Legacy of Ruin | ONC 2025 ✔
- Reads 1,419
- Votes 261
- Parts 24
Complete Sun, Apr 20, 20253h 28m
| Round 2, Ambassador Pick |
When media mogul Richard Langley demands his children declare their love to inherit his empire, the refusal of his youngest daughter sparks a bitter family feud, forcing her to choose between healing old wounds or securing her place in the business world.
✦✦✦
The year is 2025, and the world of family legacies is as ruthless as it is glamorous.
When Richard Langley, a powerful titan of the industry, announces his retirement, he demands his three adult children-Gwen, Riley, and Cora-profess their love for him in exchange for their share of the family empire. Gwen and Riley fall in line, but Cora, the youngest, refuses to bow to her father's demand and offers only brutal honesty. Enraged, Richard disowns her, casting her out of the family.
As his mental state unravels, Gwen and Riley fight tooth and nail for control of the Langley legacy, manipulating their father and each other in a battle of wills and ambition. Meanwhile, Cora, heartbroken but determined, builds her own path to success in the media world. But when Richard reaches out, desperate and broken, Cora must decide whether to heal the rift or walk away for good.
✦✦✦
✦ A modern retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear x Succession
✦ Cover design by @TheWildCyde
✦ Open Novella Contest 2025 | Prompts 31, 110, 111, 129
ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ © 2025 ʙʏ ᴀᴜᴅʀᴇʏ
ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛꜱ ʀᴇꜱᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ.
ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴏꜰ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ ᴏʀ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛꜱᴏᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪꜱꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙʀɪᴇ
All Rights Reserved
#63
opennovellacontest2025
Join the largest storytelling communityGet personalized story recommendations, save your favourites to your library, and comment and vote to grow your community.
You may also like
After Goodbye
[September Editor's pick- 2021] After taking a nannying job, Grayson never expected to fall for Rosie, the lawyer who employed him. But she's not looking for love, and he's scared to love again. Can they let go of the goodbyes that have hurt them in the past in order to embrace a future together? **** Grayson had a good life. He was happily married, loved his job as a nurse and maintained great ties with his family. What he didn't expect is that three years later that life would be shattered, with nothing motivating him to wake up in the mornings. Unemployed and on the brink of homelessness, Grayson's only options are to return to his mother's home, or find a job and maintain it. Grayson opts for the latter. Rosie Bhatt had her life planned out. She worked hard, built her family and was entering her thirties, excited to see what the future had in store. But soon the struggle of being a single-parent becomes too much as she juggles the life she wants and the life she has. With limited time on her hands, she chooses to employ Grayson as a nanny for her six-year daughter Anni. What she doesn't expect is the realization that someone else understands her pain. With both Grayson and Rosie suffering from the loss of goodbyes, tensions rise, and the importance of love, life and family is thrust upon them, challenging them to seek what really matters. Though Goodbyes were their beginning, can a new After become their future? * Content warning - This story contains dark elements including discussions on alcoholism, mental health and bereavement*Complete
UNDER THE BILLIONAIRE'S THUMB
"What makes you think that I'll offer you this job? " "You can't do the job on ur own can you? " "There are lots of people who are way better at this job" "U're right, sorry then for wasting ur time" __________ Richard Carter, a 25-year-old orphan, supports himself and his 12-year-old brother, through an array of part-time jobs. On the other side of the wealth spectrum is William Brown, a 30-year-old billionaire CEO with an unruly son, leading to a revolving door of fired caregivers Desperation leads William to offer Richard a job, setting the stage for a turbulent relationship. William's bullying creates animosity, but Richard perseveres for the sake of his younger brother. As their worlds collide, a complex question emerges: can love eventually transcend their mutual resentment? [Mxm] [Marked mature for sexual content]Complete
Dawn Of The Day
