Jinx Manga #3

"Veronica is pregnant!", Mother said loudly I stopped dead in my tracks. The realization of that hit me suddenly like I was unaware of it before. "Your younger sister, Veronica is pregnant, Adele! She is", mother said again. I sucked in a very sharp breath, trying to keep myself in control and perfect order as I turned to face mother and spat those words out. "I am not getting married. I am not getting married to someone I do not know. No, that is not going to happen", I said very clearly this time and I saw a tear drop from my mother's right eye. "Do you not get it? You have no choice in this. You have no say in this!" "And I wonder why that is", I replied with gritted teeth as I glared at mother murderously. ----------------- Adele Woods; a despaired, pessimistic and brokenhearted lady found herself agreeing to an arranged matrimony after much persuasion and convincing talk from her parents, especially her mother. She had no say in it and that made her angry. Being a rebellious person, Adele refused to even take a look at her betrothed's picture. She had a thought on her mind. Her husband would want one thing from her; to procreate. And that is one of the things she would never do. But is it possible? When her husband is Christopher Marvin; a young, handsome man who would do no other thing than to make her laugh. He was the most flirtatious, lively, cheerful, and manly person she has ever met. He was definitely not what she imagined her husband to be like. Will Adele be able to pull herself out of her 'annoying' marriage? Or will she find herself changing because of a certain hot man?

For ten years, my family had called me a jinx. When I was three years old, my dad claimed that he lost a major project because he had to take care of me due to my illness. My mom wanted to buy me sweets, only to end up getting hit by a car in front of a candy store. That was how she hurt her arm. My older sister, Siena Bell, often claimed that she screwed up in her tests simply because I kept breaking her pens. One day, my mom invited a shaman named Mr. Reyes over. After inspecting the house, he contemplated for a while. "This child is affiliated with misfortune by nature. She's a walking jinx who absorbs the entire family's luck." He then added, "But if she has a life of misfortune, you will regain your luck." At first, I felt aggrieved and tried to fight back by throwing tantrums. I tugged at my mom's sleeve while arguing loudly, "I'm not a jinx!" But my mom just looked at me calmly. There was a hint of eerie calmness in her eyes. She said, "Mr. Reyes said that you have to accept your fate. Someone has to bear the sacrifices no matter what." Her icy words doused out the hope in my heart. In a way, this twisted dynamic actually worked. My dad's business went steady, whereas Siena started getting better grades. At one point, I even started thinking that I was a real jinx. But… why was it that my family was haunted by more misfortune after my death?

My wife Susan had the power to save lives, but when our son was rushed to the ICU and needed her help, she refused no matter how much I begged. While I was crying myself hoarse when I received news that our son was dead, I heard her purring over the phone, "Mark? Don't worry, your puppy's way more important. Of course I'll save it." There was a limit to her power that she could only use it once a month, but she nonchalantly used it for Mark's pet dog! Shaking with rage, I seized her by the collar and bellowed, "We're talking about a human life here, and your son at that! But an animal is worth more than that?!" Susan shook me off, smirking in disdain. "Mark has always been by himself—is there a problem that I took his side? And what could happen to our son when he has his daddy? Stop giving me that attitude!" Just two hours later, Mark posted on social media a photo of him with Susan kissing his pet dog together, with the smug caption: [Who had bet that a son matters more than a dog? Know when you're beaten. Now pay up!] So he had a bet with someone that Susan would choose his dog! Worst of all, Susan lovingly replied: [If Mark wants to win, I'll always be there for him.] Even as I felt heartrending pain, I was laughing coldly as I sent my own reply. [If you all love to bet so much, why not bet when you're gonna drop dead?]

After undergoing a gallbladder removal surgery, I get discharged while having to hunch over in pain. In fact, I have to go home while attached to a surgical drainage bag. Before I even reach the front door, I hear Rayne Randall, my sister who's ten years younger than me, wailing at the top of her lungs. "Dad, there's a splinter in my finger! It hurts so much!" "Let me blow your booboo away for you, Ray. It won't hurt anymore once I'm done." As soon as I open the front door, I see my dad rolling his eyes at me. His previously happy disposition quickly morphs into an annoyed one. "Why are you home this late? It's just a small surgery, isn't it? Look at how much of a wuss you're being! Ray wants to have fish for dinner, so you'd better take your ass to the market and buy a fresh one for her!" My surgical wound hurts so much that I keep trembling in pain. I can barely move an inch. Having noticed that I'm not moving at all, he chucks a slipper at me right away. "Just go! What's with that gloomy look of yours? It's all thanks to you that our luck is gone! Every time I see a jinx like you walking around, I feel even unluckier!" As far as I remember, my dad keeps calling me a jinx who has ruined his family. Now that I've had a close brush with death, I don't want to keep living in this world like a pathetic loser. In that case, I might as well let everyone in this family have a real dose of my misfortune.

We're both heartbroken. Ella lost a fiancé, and I lost a wife. Our paths crossed when I was trying to move on, and she in her denial stage. I thought we could help each other heal our broken hearts, so I tried to remove the guards I had been trying to secure around myself. And before I knew who she really was, I found myself falling in love again. However, fate always slaps me with its irony. Because I found out that all along, she was the secret enemy that had set out to destroy me. All because I was the one who caused her heartaches — the one who killed her fiancé.

It is blood and water in this sequel as MJ Billings and Logan Parker battle a common enemy. There's no weapon as deadly as hidden secrets. It is a game of cards in this sequel as everyone uses their best card to stay at the top of their game, bullets and dead bodies are only casualties, the real weapon can never be uncovered - the past should stay in the past, and some secrets to be buried forever even if it means sending some people with them. MJ is hellbent on taking the law into her own hands in order to protect her brother, but she also realises that his safety will come at a price. She is willing to do whatever it takes in order to save Jorge from Samantha's clutches, but there's more to the story than what meets the eye, and MJ would like to keep it that way. Logan knew from the day he met Samantha Grayson that she was trouble ‐ and he wanted nothing more than to get rid of her. After the little scare that landed her in hospital, he thought she had learned her lesson, but her retaliation cost him millions and cost people their lives. His efforts of revenge are further thwarted by MJ, and while trying to resolve their relationship, he can't help but wonder what her true motive is as she goes all out to get rid of Samantha. Despite years of unresolved issues, they agree to put their differences aside to protect their families. They believe the past is the past, and some secrets should remain buried forever- but secrets of the past threaten to tear their newfound alliance apart. The question remains: who exactly is MJ trying to protect- Jorge, or herself?