Dust Yourself Off And Try Again

Liam Carter gave up the game years ago—along with the risks, the spotlight, and the chaos that came with it. Now, as the head coach of a rising football team, control is his currency. Discipline. Distance. And it works… until Noah Hayes shows up. Young, gifted, and reckless, Noah plays with fire—on and off the pitch. He’s a rising star who doesn’t follow rules, especially not the invisible ones. When he starts pushing at the lines Liam draws, the tension turns electric. Liam tells himself it’s nothing. Just heat. A test. A phase. But every lingering glance, every after-practice moment, chips away at the lie. And when desire threatens to upend everything, Liam has to choose: protect the life he’s built—or risk it all for the one person he shouldn’t want. A forbidden connection. A dangerous attraction. A love that could cost them everything.

Canary Lienne is playful, skips classes and never serious in her studies. 'You only live once' is the title of the song she thought of as her motto to believe. Then with just one reservation at a café, she met Samuel. He is mature, silent and an adult. Samuel is her first crush. Isn't it great that they both like each other? As she grows up and faces independence, learns of things she never knew, will the bad little girl Cana remain? Or does Samuel's love and care make her the good girl she has always wanted to look up to? A warm cup of coffee in the summer and a slice of romance, a story of growing up, family, friendship, betrayal, bullying, coming out and the first struggles of teenagers. This is solely based on the experience of the author's teenage years with peers. Disclaimer: The names, characters, setting and scenes are fictional.

War. War is all we know. War for peace, war to take, war to protect. War for resources. It is impossible to avoid war because your neighbors won’t. If you are perceived as weak, you will be targeted. Your land and wealth stolen, your people killed, sons enslaved and daughters raped. To survive in this world, more important than oxygen; is strength and a cold heart. The only source of strength are mana veins. He who owns mana veins has the right to live and the right to rule. He who owns mana veins better have the strength to keep it or long life is but a pipe dream. Xasha hated war. War had taken everything from him and gave nothing in return. He hated that all wars were over petty things like pride and pocket change. He always looked to the vast wilderness with longing. He wondered why all the warmongers hadn’t turned their spears there. Where vast lands and untapped wealth were. Once he became a father. Xasha, the naïve, knowledge-loving merchant, decided he did not want his child growing up in the same world he did. He decided to change the world, end all war and unite the abandoned region. How will he do it? By starting a war, a war that will end all wars. Not a war with his neighbors over pride or a few mana veins. No. He will rage against the wilderness and the world beyond.

Imprisoned for most of her life, Lisa Adrian carries a terrible secret. She's a vampire with no thirst for human blood. After escaping from her confines, she's caught by the most feared Alpha werewolf in the area. Alpha Jeremy Silman, the leader of the Night Walker Pack renowned for his hatred of Vampires. In a shocking twist, they feel the mate bond between them. They both have to navigate the new development amidst pack wars and creature rivalries. Will their destined love defy the odds and blossom against all expectations?

I’m a werewolf, eight months pregnant with my vampire mate's hybrid child. When the contractions hit, my vampire mate, Justin, locked me in an ice coffin carved with runes meant to suppress childbirth. I screamed. I begged him. He just said, "Wait." But this was all for his childhood sweetheart. Isolde. The pureblood vampire had used dark blood magic to carry his pure-blood heir without having sex. The first vampire child born in a millennium would receive the Progenitor's ultimate blessing. It would purify the bloodline. It would break a curse generations in the making. "That honor belongs to Isolde's child," Justin said, his voice pure ice. "You already have my love, Gracie. This coffin just ensures you give birth after her." The pain of the contractions tore through me. I begged him to take me to the Bloodspring Sanctuary. He leaned in, his cold fingers gripping my chin. "Stop the act. I should have seen it sooner. You never loved me. You were an outcast in the werewolf world. You only wanted my power and my title." "You're so desperate you'd risk our child with your savage wolf tricks, just to ruin a pureblood's blessing... You're poison." Tears streamed down my face. I trembled, my voice shattering. "The baby's coming—I can't stop it. Please, I'll make a blood oath. I don't care about the blessing. I just want you!" He scoffed, a hint of pained betrayal in his eyes. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have run to my mother. You wouldn't have poisoned her mind against Isolde." "I'll be back after she receives the blessing. After all, the child you're carrying is mine, too." He stood guard outside the sanctuary where Isolde's ritual was taking place. He didn't give me another thought. Not until he saw the halo of the blessing crown Isolde. He ordered his blood thrall to release me. But the thrall's voice trembled with terror. "My lord… Lady Gracie and the child… their life signs… they're gone." In that instant, Justin’s world shattered.