On the day martial law is announced and put into effect, the whole city of Nova Aria is on fire. Lou is stuck on her way home from work. She calls Robert, her distant ex-boyfriend for help, right before a bus crashes into her car. Little does Lou know, the accident is just the beginning of a long and dangerous journey to safety. From being stranded, abducted, and held at gunpoint to running for her life from a battleship, Lou has never been in a situation where she is pushed to the limit 24/7 both physically and mentally. The more answers she has, the more unclear things seem. Everything Lou has ever known can evaporate in an instance when General Castillon, the Federation leader, decides to use Z, a dangerous chemical element that Robert's team developed, in the war against his political opponents. Lou is forced to work with Robert, even when she doesn't know his plan or fully trust the man. Their past relationship and unresolved feelings toward each other only muddle the situation even more. 🏵ONC 2022 LONGLIST @OpenNovellaContest 🏵Honorable Mention for The Best First Chapter in The Patronus Mini Award 2022 🥈Second place in the Action/Adventure category of the Wonder Awards @Mariya_Evans 🥈Second place in the Action/Adventure category of the April Award @romance_lover16 🥉Third place in the Action/Adventure category of the Okami Award @KirukkanGuild 🥉Third place in the Action category of the Blossom Awards 2024 || COMPLETE @TheBlossomCommunity_ 🥉Gold Award and Third Place of the Action/ Adventure Category of the 🌺🔥Phoenix Awards🔥🌺 @AthenaPersephone9 📚 Featured in The April Award Winners reading list Prompt 3: "They have just announced Martial Law. Anarchy breaks out everywhere around you. The only way out is through. What will you do to survive?" Cover by @sulkytaeComplete
His Saviour
**WATTPAD & INKITT ARE MY ONLY PUBLISHING PLATFORMS. IF YOU SEE MY BOOKS ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE REPORT THEM!!** After a year long misery for the wait of filing a divorce with his unloving partner of 10 years, Chase Johnson has finally been given his freedom. With joy he is granted joint custody with his ex-wife for their two children, Liam & Skylar and both go on their separate ways, only crossing paths if they ever needed to. Normally having their kids living under his roof, he comes to an agreement with himself that he is unable to manage his time between his children and his work, so he then goes on to hire a live-in nanny. But what happens when the nanny realises a chilling secret about his children? The reason why they are frightened to death by their mother? The reason why they cling onto her so tightly when their mother comes to pick them up? Will she stand up and put an end to the hidden abuse? Will she save the children from their living nightmare? Or will it be a never-ending suffering? (R-Rated Chapters will have * at the begining of their titles). Start Date: July 13th, 2022. End Date: November 16th, 2022. Word Count: 60,000+ No.1 in #singledad (July 22 / December 22). No.1 in #Nanny (November 22 - July 23). No.1 in #singleparent (November 22). No.2 in #mature (December 22). No.1 in #kids (Decemeber 22).Complete
His Writer |COMPLETE|
"What if your not so one nightstand turns out to be your new boss ?" ❤ STARTED : 9th DECEMBER 2020 FINISHED: 14th FEBRUARY 2021 #Billionaire #Romance 🦋Most impressive ranking 🍀 Lie : # 1 Choice : # 4 Deception :# 4 Writing :# 2 Humor :#9 Romance :# 10 Plot twist :#10 Drama :#12 New adult: #9 Contract : # 26 Billionaire :#31 Young Adult :#31 Family :#2 ❤ "Am... I can't accept this." I say while avoiding his gaze. "I can't work with you and expect our relationship to be professional considering the fact about our past." I say hoarsely, while whispering the last part. I look up and see him raise his eyebrows-questioningly...? I don't know... amused ...? am not sure. "You mean the part where you screwed the boss." 💞 Chicago Brook is the new writer in town.After graduating university with a degree in writing and getting a writing a job at The Hughes Power Company...she knows she's finally made it. While celebrating she gets drunk and has a one nightstand with a random guy,who turns out to be her new boss and heir to The Hughes Power Company. Follow Chicago as she tries to cope up with the Hughes family drama. Secrets will be revealed...bonds will be broken. © CopyrightComplete
Cancelled || ONC 2025
Fame, fortune, and millions of followers can disappear as quickly as they come, especially in an era where getting ''cancelled'' is just one viral scandal away. Hollywood's former golden boy, Finnegan Braxton, knows this all too well. Once a beloved teenage heartthrob, he's now branded as a notorious player, arrogant, and a lying cheat. With his career hanging by a thread, his PR team scrambles to salvage his image. Their solution? A reality dating show where Finnegan must prove he's not the heart-breaker the world thinks he is, but a man searching for true love. Everything takes a turn when Finnegan crosses paths with Aurelia Winslow - a recently fired librarian - who is unimpressed by him. After their public altercation goes viral, she's thrown into the contest. For Finnegan, it's a chance to rebuild his reputation. For Aurelia, it's merely a paycheck. Will Finnegan face the truth and reclaim his integrity, or will the spotlight expose him for good? Can he prove he's more than just a tabloid scandal, or will this love experiment be the final nail in his Hollywood coffin? ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ | ★ | ★| ★ | ★ | ★ |★ Open Novella Contest - main prompt 31, secondary prompts 126,128 130. © 2025 minsari // all rights reservedComplete
