Behind The Smile Book

Fresh out of college, Clara Stewart asked me to take on a $500,000 mortgage for her. When I refused, she turned around and bought an $800,000 villa in full, for another guy. Holding up the property deed, she told me: "Jayden, the truth is, I'm actually rich. I've been pretending to be poor to test you. Unfortunately, you failed. I'm disappointed in you. Let's break up." I simply smiled and walked away without a second thought. The irony? I'm the son of the richest man in the country. I was pretending to be broke, too. Fast forward four years, we met again at the National Wealth Summit. Clara had just barely made it into the top 50 on the list, clinging to the arm of Henry Brown as they entered. She spotted me in simple clothes with no visible brand, holding a child in one arm and the keys to a Porsche Cayenne in the other. Thinking I was someone's driver, she sneered: "Jayden, you really went all out just to see me again? Let's be real, you're just a driver now, and I'm on the wealth list. We live in completely different worlds. Don't waste your time fantasizing." I did not bother replying. Honestly, I was only there because my billionaire dad insisted. I had finally cleared a day to spend with my son and now I had to waste it on that.

Following the success of her two novels, Cela receives an offer for the TV adaptation of her stories but a third story has to be written soon to complete a three-story special. She is not in to the project until she rediscovers the paper bearing the address of the meeting place of her supposed first date with Nate. Now that her mother is no longer around to interfere, she becomes inspired to reunite with him after many years and hopefully write the third novel based on their new story. Unfortunately, he is now about to get married in two months. Disappointed with the turn of events, she decides not to meet him again. She visits their old meeting place and finds it a good place to write but unexpectedly meets him there. They agree not to talk to each other if they meet there again but fate leads them to meet again under different circumstances leaving them no choice but to speak to each other. Suddenly, Nate’s fiancée starts acting weird and suggests that he spend the weekend with Cela while she is away. Although it confuses him, he figures that it is her way of helping him get closure. The two spend one Sunday reminiscing the past expecting a closure in the end but the wonderful moment they share this time only makes it harder to achieve that closure so Cela has to put a stop to it saying, “Please don't think even for a second that there is still something left or something new to explore after everything that happened or did not happen. This is not a novel. This is reality. We don't get sequels or spin-offs in real life. We just continue. We move forward and that's how we get to the ending."

They meet in a quiet moments at dawn, a love so deep yet so painfully wrong. But the vows they took, the rings they wear are chains of promise they both must bear. Yet in the silence, their hearts still scream for the life together that can only be a dream. This is the story of Chris and Shey, their love that is left behind.

During summer break, I took my son, Luke Thorne, diving at our private beach. Ralph Foster, a hotshot TV actor, suddenly showed up with a whole entourage and barged in. "This is a private beach that Gloria personally secured for me to entertain VIPs. You two nobodies had better get lost right now!" He threw his weight around and even dragged my wife, Gloria Stokes, out as a threat. When he learned who I was, he went a step further and mocked me as a kept man living off my wife. I actually laughed. I was the head of the Thornes, the most powerful family in Frenkinston. Since when did I become some freeloading, useless husband? On top of that, Gloria's film studio and every bit of her backing came from me. But when Gloria arrived, she sided with Ralph and actually tried to force Luke to put on a show for some sleazy investors. Sneering, I made a call that only the head of the Thornes had the authority to make. "Shark Vanguard, clear Crescent Bay. Now."

After a devastating fire ends her career and fractures her memory, famed concert pianist Mila Renard retreats to the Halden Institute, a luxurious psychiatric clinic hidden in the Swiss Alps. Her goal is simple: disappear into silence, avoid the past, and never ask questions. But Halden is not the safe haven it pretends to be. Files vanish. Patients whisper. And her assigned psychiatrist, Dr. Adrien Kael, is as enigmatic as he is unorthodox. Drawn to Mila’s haunting music and unreadable silence, Adrien begins to suspect her amnesia is no accident. When strange accidents start to occur and fragments of that lost night resurface, Mila realizes she didn’t come to Halden by chance—she was brought here. Now, every answer uncovers a new danger. Because some memories were buried for a reason. And someone is watching, waiting, and willing to do anything to make sure the truth stays dead.

