Alif By Umera Ahmed

(AHMED HADDAD'S STORY) Four years ago, Clarissa, desperate for money and desperate to win her indifferent mother’s approval, gave up the chance to attend Juilliard school and agreed to be a substitute bride for her stepsister. Three and a half years ago, she actually fell in love with the man she married. She even risked her life to save her husband, Ahmed, when a building collapsed. That accident left her infertile—a secret she carried alone, afraid that if Ahmed found out, Clarissa would lose him completely. Naive as she was, she thought Ahmed just needed more time. But on their fourth anniversary, Clarissa found him kissing his true love, Brianna, the woman who was meant to be his original bride. ***** “Did you cheat, Ahmed?!” dagundong ang boses ng lolo ni Ahmed. “No!” “Did you ignore your wife? Or any mistake that made her want to divorce you?” Bago pa makasagot si Ahmed ay biglang sumulpot si Brianna. Sa likod nito ay ang mga security guards na pilit pinipigilan ang babae. Inilapag nito ang pamilyar na envelope sa mesa. Pinanlalamigan si Clarissa. “Ahmed has nothing at fault! Clarissa, the infertile, should be blamed!” ****** “Mama, inaway ako ni Reirey," iyak ng batang babae na may magagandang uri ng mga mata. After their divorce, a miracle daughter came. Wala na si Ahmed sa buhay nila. Matapos nitong ipakulong siya at nalaglag ang pinagbubuntis ay hindi na bibigyan ni Clarissa si Ahmed ng pagkakataon na malaman nitong ibinalik sa kanya ng Panginoon ang nawalang bata. Hinding-hindi nito makikilala ang anak nila.

Angela Bailey spent six years believing her marriage was built on love, only to discover her devoted husband was nothing more than a polished illusion. When she filed for divorce and asked her daughter to leave with her, the little girl clung to another woman’s hand and called her “Mom.” Donald Turner, cold and entitled, told her, “As long as you apologize to Nina, you can still live your high-society life.” Angela scoffed. “You might not even stay in high society yourself.” She walked out of the Turner household with nothing, determined to rebuild her life from the ground up. With her own talent and grit, she joined a new company and went head-to-head with her ex. Just when Donald realized his mistake and wanted her back, another man stepped into Angela’s life—someone who protected her openly, supported her quietly, and cherished her without hesitation. Donald regretted everything and wanted her back. He appeared with their daughter, eyes red as he pleaded, “I’ll give you the entire Turner family. Please love me and our daughter again.” The man beside Angela laughed. “The Turner family? That means nothing. Angela doesn’t need it. And as for a daughter…” He looked at Angela, and together they said, “We already have one.”

In the high-stakes world of politics and royalty, two young men from opposite worlds find themselves drawn together by fate. Alexander "Alex" Morgan, the golden boy of American politics, struggles under the weight of his father’s expectations and his own repressed desires. Meanwhile, Prince Liam of Norway, the rebellious crown prince, battles the constraints of royal duty and his playboy reputation. When a chance encounter at a gay-friendly bar leads to a passionate night, neither man is prepared for the fallout when their identities are revealed. As jealousy and ambition threaten to tear them apart, they must confront their families, their secrets, and their feelings. Will they choose love over duty, or will societal expectations keep them apart?

“Your body is made to carry my pup! Do that without objection and leave after giving birth to him,” Travis husked, his voice causing vibrations on earth. Rhea Duncan stared at him unblinkingly and scoffed, “I didn’t want to stay here anymore either. I’m still enduring your annoying nature because I have no choice.” • Rhea Duncan was inseminated by her best friend, Phoebe Barton, so that she could snatch her boyfriend from her. Her scheme was successful, but what Phoebe didn’t know was that she had just made her best friend a surrogate mother to the most eligible and enigmatic man in the country, and the alpha of his pack. What happens when a random human invades Alpha Travis’s world unexpectedly? What happens when Rhea Duncan realizes that the world she assumed was fiction is actually real, and she has just become a surrogate mother for the leader of that world? Will they accept that it is fate or just an accident?

