Count Bodies Like Sheep

Devastated by a brutal breakup, Emma's life spirals out of control. After a reckless night, she discovers she is pregnant by the infamous playboy, Ethan Blackwood. Ethan vehemently denies any connection to her, but when Emma's stepmother confronts him with the pregnancy news and threatens to ruin his reputation, he reluctantly agrees to marry Emma. "You're just a contractual wife to me. I can sleep with whoever I want, and you have no right to question me," he coldly declares. Will Ethan open his heart to love again? Will Emma keep the baby despite his rejection? And will she agree to the harsh terms of being Ethan's contract wife?

ADAM: The mafia boss learned the price of betrayal the hard way. A brutal ambush—masterminded by his girlfriend and his greatest rival—left him on the brink of death. His fate, however, was stitched back together by the unlikely hands of a stranger. SAMANTHA: A humble employee at one of his hotels, also scarred by heartbreak, became his only safe haven that night. She’s beautiful, strong, and—without realizing it—holds the key to mending Adam’s heart. But by saving the mobster’s life, Samantha signed her own warrant for danger. Adam’s rival not only uncovers the identity of the woman who saved him but develops a twisted obsession with her. Now, Adam must protect her from the chaos he brought into her life—while fighting the pull of desire toward his savior. In a world of shadows, where love is the most dangerous weapon of all, can Adam and Samantha heal the wounds of their past and embrace the second chance fate has written for them—before the enemy’s obsession destroys them both?

"Scene ciuman di ceritamu itu kurang feel. Hambar. Nggak ada rasanya." Satria melepas kacamata yang ia pakai. "Pernah ciuman nggak sih?" Maudi mengerjap. "Hah?" "Belum pernah?" sahut Satria lagi, tak terlalu terkejut. Laki-laki tinggi itu kemudian berdiri, mendekati Maudi. "Mau saya ajarin? Biar jago?" Maudi mendelik, mundur. "Wong gemblung!" "Cemen amat, ciuman doang, nggak akan sakit." - Maudi adalah seorang pengangguran berumur dua puluh lima tahun. Diusianya yang sudah termasuk tua, Maudi harus mengambil keputusan besar dengan pergi dari rumah untuk merantau mencari pekerjaan. Di Jakarta. Semua tak semulus bayangan Maudi. Buruk. Hingga kemudian ia bertemu dengan seseorang tak terduga. Satria. Putra sulung dari orang yang membuat Maudi memutuskan untuk pergi dari rumah. Anak pertama dari tetangga nyinyir yang selalu jadi musuh berdebat Maudi.

From a stall in the office restroom, I overhear someone badmouthing me. Henry Fielder, the intern I've been mentoring for three months, grumbles, "The guy's got zero people skills. He's a total fossil, like a robot stuck in one mode." I'm about to push the door open and jump in when someone laughs and piles on. "The paperwork is incomplete. The receipts aren't compliant. I can't reimburse it without a manager's signature. We could recite his canned empathy lines in our sleep!" Once they're gone, I quietly head back to my office. Later, Henry drops a thick stack of expense reports onto my desk. "Quit waving the rulebook and rejecting everyone's reimbursements." I skim the fake receipts, and for once, I don't call him out. Instead, I give a thin smile and say, "I have a headache. I can't make out the words."

Sebagai pria bangsawan dengan gelar ksatria pedang agung yang cukup disegani pada banyak medan pertempuran, Lorant sering menjadi bahan pembicaraan gadis-gadis bangsawan. Wajahnya yang memiliki tulang rahang tegas, dengan hidung bagaikan terpahat sempurna yang memisahkan kedua mata coklat setajam elang berbingkai alis berbentuk golok tebal, membuatnya sangat berkharisma. Tubuh atletisnya yang dipenuhi guratan luka akibat perang, justru semakin membuatnya terlihat gagah. Bahkan para gadis sering membual bahwa dia tahu berapa jumlah bekas luka yang ada di tubuh Lorant, untuk menimbulkan asumsi bahwa dirinya cukup intim dengan Lorant. Tetapi Lorant justru mencintai Benca, gadis biasa yang tinggal terisolir di tepi hutan selama delapanbelas tahun. Hubungan cinta mereka menghasilkan dua orang anak kembar, Lovisa dan Edvin. Lorant tidak menyangka kisah cintanya bersama Benca merupakan awal perjuangan panjang dan pertarungan mental yang kerap membuatnya frustasi. Selain harus menghadapi kecemburuan Ivett, wanita bangsawan yang telah dijodohkan dengannya dan berusaha mati-matian untuk melenyapkan Benca dengan cara apapun, Lorant juga harus menerima kenyataan, bahwa Benca adalah putri kandung dari bibinya sendiri, seorang wanita bangsawan kelas atas penganut satanisme yang sering melakukan ritual berupa mandi darah perawan, dan telah menculik Lovisa, untuk dijadikan korban ritual. Dengan segala kemampuannya, Lorant berusaha melindungi dua wanita yang paling dicintai dalam hidupnya dari cengkraman bibi sekaligus ibu mertuanya yang haus darah.

