Ice Scream Rod

My husband's beloved lover suffered from menstruation complications. A traveling doctor claimed that a fresh placenta was needed to cure her. His gaze fixated on my seven-months-pregnant baby bump. And thus, I was pinned down on the bed as they ripped the placenta from my body. My son was carelessly tossed aside. He didn't even get the chance to cry before his tiny body fell silent forever. My husband pinched his nose in disgust, frowning as he looked at me—bleeding out, feebly reaching for my child. “It’s just a premature baby. He'll be fine after a few days of care. Why are you making such a fuss? Sandra is waiting for her medicine." He left and locked the door behind him without looking back. He claimed it was a lesson I needed to learn. By the time he finally remembered us, my son and I had long since bled dry, our bodies cold and stiff.

Maddox Ventura fell in love with her sister's best friend. The first moment he saw Sariel Dixon, he told himself that she’d be the woman he would tie the knot with and cherish with all of his heart.   They became in close proximity since his sister dragged him along on every bit of their adventures of all kinds, and he’s even more attached to her, despite the fact that she tends to be stubborn all the time.   However, Maddox was very delusional in that moment, considering that he believed Sariel was the one he had been looking for, but it turns out she is the one who would destroy and betray him. Maddox Ventura is a seductive but merciless. He’s both deadly and lovely to look at, he poured out his revenge on Sariel Dixon. He tormented her, he blamed her for killing his parents deaths for the betrayal that she used him for, and for playing his love for her.    Sariel Dixon, on the other hand, was taken up in the retribution that was never intended for her. But then she accepted Maddox Ventura’s rage toward her, since she’s in love with him. The big day comes. There was an event where they were completely wasted on alcohol consumption because of her best friend. They were unable to resist the temptation, and something happened between the two of them one night. Author’s Note: This is the official English version of my novel, Billionaire’s Tale of Retaliation, now titled Price of Betrayal. (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

I have two lives. By day, I’m just a girl trying to survive. By night, I’m someone men pay to touch. No one knows. No one ever will. Until Adrian walks into my VIP room. My brother’s best friend. My first love. The one man who should never see me like this. Now he keeps coming back. Keep watching me. Keeps getting closer to the truth. He thinks I’m two different women. He’s falling for both of us. And I’m running out of time to keep my secret Before everything I’ve built comes crashing down.

Isabelle Dela Cruz never imagined that her new job as executive secretary to one of the country’s youngest CEOs, Damian Villareal, would come with emotional turbulence. Cold, calculating, and fiercely private, Damian keeps everyone at arm’s length—until Isabelle’s warmth starts breaking through his walls. As business deadlines loom and past scars resurface, they must choose: guard their hearts or risk everything for love.

"On your eighteenth birthday, after your first shift, and after you meet your wolf and unlock your gifts, someone would come for you. Someone special that deserves my precious daughter, someone that will take care of you and make you happy will come for you, my sweet baby girl.” On her deathbed, mom handed the rare diamond necklace to me and told me I would be found by someone special. I endured the torture and ill treatment from my stepmother and stepsister because I looked forward to my eighteenth birthday. I couldn't wait for my eighteenth birthday so I can take over the company and take everything that belongs to me.The day finally came, and...

Laura’s life was a relentless storm of betrayal and resilience. Working as a cleaner, she endured mistreatment before being falsely accused of theft and fired. As her mother’s illness worsened, Laura risked their family home to cover treatment costs. Desperate for income, she found a job as a waitress with the help of Jerry Hills, a kind-hearted waiter who became a close friend. Unknown to her, Jerry was connected to Fred Walker, a notorious CEO who manipulated events to hire Laura as his secretary. Fred’s schemes strained Laura’s trust in Jerry, but her rough relationship with Fred shifted when a shared past emerged. A pendant Fred wore unraveled their connection, sparking a secret romance. However, their bond was tested when Laura became pregnant, and Fred, fearing exposure of his affair with Maggie, his account officer, pushed her away. Seeking solace, Laura confided in Maggie, unaware she was her estranged step-sister. Consumed by jealousy, Maggie plotted to harm Laura but was stopped by her own son, Jack, whose life Laura once saved. As secrets unraveled, Fred sought redemption, proposing to Laura in hopes of a fresh start. Can love truly conquer betrayal and bring lasting healing?

