11 Books Every Man Should Read (@mantalks)

My girlfriend found out that my water bottle cost $30,000. She then demanded I buy her father an $8 million luxury apartment in the city center. I politely refused. She said furiously, “Don’t be so stingy! He’ll be your father-in-law someday. What’s wrong with getting a head start on being a good son-in-law?” She even compiled all of our expenses during our relationship into a PowerPoint presentation and demanded we split everything. “If splitting everything equally is too much trouble for you, then just cover it all. You can afford it! “My family and I have already discussed it. I’ll give you a one-dollar gift. It means you're my only one. How perfect is that?” When she noticed I was silent, she played her final card. “If you can’t agree, then let’s forget about getting married. “You’ll never see me, your darling baby, ever again!” I looked at the detailed list of expenses on the screen. It even included $2 she had spent on a bus ride to see me. I smiled and said, “Sure. I’ll give you a $143-million gift, with more romantic meaning. And I’ll buy that apartment for your father right now.”

Ciara Cabral was kicked out by her mother as soon as she turned sixteen. She’s not part of the family her mother was building with a man not her father. She found herself homeless and helpless. A week into the streets, Renzo Pantoja approached her and offered her a place to stay, having experienced homelessness as well and knowing it must be more difficult for a young girl. He’s usually not at home anyway, too busy working here and there, building up his savings, and chasing the financial freedom he craves. Life isn’t easy, though. There are plenty of challenges. Lacking formal education, Renzo’s finding it difficult to secure a regular employment with good pay and benefits. Even so, he promised himself – never again is he going to sleep on the streets. He’s a hard worker and diligent in whatever jobs he got. Too busy with everything else, he didn’t bother finding love again after his ex-girlfriend turned him down for someone richer. Years passed and Ciara continued her admiration of him. It took him a long time, but one day, he finally recognized her presence as a grown-up woman. But it was then that the complications began. Would he be able to overcome everything and be firm with his decisions?

On the day Ethan Moore and I are supposed to marry, his adoptive sister, Hazel Moore, threatens to jump off a building. Ethan abandons me in my wedding dress and leaves me jilted for her. As the guests watch me mockingly, I boldly announce, "I'll marry anyone who dares walk down this aisle to me!" Three years later, Ethan returns to the Moore residence with Hazel. I'm seated on the couch and enjoying some oatmeal while watching TV. Ethan stares at my baby bump and snarls, "Who's the father of that child in your belly?" I sip my oatmeal and smile faintly. "A member of the Moore family, of course."

Katherine had always been in love with one guy; Ken Hart. He was her childhood sweetheart, and she had always secretly crushed on him without taking action. She thought it was a mindless crush, until her father announced her sudden marriage to Ken Hart. That moment, Kate knew dreams do come true. Ken was all she ever dreamt of. Unexpectedly, her marriage was the opposite of what she thought it would be. Ken wanted nothing to do with her; to him, she was just a trophy wife he used whenever he needed her. Most importantly, he needed her to seal a billion-dollar deal. He had married her for selfish reason. Kate’s parent had only agreed because it was the only way to save their company that had fallen into financial crisis, without informing Kate Kate wouldn’t sit to be used whenever her husband want, she would do all she could to make sure he needed her. Infusing herself into his life was going to be difficult, but when she wanted something, she would do all she could to get what she wanted.

He gropes my breast harshly forcing a moan out of my lips, I squeezed my thigh together instantly feeling an ache on my clit down there, creaming my thong. I didn't know how it happened but I was fully stark naked, my firm boobs bouncing out freely in his views. He pressed on me harder with his mouth on my ear lobe " I, Orion do not share what is mine and you are MINE!" He didn't leave a room for response as his hot mouth now on my left breast, his hand kneading the right one. I groaned louder unable to articulate how to handle those heavy feelings. He lifted me off my feet and carried me to the bed kissing me the whole time, With a soft bounce I fell onto the mattress, his hand caressing my inner thigh, my head rocked back against the pillow, he pushed his finger under my thong after kneading my swollen clit so much, I groaned loudly arching my back and shuddered beneath him.

Five years ago, a stranger saved Mia Perez from a brutal mugging and vanished. All she had after he disappeared was his face, a small mole on his body she could never forget, and a strong determination to find him. She finds the man with the face and has a one-night stand with him. Or so she thinks. Because the man she spent the night with is not the man who saved her. It’s her savior’s identical twin brother, who approached her only to settle an old score! Now faced with her real knight in shining armor and an identical man who wants her for himself, Mia is trapped between two worlds. Two worlds that hold a secret about that night that Mia was never expecting. When she finds out the truth, who would she choose? The man who she’s looked for for years? Or the man she made a mistake with?

My best friend, Sienna Monroe, who always swears she'll never marry, goes with me to the fertility clinic and suddenly snatches away the donor profile I choose. That's when I know she has come back to life too. In my previous life, I wanted a mixed-race baby, so I chose the IVF route. Sienna mocked me, saying I'd just be raising someone else's child. But two weeks later, I was taken to the royal palace of Valoria. It turned out the donor I picked was none other than the Prince of Valoria, a man of eight national lineages. He not only insisted on marrying me as his princess but also promised that our child would inherit the throne. The baby and I were cherished by the entire royal family, so much so that the jewels they draped over me nearly bent my back. Meanwhile, Sienna flaunted her extreme feminist stance and offended business partners. In the end, she was fired and blacklisted across the industry. Sienna spent all her savings on a plane ticket to attend my party, where I would introduce my baby to everyone. But when I went to welcome her, she crushed my son to death in her hands and splashed concentrated acid on me. "You don't deserve such good fortune! You worthless witch!" But when I opened my eyes again, I had gone back to the day I asked her to go with me to the fertility clinic.

I had created a monster. I had unleashed a devil to the world and I would do anything to drag him back to hell with me. If I must burn, then he would burn with me. Six years. Six years I had been by his side as his wife, his political strategist. Helping him. Loving him. But, when I needed him the most, he betrayed me. Now, I was back. Traumatised. Hurt, but…stronger. Stronger because I wasn't alone, stronger bevause he failed and I survived. I would strip him of everything I had spent six years building for him and then smash his face to the mud and remind him it was where he had always belonged. But then again, Zayne Castellan–the man who had saved me, the man who had bought my loyalty while I laid fractured by betrayal. Merciless, cruel…calm. Loyalty in exchange for my survival. I had fallen for him but even he …was worse than the devil I wanted to burn….

At my own wedding, the groom switched—Malcolm Lowell bailed, and the best man stepped in. Lumi, the Irving's real daughter, latched onto Malcolm's arm and smirked from the crowd. "I was just feeling a little low," she said. "Didn't think Malcolm would go this far for me." Malcolm raised a brow. "I just wanted to make her happy. You took her spot for years. Time to pay it back. This is for your own good." That's when it hit me—this whole wedding was a setup, a twisted show just to entertain Lumi. All because I was the adopted one. I'd lived in her place for over two decades. I didn't cry. Didn't freak out. I just took the new groom's hand, faced the priest, and said, "Keep going."

This is a story between a bloodthirsty merman and a kind and naive researcher. Linda, a researcher at a Japanese maritime university, found herself raped by a lewd merman in a dream. This tempted her to conduct research on this mythical creature. Together with her professor Gary, they set off to sea in search of merfolk. They successfully caught a merman, but Linda was marked as its mate…Was it a human that had caught a merman, or was it a merman who had found its prey?