Everybody Work Hard Every Day

Aku memutuskan tinggal di Desa Kencana Wungu yang terletak di Cirebon setelah pandemic Covid19 menyebar di Kota Jakarta. Keputusan itu bersamaan dengan keputusanku untuk menjauh dari mantan suamiku sendiri. Atau masih suamiku, lebih tepatnya. Aku membencinya karena ia sudah melakukan hal fatal. Reino bercumbu dengan wanita lain di hari pernikahan kami. Setelah janji suci ia katakan, ia malah ketahuan bersama wanita yang tak lain adalah teman semasa kecilnya. Sungguh hancur hatiku mendapatinya. Aku pun berniat memulai kehidupan baruku di kota lain. Namun, itu tidak mudah karena Reino mengganggu hidupku lagi. Apakah aku sanggup menerimanya kembali? Apakah semua ini hanyalah salah paham biasa?

He was supposed to be a stranger. He became her salvation. Ava Hart had it all—until she didn’t. On the day she was supposed to swear her life to Blake Turner, she walked into the bridal suite and found her fiancé and her best friend rewriting her future without her. They wanted her lineage, her status, and her silence. They never expected Ava to fight back. Instead of a scene, she chose a scandal. She walked straight into the Downtown Civic Registry and bound herself to the first man she saw. Connor Vale. Ava thought she’d hired a rogue enforcer to play her husband for a season. She didn’t know she’d just climbed into the den of the most dangerous Alpha in the Blackwood territory. Connor is a man of shadow and steel. To the world, he is the ruthless Obsidian King of the Vale Media Group—a predator who takes what he wants and discards the rest. But to Ava, he is something else entirely. Behind the cold, unyielding gaze and the scent of rain and dark cedar, Connor hides an ancient, aching obsession. He has been watching her from the sidelines for years, waiting for the moon to push her into his arms. Now, Ava is playing a deadly game of revenge. Every time Blake tries to ruin her, he finds himself crushed under the weight of an unseen force—Connor’s force.

By my third month on the job, I discovered that my coworkers had been calling me "the old crow" behind my back. The nickname came from none other than Jace's condescending secretary—because at 32, I was still clutching onto an eight-year relationship that hadn't ended in marriage. I confronted Jace. "Do you know your employees have been calling me the old crow?" He didn't even bother to look up. "That's just Sadie—she speaks her mind and means no harm. You're 32; why get so worked up over what a young girl says?" Then he gave me a faint, mocking smile. "Though honestly, it's a pretty fitting nickname." It felt like a cold hand had wrapped around my heart. So that was it—eight years of my youth, nothing more than a joke to him. I turned and walked away, handed in my resignation, and blocked every way he could reach me. But for the first time, the man who had always seemed so calm and untouchable finally panicked. "Elara," he pleaded, "please come back."

Blanche Lucille Emerson, a relentless and calculating Captain haunted by the loss of her wife, Venus, in a mysterious accident. Now driven by a thirst for vengeance, Blanche navigates a world of secrets, betrayal, and political machinations as she digs into the layers of deceit that surround her family's powerful pharmaceutical empire. Alongside her, Yama Laine, a trusted ally, and Cessair, her estranged sister, reveal their own hidden agendas. Blanche uncovers a vast conspiracy linked to General Grey and an underground organization known as the Black Spectre, which her father, Silas Grey, once controlled. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes that not only her wife’s death but also her parents' and countless others' were orchestrated to protect a dark secret connected to her family. As Blanche takes calculated risks and enlists Yama’s help, her plan teeters between survival and self-destruction. Along the way, her encounters with spies like Aracelli and the revelation of her sister Cessair’s resentment deepen the conflict. Old alliances crumble, as personal motivations clash, and long-buried truths about her family and its ties to the Black Market come to light. All the while, Blanche's mind is torn between her mission and her lingering love for Venus. With a final showdown on the horizon, the question remains: Can Blanche take down the enemy and clear her family’s name, or will the weight of the past bury her alive? Catch-22: To Die is To Live Hard is a story of revenge, loyalty, and the heavy price of uncovering the truth.

On Valentine’s Day, I discovered that my brother’s fiancee, Erika Gibson, was cheating on him. So, I tried to tell my brother, Nathan Clinton, about it. However, he yelled at me. He said that I was trying to ruin his relationship and told me to leave. Erika then asked her lover to deal with me, so he kidnapped me. He mocked me for being unable to speak and forced me to sell 200 roses at the night market. I asked Nathan for help, but he replied impatiently. [Moon, I can’t believe you’d lie about something like this… I don’t have time for your games.] I was accidentally hit by a truck while Nathan was having a wonderful time with Erika. Haha. I was finally free, but I wished I had a different brother.

