99 Gaya

I went into labor. And my mate, Alpha Alistair, locked me in a silver cage. The bars throbbed with curse runes, burning my skin. He did it for Livia. His dead brother's mate. Her pup had to be born first. That's when I learned the truth. He'd been poisoning me for months. All to make sure Livia's child would be the next Alpha. He called it "calming tea." A daily dose of poison to slow my pup's growth and delay my labor. But my body had other plans. My pup refused to wait. I went into labor at the same time as Livia. When he found out, he accused me of faking it. Of begging for sympathy. He let them poison me with wolfsbane. I lost my pup. A piece of my soul died with him. With my last breath, I reached out. To the one person who could save me. My brother, Alpha King Lucian. He came like a storm of rage. He burned the packhouse to the ground, with me inside. A phantom fire for all to see. Then, he plucked me from the flames. Only then, surrounded by the smoking ruins of his pack, did Alistair fall to his knees. His howl of regret tore through the night. For 99 days, he howled at the moon. Begging the Moon Goddess to return just a sliver of my soul.

The night before our wedding, Jason Scott receives the cancer diagnosis of my adopted younger sister, Helena Sanderson. His expression falters, and he says indignantly, "We'll cancel the wedding tomorrow, Victoria. Helena is very fragile now. I can't risk upsetting her at this point in time." I reply, "I don't agree with it! Why would my wedding upset her?" Jason doesn't show any displeasure after my rejection. He even thoughtfully prepares a glass of milk for me. … When I wake up the next morning, I realize the house that should be full of excitement is eerily quiet. Anxious, I dial Jason's number 99 times. He only picks up the call on my 100th try. "Where did my wedding dress and shoes go?" I ask. Jason falls silent for a moment. His tone is apologetic when he replies, "I'm sorry, Victoria. Helena wants to experience being a bride once. I can't let her leave with regrets. Please bear with this for now. I'll make it up to you once she passes away peacefully." As the line goes dead, I sit frozen on the bed, unable to recover for some time. … A month later, while Jason is on his honeymoon, I send the livestream of my wedding announcement with his rival, Frank Lawrent, directly onto his phone. Jason regrets it bitterly.

Warning: R-18. Not suitable for young readers. Read at your own risk. ________ Kapit sa patalim. Iyan ang ginagawa ng isang mahirap na katulad ko sa oras ng kagipitan. Mahirap. Nakakababa ng digninad. Wala na ngang pinag-aralan pinasok pa ang isang bagay na hindi makatarungan. Ngunit sa ngalan ng pamilya, pagmamahal,at sakripisyo,lahat kaya kong isugal maisalba lang ang buhay ng nanay ko. Pera kapalit ang dangal. Dangal na nawala para makasalba ng isang buhay. Ito ang mahirap para sa gaya kong isang mahirap ngunit wala kang pagpipilian kundi pasokin ito dahil ito lang ang naisip mong madaling paraan. "So, ano ang dahilan mo bakit sumama ka sa akin?" Mapang-akit niyang tanong sa mapusok naming halikan. "Pera," pa-ungol na sagot ko sa sensasyon na nadarama. Dangal laban sa isang buhay na kailangan iligtas. Puri para sa perang inaasam. A one night mistake that changed my life forever that I can't escape.

Jika saja aku tak takut berdosa, rasanya lebih baik menganggap tak punya mertua dan ipar sekalian." Batinku marah memendam kesal dan sakit hati. Kanaya adalah seorang istri dari lelaki bernama Bagaskara, lelaki tampan, baik dan setia. Namun sayang, dia seolah terasing di antara keluarganya. Karena Sang Ibunda yang melahirkannya, selalu membuatnya merasa tak nyaman dan memilih kasih dirinya dengan saudaranya yang lain. Kanaya prihatin dengan pernikahannya sendiri, karena tak jarang, Ibu mertua dan ipar-iparnya, mengganggu ketentraman rumah tangganya. Mulai dari masalah materi, gaya hidup dan segala masalah kecil lainnya yang menurutnya tak begitu penting. Lisan mereka tak ayalnya bagai duri yang menusuk, begitu tajam dan menyakitkan. Mereka hanya peduli pada Kanaya dan Bagaskara hanya saat mereka perlu saja. Ketika Kanaya berada di titik nadir, seringkali ia berpikir untuk berpisah dengan Bagaskara. Akankah Kanaya sanggup bertahan bersama suami yang tak dianggap oleh keluarganya? Sanggupkah Kanaya menerima perlakuan buruk Ibu mertua dan ipar-iparnya?

