He Was Satisfied Not Overjoyed

Chief Secretary na maaasahan lagi sa umaga, at isang nakakaakit na kasalo sa kama tuwing gabi—iyan ang buhay ni Bona Sobrevega sa mga bisig ni Sean Fernandez. Matapos ang tatlong taon na pagsasama at pag-aalaga sa isa’t isa, inakala ni Bona na pantay ang nararamdaman nila. Kung kaya’t nang alukin niya ang lalaki ng kasal, hindi niya inaasahang guguho ang mundo niya nang sabihin nitong walang halong pagmamahalan ang samahan nilang dalawa maliban sa kanilang mga katawan. Mula noon, umiwas na siya’t tinalikuran ang buhay kasama ang lalaki. Umangat ang kanyang karera at naging isang tanyag na abogada na walang tumangkang kumalaban sa kanya sa komunidad. Dumami ang mga manliligaw at dito’y nagkukumahog na gumapang pabalik sa kanya, puno ng pagsisisi, ang lalaking minsan na niyang minahal ilang taon na ang nakalilipas. Ngunit sa mga pagkakataong ito—wala na siyang nararamdaman para dito.

“He tried so hard to replicate the real thing, it’s impressive…well I’m back now, and your services are no longer needed.” Myra knows this is the end of her and Pierce, seeing the girl who looks strikingly similar to her holding his arms in the hospital. No amount of hoping she can win him over, and living in a world of delusion can make the multi billionaire CEO, Pierce Blackwood hers. To him, she’s just a stand-in, after all. When Pierce’s ‘true love‘, Tami, returns, Myra knows it’s time to step away. There’s no need to humiliate herself anymore when the man she loves clearly has his attention on someone else. Determined to reclaim her dignity, Myra breaks up with Pierce, blocks his number, and decides to leave the past behind. But just when she thinks she’s free, Pierce corners her once again, unwilling to let go. “Are you done with this tantrum? Now come home with me.”

I stare at the email on my screen, unable to move my fingers. Tomorrow is our company's crucial product launch, and I just learn that the patent for the algorithm I spent three years developing is now filed under Matthew Ashford's new assistant, Sophie Bennett. I storm into Matthew's office to confront him. Sophie sits on his desk with her legs crossed, looking completely innocent. She claims that she filled out the form by mistake. "It's just a clerical error. The patent still belongs to the company. What's the big deal?" Matthew stands up from his chair, positioning himself in front of Sophie. I can't believe what I am hearing. "Matthew, this is my research!" "Emma, you're thirty-five. Why are you picking a fight with a twenty-three-year-old intern?" He frowns. Then, he turns to Sophie. "Starting tomorrow, you're the new CTO. Emma needs… some time off." I'm utterly stunned. A decade of marriage and five years dedicated to building a company together have been shattered by a few casual words from him. Thirty minutes later, Sophie posts a photo on social media of herself sitting on Matthew's lap. They are both clinking champagne glasses. "So lucky to have the best boss ever. I'll make sure to be his loyal kitten." Below that, Matthew leaves a comment—three red heart emojis. I shut my laptop and pick up my phone. "Hello. Is this Mr. David Langley from Novara Group of Sundale Valley? This is Emma Whitmore. I've changed my mind. I'm ready to join you." I pause. "And by the way, about that unreleased algorithm upgrade, I have the complete technical blueprint. Make me an offer." Later, I fly to Tallisport with an eight-figure check in hand, while Matthew goes frantic trying to find me.

Jada finally had her first boyfriend at the age of 18, she was a freshman in college back then. However, it only took her 3 years to finally realize that he was not someone to be proud of. That their story’s not one worth sharing. Lyken cheated on her 4 times, the first three were forgivable but the last one pushed her away from him. He pushed her so hard that she wanted to stay away for good. So, she decided to leave the country with no plans of coming back. When she did due to work commitments, she got caught up in the wind again. And in the middle of her avenging heart, there’s this man who’s trying to win her back. A man that will do everything just to earn her forgiveness. But will Jada be able to overcome the horror of the past and forgive Lyken? Or are they bound to live their lives away from each other?

Three years in a loveless marriage with Leo Cox, Mona thought she could win his heart with her unwavering devotion, but Leo showed no love or concern towards her. Eventually she got tired, filed for divorce and left after founding out Leo was cheating on her— but she was already pregnant for him. Leo assumed Mona was merely playing hard to get-after all, he bet she'd be back, begging for reconciliation. But no one saw it coming; after the divorce, Mona transformed into a confident woman and Leo is stunned by her transformation. Now, Leo is drowning in regret, desperately chasing after Mona-but by this time, it was already too late. He started contemplating every day, wondering if breaking a leg or going bankrupt would be enough to capture her attention.

