Don't Be Late

Running late for work, I had no choice but to call an Uber. As luck would have it, my boss turned out to be my Uber driver. We stared at each other awkwardly. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Let me guess... running late?" Me: ... Later, he docked my pay. I gave him a one-star review.

“He broke her heart once. Now he’s willing to lose his empire just to win it back.” --- Simula 12 years old pa lang ay minahal na si Talia si Caden Montclair. Kaya nang magkasundo ang kanilang mga pamilya na ipakasal sila sa isa't-isa ay labis-labis ang saya niya. Pero sa loob ng tatlong taon, sikreto silang naging mag-asawa nang hindi nagsasama sa iisang bubong. Bagkus, dalawang beses sa isang buwan ay nagkikita sila ni Caden sa Montclair Villa para punan ang “obligasyon” niya sa asawa at iyon ay maging bed partner nito. Hanggang sa isang araw ay natauhan na lang si Talia. Napagtanto niya na kahit anong gawin niya ay hindi siya magagawang mahalin pabalik ni Caden. Kaya nang magpunta siya sa mansyon ng mga Montclair ay kinausap niya ang asawa at sinabing, “Caden, let's get divorce.” “You’re willing to give up being Mrs. Montclair that easily?” malamig namang tanong ni Caden. “Yes. I already prepared the documents.” Matapos niyon ay umalis na si Talia at hindi na muling nagpakita pa. Pero makalipas ang ilang taon, ay muli siyang nagbalik bilang isang babaeng may dignidad, puno ng kumpiyansa, at kinikilala sa buong bansa. At ngayon, si Caden Montclair naman ang naghahabol sa kanya at humihingi ng second chance. The man who once ignored her now can’t stop chasing her. But Talia has finally learned something he never did— love without respect isn’t love at all.

My fiancé’s first love Chloe had returned. Rumor had it she’d been overseas, treating some rare disease. I hadn’t believed it—until the day she showed up at my engagement party. And I watched as the man I’d been hopelessly in love with since I was sixteen left our party with her. “Wait for me,” Nathan said, “She is fragile. I need to make sure she is well.” He ignored me, but accompanying her to everywhere. I threw away the rings, trashed the wedding gown. When I was pale and trembling from a heart failure later. Nathan finally showed up. “Don’t you dare die on me, Emily,” His hands were shaking. His voice cracked. “We still have a wedding.”

This book is principally about a girl named Izzy, a young beautiful Christain girl who has left her country of birth in search of education in a foreign land; but along the way meets her true self. The self that’s been hiding behind the curtains of her parent’s discipline. Her new found self surprises no one, even those she’s involved with and by “those”, I mean boys and men! Her parents have no idea of what her life is like without them and apparently, you’d be surprised to find out how easy it is to trick or better still “deceive” strict parents. Her parents still believe their daughter is pursuing “their” dreams with her eyes on the prize. Well her eyes are on the prize, it’s just not the prize they have in mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, she’s still all about the education, but alongside that, is what she finds pleasure in doing- changing partners when the sex is not what it used to be, cheating, being bisexual along many others. She has a turnaround in her life when she finally goes upcountry to work as a member of an NGO that provides for the poor, where she unexpectedly meets a man who changes her life and brings her back to the faith. This time, she wasn’t Izzy that followed her parents to church and not know why she went, but Izzy who understood her faith and why she loved the Lord and it inspired others in every way. People knowing who she was starts to shame her for who she is now, but she’s a goddamn QUEEN in her own way, and for her, that’s the best way and because she believes it, it’s become contagious!

Mirabel Cole was violated by her stepfather and her boss. Later when she thought she had found love, he was not patient enough to wait for her to be ready but raped her as well. Thinking that that is the way of the world, she sets out to get her revenge on all men. She used her beauty and skill to deal with men leaving alot of heartbreaks and corpses in her wake. Who would blame her indeed, she was made into what she is by the society.

I have claustrophobia, yet Luther Jansen abandons me in a stopped elevator so he can bring some flu medicine to his assistant. I ask for a divorce after that. He signs the papers without hesitation and laughs about it with his friends. "She's just throwing a tantrum—her parents are dead, so there's no way she'll leave me. "Besides, there's a 30-day cooling-off period for divorces, right? I'll generously let this matter slide once she regrets this, and she'll be back." The following day, he shares an intimate photo of himself with his assistant. "I want to record every moment of your shyness." I count the days until I'm free. Then, I calmly pack my stuff and make a call. "Can you buy me a flight ticket to Nanderton, Uncle David?"

