Deep Water

Blurb The downpour washed the dark alleys of Ole Keating Village like Jupiter is wrathful towards the small town. Every time the lightning slashes the skies sending frightening thunders everywhere, the little boy’s strides become faster. “You’ve got nowhere to run, boy.” He harshly covered his ears just to get away from the taunting voice. The heavy rain somehow managed to wipe the blood from his body yet the pain unrelenting to grow. He fell on his knees resulting in another painful and ugly scratch to bleed. He looks like a beaten rag. He hasn’t eaten for days and the fearsome encounter he just escapes didn’t guarantee his safety. Even limping, he tried to get on his feet just to stumble and fall on the cold, hard ground again. A loud sound of the honking car filled his ears as the blinding light approaches closer. Surrendering, he lied flat on the ground wishing the pain finally ends. Sounds of boots slapping the water from the road come into his senses but he’s too weak to care. Someone’s checking on him but all that he can think of right now is the girl she left alone in the old warehouse. “S-save her…” he mumbled, tasting blood in his mouth, “Please save her.” The darkness pulled him and he finally gave in.

My fiance, Simon Rossi, is a mafia Don with a reputation for brutality. He suddenly takes in an orphan girl and spoils her rotten. He names her Giara, saying she's pure, like a beam of light. But that is the name he has promised for our future daughter. He thinks he's hidden it well. But the night before our engagement party, I notice his cufflinks. The ruby ones I gave him are replaced with cheap plastic cartoon cats. I don't believe he's really cheating, so I abduct Giara to get answers without hurting her. Then Simon bursts in with his men. 50 people die, and three armories go up in flames. "Ivina Coleo, consider this a lesson. But don't worry. I'll send her away. Remember, this is the first time you touch her, and the last." But at the engagement party, Giara sits with Simon's parents, smiling right at me. The sight sparks a fury I can't control. I lunge forward, determined to send her away myself. Simon tells Giara to leave, coaxing me through the ceremony. But that night, he binds my limbs with stones and sinks me into the sea. "I told you that was the last time." Cold water fills my lungs. When I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day I first abducted Giara. This time, I don't want Simon or the wedding anymore.

I had taken leave from the sealed research institute where I'd been confined for six years, just so I could attend my daughter's kindergarten graduation. The moment I stepped through the gates, I froze. A woman holding a little boy by the hand was shoving my daughter, Amy, straight into the gutter. She slapped Amy across the face, then sneered for everyone to hear, spitting venom as she called my little girl a filthy wretch. Drenched in filthy water, Amy dropped to her knees before the woman, trembling in humiliation. Rage burned through me. I stormed forward and slapped the woman across the face. But instead of shame, she jabbed a finger at my nose and shouted, "Do you even know who I am? To offend me is to offend the entire Grant family!" Tears welled in Amy's eyes as she tugged at my sleeve, pleading in a choked voice, "Please leave… she's my dad's nanny. My dad will punish you if you hurt her." The woman planted herself in front of me, her arrogance towering. "The Grant family rules this city. You think you can run from us?" For a brief moment, I stood stunned, then calmly pulled out my phone and dialed my husband. "Your nanny says you run Bexley City. Well, I think that's about to change."

A sharp bang on the door made him jump. "Open the door, Sawyer. I know you're there, I saw you. Come on, sweetheart," Daniel cooed through the closed door. Sawyer's heart fluttered at that endearment. Hearing Daniel's voice again was like cool water running down his sweaty back – refreshing, energizing. He felt the intense kicking in his stomach stop as though the baby was listening as Daniel tried to talk him to come out. I'm so sorry, child. Your father...doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't belong in our lives. It's always going to be you and me. Sawyer bit his bottom lip at how selfish his thoughts were. God, had it really come down to this? "I'm so sorry, Dan but I'm not who you think I am. You don't deserve an idiot like me. Please, go home. We have nothing to talk about." "See? You're disturbing us. He doesn't want to talk to you. Let him be," He heard Maddie say. Sawyer exhaled at the silence that followed, thinking that Daniel had deeded his words and left. But Daniel spoke again, a slight edge of command in his voice. "No, Sawyer. You're not a fool. Listen, can you at least open up so we could sort things out, just the two of us."

They had two things in common: feistiness and a thirst for love. One they showed, the other they hid, buried deep behind their walls. Calvin Logan, a billionaire, marries to save his reputation. Cora Jackson, an abused divorcee, marries Calvin in place of her sister. Upon meeting him, she is surprised by who he is but good enough, she matches his fierceness and authority. With attraction pulling them together, Cora and Calvin must find a way to break down their protective walls and get what they both crave: LOVE.

When life gives you lemon, make lemonade, but what do you do when lemonade is served instead of lemons? I think I'm in deep shit and I don't know how to get out. I was sold to a Mafia underboss, not technically, but he claimed me, a ruthless one at that. I know it's crazy but I'll escape no matter what, I will break these shackles and fly freely like a bird, and if that meant spilling blood, then I am so ready.

During the looming war between two enemy countries: Estria and Westaria, the latter sends its covert agents to infiltrate the enemy country and stop the approaching war. As every unmarried men and women in Estria gets interrogated by the Espionage Eradication Agency under the suspicion of being a Westarian spy, Zeke Devereaux is forced into marriage by his father within less than a month. He successfully finds a bride using his wealth but their relationship starts on a rough road. The moment he saw her, he felt a deep yearning to make her his. As for Asteria, everything was just a means of escape and hideout for her as she continue to stage her missions while being tied to him by marriage. She took advantage of his obssesion towards her to continue staying by his side and being obscured from the Estarian government's sight. In the course of their married life, will he successfully capture her without getting captivated himself? Will his obsession with her eventually turn into love? Will he be able to love her truly? Will she honor his feelings towards her and reciprocate them? Or will she find this another chance to infiltrate deep into his family business and eventually into her country's enemy? Was marrying her even the right choice? Yearning, obssesion, love, duty, political struggle, guns, war, amidst all of these, will they find the right path into opening the doors of their hearts into the unknown.

Vanessa was treated badly by her husband and in-laws, hoping that someday they would treat her well. It was not the kind of treatment that she got, but a divorce. Vanessa has returned to the family. What they didn't know was that she was the heiress of the Hector family, a very wealthy family. But after the divorce, why did her step-brother become more aggressive towards Vanessa? "Stop saying we are family. You and I don't share the same blood at all." Andreas cornered Vanessa. The deep look in his eyes had left her speechless.

After being betrayed by a Wolf she held dear, leading to her death. Khloe, an omega, gets a chance to live a second time. She wakes up in the body of her school bully’s girlfriend and the most popular girl. **** “Hi, girlfriend.” I heard him say in his deep masculine voice as he leaned in to kiss my forehead. I felt anger and hatred surge through me. My eyes landed on the same lips he had spat on me with a few days ago, days before my death.

"Either you resign peacefully, or we will force you to step down," the voice warned. "And I am saying it again, I am not giving in to your demands," I replied confidently. ---------------------- The very moment Miranda ascends as the new consortium head, she started facing unrelenting foes whose aim is to terminate her life and take over the consortium. However her determination to unearth the truth about her parents death and seek retribution unveiled a deep hidden secret that shakened the entire Consortium. Will she succeed or will her enemies triumph?