Effort Banget

Carol: Life was never a bed of roses. At least for me. Abandoned at birth by both parents, and made to go through too many foster homes, I had to put in twice the amount of effort of my peers. Both in education, and in my career. I love children, and I've aspired to land a very good job as a social worker who cares for kids for as long as I can remember. When New York's most eligible bachelor and billionaire Evans Armstrong propositions me to become a nanny for his nephew, I'm speechless. Out of every options he had available, he choose me. And his nephew is the sweetest boy I've ever encountered. Maybe, just maybe I can achieve my dreams after all. Evans: Life was never the same ever since my sister Serena died, leaving me with her son Brandon. Each day that passes, I strive to be a better man, and provide for Brandon everything he needs. He's a smart kid, and he deserves the best. Which is why I go out of my way in searching for a suitable nanny to tend to him, since my efforts can only go so far. When I see Carolina for the first time, she's striking. And her polite demeanor has a ripple effect on young Brandon. I know immediately that she's the right one for him. She would make a wonderful nanny. And perhaps, a wonderful wife.

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.

Di usia 27 tahun, Aiden Ravindra udah jadi CEO termuda di Zenith Corp, perusahaan teknologi terbesar di Asia Tenggara. Dia dikenal banget dengan sikapnya yang dingin, perfeksionis, dan nggak pernah ngijinin perasaan mengganggu logikanya. Tapi, di balik kesuksesannya, Aiden punya trauma mendalam—kehilangan keluarganya dalam kecelakaan tragis yang bikin dia lebih fokus sama kerjaan dan kesuksesan sebagai pelarian. Sementara itu, ada Alya Mahendra, jurnalis muda yang idealis dan lagi berjuang keras untuk ngebuktiin kemampuannya di dunia media yang super ketat. Ketika dia ditugaskan buat meliput perjalanan bisnis Zenith Corp, Alya nggak sengaja ketemu Aiden. Pertemuan itu malah buka babak baru dalam hidup Alya, karena dia mulai lihat sisi manusiawi Aiden yang selama ini tersembunyi di balik citra CEO suksesnya. Alya dan Aiden pun terjebak dalam hubungan profesional yang rumit, dimulai dari beda pandangan, tapi lama-lama mereka mulai ngerti satu sama lain, termasuk luka-luka yang mereka bawa masing-masing. Tapi, perjalanan mereka nggak semudah itu. Ada banyak intrik di dunia bisnis, konflik internal, dan rahasia masa lalu Aiden yang bisa jadi penghalang besar buat mereka. Akankah Aiden bisa menghadapin bayangan masa lalunya dan buka hati buat Alya? Dan bisakah Alya bertahan di tengah badai yang ancam karier dan kehidupannya? Jejak Langkah Sang CEO bakal bawa kamu ke dalam cerita soal ambisi, cinta, dan berani menghadapi kenyataan.

The room fell into a stunned silence. The council members exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed. King Magnus continued, his voice resonating with power. "I wish to claim her as my mate." He said. The whole grove grew silent as the impact of his words drove home. The wolves turned to each other in disbelief. I could see the effort Jax was making trying to control his temper, his voice was close to the edge. "Sorry my Lord. Did you say you want to claim her as your mate." Lycan King Magnus's gaze turned piercing, his voice steady but filled with a warning. "You heard right so I won't repeat myself. You forget, Jax, that I have the power to claim Sophie as my mate seeing as you just rejected her. Or are you prepared to face the consequences of standing in my way?.." Rejected by her Alpha on her third wedding anniversary after she caught him cheating on her with his sister, Nikini, the timid Sophie Liam is at a crossroad in life. The brooding Lycan king, King Magnus unexpectedly claims her after the rejection. Just when she's had a fresh start with him and finds herself growing attached, her former mate, Alpha Jax comes back into the picture to take her back. Would she forgive him and take him back or stay on with her new found mate.

Don’t trust anyone, not even yourself….You think you know someone pretty well, until you’re awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of unfamiliar voices and realize your sister’s being swept away by some supernatural creatures who climb in and out of windows and leap from two-story houses like it’s nothing.My parents tried to tell me everything was fine, but when Cadence finally did come back from wherever they’d taken her, I knew there was something unusual about my older sister.Now, her best friend is dead.Her ex-boyfriend is acting bizarre.And I’m afraid I might be next.My name is Cassidy Findley, and I’m pretty sure my sister is a vampire, despite her “co-worker” making every effort to brainwash me into believing otherwise. With the help of my two best friends, we vow to get to the bottom of this before it’s too late, and my sister starts to claim other victims. I love her, but I won’t be turned, nor will I just sit by without doing everything I can to stop her. I can only hope that I’m not too late and that I can trust my own memories.Because I’m pretty sure my sister’s friends are coming for me next.The Chronicles of Cassidy is a retelling of The Clandestine Saga specifically for young adult/teen readers told from the perspective of high schooler Cassidy Findley.