The ninth bonding ceremony between me and the Alpha King, Thorne Ravencrest, is finally here. Yet once again, I failed to become his Luna Queen. Not because he broke his promise, but because I'm not qualified enough. The Elders made it crystal clear that every Luna Queen recognized by the Moon Goddess throughout history must cultivate 365 Moonlight Flowers using their own blood essence. But every year on the eve of the ceremony, no matter how careful I am, there's always one flower missing. This year, I nearly drained myself completely and barely managed to grow the right number. Ecstatic, I go to find Thorne, wanting to surprise him. Through the partially open door of the throne hall, I hear his Beta say to him, "Alpha King, Sera's been waiting for you for eight years now. Are you ever going to bond with her?" Thorne shakes his head. "I promised Willow we can't bond this year either." His Beta hesitates. "What if Sera actually manages to grow enough Moonlight Flowers?" Thorne goes silent for a moment, then claps his hands. A shadow wolf appears and melts into the darkness. Before long, a shadow wolf returns with a Moonlight Flower clamped in its jaws. He tears the flower into shreds and lets out a sigh. "Sera has plenty of blood. Forget one year. She could keep cultivating for another ten years and still be fine. "But Willow's been poisoned with wolfsbane. I'm all she has left, and she wants me by her side in her final days. "I can't bear to refuse Willow, which means Sera will just have to wait a bit longer." I bite my lip hard, barely able to believe what I'm hearing. So the Moonlight Flowers that kept mysteriously disappearing were all destroyed by him. Becoming Luna Queen has been my dream since childhood. But if he never intended to bond with me at all, then it's time I leave him.

LEXIE ZIMMERMAN- Isang simpleng babae na puno ng dignidad, nangangarap ng isang simpleng buhay na may kapayapaan ngunit mahirap para sa kan’ya na makaalis sa poder ng mga Terorista. Ang unang misyon ni Lexie ay patayin si Cedric ngunit dahil sa maling impormasyon na natanggap niya, nabigo ang kanyang misyon. Sa halip na patayin si Cedric, iniligtas pa niya ito. Idineklarang traydor sa kanilang grupo ang dalaga, dahilan kung bakit gusto siyang patayin ng mga kasamahan niyang terorista. CEDRIC HILTON- Sa edad na 34 ay naging matagumpay sa buhay, siya ang batang bilyonaryo na naging Governor ng Montenegro City. Naging obsessed sa babaeng nagligtas ng kanyang buhay. Hindi tumigil ang binata sa paghahanap sa dalaga hanggang sa natagpuan niya ang pamilya nito. Pwersahan niyang ipinakasal sa kanya ang dalaga, ngunit isang pagkakamali ang naging desisyon ng binata dahil ang babaeng pinakasalan nito ay ang identical twin ni Lexie, si Chloe Tanner. Ano ang gagawin ni Cedric kung malaman niya na ang babaeng kinahuhumalingan ay isang Terorista? May pag-asa pa bang magkatuluyan ang dalawa, gayong kasal na ang binata sa kakambal ni Lexie? Ano ang mangyayari kapag nagsama sa iisang bubong ang supladong Governor at ang makulit na dalagang Terorista? Siguradong babaligtad ang mundo mo dito. Samahan n’yo akong pasukin at tuklasin ang mundo ni Lexie Zimmerman at Cedric Hilton sa “Don’t Mess with Me.”

Nadine Sullivan doesn't come home to have dinner with me on my birthday. Instead, she transfers 100 dollars to me and sends me a text, saying, "I love you." Coincidentally, a resident doctor at her hospital updates his social media with a photo. It's a screenshot of her transferring 10,000 dollars to him. She's also texted him, "I love you to the moon and back." I don't throw a tantrum or kick up a fuss. All I do is leave the city without hesitation. The first day after my departure, I hear that Nadine is unfazed. She says, "He'll be back after a few days." The first month after my departure, Nadine calls me. "I'll transfer 100 thousand dollars to you, alright? Can you come back now?" I've never wanted her money, though.

At Westbridge High, boys don’t fall in love gently. They collide. Jay Vale is everything untouchable—rich, ruthless, and the golden captain of the hockey team. He’s admired from a distance, feared up close, and completely uninterested in anyone who tries to get near him. Love has never been part of his game. Until Noah Carter a transfers student step in. Quiet, stubborn, and carrying the weight of a broken home, Noah isn’t impressed by Westbridge’s hierarchy or its spoiled athletes. He just wants to survive school, protect his best friend Joe, and keep his life from falling apart again. But trouble finds him fast. When Liam Knox Jay’s once-best friend turned bitter rival—targets Joe for sport, Noah steps in… and pays the price. Jay steps in too. A single act of protection turns into something darker. Jay offers Noah tutoring, claiming it’s just a favor. It isn’t. Jay doesn’t want Noah the way boys usually do. He wants him like obsession. And Liam notices. Still haunted by the confession that shattered their friendship, Liam refuses to watch Jay choose someone else. If Noah is what Jay wants, then Liam will do whatever it takes to ruin it—even if it means using Joe, the soft-hearted boy who keeps falling for the wrong person. Love becomes a battlefield. Friendship becomes betrayal. And on the ice, where boys are taught to play rough… No one plays fair. Because the most dangerous game isn’t hockey. It’s the one they’re playing with each other’s hearts.