Collab Base

En la fiesta de nuestro primer aniversario de bodas, caí de bruces sobre una alfombra roja, jadeando como pez fuera del agua. Carlo Pipino, mi esposo, rodeaba con el brazo a Gianna Verde, su amor de la infancia, bebiendo champán y riendo. Gianna sabía que yo era alérgica a las nueces y algunos frutos secos. Así que, obviamente, lo bañó todo con aderezo a base de avellanas. Un bocado y ¡pum!, se me hizo un nudo en la garganta, se me encendieron los pulmones y me reventó el salpullido como confeti. Busqué mis medicamentos para la alergia y, en su lugar, encontré un puñado de M&Ms derretidos. Gianna se rio al ver mi cara. —¡Sorpresa!, Carlo te cambió los medicamentos. ¿En serio, Siena? ¿Una nuez? ¿No te parece demasiado dramático? Me deslicé de la silla, jadeando, mientras el público apostaba sobre cuánto duraría mi «actuación». —Carlo... mis medicamentos... —grazné—. Por favor. Voy a morir. Él suspiró, molesto. —Dios mío, qué dramática eres. ¿Por qué las mujeres siempre juegan a hacerse las muertas para llamar la atención? Sabes que te amo. ¡Detén este espectáculo de una vez! En ese momento, mi corazón se rompió más rápido que mis pulmones. Dejé de suplicar. Presioné la señal de socorro. Llamé a mi verdadera familia.

After working overtime for half a month straight, I finally secured a contract worth more than ten million, saving the company from the brink of collapse. My boss, Richard Gray, was overjoyed. At the celebration party, he called me the pillar of the company and announced that he would reward me with a bonus. However, when the end of the month came, and I opened my payslip, I froze. Negative 250 dollars. A negative commission? I actually owed the company 250 dollars? I immediately called the finance department, asking if there was a mistake on my payslip. They replied, "No mistake. This is the cost calculation formula that Mr. Gray personally instructed us to use. He said you'd understand once you saw it." I went straight to Richard for an explanation. He laughed. "The contract that you signed, after factoring in the concessions, upfront resources, and hidden expenses, left the company with a net loss of 150 thousand. Since the loss was due to your personal decisions, you're responsible for five percent. That totals to 7500. "Considering how hard you worked, we deducted it from your base salary first. But your salary wasn't enough, so you still owe the company 250. Don't worry. The company treats its employees well. We'll write that off." Soon after, he awarded 100 thousand dollars to the newly arrived intern. I watched the newcomer, probably connected to Richard, cheerfully treat the entire company to dinner with her bonus, and something inside me just snapped. From that day onward, I did the bare minimum. I clocked in. I clocked out. Nothing more. Later, when a critical project went catastrophically wrong and the company faced a colossal compensation demand, Richard came begging me to fix it. I just smiled and said, "Sorry, Mr. Gray. I've already resigned. If there are any problems, you can ask the intern who got the 100 thousand dollar bonus to handle it."

My company had arranged a wilderness survival retreat deep in the heart of Moonshadow Forest—a place where even seasoned wolves tread cautiously. That night, a sudden downpour ripped through the campsite, drenching the earth and filling the air with the thick scent of damp moss and shifting soil. I woke abruptly, the cold seeping into my bones. Instinctively, I reached out to the space beside me, seeking the warmth of my mate. Empty. A sharp pang of unease clawed at my chest. My wolf, dulled by the suppressant herbs I had taken to blend into human society, stirred restlessly. Fumbling in the darkness, I grabbed my phone and dialed Nigel. The line barely had time to connect before he emerged from the undergrowth—disheveled, breathless. His grip was iron-tight as he seized my wrist, pulling me downhill. His scent was sharp with adrenaline, but beneath it—something foreign, something wrong. We ran, my boots sinking into the mud. My keen vision caught glimpses of his rumpled clothing, the way his collar was misaligned—and the faint imprint of lips on his jaw. My pulse pounded in my ears. Betrayal. I wrenched my arm from his grasp, my claws itching to unsheathe despite the human form I forced myself to maintain. "Where were you?" My voice came out low, edged with the danger of a wolf barely leashed. The suppressants in my bloodstream faltered under the weight of my fury. The storm had driven everyone into their tents, leaving the clearing eerily silent as we reached the base of the mountain. But she was there. A woman stood beneath the flickering glow of the emergency lanterns, her hair tousled, her fingers gripping Nigel’s jacket as if it belonged to her. I knew her. The new intern. Her face held an unsettling resemblance to mine, as if the Moon Goddess herself had carved her from the shadows of my reflection. The realization struck like a silver dagger to my chest. Even the mate who had once sworn to fight the world for me had given in to betr

