Hope Not

Heart Salvacion grew up in an orphanage and, despite not having her parents' guidance, she developed into a strong, and confident woman. She is unflappable in the face of adversity and doesn't know when to quit. She is so positive and good at pretending that you would never guess she is in pain. Heart's deceased fiance left a large debt under her name and to make things worst, he borrowed the money to use it on his lover. She recently discovered that he had cheated on her, and she has no alternative than to repay the bill, despite the fact that her dream restaurant was robbed from her before she could open it. She is so depressed and anxious that she has no idea what will become of her life now that she has lost everything. There was no love, no money, and no work for her, but all changed when she met him. Percival Reddson is a young business magnate who is a cold and serious man who only cares about his work. He's also known to be a woman-hater. That same man knelt down and requested Heart's hand in marriage. His unexpected proposal has shocked Heart, but that's not all because the wedding is today?! They aren't quite ready for marriage, but would a contractual relationship work for them? Will they be able to make it to the end of the story without falling in love? Can they control their emotions now that ready or not, here comes love?!

On the day of the company's annual gala, my CEO husband suddenly assigned me an unexpected business trip. The plane had barely touched down when I received a call from his young assistant. Before I could utter a word, her voice came through, "Matty, did you send Daphne on that business trip just so we could spend more time together?" And then, as if to hammer the nail deeper into my heart, I heard his unmistakable tone—light, indulgent, full of affection, "What do you think, silly girl?" Her laughter rang out before she teased, "Then tonight, let's try something new. I promise you'll be satisfied..." The call ended amidst a swirl of suggestive murmurs. Staring at my phone, I waged a silent war with the pain gripping my chest. Again and again, I dialed his number, each attempt met with either silence or the cruel finality of his phone being switched off. Finally, I let out a bitter laugh, tucking the phone away as if to bury the wound it carried. From that moment on, I resolved—no more questions, no more efforts to understand this man who had once been my whole world. But fate has its own irony. Later, it was he who came back, pleading, begging me to love him again.

We should have been born to hate each other, but love has a will of its own, and I can't turn my back on you even though the whole world hates me. * I turned toward the woods and squinted. Then I smelled something in the air. A scent so strong that it makes me freeze. And shortly after, I heard a howl of pain, just a moment, but enough to make me sure something was wrong. I clutched my bag, ready to open it to grab my phone when something jumped over the fence between the school and the woods. It landed right in front of me, and I thought I was seeing a werewolf. But no. it’s not a werewolf like I’ve always known. He stood on his two feet. And blood was smeared on his snout and his silver-feathered, clawed hands. I can’t scream. I could only stand transfixed while my eyes locked on his eyes which were as dark as the night sky.

It's the final round of this year's Pack Pup Tournament. I can't take my eyes off my pup, Patrick Grant, as he wins the title. When the host calls Patrick's parents onstage to celebrate, I leap up, thrilled. But then I see Nicholas Grant, my Alpha mate, walk up with his secretary, Natalia Lawson. They stand side by side under the spotlight, kissing Patrick on both cheeks. It's as if Natalia is the mother, as if she's the Luna of our pack, as if they're the perfect family. I can only stand there in the audience, feeling the weight of countless startled stares, too ashamed to lift my head. Later, Nicholas brushes the incident off. "You were seated farther back. It was easier to bring Natalia up on stage," he explains. Easier? I swallow the humiliation and force myself to believe it was just an unfortunate coincidence—until today, that is. I sense through our blood bond that something's wrong with Patrick, so I drop everything and race to the pack hospital. But when I arrive, Patrick is lying in Natalia's lap, whining to her in a soft voice. I step forward to introduce myself, but the healer only looks surprised. "The emergency contact form lists Natalia as his mom, though." It turns out Patrick himself had stripped me of my role as his mother. And Nicholas didn't stop him. I finally understand. I don't belong in this family anymore. That night, I tell Nicholas I want to dissolve the mate bond between us. He doesn't even look up as he says, "Don't be dramatic. You'd dissolve our bond over a single name on a form?" "Yes."

Isla, a young woman who is in dire need to pay off her mom’s medical bills, thinks that she’s scored her dream job at a big fancy jewelry company. But when the company’s charismatic CEO, Victor, secretly hires her to be his personal assistant with ulterior motives of his own— he’s trying to free his wrongfully imprisoned grandfather by following the breadcrumbs of a dangerous secret with her help— her world is turned upside down. When Isla becomes closer and closer to Victor and his enigmatic life, she starts feeling an undeniable attraction towards him. But her feelings become complicated when she learns the truth about Victor’s original intentions. Isla has some soul-searching to do, torn between betrayal and love, because she was only ever a means to an end for Victor. Meanwhile, Isla faces challenges from other women who vie for Victor's attention, adding further pressure to an already delicate situation. Isla must decide whether to trust her heart or seek justice for herself and her mother.