Amber Lim terkenal akan gaya hidup yang mewah dan kecantikan yang memukau. Namun sayang, perempuan itu juga dikenal sebagai perusak hubungan orang alias pelakor internasional. Menyesali sikap buruknya, ia pun bertekad untuk memulai hidup baru. Tanpa memedulikan musim dingin ekstrem yang sedang berlangsung, Amber pergi ke utara untuk berguru dengan Adam Smith, desainer perhiasan terbaik dunia yang misterius. Malangnya, di tengah perjalanan, Amber dirampok dan ditinggalkan di sebuah hutan. Hanya ada sebuah pondok kecil yang dapat menyelamatkannya dari beku, dan hanya ada satu orang yang dapat membantunya bertahan hidup—Tuan Dingin. Tidak ada yang tahu nama asli Tuan Dingin. Ia sengaja hidup menyendiri dan sangat tidak suka diganggu. Penduduk desa terdekat bahkan memanggilnya kanibal karena minimnya rasa kemanusiaan dalam diri pria itu. Padahal sesungguhnya, Tuan Dingin hanyalah seorang duda yang sangat membenci wanita, apalagi pelakor. Lantas, apa yang akan terjadi selanjutnya? Mampukah Amber menaklukkan Tuan Dingin dan pulang dengan selamat? Atau justru ... berakhir menjadi santapan lezat sang duda?

Love was never part of Alexandra Reign Sy’s five-year plan. Ang goal lang niya: magtagumpay, umasenso, at huwag maging tanga gaya ng mga babae sa romantic movies. Pero nang pumanaw si Lola, iniwan nito hindi lang yaman—kundi isang terms and conditions na kayang guluhin ang buong buhay niya. “To inherit, Alexandra must be legally married within six months.” And just like that, napilitan siyang maghanap ng lalaking papayag sa fake marriage setup na walang halong feelings, drama, o commitment. Simple lang ‘di ba? Well, not until she said the words... “Then maybe we should get married.” —kay Callisto Maxim, ang tahimik, intimidating CEO na parang embodiment ng Excel sheet at control issues. Pareho silang walang time sa love. Parehong practical. Parehong may dahilan. Pero habang tumatagal ang kasunduan, napapansin ni Alex na hindi lahat ng bagay pwedeng i-manage or i-schedule—lalo na kung heart na ang nagka-crash sa system. In a city where everyone is hustling, can two people built on logic survive the chaos of something they swore to avoid? Or will their perfect plan turn into the biggest disaster of their lives?

Zyrille Trixie Louis, isang estudyanteng normal lamang ang buhay, mahal ang paglingkuran ang kanyang magulang at bayan bilang isang trainee sa pagiging isang mahusay na detective. Walang kaalam-alam sa pwedeng mangyari at landas na kayang tatahakin. Siya rin ay ang klase ng tao na walang panahon sa pag-ibig at pagkilala ng ibang tao. Dominic Kiro De Jesus, isang anak ng mayaman at kinatatakutang mafia. Walang ibang ginawa sa kanyang buhay kundi ang maglingkod sa kanyang buong organisasyon at siguraduhing na-aayon at walang problema sa nga transaksyong kanyang tinatrabaho. Wala rin siyang kinatatakutan, maging ang kamatayan. Ang landas nila'y magkakatagpo, parehong walang malay na sila'y unti-unting mahuhulog sa isa't-isa, walang malay sa mundong kanilang tatahakin, ay hindi pala gaya ng inaasahan nila. Paano kaya kung ang pag-ibig kaya na kanilang bubuuin para sa kanilang kagustuhan, ay ang mismong landas na siyang magdadala sa kanila sa kanilang kamatayan? LOVE UNTIL DEATH, LOVE SOMEONE UNTIL THEIR LAST BREATH.