Caspian. Seeing the state of his wife. He grabbed her in his arms, pulled her to him, and hugged her tightly. He kissed her on the forehead and said, looking into her eyes. —Sara, believe me, when I tell you that you are enough for me. with you I can be myself, I have nothing to hide. It's true that I didn't tell you about my tastes. Besides, I was only participating in this game for the morbid pleasure. It was quite satisfying, to a certain extent. I would never force you to participate in one of those games. You are too important to me, I wouldn't want you to get hurt, besides, those sexual games are too extreme. And you're not used to it. —But you like it so much that you used to do it every day, or am I wrong? —I won't deny that I used to do it very often, but after meeting you, I don't like to tease you anymore. He said that while he was biting her neck. Sara was still upset. But she could see the effort Caspian was making to please her. —No more secrets. She spoke. As she pulled away from the man and looked him in the eyes. She added. —If you want, me to forgive you, you are going to tell me everything about you, Including your past relationships. I will also tell you everything about me. Caspian, without thinking, replied.

Setelah aku menolak mendonorkan hati untuk kakakku, ibu dan ayah malah mengirimku ke tempat tidur anak konglomerat Kota Jakata. Katanya, pria itu sosok yang dingin dan sulit didekati karena sudah punya pujaan hati. Semua orang menunggu kehancuranku, tapi tidak ada yang menyangka kalau dia justru akan memanjakanku setinggi langit. Selama tiga tahun menikah, dia selalu suka bermesraan denganku di berbagai tempat. Saat aku pergi ke kamar mandi pun, dia akan mengikutiku dan menekanku di atas wastafel. Kami juga tidak pernah pakai pengaman, tapi aku tidak kunjung hamil. Sampai akhirnya aku mengira diriku hamil dan pergi ke rumah sakit untuk periksa, lalu tanpa sengaja mendengar percakapannya dengan dokter. "Andi, tiga tahun lalu kamu nyuruh aku mindahin sebagian hati Cintaya secara diam-diam ke kakaknya, sekarang kamu malah nyuruh aku bohongin dia kalau dia mandul bawaan. Kok kamu tega banget sih berbuat sekejam itu sama wanita yang cinta kamu?" "Mau gimana lagi, hati Chika nggak bagus kondisinya. Kalau dia nggak bisa punya anak, aku takut dia bakal menderita di keluarga suaminya nanti, cuma hati Cintaya yang cocok sama dia." Suara pria yang sangat akrab itu terdengar dingin dan asing. Ternyata cinta dan perlindungan yang selama ini sangat aku percayai hanyalah penipuan belaka. Kalau sudah begini, aku mending pergi saja.

Led by my ex-boyfriend, the police raid the base of the major crime syndicate. The antagonist takes his own life, and the only person who could prove my identity as a top-secret undercover operative died two weeks ago. My ex-boyfriend drags me into court. He wants my memories extracted so I can face public judgment and sentencing. Nevertheless, I have no intention of explaining myself. "I plead guilty. Grant me a swift death." The masses are outraged, despising me with every fiber of their being. "Ha! You despicable traitor! You monster! You're a rat who exposes undercover journalists, yet you dare ask for a swift death? "This is the world of a novel. The maximum penalty for a guilty plea is euthanasia, but if judgment is passed by the court, you will suffer endless torment until your last breath!" "You don't deserve euthanasia. You belong in hell!" Rotten eggs and stones pelt me mercilessly. Even with my face now covered in blood, I make no effort to avoid the assaults. I only longed for death. My ex-boyfriend glares at me coldly. "You betrayed me. What right do you have to ask for a swift death? Your memories must be extracted and judged in court. Death will come only after your torment!" They are the ones who demand my memories be extracted and judged, yet after seeing them, why are they also the ones who go mad with regret?

Fiona Callaghan is just a maid at the Kavanagh household. She thinks her future is set in stone, but things take a turn when she is pawned off to the mafia king of London in place of her boss’s daughter. She has to pretend to be someone she’s not to save her mother from a fate worse than death. Cillian Harrington is the feared king of London. He marries Fiona, thinking she’s someone she’s not, in an effort to get revenge for something that happened to his family. He plans to make her life a living hell. Feelings blossom when these two meet, and they have to fight the magnetic pull that constantly brings them together. Something so wrong suddenly feels so right. *** “I own you now. I will make sure you regret being born into the Kavanagh household. Your life as a coddled Irish mafia princess is gone. You’re my slave now. You will do as I say or I will make you wish you were dead.” I whimpered, wishing I were back in the Kavanagh household. Surely, it had to be better than being tied to a freaking monster. Either way, I must have lost my mind because the closer Cillian got to me, the more my whole body was set aflame. I must have been crazy to want a man who vowed to make my life miserable.

My husband's first love had been trapped in a car for an hour. After they pulled her out, his rage shifted onto me. “It’s your fault she got hurt,” he spat, his eyes blazing as he grabbed me. Before I could make sense of what was happening, he forced me into a wooden box, slamming the lid down with a deafening crack. “You’re going to feel every ounce of the pain she went through,” he hissed, nailing it shut. I pounded on the walls, my screams tearing through the air. “Please, I didn’t do anything! Let me out!” My throat burned with the effort, my fists aching, but nothing stopped him. “Stay in there until you’ve figured out how to act like a decent human being,” he said, his voice cold, dripping with contempt. Hours passed. My body twisted unnaturally in the tight space, bones throbbing as blood smeared the wood beneath me. I whispered into the dark, the pain unbearable. "Please… just let me out…" But he didn’t care. A week later, he returned, his laughter echoing with hers as they entered the house, carefree from their trip. He finally opened the box. But by then, I was already gone. The woman he locked away was no longer breathing, no longer pleading. Just a cold, silent corpse.