Kabanata 19 Noli Me Tangere

"People are waiting for us downstairs." He whispered to me under his breath, "You will go down and play the happy fiancée." "N-no.." I sobbed, "Liam, please. I can't." "You can and you will." He stated firmly, "I am not your father so do think twice before going against my order." Forceful. Demanding. Arrogant. He is. Liam Alvaro Luciano is everything any living creatures fear, including me. My name is London Naomi Saint and this is a story about how 18-year-old me winded up with the world's most dangerous and ruthless mafia as a husband of mine.

Travis Huxley, known as the "Deadly Man", is a twenty-year-old devilishly handsome mafia king. He is a strikingly attractive, aggressive, and fearless leader. He has the looks, the money, and every girl swooning over him. His life has only one goal: to avenge his family's ruin and the death of his lovely woman. Harper Varlice is a twenty-year-old war freak bitch. She lives with a wealthy family as a black sheep daughter because of her bad attitude. Who would have thought that she was a well-known Assassin? No one knows about her true identity and she had long forgotten being an Assassin to finally forget her dark past. When Harper finds out that her parents want her to marry a man she didn't know, she plans to run away from them to escape and live a peaceful life like what she wanted in the first place. To make sure that they could no longer find her, she thought of pretending to be a man. Two people with the darkness inside. They never believed in happy endings, because they've been told that it doesn't exist in people like them. What will happen when Harper with a history of being an Assassin gets involved with the leader of the biggest mafia king? Is it possible for them to feel love for each other or will they end up killing each other?

Melissa and Liam, the two names that brought back memories. Never in the world, would I have ever thought that the people that I once truly called my best friends would betray me. We were best friends ever since our childhood. Liam was my first love and I had been crushing on him since we were young. Until one day, I decided to let Melissa in on a secret as I trusted her with all my heart. Turns out, she was just like the others. She started changing herself, distancing herself from me and not even acknowledging me in school while hanging out with the popular kids. That’s when all the bullying bullies started. However, on the day of Liam’s birthday, Melissa revealed my big secret to everyone which left me humiliated. Liam just stood there not doing anything to defend me from those nasty comments. What really broke me was when I saw Melissa walk towards Liam and giving him a passionate kiss on his lips…….

Lumi-as someone who's being told what to believe and hope in everything as she grows up-reckons that living is a way to comply with and entrust one's entire life to serving superiors on top of the hierarchy. Who will not think of that way anyway? Being harbored in the lands of Castellanos, it is engraved in her mind that she lives to pay her debt of gratitude to the family who sheltered her, who protected her from all the cruelties the outside world has to offer behind those fences. What they're doing is to protect her life and welfare-that's what they told her. So there's no other way to live but be the gullible and obedient yokel of the Castellano clan, because they're doing everything just for her safety. But that's before her life turns upside-down as she discovers a strange note from the attic. "To whoever finds this message, they erased us. This is all that remains. Remember us, please." What does the note want to convey? Is it just one of those mundane trivial stuff found in an attic like the usual when someone decides to clean it? Or is it something connected to her... "safety?" For sure it is for her safety. That's what they always tell her. But what one hears is not always the version of reality. Most of the time, it is the most convenient scheme to twist and bend the truth. That... That's what they will never tell her.

“Nagliligpit ka…” puna ni Cassian sa ginagawa ni Ember na naabutan. “Why? Tapos na ba ang selebrasyon sa birthday ko?” Pilit na ngumiti si Ember at sinalubong ang mga tingin ni Cassian. “Naisip ko na hindi naman ako ang gusto mong kasama ngayon kaya hindi na ito kailangan. And about your birthday… may naisip akong mas magandang regalo para sa ‘yo. Sigurado kong magiging ma—” “Huwag ka na mag-abala,” putol ni Cassian sa sasabihin niya. “Hindi ko kailangan ng regalo mula sa ‘yo.” Natigilan si Ember. Napakurap. Mapait na nangiti sa sarili. Paano niya bang minahal ang lalaking ito sa harap niya nang gano’n katagal? Hindi lang lima kung hindi lampas dekada na espesyal ito sa kaniya at nag-iisang itinangi. “Promise,” muling wika ni Ember. “Promise at magugustuhan mo ang ireregalo ko. I want divorce, Cassian.” *************** Nang bumalik si Lauren, ang stepsister at dating kasintahan ng asawa niyang si Cassian Montgomery Syquia... alam na agad ni Ember na wala siyang laban. Mula pa noon ay alam ni Ember na si Lauren lang ang minahal ng asawa. At kahit ang sariling ina ay ito ang laging pinapaboran. Kaya bago pa siya masaktan ng lubusan, nagdesisyon si Ember na makipag-divorce para magparaya. Pero si Cassian? Bakit nang sabihin ni Ember na mag-divorce sila ay ayaw nito? At bakit kung kailan ayaw na niya ay saka naman ito naging interesado sa kaniya?

