Face Down Chord

Cinq ans après mon mariage avec Dante Moretti, le Don de la mafia de Paris, tout le monde savait qu'il m'aimait plus que sa propre vie. Il s'était fait tatouer un violon pour moi, juste à côté de son blason familial, un symbole de loyauté qui ne pouvait jamais être effacé. Jusqu'au jour où j'ai reçu la photo envoyée par sa maîtresse. Une serveuse de bar, nue, vautrée dans ses bras, la peau marquée de sombres ecchymoses laissées par un sexe brutal. Elle avait griffonné son prénom juste à côté du tatouage violon. Et mon mari l'avait laissée faire. « Dante dit que seul le fait d'être en moi lui permet encore de se sentir un homme. Tu n'arrives même plus à le faire bander, pas vrai, chère Alessia ? Peut-être qu'il est temps de t'effacer. » Je n'ai pas répondu. J'ai simplement passé un seul appel. « J'ai besoin d'une nouvelle identité et d'un billet d'avion pour partir. »

"Marrying Evander Salazar wasn't the biggest mistake I've made in my life. It was when I fell in love with him and let him take over my heart." – Chantria Venice Alquiza "Chantria Alquiza was the woman of my dreams, until her betrayal became my greatest downfall." – Evander Veturius Salazar Chantria Venice Alquiza was left with her parents' debt that made her spend half of her life hiding, trying to escape the loan sharks that her parents' borrowed money from. Because of it, she had no choice but to abandon her waitressing job at a very exclusive bar solely for the elites. However, no matter how hard she tried to hide, they would always find her in the easiest ways possible until she no longer knows where to go. Or that's what she thought. Because when a certain offer, which was disguised as an invitation letter, came her way, she was ready to accept it out of desperation. Until she found out that the offer equates to marrying the CEO of the Salazar Group of Hotels, Evander Veturius Salazar, the man of her nightmares.

I check on family businesses in the countryside with my girlfriend, Mildred McClure, in tow. At noon, we stop by my uncle, Barron Cortez's, place for a simple lunch. Just as we are getting ready to leave, his new wife, whom he married just six months ago, Hilda Ross, rushes out and demands that we settle the bill. "Elden, you two just had the Supreme Farmhouse Set Meal, which is 1,888.80 dollars, and your girlfriend picked three organic, pesticide-free tomatoes in the garden. That's 199.80 dollars. "With an 80% service charge, your total comes to 3,800 dollars." Mildred is stunned. "Elden, do we have to pay to eat at your uncle's place?" I start to feel embarrassed, and my expression darkens as I look at Hilda, my supposed aunt, who's barely any older than me. "I've grown up eating at my uncle's place and never paid a single penny. Besides, your prices are downright outrageous!" Hilda calmly whips out a price menu and righteously declares, "That's all ancient history. Now, we're running a farmhouse business where all prices are clearly marked, so everyone pays the same rate. "Barron said you're some big boss in the city. Surely you're not going to stiff us over a little bill, are you?" She steps in front of the gate to block the exit with her body and shoots me a contemptuous look. "Even family settles their accounts. If you don't pay up today, don't even dream about stepping through this door!" While Mildred panics, I laugh in disbelief before taking out my phone and dialing Barron's number. "Uncle Barron, Hilda wants to settle accounts between family, so don't you think it's time we settled our accounts too?"

The year my boyfriend is dead broke, I leave him. Later, he becomes a mafia boss and uses every means at his disposal to marry me. Everyone says that I am the first love he can never forget, the wife he cares about the most. However, he then starts bringing home a different woman every night, making me a laughingstock. Still, I don't cry or make a fuss. I quietly stay in my own room, never interrupting his affairs. Elton Carter is furious. He pins me beneath him, kisses me harshly, and growls, "Aren't you jealous?" He has no idea that I'm gravely ill. He could buy half the city with violence, threats, and money. He could buy my freedom, my marriage… and each night bring a different woman home, oblivious to the truth. Little does he know, I have just seven days left to live.

