Breathe Artinya

Anita," her angelic voice calls to me. Thunder rumbles in the distance. Her soft, delicate hands caressing my face, sparkling green eyes grounding me from the dark past I wish I could forget. "You're safe, it's okay." I bring my hand up, running my finger over the mound of scar tissue. The constant reminder of that night. The raised bump covers the bullet fragment embedded in my sternum. She takes my hands as more thunder rumbles and tears roll down my cheeks. "Breathe Anita," she says in a soothing whisper. My lungs were burning with the need for air and it was then that I realized I'd been holding it. I take in a gasping breath and recall the first time my eyes met her green eyes. My sister had been lifted off me and my eyes opening had startled her. The first time she touched me gave me strength to hold on. I held her hand tight, trying to tell her what happened, but couldn't get enough breath to form words. Sitting in the present going through the same as I had five years ago. "They were all found, Anita. They can't hurt you anymore. It's just a storm. All the doors and windows are locked, the alarm is set. It's just you and me." "Will you keep the light on tonight, please?"

“I don’t want to be here.”I let out, weakly and tugged my face away from his hand. God! Where had all the oxygen gone to? I was finding it hard to breathe and he kept pressing his body against mine. “You look adorable when you lie.” He held my chin, forcing me to stare at him. “I am sure if I were to wrap your legs around my waist and fuck you against this door, you’d take my cock like a good girl.” He drawled, his cold eyes spearing into my soul. Heat pooled between my legs and I shook my head. **** Forced to marry Alora Ramos, Gael Torres vowed to remain in a loveless marriage with her. He gave her his rules. She wasn’t allowed to feel jealousy or any other possessive feelings towards him. They were in an open marriage where they could do whatever they wanted. But Gael never imagined Alora truly having extra marital affairs. And he definitely never imagined her getting involved with his cousin, the ruthless Don Lorenzo Armani. She had always been the docile little girl who followed him around. And then he realized that he might just end up breaking his own rules. Was it too late to get her back?

Christmas was just around the corner, and the head of the company asked us to choose between a bonus and a Christmas gift box for chocolate. I was not much of a sweets person, so I was the first to vote for the bonus. The intern collecting the votes immediately called me out by name in the team chat. "Ella, Christmas is supposed to be about the holiday spirit. Isn't choosing the bonus a bit materialistic?" Even the department manager tagged me. "Ella, the company values team spirit more than anything." In the end, everyone else picked the gift boxes. I was the only one who did not. When the Christmas party arrived, the intern had bought gift boxes filled entirely with nut chocolate. She knew I was allergic to nuts, yet she forced me to try some in front of everyone to show my team spirit. "Ella, this was bought with everyone's bonus money. You cannot just refuse, can you?" The next moment, I was struggling to breathe and a rash spread across my body. The intern looked at me with pure disgust. "Seriously, Ella, do you have to ruin the mood when everyone else is having fun?" I frantically searched my bag for my allergy medicine, but all I could find were a few pieces of chocolate. Seeing me in such a state, the intern laughed. "Medicine is only one part of it. You need more sweets anyway. I swapped your medicine for the chocolate in the gift box." My breathing was getting worse by the second. I quickly grabbed my phone and texted the CEO. [Dad, I'm having an allergic reaction. I'm at the…]

I never believed in second chances. Not after Cynthia. She was my confidant… until death tore her from me and left this mansion echoing with ghosts. Inilibing ko na rin ang puso ko kasabay ng pakamatay ni Cynthia . She was my wife. My peace. My mistake. Then her daughter moved in. Liza. The forbidden reminder of everything I shouldn’t want—young, alive, reckless in ways her mother never was. She looks at me like she sees through the monster I’ve become. Sa tuwing ngingiti siya,  the ache in my chest returns—violent, dangerous, hungry. Every brush of her skin ignites something I can’t bury anymore. I tell myself it’s guilt. I tell myself I’m just protecting her. Pero ang totoo? I want her. Hindi bilang stepdaughter. Not as Cynthia’s child. I want her as mine—completely, ruinously, irredeemably mine. They’ll call me a sinner. A man who crossed the line. Ngunit sa tuwing tinitingnan ako ni Liza, trembling, wanting... I knew I’d already crossed it. I tell myself I’m protecting her, but each night, the lie weakens. Because when she looks at me, it isn’t fear I see—it’s want. And God help me... I want her too. This isn’t love. It’s a beautiful disaster. And I’d burn the world just to feel her breathe my name again.

