A Wink And A Smile

As I'm unable to get a ticket for my return trip after the Thanksgiving holiday, I specifically booked a first-class seat home. Just as I find my seat, I see an unruly child jumping around on it. I patiently smile and say, "Kid, this is my seat. Where is your seat?" He makes a face at me. "It's mine now, old hag!" I grab him by the collar of his shirt, wanting to lift him out of the seat. At that moment, a woman's piercing voice sounds behind me. "What are you doing? Let go of my son!" I release my grip and say as gently as possible, "Please control your child. This is my seat." Suddenly, she raises her voice. "He's just a child! Can't you, as an adult, give way to him? You're young and dressed decently. How can you have no compassion at all?" I'm so angered by this distorted reasoning that I laugh. "If you're so compassionate, why didn't you spend the money to buy your child a first-class seat?"

Everyone knows Francesco Greco, heir to the largest mafia family in Solerio, is a notorious playboy. Yet when he swears to God that he'll love me for the rest of his life, I choose to believe him. He lives up to his words during the first year of our marriage. The Greco heir, whose presence alone terrorizes others, clings to me like a loyal puppy at home. But by the second year, he starts returning home with one lover after another. Rumors of his scandalous affairs spread, and I become the laughingstock of Solerio. On our eighth anniversary, his 99th lover taunts me in front of everyone at dinner. "Don't sleep in the master bedroom tonight," she says. "Mr. Greco and I are going to have some fun there. Also, change the sheets. I can't stand how dirty your things are." Everyone expects me to break down under such humiliation. Instead, I smile and turn on my heel. Then, I dial Madre Greco's number. "Madre, it's been eight years," I say, my voice steady. "It's time for me to leave."

At Sullivan Group's annual banquet, a female university student approaches Peter Sullivan and offers herself to him. The usually cold and distant Peter suddenly freezes because this young woman looks exactly like his deceased first love. He can't help but tease, "You're asking to be my mistress in front of my wife. Are you so sure you won't be thrown out?" The young lady lifts her chin, and her stubborn expression is identical to that of his lost love. "You two got married for business reasons and mutual benefits. Does she have any say over what you do? Peter, only you can save my mom. Will you do it or not?" She's right. I'm just a pawn in a marriage of convenience. How could I possibly influence Peter's choices? But then, I catch a glint of tenderness in his eyes that I've never seen before, and a self-deprecating smile forms on my lips. Maybe, instead of clinging on and being thrown out like trash, it's better if I give up my place willingly.

My loud, harsh breaths reverberated in the four walls of his cabin. I didn't realize when he locked me up here and pushed me too far from the door, blocking all my ways of escape. "M-Mr. S-Scott, please, what are you doing?" Cold shivers ran down my spine as I watched the man with horror-filled eyes who was advancing towards me with slow, dangerous steps. A sickening smile marred his lips as he silently relished my helplessness while uncuffing his sleeves. My fear skyrocketed. His husky chuckles ensued, churning my stomach as his shameless gaze lingered on my chest, making me quickly bring my arms to the front. "Something that I should have done before, Cupcake." He drawled out, leaving me shocked to the bone. That endearment. Travis? Dive into the dark and dangerous world of Travis Scott, a man who dupes people with his breathtaking charms and kind personality while confining his demons only to unleash them once he captures the angel he's been looking for years.

The day Yancy Shepherd died, Benedict Page poisoned our dinner. His eyes were wild, and bloodshot, as he watched me writhe in agony. There was a madness in his gaze, but worse was the hatred, a disgust so deep it twisted his face into something unrecognizable. "If it weren't for you forcing your way into our lives, Yancy wouldn’t have died from heartbreak. You ruined us! It’s all your fault!" A photo slipped from his trembling hand and landed at my feet—Yancy at twenty, looking radiant, her smile as bright as a blooming flower. I collapsed to the ground, my strength fading fast like a rose withering in the final grasp of winter. Helpless, I waited for the darkness to claim me, consumed by despair and bitter regret. Why hadn’t I listened to the system and killed him when I had the chance? But when I opened my eyes again, everything was different. I stood watching Benedict flee our engagement ceremony. My brother moved to chase after him, but I quietly raised a hand, stopping him. This time, things would be different.

