Finally Free

If it was my sister being bullied, Mom and Dad would have believed her right away and fought for her without a second thought. However, it did not matter anymore. In my next life, I would pick parents who really cared about me.

After my sister's death, I signed a five-year contract marriage with her mafia husband, Horton Falcone. I became the stepmother to my five-year-old nephew, Luca. On my birthday, I wore my late sister's diamond cross necklace, not realizing what it was. At the family dinner, Luca walked up to me with a glass of red wine and threw the wine in my face. The red wine dripped down my cheeks, its sharp scent stinging my eyes and staining my white dress. He tilted his head back to look up at me, his eyes as cold and cruel as his father's. "Don't think you can replace my mom just because you married into the Falcone family," he said with a malicious grin. "You're the reason she's dead." "I wish you were the one who died. Then I could smash your gravestone instead of celebrating this stupid birthday." "I swear, when I grow up, the first thing I'll do is dump you in the Hudson River myself!" The memory stung as sharply as the wine, and all I could taste was despair. I stared at the child I had spent five years raising as my own, a sharp pain pulsing in my chest. I had thought I could devote myself to the Falcone family, that I could win him over with my love. But now, I was just so tired of it all. It was a family with no love, a child who saw me as his mortal enemy. I stopped deluding myself. It was time to let go. But after I left, that arrogant father and son came crawling back to me like whipped dogs, begging for my forgiveness.

On the day Moon Spencer received the Medal of Honor, she made a public declaration of love on live television to her accompanying military medic, Xavier Quinn. “If it weren’t for Xavier, I’d have died in that storm at sea. He is the most important person in my life.” At the same time, her husband, Nathan Johnson, was lying on his deathbed at home. For years, he had taken care of Moon’s parents and raised their child alone. The strain destroyed his health, and he had little time left. He never expected that after twenty years of sacrifice, he would not even hear a word of thanks from her. What truly broke him was their daughter’s comment. “Dad, don’t you think Dr. Quinn and Mom are perfect together? You should leave sooner and make room for him.” Nathan collapsed in fury and regret. He died that night. When he opened his eyes again, he was back to the night before Moon left for her coastal deployment. This time, he refused to stay behind as the forgotten man who kept everything running. In this life, he would pursue his own dream.

The heart that I had waited two years for was given to the fake heiress, Diane Bishop, by my husband. The doctor said that I only had a week left to live. So, I decided to undergo cryonics. I donated my body to Diane’s workshop. The day I signed the donation papers, my son threw himself into my arms and exclaimed that I had finally made up with Diane. My parents praised me for finally being a good sister to help out Diane. My husband was pleased when he said that I had finally let go of the grudge and had become more understanding. I chuckled. They were right, I had finally learned my lesson. I would give Diane my identity as the heir of Bishop Corporation and fulfill everyone’s wishes.

*She was supposed to die on her wedding day* Melissa had no other desire except making the man she loved happy, until he turned that love into a weapon to stab her back. Broken and betrayed, she vowed to rebuild everything he'd snatched from her. She promised never to be vulnerable again, But then, a cute little boy blinked at her innocently, calling her, “Mummy!” Behind him was his father; tall, charming, magnetic, with a loaded bank account that could fund her entire life. He had a single request. “Marry me.” Torn between the temptation of a worry-free life, and the determination to build her own, Melissa paused. “Blending both doesn't sound bad.” But what if underneath this temptation lie layers of mystery? What if Desmond Steele was hiding a huge secret that could turn her entire world upside down?

Alpha Fabian's first reaction to learning I was his fated mate? Rejection. But drunk at the bonfire festival, he couldn't fight the pull of fate. He marked me. Marking a rejected mate came with a price. His power weakened. Forced into a bond with me, he despised me. For two years, I bled for him. I did 100 impossible things, just hoping for a single glance. I snuck into forbidden lands for rare herbs. I negotiated with enemy packs. I fought on the front lines for him in pack wars, always coming back covered in scars. But the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Gloria. Even my own parents, the pack's Beta, hated me. I was their lost daughter, raised by rogues for fifteen years. But they only had eyes for their perfect, obedient adopted girl. Then, on my 100th task, I nearly died in the Valley of Shadows. When I woke up, I had amnesia. I was done chasing a cold mate and a family's love I'd never have. And when I finally walked away, Fabian discovered the truth. It was never me who couldn't live without him. It was always him.

