Just Leave It Away Arielle Cortez

My sister ate the half plate of mango I had left on the table and broke out in hives from her allergy. My brother stormed over, pried my mouth open, and poured the mango juice straight down my throat. "You love mangoes so much, don't you? Today you'll get your fill." The juice flooded my lungs. I choked, fighting for air as my throat swelled in agony, begging him to save me. Instead, he turned and locked me in the basement. "Betty suffered because of you, so don't expect any comfort. Stay down here and reflect on what you've done. Growing up without any real guidance. No wonder you're so vicious." Two days later, my mom remembered me. "Ralph, that's enough. Let Catherine out. If she stays there much longer, she might start resenting Betty." My dad chimed in casually, "What's the big deal? Just buy her something nice to make up for it." My spirit clung to his back, floating along with them toward the basement. I'd like to see how they were going to compensate a dead girl.

When 19-year-old Lila Monroe moves into her new stepfather’s mansion, she doesn’t expect her stepbrother to be Asher Vale, Harrington Academy’s notorious bad boy, and a biker with a temper, and a line of girls trailing behind him. She’s whimsical, artistic, and a little too honest for her own good. He’s trouble with a jawline, tattoos, and a reputation to match. They hate each other instantly. But when a rumor threatens Lila’s place at the academy, Asher comes up with a reckless plan and asks her to pretend to be her boyfriend to protect both their reputations. What starts as a fake relationship slowly blurs the line between hate and something dangerously real. But what happens when her childhood crush also transfers to the same school?

Meet Emily Collins, the devoted secretary with a knack for mismatched fashion, and Oliver Sterling, the brilliant but enigmatic CEO. Their worlds collide when Oliver, facing an unexpected ultimatum from his grandfather, turns to Emily for an unconventional solution. While Emily dreams of saving a million dollars and bidding goodbye to her corporate life, Oliver's goal is to introduce his secret actress girlfriend to his family. Caught between family expectations and a reluctant girlfriend, Oliver proposes a daring deal to Emily: a six-month contract where she pretends to be his girlfriend. The offer comes with a tempting promise—enough money to fast-track Emily's savings goal. As the two plunge into their fake romance, cue the funny twist—Emily knows every quirk and detail about Oliver, right down to the size of his ring finger, but Oliver doesn't know a thing about Emily. With the lines between reality and pretense blurring, the stage is set for a romantic collision where one is poised to fall in love, and the other is destined to fall even harder.

She's chaos in lipstick. He's order in an Armani suit. They were never meant to mix - and now the office might burn. When Katerine Brown storms into Mason & Co as the new creative hire, her loud laugh and unapologetic flair clash with everything Sebastian Mason stands for. He's the CEO with a no-nonsense policy. She's the woman who doesn't know how to stay quiet. But as late-night meetings stretch longer, stolen glances turn bolder, and tension crackles between coffee breaks and deadlines, Sebastian starts breaking all his own rules - especially the one that says he can't fall for a woman like her. A woman who challenges him. A woman who makes him feel. A woman who refuses to lower her voice.

Zoriana Gregory, a young woman of about 22 years, shares her secrets, dreams, her life experiences and desires about her future husband with her diary. Her fantasy of her ideal future husband soon turns reality when her diary somehow falls in the hand of someone she never thought she'd meet again after many long years. Her first love... Liam Whyte Liam visits his country again after closely 11 years, now a grown up and a successful young man. While on his quest to finding his childhood friends again, he came upon a diary during his meeting with an acquaintance of his brother. NOTE: THIS IS THE SYNOPSIS OF THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS ANTHOLOGY. AND IT IS TITLED 'DIARY OF ZORIANNA' IT WAS, A BEAUTIFUL BREAKUP; Is simply a collection of several short stories, combined into one. Each book in the anthology is a standalone.

No fling! No way! Not now, not ever! Mackenzie Swanson is not having a fling with Wyatt Carlyle! And she has told him so… time and time again. But that's fine with Wyatt. She's not his type anyway. He's a ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am’ kind of guy who believes in true lust, and she's a former virgin who believes in true love. Not a match! Nope! Not suited at all. But after their one seductive night together, Wyatt is strangely hooked. He's prepared to follow this gorgeous virgin anywhere and everywhere. He can't keep his hands off sexy Mackenzie and he can't keep out of her oh-so-tempting bed. So, he's going to prove that what she thinks isn't happening is actually the most passionate fling of his life.

During the long National Day holidays, I planned a Golden Highlands trip for the whole family. I even booked tickets for a luxurious train ride so we could enjoy the scenery. But on departure day, my husband and son vanished. I called my husband. I could hear an airport boarding announcement in the background. My voice trembled. "Where are you?" He panicked and mumbled that the company had an emergency before hanging up. I tried calling again, but the line was busy. The next day, he posted an update on his social media. In the photo, he stood beneath the snowy peaks of Wintercrown with one arm around his old love while the other held our son. The caption read: [If we had been a little braver back then...] A friend commented: [Where is your wife?] I stared at his reply: [She's sick and resting at home.] Three expired train tickets sat on the table as my eyes welled up with tears. A decade of marriage. A pack of lies. It was time to bring it all to a close.

While I was five months pregnant, my husband, Randall Harris, accompanied his assistant to the hospital for an IV drip.   He even posted a selfie with her on social media.   I called him, and he lied straight to my face, saying he was stuck in a meeting at the office.   When I confronted him, he fought with me, gave me the cold shoulder, and then went straight back to his assistant for comfort.   “Are you sure you don’t want to notify the baby’s father? The surgeon asked me. “After this surgery, you won’t ever be able to have children again.”  I closed my eyes.  “He’s dead to me.” 

After being disfigured by a fire, Annabelle Sanchez was kicked out by her parents. Twelve years later, she was brought back, not out of guilt but out of the need of a victim of an arranged marriage. What was worse, her fiancé, disdaining her looks, dumped her in public. In desperation, she married Kendrick Gregory, her ex-fiancé's brother. After marriage, Kendrick was surprised to find that Annabelle was incredibly gorgeous. She, on the other hand, realized Kendrick was actually a cunning fox.

Sophia Hayes is thrilled when she wins a ticket for the exclusive boat cruise she's dreamed of all her life. But her excitement is dampened by a rumor from a trusted source: her millionaire ex-boyfriend, Charles, will also be attending. Determined to avoid the humiliation of facing him single, Sophia convinces her high school friend Robert, a wealthy playboy, to pose as her boyfriend. Robert agrees, eager to shed his notorious reputation and fend off gold diggers, while also seeking to placate his meddling family. On the lavish cruise, Sophia and Robert's convincing act as a couple quickly captures the attention of social media and the city's gossip columns. However, things take a turn when Robert detects Sophia's lingering feelings for Charles, and Sophia realizes Robert might never give up his playboy ways. A misunderstanding leads Robert into a one-night stand, while Sophia finds herself dancing with Charles. When Charles publicly declares his love for Sophia, she humiliates him, igniting his desire for revenge. After the cruise, Sophia and Robert must continue their fake relationship to maintain appearances. The situation becomes increasingly toxic as an anonymous threat promises to expose their charade and Robert's one-night stand results in a pregnancy scare. Forced to take a family vacation together, Sophia and Robert must navigate their fake relationship in close quarters. As they act intimately to maintain the facade, they begin to confront their true feelings for one another.