Downstairs Artinya

After the school cafeteria for elementary school kids shut down, I decided to offer meals for all the kids in our building at my home. At the end of the month, when it came time to settle the bill, one of the neighbors wasn’t happy. “The new caterer downstairs only charges $2.50 per meal, but you’re charging us $5! That’s an extra $75 per kid per month. Do you have no shame?” she accused me. I calmly explained that I only used free-range meat and organic vegetables in my meals. But no matter how patiently I tried to reason with them, the parents insisted I refund the difference and demanded I charge no more than $2.50 per meal moving forward. When I lowered my costs to meet their demands, they started accusing me of mistreating their children. They went online to expose me and even reported me to the authorities. The online attacks were relentless. I was fined, and my husband lost his job because of the controversy surrounding me. The stress pushed me into depression, and in the end, I jumped off a building to end it all. When I opened my eyes again, I saw those same parents being swayed by others in the neighborhood to send their kids to the new daycare service that only charged $2.50 a day. What they didn’t know was that the lunch caterer next door did serve meat every day—but it was frozen, diseased pork that had been sitting in storage for two years.

Sebuah kisah tentang seorang lelaki yang ingin menyelamatkan rumah tangganya dari kehancuran. Imej jelek yang melekat di dirinya membuatnya tidak dianggap.Sumando, kata yang berasal dari bahasa Minang ini memiliki arti sebagai menantu laki-laki, tapi ada tambahan Lapiak Buruak, yang artinya tikar yang sudah jelek sekali. Makna dari Sumando Lapiak Buruak adalah suami yang lebih suka menghabiskan waktu di rumah, berleha-leha dengan anak bini. Lelaki yang malas bekerja mencari nafkah demi menghidupi keluarganya.Tersebutlah Syamil Wafiq, nama lelaki itu. Keberadaannya di rumah sang istri tidak begitu dianggap. Dia cenderung tertutup, dan tidak bisa bergaul dengan orang-orang.Hal itu membuat Shanum Diya-istrinya-merasa bak makan buah simalakama. Suaminya menjadi bahan gunjingan dan lama kelamaan, rumah tangganya berada di ujung tanduk. Bagaimanakah kisah ini bergulir? Akankah Syamil bisa menyelamatkan keluarganya?Sumber gambar:Designed by Freepik

"So, were you able to test the ? Did you test it on a toy or a person?" Her voice rang with laughter. She was feeling so bold. "You seem different tonight... Uninhibited." His voice was soft as he ignored her jokes. "You don't know how I usually am. This morning was your first time seeing me. At my workplace." Her voice grew lower and softer with each word. Because the mood in the room started to shift. A sweet, strange feeling registered.  Solana felt like something more intense than the earlier flirtiness had taken over. The sound of the music from the bar downstairs grew more distant. She became wholly aware of their proximity. He was now only two feet from her. His rich male scent mixed with tobacco made her want to move closer and fall into his arms. It felt like they were alone in the world at that moment. *********** After years of searching for a suitable , Solana lands an offer in a rundown motel that could solve her immediate housing issue and kick off her career. There's just one tiny problem - She has to work for her former one-night stand. Mark Daniels must revive his mother's motel or lose all his inheritance. He struggles to navigate the blurred lines between an overwhelming attraction and his responsibility. The problem intensifies when his friend, Phil, starts to pursue a romantic relationship with the woman who plagued his wildest fantasies.

Bagaimana jika kamu menjadi pelakor untuk merebut suamimu sendiri? Pernikahan karena perjodohan tidak lagi menjadi suatu hal yang mengejutkan. Surat wasiat yang ditulis oleh Hanung membuat dua manusia yang tidak saling mencintai harus menjalin hubungan yang tidak mereka inginkan. Ares dan Rere, harus merasakan untuk terikat satu sama lain selamanya. Hingga pernikahan mereka sudah berjalan 7 tahun. Hanya saja Ares masih terikat dengan masa lalunya. Ares yang memperlihatkan hubungannya dengan wanita dari masa lalu secara terang-terangan di hadapan Rere. Sedangkan Rere, wanita itu hanya bisa memendam rasa sakit dan kekecewaan di hatinya. Hingga ada keinginan di hati Rere merebut Ares untuk menjadi miliknya. Ah entahlah, apakah itu akan berhasil dan membuat Ares menatap ke arahnya, mencintainya sepenuh hati atau itu semua tidak akan berhasil dan tidak ada artinya karena Ares tetap memilih masa lalunya?

“Apa yang bisa kamu lakukan untuk saya, Nes?” Suara berat dengan bahasa formal yang kaku itu menyentak kesadaran Nesa. Sudah pasti lelaki itu persis dengan apa yang digambarkan kepalanya. Dari namanya saja seolah sudah terbaca; Barata—Tua, tambun, jelek dan genit. Jemari Nesa meremas ujung baju kurungnya yang menjuntai hingga atas lutut dengan kuat. Dia dikirim ke rumah besar ini sebagai tebusan utang menggunung bapaknya pada sang tuan tanah. Dia harus kabur dari sini. Dia sudah berbalik dan hendak mengeluarkan jurus seribu langkah, tetapi suara bariton lelaki itu berhasil menghentikannya. “Jika kamu nekat keluar dari rumah ini, maka pintu rumah ini akan selamanya tertutup untuk kamu. Dan kamu tahu apa artinya?” Nesa menelan salivanya susah payah. Apakah ini akhir kegadisannya? Terperangkap ke dalam cangkang si tuan tanah tua?

