Jaga Image

Untuk menyembuhkan depresi si putri kaya palsu, kekasih masa kecilku yang pernah bersumpah hanya akan menikah denganku, Darryl, diam-diam pergi mendaftarkan pernikahan dengannya. Di belakangnya, aku menyetujui perjodohan keluargaku. Aku menikah dengan pewaris keluarga konglomerat di ibu kota, Vincent, yang diam-diam telah mencintaiku selama bertahun-tahun. Setelah tujuh tahun menikah, dia memanjakanku sepenuh hati. Malam demi malam dia selalu menuntut kemesraan dariku. Bahkan jika aku menginginkan bintang di langit, dia tetap akan berusaha mengambilkannya untukku. Aku sempat mengira, akhirnya aku telah menemukan kebahagiaan. Hingga suatu kali setelah bercinta, aku tidak sengaja mendengar percakapan Vincent dengan sahabatnya. "Avril sudah jadi aktris internasional peraih penghargaan. Kapan kamu mau pisah sama Ariel?" "Toh sama saja harus nikah sama orang yang nggak kucintai, jadi mau sama siapa pun itu nggak ada bedanya. Lagi pula, aku harus jaga Ariel agar dia nggak mengganggu kebahagiaan yang didapatkan Avril dengan susah payah." Aku membuka komputer di ruang kerjanya. Di dalam sebuah folder tersembunyi, tersimpan ratusan ribu foto Avril dan seratus surat cinta yang tak pernah dia kirimkan. Setidak percaya apa pun pada kenyataan, saat ini aku benar-benar sudah harus sadar. Aku membeli sebuah tubuh plastik, lalu merancang sebuah kebakaran besar. Mulai saat ini, entah di langit atau di neraka, aku tak akan pernah bertemu dengannya lagi.

Le jour de notre dixième anniversaire de mariage, mon ancienne meilleure amie a posté une photo. Sur l’image, sa fille et mon fils, chacun dans les bras de mon mari et d’elle. Tous les quatre serrés ensemble. La légende disait : « Une belle famille avec un fils et une fille. » J’ai commenté en dessous : « Très assortis. » La publication a disparu aussitôt. Le lendemain, mon mari a déboulé à la maison, furieux : « Sophie commençait juste à se sentir mieux, pourquoi tu l’as provoquée ? » Mon fils m’a poussée, plein de reproches : « C’est de ta faute ! Tu as fait pleurer ma petite sœur Cécile ! » J’ai sorti les papiers du divorce et les leur ai balancés au visage : « Ouais, tout est de ma faute. Alors je me casse. Profitez bien de belle famille à quatre. »

In an East London lock up, two film makers, Jimmy and Sam, are duct taped to chairs and forced to watch a snuff film by Ashkan, a loan shark to whom they owe a lot of money. If they don’t pay up, they’ll be starring in the next one. Before the film reaches its end, Ashkan and all his men are slaughtered by unknown assailants. Only Jimmy and Sam survive the massacre, leaving them with the sole copy of the snuff film. The film makers decide to build their next movie around the brutal film. While auditioning actors, they stumble upon Melissa, an enigmatic actress who seems perfect for the leading role, not least because she’s the spitting image of the snuff film’s main victim. Neither the film, nor Melissa, are entirely what they seem however. Jimmy and Sam find themselves pulled into a paranormal mystery that leads them through the shadowy streets of the city beneath the city and sees them re-enacting an ancient Mesopotamian myth cycle. As they play out the roles of long forgotten gods and goddesses, they’re drawn into the subtle web of a deadly heresy that stretches from the beginnings of civilization to the end of the world as we know it. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Liana merasa dirinya begitu hancur ketika tiba-tiba seseorang yang begitu membuatnya kesal selama ini, datang melamarnya. Dia berpikir bahwa yang dilakukan lelaki itu adalah sebuah kelicikan. Namum siapa sangka, ternyata lamaran itu datang akibat sebuah kesalahpahaman yang terjadi di antara mereka. Kini Liana harus mencari berbagai cara agar pernikahan mereka gagal terjadi sehingga membuatnya bisa kembali bersama sang pujaan hati. Di sisi lain, Andreas adalah seorang CEO muda sebuah perusahaan rintisan, yang mencari istri lugu, baik hati, dan keibuan. Karenanya dia memilih untuk menikahi Liana yang merupakan seorang gadis desa sederhana. Namun siapa sangka, ternyata tak ada kata sederhana dalam kamus istrinya itu. Apakah mereka akan mampu bertahan hanya demi kedua orang tua mereka masing-masing, atau mereka harus bercerai yang kemudian akan membuat banyak orang kecewa serta image buruk bagi perusahaan rintisan yang sedang dibangun Andreas?

Ava crossed her arms. “You’re scared I’ll ruin you,” Liam smirked. “No, I’m scared you’ll keep me hooked.” Ava Davis works hard to survive in a cutthroat corporate world. Her arrogant billionaire boss, Liam Carter, makes life impossible with his demands. But when Ava stumbles upon a secret that could destroy him, she uses it to fight back. Liam won’t go down without a fight. He makes Ava an offer: help him clean up his image, and he’ll make sure her career doesn’t crash. Now they’re stuck together, working side by side. Every moment is a battlefield, every glance charged. Liam hides a dark past, and Ava is determined to uncover it. But the closer they get, the harder it is to ignore the growing tension between them. When a scandal shatters everything, Ava and Liam must choose: keep fighting or let the walls between them crumble. In a world of power, secrets, and second chances, can two enemies find redemption and love? Enemies at work. Bound by secrets. Can love be the endgame?

