Imagined Communities

Maya had never imagined one day she would be babysitting her ex-fiance's son- the very fiance she had begged to call off their wedding on the eve of their big day. After few years Maya finally escapes her abusive marriage only to collide with Dante. Dante Martinez is a man of few words. He is ravishingly handsome and is a top businessman. He doesn't talk much, he only has one friend and prefers to live alone. People dub him a cold CEO because no one has seen him smiling, not even a crack. He had a baby through surrogacy after his first love- Maya Diaz left him on their wedding eve. However, things begin to take an interesting turn when she returns all of a sudden. She asks him to let her stay with him until she finds a place to stay. Little does she know Dante has always been in love with her. He offers her to babysit his son and she takes up the offer. The more she stays with him, the more she realizes he is more than his cold exterior. There is a beautiful heart throbbing underneath his icy facade. The attraction between them intensifies, leading to the inevitable question: How long can two people who are immensely attracted to each other can resist the pull?

Being a taboo makes it all the more exciting... * * * * * Three years ago, Joslyn Patel met a man whom her best friend described as “sex on legs”. Three years ago, Gabriel Reid met a woman whose smart mouth he'd hoped was as good at blowing as it was at retorting—it had been way more than he'd imagined, by the way. Three years ago, sparks were ignited, their intertwined fate was set in stone and they had a night to remember. Fast forward to two years later, Gabriel now has a girlfriend so he definitely shouldn't be thinking about the woman from that explosive night but he can't help that the memories were now imprinted on his mind... and perhaps another part of him. Fate would have it that when Gabriel finally meets the best friend his girlfriend wouldn't stop talking about, she happens to be Joslyn, the mystery woman from two years ago. Tension brews between the two but nothing can be done about it. Skip to the present; Gabriel is now single again and nothing stands between him and finally getting the woman he's spent three years wanting, but what happens when before he can begin his chase, his divorced mother introduces a man her age as her new fiancé. What happens when the man turns out to be Joslyn's father? After all, a taboo relationship makes it all the more hot and exciting.

What makes a hero? They say a hero is someone that has given his life to something bigger than himself. I say a hero is no braver than an ordinary man, he is just braver for five minutes longer. All soldiers are brave, it's what they do with their bravery that makes them heroes. Am I a hero? Clayton Jackson dedicated his life to serving his country. Enlisting in the Marine Corps at the young age of eighteen, he never imagined following any other path. However, fate had other plans for him as a life-altering accident during his last deployment left him disabled and forces him to return home. Hiding in the small town he grew up in, Clayton tries to keep his secret from his loved ones at all costs. One day while seeking refuge from his troubled mind, his path crosses with Isabella Jones. Their connection is instantaneous as if the universe conspired to bring them together. Isabella, a mysterious and enigmatic woman, is haunted by the demons from her own past. As their relationship quickly blossoms, the unspoken truths between them threaten to tear them apart. When Clayton is presented with the opportunity to rejoin the Marine Corps, Isabella is faced with a decision: whether to accompany him or remain behind. Caught in this web of secrets and lies, they try to navigate their love through the murky waters, desperately hoping to find solace in each other's arms. But will love be enough to conquer the shadows that lingered in their hearts? Or would the truth ultimately be their undoing?

His hand slid beneath her shirt, warm against her bare waist. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered against her neck. She trembled, every nerve on fire. “I don't want you too.” ~~~ Audrey Dauval’s life shattered the night she opened the front door and found her mother’s lifeless body soaked in blood on the front porch. Everyone said it was an illness. Everyone said she imagined what she saw. But she knew exactly what she saw that night. When her distant, broken father sends her away to live with family friends in the eerie town of Ravenfalls, she thinks the worst is behind her. But nothing in Ravenfalls is normal. The woods, the town, it's gloomy and holds secrets. Lots of them. At school, two dangerously gorgeous rivals lock eyes with her, and that’s when everything changes. But what she feels for both of them... she feels for a third. Born from a bloodline of legendary werewolf hunters, Audrey is the target of a vengeful rogue pack that killed her mother and now wants her dead. As forbidden bonds grow and fated connections spark, Audrey finds herself torn between love, war, and the truth of who she really is. Three boys. One mate. And she can only choose one or lose them all. Who would she choose?

Isabela Ledesma never imagined her life would take such a scandalous turn. Bagong sugat sa puso, matapos iwan ng kanyang first love na si Marco Villamor, napilitan siyang sumama sa isang blind date— at sa gulat niya, nauwi ito sa kasal kay Rafael Santillan, ang ama ng kanyang matalik na kaibigang si Rita. Isang May-December marriage na plano lang sana para maibalik ang kanyang pride at matiyak ang kanyang kinabukasan, ay biglang naging laro ng tukso at pagnanasa. Si Rafael Santillan, isang kaakit-akit at karismatikong bilyonaryo, ay iba sa kanyang inaasahan. Sa likod ng kanyang matipuno at sophisticated na anyo, nakatago ang isang lalaking hindi takot sundan ang kanyang lihim na nagpapalito at nagpapakaba kay Isabela sa bawat sandali. Mula sa awkward na simula hanggang sa mga lihim na sulyap at tensyon sa kasal, bawat eksena ay nagtutulak kay Isabela na balansehin ang kanyang pride, puso, at kaligtasan sa mundo ng mayayamang elitista. Magpapatuloy ba silang manatiling nasa ilalim lang ng kontrata, o haharapin nila ang apoy ng pagnanasa at lihim na damdamin na magbabago sa kanilang buhay magpakailanman?

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?

The company had just taken off when a project my wife, Lenora Peterson, was in charge of ran into trouble. To ease her mind during her pregnancy, I went overseas in her stead, spending ten perilous years abroad before finally returning home, barely alive. Instead of the joyful reunion I had imagined, she greeted me with cold detachment and thinly veiled disgust. "Why are you back?" Lenora asked. "Today is Nathan’s housewarming party," she added. "Let’s head there first—we’ll talk later." We rode in silence the entire way. When we arrived, a ten-year-old girl came dashing over and clung to Lenora affectionately. “Mommy, why did you take so long? Daddy’s been waiting for you forever!” Daddy? My eyes burned with rage—until I saw my old friend Nathan Grant stepping out to greet us with a smile. "Lily, come to Daddy. Mommy’s tired—don’t bother her now." When I met Lenora’s eyes, the guilt I saw there told me everything I needed to know. I turned away and texted my assistant, Morgan Williamson, to begin acquiring the company that, by right, had always belonged to me. He soon reported back. "Mr. Brooke, the acquisition process will be completed in three days."

“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!"