Imagined Communities

Alethea, a young girl from a small village, accepts a tempting job offer to care for a sick employer in the capital city as a way to escape her mother. However, upon arriving at the employer's home, Alethea is shocked to discover that her patient is not the frail, elderly person she imagined, but Sebastian Tarcisio—a wealthy heir who is blind, arrogant, and stubborn. From their very first meeting, Sebastian is rude and constantly insults her, making her regret her decision to take the job. However, her mother has already taken the one-year advance payment, and if Alethea breaks the contract, not only will she face punishment, but her family will also suffer for spending the upfront salary. With no other choice, Alethea is forced to endure. In truth, Sebastian’s insults aren’t because he hates Alethea or doubts her abilities. It’s because he knows that his grandfather, Felix Tarcisio, intentionally placed Alethea in his life in the hopes that they would form a relationship and eventually give Felix a male heir to continue the Tarcisio family line. As time goes on, Alethea begins to realize that Sebastian isn’t as cruel as she initially thought. Beneath his hardened exterior, she sees his vulnerability. And in Alethea’s resilience, Sebastian starts to discover a gentleness within himself that he never knew existed. What will become of their story amidst the shadows of manipulation by Sebastian’s grandfather and the greed of Alethea’s mother? Will Alethea and Sebastian fight for their unexpected love, or will they end up parting ways?

“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!” I hissed in fear. Someone might see us like this. “Happily married? I don’t think that’s the case,” he said instead of releasing me. His voice carried anger now. “I’m a married woman!” My voice trembled with fear and nervousness as I struggled, but it was useless. He easily caught both of my hands in one of his. “Married, yes. But not happily,” he said, not caring about my desperate pulling. “Please… let me go. Someone will see us,” I pleaded in a low, shaking voice. “You have beautiful eyes,” he said suddenly, his voice deep and strange, making my pulse quicken. Marceline never imagined she would experiment with betrayal. But after seeing her husband tangled in the arms of her closest friend, she let herself taste what it felt like to sin. What began as one night of reckless desire soon turned into many nights of fiery passion and dangerous obsession—an affair she could not escape. Yet even while indulging in forbidden pleasure, Marceline swore never to grant her husband what he wanted. Divorce. Philip would never be free. Anastasia would never have the happiness of standing by his side. If they wanted to play with her heart, she would play with their lives. In this game of marriage, passion, and betrayal...only she decides who wins.

I watched my family scrape and starve so I could save enough to come to Sicily for a tan, a fling, maybe my first proper kiss— maybe even lose my virginity to a hot stranger I’d never see again. I did not come to wrestle a kidnapped toddler out of a speedboat at gunpoint. One minute I was hiding from a flirty Italian on the beach. The next, I was running barefoot across the sand in a bikini with a terrified little boy in my arms… while men in black suits shot at me. Now the whole island thinks I’m the kidnapper. Especially the grey-eyed man with the gun who looks at me like I’m his next target. I don’t know his name. I don’t know who the boy really belongs to. I just know the man hunting me isn’t a hero and he’s not going to let me walk away. If I survive this holiday, I’m never leaving England again. If he stops looking at me like that… I might even miss the danger. Holy hell. I didn’t just grab any child. I snatched the heir to the Don of the most ruthless mafia outfit in Europe. And his best friend—the grey-eyed man with the gun—wants my head on a spike. I never imagined I’d die a virgin. But here I am.

Five years into their marriage, Sierra Bell never imagined her own husband would ask her to share him with another woman. "She's important to me. I want you to accept her," were his words. He even made a promise to her. "As long as you agree to this, you'll always be my wife. No one can take your place." She had met him at her lowest point. He married her, cherished her, and indulged her in every way. She always thought that no one could ever love her more than him. But now, she realized that everything was just a colossal joke. - John Henderson never expected the delicate canary he had raised to ask him for a divorce. He didn't stop her. He let her go, sure that she would eventually fail on her own and come back begging. But Sierra, soft in name and stubborn in nature, would never look back no matter how hard or painful the journey. He couldn't help but ask, "Can't you just give in for once?" Later, Sierra finally gave in. Right after that, she vanished from his world completely. John, who had never known fear, suddenly found himself terrified. Much later, she reappeared, arm in arm with another man. John, eyes red, cornered her behind a door, half-crazed. "Sierra, you really are heartless!"

''After a few seconds of them staring at one another, Dante finally spoke. But his voice had changed; it was breathless and soft, echoing with a sweetness that Nate could have never imagined existed within him. With the knife left on his palm for Nate to grab, he cooed sheepishly, "Can you...tease me...with this?" Nate Kennedy was devastated when his parents announced their moving overseas. As for him, he was forced to move to a new city, get an apartment near his aunt and enroll in a brand new school. It all started going left when he encountered an assassin named Dante Hercules known not only in their city, but across the entire territory. But Nate didn't know he was an assassin when NAte threatened to kill him after Dante had laid a hand on his aunt. Neither did he know that Dante was into submissive sexual pleasure, relished being dominated violently and carelessly. He had been looking for someone for years and years, until now; he found Nate Kennedy. That is the deal; Nate must keep Dante sexually satisfied. If he fails, he dies, without any remorse. But that was what he thought in the beginning; what happens when emotions start to get involved? When one falls in love with the other? When the dangerous lifestyle of Dante puts Nate's life in jeopardy, which he never thought he would care for?

