Drowned

BOOK #5 Wright-Petrov Series Nursing her broken heart and crushed pride, Abigail Marie Fuentebella Sandoval boldly gatecrashed her ex-fiance's engagement party. As she stood in the corner of the massive hall, she gritted her teeth in pure contempt while witnessing his betrayal. Worst, they looked so happy together. To assuage the searing pain drilling her chest, she drowned her sorrows in several glasses of champagne. Her boyfriend of eight years fathers her scheming stepsister's unborn child. Seeking retribution, she impulsively hooked up with a striking man from the crowd, convinced he was someone of importance. However, she was cruelly ridiculed after discovering he was a pauper, not the prince she had hoped for. She faced immense mockery for presumably "downgrading" from her wealthy ex-fiance, Justin Del Castillo, the President of F&D Group of Companies, to a struggling man who couldn't even afford to take her on a date at her family-owned luxurious hotel. Unbeknownst to everyone, especially to Abigail, she was not mistaken that night. The man she chose was not a mere millionaire, but a BILLIONAIRE. The shrewd business tycoon, CEO Lucas Alexander Montes Wright, the cherished firstborn of the world's richest family and the eldest heir of the Petrov Mafia.

"S-stay away from me." She stammered while moving her steps backward just to hit the edge of the table. "Why would I do that?" He placed his hands on her either side surrounding her in his woody scent. She couldn't help but took a deep breath. "It's my p-personal space." She turned her face towards the bookshelf beside the table as he leaned his face closer. "Hmm..." He hummed as her whole body shuddered when he started tracing her jugular vein with his nose. Her mouth was dry as the aura of his scent was gone and fear conquered her body. "You are my personal thing too." He groaned jerking her towards him by her waist. "L-lea..." Her lips couldn't form the words as he captured her soft lips in a swift. ←→ Ara Smith, daughter of a priest, drowned in innocence. She is a 19 years old girl with a cheeky smile but she didn't get the chance to smile much after her father's death. ‹› Gareth Blade, a 31 years old mafia billionaire is another name for a nightmare. No one dares to match his stoned gaze that reflects his stoned heart. He can own the things that ever attracts his eyes but this time his eyes didn't fall on something but someone.

Divorced and remarried—I've lost count of how many times Aaron and I stepped in and out of marriage. He once treated me like something precious, but less than a year after our wedding, he asked for our first divorce. The reason was simple, Vivian was coming back. "Vivian's a public figure," he told me. "I don't want anyone thinking she's involved with a married man." That third-tier actress had nothing but her father's sacrifice to her name. He had taken a bullet for Aaron—a life for a life. And because of that, Aaron believed he owed her everything. Every time Vivian returned to the country, Aaron divorced me. And every time she left, we remarried. The first time we split, I drowned my tears in whiskey and stumbled back to his house half-drunk. The lights inside were warm. He was with her. And I stood outside, shivering through the night. The second time, I tracked his every move—restaurants, auctions, charity galas—just to "accidentally" run into him again. Later, I learned better. The moment he mentioned divorce, I would quietly pack my suitcase and disappear from his mansion. My love and humiliation kept me trapped in that endless cycle of breaking up and coming back together. But this time, when Aaron waited for me at City Hall to remarry, I never showed up.

I set fire to my painting in front of the entire academy. Thunderous applause erupts from the crowd as everyone thinks it's some kind of performance art. Unlike them, Willow Laurent is distraught. She rushes up and grabs my hand, questioning in a shrill voice, "Cassidy Seymour, have you gone mad? This is your only chance to prove yourself!" I shake her hand off me coldly. My only chance? No… What she means is that it's her chance. In my past life, I created this masterpiece with all my heart and soul. But she stole it from me and submitted it as her entry first. Whether it was the composition, the colors, or even my original dot-stippling technique… She replicated every detail flawlessly. Then, she won the National Young Artists Gold Award, signed with a top gallery, and became a rising star. And what about me? I was condemned as a shameless plagiarist. Insults and curses gradually drowned me. "You shouldn't be an artist!" "Plagiarists are scum! They should just die!" Her fans stormed into my studio, smashed my art supplies, and broke my right hand. As I saw no end to the hell that I was living in, I jumped down from the top floor of my studio. When I open my eyes again, I'm back to the very day she first accuses me of plagiarism.