I stand in the hospital after my two older brothers decline all 99 of my phone calls. They finally appear, bringing with them the biological sister they found. My gentle eldest brother, who had once rescued me from my so-called abusive parents, raises his hand and slaps me across the face. "Cynthia, you're actually pretending to have a terminal illness just to compete with Sarah for our affection? And you came to this kind of place to frighten us?" I clutch my swollen cheek and listen as my second brother, who always says he'll trust me no matter what, holds Sarah in his arms and laughs out loud. "Are you trying to fake being sick to get our attention after seeing that Sarah is in poor health? "Just cut the act. You've been living in luxury since childhood and have always been in perfect health. How could you possibly be ill?" Sarah Crawford speaks up thoughtfully, "Don't blame her, you two. I think she just feels like I've stolen away your love for her, which is why she has become so unreasonable..." I look at the two brothers who have doted on me for ten years and suddenly feel that nothing matters anymore. After all, I only have seven days left to live. In seven days, everything will return to normal after my departure. But by then, they'll be the ones unable to accept it.

Aku meninggal di hari aku memenangkan Penghargaan Doktor Medis Global. Tiga jam setelah kematianku, orang tua, kakak laki-laki, dan tunanganku baru saja pulang dari pesta ulang tahun ke-16 adik perempuanku. Ketika adikku mengunggah foto keluarga kami saat merayakan ulang tahunnya di media sosial, aku sedang terbaring di ruang bawah tanah yang tertutup rapat dan berlumuran darah. Aku mencoba menggunakan lidahku untuk menggeser layar ponsel dan meminta bantuan. Di antara kontak darurat, hanya tunanganku yang menjawab panggilanku. Artinya orang tua dan kakakku telah memblokir nomorku. Begitu telepon diangkat, tunanganku hanya mengucapkan satu kalimat, “Karin, pesta ulang tahun Lina yang ke-16 itu sangat penting. Jangan pakai alasan nggak masuk akal untuk cari perhatian kami dan bersikap manja lagi!” Dia menutup telepon dan memutus harapan terakhirku untuk bertahan hidup. Jantungku berhenti berdetak karena nada sibuk telepon. Ini adalah ke-100 kalinya mereka memilih adikku, ke-100 kalinya mereka mengabaikanku, mengecewakanku, dan ini juga yang terakhir. Aku terbaring di dalam genangan darahku sendiri, merasakan napasku perlahan berhenti. Mereka mengira aku kabur dari rumah lagi sebagai alasan untuk melampiaskan ketidakpuasanku. Mereka pikir bahwa selama mereka memberiku pelajaran, aku akan kembali dengan patuh seperti 99 kali sebelumnya. Sayangnya, itu tidak akan terjadi kali ini. Karena aku tidak pernah meninggalkan rumah, aku terus terbaring di ruang bawah tanah rumahku.

Sabi nila walang perpektong tao sa mundo. Gaya nalang ni Nicko Buenavista. Gwapo siya, mayaman ngunit may malaki siyang problema sa kanyang pagkatao. Siya ay may sakit na kung tawagin ay torets syndrome na— madalas ay napag kakamalan siyang may sira sa ulo kapag inaatake siya. Bawal sa kanya ang ma stress at mapagod dahil mag sisimula nanamang aatake ang kanyang sakit. Ngunit mas susubokin pa ang kanyang katatagan sa pag papatakbo ng kanilang kumpanya. Ang kumpanyang pinag hirapang itayo at palaguin ng kanyang amang yumao. Na sa kalaunan ng mabyuda ang kanyang ina ay muli itong nag asawa at ang napangasawa nito ay ang taong pilit na kukuha ng kumpanyang pinag hirapan ng kanyang ama at tanging kumpanyang minana niya rito. Hanggang sa dumating ang isang babaeng magpapatibok ng kanyang puso. Ililihim niya kaya ang kanyang pagkatao para lang magustuhan siya nito? O ito ang tutulong sa kanya upang tanggapin niya ng buo ang kanyang pagkatao.