Food Mood

From as far back as I can remember, I knew my mom hated me. She gives me sleeping pills when I'm three. When I'm five, she tries pesticide instead. But I'm hard to get rid of. By the time I'm seven, I've already learned how to fight back. If she refuses to give me food, I flip the table so no one can eat either. If she beats me up until I'm on the ground, writhing in pain, I go after her beloved son the same way, leaving him bruised and bawling. That's how we stay locked in battle until I turn 12. Everything changes when my youngest sister is born. I'm clumsily trying to help with her wet diaper when Mom suddenly shoves me against the wall. The look in her eyes holds both disgust and fear. "What were you trying to do to my daughter? I knew it. You take after that monster of a father. Why didn't you just die with him?" I hold my aching head. For the first time, I don't fight back. I believe she's right. My existence is a mistake. I should never have been alive.

Two weeks before our wedding, Jonah Alston suddenly wants to postpone it. He says, "Sasha says she's having her first exhibition on that day. She'll be alone during the opening, and I'm worried she'll get stage fright. I have to help her. We're just going through the motions with the wedding, anyway. What does it matter whether it's a day earlier or later?" This isn't his first time postponing our wedding for Sasha Lester's sake, though. The first time he did it was because he claimed she missed having homecooked food after undergoing surgery. He'd flown abroad to care for her for two months. The second time was because he said she wanted to head into the mountains to get inspired. He'd gone with her out of concern for her safety. Now, this is the third time. I hang up and look at Austin Everett, my childhood sweetheart. He sits across from me, looking leisurely as he taps his emerald-embedded walking cane on the marble floor. I ask, "Do you need a wife?" On my wedding day, Sasha holds up her glass and waits for Jonah to clink it with his. However, his eyes are red as he watches a livestream—it's the wedding of the scion of Everett Group, the country's largest property development company.

“I, Alpha Draco of the Peony pack hereby reject you, Helena, as my mate. I refuse to have anything to do with you anymore. You will be banished from this pack, never to set foot on this land anymore or you will pay for it with your life” his thick voice boomed through the cold and dark cell where I was kept all day with no food or water. My chapped lips parted painfully as the flesh drew each other tightly. I couldn’t even beg or plead for mercy. It was a miracle that I was not even killed because I was probably the most hated person in the pack at that moment. He didn’t allow me to utter whatever I had in mind before he turned his back on me. My finger grazed his cold hand as I tried to hold onto him, I was late. The warm eyes that had always behold me now look at me with disdain. There was no hope anywhere, his extreme sadness was visible even through his back as his footstep retracted into the long distance. At the loud clunk of the prison’s door kissing its hinge, my whole world crumbled. The only thing left in me was the small life breathing in my womb, something Draco never knew of. Right there, I made the resolution to live for my baby and find out the truth behind what happened in the pack that night.

Born into a family of culinary royalty, Aria Beaumont has always lived in her father’s shadow — a feared food critic whose name alone can destroy chefs. After getting fired for calling out wrongdoing in the kitchen and catching her boyfriend cheating on the same night, Aria runs into the arms of a mysterious stranger and had a one night stand. When she enrolls in the prestigious Étoile Culinary Academy to rebuild her life and career, She never expects her mentor for the training to be Leon Cordon; the reclusive, world-famous chef who vanished from the culinary world after the tragic loss of someone he loved. And she definitely never expects him to hate her on sight. He recognizes her last name. Her family is his sworn enemy. He recognizes her from the one-night stand and refuses to mentor her. She recognizes his arrogance and was determined to bring him back to the culinary industry. Just as their forbidden connection becomes impossible to deny, the academy sends them on a month-long culinary retreat — isolated, breathtaking, and filled with ghosts of Leon's past. There, Aria learns that the culinary world’s greatest tragedy…may not be what it seemed. A past thought buried will return. Loyalties will break. A rival chef will step into the scene. And Aria must decide whether following her heart is worth losing everything she has finally begun to build.

I could hear the thoughts of the poorest girl in the entire school. At our campus ball, she deliberately ate food that contained nuts to give herself an allergic reaction and blame me for it. With tears streaming down her face, she cried, "I know you don't like me! I know you look down on girls as poor as me, but you can't bully me like this!" Everyone believed her and turned on me, including my fiancé, Mark Hawkins, who was expected to form a political alliance with my family through our engagement. He pinned me in place and demanded that I apologize to the 'victim'. I shook my head, trying desperately to explain that it was not me who put the nuts in her food. That was when I heard the thoughts of that 'poor' girl, Alice, ''So what if she's the mafia don's daughter? I still brought her down. Being defended by her rich, clueless fiancé feels incredible!' I was stunned. Before I could react, Mark pushed me to the floor and said firmly, "Helen, apologizing won't kill you." A disbelieving laugh slipped out of me. I wondered if he would still say the same thing if he could hear Alice's thoughts. When I finally gained the ability to share the thoughts I heard with someone else, I chose Mark without hesitation.

Love, Obsession, Torture is a story about a brilliant but emotionally bruised food scientist, Robin Clay who is trying to rebuild her life after a painful betrayal by her ex fiancé. She lives with her loyal best friend Lana, who is helping Robin gain back her focus on her career and forgetting her past. Her resolve is tested when she lands an envious position at McCullen Confectionery—and meets the CEO, Jack McCullen. Jack McCullen is a magnetic, powerful, and dangerously alluring man, who awakens a desire in Robin she is unprepared for and deeply ashamed of, especially when she is of the view that, he is already committed to another woman. What initially started as a professional interaction between Robin and Jack rapidly spirals into an intense, forbidden attraction that is marked by stolen moments, strong chemistry and a constant conflict between constraint and longing. Robin struggles to maintain her integrity, her strong attraction towards Jack, and her job while Jack pursues her relentlessly, blurring her boundaries and resolve. Robin is caught between ambition and desire. However, she vows to never repeat past mistakes, lose self control or surrender to the desires Jack evokes in her—that feels both intoxicating and destructive. But will she be able to keep this promise? Love, Obsession, Torture is packed with a charged, slow burn exploration of power and the thin line between restraint and surrendering to a burning obsession.