"Sign the papers, Zack. Three years was the deal. I’m done being your sanctuary." Zack stared at the man who had dragged him out of the dirt and taught him how to breathe again. Nathan Durand, the crown prince of the Cocolink syndicate, stood like a monolith of ice, his silver eyes devoid of the heat that usually scorched Zack’s skin in the dark. "Is it because of her?" Zack’s voice was a jagged glass fragment. "Because Madeline is back?" "It’s because you’re a liability," Nathan snapped, his jaw tight enough to crack bone. "I need a partner who carries a blade, not a ghost who jumps at shadows." THE BLURB Broken. Sold. Silent. Zackary Moreau spent a decade rotting in a basement, a secret prisoner of a man who used his rare bloodline as a laboratory experiment. When he finally breaks free, he doesn’t find liberty—he finds Nathan Durand. The lethal heir to the Cocolink mafia empire is everything Zack should fear: possessive, violent, and cold. But Nathan offers a bargain Zack can’t refuse: three years of marriage in exchange for a name that keeps the world at bay. Saved. Owned. Obsessed. For three years, they lived a lie that felt dangerously like a life. Nathan turned the shivering boy into a man of the syndicate, protecting him with a brutality that bordered on madness. But as the contract’s end date looms, the shadows return. Rival bosses want Zack’s blood, and a woman from Nathan’s past is back to claim the throne. On the eve of their anniversary, Nathan delivers the final blow: he wants a divorce.

"Ace...please...I had nothing to do with your father's death..." I whimper, protectively placing my hand over my abdomen. His grip tightens around my throat as my eyes water when I look into his eyes reddened by the effect of the alcohol that he has consumed. All I can see is my death looming over my head as I try my best to be able to breathe through my nose even if he is trying his best to block my airways. "Well, all evidence seems to state otherwise, bitch! You were the one leaking all information about us back to your father. And here I was...thinking that we had something..." his words slur but his actions are completely focused on me. Completely focused on killing me. I can feel it...I am not going to make it... ———————— I wanted to tell him that I didn’t ruin his empire. I wanted him to believe it. But he didn’t listen. And because of him, I ended up losing my baby growing inside me. I lost everything because of Alejandro Harrington. And I have spent the last two years running from him. But now he has finally found me. He is my new boss and to top it all off, I have to remain in this firm as his personal assistant. He still remembers everything and even now, he has no regrets about whatever he did. He’s here to make my life hell.

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.

Warning: Mature Content! “You should never feel shy around me Céline..." He trailed off as his eyes moved from her face to the mound of soft skin peeking out from atop her shirt. His fingers moved dangerously low, creating a path from her neck to her cleavage. Goosebumps formed on her skin, wherever his cold fingers traced. Céline held her breathe, her folds getting wet. *** Innocent, beautiful but heartbroken Celine Fayet is out for revenge. Unable to find peace until her parent's death is avenged, she chooses one wickedly enticing option to get the money she so desperately needs; marry Damien Culhane, sexy multi-billionaire. Except that Damien, drop dead gorgeous with his panty dropping smile, has no plans of getting married. Content with his playboy ways, he cruises among the elites, leaving a trail of aching hearts wherever he goes. Until he meets stunning Celine who makes him want to have a rethink. In a clash of stunning attraction, these two begin to play wicked sensual games and even as Celine knows that the deal between them is businesslike, she finds herself falling head over heels for Damien. But when she discovers a deadly secret, something that makes her choose between vengeance and Damien, devastated Celine is stuck between her head and her heart. Who should her loyalty lie with? Damien? Or her dead parents? A thrilling tale of love, lust and revenge.

THE MOON GODDESS CHOICE (A CARD OF FATE) Alpha King Carl Damien has decided to retire as the alpha of Moon Stone Fortress. He has two identical sons and they are both fit to become the next alpha of the pack. And soon he is faced with the reality of making a choice. Different worlds. Different personalities. Different goals. Different choices. One love for the same woman. Jayden Damien, a bad boy wolf as he is often called because every she-wolf wants him but his heart belongs to one woman. He loves the pack more than himself and he has an expectation of becoming the next alpha. Jayden feels he is stuck with responsibilities of the pack and he does his best at running things smoothly. But for some certain reasons, Jayden feels threatened by his twin brother’s reappearance in the pack. Chicago’s most wanted billionaire bachelor, Jaylen Damien’s life changed with a phone call. His father is ill and he is needed back home to be with him till he breathe his last. Jaylen is not interested in becoming the next alpha but he finds a reason to smile again when a woman got into his heart. His whole life is in Chicago but his heart is telling him to stay. And the choice is not easy to make. Meanwhile, rivalry, hatred, betrayal, power struggle in a fight for the throne ensued among the princes as Lorelei finds herself unwittingly caught between the Damien Brothers. This is the SEQUEL of Alpha’s Predestined Bride. You might need to read the first book to have a clear understanding of the story.

[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]. “I, Celeste Orion, princess of the cross-vale pack, reject you as my mate, i cast you aside alone, i see no future with you, as you are weak with no power and will only bring my ruin, i despise you” Those were the words I told my lover, breaking my Alphas soul, before he died, He is the ghost of my past, the love of my life, I betrayed him four years ago, Our love was forbidden, yet I abandoned my lover to his death that haunts me, only to find out he’s been alive all along. He had come back for me, now a ruthless king, back for revenge from my family’s torture and massacre of his blood line. He takes me as his captive. He is as cruel as ever, my first love I’ve rejected has come back as my ruthless captor, he hates the very air I breathe, and now he wants to punish me as his slave. He is my salvation and I am his plaything, his slave, he won’t let me go no matter what. And yet I don’t find myself escaping the very hell I set for myself anytime soon, as he takes me as his bed slave, But why? Why after all this time to feel still drawn to a ruthless man who wants nothing but to make my life a living hell?.