The Rapunzels
Confined to the family's estate since birth, three sisters have never seen the outside world. Taught they are unable to leave home due to their long hair, Lexi, Lulu, and Fia secretly envy their volatile father and narcissistic mother whose short locks allow them to come and go whenever they wish. Raised believing their grandparents live in the TV set, the young women's knowledge about the outside world is skewed. On the eve of Fia's eighteenth birthday, life as they know it is altered when the girls find a young man unconscious in their yard. Believing he is an angel, they hide him in the guest house. Soon Fia's feelings for the man bloom and she finds herself sneaking to the guest house to be with him. When the lies the sisters have been told begin to unravel, Fia decides she will do whatever it takes to escape. The only thing holding her back is her long dark hair. Dogtooth x Rapunzel x The Castle of Purity Warning for abuse, swearing, romantic themes, alcohol addiction, blood, and typical Christine darkness. There is no SA. Best rank: #1 IN OPENNOVELLACONTEST2024 I started writing this story for the ONC 2024. Due to work and life, I could not finish it for the contest. Which made me sad...but I continued...at a snail's pace. Thanks to everyone who kept reading!Complete
The Deal With Mr Ceo
**WATTPAD & INKITT ARE MY ONLY PUBLISHING PLATFORMS. IF YOU SEE MY BOOKS ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE REPORT THEM!!** Savannah Marshall was a kind loving person who would do anything for anyone. But when the one person she wished never to see again begs her in the middle of the street like a maniac for her help, as much as she wanted to refuse, she would rather save herself from the public embarrassment and had no choice to shut him up and agree. Hayes Calloway, Savannah's ex boyfriend needed her help in helping saving his company, Calloway & Sons Enterprise's. A company that had been passed down through the family for many generations. Even at the age of 25, his father thought he was too immature and not ready to take on such a big role in managing a whole company on his own, as all he would do is sleep around and never settle down with the right woman like his mother had wished. So until he was able to prove to them he was more than capable than being mature and standing to completely fulfil his role, his parents, more so his father, threatened to put him on suspension from the company. For this happening, Hayes turns to an old "friend" and the amounts of begging Hayes laid on Savannah, she agrees and helps him out. But what happens when old feelings return and connections reignite? Are they able to maintain themselves from another heartbreak? Do they get that happy ending they both wished for? Can they restore what they had and get closure? Or does it all come crashing down in the end? Take a look into the lives of Hayes and Savannah to uncover hidden truths, mixed emotions and a whirlwind of dramatic events. (CONTAINS SEXUAL REFERENCES & MORE.) (RELEASED ON INKITT.) No.1 in #misses Start Date: March 9th, 2020 End Date: June 2nd, 2020Complete
[September Editor's pick- 2021] After taking a nannying job, Grayson never expected to fall for Rosie, the lawyer who employed him. But she's not looking for love, and he's scared to love again. Can they let go of the goodbyes that have hurt them in the past in order to embrace a future together? **** Grayson had a good life. He was happily married, loved his job as a nurse and maintained great ties with his family. What he didn't expect is that three years later that life would be shattered, with nothing motivating him to wake up in the mornings. Unemployed and on the brink of homelessness, Grayson's only options are to return to his mother's home, or find a job and maintain it. Grayson opts for the latter. Rosie Bhatt had her life planned out. She worked hard, built her family and was entering her thirties, excited to see what the future had in store. But soon the struggle of being a single-parent becomes too much as she juggles the life she wants and the life she has. With limited time on her hands, she chooses to employ Grayson as a nanny for her six-year daughter Anni. What she doesn't expect is the realization that someone else understands her pain. With both Grayson and Rosie suffering from the loss of goodbyes, tensions rise, and the importance of love, life and family is thrust upon them, challenging them to seek what really matters. Though Goodbyes were their beginning, can a new After become their future? * Content warning - This story contains dark elements including discussions on alcoholism, mental health and bereavement*
More detailsContent Guidelines