As Usual Artinya

My boyfriend, Drew Myers, has proposed to me 99 times. Meanwhile, his childhood sweetheart, Tammy Fowler, has relapsed into depression 99 times. When Drew makes his 100th proposal, Tammy's depression strikes once more. As usual, he picks up Tammy's call, a gentle smile playing on his lips. With a tired sigh, he turns to me and says, "She's having another breakdown. We'll have to put the proposal on hold this time." Despite it being my birthday, Drew starts clearing away the freshly served dishes as if it were any other day. Fearing I might complain, he shoots me a cold, disapproving glance. "I know you're jealous of Tammy, but she's the one who's struggling. You're a soldier. You should be the bigger person and give her some leeway." Not only does Drew want me to eat Tammy's scraps, but he also orders me to bring them climbing gear at midnight. When Tammy shares intimate photos of them hugging online, his only reaction is to lash out at me. "Do you honestly find satisfaction in pushing Tammy to another breakdown? Is this the honor of a soldier? Your cruelty sickens me!" Over and over, he tears down my character and mocks my integrity. But this time, I simply look down at the special forces recruitment letter in my hand and say nothing. Drew remains oblivious. At last, I'm the one who's letting go.

CONTENT WARNING: Please note that this book contains sensitive themes and includes explicit scenes, making up approximately 20% of its content. It is intended for mature readers only. _ "Teka lang, Sir! A-Ano kasi eh..." Napangiwi si Mahal habang naghahagilap ng mairarason dito sa lalaking ito na binili siya sa Auction. "Are you kidding me? 'Teka lang?' Are you sure that's really 'teka lang?" Napayuko na lang siya dahil sa pagalit na natanong ng lalaki. Halatang napipikon na sa kaniya. Inilapit pa nito ang mukha sa kaniya para iparamdam sa kaniya ang inis nito at nagsalita, "Remember, I paid a hefty 10.5 million at the auction just to purchase you. You wouldn't have even set foot in that auction if you hadn't given your consent. So now that you're under my ownership, don't think you can fool me with your usual 'teka lang, sir' tactics kasi kabisado ko na 'yan." Para siyang tinanggalan ng utak na nakatunganga sa pinagsasabi nito na ang tanging naintindihan lang ay ang salitang, 'kabisado ko na 'yan.' Ano naman ang alam niya sa English kasi tulog naman siya lagi sa subject na iyon noong nag-aaral pa siya. Para naman huminahon ito, nagsalita na lang siya. "Ahm...wag ka na magalit sir, maghuhugas lang naman ako. Ayaw mo naman ng mabaho, diba?"

Sophia was forced to marry a man she never loved just to stop her father from going to jail. The marriage however turned out to be a living hell after she discovered a painful truth that destroyed her. Sophia usually gets home late from work every day with expensive gifts, looking so flashy. She starts getting cold with Shawn, disrespecting him as though he never meant anything to her. He reported Sophia to Joana, her cousin, but she denied her involvement. Sophia kept her secret affair with Mathew away from everyone. Shawn stopped worrying about her mischief and decided to carry out his investigation on her. On her way to work, he trailed her movement and found Sophia heading to a different route. He was confused and kept trialing and behold, her cab alighted in front of a big mansion. Shawn was devastated and knew his girlfriend was cheating on him. He took a photo of her for evidence and returned home, disclosing it to Joana, her cousin. Hard for her to believe, they waited for Sophia to return. As usual, she returned very late. Shawn confronted her and accused her of cheating, but she denied it until he showed her the evidence. She was stunned! She had no idea Shawn trailed her. Frustrated by her act, Shawn beats Sophia to a pulp and throws her out of his house. Now his father's words were starting to get to him. He regretted not listening to his father. Sophia left his apartment in pain and went crying in Matthew's arms.

Celeste Rodriguez and Trevor Fleming have been married for seven years. He treats her coldly throughout the marriage, but she faces it with a smile because she loves him deeply. She also believes she can melt his heart one day. However, all she gets is the news of him falling for another woman at first sight. He gives her all his care and concern, but Celeste stands strong. On her birthday, she flies abroad to be with Trevor and their daughter, Jordyn Fleming. To her devastation, Trevor brings Jordyn to meet his true love. They leave Celeste to spend the day alone. She finally gives up on him. She's also no longer hurt when Jordyn wants the woman to replace her as her mother. Celeste prepares a divorce agreement and gives up her custody rights. She leaves without another look back, cutting Trevor and Jordyn out of her life. All she needs to do now is wait for the divorce to be finalized. After giving up on her family and returning to the workplace, she easily makes a fortune. She shows the people who once looked down on her that she's better than they think. Celeste waits for her divorce certificate to arrive, but it never comes. She also notices that Trevor starts coming home more often when he's always refused in the past. He clings to her, too. When he learns that she wants a divorce, he drops his usual aloofness and pins her to the wall. "A divorce? That's not happening."

