Truth Be Told Mathew West

David Sawyer, a normal office worker woke up suddenly to an unfamiliar world. The Apocalypse was here, and with it, a shocking realization of truth hidden just under his nose all this time. Fighting with the weight of betrayal, Dave casts aside his feelings to protect the lives of those he loves. Will his newfound apathy lead the way to survival and regrowth? Can a mask hide away the pain of love lost? DISCLAIMER: This is NOT an apocalypse story. The story explores adaptation and survival under rapidly changing world conditions. MC is not some chosen one or freek genius, he's lucky and intelligent, not a fool. Romance is a little heavy but not the main theme. Survival, human duality, conflict, and the very nature of the world itself are the book's focus. Every character has depth, and nothing is truly meaningless. Pay attention and see if you can pick up that deeply hidden foreshadowing.

"Gale Warm, what the Warm family owes me is for you to pay!" Shawn Wood threw Gale Warm into a mental hospital, tortured and humiliated. Two years later, he married her. "Don't be delusional, you are just here to atone for your family sins." He hated her, and only wanted to bully her.Gale Warm endured it while searching for the truth, and proved her family's innocence. Later, Gale Warm threw the evidence on Shawn Wood's face. "I never owed you." Later, Shawn  Wood turned pale overnight. He whispered in her ear day and night. "Gale, don't leave me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to live..." "Shawn Wood, how dare you threaten me!" "How dare I? You wouldn’t want our children to have no father, would you?"

Brian Patrick, a humble delivery boy, was falsely accused of siphoning $15 billion dollars by his ruthless boss, Morgan Harris, sent to jail for fifteen years and finally released as a poverty-stricken, boy. He re-united with his family only to be informed he had been an adopted son and a bastard all the while. Family despised him to the path he threaded; friends tagged him a total loser, a failure, a poverty-stricken nobody and a nuisance that shouldn’t be associated with. Those he worked for refused him his paycheck for the sake of his history as an ex convict and his ragged looks and he ended up scavenging dustbins for survival. Because of his poverty, his father-in-law, Fanny Luis, the richest tycoon in Rio Hondo, divorced him and betrothed his wife, Melissa in an arranged marriage, with the son of a billionaire, despite saving her with his kidney, when she was down with a kidney failure. “I promise you some day, you and your family will bow before me and hail me the world richest man,” he had told his wife when she divorced him… Later, about taking his life, he was called “Boss” by tycoons, big wigs and billionaires, who knew his true identity. Soon his true identity was revealed to him; the true heir to the Saint Don Group, the richest oil and gas conglomerate in the world. Everyone that saw him bowed at his feet, his wealth and charming looks pulled the most beautiful girls and his net worth commanded more than thirty trillion dollars. He became god of wealth. If only his haters had known he was the world richest man, perhaps they wouldn’t have underrated him. But now he would be taking his revenge on those that treated him like a piece of rag.

Jackson found no words to respond; he remained silent, holding the divorce papers. He felt numb, detached from the world around him. His wife's words and actions had left him shattered, unable to believe that their relationship had abruptly ended with no chance for reconciliation. As he stared at the divorce papers thrown in his face, he felt a sense of finality and loss engulfing him. He could only blame himself for everything that had happened – if he had been honest with his wife about his situation, perhaps things would have taken a different turn. Walking down the street lost in his thoughts, he heard his phone ring. Initially, he didn't want to answer; he wasn't in the mood to receive more bad news. But something in his gut told him to take the call. "Hello?" he answered reluctantly. "Young sir! Your grandfather informed me to contact you. 100,000,000 has been deposited into your account, and tomorrow your exile period will end. You'll regain control of your company, and the family is coming to welcome you back," the voice on the other end explained. Checking his phone, he indeed saw the deposited amount. Everything was falling back into place. Jackson replied hesitantly, "Tomorrow, I'll turn twenty-five." His mind returned to his old life in the palace and prestigious companies, where he was a rising star before being suddenly banished. He had always wondered when he would return. The voice from the phone continued, "Young sir! Your exile period has ended, and your companies are ready to welcome you back with open arms. We need you, Jackson – you are the heir to our companies, and we cannot do without you."

