Christmas Celebration Artinya

At the celebration where Lorenzo Alvarez is crowned the new mafia boss, his men arrange a few performances. A dancer in a backless top and short skirt twists around the pole under the lights. "Don't look," he murmurs, covering my eyes with his hand. "This kind of cheap entertainment isn't worthy of you." His men jump in immediately. "Lorenzo still spoils Ms. Valenti after all these years. That kind of devotion is rare. We're so jealous." "A man as loyal and single-minded as Lorenzo is hard to find." I rest a hand on my belly, planning to tell him tonight that I am pregnant. But when I return from the restroom, I see the same man who had just held me in his arms leaning back in his chair while the dancer straddles his lap. Lorenzo slips his business card and a thick fold of cash into the waistband of her skirt. He laughs, relaxed and unbothered. "Isabella is wonderful, sure, but life needs a little passion. This ragazza is just something new. A bit of fun. "Keep your mouths shut. Don't go running to Isabella and upset her. Otherwise, you'll have a problem." Cold rushes through me. I do not approach or confront Lorenzo. I simply take out my phone and answer the email I have been avoiding for days. "I agree to participate in the confidential experiment."

Rhea Ravelle, heiress of a powerful and influential family, goes against her family's wishes and cuts ties with them. She chooses to marry Carter Jamison, a man with a failing career and two children born out of wedlock. For six years, she raises his children as if they were her own and helps Carter rebuild his crumbling business. Under her care, the kids grow into kind, well-mannered little stars, and Carter's company finally makes it big and goes public. But right at the celebration marking his entry into high society, the biological mother of his two children suddenly shows up. And Carter, who is usually so calm, completely loses it. He begs the woman to stay, making Rhea the laughingstock of the entire city. That night, he doesn't come home. Instead, he takes the children and runs straight back to his old flame, playing house as a happy family. Soon after, Carter files for divorce. "Thanks for everything, Rhea. But the kids need their birth mother." The children's mother also says, "Thank you for taking care of them all these years. But a stepmother will never compare to a birth mother." So blood beats love? If that's how it is, then she's done playing stepmother. However, the children reject their birth mother flat-out, and they don't want Carter either. They declare, "Rhea is our only mom! If you're getting divorced, then we're going wherever she goes!"

Griselle Dayoung dan David, hidup di dua dunia yang berbeda. Griselle sebagai pewaris tunggal HANSENG group milik keluaranya. Di sisi lain David seorang pria misterius yang memulai segalanya dari nol. Griselle yang acuh dan bebas bertemu dengan David yang dingin dan selalu menghitung langkah dalam bertindak. "Bukannya tadi aku bertanya apakah tubuhmu baik-baik saja?" Jawab David sambil melirik ke arah Griselle. "Iya, lantas apa hubungannya antara tubuhku baik-baik saja dengan kamu mengantar makan siang ke kantorku?" Tanya Griselle dengan wajah bingung, hatinya merasa sedikit tidak nyaman. "Hari ini, aku sedang bereksperimen dengan menu baru. Karena nggak ada yang menjadi kelinci percobaan, walau dengan berat hati, aku pergi mengantar makanan buatanku ke kantormu. Menurutku setidaknya, di sana ada banyak pegawaimu yang bisa menjadi kelinci percobaan." Jawab David dengan santai. Griselle terdiam saat mendengar perkataan David, saat ini di dalam hatinya timbul keinginan yang sangat besar untuk menarik keras rambut dan menggigit daun telinga pria di depannya ini. Ternyata kebaikan David tadi siang hanya untuk menjadikan dirinya dan pegawainya sebagai kelinci percobaan. Rupanya dia mau membalas dendam, maki Griselle di dalam hati. "Melihat kamu kembali baik-baik saja, aku merasa sedikit tenang, artinya makananku masih layak untuk dimakan." David melanjutkan perkataannya masih dengan nada tenang, tanpa menyadari perubahan di wajah Griselle yang sudah menghitam. Wajah Griselle yang awalnya kelam, tiba-tiba berubah dengan cepat menjadi wajah penuh kelicikan. Perubahan wajah Griselle secepat membalikkan telapak tangan, dengan wajah penuh senyuman manis, dia berkata, "Tetapi aku tetap harus berterima kasih loh."

