Freedom Rhyme

I've been dating the country's most eligible bachelor for two years. My base salary is $2 million, with bonuses based on performance. Holding hands costs $10,000, putting an arm around his waist is $20,000, and a kiss on the lips is a bit pricier at $50,000. As for certain bedroom activities, well, those come with a whole different price tag. Brad is fair-skinned and handsome, appearing only once a month – he's practically a walking Tiffany's diamond. Life is so sweet, it's easy to get complacent if you're not careful. One night, a DM popped up on Instagram from a stranger. "If you trust me, check your boyfriend's phone." "?" "I'm his girlfriend." "Am I the third party or are you the third party?" "You're third, I'm fourth." "Let's meet and talk details."

Veronica, a musician in a band, finds herself on a sticky wicket when she realizes that the man of her dreams—Théo Reynaud—is an elaborate masquerade to his danger-seeking alter ego. As she tries to stay relevant in the music scene, she battles depression and bouts of anxiety while dealing with a dysfunctional long-distance relationship. Théo is a fashion model striving to make a good living in the cutthroat industry while moonlighting as an informant. After a vindictive crime boss endangers his family, he is tasked to complete his final assignment to keep his loved ones out of harm's way, and be with the woman he loves. ▬▬▬▬▬▬ genres: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE, CRIME, DRAMA ▬▬▬▬▬▬ This is a work of fiction. Places, characters, dialogues, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. This story contains profanity, sexual themes, drug usage, and some violence intended for mature readers. Read at your own risk. [DISCLAIMER: The author does not own the original images on the book cover.]

My health was not good, but I had always wanted a child. My husband, citing concern for my health, avoided intimacy with me for a year. Then I stumbled across his private messages with another woman. [You'll spend Valentine's Day with me, right? You're not going to touch her tonight, are you?] [You know I don't like doing it just to make babies. Got you some lingerie. Wear it for me tomorrow.] That ill-fitting lace lingerie he was talking about was on my body. I'd slipped it on while he was in the shower, thinking it was a Valentine's Day surprise from him. Turned out, he hadn't bought the wrong size. He had just sent it to the wrong address. I clicked on the woman's profile. Her latest video showed her at the beach, hand in hand with the person filming. I recognized her hand instantly. It belonged to my best friend.

Havoc Alexana Javier over-organized every single thing, but not her thoughts when Meter Ozuluen De Leon was around. Since childhood, Havoc already knew how her eyes sparkled just by seeing Meter from afar. The butterflies, the chills, the blushes—they all started with a happy crush until that feeling developed through time. As they faced the early years of adulthood, things suddenly changed. Meter was a heartthrob and he was always chased by girls. As everyone else expected, he got a girlfriend at a young age. On the other hand, Havoc who had a huge crush on him found herself shocked because she was not that sad. It hurt her but not to the point that she would hysterically slap someone's face for stealing someone she never owned in the first place. Maybe because… Rhyme Okideo De Leon was there. Meter's twin brother. Havoc's closest friend. Rhyme always supported Havoc even with her crazy feelings for his twin and whenever it went overboard, he was still there for her—guiding and protecting her. He was consistent. But as time went by, his actions changed due to some inevitable disasters in Havoc's life. Probably because Rhyme needed to help her in his ways. The Rhyme ways—the things he kept holding for a very long time.

Three years ago, my girlfriend suffered severe post-traumatic stress after saving my life. She later had a speech impairment that kept her from speaking normally. To cure her, I take on three jobs a day and survive on only bread and water just to come up with the money for her therapy and speech recovery treatment. I happen to be working part-time as a cocktail party waiter one evening when I see my girlfriend, who supposedly has a speech impairment, standing in a fancy dress and being fawned over by the crowd around her. Everyone is calling her "Ms. Holden" and "the heiress of the Holden family". But how can an orphan like her possibly be an heiress?