I was ten years old when I lost my hearing saving Adrian Falcone's life. After that, I couldn't survive without my hearing aids. He held my hand afterward, his eyes red-rimmed with guilt, and made me a promise in front of his entire family. "Serena Lombardi, I'll protect you with my life," he said. "I'll marry you." But when I turned eighteen, everything changed. Adrian needed to pass some test set by Daniela Moretti—the daughter of a rival family—and he chose the cruelest way to prove himself. He ripped the hearing aids from my ears in front of everyone and laughed. "You're just a deaf, useless burden," he said, his voice cold and cutting. "I've been sick of you for years. Honestly? I wish you'd died in that explosion when we were ten and saved me the trouble." I gripped the rehabilitation report the doctor had just handed me, and my fingers crushed the paper's edges. The diagnosis was precise—my hearing had fully recovered. That night, I burned my hearing aids and convinced my parents to cut all ties with the Falcone family. Adrian Falcone, we're done. Whatever we had, whatever you owed me—it's over now.

"Ms. Longstaff, are you saying the wedding will proceed as planned, but the bride will be replaced with someone else? Is that correct?" Faced with the staff member's puzzled expression, Heather Longstaff nodded without hesitation. "Yes, the wedding will take place in two weeks as scheduled. I'll deliver the revised materials to you in the next few days." "Understood. Should I inform Mr. Bennett about—" "There's no need!" Heather cut the other person off, her voice sharp with emotion. Noticing the startled look on the staff member's face, she quickly composed herself and explained, "He's busy. All wedding-related matters should come directly to me from now on." This wedding was meant to be her final gift to Mitchell. And like any gift, it had to remain a surprise until the very last moment.

Jessica Belles' dreams of becoming an A-list actress crumble with each rejection, leaving her frustrated and desperate for a breakthrough. When a famous actor offers stardom in exchange for one nightstand, she refuses due to her undying love for her boyfriend, only to have her heart shattered by her boyfriend. Broken and seeking revenge on her ex, Jessica reluctantly agrees to the actor's proposal. However, a twist of fate lands her in the bed of William, a business tycoon notorious for his allergy to women – and coincidentally, her ex's cousin. Vowing to avoid him, Jessica is taken aback when William approaches her with a surprising proposal: “For two hundred days, let's get married. You help me cure my allergy while I make all your wishes come true.” In a whirlwind turn of events, Jessica finds herself married to William, navigating the elite world where hypocrisy and jealousy thrive, all while pursuing her acting dreams. How will things turn out when two strangers of contrasting personalities are supposed to live under one roof for 200 Days? What more when one party starts developing unknown feelings for the other. Will the marriage be a happily-ever-after or will it end on the 200th day?

Chloe never planned to fall for a stranger twice her age. It was supposed to be one reckless night. No promises. No consequences. Until two red lines on a pregnancy test strip changed her life forever. What she never saw coming was that Vasili Ivanov wasn’t just a stranger like she thought but her father’s best friend whom he had been trying to bring back into their lives. And worse. He was also her ex-boyfriend’s father. ***** “Don’t tell my Dad about what happened last night. I know you won’t and can’t but I just wanted to remind you,” I told him and he chuckled, stepping closer. “Who says I can’t? I am your godfather, remember I owe it to your Dad to tell him when his daughter is being… Naughty.” My pulse spiked as he brushed his thumb across my lower lip. I closed my eyes, savoring the touch and fighting the urge to kiss it. “You still can’t resist me and you want to get married to that boy?” He teased, his voice low and filled with amusement. “Stop. Doing that. Don’t come close to me, and don’t… Don’t touch me,” I said, stepping back even though every fiber in my body ached for him. He raised his hand in surrender, giving me space. I felt empty without him near, and I hated it. “I never seem to be able to keep anything from your Dad. He has that effect on me.,” He smiled slyly. “But I promise to stay silent… Under one condition.” ———- ⚠️ WARNING⚠️ This is an 18+ age-gap romance filled with forbidden attraction and extremely explicit sexual content, shocking revelations, and a love that could ruin them all. Readers discretion is strongly advised.

I've gone on a business trip. It's 3:00 am when my best friend suddenly calls me. He asks me why I didn't tell him that I already have a baby, seeing as we haven't met for a year. That question takes me by surprise. Josephine Bennett and I have been married for many years, but we've been using contraception all this time. Since when do we have a baby together? My best friend then sends me a screenshot of Josephine's social media feed. The caption shows, "This marks our 100th day together, my darling baby! I love you so much!" My heart goes tense when I see the screenshot. Immediately, I call Josephine to ask her what's going on. Her reaction is very cool and collected, though. "That's a relative's baby. I found the baby super adorable, so I decided to share the post. I didn't think I'd end up sharing the caption too." I just smile when I hear Josephine's answer. Later on, I call my older brother, Leonard Sterling. "Cut the funding for Josephine's research project. Turns out she's been cheating on me."