A Portrait Of The Artist As Filipino

(Mommy, When will I see daddy?) "I know you're not Ava, Summer Hills," he enunciated my name in a hushed tone, and it was as though he breathed life into my very existence. "You belong to me now, Mate. And believe me, once I mark you as mine, there's no escaping my claim." As I attempted to steady myself, he drew closer, his arms curling around my slender waist as his lips pressed against mine in a firm seal. **** To ascend the throne, he needs a child, and to get a child, he needs a breeder. To save her mother, she needs to sign the contract and be sold to a cold, sick Alpha, Alpha Alexander, and to save her life, she has to run and leave the pack. But unknowingly... with the Alpha's unborn triplets.

I've been in a secret relationship with Declan Gibson for five years, and I've tried to seduce him more times than I can count. Yet, when I stand in front of him in my birthday suit and a pair of bunny ears, all he does is worry that I'll catch a cold and wrap me in a blanket. I used to think his restraint came from being the mafia don, that he was saving our first time for our wedding night. However, one month before the ceremony, he secretly plans the city's grandest fireworks show to celebrate his childhood sweetheart's birthday. They hug and share a slice of cake in public. That night, they check into a hotel. … The next morning, I watch them leave together. That's when I realize Declan is not restrained. He just doesn't love me, so I walk out of the hotel. I call my parents. "Dad, I've broken up with Declan. I'll marry into the Sullivan family as planned." My father is stunned. "I thought you were madly in love with Declan. Why did you break up? I heard Bryson can't have children. You've always loved kids. What will you do once you marry him?" "It's fine," I reply, disheartened. "We can always adopt."

SYNOPSIS Katherine Thawne grew up the hard way, life in the streets had never been fun. Her already hard life gets complicated when she gets tangled up with the Leader of the Italian Mafia, the most respected and feared man all over the world. Katherine Thawne is set to live a new life. A life has the Mafia's slave. Well...till her debt was cleared!

Sophia Carter has spent her entire life sacrificing her dreams to support a family that never valued her. With a terminally ill narcissistic mother and a selfish brother who sees her only as a source of support, she is on the brink of financial and emotional collapse. When every door seems to close, an unexpected proposal arises: a marriage of convenience with Alexander Hawthorne, the ruthless magnate who embodies everything she fears… and everything her heart insists on desiring. Alexander is known for his coldness and relentless mistrust, especially towards women. To him, everyone has a price, and Sophia is no different. She will be just another piece in his game: the perfect wife to maintain appearances and ensure the stability of his business. He doesn’t want love, nor intimacy. Much less does he intend to share a bed with her. But as Sophia and Alexander become entangled in this dangerous agreement, lines are crossed, secrets are revealed, and the desire they both struggle to deny threatens to ignite the icy facade they’ve built. In a world where everything seems to be a transaction, how far will they go to protect what’s left of their souls? A story of passion, power, and unyielding boundaries, where even the coldest hearts can be broken… or saved.

On the highway, when the vehicles of drivers on the same stretch of road went out of control and rushed towards us, Wynn Lloyd protected me by holding me close beneath him. As a result, he ended up in the emergency room, battered.In the hospital ward, a friend praised, "Your husband is really good to you. When the car came crashing, he protected you with his life, not caring about his own."I remained silent.Indeed, he was good, but it didn't stop him from liking someone else.Wynn and I had known each other since childhood, for over a decade, and everyone said he loved me to death.But who would have thought that such a person had a mistress on the side?He pampered her in every possible way, indulging her to the extreme.

As the hybrid orphan of the Blood Moon pack, Lisa's life had never been easy. She is mistreated by everyone, the only reason she wasn't killed off was because the Alpha of her pack pitied her. She thought life could never get worse, but boy was she wrong. Due to a small mistake, she is shipped to the most dangerous place in the werewolf world. A place where rogue and dangerous Alphas were detained. And guess what, she was the only female there

I am Nyx Jewel, an internally ill lady from the Human Region. After inheriting a vast fortune, with only Six months Span to live, I decided to spend it quietly while my fiancee took over the business, but that was the gravest decision I have ever made. He betrayed me with my stepsister, and my cunning stepmother says it serves me right. My relatives, who have always bowed to me, chuckled when I collapsed out of shock. When my life was withering away, instead of a doctor to be called, They tossed my body into the sea. Little did they know the Moon Goddess had called for me. The turbulent waters, as if guided by divine hands, carried my fragile form to the shores of a mystical realm, unknown to us Humans. *** I am Kade Majesty King, The last Cursed Alpha King of the Werewolf World. Our lineage was cursed to never know true love. That was why My father had died without a true mate. My Grandfather had done the same as well, as all King before him. But things changed after I took the heavy crown upon my head. The Moon Goddess had decided it was time to lift the curse. A mate will be created for me, but the timing remains a mystery. So, like a possessed man, I have waited on pins and needles just for my wolf to cry ' Mate '. Years passed, and depression set in. Then, on a stormy night, a body comes floating off the shore of my kingdom. My True Mate in human form, dying and heartbroken. She sought revenge against the man who had wronged her, and I agreed to help on one condition. That she would be mine.

She's young, free and has everything she has ever wanted. What could possibly go wrong? When her best friend, Jane, finally gives in and agrees to that one night of full on clubbing and partying, Evelyn could barely contain her excitement. That night was going to be a night to renmember. Little did she know how right she was going to be. A night of fun quickly takes a turn for the unexpected when Evelyn wakes up the next morning with a stranger by her side. Chalking it up to a one night stand, Evelyn had every intention of forgetting that night until she saw it. The Mate's mark on her neck. A Lycan's mark. With her newfound connection to the supernatural world, she'll have to face her past, her present, and her future in ways she never could have imagined. Is she ready for the wild ride that lies ahead?

When a billionaire heiress, Heather Williams catches her best friend coming out naked from her husband's bathroom, she learns the awful truth about her recent predicaments and threatens to sue them, but is hit with yet another shock that shatters her. Billionaire Massimo Valentiti, the Mafia don of a mafia gang will stop at nothing to claim the power he desires even if it means using his newest pawn, Heather Williams, a beautiful and cunning woman seeking revenge against her ex-husband. But as they get into a marriage of convenience, what happens when they begin to develop feelings for each other? Will the dangers of the mafia world consume them or will their love stand the test of times?

At sixty-five, I got served divorce papers. The same day, my husband Sebastian — decked out in his wedding suit, of all things — popped a handful of sleeping pills in a suicide attempt. For years, we were the perfect couple. The kind of pair neighbors whispered about with envy. I couldn't wrap my head around it. The divorce. The pills. None of it made sense. Not until I found the photo and letter in his pocket.