Picture this. You go on vacation. Meet this chill, beautiful woman. She loves you, you love her — everything feels perfect. You get married. Two years in, you’re madly in love — the kind where you’re telling her things you haven’t told your shadow. Then one night… You hear sounds in the house. Turns out, your wife brought another man home. Slept with him. In your bed. And when you get offended, she tells you to be mature. That was Charles' life. But Charles has a beef with second chances. He asked for a divorce right away. His wife thought she finally won. Finally figured out how to make Charles realize he’s been nothing but a cockroach in her coffee all these years. Unfortunately, she didn’t know — The company she built, the connections she bragged about, the deals she “secured”… Every single win in her life for the past two years had his fingerprints on it. And once he walked out, it all started to fall apart. But this story doesn’t start with heartbreak. It starts the night Charles left… and the most feared woman in New York asked him to marry her. Will he pay his ex-wife back? Nah. That would be too easy. Charles leaving her life is like pulling the one stack holding the whole building upright. Will she regret it? Only if she survives the collapse long enough to remember what regret even feels like. But Charles will be here, sipping his coffee. Watching his ex-wife’s world burn— one arrogant family member at a time. So grab your popcorn. This ride’s about to get long — and very, very personal.

In 3015, a virtual world game called "ActivatedLand" was officially released in New York City by the Cyberpunk Technology Corporation, a giant virtual game development company that was well-known and was a pioneer of other virtual games. The virtual game in question wasn't just played using a tool like an X-box but took players to a virtual world where the game was played. It didn't take long; within a week of its release, the game became viral and extremely famous throughout the world. The head of the Cyberpunk Technology Corporation is Dmitry Sergey, a Russian national who has settled and become a citizen of the United States. Most people who don't know Dmitry think he's just a billionaire who owns a giant company. In truth, Dmitry has a dark and terrible past due to his arrogance in America. And now, he begins his mission for revenge!

Kael Ardyn has always been invisible—mocked as talentless, abandoned by his clan, and left with nothing but a broken pendant from the parents who vanished years ago. In a world where strength decides fate, he is certain his path will end in obscurity. Until the night the pendant awakens. Bound to a forbidden power known only in whispers Shadowfire Kael is thrust into a dangerous game between clans, mystic academies, and secret realms hidden beyond mortal sight. What begins as a fight for survival soon unravels into a journey of destiny, as Kael learns his bloodline carries a legacy powerful enough to shake the balance of the world. But the gift of Shadowfire is both a blessing and a curse. Hunted by enemies, betrayed by allies, and haunted by the truth of his parents’ disappearance, Kael must decide: will he be consumed by the darkness within, or will he rise beyond the veil and claim the power meant to destroy him?

In the year 2093, Malcolm Voss is a rogue urban explorer and data smuggler who survives by stealing secrets from the city’s elite. When a high-stakes job goes wrong, he stumbles upon a device that shouldn’t exist—a Quantum Stabilizer, a relic of a long-buried experiment capable of bending time itself. Suddenly, Malcolm is being hunted by The Parallax Syndicate, a powerful group that has controlled time manipulation for decades. Forced into an uneasy alliance with an eccentric scientist and a hacker with a vendetta, Malcolm must unravel the truth behind the Chronos Institute before time itself collapses. But every use of the device warps reality, erasing people from existence and rewriting the future. As Malcolm races against time—both literally and figuratively—he realizes that the greatest threat isn’t the Syndicate, but himself. Can he control the power before he becomes the very thing he’s fighting against?

Born with nothing but his wits, Aiden Cole clawed his way into a world where money talks and bloodlines reign supreme. A full scholarship granted him access to the nation's most prestigious academy, but also painted a target on his back. Among the sons and daughters of the elite, Aiden was a reminder of everything they despised, and everything they feared. The son of the Vice President, fueled by envy and rage, waged a brutal campaign against him. Lies, threats, violence, and finally, murder. They didn't just break Aiden; they shattered his entire world. But pain forged him into something far more dangerous. Disappearing from the public eye, Aiden re-emerged years later, not as a student, but as a kingpin. Armed with intelligence sharper than any blade and a heart hardened by loss, he built a criminal empire with one purpose: revenge. In the end, only one truth will remain: “the outcast will inherit the ashes."

Andrew Pace, a young software engineer who was adopted by millionaire Susan Pace at age 10, helps save her struggling company, Pace's Software. However, at a company party celebrating the launch of a new software, Susan is brutally murdered and Andrew becomes the prime suspect. Despite being let off the hook, Andrew spirals into despair, blaming himself for Susan's death. He hires detective Lucy Philips to help uncover the truth about his mother's murder and eventually discovers that the real culprit was her secret son, Daniel. Andrew is kidnapped while trying to inform Lucy, but she tracks him down and arrests Daniel, clearing Andrew's name. Ten years later, Andrew is finally acquitted and justified in court, thanks to the help of his lawyer Banks. Throughout the investigation, Andrew falls in love with Lucy but is too afraid to express his feelings.