A Soul To Keep

“You fucking carry my name now, Bella. You're Mrs Bella Enzo Barine. You no more belong to Marino's.”, Enzo roared. “I'm not a piece of land or some property that you own, Enzo. I'm a human and I breathe. I'm married to you, not sold.” Bella spoke with tears in her eyes as the grip on her arm was getting harder which might leave a bruise later. I will not be dictated by a mandate to marry someone like Enzo De Luca, the sole heir of the Barone Clan. Despite his reputation for ruthlessness and his animosity towards the Marino’s, I refuse to be coerced into a marriage with a man I haven't seen in years. His grey eyes may have been my first love and my first heartbreak, but I will not allow him to break me. As the daughter of his greatest enemy, I am confident that I will not be bent to his will. The real question is not whether love can emerge from violence and hatred, but whether I will allow myself to be controlled in a perpetual struggle.

Life is unpredictable. The people whom we deem to be closer to us may not be one. The people whom we think love us may not love us. Laya, who is twenty-two years old, has high ambitions. But they were shattered when she heard that she was going to get married. No one asked her opinion or cared about it. Shattered. She wondered if her parents were alive. But sadly, there were no if’s and maybe in life. But she felt blessed when she got married to Rahul Ravi Raj, a billionaire. He is sinfully handsome, whenever he was close to her, butterflies fluttered all over her body. And he never left a chance to tease her sexually. When she thought her married life would be glad for him, fate had its last laugh. He left her for business for three months, with his mother. And his mother who was pressuring Laya to get pregnant got to know they didn’t consummate their marriage. Taking her son's absence as the chance, she tortured her. Laya almost died because of her physical abuse. By the time, Rahul returned she was in the hospital. Seeing her in that state, he realized whatever positive and budding feelings she had for him were dead. Now, all she had for him were hate and fear. But little did Laya not know was her marriage wasn’t a flash marriage or an arranged marriage. Rahul married her for his reasons. And one of the biggest reasons for marrying her was to save her from dangers. Can he win back her love for him? Can he save her if she goes away from him? What were his reasons for him to marry her?

The phone had fallen and disassembled and the call, disconnected. "Who, who, who are you?" She became a heavy stutterer in an instant. The man who stood at the door to the kitchen walked forward and the light illuminated his features. He was lean and tall, very tall. Dressed in a white long sleeved shirt and dark suit pants, the few exposed parts of his body were ashen, lifeless and cold, like a bleak winter day. "Marry me." These were the two words that came from the deathly pale lips of his emotionless face... ********** Moving away from her overprotective parents, Geneva thought that she could finally lead a stress-free life. This was ruined when a ghost demands intimacy with her, his soulmate, to recover his lost memories and body.

My best friend wanted to adopt an injured kitten. Seeing the cat’s unusual appearance, I suddenly recalled a state-protected animal called the manul. Its young resembled cats but were exceptionally ferocious. So, I advised her against keeping it. But my friend would not listen to me and brought it back to our rental apartment. Unexpectedly, the manul seemed to understand human emotions and harbored a grudge against me. Five years later, it suddenly burst into my home and killed my entire family. I lunged to kill it, only to have my throat torn. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my best friend adopted the manul. This time, I did not stop her from taking it in.

Jennifer lost everything. She lost her wife and child in childbirth. She never thought she'd ever find love again. She and her partner were getting a statement from a rape victim and everything was about to change...

As I was about to leave my brother’s restaurant, the female manager stopped me. "Miss, excuse me, but you haven’t paid your bill." I looked at the unfamiliar face and thought that she was probably new and didn’t recognize me, so I explained politely, "Just put it on the owner’s tab. He knows me." The manager shot me a disdainful look. "Miss, this is a Michelin three-star restaurant. We don’t let just anyone run up a tab." She handed me a printed bill. I glanced at it. Fifty thousand dollars for one meal. Three thousand for tableware maintenance, five thousand for exclusive air purification, ten thousand for a VIP mood-calming service fee, and a bunch of other ridiculous charges. I didn’t even know my brother’s place was such a scam. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. "I’m the owner’s sister. If there’s a problem, tell him to talk to me at home." But she just wouldn’t drop it. "If you can’t afford it, stop acting like you can. And don’t act like you know Mr. White, either." I fired off a quick text to my secretary. 【Tell my brother to either fire this manager or I’m pulling my investment.】

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Nag runaway bride ang dalagang si Girly, sa kadahilanang hindi niya mahal ang lalaking pakakasalan. Tinakasan niya ang kanyang mapapangasawa sa mismong araw ng kanilang kasal. Humingi siya ng tulong sa estrangherong lalaki na naka-encounter niya, ngunit ayaw naman siya nitong tulungan. Sa kadesperadahang makalayo ni Girly sa bayan nila ay nagbitiw siya ng salita na gagawin niya ang gustong ipagawa sa kanya ng lalaki basta ilayo at itago lang siya nito sa kanyang ama at kay Vincent. Nagkataong nangangailangan din ng tulong ang binatang bilyonaryo na si Enrico Briones kaya pumayag na siya na itago si Girly. In one condition, magpapanggap ang dalaga na girlfriend niya. Pumayag naman agad si Girly ng hindi na inisip ang maaaring maging consequences ng pagpapanggap niya. Sa angking karisma at gandang lalaki ni Enrico, hindi kaya ma-in love sa kanya si Girly? Ano kaya ang mararamdaman ni Girly kapag nalaman niya ang tunay na dahilan kung bakit siya pinagpanggap na girlfriend ng binata? Hindi kaya siya magsisi sa pagpayag niyang maging fake girlfriend ni Enrico? Masaktan kaya ang puso ng dalaga sa kanyang mga madidiskubre?

Two stories, one kingdom, and a timeless tale of love… ***** The Land of Kalise was being overwhelmed by an invasion and the only thing left to do was to ask for help from the neighboring country. As an elf descendant that can wield magic, there’s only so much that Erriene could do, but as a Prince, he will do whatever it takes to protect and help his people. But what if what’s asked of him was something that he might not be ready to give? ***** The Country of Maud was an unbeatable force. Having a Frost Giant’s blood in his veins, King Alarick is a Warlord that’s used to getting anything and everything that he wants. But what if the only thing that he truly ever wanted in life was something that he could never get? ***** As feelings develop, emotions break out and the past coming back to haunt them… Will it bring them closer together? Or will it drive them further apart?

Luca dikenal sebagai anak jenius di Bumi—pencipta teknik bertarung legendaris, pemilik kekuatan penyembuhan, dan pewaris kejayaan. Tapi suatu hari, ia menghilang. Dan ketika membuka mata, ia terbangun di dunia asing bernama Nuan Omega... dalam tubuh yang bukan miliknya. Di dunia yang ditinggalkan peradaban dan dibangun di atas sistem kasta darah, Luca harus bertahan, beradaptasi, dan mencari siapa dirinya sebenarnya. Tubuh barunya kuat, tapi belum sempurna. Ingatan masa lalunya retak, tapi perlahan kembali. Dan di balik reruntuhan, ia menemukan sekutu aneh, musuh tak terlihat, serta gadis misterius yang memiliki ikatan tak terduga dengan masa depan dunia. Namun satu hal pasti—kehadirannya bukan kebetulan. Dan darahnya... bukan darah biasa.