When I was discharged from the psychiatric hospital, my brother and sister-in-law dropped everything to personally pick me up. Even my nephew, who had just finished his college entrance exams, arrived with a box of carrot cake he had waited in line all day to buy. His warm smile was the picture of innocence. “Auntie, congratulations on your discharge. With me here, you’ll never feel lonely again.” To outsiders, we were the perfect family—envied by all and even awarded the title of a local model family. But behind the facade of family bliss lay a very different story. On the very day my brother transferred the last of the family properties to me, I went live on social media. In front of an audience that idolized my so-called perfect family, I boasted about my "accomplishments." I conned my nephew into paying for a spot at an elite school, duped my sister-in-law into stepping into a scandalous club, and tricked my brother into losing everything he had worked for. “My brother has treated me with nothing but kindness. And I can only repay his kindness with betrayal.”

Leo Parker, my fiance, shoved me out the door with his own hands. He used me as bait to buy time for himself and my best friend, Jessica Thorne, to escape. I'd never forget him shutting the door. I'd never forget his last words through the narrow crack. "Thank you for your sacrifice, Chloe." When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the day before the zombie outbreak. Leo is gently urging me to hurry up and transfer 150 thousand dollars for the remodeling. It's the money we set aside for the home we plan to live in after we get married. In my past life, he set a trap and drained every cent of my savings. This time, I smile and agree. The only difference is that the 150 thousand dollars is going to build my doomsday bunker. And I'm also planning something special for them. After all, since I get a second chance at life, I should properly thank them for the "kindness" they showed me last time when they shoved me out to get torn apart by zombies.

"Let go, Jax. You're hurting me." His smile twists into a cruel smirk. "Oh, I'm hurting you? That's rich coming from you, angel. You think you can just waltz back in and expect me to fall at your feet?" His voice drips with venom. "Newsflash: you're under my authority now, and you'll do exactly as I say. Unless you'd rather kiss your salary goodbye." To save her dying mother and pay off her debts, Aurora reluctantly returns to the city she despises with her daughter, only to find her ex-boyfriend as her new CEO- the guy she had rejected and left broken years ago. Now, as Jax wields his power over her, revenge becomes the only currency that matters. As their complicated past resurfaces, the lines between love and obsession blur, threatening to consume them both. Can their tangled hearts find forgiveness again, or will the lies and secrets of their past tear them apart forever? The ball is now in your court. Dive into this tense, dark romance between two former lovers as their story unfolds.

Lena never expected her life to change overnight. One minute, she was just another invisible girl scraping by—dodging bills, counting coins, and pretending the weight of survival didn’t choke her daily. Then came Kai Ashford. A billionaire with a cold smile and eyes that saw through everything. He plucked her from the shadows and wrapped her in silk, marble, and secrets. Designer clothes replaced thrifted rags. Penthouse nights took over sleepless street corners. Everything she ever dreamed of was handed to her no questions asked. But nothing in Kai’s world is ever free. As Lena is pulled deeper into his luxurious web, she begins to realize she isn’t just living in his world she’s owned by it. Every choice, every glance, every step has been calculated. Her comfort is his control. And the deeper she falls, the harder it becomes to untangle what’s love… and what’s manipulation. Because Kai didn’t save her. He claimed her. And her entire existence may be the price she never agreed to pay.

Hindi ako nagkamali sa nakita ko, alam ko siya ‘yon. Hinding-hindi ako magkakamali pagdating sa kanya. “Daddy!” it was a heart melting voice who called me. “There you are!” I said as I carry my son. I can’t do anything; it pains me seeing her walk away. I want to ask how her life is going, if she has someone new, if it’s still me. I really wanted to hear her talk, see her smile, and met her eyes once again. “Babe? Let’s go,” A soft voice called me, Solange. I turned my gaze in her direction once again, but I lost her… again. Ang pakiramdam na pilit kayong pinaglalayo ng mga alon ay sobrang sakit. Animo’y protektado siya ng malalakas at matatayog na alon kaya hindi malapitan dahil pilit kang itinataboy nito papunta sa dalampasigan. She’s an ocean wave that I can’t keep, an ocean wave that I can only see and admire from afar. ‘Till next time…