Chat Noir

Dalawang buwan ng mamatay ako, napagtanto ng mga magulang ko na nakalimutan nila akong iuwi mula sa lakad nila. Naiinis na sumimangot at sumigaw ang ama ko. “Dapat siyang maglakad mag-isa mismo. Kailangan ba niya talaga itong palakihin?” Ang kapatid ko, na mayabang, ay binuksan ang chat namin at nagpadala ng emoji, kasama ng message. [Mamatay ka na dyan. Sa ganitong paraan. Kami ni Scarlet ang maghahati sa pamana ni Lola.] Wala siyang natanggap na sagot. Habang malamig ang ekspresyon, nagsalita ang nanay ko, “Sabihin mo sa kanya na kapag nagpakita siya sa kaarawan ng lola niya sa tamang oras, hahayaan ko na ang pagtulak niya kay Scarlet sa tubig.” Hindi sila naniniwala na hindi ako nakaalis ng gubat. Matapos maghukay ng malalim, nakita nila sawakas ang mga buto ko.

Natasha Del Mundo suffered from the most painful heartbreak in college. Kaya naman hirap na siyang magtiwalang muli sa iba. But one day, she got a text message telling, "Can you be my textmate?" Napataas ang kilay niya. Sino pa ba naman ang makikipag-textmate sa panahong iyon, na uso na ang chat? At papaano nakuha ng kung sinong poncio pilatong iyon ang number niya? However, instead of avoiding who he is, she finds herself texting back. But until one day, she met Cedrick Thompson; the most successful billionaire-engineer and a businessman. A man that could easily get what he wants. Pero hindi iyon uobra kay Natasha. Kahit ito pa ang pinakamayamang nilalang sa balat ng lupa, hindi siya papatol sa lalaking nuknukan ng antipatiko. Never! Pero bakit ganoon? Kahit anong iwas niya kay Cedrick, he still got into her nerves. Ang masama pa noon, pareho siyang nahuhulog sa lalaki at sa ka-textmate niya. Sino ngayon ang pipiliin niya?

Sweet Margaux Villafranco a second-year college student taking a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology meets Jace Gael Quijada a volleyball player and taking a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology course. Nag kakilala sila sa hinding inaasahang okasyon. They started being friend in a chat until Gael courted Sweet and they become a couple. Isang araw nalaman niyang may sakit ang kanyang ama at kailangan nitong magamot sa Maynila. Umalis sila at pansamatalang siyang tumigil sa pag aaral. Sa kanyang pag alis hindi niya inaasahan ang isang pangyayaring sisira sa maganda at masaya niyang buhay. Naging malupit ang tadhana sa kanya hanggang sa may tumulong sa kanya ngunit kapalit nito iwan at kalimutan ang buhay niya sa Villanueva kasama si Gael. Sa paglipas ng apat na taon muli silang nagkita ngunit mag kaiba na ang kanilang mga mundo. Tuluyan na kaya nilang kalimutan ang isa't isa at patuloy na harapin ang kanilang bago at mag kaibang mundo?

My roommate was a classic bimbo. When I went to arrange a jogging meetup, she mistyped it as a hookup and sent it straight into the group chat, then burst into tears and claimed she didn't know how to retract the message. When I went to meet my jogging buddy, she told everyone that she ran into my "hookup buddy." At the end, she even covered her mouth and giggled sweetly, saying, "I always mix words up." After a few stunts like that, my reputation was utterly ruined, and the entire class shut me out. Later, she used her "clumsiness" as an excuse to spike my milk with sleeping pills, causing me to miss a major exam. She even dropped toxic bacteria into my water cup and killed me outright. And all of it was over something that stupid: the guy she had a crush on had casually helped me carry my luggage on the first day of school. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very first day of freshman orientation. This time, I am going to let her experience what it felt like to be ruined—and killed—by a so-called idiot.

Le jour de mes seize ans, mes trois frères sont rentrés à la maison avec une fille qui s'appelait Sylviane. Ils m'ont dit que je devais la traiter comme ma famille. Je ne pensais pas que les choses changeraient. Mais quelques années plus tard, tout a changé. Jean, mon plus jeune frère, m'a poussée dans les escaliers pour elle. Adam, l'aîné, qui avait promis de me protéger pour toujours, m'a dit de partir. Je suis donc partie, discrètement. Ils ont cru que je faisais un caprice, alors ils ont emmené Sylviane à l'étranger, sans même prendre la peine de vérifier où je suis allée. Ils ne savaient pas que j'ai signé un contrat qui me liait au plus grand rival de notre famille en devenant leur plus jeune chimiste. Ce contrat, écrit noir sur blanc, stipulait que je ne pourrais plus jamais rentrer chez moi. La nuit où ils ont découvert que j'étais partie pour de bon ? Ils ont craqué, chacun d'entre eux.