While Adrian was out negotiating a partnership, Vivian slipped nuts into my food — the one thing she knew I was deathly allergic to. I broke out in blisters all over during the negotiation, making a scene in front of everyone. But Vivian didn't care. She pulled me aside and sneered, "You, Luna, spoiled as you are, just stay there and be a pretty face. Leave the real business to me and Adrian." I lost my temper and slapped her hard across the face. The next second, Adrian appeared in front of Vivian, pulling her into his arms. The look he gave me was pure reproach. "You're the Luna — is this how you treat your own pack members? Vivian didn't do it on purpose. Why are you making her life difficult?" Vivian pressed herself against him, eyes wide and glistening. "Luna, I know I'm clumsy. You're not really going to hold a grudge over something so small, are you?" That night, he didn't come back to our hotel room. I sat on the bed and waited until dawn, tears streaming silently down my face. Through the mate bond, I could feel exactly where he'd been — with Vivian, the entire night. He'd already betrayed me. Numb with heartbreak, I picked up my phone and called Alpha’s father.

Dad is famous for being a total simp over Mom in the elite society. Naturally, he views Callie Archer, the stepdaughter whom Mom has brought with her, as his own. But Callie is afflicted with a severe case of walking phobia. Her feet couldn't touch the ground at all. Only when she's stepping on my back can she roam around in the house freely. So, whenever Callie looks in a certain direction, Mom will press my head down and force me to crawl toward Callie to serve as her doormat. The doctor issues a warning to my family that my spine is severely contorted. So when Callie wants to admire the flowers in the yard while wearing a pair of spiked shoes again, I can't endure the pain anymore, so I shiver slightly out of instinct. Callie ends up losing her balance and falling to the ground. She bawls like a baby afterward. Mom rushes over immediately before kicking me in the gut, her high heel lodging into my flesh. "It's extremely rare for Callie to be willing to leave the house! Why must you ruin her mood? Can't you just be more understanding and play your role as a doormat for the sake of your sister's illness?" Meanwhile, Dad scoops Callie into his arms, his heart bleeding for her plight. He coaxes her gently, telling her that he'll buy her new dresses later. I can only curl up on the ground while hacking up blood. But Dad just thinks I'm playing the pity card. He commands his men to throw me into the basement. Apparently, I can only be released once I've learned to stay stationary when I'm supporting Callie. As I clutch my broken ribs, I feel my tears flowing down my face as well as the blood from my injuries. I'm sorry, Dad. Next time, I will definitely not move a muscle, just like a corpse.

Crystal Meka, a blind, hybrid slave to the most brutal lycan king alive, lived every day wishing to break free from the people who murdered her mother but everything changed when she found out that the lycan king she hated and feared with every fiber of her being was her true mate. It devastated Crystal so she kept a secret but on her 18th birthday, she rejected alpha King Elyon and paid dearly for it. Elyon compelled her to revoke her rejection but never accepted her due to the undying hatred he had for her kind; dragons and werewolves but he needed her by his side. Pressure as the king of one of the most powerful supernatural races made him take a Luna from his people. It broke Crystal's heart especially since the new Luna was after her life. Elyon however claimed Crystal at every opportunity he got without protecting her from his people. Crystal's status was barely upgraded from royal food taster to breeding slave of the king. With the low, nasty position came more oppression. A ray of hope shone on her when Elyon's younger brother who was an alpha of another kingdom offered her an escape from her prison. Will Crystal accept to leave her mate or will she persevere even with all the heartaches? And will Elyon let her leave even when he hates her?

Juni dan Juli adalah sepasang anak kembar yang berbeda jenis kelamin. Mereka bersepakat membuka usaha sebuah kedai makanan. Nenek mereka, Zalma adalah seorang pengusaha makanan terkenal di zamannya, diketahui memiliki sebuah resep bakmi yang sangat terkenal namun dirahasiakan. Juni dan Juli berusaha memiliki dan mempelajari resep tersebut. Ternyata resep tersebut saat ini dimiliki oleh Dimas Kusuma, seorang pengusaha makanan terkenal di Indonesia yang mendapatkan resep tersebut dari ayahnya, Cahyo Kusuma yang pernah menikahi Zalma sebelum akhirnya bercerai karena perselingkuhan Cahyo dengan wanita lain. Setelah melihat niat dan tekad dari Juni dan Juli, Zalma akhirnya mengajarkan resep itu kepada mereka. Akhirnya, Juni dan Juli membuka kedai makanan dengan resep sang nenek yang menjadi andalannya. Bakmi buatan Juni dan Juli mulai menemukan pelanggan sampai ada seorang food blogger yang merekam kedai tersebut dan menayangkan di akun Youtube channelnya sehingga menjadi viral sampai akhirnya diketahui oleh keluarga Kusuma. Bagaimana reaksi keluarga Kusuma setelah mengetahui hal itu? Bagaimana pula nasib Kedai Juni & Juli beserta resep Zalma? Apakah resep itu juga ada hubungan dengan pembunuhan-pembunuhan yang terjadi?