(Ada beberapa adegan dalam cerita ini berunsur 18+ keatas, kata-kata kasar dan tidak pantas serta tindakan kekerasan. Harap pembaca bijak dan menyesuaikan dengan batasan usia agar bisa menikmati cerita ini) Mars Dandelion seorang bodyguard yang handal dan berpengalaman. Kali ini dia mendapatkan tugas untuk menjadi bodyguard seorang artis terkenal bernama Venus Alexandria. Venus Alexandria, seorang model dan aktris terkenal. Wanita cantik tetapi juga keras kepala, manja serta ingin menang sendiri. Dirinya menggunakan jasa bodyguard untuk menjaga dirinya dari stalker yang mengancam nyawanya. Belakangan hubungan bodyguard dan artis berujung pada hubungan romantis sekaligus penuh bahaya. Rahasia masa lalu Mars serta image Venus Alexandria sebagai artis tentu saja tidak bisa dilupakan sebagai jarak yang membentang hubungan mereka berdua, ditambah lagi latar belakang keluarga keduanya. Sejauh apa Venus sanggup bertahan untuk mengenalkan Mars kepada cinta yang posesif menjadi cinta yang penuh rasa sayang dan kelembutan.

"Kill her!" "Kill her!" "Kill her!" They all chanted as she knelt before them with her head hung low. Her wet hair clung to her face as her heart hammered against her chest. She was going to die. Her hands were tied behind her and her legs were shackled with huge chains that sent bristle shock through her body. Her throat kept bobbing, forcing the lumps down. It has finally come to this. She thought to herself. •••• She was nothing but a weak and cursed Omega. Left to die in the terrifying Black Forest, Nyx was captured by slave hunters who wanted to have her sacrificed for the Alpha King’s sister's marriage. Her salvation came in the image of her mate, Zenith Hells, the Lycan King. But there was an hindrance. Zenith was not here for a mate but for an arranged bride. What happens when she is suddenly caught between the royal struggle for power and the throne? Will she be able to get her mate from the clutches of his fiancée and the chaos that roamed the streets of the Lycan Lands or will she be left to tend to her broken heart?

Alex and Bella were once the epitome of young love, their bond unbreakable. Just as Alex was about to propose, a tragic accident shattered their world, leaving Alex without any memories of their shared past. Bella, pregnant with their child, faced relentless opposition from Alex’s powerful family, forcing her into a life of solitude and silent heartache. Years later, Bella is a successful journalist and a devoted mother, raising a daughter who is the spitting image of Alex. When a chance news segment reveals that Alex has regained his memories, Bella is torn between hope and bitter resentment. Determined to uncover the truth and confront the man who once meant everything to her, she secures a position in the very building where Alex now works as a CEO, driven by a desire for answers and a simmering need for revenge. As their paths cross in unexpected ways, secrets unravel and old flames reignite. Will Alex and Bella find a way back to each other, or will the past's shadows keep them apart forever? A story of love lost, memory regained, and the quest for redemption, "Between Two Worlds" is a poignant journey through the heart's deepest trials.

Alexander Morrison doesn't love me, nor does he love our daughter. The only person he loves is his first love, Charlotte Clarke. To maintain his perfect image in Charlotte's eyes, he only allows our daughter to call him "Uncle Alex". This continues until Charlotte becomes pregnant and goes abroad to marry someone else. Alexander drinks himself into oblivion and finally decides to marry me. When he comes home, our daughter gives him 100 forgiveness coupons. I tell him that once those 100 coupons are used up, I'll take our daughter and leave him forever. He holds us both tightly in his arms, swearing he will never make us sad again. During the initial few years of our secret marriage, he indeed does exceptionally well, as not a single coupon is used. That is, until Charlotte returns to the country with her daughter. Every time he abandons me and our daughter for Charlotte and her child, I tear off one forgiveness coupon. Now, only three coupons remain.

Thalia Isabelle Lamnelle is the youngest daughter in Lamnelle Clan. She's a fine lady with a pretty face and a sexy body that any man can kneel and worship as Thalia Isabelle. She’s working as the CEO of their mother’s network company that supplies magazines and newspapers worldwide. She made the company remain on top until Giovanni Flynn Brickser came into the picture. He is a businessman from the Netherlands who runs a huge corporation. Aside from their image as businessmen, they are also part of underground society; Thalia is one of the members of the Lamnelle Clan led by her brother and Giovanni is the big boss in Brickser Clan. Lamnelle and Brickser became entangled not just in business but also in affinity. A marriage that was made out of hatred and strong vengeance, a thirst for justice since laws can’t make pay the real culprit behind the tragedy that took the lives of an important person in Giovanni’s life. Two hearts are on the line; a heart that loves the most and a heart that hates the most. Will Thalia Isabelle be able to conquer the cold heart of a mafia boss that is full of hatred and vengeance? Will the broken vows be given a chance to be reclaimed? Past is always connected to the present and the future so they will reap what they sow.