Cebuano Numbers

At the annual company raffle, I had barely stepped onto the stage when my supervisor, Lily Smith, pressed a crumpled slip of paper into my palm. "A special reward for our top salesperson," she chirped. "Go ahead, open it. Let everyone see." Under the eager gaze of the crowd, I unfolded the note. Written in messy handwriting were the words: Clean the company toilets for three days. The room erupted in laughter. Lily folded her arms, cocked her head, and smirked at me. "Nice, right?" she said. "Everyone knows those sales of yours came from sleeping with old men. Dirty money. To keep things fair, the others get a break, and you pick up a little extra work. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" The laughter surged again, nearly lifting the roof. From the side of the room, my boyfriend, Seth Hoffman, the company's CEO, watched everything unfold. As usual, he said nothing in my defense. They all thought I would fall apart, cry, or make a scene. Instead, I simply gave a calm nod. The very next day, the company was hit with over three hundred property cancellations. Its cash flow collapsed overnight. That was when Lily and Seth rushed to me, demanding I go plead with the buyers. I smiled and said, "No thanks. I wouldn't want to help the company recover and end up with strong numbers again. That might make everyone even more uncomfortable."

“$100,000!” yelled a man with a golden tooth and a scar that looked like it had been carved by a bear. “$200,000!” “$300,000!” The numbers climbed, each one a nail on my coffin. “$1 million.” The entire room froze and practically everyone turned towards the deep commanding voice. "Going once... The Princess of Sinaloa, Sold for $1 million!" *************************** Lola Volcan lived as the princess of Sinaloa believing her family’s wealth came from tequila exports. Her life falls apart when her father is murdered. She is sold by family to the Cali Cartel, led by the merciless Ramon Cali. A man whose name alone silences entire cities. Everyone expects the sheltered princesa to break. But under her delicate innocence burns a volcano of cunning mischief, defiance and rage that is fueled by betrayal. Ramon is enchanted by her wits, courage and beauty as he drags her into his world of luxury, danger and violence. As Lola plots her revenge against the family that betrayed her, she is also working against the Cali Cartel. She finds herself caught in an erotic entanglement with the man who now owns her. Their twisted game of manipulation grows into dangerous obsession and passion. He realizes her sabotage but is already head over heels for her. When the rival Gomez Cartel declares war, Ramon does the unexpected. Lola Volcan rises from the ashes of betrayal, daring to rewrite her destiny. In her vengeance will she spare the man who not only owns her body but now her heart too. Or will she crush him along side all who betrayed her?

One night of reckless passion. A lifetime of consequences. Selene Flores never imagined her fifth anniversary would end with her heart shattered into pieces. Catching her boyfriend in bed with her best friend was the final straw—five years of forgiving his betrayals, gone in an instant. Drowning her sorrows at Eclipse, Manila's most exclusive club, Selene makes a decision that will change everything: give away what she's been saving to a devastatingly handsome stranger. No names, no numbers, no strings attached. Just one night to forget the pain. Drake Valencia didn't plan on being captivated by the heartbroken woman at the bar. As heir to a real estate empire, he's used to getting what he wants—but she disappears before dawn, leaving him with nothing but memories of the most intense night of his life. Dayss later, Selene walks into a conference room and comes face-to-face with her one-night stand. Drake Valencia. Her new boss. And he has no intention of letting her slip away again. What starts as an impossible attraction becomes an undeniable connection. But navigating a relationship built on secrets, societal pressure, and a night they were supposed to forget won't be easy. His family's disapproval, her career ambitions, and the scars of her past threaten to tear them apart. From strangers to lovers, from passion to partnership—can a relationship born from one reckless night survive the weight of forever?

My mom is 71 years old. Thanks to her arthritis acting up, she's in so much pain that she can't descend the stairs at all. She tentatively calls me and asks if she can rent an apartment that comes with an elevator of its own. But my wife, Lucy Glaser, brings out the household ledger and points at the red numbers on the pages. "Last month, you bought yourself a tie, which is 300 dollars beyond our monthly budget. Yet now you're planning on adding another impulsive expense?" Only then do I realize that I don't even have the freedom to buy myself a tie despite earning an annual salary of tens of millions of dollars. My mom is still trying to explain herself in a humble tone over the phone. "Oh, please don't feel troubled about it, Caleb. I was just asking on a whim. I've already grown used to my old home anyway…" After I end the call, I feel rather stuffy in my chest. What's there for me to feel troubled about? After all, I'm a partner of a top-tier law firm who earns tens of millions of dollars every year. The one who keeps standing in my way is Lucy, who's only a mid-level lawyer yet insists on controlling my finances. She also calls herself the best candidate for the household asset allocation.

My best friend is a death angel named Faro, and my father works for the devil. I am an incubus demon who has a talking cat named Samson, who happens to be a cursed wizard stuck to live his life as a black cat, an annoying companion who sheds entirely too much. Being an incubus I survived solely on the pleasures of the flesh. I was Dipping my dick into a different woman almost every night for the past hundred years. Whether paid for or brought home to my penthouse from the local watering hole I had company quite frequently to feed my hunger. Cursed to earth I had unlimited wealth and countless numbers of females to recharge me at whim. My punishment from Lucifer wasn't all that bad. At least it wasn't until a wisp of a female brought me to my knees. Could I fall in love, for real? It was inconceivable even though I was named for it; it was the furthest from who and what I was. I was, at the very least, an uncaring prick. Could someone like me know what love was and did I want to know? That's the real question I asked myself. This is my story of how my demon heart started to beat after centuries of being a cold obsidian stone by a young redheaded female with unique secrets of her own. Could she love me enough to walk through the fires of hell for me? This is her story...

