Guoba Standing Up

No one knew Lucy was the only daughter of one of the richest families in town, not even the man who once promised her forever. Greg, her ex-fiancé, dumped her without warning to chase a life-changing business contract. He thought she was just an ordinary girl, unworthy of his ambition. But fate had its own twist. When Austin, the powerful heir of the mayor’s empire, needs a fake wife to clean up his public image, he picks Lucy. She agrees, not for love, but to escape her pain... and maybe, just maybe, to get even. Now, she’s draped in designer gowns, standing beside one of the most powerful men in the city, while Greg watches from the sidelines, stunned and spiraling. But Lucy didn’t come back for applause. She came back for revenge. And nobody, not her ex, his new girl, or even Austin himself , is ready for the truth she’s hiding.

The only legacy that Castiel’s parents have left him are a ton of debt and a younger Omega sister who he must protect at all costs. As an Alpha without any real powers, he is hopeless and helpless when it comes to standing on his feet, but when a terrible accident makes him commit an unthinkable crime; he has no choice but to face the renounced Mafia King, Damien Synclair. Damien is an Enigma. A powerful Alpha who operates in the shadows of the New York underbelly and is feared by all. But when he comes face to face with a weak Alpha, he finds that he can’t have enough of his. To Damien, Castiel becomes a mystery that he must solve, even if it means holding him captive. But what happens when the captive starts to develop feelings for the captor? Will it be enough to melt Damien’s icy heart? Or will Castiel end up just like Damien’s previous f*ck buddies? Chewed and thrown to the streets…

'I will give you no time to decide, Amore' Luciano said 'It's either you do it my way, or do it my way. Both ways, it's still my way'. Staring at the man she had stolen from, Amara regrets her actions. If only she had not been too picky, if only she had worked her and not want to make fast money, she won't have gotten into this mess. Now here she is, standing half naked as the man accessed her body. Accessed how useful she would be to his club even if she doesn't know how to strip. A faint gasp escaped her throat as Luciano stood up and walked toward her. She flinched as he brushed stray hair off her face then smirked. 'I see we are doing it my way after all' he muttered 'Someone will get you what to wear, make sure you are not late!'

Born without her family's birthmark, Tessa is branded a bastard by the richest man in the pack, her father and forced into a life of servitude in the Alpha’s lodge.  Her only ally and friend was Jasmine, her stepsister; fated to marry George, the Alpha’s heir. But George isn’t just ruthless, he’s a beast who toys with women and hides his darkest hunger behind storm-grey eyes. When Tessa overhears George plotting to use and discard Jasmine, she vows to expose him, even if it means risking everything.  But the moment his eyes land on Tessa, she becomes trapped in his suffocating grip. Tessa, knowing her life will never be the same, must either protect her sister from the man who could destroy them both… or surrender to the dangerous allure that threatens to consume her.

Di pesta ulang tahunnya, Gilena sedang berharap dalam bahasa Jerman di depan kue ulang tahunnya. “Semoga tahun ini Tante Jolin bisa jadi ibuku.” Suami mengelus kepala Gilena sambil tersenyum, lalu berkata, “Keinginanmu akan segera terwujud.” Aku tercengang, kue di tanganku langsung jatuh ke lantai. Suami bertanya dengan penuh perhatian, “Kau kenapa?” Aku menggelengkan kepala dan jawab sambil tersenyum, “Tanganku licin.” Hanya aku sendiri yang tahu, aku panik karena mengerti bahasa Jerman, sampai-sampai kue pun terjatuh dari tanganku.

We had been together for seven years, yet my CEO boyfriend canceled our marriage registration 99 times. The first time, his newly hired assistant got locked in the office. He rushed back to deal with it, leaving me standing outside the County Clerk's Office until midnight. The fifth time, we were about to sign when he heard his assistant had been harassed by a client. He left me there and ran off to "rescue" her, while I was left behind, humiliated and laughed at by others. After that, no matter when we scheduled our registration, there was always some emergency with his assistant that needed him more. Eventually, I gave up completely and chose to leave. However, after I moved away from Twilight City, he spent the next five years desperately searching for me, like a man who had finally lost his mind.

“True love stories never have endings.” Dean said softly. “Richard Bach.” I nodded. “You taught me that quote the night I kissed you for the first time.” He continued, his fingers weaving through loose hair around my face. “And I held on to that every day since.”

I’d been married to my husband James for three years. On Valentine’s Day, he gave his stepsister, Mia, one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, along with millions in jewelry. I, on the other hand, received a free bouquet of roses. When I didn’t look thrilled, he accused me of being a gold digger. “Mia never had anyone to care for her growing up. Why are you competing with her? Isn’t being Mrs. Smith enough to feed your vanity?” Furious, I stormed out of the house. When a car lost control and came barreling toward me, he instinctively rushed to protect Mia, who was standing a full ten feet from the road. I was the one who ended up in the hospital. Lying in that bed, I finally gave up. I signed the divorce papers without hesitation. “Giving up the title of Mrs. Smith is the dumbest decision you’ll ever make,” he told me, looking down at me from above before walking away. Seven years later, we met again. He took one glance at my simple dress and laughed out loud. I didn’t bother to respond. I just held my daughter close and waited for her father—the richest man in the city—to arrive.

I return to my hometown after becoming the wealthiest person in the world. I stand beside a luxury car I bought for my father and call him—I want him to be surprised when he picks me up. However, this backfires on me. I joke with him and tell him my company has gone bankrupt. My debtors are coming after me, so I'm home to flee from them. I end up standing under the sweltering sun until the sky goes dark and it starts to pour—my father never shows up to see his gift. I brave the rain as I head home. Before I even enter the house, I can sense my sister-in-law's panic. "Listen to me—don't tell that jinx that Dad has just won a million dollars!" My mother says, "I knew having a daughter was a bad decision. It's bad enough that she doesn't have money for us—why is she coming home when she's in trouble? She should just die out there!" My father sneers. "Well, we can sell her off to that cripple in the village. Maybe she'll fetch a good price!"

"What... What are these?" Selene stammered, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Divorce papers?" She looked up at Maximus, searching his face for some sign of a joke, a mistake - anything to tell her this wasn’t real. His eyes flickered with a brief moment of hesitation before hardening into a steely gaze. "If Jess hadn’t disappeared, we never would have gotten married” he drawled before delivering the final blow. “Well, Jess is back now.” She couldn’t breathe. Despite her best efforts over their three years of marriage, Maximus had never acknowledged her nor loved her the way he loved Jess. **** She signed the papers, and left his life for good, taking the babies growing in her womb with her. A few years later, She became a top medical doctor and did everything possible to stay away from Maximus. However, on her twins’ fifth birthday, they came running to her, giggling: "Mummy, we found our billionaire daddy!" She looked up and saw Maximus standing in front of her, clearly expecting her to run into his arms. Instead, She chuckled. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she responded with a deadpan expression, "No, babies, your Father is dead."