Bato Bato Pick

My husband, Francis Zouche, thought we weren't well-off and could not afford to raise a child. So, he forcibly took me to the hospital to get an abortion. Right after the surgery, I discovered that he had transfered 200 thousand dollars to his first love, Heidi Colman, for her birthday. Out of pure rage, I got into a huge fight with him in the car, which led to an accident that killed us both. When I opened my eyes, we had returned to the day before our wedding. In our previous life, we were married for ten years. We weathered storms and supported each other, but Francis never wanted us to have a child of our own. On the day I died, I finally understood that the one he loved was Heidi. After getting a second shot at life, I decided to fulfill his wish. We canceled the wedding, blocked each other's phone numbers, and never contacted each other again. Eight years later, Francis became a top lawyer in Alvren and publicly proposed to Heidi at a law forum. Seeing that I was still single, he mocked me with a sneer, "Yvette, I know you loved me for two lifetimes. But I am getting married now. Don't keep waiting for me to come back to you." I glanced at him wordlessly and bent down to pick up my daughter before walking away. As a shocking realization hit him, his eyes reddened. He questioned furiously, "Didn't you promise to love me forever and to only give birth to my children?"

Late one night after getting off work, I was scrolling through my company group chat when a colleague shared a piece of news. The headline was horrifying. "Night-Shift Courier Murdered During Delivery, Police Suspect Robbery." I zoomed in on the crime scene photo that had been partially pixelated, and a chill ran straight down my spine. Lying in a pool of blood, the courier who had been hacked to death was unmistakably me. I had scrolled into news of my own death. Almost at the same time, my delivery app began vibrating violently. "Urgent pickup! Destination: Unit 704 Hawthorne Ridge Apartments, Building 7. Time limit: 15 minutes. Penalty for timeout: Death." As I stared at the notification that read "Pickup failed three times", the searing pain of my brutal death surged through my body. So that was it. I had already died three times. When I forced open the half-closed security door of 704 for the fourth time, a thin delivery envelope lay quietly inside. I tore it open. A photograph slipped out. It was a picture of my dismembered body. The timestamp showed tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. On the back was a single line written in fresh blood: "Next time, remember to pick it up on time." At that moment, the red indicator light on the hallway surveillance camera suddenly went dark. I looked up. From the ventilation opening in the exact same spot, a single eye was staring straight at me. The mole at the corner of that eye was identical to mine.

Malachi Brooks is a wealthy, eligible bachelor with everything going for him. He is living the life many would want, but he is missing something - The love of a real woman. Of course he has the pick of any woman he chooses; women would bend over backwards to bare his children. He is very attractive, intelligent and he has a lot to offer but he wants something different than what has been getting. Brianna Martin wants something other than being a booty call. She is a thick sistah with a lot going for her. She wants to find real love with a real man who would appreciate her for being her. Lately, Brianna has been thinking it's inevitable for her to be single for the rest of her life. On his way to work, Malachi sees the woman of his dreams but doesn't know how to get in touch with her. Yet he is determined to find out who she is. Meanwhile, Brianna gets an inappropriate phone call that livens things up for her. She does the unthinkable and steals the caller’s number to hunt him down. She’s intrigued to find out who is behind that sexy voice. As luck would have it, Brianna finds the caller and begins calling him to give him a taste of his own medicine and they click! A meet-up is planned between Brianna and the caller. Brianna is hesitant and decides to have a back up plan. The plan goes awry leaving confessions needing to be made. Will Brianna be able to come clean? Will Malachi see Brianna for who she really is?

