Hard Times Novel

“Pipay!” galit na sigaw ng aking madrasta mula sa kanyang silid habang abala sa pag-aayos ng kanyang mukha. Halos magputok ang ugat sa kanyang leeg, na para bang ako ang dahilan ng lahat ng problema niya sa buhay. “Bakit po, Madam?” mahinahon kong sagot habang tuloy sa paglalampaso ng sahig. “Madam”—iyon ang itinawag niya sa akin mula pa noong una, at dahil sa takot, hindi ko na rin inusisa kung bakit. Ako nga pala si Piazza Fontana Vega, o mas kilala bilang Pipay. Dalawampu’t dalawang taong gulang na ako, ngunit hanggang Grade 5 lang ang naabot ko. Natigil ako sa pag-aaral noong mag-asawa muli ang aking ama. Simula noon, naging parang alipin na ako ng aking madrasta. Araw-araw, pareho lang ang eksena sa bahay. Ako ang gumagawa ng lahat ng gawain habang si Madam at ang kanyang anak na si Claire ay nag-e-enjoy sa luho ng buhay. Pero kahit ganoon, may lihim akong pangarap. Minsan, sa mga tahimik na gabi, iniisip ko kung darating ba ang araw na makakawala ako sa ganitong sitwasyon. “PIPAY!” muling sigaw ng aking madrasta, na tila mas nagiging galit pa. Agad kong iniwan ang mop at tumakbo sa kanyang kwarto. Kailangan kong magmadali. Kapag natagalan ako, mas matindi ang parusa. “Madam, may kailangan po ba kayo?” magalang kong tanong sa aking Madrasta. "Bakit ba ang bagal mong kumilos? HETO! Labhan mo pati ang damit ng anak ko!” sigaw niya, sabay hagis sa akin ng maruruming damit. Tumama ito sa aking mukha, pero wala akong nagawa kundi damputin ang mga ito. “Opo, Madam,” sagot ko, habang pinipigil ang pagbagsak ng luha.

Dulu aku pernah berpikir aku memiliki keluarga yang sempurna. aku percaya suamiku sangat mencintaiku dan menganggap diriku sebagai wanita paling bahagia di dunia. Namun suatu hari, aku menemukan bahwa pembantu kami diam- diam telah meracuniku. Yang lebih mengejutkan lagi adalah mengetahui bahwa suamiku berselingkuh dengannya...

Hari pertama bekerja Nila diminta memandikan Bima_suami tetangganya yang lumpuh. Ia terpaksa menerima pekerjaan itu karena terdesak kebutuhan ekonomi. Selama bekerja, Nila baru mengetahui ternyata rumah tangga tetangganya sedang tidak baik-baik saja. Istri Bima menggugat cerai pria itu karena lumpuh, dan dianggap tidak berguna. Namun siapa sangka, ternyata Bima menyimpan rahasia besar yang hanya diketahui oleh Nila.

Patricia, a hard working and diligent nurse. She had the looks, body, brains, compassion and any thing a man would ever need from a woman. But lacks one thing LOVE! Scared by her past relationship experiences, Patricia decided to stay celibate, until love comes knocking at her door, if there is any such thing as love. Love to her is an illusion, and if perchance love exist, it is only for selected people. Love comes knocking at people’s door, at different times, and unexpectedly. It also knocks in different ways, in different people’s lives. Even those who don’t believe in love, can hear the knock of love at their door, at any time. But the question is............. WILL PATRICIA OPEN HER DOOR AND EMBRACE LOVE? IS HE THE ONE DESTINED FOR HER? OR WILL HE BECOME A FRAGMENT OF HER IMAGINATION? Find out in...... STAY WITH ME By Ekpot Goodnews

Juliette...! You can fall for anyone...but him. I repeated it a hundred times in my mind. No...! Not that way...! Don't look at him...! Suppressing my untamable desires to see him, I had been struggling hard. Why is life so complicated? Why out of all it has to be him? *** Juliette Stanford, a university student, had a crush on her new, handsome and charming professor for not long but that crush became a tangled love when he turned out to be her brother-in-law-to-be. It was a one sided love and she tried hard not to get deeper in her fantasies as there was nothing mutual and he was the one in the forbidden sides for her to fall in love. But...! Nothing goes as the will...! She thought it was only her who was struggling until the day of her sister's engagement when he suddenly grabbed Juliette in his arms and announced that he loves her...!! Wait...! What happened...!!

