I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself

At the awards for the Global Jewelry Design Competition, my stepsister Sandra took the grand prize. She used the designs she stole from me. What she didn’t know was the show’s biggest sponsor: Jude Moretti. Godfather of the Moretti family. A bloodthirsty monster scarred in an explosion, a man they say can never have children. And the grand prize? Becoming the Godfather’s bride. That night, Moretti’s men, all in black, delivered a gold-trimmed marriage contract. They were here for the “genius designer.” My fiancé, Marco, panicked. He whisked Sandra off to Vegas to save her. They got married that night. With the deed done, Sandra strutted back in, wearing my silk robe. She flashed the ring on her finger and the hickies all over her neck. “Marco’s mine now,” she purred. “What are you going to do, Odessa? The Godfather’s only giving you a day. If you don’t marry him, the Family will have to appease him. That means sending you to the red-light district. Selling you to the kind of sicko who gets off on broken things.” She was wrong. I had another choice. I found my father and stepmother, both scrambling to deal with the contract. “I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll marry the Godfather.”

เมื่อความผูกพันตั้งแต่ครั้งเรียนมัธยมต้น ได้จบลงไม่สวยเท่าไหร่นัก จึงทำให้เขาและเธอห่างเหินกันไป จนกระทั่งเข้าเรียนมหาวิทยาลัย ทั้งคู่ได้พบกันโดยบังเอิญ มิหนำซ้ำยังเรียนอยู่คณะเดียวกันอีกด้วย "ยังเจ็บอยู่ไหมมีแผลตรงไหนหรือเปล่า" เสียงทุ้มของชายหนุ่มเอ่ยถามออกมาด้วยความห่วงใย ในขณะที่หัวใจของกันยาเริ่มเต้นระรัว "ว้าย! จะทำอะไร" ฉันร้องออกมาด้วยความตกใจเมื่อชายหนุ่มในชุดนักศึกษานั่งคุกเข่าลงไปกับพื้นพร้อมกับถลกกระโปรงนักศึกษาของฉันขึ้นเลยเข่าเล็กน้อย การกระทำของเขายิ่งทำให้ทุกคนจับจ้องมองมาที่ฉัน เหมือนในหนังในละครมาก เวลาที่พระเอกก้มลงไปมองแผลและพร้อมที่จะหายามาทาให้นางเอก ส่วนเกรซกับเพื่อนๆ ของเธอนั้นกลับมองมาที่ฉันด้วยความหมั่นไส้ "อยู่นิ่งๆ สิขอดูแผลหน่อย ช้ำแบบนี้ต้องประคบเย็นเท่านั้น" น้ำเสียงของเขาที่ฟังดูอ่อนโยนและห่วงใย กำลังทำให้หัวใจของฉันแทบจะละลาย ซึ่งผลงานชุดนี้จะเป็นซีรีส์ Follow your heart. เรื่องแรกแม่ทูนหัวของพ่อเสือหนุ่ม ตามมาด้วยเล่ห์ร้ายใจปรารถนา ต่อมาเรื่องเพื่อนรัก (เผลอ) รักเพื่อน (I love my friend) และเรื่องสะดุดรัก Lady cook. ฝากติดตามด้วยนะคะ

My boy friend Caleb Ford's childhood sweetheart, Julia Leclair, is losing her hair from chemotherapy. So, he orders me to cut mine off and make her a wig. "Julia's allergic to synthetic wigs. You've been growing your hair for ten years—it's perfect." I refuse, but his friends tie me down. Someone shaves my head to the scalp, buzzing through my thick, glossy hair until nothing's left but a butchered mess. Julia sits in her wheelchair and laughs, saying I look like a toad. Caleb smiles and nods in agreement. He adds with a chuckle, "It's just some hair. Was that really necessary?" But back when I was bullied for having uneven, choppy short hair for six straight years, it was he who stood in front of me. He had his arms spread wide as he shielded me from harm. Now he's the one wielding the blade. One by one, their little circle chimes in. They tell me not to hold a grudge against someone who's sick. Caleb snaps impatiently, "Stop trying to talk sense into her. She can get lost! Did you see that fit she threw over a few strands of hair? It's not like they won't grow back." I turn around and walk away. I never look back. Later, I hear that Caleb begs for my forgiveness by kneeling his way up 9000 steps until his knees are ruined.