Allison, daughter of Fox City's most powerful gang family, a medical doctor, a passion and dream contrast to her family's life back at home. Her past, a ghost she thought she'd buried, was about to return with a vengeance –colliding with the present life she had built. On her birthday, a letter arrives from her father, Gerald Wenston —a man who has ignored her for years. His words, cloaked in a sweet tone, are not a request, but a command: return home and marry the heir of a rival gang —Michael Shelby, to secure an ancestral peace and rule treaty. But peace is the last thing Allison finds on her return, a single, forbidden night with a stranger —Luke Reynolds, her father’s right-hand man, ignites a dangerous passion that threatens to shatter the fragile truce. Caught between the duty to her family and a love that could ignite a gang war, Allison must navigate a web of family secrets and deadly betrayals. For in the shadows, a rival —her half sister Hayley also vying for Michael's affection, is waiting to claim everything she holds dear, even if it means destroying her and the city she's meant to save. Allison's choices could either save her family or condemn them all to a bloody war.

Elena Hart is a genius scientist mired in debt and can't even afford her mother's life-saving surgery. Her rescuer can only be one man: Dominic Blackwood, a ruthless billionaire who doesn't believe in love but needs a wife for some mysterious reason that Elena can't fathom. When he offers to marry her for a relaxed, contractual wedding in exchange for paying off her debts, she signs on. What begins as a bargain slowly becomes something more when both of them begin questioning one another's faith, battling foes, and fighting emotions they had not expected. However, love's journey is not one to be taken lightly. With lies revealed, the foes closing in, and open wounds biting back, they must decide if love can conquer any pact.

Maximilian Loxley is a ruthless billionaire, haunted by his past. Ada Turner is the maid who stepped into his mansion with a secret plan to destroy him. But the closer she gets to his guarded heart, the harder it becomes to untangle revenge from desire. As lies unravel and truths emerge, they’ll have to choose—let their dark secrets consume them or risk everything for the love they never saw coming.

My best friend and I were in relationships with the brothers from the Wilson Family, and we both got pregnant at the same time. She flaunted her relationship publicly, making everyone in Junopia know that Rick had left the monastery for her. On the other hand, I kept silent about my relationship with the heir of the Wilson Family. Thus, everyone mistakenly thought I was single. That was until my best friend saw my pregnancy report. In a fit of rage, she rallied a group of friends, stormed into my dorm, and vandalized my room with food waste. "I thought you were my best friend, and here you are, trying to steal my man," she accused. Not only did she live-stream this accusation, trying to paint me as the other woman, but she also spiked my chicken soup, hoping to get rid of my unborn child. In defiance, I poured the contaminated soup over her head. "Just so you know, Rick isn't the only Wilson brother," I retorted. Later, Rayden, the man who controlled Junopia, wrapped his arm around me and declared icily, "I've heard troubling rumors about my wife being called a mistress. We need to talk."

He inherited billions… but not the family name. Noah Quinn was just a broke mechanic—until a dead billionaire claimed him as his son and left him everything. Now thrust into a world of boardroom sharks and backstabbing heirs, he’s got one rule: trust no one. Especially not Lena Vale—the billionaire’s ice-cold stepdaughter who wants him out, humiliated, or dead. But secrets don’t stay buried forever. And in this empire of lies, power isn’t given… It’s taken.

Elena Thompson’s life has never been easy, but she’s always managed to survive. Working long shifts at a small diner, she’s spent years cleaning up the mess her father made—until the day he makes the ultimate mistake. Drowning in debt to dangerous people, he signs away the only thing he has left to offer: her. Alexander Calloway is ruthless, powerful, and dangerously cold. When he steps in to settle William Thompson’s debts, he doesn’t want money—he wants Elena. To him, marriage is just another contract, another deal to control. But what he doesn’t anticipate is the fire in her eyes and the way she refuses to bend to his will. into a world of wealth and secrets, Elena vows to fight for her freedom. But the more she clashes with her formidable husband, the more she finds herself drawn to the man behind the icy exterior. And as an old flame from Alexander’s past resurfaces, determined to ruin everything, Elena realizes that escaping her new life might not be her biggest challenge… Surviving it—and resisting the growing tension between her and Alexander—might be. In a battle of wills, desire, and betrayal, how long can Elena fight the pull of the man who holds her fate in his hands?