"Aku masih menjaga kamu dalam pikiranku AUSTRALIA." Haidar bangun dari tempat tidur. Mengusap wajah dan memandangi dinding kamarnya. Di sana ada brosur pendaftaran magister salah satu universitas di Australia. Sekolah yang menjadi impiannya saat ini. Namun semua itu tidaklah mudah untuk di wujudkan, bertahun-tahun ia dan ibunya berpindah-pindah rumah demi menutupi jati diri mereka. Tinggal di rumah yang reot serta makan dari hasil belas kasihan orang. Semua pekerjaan dilakukan ibunya agar dia bisa sekolah seperti anak-anak Aceh pada umumnya. "Kau anak seorang pejuang. Kakekmu juga seorang pejuang. Jangan ada air mata untuk setiap masalah yang kau hadapi." Kalimat itu yang diulang-ulang ibunya setiap kali Haidar menangis karena ejekan teman sekolah. Terpaan ibunya tiap hari membuat keteguhan hati Haidar menjadi sekuat batu. Sama seperti namanya, Ibnu Haidar. Nama ini dalam bahasa Arab artinya, si Anak Batu.

In the third year of our marriage, I couldn't stand the sexless relationship anymore, so I slipped some drugs into my wife’s soup. Cindy's cheeks became flushed, her eyes became hazy, and she gave me a seductive look. This was the first time she had behaved like this around me... However, when she realized that it was me, she grabbed my throat, furious. "I told you, my career is my top priority right now. Romance should be set aside first. How could you drug my soup? Do you only think with your lower body?!" I tried to explain, but she tossed me into the cold swimming pool despite the fact that I was still recovering from surgery. "Soak in the pool water to clean your filthy mind!" I pleaded desperately, but she completely ignored me and even had people keep watch to prevent me from getting out. It wasn't until I was shivering and turning blue from the cold winter night that she finally showed mercy. I stumbled back to our room, only to hear her suppressed moans. And the guy on top of her was none other than her brother-in-law! This was what she meant by putting her career first? I wiped away my tears, went downstairs, and called my father-in-law. "Stanley, I agree to let Cindy be a surrogate, but you have to promise me one thing."

After my husband got into a car accident, he started acting strange and unpredictable. I went to countless doctors, and every one of them told me the same thing—he couldn't be provoked, and I had to go along with whatever he wanted. When he said he didn't want me in the master bedroom, I moved my things into the guest room next door. When he said his childhood sweetheart had cancer and he wanted to spend her last days with her, I even brought her into our home. One night, when I went downstairs to get some medicine for my stomach, I heard Harvey's voice, his tone oh so tender. "Katie, you have to live on. If you don't, I'll die too." Katie's breathy, trembling voice followed. "Are you sure Jenna's willing to donate her bone marrow to me?" "Of course. Even if she had to die for me, she'd do it willingly." I froze in place. Tears streamed down my face. That's right. Five years ago, I had donated one of my kidneys to him. Back then, I loved him so much that I really would have died for him. But now, all I wanted was to leave.

"Get up, I'm hungry. Cook for me NOW!" The authoritative tone jolted me awake, not giving me a moment to freshen up or even change. We don't sleep side by side; he stays in the master bedroom while I occupy the guest room. He can't stand being near me. It hurts deeply when those words come from him, but it's a recurring pattern. I hurriedly made my way downstairs, still tying the robe around me. In the kitchen, I began preparing his breakfast. You see, I'm his secret wife. No one knows except our parents and a few friends. Since we got married, not a day goes by without him reminding me that he doesn't love me. Not a day goes by without him hurting me. But that's alright because, as I've mentioned, I love him so much that I'm willing to do anything just to earn his love in return. A single tear escaped and fell onto the clove of garlic I was chopping. I quickly wiped it away. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Manang watching me. I took a deep breath to regain my composure before turning to her with a forced smile. "I'm sorry; I got emotional over garlic." I lied.

For seven years, I love Cody Rummish, clinging to his promise—once his sister-in-law, Luna Briche, conceives, our ordeal ends, and we finally begin our married life. But reality betrays me. Just months after moving into his home, Cody slips into Luna's bedroom 88 times—starting with once a month, now nearly one or two visits daily. Every night, I sit in the downstairs living room, counting the minutes, clutching a flicker of unrealistic hope. As the sole heir after his twin brother's fatal plane crash, Cody inherits not just power and wealth but also, seamlessly, his brother's widow, Luna. After the 88th visit, Luna announces her pregnancy. But instead of Cody honoring his promise, a public declaration shatters me—he will formally marry Luna. I unravel, demanding answers. Silent, Cody locks me in the bedroom's walk-in closet. "Luna was trapped in an elevator for 30 minutes! She nearly died because of you! Stay here for five days. Feel her fear!" Only on the sixth morning does Cody casually open the door with a chuckle. "Alright, lesson learned. Time to apologize, right?" He finds only the stench of blood and my cold, lifeless body. He's killed the fiancée who's loved him for seven years.