“Do you take this woman to be your wife? For richer or poorer, in sickness and health, will you remain faithful to her for the rest of your life?” I looked at Bridget with deep affection and was just about to speak. “Wait!” shouted someone urgently. I turned around in confusion and looked toward the audience. There stood a man holding a baby in his arms. He said pleadingly, “Bridget, our child is hungry… could we pause the wedding for a moment?” Hearing this, everyone erupted in an uproar. It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. Only then did I realize that Bridget had a child with another man. Bridget hurried off the stage, then turned to me coldly and said, “I only agreed to marry you out of obligation. But the moment Vernon appeared, I knew it. There’s no one else I want to marry but him.” So, she took off the ring and dragged the man away without looking back. I stood alone at the end of the aisle and clutched the undelivered ring in my hand, as a flood of bitterness crashed through every corner of my heart.

When the earthquake hit, I found myself buried under the rubble, barely clinging to life. My wife, Meghan Hudson, charges into the collapsing office building without hesitation. However, the person she rescues is Gerald Parker, the new technical specialist at my company. Even as she hurries away with the rescue team, she doesn't spare me a single glance. Severely crushed and bleeding heavily, I'm rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Yet, Meghan pours all her care and attention into Gerald, who barely has a scratch on him. In the end, I'm completely disheartened and pull out the divorce papers. Meghan goes berserk and tears them to shreds, thinking I'll give in like I always did. What she doesn't know is that this time, I'm truly exhausted.

Isabella, seorang gadis yang harus tinggal bersama keluarga pamannya setelah kematian kedua orang tuanya, menjalani hidup yang penuh tekanan. Meski diberikan tempat tinggal, ia selalu dituntut untuk menjadi gadis yang patuh dan tunduk pada aturan keluarga pamannya. Dibandingkan dengan sepupunya Hilda yang lebih bebas, Isabella justru berada di bawah pengawasan ketat pamannya, Dion, yang begitu protektif terhadapnya dengan alasan yang menurutnya gila. Siapa sangka, di balik sikap tenang dan kepatuhan yang selalu ditunjukkannya, Isabella menyimpan banyak rahasia. Ia bertekat untuk membalaskan dendam orang tuanya kepada keluarga pamannya.

Di tengah keinginan memiliki keturunan, Rudi dan Amanda dihadapkan pada kenyataan pahit. Tiga rumah sakit telah mengkonfirmasi bahwa Rudi tidak mungkin bisa memiliki anak. Tekanan dari orang tua Rudi semakin meningkat, sehingga mereka menyarankan Amanda untuk mencari pria lain yang bisa membuahi dirinya. Awalnya, ide tersebut ditolak oleh Rudi dan Amanda. Namun, setelah pertimbangan panjang, mereka akhirnya setuju untuk melakukan metode tersebut. Mereka mulai mencari sosok pria yang sesuai harapan mereka, hingga akhirnya memutuskan untuk memilih Alex, adik ipar Amanda. Alex awalnya menolak tawaran tersebut, tetapi setelah diimingi uang 2 milyar rupiah, ia akhirnya setuju. Namun, yang tidak terduga adalah bahwa Alex dan Amanda justru saling jatuh cinta. Mereka menjalin hubungan terlarang di belakang Rudi dan adiknya Amanda. Pertanyaan yang menggantung adalah: Akankah hubungan Alex dan Amanda terbongkar oleh Rudi dan istri Alex? Apakah cinta mereka bisa bertahan, ataukah akan hancur oleh kebohongan dan pengkhianatan?

Aku baru saja kehilangan calon anakku. Rada Nuri bahkan masih terasa. Tapi bukan perlakuan manis yang dapatkan, melainkan kenyataan pahit. Suamiku justru membawa wanita lain ke rumah, dan berkata akan menikah lagi. Sudah jatuh tertimpa tangga. Dia justru menceraikan aku hanya karena aku di tuding tak bisa memberinya anak laki-laki. Aku bersumpah akan membalas semua yang lakukan padaku. Termasuk menyelidiki penyebab keguguran ini, yang terasa janggal.