— Chefe, sobre o projeto de construção do pátio da fazenda na base do Cazaquistão, eu gostaria de participar. Do outro lado da linha, o chefe demonstrou certa surpresa: — Antes, por mais que eu insistisse, você não queria ir, dizia que queria ficar ao lado do seu namorado. Por que mudou de ideia de repente? Laura Vieira baixou as pálpebras avermelhadas e sorriu, tentando soar despreocupada: — Eu tentei, mas não adiantou. Já sabia que era hora de voltar atrás antes que fosse tarde demais. Ao ouvir isso, o chefe suspirou e falou com seriedade: — Esta é uma operação secreta. Você vai entrar no projeto com uma identidade completamente nova e, até o término, não poderá entrar em contato com o mundo exterior. Laura, você tem certeza de que pensou bem? — Sim, só quero sair daqui o quanto antes. Houve um breve silêncio do outro lado da linha, mas a resposta veio em seguida: — Certo. Mais tarde vou te enviar o acordo de confidencialidade. Os trâmites devem sair em cerca de um mês. Aproveite esse tempo para se despedir da sua família. Assim que a ligação foi encerrada, um arquivo apareceu em sua caixa de entrada. Laura leu todas as cláusulas e, determinada, assinou o acordo eletrônico de confidencialidade, confirmando o envio. Ao mesmo tempo, a televisão reprisava o lançamento do novo produto do Grupo Próspero. Ricardo Barros, vestindo um terno branco de corte impecável, conduzia Vanessa Souza lentamente pela passarela.

NAPAPIKIT ako dahil sa ibat-ibang klase at kulay ng ilaw na tumatama sa mukha ko.Isabay rin ang pinagsamang ingay ng mga tao at lakas ng tugtog..This is not my first time being here, I have a friends who love bars and parties and I already used to this, infact this is my leisure. "Klare? Nandito na sila" bulong saakin ni Carlo.pinsan ko..Alam niya ang plano ko at kahit nag-aalangan ay wala na siyang nagawa para pigilan ako....I can't let my family down.Not this time "Ano ng gagawin natin?" aniya "J-just stick to the plan Carl" napailang siya. Alam kong hindi siya sangayon sa gagawin ko..pero gaya nga ng sinabi ko, wala ng mababago..I made my decision BINALIK ko ang atensyon sa lalaking nakasandal sa sandalan ng sofa habang tahimik na pinapanood ang mga taong nagsasayaw sa malawak na dance floor.. Siguro ay kagagaling lang nila sa opisina base na rin sa nakikita kong mga suot nila..Isang puting polo ang suot niya na nakatupi hanggang siko, Sa klase ng tindig at pagkakaupo niya ay masasabing hindi siya basta-bastang tao..He look powerful with that simple aura..Hindi nakapagtatakang kaya niyang maisalba ang kompanya o kabuhayan ng kahit sino Nawala lang ang atensyon ko sa lalaki ng makita si Carlos na nasa mesa na nila..Nakipagkamay sa kanya ang mga lalaki.Nakikita ko ring tila naguusap sila pero hindi ko naririnig,tanging pagbuka lang ng bibig nila ang nakikita ko..They both know each other,Hindi man ganoon kalapit pero magkakilala sila dahil nasa iisang linya lang sila.Bussines Palihim na tumango ako kay Carlos ng bumaling siya saakin...Tumayo siya, sinundan ko ng tingin..Mula sa bar counter hanggang sa makabalik ulit siya sa grupo ng mga lalaki 'tulad ng plano'