Diana Balmorris is the only daughter of the family that has a chain of restaurants across the country A, a young heiress who had been in love with her childhood friend, Mikhael Montreal. Everyone wanted to witness the two business conglomerates to finally merge, and the marriage for love! However, one night changed it all. On the day of their engagement, a woman announced that she is pregnant with Mikhael's baby! Diana is broken hearted at what happened and drank herself to death that night. Because of her drunken state, she had found the mysterious arrogant Raphael Blackstone, the infamous ruthless mafia boss, who had been bullying a man, and poured a drink on him at the bar! She was able to escape him, but she had thrown up on him the second time. What's more, she had lost consciousness in front of him. Coincidentally, Raphael has been pressured by his grandfather to marry, and the only way he can inherit the company is if he got married for love! "What, you want me to marry you? Are you insane?!" "Yes, I am," and sealed it with a kiss.

With only an hour left until the concert began, every trending topic across the internet was dominated by a single headline. [Breaking: Rising Star Tiffany Burgess to Propose to Her Manager After Ten Years of Romance, Leaving Fans in Awe.] This proposal was not just a personal milestone; it was the centerpiece of our company's most ambitious PR campaign of the year and the culmination of a love story between Tiffany and me. Then, in the fire escape, I bumped into Tiffany, dressed in her wedding gown, locked in a passionate kiss with a young man. "Wayne, let me explain," she pleaded. "Explain what?" I snorted. "That just before our proposal, you're sneaking around with another man? The proposal is live-streamed to millions, with thousands of media outlets eagerly awaiting the announcement." I slammed the engagement ring down onto the table in front of her. "After the encore tonight, you'll either propose to me on that stage, or you'll be ruined, both in reputation and career!" Her fists clenched, but in the end, she gritted her teeth and grabbed the box. "Fine." Under the spotlight, she stood before me in her wedding dress, pulling out the ring. But instead of turning to me, she held the ring up toward the guest seating area, where her true love sat. "Wayne, thank you for helping me reach the stars," she declared. "But tonight, I'm going to chase my moon." The crowd erupted in shock and confusion. In a single instant, I became the laughingstock—the unwitting prop in her grand romantic gesture. My heart shattered the moment she reached him.

Hanna Ortiz, a free girl, now found herself bound by a promise she made to her mother on her deathbed, to marry someone she barely knew in order to fulfill an agreement that even she didn't understand. Everything seemed fine until her fiancé ran away, and his father had to take her place. Even if she wanted to give up, too much was at stake and there was someone she loved very much and needed to save. Hanna saw no other option but to accept the marriage arrangement with Morgan until her real fiancé, David, returned. Although Hanna was young, her age wasn't attractive enough for Morgan who had a promise on his back that prevented him from getting married, plus the fact that he and his entire family knew that Hanna's family suffered from a rare and destructive disease that could even deform the carrier, none of them could bear the thought of living with Hanna, before they even met her they already repudiated her for her appearance. On discovering that Morgan was repulsed by her, Hanna only intensified his anger and estrangement, making him think that she, like her past relatives, had also inherited the disease, making her a disfigured bride. Now, she is nothing more than a wife rejected by her husband, who sees her as a freak and an ambitious woman who will do anything for money. However, Hanna has far greater desires than money.