On my eighth Mate-Marking anniversary, I had carefully prepared a special celebration ceremony. My Alpha mate, Derek, told me the pack had an emergency and the ceremony was canceled. When I arrived at the venue, I was shocked to see the ceremony proceeding as planned. Scarlett, once my best friend, was walking hand-in-hand with Derek onto the ceremonial platform. Her daughter and my son were being led by their hands, one child with each adult. The four of them stood closely together while other pack members, unaware of the truth, praised them: "The Alpha of Shadow Pack and his mate look so happy together." I stood up in the crowd and applauded: "I didn't know Shadow Pack had replaced their Luna with an Omega. They make such a perfect couple." The next moment, Scarlett's face turned pale as she collapsed on the platform. I ignored the chaos and walked straight home. The following day, Derek stormed back home and confronted me: "Scarlett's condition has barely improved. Why did you have to provoke her?" My son pushed me and accused: "It's all your fault! You made little Emma cry!" I pulled out the mate-bond dissolution agreement and threw it in their faces: "Yes, it's my fault. So I'm stepping out. Now you four can be one happy family." But my mate and son suddenly began to panic.

"Are you sure you can get out of this trap, Arka? The trap you created for yourself long ago." The sentence haunted Arka's mind every time he looked at the woman who was now sitting gracefully on his lap. Amidst the glimmer of crystal lamps and the sheen of a gold dress, his ex-wife, Kania, looked like a queen who had just reclaimed her throne. Arka knew they were no longer bound by a sacred vow. Their divorce was final, signed on stamped paper years ago. Yet, in this private room, with the aroma of whiskey and Kania's challenging gaze, Arka once again became the helpless, foolish man. Tonight was supposed to be the celebration of his new engagement. He was supposed to be celebrating a new chapter. But Kania's presence in the private lounge, in a high-slit dress that showed off her long legs, had ruined everything. "You didn't have to come, Kania," Arka hissed, his voice choked. Kania smiled cynically, caressing Arka's jaw with her cold fingers. "You're right, darling. I didn't have to come. But I had to make sure of one thing: that your heart... still belongs to me, just like before." It turned out that getting out of the marriage was much easier than getting out of his ex-wife's love. Will Arka continue his engagement? Or will he return to his ex-wife?

On the day of my wedding, my fiance, Oliver Parker, asks me to take off my wedding gown. He wants to let his childhood friend, Angela Summers, be the bride instead. In helplessness, he tries to explain, "Angela has leukemia. Her dying wish is to be a bride and have a wedding. Once I've fulfilled her wish, I'll marry you." Everyone seems to think I'll just go along with it and wait for him to come back and marry me. After all, I've spent three years preparing for this wedding. I've poured my heart into every detail and devoted so much time to making it perfect. However, while Oliver and Angela celebrate their wedding that night, I gave my biological parents a call to tell them I'm coming to be with them. I board a red-eye flight out of Stonevale, leaving everything behind without looking back. … Three years later, I flew back to Stonevale with my husband, Daniel Holden, to attend the anniversary celebration of the Holden Group's Stonevale branch. However, I never expected to run into Oliver at the airport. "You've been gone for three years. Isn't that enough time to let things go? Angela's leukemia is cured, and we're divorced now. Come back to me. Let's finally have our wedding. Don't be so stubborn anymore!"

