Desperate Measures

a heavy burden that I carried for nine long years. It was hard to admit to myself that Carlos Sky never really loved me, despite all the efforts I made to win him over. I even tried to use the divorce and the company he owned, Sky Corporation, as a way to bargain for him to give me attention and love. But he remained indifferent, insensitive to my feelings and my desperate attempts to win him over. It was a moment of great sadness and disappointment when I realized that he never cared about me in the same way that I cared about him. After the divorce, I had time to reflect on what happened and finally realized that the so-called "love" I felt for Carlos Sky was one-sided. I had deluded myself for years, believing that he loved me, when in reality he never showed this feeling for me. The hardest thing was to admit to myself that I loved someone who never loved me back. It was painful to face the reality that all the time, effort, and energy I put into this relationship was for nothing. Learning to let go of this unrequited love and move on with my life was a difficult journey, but necessary for my own emotional health and well-being. Today, I look back with a mixture of sadness and relief. It was a difficult experience, but I also learned a lot about myself and the true meaning of love. I learned that true love is mutual, it involves reciprocity and respect. It is not something that can be forced or won through negotiations.

Jupiter Sephiran Acosta is a closeted gay. He dated numerous men in private, wore lipstick and wig in secret, and strutted every gay bar in town in disguise. The last thing he want for his father is to find out that he's gay. 'Else, he'd be kicked out of the company as a CEO or worse...his father would disown him! But when things started to slowly unfold, his desperation to cover up his sexuality leads him to a desperate measure. Perhaps a girlfriend could help him clean up his name? And who else would be the perfect candidate for that? Ah, yes! Juno, his crazy secretary who once confessed his undying love for him.

A student on a school camping trip gets possessed by an unknown creature; giving him special abilities and forcing him to its bidding, thus bringing a devastating threat to the camp and its surroundings. Has an elusive evil truly returned? Can the possessed student find a way to regain full control? And what are the origin and motives of the creature? Dive into a world of ignorance, mysteries, and thrills as the Unknown Origins series unfolds. Black River (Apocalypse Uprising) [Major sub-story synopsis] Dolly and her best friend Chesa go on a trip to visit the enchanted river, unaware of the strange happenings in the community living close to it. What will happen if their quest for paradise leads to desperate attempts to survive? and will they ever return home from the nightmare? [sub-stories in this book can be read at anytime the reader wishes, but it is advised to follow the plot sequentially. See note for more information. This book is rated 16+ because of its dark theme.]

"Do you still hate me?" Ace smirked, as he rubbed his thumb against Gwen's bottom . At that moment, her heart wasn't the only thing that throbbed. "Well that all depends on what happens next..." * Some say that hatred is unhealthy. Some say that wasting energy hating someone will do no good for you in the end and only make you miserable. Gwen disagrees. Her entire life has been spent hating the Queen of Paria-Drae. She has ruined the lives of her people and even the people of other countries. She is a power-hungry witch that has no right sitting on the throne. A throne that she stole. And Gwen will her for it. And in order to do that Gwen joins the army, not the army of Paria-Drae but of their enemy, Estril. There, she plans to be a part of the group that defeats the Queen and be the one who retakes the throne. So she hides her identity as someone from Paria-Drae and plans to keep a low profile and only focus on her mission. That is until she meets Ace Puckett, the son of a famous army veteran, who has grown up on a military base his entire life. She immediately hates him upon meeting him, he's arrogant, picky, a show-off, and so, goddamn, sexy. Trying not to get distracted by his panty-dropping smile, she gains his attention because of her determined nature and the fact that she isn't begging for his attention. With the pride of being a citizen of Paria-Drae on the line, Gwen is desperate to take back her country and save its reputation before it's too far gone. But it gets harder to do that when there's a certain someone always looking over her shoulder.

After my husband died in a car accident, I worked tirelessly running a small restaurant to raise my son, Henry. Right before Henry's wedding, I won eight million in the lottery. Thrilled, I decided to sell the restaurant and finally enjoy retirement. So, I called to tell Henry about selling the restaurant, his usually polite fiancée turned hostile. "You're not expecting us to support you, are you? We've barely started working!" She even warned Henry, "If you spend any of our money on your mom, the wedding's off!" Henry argued with her but then reassured me, promising, "You've worked hard enough, Mom. I'll take care of you." Feeling pretty good, I planned to give him two million to start a business. The next day, I got a call saying Henry had been in a serious car accident and urgently needed fifty thousand for surgery. I sent the money immediately, but afterward, Henry vanished. Desperate, I braved a storm to find him in his city, only to walk into a wedding at some fancy hotel. There's Henry, giving a toast and calling another woman "Mom." And, oh, sitting beside her? My "dead" husband from ten years ago.