Kuntento na sa buhay niya ang isang Scott Miguel Stewart. Umiikot lang ang pagiging single niya sa trabaho at sa kompanya na pag-aari ng pamilya niya. Minsan din ay ang past time sa mga babaeng nagpapakita ng motibo sa kaniya. Ngunit never pa siyang na inlove. Takbuhan din si Scott ng mga matalik niyang kaibigan kapag may kinakaharap na gusot. Bukod kasi sa pagiging CEO ng family business, isa ring tapat at matapang na attorney ang isang Scott Miguel. Lagi niyang sinasabing hindi siya nagmamadali pagdating sa usaping pag-ibig dahil maraming babaeng nagkakandarapa sa kaniya. Nag-e-enjoy siya sa pagiging single. Ika nga ni Scott, hindi pa ipinanganganak ang babae para sa kanya. Hindi siya naiinggit sa mga kaibigan niyang may kaniya-kaniya ng pamilya. Hanggang isang araw, may babaeng nakakuha sa atensyon ni Scott Miguel. Walang iba kun'di si Lovebele Lozano. Nakilala ni Scott si Lovebele, na dancer sa Elite club na pinuntahan nila ng dating classmate noong college pa siya. Ang dating mapaglaro sa pag-ibig na si Scott Miguel ay na inlove nang sobra. Inalok niya ng kasal si Lovebele. Iyun pala ay sinadyang mapalapit ng dalaga kay Attorney Scott upang ito’y paibigin at kapag nagtagumpay ay saka niya bibitiwan ang binata. Ang inaakala ni Attorney Scott na happy ending ay siya palang pagguho ng lahat ng pangarap niya para sa kanila ng babaeng iniibig. Abangan ang buhay pag-ibig ni Attorney Scott Miguel Stewart and Lovebele Lozano, “Attorney Scott's Sweetest Downfall.”

"Are you the hunter, or the hunted?" Aria Strong, codename Spider, is a killer raised by the Black Dahlia mafia group. When she is tasked with assassinating Cyrrus Lied, the rich billionaire with a perfect image, she infiltrates his company and attempts to seduce him — only to find he is all too eager to comply. But the more she gets to know him, the less she understands. Who is he really? What darkness is he hiding underneath that sunny smile? Aria tightens the net around him, but what she doesn't know is that he has her right in his trap...

Seven years after my death, an engagement invitation from my ex-girlfriend arrives at my house. Back then, I had broken up with her in my lowest, most desperate days and married someone else. Now, she has reinvented herself as a rising powerhouse worth hundreds of billions, driven by revenge and eager to see me regret everything and beg for mercy. Unfortunately for her, I am not the one who shows up. She looks around in open contempt, convinced my absence means guilt, shame, and fear. When I finally appear, all she sees is an urn.

On the day I get back together with Leo Laycond, he uploads a photo of us on his social media account. I stare at the post for three long minutes until I notice a silver lock icon on the bottom right corner. It turns out that Leo has blocked Lisa Laycand, his younger adopted sister. That sister of his is always the person he cares about the most. I tell Leo calmly, "If you yearn for Lisa even more, I can always cancel the mating ceremony." Leo panics immediately. He deletes the restriction in front of the entire pack so that they can witness our reunion. Half an hour later, Lisa rushes into the training grounds in nothing but a thin dress. Then, she "collapses" in front of Leo. I watch as Leo scoops Lisa into his arms. It's an action that's very familiar to him, as though he's done it hundreds of times. Suddenly, I realize that the engagement with Leo bores me to no end.

Kehlani found out two things in one day; one, her soon to be husband was cheating on her, and second, that there was someone she looked so much like in this world and that same person was meant to get married but somehow, she was mistaken for that person. She ran away from a marriage, but ended up running into another one. Why does she have such a bad luck in choosing marriages?

Après l'incendie, je n'ai plus empêché mon fiancé d'aller sauver sa petite nièce. Je l'ai simplement regardé se précipiter dans les flammes, jusqu'à être englouti par le feu. Dans ma vie précédente, le jour de notre mariage, un incendie avait éclaté à l'hôtel. Mon fiancé et moi avions réussi à nous échapper à temps, mais sa petite nièce, sans lien de sang avec lui, était restée prisonnière. Les flammes étaient trop violentes. Alors que mon fiancé voulait s'élancer pour la sauver, je l'avais retenu de toutes mes forces. Quand le feu avait été éteint, il ne restait plus rien du corps de sa petite nièce. Mon fiancé disait qu'il ne m'en voulait pas, mais le jour de notre troisième anniversaire de mariage, il avait acheté deux billets de plongée pour moi et mon fils. À cent mètres sous l'eau, il avait arraché nos tuyaux d'oxygène avec un rictus cruel. « Puisque tu m'as empêché de sauver Élina ce jour-là, tu aurais dû payer de ta vie. » Je pleurais en lui criant que notre fils était innocent, mais il s'était détourné sans un regard en arrière. Mon fils et moi étions morts asphyxiés. Ce n'est qu'après ma mort que j'avais compris : Mon fiancé avait toujours aimé passionnément sa nièce sans lien de sang. Il me haïssait de l'avoir empêché de la sauver et de l'avoir privé à jamais de son amour. Quand j'ai rouvert les yeux, j'étais revenue au jour de l'incendie…