Bingkai Video Call

“Isang fake na relasyon. Isang tunay na kilig. Paano kung ang puso ang unang bumigay?” Hindi inakala ni Luna Reyes na ang simpleng pagtatrabaho sa isang coffee shop ay mauuwi sa viral na love story—at hindi rin niya inakalang billionaire pala ang tinapunan niya ng kape. Enter Ethan Villareal—isang mysterious, drop-dead gorgeous CEO na may sariling tech empire. Sa isang maling akala at trending video, napagkamalan silang magkasintahan ng publiko. Imbes na itama ang lahat, may alok si Ethan: pumayag na lang sa fake relationship kapalit ng tulong sa pangarap ni Luna—ang sarili niyang café. Walang commitment, walang feelings. Acting lang. Pero habang tumatagal ang palabas nila, parang hindi na scripted ang mga ngiti, hawak-kamay, at titig. At kung dati, kunwari lang ang kilig… ngayon, parang totoo na. Sa isang mundo kung saan lahat ay pwedeng pekein, paano kung ang puso nila ang maging totoo?

Vanesa harus menelan pil pahit, calon suaminya tak datang pada pernikahan mereka yang sudah akan digelar! Keynan, calon suaminya, telah dijodohkan ibunya dengan wanita lain di waktu yang sama. Dipermalukan sedemikian rupa membuat Vanesa menuntut pertanggungjawaban. Namun, yang ia dapatkan justru rangkaian takdir mengenaskan. Ia digagahi oleh empat pria misterius atas suruhan ibu Keynan. Ibu Vanessa pun tak kuasa untuk menahan emosi atas penderitaan anaknya, hingga akhirnya ia meninggal karena serangan jantung. Belum selesai penderitaan Vanessa sebelumnya, muncul video viral yang berisi dirinya saat digagahi oleh empat pria misterius. Hal itu membuatnya diusir oleh warga kampung karena dianggap menebar pengaruh buruk. Vanessa yang tak terima semua hal-hal buruk yang terjadi padanya pun bersumpah untuk menuntut balas pada keluarga Keynan yang telah membuat hidupnya hancur. Beberapa tahun kemudian, Vanessa muncul kembali sebagai sosok berbeda dan mulai melancarkan balas dendam!

It's nighttime, and I'm on the toilet with my phone. I fire up Battleborn Arena, ready to grind a few ranked matches. But an unknown number flashes on-screen and cuts me off. Annoyed, I decline the call, and a WhatsApp message pops up immediately. "Run! Edgar just snapped. He's going to kill us all!" My hands tremble. Edgar Maguire… Isn't he already dead?

The admissions office calls and says my daughter's admission fee has been paid, asking when I'll come to handle enrollment. I'm completely stunned. My daughter, Natalie Steward, is top of her class. She's already guaranteed a spot in the city's best high school, Dream High School, with no admission fee required. Upon questioning my husband, Arnold Lewiston, he claims the admissions office must've made a mistake. He says, "I just wanted to surprise you, so I pulled some strings with the principal to get her into the accelerated track. You should talk to the teachers and make sure we get the best homeroom teacher so I can look good." As soon as I end the call, I slam the accelerator and head straight to the admissions office. On my way there, I call Lynn Warrens, my best friend who works in the State Department of Education. "Help me check under whose name Arnold paid the admission fee for his illegitimate child. I'm going to withdraw them from the school!" I say.

Emma Blanton twists her ankle, and my fiance, Matthew Harrison, insists on becoming her personal chauffeur. When I voice my disapproval, he makes an even more outrageous decision. He moves Emma into my apartment at Bellemont District—the apartment I bought with my own money. He argues like he's the victim, "You're being selfish. She's injured, and living alone is too dangerous for her right now. I'm just being a decent human being. "And that place is sitting empty anyway. Having someone there helps with security." On the morning we were supposed to get our marriage certificate, he doesn't show up. I call, expecting apologies. Instead, I hear, "Emma had a fever this morning—101 Fahrenheit. I had to take her to urgent care. We can postpone getting the marriage certificate. Her health can't wait." To hell with postponing! I grab my phone and call David Rockefeller. "Do you want to marry me? Then get to City Hall. I'm serious—right now."

I die on my wedding night. When Zachary Gordon receives a call from the police asking him to identify my body, he snorts disdainfully. "Who cares whether she's dead? I'll be there for the funeral." "We're not joking, Mr. Gordon. You should come down here." He glances at the woman in his arms as a hint of impatience flickers in his eyes. "Fine."

Beta Max and I were at the Civil Affairs Bureau, ready to register our marriage. We were just waiting to take the final photo when he got a phone call and left. He abandoned me right there at the marriage registration office, leaving me stuck in an impossible situation. I called him—no answer. I messaged him—no reply. In the end, I had no choice but to call his childhood sweetheart’s number. Beta Max answered. “Louis, can you stop being so annoying? Grace twisted her ankle—I need to take care of her today. Stop calling and waking her up. We’ll reschedule the registration.” I bit my lip and murmured into the phone, “This makes it the seventh time we’ve rescheduled.” “So what? The Civil Affairs Bureau isn’t going anywhere—it’s not like it’s going to disappear!” My face was blank, but it felt like my heart was being carved open. A staff member looked at me with pity and asked, “Alpha Louis, are we still doing this?” I gave a small nod. “Yes. Let’s go through with it.”

Life was going smoothly for Zara after she left everything behind, just to elope with her high school lover. They left the country together with the money she was able to save, and got married. But it took a big twist when she found her husband cheating on her on their matrimonial bed. Due to chronic stress and emotional distress, she went into labour, and ended up losing her child all because of her husband’s cruelness. When she was discharged from the hospital, she got welcomed back with a divorce paper from her husband. Unable to face the pains and humiliation, she went back home, but it was too late. Her family had already disowned her. She had no choice than to make a phone call which she never thought she would make after what she did years ago. After the phone call, helicopters filled the sky around her. “Will you run away just like you did two years ago?” A smirk appeared on the billionaire’s face. “No. Let’s get married, today.” She proposed, her eyes filled with determination.

Gideon Snow presides over Oasis Vale. A warlord who dominates the battlefield, the king of the underworld, a country's military governor, the king of strength, the king of destruction, and the king of information… Many world-class giants are busy farming in Oasis Vale. When Gideon's fiancé, a female war hero, arrives to call off their engagement, he knows it's time for him to look at the outside world. The world will tremble at his feet.

Victor Jason Thompson, the last of the three boys in the Thompson family, an award-winning actor, and an Italian billionaire, has everything money could buy, but he never had love. Valerie Williams, an orphan with no place to call home and no one to show her love, suddenly finds herself thrust face-to-face with the Italian billionaire. Will true love prevail? Is their love strong enough to overcome external pressure? Let's read the book and find out.