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“You weren’t supposed to fall for me.” A bitter laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Then what exactly did you think this was going to be?” Alexander stays silent. “This vacation,” I continue, my voice rising. “The way you touch me. The way you look at me when you think I’m not watching. Sleeping in the same bed every night and holding me. What was I supposed to feel?” **************** Ethan Cole has nothing left but debt, a sick sister to protect, and pride he was ready to lose. So when Billionaire Alex Veyron offers him a simple arrangement, he signs. The contract comes with money, protection, no deadline, but has only one rule….. Do not fall in love. It should have stayed professional. Instead, stolen glances turn into heated nights. Power games turn into obsessions, and the man Ethan was supposed to use becomes the only one willing to burn the world for him. When secrets from the past refuse to stay buried, Powerful enemies circle and Family ties twist tighter than either of them expected, love might be their only way out. But in a world ruled by money and control Breaking the one rule might cost them everything.….

My dad has died in a car crash when I'm seven years old. So, my mom marries her first love, Robert Hayes, and integrates me into his family. During the first meal with my new family, Robert announces a newly instated family rule. "From now on, we have to split the bills in this family." Once I eat a piece of steak, Robert tells me to pay him 300 dollars for the meal. I just look at my stepsister, Harper Hayes, who's digging into her meal happily. "Harper ate steak as well. Why didn't you ask her to pay you back, Dad?" "That's because Harper's my biological daughter. I love her, and she has the bloodline privileges," Robert answers. Then, I glance at Mom. So, Robert adds, "Your mom is my wife. I love her, which means she has privileges as well. But in your case, we're not related by blood, nor do we have any ties of affection with each other. I'm not obligated to raise you at all, Maddie."

Title: Guilty By Appearance Genre: Filipino Contemporary Romance / Psychological Drama In the pristine, clinical world of Bonifacio Global City, Dr. Snow Ford lives a quiet life structured by routine, forever standing in the shadow of her reckless twin sister, Scarlet. Bound by a complicated familial bond and the weight of old money, Snow has always been the one to sweep up the pieces. But when a fatal hit-and-run shatters the family name, and Scarlet suddenly dies of heart failure, Snow is left carrying the blame for a crime she didn’t commit. Enter Blake Buenaventura. A high-profile lawyer consumed by a quiet, burning thirst for vengeance, Blake vows to destroy the billionaire family that took away his world. He orchestrates a calculated, slow-burning courtship to trap the woman he believes is a heartless killer. But in this intense contemporary drama, hatred and real intimacy begin to blur. When Blake unleashes his trap at a high-society gala, a devastating tragedy of errors unfolds. The courtroom secrets reveal a horrific truth: Snow is entirely innocent, and Blake has systematically destroyed the only woman who gave him her whole heart. Written in a raw, deeply intimate first-person POV, Guilty By Appearance is a story of psychological trauma, unforgivable betrayal, and the agonizingly slow path to redemption. From the high-stakes elite world of Metro Manila to the storm-swept shores of Siargao, it explores whether a love tested by fire can survive the ultimate ruin.

Dr. Fiona Campbell, a dedicated and brilliant physician, carries a dark burden: she watched her parents die under mysterious circumstances at a young age. As the years pass, Fiona uncovers a chilling truth—they were murdered to protect a devastating secret of the powerful Brooks family. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, Fiona dedicates herself to destroying the family that destroyed hers. Her ultimate target is Alexander Brooks, the handsome and charismatic heir and CEO of Brooks Company, and son of Jordan Brooks, the mastermind behind her parents' death. As Fiona meticulously plots her revenge, she finds herself entangled in a complex web of attraction and emotion. Despite her burning desire for retribution, she cannot deny her growing feelings for Alexander. Torn between love and vengeance, Fiona faces an impossible choice: will she follow through with her plan to dismantle the Brooks family, or will her love for Alexander compel her to abandon her quest for justice? Bound by Deception is a gripping tale where the paths of love and revenge collide, forcing Fiona to confront the deepest conflicts of her heart and soul.

“Tell me you hate me, Victoria,” his voice rasped as his hands slid beneath my skirt, “and I’ll stop.” But my moan betrayed me before my words even could but I still couldn’t let him win. “I hate you,” I whispered, even as my nails dug into his shoulders. He only smirked, dragging me against his hard length pressing into my belly. “Then hate me with your legs open, sweetheart. Because you’ll never hate me enough to stop wanting me.”Prosecutor Victoria Harper hasn’t felt wanted in months. Her fiancé, a rising politician, parades her like a trophy for his campaign but behind closed doors, he starves her of affection and feeds her bruises instead. Then a cruel twist of fate changes everything: she’s pregnant. And the father isn’t her fiancé. It’s Christian Malcolm, her high school bully turned ruthless mafia heir, the very man she’s been building a case to destroy. He’s dangerous. Possessive. Addicted to claiming her and the child growing inside her. And no matter how much she hates him, no matter how fiercely she vows to take him down, her body betrays her with every forbidden glance, every stolen touch. Now Victoria is caught between justice and desire; between the oath she swore to uphold and the man whose kiss sets her on fire. But what happens when the enemy she’s sworn to ruin is the only one who makes her feel alive? ⚠️ Content Warnings: Contains themes of abuse, coercion, emotional manipulation, dark romance, and mature sexual tension. Recommended for readers 18+.

Broke waitress Callie Brooks is just trying to survive and keep her sick mother alive, till being at the wrong place at the wrong time, changes the course of her life. She witnesses a murder in an alley she should not have been in, and is subsequently pulled into the life of the most feared man in Chicago, Marcus Vane. Marcus is brilliant, ruthless and dangerously possessive and as it turns out, he knows way more about her than he is letting on. Though he is protective of her, his cold and controlling nature prevents her from believing him and she fights to break free, only to find a much older, much more personal truth. Everything is connected to some dangerous people in power; her mother’s sickness, her father’s death, the poverty in her family, all of it, and Marcus has known for a long time. It might have begun as survival, but for Callie, it has become a war and she must decide whether Marcus is her protector or the biggest threat to her life. The Witness He Owns is a gripping dark romance story filled with secrets and survival, and a second chance at a love that blossoms from a big misunderstanding and a truth that was never supposed to be found.