My husband's protégé boasted she could disarm bombs blindfolded, relying on her so-called intuition. Her reckless misjudgment triggered a bomb's secondary detonation sequence, endangering an entire building. I intervened, using the dangerous liquid nitrogen condensation method to save the day. As a result, Rita Smith was removed from frontline duties and placed under investigation. Patrick Munoz tried to defend her, but I stopped him cold. "If you back her now, you won't just fail to save her. You'll be dragged down with her." Crushed by the pressure, Rita staged an accident that killed her, leaving a letter blaming him for abandoning her in her hour of need. He said nothing, only preserving her letter in his study. Years later, he became a nationally renowned bomb disposal expert. During a terrorist attack, I was strapped to a timed explosive. He arrived to defuse it but repeated Rita's fatal mistake. As the timer ticked down, he gave a bitter laugh. "Rita was just nervous back then. If I'd supported her, she'd be a hero today." The bomb detonated, leaving nothing of me behind. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the point when he tried to defend Rita. He didn't know that the building housed the nation's top-secret core server.

I was eight months pregnant, at a charity gala with my husband, Don Massimo, when a rival family hit us. The crowd panicked. I was shoved to the floor, hard. Blood everywhere. Massimo lost his mind, screaming for medics, desperate to save my baby. But when I woke up, they were gone. Both of them. No baby, no Massimo. I remembered the gunfire, Massimo shielding me with his body. A cold dread washed over me. I hauled myself into a wheelchair and raced down the hall. That’s when I heard them—Massimo and the doctor. "Boss, I'm sorry. We did everything we could. The baby… he didn't make it." Tears streamed down my face. They killed my baby. The rival family killed my baby. But his next words shattered my world. "There was only one medical team. I had to make a choice. Bianca… she was carrying my child, too." Massimo sighed, then gave the order. "No one tells Arabella. She'll raise Bianca's son as her own. He will be my only heir." I slapped a hand over my mouth, my vision blurred by tears as I turned away. The man I loved was a lie. Fine. If he wants a war, he'll get one.

After I discovered I was pregnant, I slammed the pregnancy test report down in front of my playboy boyfriend. Alan Rivers lit a cigarette and blew smoke rings at me, his tone casual and cruel. "Seeing as you've kept me company for seven years, I'll give you two choices. "First, you can abort the baby. I'll compensate you with a million dollars, and you can stay by my side. Second, keep it, take the kid, and disappear. The farther, the better." Why did I have to choose? I wanted both, so I took the million dollars and vanished from his world without a trace.

My boyfriend was crippled when he saved me, while his adoptive sister suffered from heart failure after protecting us from misfortune. She had to depend on the expensive imported medicines to sustain life. To pay for their treatment, I sold myself as a lifecasting model on the black market. Not only were my hands and feet coated in the heated silicon, but I also needed to endure strangers touching me without flinching. I needed to pay if the replica was damaged. I begged through my tears, only to receive a few slaps to my face in return. They scolded, "You signed up for this. Don't act innocent now." Humiliated, exhausted, and aching, I still took the money straight to the hospital to buy medicine for his sister. When I passed by the VIP lounge, I heard a familiar laughter. "Chris, this is the 998th test, isn't it? Are you really marrying her once she passes the 999th test?" With a slight frown, Christopher answered, "Yeah. Although testing her is a family tradition, and they're having you to supervise, don't overdo it. I won't have another bride." I froze. Every sacrifice. Every humiliation. Every bit of pain I had endured—it had all been a test. A game to see whether I was worthy of marrying him. Staring at my bruised reflection in the fire-resistant glass, I let out a sudden chuckle. Then, with trembling hands, I turned on the old phone I hadn't touched in two years. I felt tears roll down my cheeks when I told the other person on the line, "Declan, take me home. I regret everything."