"After witnessing his parents’ doomed love affair, serial playboy Ash Younger decided long ago that love was not meant for him. With his charm and good looks, he’s never lacked for beautiful women. He may push numbers as an accountant by day, but by night, he’s only interested in having a woman in his bed. Yet the night he encounters a mysterious—and gorgeous—widow who doesn’t immediately fall under his seductive spell, Ash realizes he wants her more than he’s ever wanted another woman. Following the loss of her husband two years ago, Violet Fielding wants to focus on two things: her jewelry business and beginning her life anew in the small town of Fair Haven, Washington. She doesn’t have time for men or romance, and she certainly doesn’t have time for a man who’s a well-known playboy and younger than her. Violet already found the love of her life in her husband, and after his death, she knew she could never love anyone again. But when Ash kisses her, all of her plans and promises are turned upside down. A passion stronger than either Ash or Violet could imagine envelops them both one night—and that night changes everything. As old heartbreaks threaten to tear the couple apart, both must find the courage to see that, of all things, love is worth a second chance."

One keystroke can dismantle an empire. One touch can burn it all down. Zlliot “Zli” Lukeson is known as The Ledger. A forensic accountant for the elite Camelot Unit, he doesn’t kill with bullets—he kills with bank accounts. Driven by the cold, jagged memory of his sister’s execution, he’s spent years tracking the blood money of the Crimson Dragons. He’s calculated every move, accounted for every risk, and prepared for every variable. Except for Ronan Hwan. Ronan is the Syndicate’s crown prince—a brilliant, rebellious lion drowning in the shadow of his ruthless matriarch mother. He’s hedonistic, sharp-edged, and plagued by a pain only power can numb. When a mysterious, observant stranger named "Mike" walks into his nightclub, Ron doesn't just see a conquest; he sees a challenge he’s been craving his entire life. What starts as a lethal game of cat-and-mouse in a New York penthouse spirals into a volatile collision of grappling, shattered glass, and forbidden heat. Zli is there to steal Ron’s secrets; Ron is determined to keep the man who tried to kill him. Now, trapped between a vengeful agency and a possessive mafia heir, Zli must decide: is he the predator, or has he finally met the man who will put him in a gilded cage? In the city of New York, the numbers always balance. But when vengeance meets obsession, the cost is more than either man can afford to pay.

Book Three of The Luminary Quartet The bears were currently considered enemy number one, right alongside the elders of my species. The problem was, I didn't know them as that. To me, they were simply friends, family even. My mother's mate had been a bear shifter, and I had ultimately found my own other half within the Ursidae family, as well. Everything had been perfect for a single moment in time, and then I was fleeing my home, right after rejecting the bastard who thought he could put his hands on me. I vowed two things then: to never return and to never give a male that much power over me again. Yet, Luna apparently had some twisted plan laid out for my life because circumstances seemed to keep arising, bringing me ever closer to Reese in spite of my best intentions. The wolves' rapidly declining numbers sent us careening across the county in a race to prevent the destruction of our species by the bears, though I struggled with picking sides. New and old faces appear along the way as rogues and other heretofore unknown foes emerge to stop us, making it difficult to know who to trust during these tumultuous times. Will Scarlett hold fast to her deep-rooted beliefs during the journey, or will her perceptions shift as much as the reality she returns home to? *Note: While the main characters in each book will receive their HEA, I wouldn't recommend reading them out of order due to the overarching storyline that continues throughout them all. ***Warning*** This book is intended for adults 18+. It contains mature themes and adult language. Please read at your own discretion.

Rhea Thorn, daughter of the ruthless Alpha of Thornridge, has her life shattered when the Moon Goddess marks her with an unthinkable fate, her destined mate is Kael Blackthorn, the youngest and most feared Alpha of her pack’s sworn enemies. What should be a divine blessing feels like a curse, chaining her to a man her family and people would rather see dead. Drawn together by the bond they cannot sever, Rhea and Kael are forced into secret meetings, torn between duty to their packs and the magnetic pull that only grows stronger. But the world around them is far more dangerous than forbidden love. Rogue wolves begin appearing in unnatural numbers, branded with a mysterious mark and moving like soldiers under someone’s command. Their attacks threaten both Thornridge and Blackthorn lands, hinting at a darker force manipulating the feud to ignite all-out war As suspicion grows, Rhea struggles to hide her bond from her father and her loyal cousin Kade, while Kael risks everything to protect her from the shadows. Their secret is exposed in blood and fire when rogues descend on Thornridge and Kael himself fights beside her, revealing their connection before both packs. Betrayal, shifting loyalties, and whispers of war leave Rhea torn between her bloodline and the mate the Goddess chose for her. At the heart of the conflict lies a chilling truth: someone is orchestrating ruin, driving rogues like weapons and branding them with a new symbol of power. To survive, Rhea and Kael must decide whether to sever the bond and live painful, hollow lives or embrace it and defy their world. If they choose each other, they may save the packs or they may be the spark that burns them all to ash.

My husband, Finn Dawson, and I get into a car crash on our way home for the holidays. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back to before Finn and I started dating. In my past life, we were married for seven years. We got along well enough, yet he refused to give me a child. Only later did I find out it was because he was still hung up on his true love. Now that I've been reborn, I decide to give him what he wants. He and I delete each other's numbers and keep our distance. We choose wholly different paths in this life. Seven years later, Finn becomes one of the world's best traders. He and his true love, Yvonne Gray, make things official during a class reunion. When he sees that I'm alone, he can't help but mock me. "I know I'm the one you love most, despite living two lives, Sylvia. You don't have to keep waiting around for me, though." I ignore him and hold my son's hand. The blood drains from Finn's face when he sees this, and his eyes turn bloodshot. He snarls, "Didn't you say you would love me forever? Didn't you say you would only have my children?"