"SA TINGIN mo papayag ako sa divorce na gusto mo, Amanda? Never. At tsaka ito naman ang gusto mo noon pa man, hindi ba? Gustong- gusto mong maikasal sa akin..." Humalik ang labi nito sa balat ni Amanda na siyang nagpatindig ng kaniyang balahibo. "Ngayon, hindi ka na makakawala pa. Magdurusa ka habang buhay bilang asawa ko..." *** Noon pa man ay mahal na ni Amanda Fabregas si Theo Torregoza. Lahat ay kaya niyang gawin para sa lalaki maging ang pagbitaw sa sarili niyang pangarap. Kaya naman nang makasal si Amanda kay Theo, wala siyang ibang ginawa kundi maging masunurin at perpekto sa lalaki. Naging mabuti siyang asawa kay Theo. Ibinuhos niya ang pagmamahal niya rito ng buong puso pero sa huli... iba pa rin ang nasa puso nito. Nang sa wakas magising si Amanda sa kahibangan niya kay Theo, naisip niyang makipagdivorce na sa lalaki. Pero ayaw ni Theo. Gusto niyang magdusa si Amanda sa kasal at pagmamahal na ni minsan nasuklian. Gusto niyang pahirapan si Amanda. Hanggang saan aabot ang pagtitiis ni Amanda kay Theo? Hanggang saan aabot ang pusong paulit-ulit lamang sinugatan at kailanma'y hindi napahalagahan?

"You were promised to me, Alessia, not even death can change that." Alessia Capone was born a mafia princess, powerful last name, perfect future and zero control. At just fourteen, her parents sold her into a blood-soaked engagement with Rino Lombardi, the cold, dangerous heir of Italy’s most feared criminal empire. He was obsessed from the moment he saw her. She hated him before he even spoke. To escape that fate, she ran straight into the arms of another man. A man who turned out to be worse than her worst nightmare. Now, decades later, Rino Lombardi is back. Widowed. Ruthless. More powerful than ever. And still maddeningly obsessed with the one woman who got away. He made a vow to himself. If he can’t have her willingly, he’ll burn the world until she begs to come home. But Alessia is no longer the young girl he once knew. She’s a queen in her own right. She’ll never kneel, never submit, not even to the devil she once escaped. ...Or will she? Because the man she swore to hate may be the only one she’s ever truly belonged to. And this time, he’s not asking.

Alpha Dominic Baine's life is a constant torment, cursed to share his destined mate, Elizabeth, with his brother, Alpha King Alaric. Overwhelmed by despair and Elizabeth's blatant rejection, Dominic confronts his ancestor, the Moon Goddess Serene, who reveals the curse was cast by the witch Rosalynn's bloodline—which includes Alaric's true mate, Liza. Dominic rejects Elizabeth after discovering she faked the mate bond, but not before she kidnaps Alaric and Liza's son, Aero. Dominic is critically wounded saving the boy, and Liza's inner dragon executes Elizabeth. After waking from a coma, Dominic learns his sister, Aura, and over ninety other females have vanished in a mass kidnapping. He realizes his recurring dreams of a beautiful white wolf—a "dream angel"—are shared prophetic visions with Liza, and the Moon Goddess confirms the wolf was the first taken and must be saved. A bloody note threatening Liza and Aero reveals the kidnappers are insiders targeting the royal family. The true purpose of the ancient curse is revealed when Liza realizes it can only be broken if Dominic finds his true mate: Liza's long-lost twin sister, Samantha, the white wolf in his dreams. The brothers unite, turning their attention from personal heartache to a desperate war against the monstrous forces holding the captured females.

“Who the hell changed the screw tolerance by 0.007 mm?” “I did. Is there a problem?” Kimmy Zabel, our department’s “good-luck charm” and full-time slacktivist, did not even look up from her compact mirror, where she was carefully applying lip gloss. “It just didn’t look right, so I tweaked it. Do you really have to yell at me?” The production line had been running on the wrong spec for twenty-four hours. I hit the emergency stop. Keeping my voice steady took some effort. “These parts no longer meet export standards. If we miss tomorrow’s shipment, even a month of overtime wouldn’t cover the penalties.” “It’s one tiny number. You’re being so dramatic!” Kimmy snapped her makeup case shut. “Anyway, it’s New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a date. I’m not staying here to suffer with you people.” Before she even reached the door, I gestured to the staff to pull the shutters down. “For precision components like these, one number translates into a million-dollar loss. You can take these defective units and explain them to the regulators.”