After encountering problems at work, I lose myself in a virtual reality game. I randomly meet a male player in there and depend on my amorous interactions with him to escape reaity. We flirt with each other and have roleplay; he grunts and groans over the microphone. Everything changes when I accidentally reveal my true identity. The young man next door pins me underneath him and roams his hands over my body. When he speaks, his voice is hoarse. "You were great at flirting in the game, weren't you? Why can't you make those noises now?"

The world might think billionaire Xavier Gaines has it all, but he’s got a big problem. His successful software company is about to sign a government contract that’ll land him smack in the glare of the public limelight, and his lifelong battle with social anxiety has marked him as a cold, uncaring bastard in the eyes of the press. To dispel the unflattering image, he needs help, and there’s only one person he trusts with the job—Peyton Smoke. Gorgeous, kind, and funny, she agrees to be his media relations director and soon imbeds herself so deeply in his life, his world will crumble if anything upsets the balance. He cannot screw up their solid unit. No matter how achingly he desires her. Yet, how is he supposed to resist when she tugs emotions from him he didn’t think he was capable of experiencing? Especially since it appears he’s not the only one fighting their undeniable attraction. Ever-after might be possible...if he can convince her to believe in love again.Counterbalance is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

In a world where Tyla a female Alpha of Cornrow Pack believed she had found true love with her caring and loving fiance, but she got the shock of her life. On her twenty-fifth birthday, while in the midst of the celebration, she was summoned by the packed council, Tyla is surprised to find out that the meeting was all about her involvement in the death of her father. Unknown to Tyla her stepbrother Jonathan, had spoken with several of the council members and lied to everyone that Tyla their Alpha was a murderer. When Tyla denies having anything to do with the death of her father, Jonathan says he has a witness and in a sudden twist of fate, Tyla's lover Damon, turns out to be the witness. Tragically her life was cut short by their actions, but fate took an unexpected turn. Given a second chance at redemption, Tyla awakens in a new world where fate entwines her with the one person she vows to forget: Damon, her treacherous ex-boyfriend. Now, he's her destined mate and was also forced into marriage with her stepbrother Jonathan. Damon seeks to reclaim Tyla's trust, he must confront the shadows of his past and prove his unwavering love and loyalty. But their reunion is fraught with peril. Dark forces lurk, threatening to destroy their bond and shatter their newfound hope. Can Tyla forgive and reclaim her lost love, or will the dangers of their new world tear them apart forever?

At the company's annual meeting, my promotion opportunity goes to an intern instead. I confront Mitchell Wilson, a manager, only to be publicly humiliated. "The industry is in a slump, yet you have the best sales performance in the entire company. Who knows how you get your clients?" I drank until my stomach bled and ended up in the hospital in the middle of the night. I have forced a smile while serving arrogant, sleazy executives. Yet, none of that feels as humiliating as this moment. My ex-boyfriend looks at me gloatingly while holding the intern's hand as they plan a celebration party. Before leaving, he mocks me, "Yvette is the Saccone Group heiress. Once her evaluation period ends, she will go back to inherit the company. Who do you think you are?" I frown in confusion—I am the Saccone Group heiress.

In the tenth year of my pursuit of Henry Stone—the profoundly devoted deuteragonist in the novel—he arranges a lavish, extravagant wedding on my behalf. I still feel uneasy even though Henry continues to love me deeply after we get married. This is because the mission progress bar displayed by the system has never moved past zero. On our wedding anniversary, I happen to stumble upon a hidden diary in Henry's desk drawer, which reveals a very shocking truth—Henry has been reborn. He possesses full knowledge that this world is a novel and that I am the antagonist who poses a threat to the protagonist, Renee Schmidt. He puts on a careful act of profound love toward me, strictly for the purpose of shielding Renee, the person he truly cares for. I have just gotten the gist of the whole situation when the system's warning goes off. "You have failed your romance mission. Your existence will be terminated within 48 hours."