Hard Work Paid Off

To afford train tickets home for New Year's Eve, I searched for a part-time job and stumbled into a livestream that was practically throwing money at the chat. A young woman in a silk robe rested her chin on her hand. Behind her, a villa glowed under expensive lighting that reflected off polished marble floors. "Being kept in here is suffocating," she said in a voice that mixed boredom with sweetness. "My sponsor gives me more money than I can spend. Help me out. Take some off my hands." Cash drops flashed across the screen one after another. I tapped as fast as I could, my heart hammering. A few large ones landed in my account. I was close. One more would cover both my ticket and my boyfriend's. The streamer leaned closer to the camera. "He keeps saying my tear mole looks like his girlfriend's," she said, her mouth twisting with disgust. "So unlucky. Of all things, I had to match with some broke girl." My finger slipped. I had a tear mole under my eye in the same spot. The live chat flooded with questions. [How is the sponsor's girlfriend broke?] The streamer gave a short snort and reapplied her lipstick, as if correcting a minor flaw. "He's just messing around. He tricked her into 200,000 dollars in debt. She's so stupid she works multiple jobs to help him pay it off." A chill settled in my chest. My boyfriend also owed 200,000 dollars. She continued, her tone light, "The funniest part? He slept with me for three days. When he left, I asked if he was giving her a taste of honey." She smiled cruelly. "He said all he has to do is claim he's going to work a construction site hauling rebar. The idiot will feel guilty and deliver food all night. So he won't need to please her." Another large cash drop flashed across the screen. The total reached the exact amount I needed. My phone rang. Benjamin's name lit up the display. When I answered, his voice sounded worn down, as if it had scraped against concrete. "Via, we still don't have enough for the tickets," he said. "I hauled rebar and made a little over 40 dollars. I'm heading home now."

After working abroad for several years, I returned home, only to have my parents arrange a blind date for me. He was tall and strikingly handsome, honest in character, steady in demeanor, and came from an excellent family background. In short, the perfect candidate for a husband. I told myself that sooner or later, marriage was inevitable, so I settled on him. The day before the wedding, I went to the church—only to be stunned by the sight before me. The entire place had been transformed into something sinister and grotesque. The walls were plastered with terrifying photos of corpses, the floor littered with wax figures of severed arms and legs, and even the flowers had been dyed black, dripping with blood-red stains. But the most infuriating part was the image hanging right at the center of the church—an AI-generated picture of me, pinned beneath my fiancé, as he whipped me. My whole body trembled with fury. I stormed at the staff still working on the decorations, ordering them to stop immediately. Just then, his best friend, Nina Cullen, walked in. "Don't stop. Yves prefers this wedding style." I froze, staring at her in disbelief. "How is that possible? Who in their right mind would decorate something as joyous as a wedding with gore? This is insane!" Nina only gave a cold, arrogant laugh. "That's the theme. If you want to marry him, you'll have to accept it." Speechless, I immediately called Yves. "Yves, I'm not interested in getting married in a haunted house. You'd better restore the church to normal; otherwise, this wedding is off."

On the first day Thea Storme is accepted back to her wealthy family, she signs a betting contract with the fake heiress, Clara Storme. The contract states that if Clara is able to steal from Thea nine times in a row, Thea will have to leave the Storme family on her own. Thea agrees to the bet. On the ninth time, Clara has her eye on Thea's boyfriend, who's a low-income student. She gives him two million dollars and demands that he marry into her family as a live-in son-in-law. "You want me to marry into your family? Sure." Thea raises her head in disbelief. Leonard Falkner taps a finger on the bank card. The moment he meets Thea's gaze of despair, he flashes her a comforting smile. "But I will marry into your family as Thea's husband. I might be poor, but I still have my pride. Except for the woman I love most, I won't lower my head for anyone in this world." That day, Clara cries as she runs out of the house. She even agrees to marry into the Larkin family out of spite. Leonard remains unmoved. He just watches Clara making a fool of herself coldly. But that night, Thea overhears something…

Isang iglap, nagbago ang buhay ni Ava Santos nang tumakas ang kanyang kapatid na si Bella sa mismong araw ng kasal nito sa bilyonaryong si Alexander Valderamos. Dahil sa matinding utang at banta ng pagkasira ng kanilang pamilya, napilitan si Ava na palitan ang kapatid at humarap sa altar sa ilalim ng isang kasinungalingan. Ngunit hindi lingid kay Alexander ang nangyari—alam niyang hindi si Bella ang kanyang pinakasalan. Sa kabila nito, itinuloy niya ang kasal dahil may sarili siyang plano. Sa ilalim ng isang malamig na kasunduan, ginawang legal na asawa si Ava kapalit ng pagbura sa utang ng kanyang pamilya. Sa loob ng isang taon, kailangan niyang gampanan ang papel bilang perpektong maybahay, habang itinatago ang tunay niyang pagkatao. Sa marangyang mundo ni Alexander, unti-unting naramdaman ni Ava ang pagiging bilanggo—isang babae na itinuring na kapalit sa isang transaksyon. Habang lumalalim ang kanyang paghihirap, nahaharap siya sa malamig at mapaglarong ugali ng kanyang asawa. Sa isang relasyong puno ng kasinungalingan at kontrol, kakayanin ba ni Ava na panatilihin ang sarili, o tuluyan na siyang mawawala sa mundong hindi niya pinili?