Seven years ago, I ignored my girlfriend's heart-wrenching pleas and ruthlessly severed our relationship. Now, after seven long years, she had risen to the top—and she was back, ready for her wedding. She didn't come home for mere celebration, though. She came for revenge. She obliterated the company my father had spent his entire life building and did not stop until she shattered his leg, forcing him to endure unimaginable pain. It was all so I'd be forced to go to her wedding and beg for forgiveness. But that wasn't enough. She wanted more. She hissed, brandishing a blade, "If Matthew's not here in ten minutes, I'll slice off a finger for every minute he's late." My autistic brother's fingers, the only way he could create art, became a bargaining chip in her sadistic game. Dad's anguished cries filled the air as he pleaded for mercy, but she was not done. She wanted to tear my family apart piece by piece. My mom, fragile and trapped in the haze of Alzheimer's, was next. Her mind, already slipping, crumbled under the relentless torment. She cracked, completely lost to the madness. With tears streaming down his face, Dad said, "My son died the day you left for abroad."

I was reborn on the day my parents forced me to swear a blood oath before the Moon Goddess. They wanted me to swear I'd give up my mate, Damien — hand him over to my sister, Vivienne. The first time around, I'd refused. I'd cried and fought and begged. I tried everything to make Damien see the truth. I pleaded with my parents to tell him the real story, to stop letting Vivienne impersonate me. All I got in return was Damien's deepening hatred. I'd run from the territory in desperation, trying to find Damien and explain face to face. I was ambushed by rogue wolves on the way. Left bleeding out in the dirt. With my last shred of strength, I reached out through the pack mind-link, begging Damien for help. His voice cut through my mind, cold as ice. "Drop the act. I'm done with your little sympathy plays." "Don't interrupt my Mating Ceremony with Vivienne." Then he severed the link without a second thought. I died alone in the wilderness. The last thing I heard was the distant roar of celebration from the pack territory — Damien and Vivienne's Mating Ceremony. This time, I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms. This time, I would never beg again.

Ten years ago, Elara’s only refuge from Kaelan Vanderbilt’s cruel torment was her sketchbook. Now, she wears his brother’s engagement ring, poised to claim the loving family and safe life she’s always craved. Her past is a locked box, and gentle Liam Vanderbilt is the key to her future. But for Kaelan, the past is a weapon. The moment his brother introduces his fiancée, the quiet, artistic girl he once broke becomes an all-consuming obsession. He sees the fear in her eyes and replaces it with a dangerous, simmering desire. He will sabotage his brother, risk the family empire, and tear her perfect world apart to make her his. Elara is trapped between the man who represents everything she needs and the man who embodies the darkness she’s always feared… and secretly craves. As Kaelan’s campaign of seduction and psychological warfare escalates, he forces her to confront a terrifying truth: was she ever truly hiding from him, or was she waiting for him to find her again? The gala is the pinnacle of her new life, a celebration of her future with Liam. But as Kaelan’s hand settles on the small of her back, his lips brush her ear, and he whispers the same taunt that haunted her high school halls, the line between hatred and obsession shatters. “Run along, little mouse,” he murmurs, his voice a dark promise. “I’ve always loved the chase.”

For six years after their marriage, Miranda Stone devoted herself wholeheartedly to being Mrs. Gibson. She only found out later that while he was abroad, Felix Gibson had been secretly keeping his first love by his side. Miranda had once believed that even the coldest heart would eventually warm if she just loved hard enough. But that belief shattered the day his beloved first love won an international award and threw a lavish celebration—while their daughter was being wheeled into a freezing cold operating room. That was the moment Miranda finally woke up. She took back her worthless love, filed for divorce, and walked away with her daughter without ever looking back. Once she picked up her career again, the woman who used to be a stay-at-home wife transformed into one of the most sought-after experts in the medical field. Her research papers were published in top international journals. Her breakthroughs won prestigious awards across countries. When she stepped back into the spotlight, glowing with confidence and ready to give herself another chance at happiness, the man who had always held himself above everyone else—so composed and restrained—finally broke. He lost it completely. His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse with desperation. He dropped to his knees in front of her, pleading like a man who had lost everything. “Mira, please don’t leave me.”