Most kids want toys, candy, or a new puppy. Pearl Reed wants a dad. And not just any dad—she wants Detective Alex Ramos. Ava Reed is perfectly happy as a single mother. By day, she’s a world-class surgeon, running the most prestigious private hospital in the city. By night, she’s The Godmother, ruling one of the most dangerous mafia syndicates in the country. Saving lives on one end. Taking them on the other. Romance? Not on her agenda. But when her too-clever-for-her-own-good daughter pulls off the matchmaking stunt of the century, Ava finds herself sitting across from a man who is as charming as he is infuriating. Alex never saw it coming. One second, he was working a case. The next? He was being blackmailed by an eight-year-old into dating her mother. One fake date? Fine. One viral post announcing their engagement? Not fine. Being summoned for dinner by an eight-year-old with a five-step plan to make him fall in love with her mom? …Yeah, he’s in trouble. Ava has no interest in love. Alex has no interest in marriage. But Pearl? Pearl has other plans. And when Pearl sets her mind on something, not even a mafia war can stop her.

What are you going to do if you can’t afford all of your bills? You will probably opt for using your body to get what you want, as Rose was a stripper who worked in the Blueborn night bar. She got sacked by her female boss in the bar, but she got her prayer answered as she dated a billionaire sugar daddy whom she married after seven good months of courtship. He proposed while they were in a plane to Ibiza, right in the plane, and her life took another turn before there were twirls and whirls in her marriage and took another surprising twist along the way too.

Hiniwalayan ng cold-blooded CEO na si Max ang kanyang asawa na si Khelowna matapos ang dalawang taong pagsasama na walang pagmamahalan. Naniniwala siyang si Khelowna ang nag-frame up sa kanyang tunay na mimanahal, na si Maveliene dahilan kung bakit na-coma ito sa ospital ng mahabang panahon. Nang malaman niyang buntis si Khelowna ng hindi sinasadya, kinuha niya ang anak nila matapos maipanganak at nilayo ito sa asawa niya. Gusto niyang maging ina ng anak niya ay si Maveliene. Ngunit makalipas ang anim na taon, muling nagkita sina Max at Khelowna sa isang ospital kung saan dinala ni Max ang anak niya para ipagamot. Dahil doon nagtatrabaho si Khelowna bilang doctor, napagalaman niya na ang batang dinala ng ex-husband niya sa ER ay anak pala nila. Agad siyang nangako sa sarili niya na kukunin niya ang anak niya. Ngunit bago niya iyon magawa, kailangan niya munang harapin ang ex-husband niya na hanggang ngayon ay galit pa rin sa kaniya. Ano ang mangyayari kay Khelowna sa pinaplano niya?

"Your Highness." "Lady Eiren." Di bawah langit malam yang kelam, tanpa sedikit pun memunculkan cahayanya sang bintang apalagi cahaya sang rembulan. Di tengah-tengah taman yang banyak ditanami bunga eglantine yang merumpun, … juga di antara hujan taburan kelopak bunga pohon plum yang jatuh meluruh. Beserta di sekitar beterbangannya bola-bola cahaya api, dilengkapi dengan kepakkan sayap kecil ratusan kupu-kupu merah muda. Mereka berdua, sepasang anak muda berlawanan jenis, yang masing-masing darinya sedang mencium harumnya setangkai bunga keramat pun, … saling berhadapan satu sama lain, dengan ekspresi muka yang tampak begitu serius. "Daripada Tunangan saya, …." "Daripada Tunanganku, …." Berbicara bersamaan sekaligus bergerak secara bersamaan pula, mereka … lekas melanjutkan ucapan yang sempat terjeda dengan menggunakan suara yang lantang, seraya mengasongkan tangkai bunga yang tengah dipegang sendiri untuk cepat-cepat diberikan kepada sang lawan bicara. "… Saya akan memilih Anda!" Sang pemberi bunga yang melambangkan cinta mati, yaitu bunga mawar hitam, … Lady dari kediaman Marquess Eiren, Darissa. "… Aku akan memilihmu!" Juga sang pemberi bunga yang melambangkan banyak kebebasan, yaitu bunga bakung laba-laba merah, … pangeran kedua kerajaan Aethelred, Lancient. "MARI/AYO KITA MENIKAH!" Sudah memutuskan untuk bekerja sama di kesempatan kedua ini, … dalam membalaskan dendam mereka.