me everything.
Could I protect my babies from the husband plotting my death, hide my true identity from the Alpha who's been hunting me for years, and reclaim the freedom I'd buried along with my dreams—even if it means standing alone against the wolves who see me as nothing more than a womb to be used and discarded?
Falling For The Playboy Billionaire
Henderson Bain a playboy billionaire cares about nothing else aside from his daughter, Itzel who is a spoilt brat all thanks to her father.
Lena Cohen is hunted by her past but despite that, she is an amazing mother to Trent, a sweet well well-behaved boy but life wasn't rosy for them.
Henderson Bain is having a hard time searching for a nanny for Itzel until shows up though qualified, Henderson refuses to offer her the job because of their first encounter but seeing how Lena and Itzel get along, he decides to employ her.
Lena and Henderson were two worlds apart but one thing they never saw coming was them falling for each other.
Will they finally let go of their past, and give love a chance? Or try to suppress their feelings for each other? And what if their past comes knocking at their doors once again?
Mated To My Ruin: A Dragon's Debt
But the prince lied. The dragon she touched bound itself to her soul and now she is trapped in the vampire kingdom with a king who has waited centuries for her return. King Caelan remembers everything. The love she destroyed and the great war she started. The lives she burned to ash with the very dragon now living inside her.
She remembers nothing.
He wants her to suffer for crimes she cannot recall. She wants to survive long enough to save her sister. But the bond between them refuses to stay buried and the dragon has its own plans. When she turns twenty and her fae powers awaken, Nyx discovers the truth is far more twisted than centuries of hatred.
The prince who sent her was the one who destroyed her family. The king who hates her saved the only person she loves. And the past life she cannot remember might be the key to stopping another war.
This time she will not run. This time she will burn the world herself if that is what it takes.
Confined To The Alluring CEO
As she tries to pick up the broken pieces of her heart and move on she is forced to make a life-changing decision in order to save her grandpa's life from the clutches of her wicked stepmother.
Tyrell Achilles is the man whom Penelope has to marry. He is rumoured to be a crippled, hot-tempered, cruel man with a damaged face and the son of the Achilles family which was once the wealthiest family in the country until they went bankrupt.
After the wedding, Penelope realised everything was not what it looked like, but one thing was sure, she was going to use this opportunity to make every single person who betrayed her pay.
She was going to ruin them till the very end but to achieve her goal, she must be able to thread through the traps and conspiracy unscathed.
When she is on the verge of giving up, a hand is stretched out to her, and it is none other than that of her alluring husband Tyrell Achilles and he says these words to her gazing into her eyes. "I never thought this would happen but I'm in love with you, Pennie."
Will she give love a chance or keep fighting the feelings she has for her enigmatic yet alluring husband?