Si Bella Monteverde, pinanganak galing sa mayaman na pamilya. Isang tagapagmana, subalit dahil sa pag-ibig, tinakwil siya ng sarili niyang pamilya. Hanggang sa dumaan ang ilang buwan. Ipinaghiwalay sila ng tadhana ng kaniyang asawa na si Brent De Guzman. Tunay na pagmamahal ang ibinigay nila sa isa't isa. Isang bulag si Brent. Ngunit, ginawa pa rin ni Bella ang lahat upang ipaglaban nito ang kaniyang asawa sa pamilya niya. Hangang sa isang araw, pumunta siya sa hospital dahil masama ang pakiramdam niya. Naging masaya naman si Bella dahil buntis pala siya. Ngunit, pagbalik niya sa kanilang bahay ay hindi na niya naabutan ang asawa niya. Tanging mapanakit na sulat na lang ang natanggap ni Bella. Pitong taon ang nakalipas. Muli siyang bumalik, ngunit hindi na siya tinaggap ng kaniyang ama base sa sinabi ng stepsister niya. At ngayon ang pamana na dapat kay Bella ay pilit na kinuha ng kaniyang step sister. Kahit nagawa man ni Bella ang lumapit sa pamilya niya para sa pagpapagamot ng anak niya. Ay naging walang saysay pa rin ito. Subalit, patuloy pa rin na lumaban si Bella. Hanggang sa hindi niya sinasadyang makatagpo ang isang matanda. Ang matandang ito ay nagpanggap bilang isang pulubi. Subalit, sa likod nito siya ang lolo ni Brent. Na siya ring dahilan nang muling pagkikita ni Bella at ni Brent. Ngunit sa kasamaang palad, hindi na si Bella ang kinikilalang asawa ni Brent. Dahil kinuha ng stepsister niya ang bagay na 'to at nagpanggap bilang si Bella. Gayunpaman, ay nais ng lolo ni Brent na ikasal si Brent kay Bella. Saan hahantong ang ganitong buhay? Muli kaya niyang maibabalik ang kaniyang asawa sa piling niya? Muli kaya niyang mababawi ang dapat para sa kaniya?

Mi hermana, María Sánchez, que siempre despreciaba la escuela, de pronto quiso presentar el examen para la universidad y les pidió a mis papás que me casaran con el hijo de un alto mando militar; a cambio, el general pondría el dinero para su carrera, un “apoyo” disfrazado de arreglo. Entonces supe que ella también había renacido. En la vida pasada, a María los libros le daban flojera: salió de la prepa y se casó con el hijo del comandante de zona, con un arreglo generoso de por medio. Luego a Bruno lo cambiaron a la frontera norte, a una Zona Militar pegada a nogales; a ella le repugnó el entorno y se negó a irse con la tropa. Yo, en cambio, terminé la universidad a puro trabajo y ahorro, entré a una dependencia pública con plaza base y me volví, por fin, capitalina de verdad. Ya metida en la vida castrense, María empezó a cobrar mordidas usando el nombre del suegro general. Lo metió en broncas con los de arriba; la Contraloría de la Militar lo bajó de puesto sin miramientos y, al final, la suegra la corrió de la casa. Tras el divorcio, la engancharon con una “asesoría” para invertir en la Bolsa de Valores; vino el desplome y quemó los ahorros de jubilación de mis papás. Sin salida, se me pegó y, cuchillo en mano, me obligó a entregarle mis ahorros y mi casa “para levantarse otra vez”. En el jaloneo me dio doce puñaladas. Me desangré. Cuando abrí los ojos otra vez, estaba de vuelta al principio: mi hermana les pedía a mis papás que me casaran con Bruno. Yo acepté encantada y me di de baja de la prepa de inmediato.