The room pulsed with heat as their bodies tangled in a mess of sheets and grudges, with their mouths meeting like clashing swords. “You kiss like you're trying to win,” she hissed against his lips as her nails dug into his shoulders. “Always turning intimacy into a competition.” He let out a low and cruel laugh, his hot breath grazing her neck. “Better than your usual performance. All drama, no delivery. You moan like you're auditioning for a role you'll never land.” She pushed him down on the bed and her blazing eyes locked on his. He grunted as her naked body pressed against his nudity. “Says the man who thinks grunting is seductive. You sound like a dying engine,” she whispered in his ear with a smirk. The corner of his lips slowly lifted. She gasped when his hands travelled down her hips and reached her ass. “And yet you keep coming back for the ride.” ***** When Alessandro Montrego demands a bride to settle a long-standing debt, the plan is simple: get married to the docile and sweet twin sister. But before the wedding, she vanishes into thin air. To fill the position, Sierra, a fiery and sharp-tongued twin, is forced to take her place. Sierra and Alessandro clash like fire and ice as they thrust into a world of power, secrets, and simmering tension. However, beneath the bickering lies a slow-burning passion that neither of them expected. The blade of fate sharpens as love blossoms in the shadow of duty. Loyalty is put to the test, secrets are revealed, and love may cost more than either of them can bear. Because in a world built on debts and deals, not every love story is meant to end happily ever after. Will their fate be changed?

From birth, I was rumored to be a witch who possesses an unknown power. And on getting to the world, I could tell you the exact time my life began to fall apart!. Luck in which I was told to have, ran out on me immediately, and life showed me nothing but how cruel it could be to me. Becoming a slave in your parent's house is not what you could pray for or even wish your enemy. Why it is so is still unraveled. "Come back here, Lucia!"My mother shouted, trudging after me as I ran far into the woods in escape. Fear filled my heart and I pray earnestly it won't kill me before the real death chasing me right now would come. "Run away, run away!"that was what my wolf kept chanting as it stirred unhappily inside of me. And I noted it to myself the dire need to escape from this death. It remains two more steps; just two more for me to cross the border to a new pack when I hit my legs on an unforseen stone that stood as a hinderance on the way.And before I knew it, I was in the air and almost reaching the floor. And when I finally did, it was with a thud!. "Arrgh....."I cussed out in groans and before I could attempt to move from the ground and take to my heels, she appeared- right before me. Then with blood-shot eyes,"Have always knew you aren't meant to be my daughter, Get up now, run into that house and pick out my favourite whip.....Lay on the bed unclad and wait just a second for me, for your usual punishment!"she ordered viciously. And at once; I knew I was a dead meat.

Tabitha tersenyum sinis ke arah Rino. “Kenapa? Lo kaget lihat gue, Rin? Nggak menyangka ya kalo ternyata gue ada di sini juga? Dan gue sudah dengar semuanya! Semua obrolan kalian berdua! Gue baru tahu kalau ternyata ada ya cowok yang sejahat lo, Rin! Jadi begitu rupanya? Lo anggap gue itu cuma sebatas cewek taruhan buat lo? Nggak ada artinya lagi kah gue selain itu, Rin? Menurut lo ... gue cewek kampungan? Culun? Kutu buku? Nggak cukup menarik ya buat lo? Nggak bisa bikin lo ‘naik’? Sorry ya, Rin! Sebelum lo menganggap diri lo itu cowok paling hebat yang bisa menaklukkan hati semua cewek, asal lo tahu aja ... lo nggak sehebat itu! Andai lo itu barang, dikasih gratis aja gue nggak mau terima, apalagi disuruh bayar! Karena buat gue, lo itu cuma cowok brengsek, jahat, nggak punya otak, yang pantasnya dibawa ke tukang loak terus ditukar sama piring! Tahu lo? Piring aja lebih berharga dan lebih berguna buat gue, daripada cowok kayak lo! Gue menyesaal ... banget pernah dekat sama lo, Rin! Cowok brengsek! Cowok nggak punya otak! Otak lo yang lo pikir cerdas bisa ngebodohin gue itu ternyata nggak lebih besar dari biji kwaci tahu nggak!” maki Tabitha, sebelum melangkah keluar dari warung kopi dan berlari menjauh. Rino melongo. Pemilik warung kopi bengong. Pemuda yang duduk di sebelah Rino bangkit berdiri sambil menahan tawa. “Kasihan lo, Rin! Udah otak lo cuma segede kwaci, lo mau dibawa ke tukang loak lagi! Ditukar sama piring!” Pemuda itu tertawa tergelak. "Diam lo!" bentak Rino. Malu. Pemuda itu semakin tertawa tergelak.