After three miscarriages for Xavier Lowe, I see it—my mother-in-law has three years left, my father-in-law nine years, and my sister-in-law two years. I say nothing. After the third miscarriage, my mother-in-law blames me, calling me a curse who "kills" children. My sister-in-law sneers, saying she almost died in a car crash the year I married Xavier—as if my bad luck dragged her down. My mother-in-law snaps, "She can't even keep a child. It must be because she's cursed!" Xavier just stands there, silent. He doesn't say a single word for me. I know that, deep down, he believes that I bring bad luck. Maybe it's also because he already has someone else—his secretary, Yvette Snyder. His mother has always liked her better, and he clung to her the night I lost my third child. I don't explain because I know the truth will only destroy them faster. On my 28th birthday, I catch a glimpse of my own countdown in the mirror. On that day, I take a leave of absence. I go to the funeral home and pick out an urn—pure white, just like the wedding dress I once wore. Wearing a beautiful floral dress, I text Xavier, asking him to meet me at the lake where we first met ten years ago. I wait from daylight until nightfall as my countdown ticks to zero. I die, and he never shows up.

Fire suddenly breaks out at the hotel where we're hosting our wedding. My fiance, Alan Godwin, doesn't hesitate to pick up Brenda Larkin, my cousin who has already collapsed out of fright, and rush out to safety. Meanwhile, my parents and older brother hurriedly cart away the wedding gift Brenda has made. They don't want her to get sad if the gift is damaged in any way. As for me, I've twisted my ankle, making it inconvenient for me to escape from the hotel. Everyone has already forgotten all about me, so I end up getting severe burns all over my body. When they look at the bandages wrapped around my body, they shoot me disgusted looks. "Why are you such a jinx? How is it possible for a fire to break out at your own wedding? Thanks to you, Brenda has fainted out of shock!" "Well, it's not like you're suited for any public appearances when you look like this, anyway. Brenda's figure is similar to yours. Why don't you let her replace you in the wedding?" I just nod calmly and agree to the suggestion. After that, I sort out the details of getting dispatched overseas for my job with my boss. One month later, I board my flight on the day Brenda is set to wed Alan. I no longer want Alan, who's blind to the truth, and my family, who are nothing but biased toward Brenda. But why is it that they are filled with regret after I leave them?

I am in such a rush to pick up my daughter, Ava Pennington, from school that I don't have time to change out of my work attire. At the kindergarten gates, I run into the mother of one of her classmates, Candice Austin. She sizes me up from head to toe and says, "You must be Ava Pennington's mom." I politely nod. Just as I am about to say hello, her expression suddenly sours. "It's no wonder your daughter dresses so skimpily at school. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?" I am so mad that I nearly forgot to respond. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Candice clicks her tongue and grows even more aggressive. "Nonsense? Your daughter wears skirts to school every day. She's distracting my son so much that his grades have slipped." Her words leave me utterly speechless. How is her son's failing grades somehow Ava's fault? When I don't respond, she gets bolder. "Look at you dressed from head to toe in cheap junk; how can you afford to send your daughter to this elite kindergarten? You must have pulled some shady strings to sneak her in through the back door, didn't you?" Has she lost her mind? Since when does Ava need strings to attend the school I built?

Lucas Martin had never been so tolerant since his transfer to White Day High after being expelled from Aspho. He would recklessly use his newly-discovered Fire Starter skills to protect himself, but always been stopped by his cousin Moon Martin. But his misconception about him not needing anyone made him drove Moon away as he always did. When he learned about the news of an upcoming Tournament game, he started to partake and hoped that he will be selected to be a part of the school's group. He will soon realize how bad his transfer into White Day High had gotten after the Aspho Principal, Mister Vacio, insisted on his approval to either transfer back to Aspho High or stop participating in the White Day's group. Lurking with this dilemma wan an identity that said to be Lucas' past self that he didn't know if it's true or not. But as he continued fighting over his stay at his school with the rage of everyone and the aim to defeat Aspho High, he started to pick up pieces of information regarding the past self he was told while the tournament slowly come. Those intricate circumstances left Lucas with no other option but to defeat Aspho High with the hatred he has for Mister Vacio who kept getting onto his ways. The Division Skills Tournament was about to confront what its nature has only hinted from hearsays and its danger no one dared to whisper. The life-or-death fight over the victory of his school has a lot to hide than anyone anticipated.