The day Alpha Marcus and I marked each other, his first love, Cecilia, threw herself off a cliff into a ravine overgrown with wolfsbane. The pack searched for three full days and nights before they found her, barely clinging to life. She was once the most spirited she-wolf in our pack, but the fall cost her a leg and the ability to bear pups. I grieved for the beautiful life that had been ruined, and I blamed myself for not seeing how fragile she'd become. Marcus comforted me gently. "Elena, this wasn't your fault. Cecilia made her own choice. You did everything you could. Don't beat yourself up." Later, not long after our pup, Rylan, turned five, a sudden illness tore through him, and he died in my arms. Night after night, Marcus held me, wiping away my tears. "Don't be sad, Elena," he would murmur. "We'll have other children." I had always believed my mate was the most considerate, most protective Alpha in the entire world. Until the day I overheard him speaking with his Beta, Adrin. "Alpha, the dosage of wolfsbane we gave Rylan was perfect—just as you ordered. It looked like a genetic defect. No one will ever suspect." "It's been so long. Don't you think it's time to forgive the Luna?" "What's one pup compared to what Cecilia lost? She lost a leg, her future as a mother. Everything."

After I become pregnant, Mason Clarke suddenly becomes incredibly attentive to me. He cancels all his social engagements and personally cooks for me every day. Everyone envies me for finding such a devoted and caring husband. Until one day in his study, I accidentally discover a document titled "Prenatal Blood Donation and Cord Blood Donation Agreement". My name and social security number are clearly written on it! In the beneficiary column is Chloe Reid, his first love, whom he has been supporting abroad for seven years. From outside the door comes his gentle, doting voice. "Chloe, don't worry. I'm personally monitoring her. Her nutrition and daily routine are held to the highest standards to ensure the baby is born perfectly healthy. Your life-saving treatment is absolutely guaranteed!" So all those pregnancy meals he carefully prepares for me, the mountains of expensive supplements, none of it is ever out of love. It's all to fatten me into nothing more than a walking blood bank!

"What's this?" I asked, taking it from him. My curiosity was instantly aroused as I tore it open. But seconds later, I felt my blood running cold and my hands shivering. “I married you because of my mom,” He said flatly. “Now that she’s late, and the woman I truly love has come back, it’s time we part ways. I want a divorce.” After losing her baby in a tragic accident, Danielle is forced to end her toxic marriage with Jayden. She signs the divorce papers, ready to move on. Almost as if a veil left his eyes, Jayden returns for her when she least expected, but Fred her new business partner is unwilling to let her go. Torn between a painful past and a hopeful future, Danielle must decide which man truly deserves her heart.

This isn't a love story, but almost a love story. Irina and Eric share a world through dreams and time travel. They have a strong mutual understanding about the feelings they have for each other, at the same time understanding that they cannot be together. Eric: I open my eyes and find myself standing alone in an empty room. The ceilings and the walls are neatly painted white. And the floor is composed of polished light brown wood. And there is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light comes from. A bright yellow and pale red orange light tells me the sun is setting and soon it will be dark. Eric is a ghost who always appears in Irina's dream. Irina: I open the door to the bedroom. There is a dark brown framed window at one corner where the light is coming from. The yellow orange light passes through the open window. I see Eric standing right there on the spot captured by the yellow light. ‘You came back.’ I said. He stood there looking me in the eye. I almost died. Irina is a time traveler who may or may not change his fate. They alternatively tell a bitter sweet story. Love doesn't always mean together, sometimes it is deeper apart. Eric: I stand alone in the rain looking at the dark sky where all I can see is water, for it is both the rain and my tears flowing to my face. Irina: And suddenly it is no longer my reflection I see inside the mirror. What I see now is a figure of a man. I draw closer to see him clearly. But the closer I walk towards him, the farther I become from him. I couldn't get close.

Signe, an orphaned she-wolf, is training to take over as Gamma of the Crescent Moon Pack. However, when the powerful, sexy and albeit intimidating Alpha Asher of the Blood Moon Pack visits to form an alliance with Signe’s Alpha, she comes to realize that he’s more than just another Alpha. He’s her Fated Mate. Only, Alpha Asher has no want of a Mate; somebody who can be used against him as a weapon and seen as a potential sign of weakness by his enemies. But Signe isn’t ready to take no for an answer. After all, she hasn’t been training to fight her whole life to not be willing to step up and fight for a chance at a life with her Mate. Determined, Signe visits the Blood Moon Pack to work on war strategies, but that’s not the only strategy she plans on putting into play as she convinces Alpha Asher to give their Mate Bond a chance. What she discovers on their journey has her questioning more than just who they are together, but who she really is and where she truly came from as they fight for their lives in a war that will change everything.