My fiance's precious childhood crush, Amber Sweeney, was in a political union with the infamous Julian Grant, heir to the Grant family empire and a notorious playboy. Unable to stand the thought of Amber being "sacrificed", Ryan Carter barged into her wedding to stop it. They registered their marriage that day, making headlines across the city. The whole of D.C.'s elite waited to watch me and the Grant family become the city's biggest joke. What they didn't expect was that on the very next day, Julian would roll up to my company in his high-key sports car, leaning against the hood like he had all the time in the world. "Your fiance stole my bride. You'll be repaying that debt by marrying me. Fair trade, right?" I stared at his blazing red hair and wild grin, and smiled back coolly. "Sounds fair to me."

Si Joanna Rissa Lico, nawala sa kaniya ang lahat dahil sa panloloko ng kaniyang boyfriend. Kinuha na nito lahat ng yaman niya, pati mukha niya ay sinunog nito. Dahil sa pinagdaanan ni Joanna na dumurog sa puso niya ay binalak niyang magpakamatay pero hindi 'yun natuloy dahil kay Marvin Guevarra, isang gwapong bilyonaryo na masungit at walang modo para kay Joanna. Inalok siya ni Marvin na tutulungan siya nito sa paghihiganti sa dating nobyo ni Joanna sa pamamagitan ng isang kasal, wala man naibigay na dahilan ng pagtulong ay kinuha ni Joanna ang pagkakataon na 'yun upang makapaghiganti sa dati niyang nobyo. Pero paano kung sa paglipas ng mga araw ay biglang makipaglaro si Marvin kay Joanna na mahuhulog ito sa kaniya, mapigilan kaya ni Joanna ang kaninyang nararamdaman upang manalo sa larong inumpisahan ni Marvin? Maging totoo kaya ang larong ginawa nila?

After a one-night stand, I left a three-thousand tip for a flawless male model and even set up another night that weekend. I thought it was nothing more than a pleasant exchange between two willing adults. That was before my overprotective, old-fashioned brother saw the marks covering me and exploded: "Track down the bastard who hurt my sister. I want him hunted down and ripped apart!" The police stared at the photo for a long moment before one of them spoke softly: "Isn't this… Frederick, the Alpha King of the Bloodmoon Wolf Kingdom?" That was when it hit me. I had taken the Alpha King for a one-night deal. I had paid him three thousand.

Rachel Martínez is drowning. Shuffling multiple jobs, settling debts, and taking care of her sick brother, whose failing heart needs a surgery she can't afford, she's out of options. When the hospital gives her forty-eight hours to come up with twenty thousand euros or lose Benjamín forever, she's desperate. Then a stranger walks into the bar where she works. A billionaire tech CEO who left Spain years ago to escape his family. He's back, and his dying grandmother has one wish: to see him happy with someone real before she dies. Joseph makes Rachel an offer: fifty thousand euros for one night. Just show up to his grandmother's birthday dinner and keep him company.

“Why did you buy me, especially for such a huge amount? There is no way you could possibly want me when I am carrying the child of another man. Wait…. You could not possibly want me because…” the last words remained stuck in Kyra’s throat. She swallowed thickly and dread curled in the pit of her stomach as she stared at the handsome face of a rumored ruthless Alpha Anton. *** It is one thing to find your mate, it is another for your mate to want you back. All of Kyra’s life, she has been the rejected one and thought that things would be different when she finally finds her mate. Except that the moon goddess is one who likes to play games, Kyra gets mated to the enemy of her pack, Tristan. Kyra is shocked when her mate accepts her despite knowing she is the enemy's daughter, so she starts going out with him secretly, but that won’t last for long because she falls pregnant, and her father finds out about her escapades with Tristan. Tristan rejects her in the presence of her father and denies their child, leaving Kyra broken-hearted. He was only with her to destroy her father because of the feud between both packs. In anger, her father who has never cared for her decides to auction her off to the highest bidder. Broken, pregnant and in shame, Kyra is sold off to Alpha Anton. Kyra has never left home all her life and the first time she does, it is with a stranger who bought her. Kyra looks on her future with dread, not knowing what it holds for a pregnant and rejected woman like her.

Elline bertemu lagi dengan cinta pertamanya, Axel Devgan, dalam acara kerjasama perusahaan. Dulu mereka harus berpisah karena memprioritaskan masa depan. Mereka pernah berjanji untuk bertemu lagi jika telah berhasil meraih impian. Namun, bayangan indah akan pertemuan yang telah ditunggu selama bertahun-tahun itu sirna dalam sekejap. Lelaki yang ia tunggu tengah menggandeng wanita lain pada pertemuan pertama mereka setelah bertahun-tahun berlalu tanpa kabar. Kenangan indah akan masa lalunya dengan lelaki itu berubah menjadi kenangan berdarah dalam sekejap. Sanggupkah Elline melanjutkan kerjasama perusahaan? Apa yang akan ia lakukan? Memilih bertahan demi pekerjaan atau menyembuhkan perasaan yang terluka semakin dalam?