Olivia’s heart was shattered by her boyfriend Luke's betrayal. She witnessed him cheating with another woman in his apartment and was devastated. To numb the pain, she drowned herself in alcohol, seeking solace in the bottom of a bottle. It was during this haze that she met Antonio. Despite barely knowing him, Olivia felt a powerful pull towards him, a connection she couldn't explain. That night, she surrendered to the stranger, and despite the circumstances, she didn't regret it. The night held a strange, bittersweet memory for her. Olivia was determined to forget that night, to escape the pain and the man who had taken her innocence. But fate had other plans. They met again in their hometown, and despite trying to deny it, Olivia found herself falling for Antonio. He pursued her relentlessly, and she couldn't fight the feelings that were blossoming within her. She accepted his kisses, his embraces, and his promise to marry her. But fate seemed to be playing a cruel game. Olivia discovered that Anton was involved with Sandra Cervantes, the woman who had brought them together. She also learned that Anton was planning to buy a large portion of land in their province, a move that would displace many workers. Despite her own heartbreak, Olivia, driven by her love and trust in Antonio, convinced him to abandon his plan. He agreed, but only on the condition that she marry him, which she couldn't refuse. Their relationship blossomed, and they eventually married, with the majestic Mayon Volcano as a witness to their love.

Lisa Knox The day I caught my husband and my sister having sex on the bed while my son had drowned in the pool was the day I made my decision and stood by it. Nothing was going to make me stay in this five years marriage. So, I took the divorce papers, signed it and left everything behind. Including the wealth and company I Inherited from my late dad. I had handed everything in my life over to him when I was blinded by love. Now, I vowed as I stepped out to get back everything until my sister and my ex husband are reduced to nothing. * Andrew McCarthy The day before my wedding, I had caught my first love and wife-to-be getting fucked by my PA in the study room. I had said nothing and simply went out to drink, completely hopeless for love. There I met her, a beautiful young lady whom I could use for the night. The sex had been good but that was about it. I cancelled the wedding when I got a call to come back home and take up the responsibility of a father, to adopt my niece because my twin brother had just been murdered. Five years later, everything is in chaos and I need a woman who is experienced in raising children who will stay. So when I met that lady from the one night stand again, I made up my mind to have her for myself. She would be my wife and would raise my daughter, no matter what.

What happens when a lecturer accidently weds a billionaire? Business Tycoon Ian Hills and actress Mava Presley were the biggest couple in the tabloids. Their wedding was supposed to be the most celebrated event of the century. But when Ian found his fiancee cheating on him with his biggest business rival just a day before the wedding, he chose to call it off. A hot argument with his grandfather ended with him being mandated to get another bride before the big ceremony, or he would lose all his shares. He decided to go to his sister’s home to pre-mourn his losses in alcohol. Ashley Toma was a broken hearted college professor visiting her best friend, Rita Hills, the night before her tycoon brother’s big televised wedding, trying to get the image of her step-sister and her (now) ex-boyfriend jousting in bed out of her head. The venomous woman had succeeded in snatching him from her. She always had her sights set on him because he was a rich second-generation heir. In the same place at the same time, Ian and Ashley drowned their sorrows in the finest bottles of liquor Rita owned. Several drinks and a weird night, both of them woke up in Las Vegas with a marriage contract for one year with both their names and their signatures clearly displayed. It all seemed convenient; the billionaire would get to keep his shares and the professor would get to move on from the betrayal. There was only one wrench in the plan. They absolutely despised each other. With jealous exes and fame in the way, would they grow to love each other or would the hatred bloom even stronger?