The day before my wedding, I was insulted by two men. In my defense, I ended up killing one and injuring the other. My fiancé at the time, Alexander, who was supposed to protect me, abandoned me during the trial. I was sentenced to two years in jail. When I was finally released two years later, I discovered that my ex-fiancé had already married my best friend, Isabella. And Isabella? She didn’t just ‘steal’ my fiancé—she took the doctor position that was supposed to be mine too. I had nowhere to go, and in my most desperate moment, Eric Graves appeared at my door. As the most powerful mafia leader in NYC, Eric used his influence to ensure no one would speak ill of my past. He also proposed to me, confessing that he'd always had feelings for me and wanted to marry me. I believed he was my knight in shining armor, my true love. The first four years of our marriage were perfect—at least, that’s what I thought, until the day I overheard a conversation between my husband, Eric, and his right-hand man, Adam. “Boss, you were so clever to let those scums harass Evelyn. If it weren't for that, Miss Isabella would never have had a chance with Alexander.” Eric’s teasing voice followed, “I just wanted to scare her for a bit. Never thought she’d kill one of them and end up behind bars.” Adam sounded confused. “But Miss Isabella is already married now. Why would you still keep that whore around after she got out of prison?” “Because,” Eric paused, “I have to make sure she doesn’t run back to Alexander or disturb Isabella.” The laughter that followed shattered my heart. All those memories of Eric saving me from humiliation? They were all a lie. He was the one who made my life fall apart, just to make sure Isabella could live happily ever after. Wiping away the lingering tears, I dialed Eric’s biggest rival in NYC, Caleb Nightshade. "Do you still want to wipe Eric out of New York?”

Tara isn't your everyday beauty shit she wasn't a size 0 runway model, she was curvey thick and flawless nonetheless. It took her years to see that in herself after going through the ups and downs of being tossed through the foster system she had all but lost her faith in herself. This is why she chooses to become an advocate for foster kids like her. When she first launched her UFCP program she had only one private supporter. Now here she was at a huge charity banquet representing her program publicly and the program would now be recognized nationally. It was like a dream come true especially when she runs into the investor who happens to be an old friend from the foster system who was in the same house as her. Giovanni Berlusconi, he had glowed up since she last saw him all those years ago and he apparently felt the same about her. The only problem was he was a mafia king pin and Tara might have known much about the mob, but she sure as hell knew she wanted no parts of it. Especially after two of her colleagues end up dead in a mysterious car crash after questioning Gio's family connections to the recent spike in missing persons cases in the city. Tara had tried to blow him off politely but Gio wasn't having it. Stopping by her office unannounced. Tara was desperate to avoid the mob boss at all cost that is until she accidentally stumbles on to a private family meeting and witnesses him killing someone. Now she has only two choices marry the very man she fears or die.

Jackie is a 38 year old divorcee who has two kids (13 year old Sam and 10 year old Dylan) and just happens to own and run 5’o Clock Ville, one of the hottest bars around, and is in desperate need of a bartender, amongst other things. Enter 26 year old heart throb, who just so happens to be a bad boy, Bobby, who is in need of a job. She hires him for his skills, but Bobby sure makes her see that everything didn’t die during her marriage. Can the bad boy be tamed? Can the divorcee learn to have fun again? What problems can arise from a little flirtation? He wasn’t looking for love and she wasn’t looking for marriage again; but just how deep were they willing to go to explore these new found feelings with each other?

A skilled art thief, Bella Morgan, targets Aaron Davis, a billionaire and his priceless collection but finds herself captivated by the mysterious billionaire instead. Meanwhile, in order for Aaron to inherit his family's business empire, he must produce a legitimate heir within a year and a half. Desperate to retain his independence as well as his career, he enters into a contract with feisty and fierce Bella who agrees to be his temporary wife and the mother of his child after being caught of theft. As their arrangement progresses, things begin to get out of hand and nothing seems to be going as planned. Noah, Aaron's brother, whom he hates, comes into the picture to make things even more complicated.

Ryan is a rich guy in desperate need of a girlfriend to present to his family. His friend successfully persuaded him to date Claire, a waitress in a restaurant he frequently eats in. Ryan had something else in mind, he wants Claire to be his fake romantic partner instead. There's a problem though,he doesn't get along with her often. Claire is a nice waitress and Ryan was one of the grouchy customers she renders her services to. She finds herself agreeing to a fake relationship with Ryan; The grouchy customer because she needed some money. They made a deal not to fall in love since it was a contract but as time flies, Claire began to question herself if it was really impossible to fall in love with an attractive rich playboy like Ryan.