Athena Jade Calderon, girlfriend of Gabriel Venturri, who died seven years ago for unreasonably cause of death. She was abused and gang raped by gangsters. She was able to survived in that rape incident but the marks of abused haunted her every night. She got her justice when the suspects were sentenced in life imprisonment. After that incident, Athena lost everything, her pride, dignity, and even her obsessed love for Emmerson Rafique. The love that she's fighting for, but the reason now living a hell of misery. Only Gabriel Venturri and Ysabelle Fernandez who were there besides her giving love and moral support. But Emmerson leaving her behind just to avoid the scandal. Out of depression, Athena committed suicide because she wanted to end the pain and sufferings. When Athena died, Gabriel Venturri, her devoted boyfriend, almost lost his senses. Out of love and hatred, he wanted to take revenge against Emmerson Rafique by all means. When Arthur James Fernandez, his mentor and guardian, died in a car accident, Gabriel inherited the family business and become the guardian of his cousin, Ysabelle. Finally, knowing the whereabouts of Emmerson Rafique, in Tagaytay Elite Club, as one of the powerful members there. With the help of Brandt James Salvatierra, his business partner, was his great edge to meet and encounter with Albie Salvatierra, the owner of Tagaytay Elite Club. Through their powerful partnership, it's an easy access to the real target. With the help of Ysabelle Fernandez and Dennise Althea Salcedo, his plans for revenge against Emmerson Rafique was successful but became complicated afterwards. So, he must be facing the consequences of all his actions and wrong decisions. Would he be ready to face LOVE again at the most unexpected moment? With the least woman, that he could felt love and desires.

At just twenty-five years, she finds herself in a whole new world completely different from the one she grew up in. This new city is one that never sleeps nor slumbers, earnestly running on a 24/7 work system barely giving anyone the chance to catch their breath. With her best friend by her side, she sails through this unfamiliar way of life- long commutes, endless bills you name it. Life isn’t getting easier, but she manages to stay afloat and thrive. After about two years of living from paycheck to paycheck, her tireless efforts finally pay off when she lands a new job that promises to be sustainable. For the first time in her work life, things finally seem to be going as planned. She earns more and is now able to send enough money home to her family and have some left for herself. But just when everything seems to be perfect, things take a sudden turn left. A coworker accuses her of work malpractice, an allegation that could tear apart everything she has worked so hard for. With her reputation and livelihood on the line, will she be able to prove her innocence before it's too late or will one false accusation destroy the trust she gained from her boss and get her fired?

Chio Ghabila Alcoreza, daughter of the governor, is used to live her life away from her father. Halos kamuhian na ng sariling pamilya dahil sa mga isyung nakadikit na sa pangalan niya. They painted her as a girl who bedded men out of lust. As a skilled baker, her tita sent her to Priacosta to handle Rouseau. It is not her home, she believed. Ang kagustuhan niyang maging abogado ay naglaho dahil sa responsibilidad at buhay na naghihintay sa kanya sa Priacosta. Paano na kaya kung ang inaakalang kalmado at payapang buhay ay aanurin ng mga alon sa dagat sa sandaling makilala niya si Weino Miscreant Zaldego? Will the rebellious and stubborn marchioness of Priacosta tame the arrogant and snobbish young Zaldego? Kakalma kaya ang dagat kasabay ng pagtatago ng araw sa likod ng mga alon? Because when it is Priacosta, she makes the rules. Amiche Series #5

He was everything they warned her to stay away from. He was the kind of man she would never have wanted to associate with. But how and why did she fall for him, even when he degraded her? He made it known to her that she was a nobody to him, yet she couldn't leave him. Astrid Peyton becomes the fiancée of a young billionaire, Darius Titan, who is rumoured to be a heartless dominant. She is determined to prove the world, especially her mother, that they are wrong about him. Nikoleta Titan, Darius's mother, is diagnosed with cancer. She is excited to find out that her son is engaged to someone, as she feels like he only uses people to get what he wants. This brings her and Astrid very close. But what happens when Astrid finds out that Darius is everything they say he is? What if he's worse? Did she really not grow on him, like she usually did other people? Will she stay with him, even after everything he has put her through?

Sarah is a struggling journalist who prefers gritty stories over the superficial glitz of the wealthy elite. But when she's assigned to interview notorious billionaire playboy Daniel Blackwood, she knows it's a challenge she can't pass up. Sarah knows this is her chance to make a name for herself, but she never imagined the interview would take such a shocking turn. In exchange for access to information about his business dealings and wealth, which would ultimately boost her career, he wants her to be his wife. Sarah is caught off guard, struggling to weigh the benefits against the risks. She is torn between her career aspirations and the unconventional proposal. Can she take the risk and agree to a marriage of convenience with a man she barely knows? Or will she let go of the opportunity and work her way up the ladder on her own terms? The stakes are high, and Sarah's decision will change the course of her life forever.