Sabi nga sa kanta, ❝Kay gandang pagmasdan ang iyong mga mata, kumikinang- kinang at di ko maintindihan.❞ Yun pa lang, ramdam ko kung gaano kita gustong makita'ng lagi. Dahil sa segundong madampian ang labi ko ng mga labi mo, sa mga oras na masilayan kong nakatingin ka rin sa'kin, yung saya na ipinaparamdam mo, abot langit. Yung tipong hindi ko maipaliwanag. ❝At sa paglisan ng araw, akala'y di ka mahal. At ang nadarama'y di magtatagal. Malay ko bang hindi mapapagal. Iibigin kita kahit gaano pa katagal.❞ Mahal, para sa'yo yan dahil sa magpakailan man, ikaw at ikaw lang ang alam ng puso ko na ibigin. Ngayon, bukas, at hanngang sa araw na ang ating mga paa'y magpantay, ikaw at ikaw lang aking mahal. It was Veronica's letter to her present lover, Miko Diaz. Both were in love, have set their future together, and plans to hold hands until eternity. But one night, the moment she opens her eyes, she found herself in the strange world where Lance (her ex-lover is still alive) In that place, he is her husband and they have kids together. Drowned in many unanswered questions, will she find her way out or she will continue to live in the world of which her past love belongs.

Vera Sinclair had everything, wealth and a future mapped out by her ambitious father. But on the night of her extravagant eighteenth birthday party, a heated argument with her father shattered everything. Seeking an escape, she drowned her pain in reckless indulgence, only to wake up in the arms of Logan Grey, the dark, untouchable heir to one of the most feared Mafia empires. She had worshiped him from afar for years, but after taking her innocence, he left her with nothing but a cold shoulder. Determined to forget him, Vera tried to move on. But fate had other plans. A missed period led to a devastating revelation, and a family who would rather erase the problem than endure a blood entanglement with the notorious Grey heathens. But Vera wanted to keep her baby, so with no other options, she ran to Logan, the very man her family wanted her to stay away from. Logan, however, had his own secrets, the one rule his father insisted on: never sire a child out of wedlock. This meant that Vera's pregnancy could cost him everything: his position, inheritance, and freedom. Logan had no intention of being forced into marriage. But what he didn’t expect was another threat lurking in the shadows, his estranged brother. A man just as powerful and dangerous, eager to claim what Logan refused. Vera soon found herself not only a mother to a Mafia heir but also at the center of a battle between two men who had been feuding since birth.

**MATURE CONTENT** Territorial Mafia Series 2: VAUGHN CROSSBAN --- He is a doctor. He is a billionaire. He is the ruthless leader of the Northern Mafia. Vaughn Christian Crossban, 27 years old, a dangerously handsome, filthy rich, and the most sought-after bachelor in the city. He can heal you, destroy you, or buy your entire existence with a single command. But beneath the perfection is a man intoxicated by control, armed with a god complex and a heart incapable of mercy. Vaughn doesn’t believe in love. He vowed never to kneel, beg, or cry for any woman. No woman could ever do that to him, not even his ex-fiancée. Mira Kim Adore, ang babaeng hindi sumipot sa mismong araw ng kasal nila. Ang babaeng walang takot na iniwan ang isang katulad niyang bilyonaryo, at ipinagpalit lamang siya sa isang lalaking wala sa kalingkingan niya. Dahil sa galit... sa pride at ego niyang niyurakan, sinira niya ang lahat kay Mira. He watched as she drowned in debt, cursed by misfortune. At natutuwa siyang paglaruan ito. Para sa kanya, she was nothing but a toy… someone to manipulate, control, and discard. Pero paano kung lahat ng katagang binitiwan niya noon... ay siya ring kakainin niya sa huli? Paano kung ang larong sinimulan niya ay nauwi sa isang pagmamahal na hindi na niya kayang pigilan? Sa isang pag-ibig na hindi inaasahan, may pag-asa pa bang makaligtas ang isang cold-hearted prince sa apoy ng sarili niyang kapahamakan?