The moment they released the year-end audit notice, I just stared in disbelief at the mention of my car, which I had paid for in full and in cash. It was boldly listed under the company’s fixed assets. “Our company practices a ‘family-friendly’ culture. What’s yours is the company’s. We’re a family. There’s no need to get picky about what’s yours or mine.” As if that was not enough, the company fired the driver and handed the chauffeuring duty to me. “Here’s the reception schedule for this month. Also, please pick up my dad at Babolle at 3 a.m. tonight.” My expression had darkened. Nonetheless, the human resources manager continued, “In a family, there’s no ‘yours’ or ‘mine’. My dad is your dad, right?” I was so furious that I almost exploded. ​ “I’m taking my car back, then!” She immediately took out a loan contract. “Simple. Pay by instalments. Work here for three years and you can ‘buy’ back your car.” So not only did I have to work as a driver for free, but I also had to pay to reclaim my car. Ever since the human resources manager parachuted in, she cut perks and cancelled vacations. She even started to dig into my wallet! “I quit!” She sneered. Then, she brandished a thick employee handbook. “Clause 1867 states that an employee who resigns of their own accord will need to pay double their salary. You’re under a six-month probation starting from now. Pass it, then you can leave.”

Elara "Ella" has two secrets. The first? She's been secretly dating Damon Silverton, the star hockey player and the most popular guy in school, for nearly a year. He asked her to keep their relationship hidden until he was ready to go public. Ella agreed, even though it hurt to watch other girls, especially head cheerleader Sera Moon, throw themselves at him every day. The second secret? Ella is a werewolf. But her wolf has always been quiet, buried deep beneath years of bullying and rejection. No one knows. Not even Damon. When Damon promises to announce their relationship at the season's biggest hockey awards night, Ella finally lets herself hope. She sits in the front row, heart racing, ready to be seen. Ready to be chosen. But when Damon wins Best Player and Ella stands up, declaring her love for everyone to hear, he looks right through her. And calls Sera's name instead. The laughter still echoes in her ears three days later as she hides in her room. "Fatty." "Loser." "Did she really think he'd pick her?" On her fourth day back at school, broken and humiliated, Ella collides with someone in the hallway. A new student. Tall, intense, with eyes that seem to see straight through her walls. Her wolf, silent for eighteen years, suddenly explodes inside her chest with one undeniable truth: "Mate." But Kael Thorne isn't just any new student. He's a hockey player too. And he has no intention of letting the guy who broke his mate's heart get away with it.

Selina Anderson, a perfect teenager whose life meant nothing but sadness and dull grayness of the world. Oblivious of the secrets her parents hid behind. A power she possessed that neither she, herself, does not know. A power that could either destroy or create worlds. A day without ruthlessness of reality, a day without confronting the cold – Selina decides to pick a book on a winter day. Only to discover that it wasn’t any normal book she’s holding onto her hands. It was a portal – a path to a world of magic. Upon her arrival to this world, slowly, she uncovers the secrets her parents hid all these years. She discovers her true self. But upon finding the truth about everything she thought she knew – she found herself in the face of disdain. Would there ever truly be enough answers to her questions? Will she accept the truth? Or will she be the destroyer of worlds? -- **She suddenly sat up, her light blue hair swaying on her back. "But hey, at least you could always ask me if you want some kind of space or something." She looks at me with the brightest smile pasted on her face. A smile slowly formed on my face as I looked at her. Her smile was like this infectious thing that would brighten the whole room. I sat up and glanced down on the mirrored ground - I could see my own reflection. Blonde hair, red eyes looking right straight at me, a smile. But the smile was almost evil in the reflection. I closed my eyes, the smile that found its way on my face disappeared. "Don't stop smiling." I look up to see Lyv gazing at me softly, observing me. "You look beautiful when you smile."**