i·dol·a·try īˈdälətrē noun : An extreme admiration, love, or reverence for someone. "She was afraid her attraction towards him was increasing to idolatry." UNEDITED

I took time off work and flew out to be my best friend's maid of honor. The moment my plane landed, she picked me up and took me straight to the hotel. Not long after we got to the room, she handed me a shopping bag. Inside was the newest phone on the market, a bottle of luxury perfume, and a check for ten thousand dollars. She said with a bright, excited smile, "It's your bridesmaid gift. Even if I'm getting married, you're still the most important person in my life." My eyes filled with tears right there. The next morning, I woke up before sunrise. I put on my bridesmaid dress and went to find her. She was sitting in front of the vanity mirror. Stylists were moving around her, busy with her hair and makeup. When she saw me, she turned with a huge smile and waved me over, her face glowing with excitement. But the moment I stepped closer, her expression changed. It was like she had just seen something disgusting. "Get out." Her voice was low, but the disgust in it was clear. "Disappear from my sight. Right now." I froze where I stood.

Amy is a 21-year-old daughter and heir of the Diamond groups owner CEO Zack Armstrong was forced to find a job to prove to her parents that she was capable of managing their business empire but ended up falling in love with the arrogant Zion of the Zion group a rival company to her father's. What do you think would become of their newfound affection for each other?

Trystan Lerwin Wuizon is known for being a young, handsome billionaire and woman hater. Bata pa lang siya ay iniwan na siya ng kaniyang ina sa ama niya. He hated her because she chose her boyfriend over him. Si Ashanti Ruiz Salazar ay anak ng isang doktor at abogado. Ang gusto ng mga magulang niya ang maging isa siyang doktor, abogado o enhinyero. Pero ang gusto niya ay ang maging isang flight attendant. Hinayaan siya ng mga magulang niya dahil akala nila ay magbabago pa ang isip ni Ashanti. Butthey found out that Ashanti enrolled in a different school just to be a flight attendant. Due to disappointment, pinalayas nila ang anak at sinabing bahala na siyang buhayin ang sarili niya. Walang kaso ito kay Ashanti dahil matagal niya na itong pinagplanuhan. She had different part time jobs para madagdagan ang savings niya. So, she'll survive. Years after, she graduated and finally reached her dream. Her batch celebrated their success at a newly opened bar. It was the grand opening kaya discounted lahat. Pinaghalong saya at lungkot ang naramdaman ni Ashanti. Saya dahil natupad na ang pangarap niya at lungkot dahil hindi pa din siya kinakausap ng mga magulang niya. Uminom siya hanggang sa tuluyan na siyang malasing. Pagkagising niya kinabukasan ay wala siyang matandaan at nasa isang hindi pamilyar na kuwarto na siya habang nakahiga sa tabi ng isang lalaki nang walang kahit na isang saplot sa katawan. Dahil sa takot at kaba, agad na nagbihis si Ashanti at umalis. Hindi na siya nagpakita pa kahit kailan sa lalaking iyon. Lumipas ang ilang buwan ay nalaman niyang buntis siya at ang ama ay isang estranghero para sa kaniya! Magkikita pa kaya silang muli? O mananatili na lamang isang sikreto ang naging bunga ng isang mainit na gabing pinagsaluhan nila?

Saat gladi resik pernikahan, rekan kerja perempuan tunanganku tiba-tiba menyerbu dan menghancurkan dekorasi hingga berantakan. "Jared janji mau nikah sama aku, siapa kamu ini sebenarnya?" tanyanya. Dia merebut gaun pengantinku yang bernilai puluhan miliar. Namun karena tubuhnya terlalu gemuk, bahkan kepalanya saja tidak bisa masuk di gaun itu. Aku mengejeknya, "Jangan-jangan kamu terlalu gemuk sampai gaun pengantin ukuran besar ini pun nggak muat di tubuhmu?" Dengan wajah yang memerah karena malu dan marah, Quincy memaksa dirinya masuk ke gaun itu. Dalam sekejap, bagian punggung dan pinggang gaun itu robek hingga terbentuk lubang-lubang besar yang mencolok. Dengan percaya diri, dia berkata, "Memangnya kenapa kalau kurobek gaun ini? Jared cinta sama aku dan bakal beliin aku gaun pengantin yang baru." Namun saat acara pernikahan dimulai, Quincy terkejut bukan main. Pengantin pria yang berjalan mendekat sama sekali bukan Jared, melainkan bos besar mereka. Lagi pula, aku tidak pernah mengatakan bahwa ini adalah pernikahanku.