Critical Chain Novel

Everyone fears the King. But what the King fears is losing me. And that makes him even more dangerous to me.

“One life saved. One soul claimed.” “You belong to me now, little bird. You saved my life, and now I will spend mine claiming yours.” Cardiovascular nurse Ava Moreles thought saving a dying stranger was just another day at the hospital. She had no idea that pulling Dario Santos back from death’s door would seal her own fate. Dario Santos doesn’t just rule the underworld—he owns it. And now, he’s decided he owns her too. When he crashes her wedding with blood on his hands and possession in his eyes, Ava realizes the man she saved isn’t just dangerous—he’s obsessed. With her. Torn between the safe love she’s always known and the consuming fire of a man who would burn the world down for her, Ava must navigate a treacherous path where every choice could be her last. In Dario’s dark empire, love isn’t just dangerous—it’s deadly. But as the line between captive and willing participant begins to blur, Ava discovers the most terrifying truth of all: the monster she’s supposed to fear might be the only one who truly sees her soul. Will she surrender to the darkness that calls to her? Or will fighting for her freedom cost more than she’s willing to pay? Some obsessions are worth dying for. Others are worth killing for.

Kemuning Dwi Kusumadewi tak pernah menyangka bahwa pernikahan yang ia pertahankan dengan penuh kesetiaan justru berakhir pada pengkhianatan. Suaminya memilih kembali kepada cinta lamanya, bahkan membawa Kemuning tinggal di rumah yang menyimpan kenangan mereka. Namun luka terbesar datang saat Kemuning dijadikan taruhan dalam sebuah permainan kejam, dipertukarkan demi melunasi hutang dan menyelamatkan pria yang ia sebut suami. Dimenangkan oleh Rafardan Kaynan Kendrick, pria misterius dan berkuasa, hidup Kemuning berubah dalam sekejap. Akankah ia terus tenggelam dalam penderitaan, atau justru menemukan kekuatan untuk bangkit dan membalas semua yang telah menghancurkannya?

Tewas karena kerja lembur, Rania, seorang ahli strategi korporat, terbangun di tubuh Permaisuri Aurelia yang terbuang. Diasingkan oleh suaminya yang kejam, Kaisar Darrius, dan dikelilingi musuh, takdirnya adalah mati dalam kehinaan. Tapi Rania menolak untuk menjadi korban. Dengan otaknya sebagai senjata, ia mengubah istana penjaranya menjadi 'kantor' pusat, intrik politik menjadi 'rapat dewan', dan mulai menjalankan operasi hostile takeover terhadap takdirnya sendiri. Namun, permainannya yang dingin dan tak terduga justru menarik perhatian sang Kaisar, yang mulai melihat sosok berbahaya sekaligus memikat di dalam diri wanita yang dibencinya. Di dunia di mana pedang dan sihir berkuasa, bisakah strategi bisnis menyelamatkan nyawanya dan menaklukkan hati sang tiran?

Kendra Hayes lives by one rule, stay invisible. Straight A’s, no drama, no mistakes. But when Professor West, the man who controls her grades and her future, starts blurring the lines between mentorship and something far more dangerous, her silence becomes a cage she can’t escape. Then Axel Cross storms in. The campus golden boy. Star quarterback. Infuriatingly confident and the last person she expects to notice the cracks in her perfect facade. One glance changes everything. He sees what no one else dares to, and suddenly Kendra has something she’s never had before… an ally. But West plays a long game and he never loses. With every step Axel takes toward her, the professor’s hold tightens. Rumors ignite. Secrets surface. Loyalties shatter. And Kendra is caught in a deadly tug-of-war between the boy willing to risk it all for her, and the man determined to own her completely. She can stay silent and survive… Or speak up and lose everything, except maybe her heart. If West doesn’t destroy them both first.

Isn’t it funny how love works? I have always loved Dreston, and he has always been the one for me—my first love. As a child, I loved him, as a teenager, nothing changed. And now, even as his wife, I still couldn’t love him any less. But he only ever loved Tina—my teenage best friend. She came into our lives and didn’t just take him away from me. She took my happiness, my laughter, and even the girl I used to be. I still remember her words to me: “You knew he was mine, yet you married him.” She made me feel like I was the villain. Maybe I was foolish to believe that love alone would bring him back to me. But nothing changed. He would always love her. I finally gave up the day I signed the divorce papers. I learned to let go, to move on, and to start fresh. And just when I had finally decided to start my life again—just when the universe rewarded me with a man who loved me unconditionally… Dreston came running back. Now he wants a second chance.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Mine's been chilling for five years. The night James Reed kicked me out of his life, I was pregnant, penniless, and naive enough to believe love mattered more than money. He taught me better. When you're bleeding out in the rain, clutching your stomach while your best friend laughs from his doorway, you learn exactly what you're worth to people like them. Zero. But the woman who nearly died that night? She stayed dead. The one who came back is someone else entirely. Anna Quinn. Lost daughter of California's most powerful family. CEO of her own pharmaceutical empire. And the silent majority shareholder in James Reed's failing company. He's about to learn what happens when you build an empire on stolen foundations. His marriage has cracks he doesn't see. And the investors keeping him afloat? They answer to me now. He thinks he's untouchable. That my formula made him invincible. But success built on stolen work has a way of crumbling when the original genius decides to pull the rug out. I don't want him back. I want him ruined. And this time, I'm the one holding all the cards.

Isang pagkamuhi na nauwi sa kakaibang init ng temptasyon. Magagawa ba niyang iwasan ang init ng mga halik ng lalaking kinamumuhian? Saan hahantung ang kakaibang init kung mismo ang kanyang katawan ay napapaso sa kakaibang sipsip na ginawa ng naturang kinaiinisan? Abangan ang kwento ng pag-ibig na magbibigay init sa bawat buntong-hininga ng mga mambabasa.

Alura, seorang ratu iblis dari dunia bawah, dikirim ke dunia manusia untuk menyelesaikan ujian terakhirnya: hidup sebagai manusia biasa selama 100 hari. Untuk bertahan, ia menerima tawaran menjadi istri kedua kontrak dari pria kaya dan misterius bernama Arga. Tapi Arga bukan pria biasa—ia adalah pembunuh bayaran berhati dingin yang menyembunyikan masa lalunya dari semua orang, termasuk istri pertamanya. Alura mulai mencintai manusia itu, justru saat kekuatannya yang tersegel perlahan bangkit… dan serangkaian pembunuhan misterius terjadi di sekolah tempat ia menyamar sebagai siswi. Siapa musuh sebenarnya? Dan siapa yang harus ia selamatkan, dirinya, cinta, atau dunia?

“Ah!” Seorang wanita terbangun di tempat tidur rumah sakit. Napasnya terengah-engah, keringat dingin membasahi dahinya. Ia memegang kepala, mencoba memahami apa yang baru saja terjadi. Seorang pria berdiri di sisi tempat tidur, menatapnya dengan sorot mata tajam. “Kau tampaknya sudah cukup sehat, Kayla.” Wanita itu mengernyit. Kayla? Siapa itu? Pria itu mendekat dan memegang dagunya dengan kasar. “Kau ingin mencoba bunuh diri lagi? Setelah sebelumnya melompat dari gedung, kini nekat terjun ke danau?” “Maaf… siapa Anda?” tanya wanita itu, bingung. Pria itu tersenyum sinis. “Kau pura-pura tidak mengenal suamimu sendiri. Apa kali ini amnesia?" tanya pria itu dengan nada menghina. Tatapan matanya tajam menusuk, seolah menguliti pikiran Hara. "Berpura-pura bodoh di hadapanku? Kau sedang mencari mati, hah?"