Ban Hammer

After three years of living with my wife’s family, everyone thought they could treat me like a pushover. Me? I’m just waiting for her to hold my hand before I can give her the world.

Matapos mamatay ng aking asawa sa isang car accident, walang sawa akong nagtrabaho sa pagpapatakbo ng isang maliit na restawran upang palakihin ang aking anak na si Henry. Bago ang kasal ni Henry, nanalo ako ng walong milyon sa lotto. Tuwang-tuwa ako, nagpasya akong ibenta ang restaurant at sa wakas ay tamasahin ang pagreretiro. Kaya naman, tumawag ako upang sabihin kay Henry ang tungkol sa pagbebenta ng restaurant, ang kanyang karaniwang magalang na fiancee ay nagbago ang ugali. "Hindi mo naman inaasahan na susuportahan ka namin, 'di ba? Halos kaka-simula lang natin magtrabaho!" Binantaan niya pa si Henry, "Kung gagastusan mo ang mama mo gamit ang pera natin, hindi na natin itutuloy ang kasal!" Nakipagtalo sa kanya si Henry ngunit pagkatapos ay sinigurado, at nangako siya, "Nagsumikap ka na nang husto, Ma. Aalagaan kita." Gumanda ang pakiramdam ko, Binalak kong bigyan siya ng dalawang milyon para makapagsimula ng negosyo. Kinabukasan, nakatanggap ako ng tawag na nagsasabing si Henry ay nasangkot sa car accident at agad na nangangailangan ng limampung libo para sa operasyon. Agad kong ipinadala ang pera, ngunit pagkatapos, nawala si Henry. Desperado, matapang akong dumaan sa isang bagyo upang hanapin siya sa lungsod niya, ngunit napunta lamang ako sa isang kasalan sa isang mamahaling hotel. Naroon si Henry, nakikipag-toast sa isa pang babae “Ma.” Ah, at ang katabi niya? Ang aking “patay” na asawa mula noong nakaraang sampung taon.

Before the day of my husband's succession as the Don, my stepsister personally tattooed the "Inverted Angel's Eye"—the mark of a traitor—onto my back. My husband didn't just turn a blind eye; when the family vendetta broke out, he withdrew all the elite guards to protect my "pregnant" stepsister, leaving me alone in a defenseless city to face the slaughter.  "Elena, you are strong enough to protect yourself. But Sophia is fragile, and she is carrying my firstborn. She needs the protection more than you." Facing a siege of heavy firepower, I survived by the skin of my teeth. He thought I would swallow the insult for the sake of the family's reputation. He didn't expect that I would kick open the doors of his coronation ceremony wearing mourning weeds, flanked by the FBI and the Commission, and personally strip him of his title. "Goodbye, Lorenzo. This time, I choose to be the Don."

She was his mate, and instead of loving her, he banished her when she killed the love of his life...

Shortly after we said "I do," the Family sent my husband, Dario, down to the Mexican border. He told me it was a meat grinder down there—cartel territory. where guys were zipped into body bags every day. He said he had to go—to expand the territory, for the glory of the Family. He claimed it was too dangerous and that his enemies would paint a target on my back, so he wouldn't take me with him. I believed him. I stayed behind in his old, rot-infested house in New Jersey, taking care of his bitter, spiteful parents. I spent my days and nights in the Family's moldy laundromat, washing bills stained with blood. He told me he sent every dime he made down there to the widow of a brother who took a bullet for him. He asked me to be understanding. I never complained. Day after day, I pressed expensive suits in that humid laundromat, waiting for him to come home. It wasn't until the eighth year that a mobster came back drunk. When I asked about Dario, he froze, then sneered at me through a haze of alcohol. "Dario? Are you kidding? He’s been a King in Manhattan for years. He’s the youngest Underboss of the Corleone family." I stood frozen, the iron in my hand burning a hole right through a shirt. "And he got married seven years ago. Biggest cathedral in New Jersey. Half the mob was there to toast the groom..." He pulled a crumpled photo from his leather jacket. Snuggled up against my husband was a woman in a high-end couture gown—the very same "poor, widowed sister-in-law" he had told me about. The next day, I contacted a fixer who specialized in fake IDs. On the application for a one-way ticket to Europe—a ticket to vanish off the face of the earth—I filled in the fake name I had prepared long ago. He trapped me for seven years with a sham marriage. From now on, I’d be done with this damn loyalty.

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.

Apa jadinya jika dua orang yang saling membenci harus terpaksa menikah karena insiden pembunuhan misterius yang terjadi disekitar mereka? Gerlan amat membenci Lura karena sifatnya yang kurang ajar dan terlalu suka mencampuri urusannya. Sedangkan Lura, begitu membenci Gerlan karena sifatnya yang kasar dan terlalu semena-mena. Lalu, bagaimana jika salah satu diantara mereka ada yang jatuh cinta? Apakah perasaannya akan terbalaskan?

Latri sangat bersyukur akhirnya dapat mengandung kembali. Bahkan, buah hati keduanya berjenis kelamin laki-laki, sesuai dengan permintaan ayah dan sang ibu mertua. Latri senang bisa menjadi menantu yang berguna. Kebahagiaan hanya berlangsung sebentar, calon bayinya meninggal. Pupus sudah harapan terbesar Latri. Ia sempat terpuruk. Namun, sang suami membawa seorang bayi lucu ke rumah. Mereka akan mengangkatnya sebagai anak. Dan, saat Latri benar-benar menaruh rasa sayang yang besar pada bayi itu. Maka, ia tertampar kenyataan begitu pahit. Hilang sudah kepercayaan pada sang suami. Pria itu bukan suami terbaik, ia telah disuguhkan kebohongan yang apik. Rasa benci pun mengalahkan keinginan untuk mencintai balik Wirya. Bahkan, hendak berpisah.

Sophia Harvey has spent fifteen years waiting for the boy who promised her the world. But the boy she loved is gone. In his place stands Lucian Grey, a cold, powerful Alpha billionaire who looks at her with nothing but pure, burning hatred. To him, she isn't a gift from the Moon Goddess. She is a curse, a living reminder of a blood feud that destroyed his family. When the mating bond finally snaps into place, it isn't a dream come true. It's a nightmare. Lucian doesn't want her heart, he wants to break her pride. He uses his wealth to strip her of her home, forcing her into his world just to watch her suffer. Between his freezing indifference and his sudden, terrifying bursts of possessiveness, Sophia is drowning. She's tired of begging for a love that isn't there. She's tired of being the only one fighting for a bond that feels like a prison. Now, she’s ready to do the unthinkable. She’s walking away. But as the countdown begins, the air between them thickens with a raw, dangerous tension. Is it hate, or is there a fire buried beneath the ice? The clock is ticking. They have exactly sixty days left before the mating bond is called off forever. Two months to survive each other. Two months to find out if they are truly fated, or if they were always meant to be enemies.

Seraphina: On my 16th birthday, my world collapsed. If not for the events of that night, I might have followed the path laid out for me—attending magic academy, marrying Stephen, and eventually succumbing to the fate that awaited all Moonbane under the cursed red moon. The red moon both empowers and destroys us. This curse has haunted my family for generations, but it’s not a fate I am willing to accept. Ambrosius: I’ve heard countless stories about Moonbane—their beauty, their strength. Some say they are the closest to immortality of all the ancient families. I wanted that power. I wanted to possess it completely. And then I met her.