“I… I can explain,” Isabelle stuttered as she started into the furious eyes of Andrew Sebriano, the Mafia Lord. Andrew grabbed her arm as he pressed her against the door, “Trust me honey, you cannot." A scared virgin, Isabelle Moner was set up by her own uncle to have a one night stand with Andrew, in place of his daughter, to pave the way for him in the business world. Would Andrew make Isabelle and her family pay for trying to trick him? Or, would he be her Messiah, saving her from the clutches of her evil Uncle?

Amelia's leg tapped against the table as she asked, "What are your thoughts on love?" Her hands were clasped together on her lap, but her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Lucas met her gaze, a smirk playing on his lips. "Love is a waste of time," he replied. "It's a tool designed to weigh people down. Without it, we could achieve so much more." Amelia's eyes lit up with interest; he had just ticked almost all her boxes green. "I agree," she said, her smirk matching his. "Love is nothing but bullshit. We could save a lot of time by keeping our relationship minimal." With a proactive glint in her eye, she added, "What do you say? We should get married to fulfill our filial duties." _____________ Their marriage was a facade, a contract between two individuals who didn't believe in love but were forced to get married to fulfill their obligations. Everything was going as planned, until suddenly... "Have you eaten, dear?" "How is my baby?" "Is he doing well?" Lucas's words, once empty and mechanical, now held a tender tone. Amelia found him falling for her, and she seemed to be falling too. Why were they succumbing to the very thing they once scorned? Love, once a distant possibility, was now becoming an option. But would they choose it?

I did three things when I had made a decision to leave Alpha James. The first thing I did was throw all the precious gifts he had given to me. The second thing I did was secretly donate the wooden house he had built for our future and tear up the ceremonial dress that was custom-made for me on our marking day. The third thing I did was go to the Northern Territory to guard our pack, so I cast all ties with the entire pack and disappeared into the tribe. What he didn’t know was that I had quietly planned my departure while he was out hunting and spending countless nights at the Moon River with Doris, his childhood sweetheart. I became the ideal Luna he was hoping for, considerate and tolerant. Later, he lost control and asked me: “Why aren’t you angry? Don’t you love me anymore?” I lowered my head in silence and announced my decision to leave after seeing the ambiguous messages Doris, James's sweetheart, had sent to me.

The night before the marking ceremony, Joanna Grant kills my father by running him down with her car. At the same time, my fiance, Samuel West, breaks the pack's betrothal agreement and asks to end our engagement. The next day, Samuel and Joanna show up at the marking ceremony that was meant for me. With the entire pack as their witnesses, they pray to the Moon Goddess for her blessing. Just then, I arrive at the ceremony with the surveillance footage from the crash, demanding that Joanna pay with her life for what she's done to my father. Joanna is arrested by the Alliance guards, yet I am exiled from the pack and cast out as a Rogue. Out on my own, hunted and mauled by wild beasts, I am rescued by the Alpha of the Redmoon pack, Alexander Rowe. He saves me when I'm on the brink of death and then proposes to me, pulling me out of hell itself. But after two years of marriage, I overhear a conversation between Alexander and his Beta, Marcus Hale. "Alpha, you forgave Joanna in the Luna's family's name and helped secure her release. If this ever comes to light, the Alliance will arrest you, too." "She'll never know," Alexander says. "Joanna has served a year in prison. That's enough. She deserves the chance to move on and find happiness." So, the marriage I think saves me turns out to be Alexander's carefully planned trap all along. I decide it's time for them to pay the price.

Soulmates? Terkadang sulit sekali membedakan antara Soulmate dengan Pasangan hidup. Tapi Aku yakin pasti ada yang membedakan dua kosakata itu. Yang pasti, Aku menginginkan dua kosakata menjadi satu dalam hidupku. Hidup yang bahagia selamanya. Bersama.__Erina Eshal Mislav_14 Feb' 1990, 27 Tahun. Cinta yang tulus? Aku tidak yakin itu ada dalam hidup sekarang ini. Selama bertahun-tahun, Aku tidak pernah merasakan Cinta yang tulus itu. Semuanya Munafik. Tapi...semuanya berubah saat Aku bertemu denganmu, dan berubah lagi saat tidak sengaja Aku melukaimu.__Arthur Eryk Shaquile_12 April 1989, 28 Tahun. Semua orang di dunia ini sama saja. Selalu saja tidak bisa lepas dari yang namanya“Uang. Apalagi saat hati dan cinta kita sepenuhnya untuk seseorang, tapi seseorang itu lebih memilih "Uang" dan pergi meninggalkan ketulusan Cinta kita, apa yang terjadi padamu? Yup, Dalam sekejap merubah pribadiku menjadi sedikit apatis terhadap Wanita.__Zhafar Basrian Rafael_27 Nov' 1988, 29 Tahun.