Hadestown A Gathering Storm

“I thought you wanted to sleep, my Queen,” Lorcan whispered. “I changed my mind,” Niamh kissed Lorcan again, deeply, hungrily. “Besides, you owe me a wedding night.” “I stand reminded,” Lorcan bowed his head. Looking up, he grasped Niamh around the waist and turned to lay her beneath him, kissing her passionately. *** Niamh had dutifully fulfilled her obligation to marry King Lorcan of the Elven Realms, only to watch her new husband ride off to battle the very next day. But he was lost in battle, and she was left to face her new role as Queen among haters, admirers, and potential suitors… and a traitor. Despite the challenges she formed new alliances, treaties, and friends, and, once the King was found, they built an unshakable love while facing turmoil. Once free to leave, what choice will she make? Will the love they formed be strong enough to endure more than time? Rising Storm in the Elven Realms is created by Heather Dilts-Baiano, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

"You're not having me!" I snapped at his face. "Oh, my little sinner." He licked the bottom of his lips with a sinister smirk on his face. "You're already tied to my bed."

I was pregnant. On my way to deliver documents to Tristan Goldberg, a flash flood struck. Desperate, I dialed his number, praying he’d answer. After a few rings, the call connected. But instead of Tristan, a woman’s voice answered. "Tristan, whose number is this? Do you want to answer it?" There was a brief pause, and then Tristan’s voice, cold and indifferent, cut through. "It’s just my maid. Ignore it. Hang up." And just like that, the call disconnected. Staring at the torrent rising around me, my pulse quickened. I texted him, begging for him to send a rescue team. Minutes passed as the waters climbed to my waist, churning and relentless. Then, a message from Tristan finally appeared. Tristan: [What kind of ridiculous story are you making up now?] Tristan: [Emily, do you think you're eighteen, playing these childish games? I want that document in my hands within thirty minutes, or we're getting divorced.] A surge of terror shot through me as I looked up, catching sight of a heavy branch snapping loose and crashing down. In an instant, everything went dark.

During Black Friday, the intelligent system I develop helps the company run highly targeted ads and brings in 30 million dollars in revenue. But when I apply for the project bonus, the director rejects it. "The system is just an auxiliary tool. The performance belongs to the sales department." I hold back my frustration and pull up the system logs. "88% of the orders come from the system's targeted pushes. According to company policy, I should receive a 0.5% commission." The director glances at me, twirling his pen. "If the sales commission doesn't go to the sales department, should it go to you? And your lousy system exceeds the API limit and racks up extra fees. You still owe us a hundred thousand dollars. We'll deduct that from your salary." Three days before Christmas sales are set to begin, the system completely shuts down because of API restrictions. Late at night, the director calls me. I stare at my computer screen. "Since the system is just an auxiliary tool, why don't you start with manual targeting?"

Have you ever lived a life that looked perfect—but felt like nothing? Felt yourself slipping away every day… yet still couldn’t call that life your own? Well, Serena Beckett has. The perfect daughter. The perfect wife. Invisible in her own story. Born into a wealth she was never allowed to claim. Married into a life she didn’t choose, but ended up loving endlessly as she thought she could finally have a thing of her own. Until the night her husband walks in with a stranger… and divorce papers. That night, something breaks in her. And something far stronger takes its place. Serena doesn’t crumble. She doesn’t leave. Not until she decides who she really is—beyond the Beckett name, beyond the lies, beyond the mask she’s worn for far too long. Is she the girl her family tried to tame? The wife Eliot thought he could throw away? Or someone neither of them ever saw coming? And when Eliot finally sees her… Will it be too late?

The Hidden Piece is a creative fictional story about the life of a young girl with a promising future. Faced with many life challenges that she didn't handle well, she had regrets and wished she behaved differently. Each phase of her life contended to activate her inward strength when confronted with these challenges, but she easily gave up which almost affected her dreams and aspirations. The only required tool to push through her difficult moments was using the power of her mind, which was also the strong force opposing her progress. This story is highly recommended for young adults searching for headway through life storms.

Cherry Lyn Moreau, at the peak of her acting career, has finally tasted the sweet fruits of five years of relentless hard work. Her star is on the rise, her future a dazzling expanse of red carpets and flashing lights. But one reckless night, fueled by champagne and a devastating heartbreak, shatters her carefully constructed world. A single, drunken mistake with a stranger leaves her facing an unexpected pregnancy that threatens to derail everything she's fought so hard for. As whispers and rumors spread, Cherry's growing career drops, leaving her grappling with the devastating consequences of her actions—a shattered dream, a hidden secret, and a life that completely changed.

The fake daughter married my boyfriend. My mouth was taped and I was being chopped into pieces by her admirer. The entire family took turns to call me. My mother said, "How ungrateful you are. I should not have brought you home back then." Father added, "Don't bother coming back if you do not attend Samantha's wedding." Brother said, "Let me tell you, you shall root in hell if you choose not to attend the wedding." At that moment, I didn't even have the energy to shout for help due to excessive blood loss. Everyone lost their patience, "Speak up! Are you dead or what?" I could only see the calls being disconnected. One thing they did not know, I was really dead.

Isang salita para ilarawan si Leah Olaer: Mataba. At dahil sa kanyang matabang katawan, nagtaksil ang kanyang fiancé na si Kyle at ang babaeng pinagtaksilan siya ay tinawag siyang ugly fat duckling. Hindi lang puso niya ang nasaktan kundi pati ang pride niya bilang isang babae. Kaya naman nang gabing nalaman niya na niloloko lang siya ng kaniyang fiancé, pumunta siya sa isang bar at nilunod niya ang sarili sa alak. That night, Leah was so down, hurt, in pain and depressed, then she came across Achilles Williams. Ang gwapong lalaki na walang kahihiyang hinalikan siya sa harap ng maraming tao. Sa sobrang kalasingan niya, naulit ang halik na nauwi sa mainit na pagtatalik. Saka lang niya narealize na mali ang ginawa niya ng magising siya kinabukasan at wala na ang kalasingan niya. So Leah did the most reasonable thing to do. Tumakas siya. At napatunayan ni Leah na ang kasabihang 'Kahit anong iwas mo, ang kapalaran ay hahabulin ka.' Dahil kahit saan siya tumakbo, naroon si Achilles at naghihintay sa kanya para akitin siya. Maniniwala ba siyang iba si Achilles sa manloloko niyang fiancé? Hahayaan ba niya ang puso na mahalin ang isang makisig at guwapong lalaki na alam niyang hindi bagay sa kagaya niyang ugly fat duckling? O babaguhin niya ang sarili niya para maging bagay siya rito?

Sachriana has the chance to choose who she wants to have a forty-eight mag-jowa challenge with. Instead of choosing someone who she is comfortable with, she takes risks in choosing the man who never gave her attention. She chose Jeide Dyion, the man she is in love with, sadly, the man is in love with her cousin named Melody. But with that kind of dare, new hope has bloomed. She will not waste the chance. But to her surprise something happened between them on that night. But what if, hindi pala siya ang nakikita ni Jeide Dyion ng gabing iyon? She is hurt. She wants to move on. And now that she is moving on, mukhang nagkabaligtad dahil ang lalaki na ang humahabol. Pero bakit ganoon? Bakit pakiramdam ni Sachriana ay wala sa kanya ang buong atensyon ng lalaki? Pakiramdam niya ay pangalawa pa rin siya. Pero paano kung pakiramdam niya lang pala iyon? Paano kung siya pala talaga ang priority ng lalaki?