Hold The Fortress

Edward Sterling is playing in his university's freshman basketball tournament when my parents banish me abroad. My biological sister and my fiancée are both on the sidelines, cheering for him. That spotlight should've been mine. The jersey he's wearing, with a star player's autograph on it, was supposed to be my 14th birthday gift. Edward and I have been rivals for most of our lives. It never matters whether I'm right or wrong—the moment he plays the victim, my parents rush to defend him and scold me without hesitation. But I am their biological son! It's not until I die alone and sick in a foreign country that I finally understand one thing. If I ever get a second chance, I'll never again fight Edward for love that was never mine to begin with.

I loved Stella for five years, and we were even engaged. However, she never helped when my grandfather was dying, all because the adopted son of my family suggested that she should use the opportunity to put me through adversity—so that I would toughen up. After my grandfather died helplessly, I toughened up just as she hoped for, no longer relying on her for everything. Naturally, I no longer loved her anymore either.

My parents have always been biased against me, even as a child. They leave me in the countryside while raising my brother themselves. When I'm finally brought to live with them, they neglect me because they don't want my brother to be upset. When my brother says that I'm rude and falsely accuses me of getting people to assault him, my parents believe him without a shadow of doubt. And so, I'm sent to a residential treatment center. Under my parents' tacit permission and my brother's persuasion, the teachers at the center "educate" me inhumanely. In the end, I learn my lesson, as everyone wishes. I die while learning it, too.

My first time meeting Lawrence Seinfield was during my return to a noble family as its heiress. He helped me get out of a sticky situation once, and for that, I spent five years trying to steal his heart. I loved him. Eventually, he became my fiance, but he thought I was beneath him. He thought my lack of education and proper upbringing was bad. My grandfather, the one who raised me, was dying. Just when I needed his help the most, he decided to teach me a lesson and show me my place. Without any help, my grandfather died, and like Lawrence wished, I knew my place. And I lost my love for him.

After surviving the brutal apocalypse for ten years, hardened survivor Hayley Reid was betrayed by her base and unexpectedly woke up two weeks before the apocalypse began. Back in time, her useless father and stepmother were still pressuring her to give up her house for her brother and his newlywed wife. This time, Hayley didn’t hesitate to sell them the house for dirt cheap. While they celebrate this great deal, Hayley went crazy stockpiling supplies. With the help of the super base system’s overpowered perks, she built an unbeatable shelter. While everyone else was stuck in zombie chaos, Hayley relaxed in her fortress like she was on vacation. While everyone else struggled to find food, her dog enjoyed a full buffet every day. While everyone else risked their lives squeezing into crowded survivor camps, Hayley’s base stood as the strongest steel fortress in the whole world!

The world plunged into a new Ice Age. As the frozen apocalypse spread, 95% of humanity perished. In his first timeline, Cyrus Knovell's kindness cost him everything. The people he had helped betrayed him and left him for dead. Fate, however, granted him a second chance. He awakened one month before the world froze, gaining a dimensional ability that let him store anything without limit. Now he hoarded supplies by the billions and built a fortress no one could breach. While others shivered, starved, and traded their dignity for a morsel, Cyrus lived in comfort. The desperate came begging. The manipulative vixen: "Cyrus, let me into your shelter, and I'll be your girlfriend, okay?" The spoiled rich heir: "Cyrus, I'll give you all my money for just one meal!" The greedy neighbors: "Cyrus, you shouldn't be so selfish. You should share your supplies with us!" Cyrus remembered their betrayals. Lounging in his steel fortress and savoring his private paradise, he sneered, "Your survival has nothing to do with me. I'd rather feed the dogs than feed you."

Aurora's evil intentions were discovered by Kelvin, her boyfriend a few months to their marriage and he quit. Disoriented, he grew to despise women. Then, Ava, his secretary, entered his life. Meanwhile, Aurora wanted him back, and she abducted him. They spent the night together. Later she was happy that she was pregnant. Can Aurora's and Ava's fiery audacity melt the frozen fortress guarding his heart?

Ace runs a criminal organization with his siblings, trained to be unfeeling until he meets Tess. She disappears without a trace, only to come back years later with a daughter he never knew existed. With threats left at Tess's door about her daughter, she has no choice but to return to the Deck Fortress and beg Ace for help. Will the past be too much for them to overcome? Can they eliminate the threat that lingers over them?

Alana Mendoza, a sunbeam in a world of shadows, had her life meticulously planned: a dream job, independence, and the loving embrace of her family. But when her parents shatter her reality with an arranged marriage to a powerful Italian billionaire stranger, her bright future dims. Ricardo Romero, a single father hardened by loss and ruthless in his pursuits, wants nothing to do with the cheerful woman thrust into his life. He's a fortress of icy arrogance, a man who lives solely for his son. Yet, beneath the cold exterior lies a burning intensity, a dangerous allure that threatens to ignite a forbidden passion. Haunted by his past, he views Alana as nothing more than an inconvenient obligation. He's a man of sharp edges and sharper words, a fortress guarded by ice and grief. But beneath the surface, a fierce passion simmers, a desire that threatens to shatter his carefully constructed walls. Can Alana melt the ice around his heart, or will their forced union become a battleground of pride and hidden desires? In a world where wealth breeds danger and love is a dangerous game, will they find solace in each other's arms or be consumed by the flames of their forbidden attraction?

Once upon a time in a promiscuous beach resort which has a prude and nude side called Hydrus Haven, there was a fortress owned by a mysterious woman named Sheeva Mae Corporal. She's known for her old-fashioned black temple dress na mukha at kamay lamang niya ang nakikita. Her behavior and super conservative outfit were utterly out of place against the backdrop of the said haven for n*dists. The fortress and its owner alone had been a pain in the ass of the Turkish-Filipino owner of Hydrus Haven. Walang makapagsasabi kung ano ang tunay na misteryong bumabalot sa kakatwang tahanan na iyon ng dalaga. Fck whatever those goddamn mysteries na kinakanlung ng beach house na iyon! Basta ang natatanging layunin lamang ni Hydrus Horizon Hugo ay ang magiba ang bahay na iyon na sakop pa ng property na kanyang nabili. Subalit ang lagay ay dadanak daw muna ang dugo ng dalaga bago magtagumpay si Hydrus na maipagiba ang tahanan niya. Paano siya magtatagumpay na ipagiba ang bahay na iyon kung sa bawat impormasiyon na nakukuha niya tungkol sa misteryosong babae ay siya ring unti-unting paglambot ng puso niya? Would he be able to undesired the mysterious woman incessantly or would he forbid himself from adoring the exciting wonders his heart feels for her?