Just after stepping out of the shower, I received a private message from my so-called uncle, Hank Shephard—a distant relative I barely ever spoke to. "Francis, that new car you posted looks impressive. Perfect for William's wedding!" I hadn't even figured out how to reply to that out-of-nowhere comment when another message popped up. "Your cousin William is getting married next month. Just treat your car as his wedding gift." The entitlement in his tone made my head hurt. I didn't bother arguing and closed the chat window. Apparently, he did not think there was anything wrong with what he had said. Messages kept coming. "Don't worry, your uncle won't let you suffer a loss. "When it's your turn to get married, I'll have William drive that car as your lead wedding car. It'll make you look good." I stared at the screen in silence. That was the moment I realized—Some people don't just feel entitled to your belongings. They believe your life exists to serve theirs.

Today happens to be Yvonne Ziegler's birthday. Yvonne is Shawn Jacobson's, my husband's, newly hired personal assistant. Shawn spares no expense in buying her a villa as a birthday present, and Yvonne haughtily takes to social media to show off on the day she moves in. "I'd like everyone to know that I'm married to a wealthy man now." Shawn comments on the post, saying, "Happy birthday, my beloved Yvonne!" In the picture, Shawn's hand rests intimately on Yvonne's slender waist, leaving no doubt about their intimate relationship. In that instant, the company's group chat erupts into a frenzy of notifications, as colleagues declare their envy of Yvonne and heap praise upon her for being young and accomplished. Oscar Jagger, my childhood friend, notices the picture and immediately tags me in the group chat. He then sends me a pointed, teasing message, saying, "Shawn's display of love is so glaring! Congrats on being cheated on, Leslie!" I manage a bitter, wry smile, taking my time to type out the response. "Do you need a villa as well, Oscar? I'm happy to give you a place—a much nicer one than Shawn's, of course."

Désespérée de se sortir de toutes les dettes qu'elle a héritées de son père, Anna devient membre ChatGirl d'une plateforme de chat avec des millionnaires prêts à payer pour une bonne conversation. Malgré les conseils de sa meilleure amie de ne tomber amoureuse d'aucun de ses clients, Anna enfreint la règle principale et commence à éprouver des sentiments pour Orion, un homme qui la plonge dans un monde d'exploration où elle découvre sa sensualité. Ce qu'Anna ignore, c'est que derrière l'identité d'Orion se cache son odieux et détestable patron Derek Morgan qui, à son tour, ignore totalement que la jeune femme au corps de déesse qui le rend fou chaque soir n'est autre que sa secrétaire débraillée et insupportable. Que se passera-t-il lorsque ces deux-là dévoileront leur identité ?

Mariés depuis quatre ans, Louis, qui ne poste jamais rien sur Instagram, a soudain publié une story ce matin : « Une petite chatte trop gourmande. » La photo montrait une fille avec un serre-tête rose aux oreilles de chat, le visage rougi par le piquant de la fondue, tirant la langue. C'était Yukki, la nouvelle streameuse de son entreprise. En moins d'une minute, un des nos amis communs a commenté : « Mec, t'as oublié de changer de compte ! » Alors, cette publication a disparu comme par magie, mais on l'a vite retrouvée sur la page Instagram de Yukki. Peu après, l'appel de Louis est arrivé. Avant, j'aurais déjà pris une capture d'écran, et appelé direct pour lui demander des explications — et bien sûr, fini en dispute impossible à calmer. Mais cette fois, je suis restée là , à attendre que l'appel coupe de lui-même.

To save the three most important men in my life, I made a deal with the Moon Goddess. Trade my life for theirs. If I could make any one of them truly love me within five years, I'd get to live. But on the final day of the countdown, all three still had negative feelings toward me. According to the rules, I'd failed. My life was about to be erased. "Moon Goddess, could I send one last message? One final try?" Maybe out of pity, she granted me this last attempt. This message was my final shot. I hit the voice button in our group chat, fighting to keep my voice steady. "Could you guys love me just a little? I'm really going to die." After a moment of silence came their merciless laughter. "You'll do anything to compete with Lidia for attention, won't you?" "Cut the lies. This just makes us hate you more." "If you're so desperate to die, then just do it already." Mission failed. I gave them exactly what they wanted. But when I was about to die, they all freaked out.