"Mommy!" seorang bocah laki-laki menghampiri Disya yang sedang duduk menikmati es krim bersama dengan ketiga sahabatnya di salah satu caffe. Disya tentu saja membelalakkan matanya, yang benar saja bocah laki-laki di depannya memanggil Disya dengan sebutan 'Mommy' padahal Disya masih duduk di bangku kuliah semester tujuh, dan lagipula Disya belum menikah, bagaimana mungkin dia sudah mempunyai anak? Kailash, nama bocah laki-laki itu. Rupanya dia salah mengira Disya Mommynya. Hingga akhirnya seorang lelaki menghampiri meja mereka. Disya sampai membelalakkan matanya, mulutnya menganga ketika melihat lelaki tampan itu. Devan, lelaki yang dipanggil 'Daddy' oleh Kai. Baru pertama kali bertemu saja, rasanya Disya langsung jatuh cinta. Memejamkan kedua matanya, sedikit membenarkan posisi duduknya, lalu menengadahkan kedua tangannya di depan dada. "Ya Tuhan... jodohkanlah hamba dengan Pak Devan, kalo Pak Devan masih ada istri, ambil saja istrinya!" "Astaga, Disya omogan kamu ih!" pekik ketiga sahabatnya berbarengan. Mereka tentu saja syok mendengar ucapan sembarangan yang diucapkan Disya beberapa detik yang lalu. "Sejak kapan kamu suka sama om-om hah?!" "Sejak hari ini!" Berbeda dengan Disya yang langsung terpikat, Devan malah melihat Disya dengan tatapan tidak suka. Namun, Disya akan tetap bertekad, dia harus mendapatkan hati Devan. Setelah menjadi detektif dadakan untuk mengamati Devan. Sebuah fakta yang berhasil membuat Disya merasa sangat senang. Devan hanya tinggal berdua dengan Kai, yang artinya Devan adalah seorang duda bukan? Benar! Tentunya itu adalah kesempatan besar untuk Disya mendapatkan hati Devan. Tidak perlu mengambil hati Kai—bocah itu sudah menyukai Disya sejak pertemuan pertamanya. Tugas Disya hanya mencari cara untuk mengambil hati Devan. Akankah Disya berhasil? "Otw jadi Mommy Kai." — Nadisya Queensa Fatyavia. "Ck! Gadis kecil!" — Devano Zayn Ganendra. ***

Ember accepted her lot in life. On the run, she only wishes to find out the truth behind her dreams and solve the memory of her past. Keegan has only cared about protecting his pack, but when he sees the beauty dancing on stage and the flicker of flames in her eyes his body screams, Mate! Can Keegan tame the flames of Ember and together solve the mystery of her missing past? Or will they all burn together? Excerpt: “This is the reason I’m always tired,” I think to myself. Twenty-four years of coming here and still not a single clue, but every time I close my eyes, I return to this place. I know my surroundings perfectly. Oddly the place is beautiful to the eyes. The old house sat among flowers growing around all sides. The aroma of honeysuckle and jasmine fill my lungs filling me with a moment's peace. I’m sitting in my usual spot. Gripping the ropes of a swing in the front yard held by a large oak tree. Waiting I begin pushing my legs back and forth sending me in motion. I know something is about to happen. It happens every night. The house moves in front of my eyes. I see the shadows coming, but I don’t stop swinging. They are black as night but I can see smiles within the shadow grinning bright. “What is this place!” I cry, fed up with this nightly repetition, but no sound emerges. A noise can be heard from the back of the house. One of the shadows turns toward it. I jump down to follow only to have the other shadow hold me back. “Don’t go. Not yet. Listen to me!”

Underestimated… That is what I have been almost all my life just because I am a female, a woman, a lady... but I understand… this world is filled with egotistic and chauvinistic men that need to be taught a lesson and I am more than happy to do so… My life has never been all fun and roses… I still had my mum and brothers but it will never be the same without my father. I may be of age. Far past the finding your mate age but that doesn’t mean I am in a hurry to get a mate not that I don’t want one. I do but I’m just not in a hurry. But the goddess and fate as always did the exact opposite of what my heart desired… they brought my mate to my doorstep and I took it with a determined heart but I was in for a surprise. My mate wanted another yet he didn’t want to let me go. He wanted to eat his cake and have it. He welcomed me into his home and pack with a happy face yet I was being disrespected, and ridiculed behind my back. I may act ignorant but I’m no fool. I like to plan my actions before I take it so that I would be well prepared for the consequences that may follow. And as usual my new pack comes first before my needs but that doesn’t stop me from showing my mate that he messed with the wrong bitch. Because I was named CHAOS for a reason. I am going to tear into his conscience and torment the living daylights out of him for I may be a bitch. But I am nobody’s bitch…