“I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m married. I can’t do this with you, so leave me alone,” I whispered, even as my body betrayed me. He smirked, “Strange, I’ve never seen you wear a wedding ring before, and after a little digging, I found out you live alone and also strip at one of my clubs.” His body pressed against mine, pinning me to the shelves. Loretta came to New York with one goal, work hard and pay off her father’s debt. She never expected to catch the attention of Asher, a dangerously alluring billionaire. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but there’s one problem, Loretta is married to a man she has never even met. Now, she’s caught between duty to a stranger and an attraction to a man she can’t resist.

Stella was a product of a domestic violence family. Watching her parent fight was an immense, heartbreaking, seasonal film, that resulted in a tragic end when her mother's life was cut short in one of their fatal fights. Getting married to Richard Jacob made a considerable difference from the one her parents had. It was blissful, peaceful, and full of Nirvana until Bella Jonathan walked into their lives. Their life took a drastic turn when Stella fell into a tricky trap, which was likely to tear her family apart or worse become a vast menace to her health. Overcoming the thorny phase in their union seems impossible as their source of difficulty kept amplifying and the chances of their marriage withstanding it was slim. In what case do you think it is advisable to stick to the vow of "For Better or Worse? Will Stella's marriage survive these hard times even though she's a marriage counselor?"

I never meant to fall for him. When I took the job at Mr. Grey’s mansion, I only wanted a quiet life. Clean, cook, keep my head down, and earn my money. Nothing more. But then I met him. Mr. Grey was nothing like I expected, he wasn’t cruel or careless like the rich men I’d heard about. He was calm, strong and Kind in a way that caught me off guard. The more I watched him, the more I wanted to understand him. He rarely smiled, he kept his distance. But there was something in his silence, something gentle, something real. Slowly, I started to care. Then I started to feel something more. And just when I thought I had figured out my heart, and started winning his That was when his son, Adam, appeared. Bold, playful, and dangerously curious about me. The kind of man who likes trouble and causes it. Now I’m caught between duty and desire. Between a man whose heart I’m starting to love and another who’s trying to pull me away from it. This is my story. A story of quiet longing, forbidden feelings, and the one man who sees me like no one else.

Tatlong buwan na siyang buntis—tinakbuhan sya ng boyfriend nya kaya wala syang katuwang sa buhay. Desperado din syang magkapera para sa operasyon ng kapatid. Sa ospital, isang batang umiiyak ang lumapit sa kanya, mahigpit na yumakap at tinawag siyang “Mama.” Bago pa man siya makapaliwanag, dumating ang bilyonaryong si Lucien Montclair. Sa halip na pasalamatan siya, pinagbintangan siyang nanlilinlang. Para sa lalaki, siya ay isang impostor—isang multo na nagpapaalala sa babaeng nang iwan dito. Ngunit nang malaman nitong desperado siya para sa pera, binigyan siya ng isang alok na hindi niya kayang tanggihan. Ang maging babysitter ng anak nito. Sa ilalim ng iisang bubong, araw-araw niyang nararamdaman ang bigat ng titig ng lalaki—galit, hinanakit, at isang mapanganib na pagnanasa na unti-unting kumakain sa kanila pareho. Sa pagitan ng kasinungalingan, galit, at isang lihim na hindi niya kayang ibunyag… paano kung ang lalaking kinamumuhian siya ang siya ring magpapatibok ng puso niya?

Qiana Neilson dan ibunya yang sakit-sakitan diusir ayahnya yang telah menikah lagi. Kehidupan Qiana sebagai nona muda pun berakhir. Tak ada yang bisa dimintai tolong. Saat itulah mereka pindah ke kota Yardley. Karena terdesak dengan keuangan yang semakin menipis, Qiana menerima sebuah tantangan dengan kompensasi yang lumayan besar. Qiana harus meminta seorang yang tidak di kenalnya di sebuah klub untuk menjadi pacarnya tanpa mengetahui bahwa lelaki yang menjadi targetnya adalah pemilik klub sendiri sekaligus orang paling ditakuti di kota, Ned Zavier. Tanpa disadarinya, sejak saat itu Qiana telah jatuh ke dalam perangkap sang penguasa.