She was her own person and knew exactly what she wanted. He owned the whole damn thing and thought he could do anything. She had something he wanted but didn't know. He had what she'd always dreamed of, but she had no idea how to achieve it. She lied out of love. He didn't forgive anyone. She hated him from the first time she saw him. He tried to destroy her in every way possible. Bárbara Novaes never imagined that her peaceful life would suddenly turn upside down, when a deathbed request would make her main objective to enter the life of the best-known CEO in the country. Heitor Casanova has never seen a woman as persecuting and insistent as Barbara. But it didn't cross her mind that she didn't want the same thing as everyone else: "him". The bond that united them would force the two to live under the same roof, with a single common goal: to protect what they loved most. Is it possible for mutual anger to turn into love? Would they admit the new feelings that were emerging that they were not able to accept? And would they overcome together all the obstacles that would be created to prevent this relationship from happening??? My first enemies to lovers and CEO together!!! What will it do??? I don't know. Want to find out with me??? Cover: Larah Mattos

You... you did say you'd pay me 1,000€ euros for an hour, right?" she asked. "Yes, Allysa, I confirm that's what I said," he replied with a big smile. Allysa lay down on the bed, and the second man approached her. She thought she should be wary, but strangely, the man inspired confidence. "Now, you're going to have to take off your clothes," he said in his soft, warm voice... There are encounters that turn a life upside down, moments when fate knocks at the door with disconcerting brutality. Allysa Moreau never imagined that losing her virginity for 1,000€ euros in a sordid basement would lead her to cross paths with Paolo Mancini, a billionaire and mafioso whose empire extended far beyond her comprehension. Driven from her apartment, desperate and confronted with the relentless reality of poverty, Allysa had made a decision she could never forget. She had sold herself, not for pleasure at first, but as events unfolded, she developed a taste for it, and to prove herself right, she told herself it was for survival. For Paolo, this story was not trivial. Allysa had his youthful features and palpable innocence, a curiosity in a world where everyone wore masks. Their story was not meant to exist. A mafia billionaire and a homeless teenager had nothing in common. But in a world where rules are meant to be broken, Allysa and Paolo would discover that chance doesn't exist. Desire, fear, and secrets would forge bonds.

Venus has a lousy dad and an annoying stepmom. However, that's enough to end there; because her dad (who turned out to be not her real dad) threw her into darkness, which led her to another dimension called Second Earth, a world where the volts, humans with Talent, live. Like someone who feels lucky, she feels like she was given a second, more decent life. It, as it turned out, wasn't quite what she had thought. She had only been there a few days and was sentenced to death. Not to mention the fact about who her real biological parents are. As if that wasn't enough, it was as if her mind was infiltrated by a demon who claimed to be her great-grandfather. Happiness seemed to be eroded little by little from her and she felt that life as a homeless person on First Earth, her original world, would feel better than here. Her heart became more and more shrouded in gloom and she transformed into the image of someone that the people of Second Earth wanted. Being a bad person wasn't her choice in the first place, but hell could handle it, Venus thought. She was tired of being a good person. Then will her ending be as easy as she imagined? Will she be able to turn back into what one would call a good girl? Or is her path to being a sadistic and cruel person the best for her? The destiny of a dark descendant. Will her story be different?

Vanessa Davis never imagined her life would lead to Dusty Creek, Texas. A city girl scarred by her mother’s abandonment, she buried the pain—until a letter from the woman who vanished begs for a second chance. Reluctantly, Vanessa heads to the small town, only to find herself stranded on a desolate road. Enter Colton Hayes—rancher, alpha wolf, and everything she’s tried to avoid. With a piercing gaze that sees through her, he offers her a place at Silver Ridge Ranch while her car is repaired. As Vanessa adjusts to life in Dusty Creek, she discovers her mother’s plea hides a darker secret—her new family desperately needs something only she can provide. Hurt and angry, Vanessa plans to leave, but uncovering the town’s poisoned water supply reignites her investigative instincts. Determined to find the truth, she digs deeper, realizing the corruption runs further than expected—and Silver Ridge Ranch may hold the key to saving the town. Colton has his own battles, torn between protecting his pack and keeping his heart guarded. Trusting Vanessa could destroy everything he’s worked to protect. Yet, under the Texas moon, their connection sparks with undeniable energy, pulling them closer despite the dangers. Vanessa must decide: will she risk everything for a future in Dusty Creek, or will the secrets they uncover tear them apart before they have a chance?

Trapped into marrying the filthy rich Lucas Hilton, Arianna never imagined her married life to be so void of emotions and love. What she hoped would be a fresh start turned out to be a painful disappointment right from the beginning. On their wedding night, Lucas, her husband, made it crystal clear that he didn't love her. He admitted that the only reason he married her was to have a child who would inherit his fortune. But the torment didn't end there; Lucas shattered her further by divorcing her later on for her inability to birth a child, and he ended up marrying her very own best friend whom he had all along desired. Years later, Arianna returned, now wealthy and accompanied by a son! When he discovers that he fathered a child with the same woman he callously abandoned, all hell will break loose. * * * * * * "You belong to me, Arianna. You always have, and you always will," Lucas growled, forcefully gripping my arm and compelling me to meet his ruthless gaze. "I have never belonged to you, Lucas. Since the moment we wed, I never have, and I never will. I despise you," I retaliated, the words spewing out of me like venom. "Never underestimate me, princess," a malicious smirk twisted across his lips as he sneered, "I will go to any lengths to reclaim what is rightfully mine. And that is you, right by my side."