Fate. What is fate? According to my research, it is to be destined to happen, turn out, or act in a particular way. Iyon na ang dapat na mangyari e—nangyari na e. May magagawa pa ba? It is what it is kaya tatanggapin na lang? Para bang kahit anong mangyari sa buhay mo, wala ka nang magagawa. Iyon ang nakatadhana, iyon ang dapat na mangyari, iyon ang nakasulat sa libro ng buhay mo kaya wala na. Tanggapin mo na lang. I was born rich. Nakukuha ko ang lahat ng gusto ko—kailangan ko man o hindi. My attitude and personality was already rotten that nobody can tame me except for the man who introduced himself as my fiancee. If my parents were both heartless for me, he isn't. Ako lagi. Ako muna bago ang iba—bago siya. But, the story of my life isn't favor of me. From being proud and arrogant to pathetic life. Good thing that I have him. He is always the shoulder that I always have to lean on. He is like my guardian angel for taking care of me. Siya lang talaga ang may kayang umunawa sa akin. Siya lang talaga ang nag-iisang umiintindi sa akin. That's why I kept on asking him, why — why does he love me so much?

Simula ng magkaisip si Hilda Alegre bukod sa pagmamahal at maka-survive wala na siyang ibang hinihiling pa. Inasam niya ang pagmamahal na iyon at proteksyon mula sa sarili nito na ama kalaunan ay nabigo din siya after mag decide ito na ipakasal siya sa italiano na matanda. Naisip ni Hilda hindi nagba-bound sa dugo at laman ang pagmamahal. Pinili ng ama ni Hilda na ibenta siya— dugo niya at laman para mailigtas ang step sister niya na ni walang isang patak ng dugo galing sa ama niya. Umalis si Hilda at tumakas sa kapalarang inilatag sa kaniya ng sariling ama. Hinanap nito ang kalayaan sa italy. "Saan ba ako nagkamamali?" ani ni Hilda na ngayon ay hawak ang ulo habang nakatitig sa pregnancy test na hawak. She marely survive by little lucky of hers and now— may isa pa siyang buhay na kailangan protektahan. "Hindi nga ako sigurado sino ang tao na nakasama ko sa kwarto." May pagkakautang siya na need bayaran kay Arthur Cage Nicastro kaya tinanggap niya ang mission na bantayan ang anak nito na si Aron Nicastro. But during mission may nangyari na aksidente. Lasing siya 'non at ang huling nakasama niya ay si Aron Nicastro. "Importante ba sino ang ama?" bulong ni Hilda tapos sumandal sa sofa. Walang buhay ang mga mata na tiningnan mabuti ang pregnancy test. "If nag-fail ang mission, nakahanap ako ng opportunity at the end— if gusto ko mabuhay. Kailangan ko ulit tumakas at wala ako balak iwan ang bata na ito. Sino 'man sa dalawang Nicastro ang ama."

Anna Wijaya tidak menyangka jika pertemuannya dengan Andrew Lewis—pria tampan dan paling berkuasa sejagat NSW membawanya pada sebuah perubahan. Tidak hanya cara berpakaian Andrew saja yang aneh, tetapi caranya mendekati Anna pun terkesan aneh. Apalagi setelah malam yang mereka habiskan bersama, Andrew tiba-tiba menghilang lalu kembali seolah tidak pernah terjadi apa-apa. Anehnya, pria itu justru menyatakan perasaannya pada Anna. Belum selesai kebingungan Anna dengan Andrew, Anna diberi kejutan lain bahwa ternyata sang kakek masih hidup. Dalam pertemuan Anna dengan sang kakek, sebuah penemuan tidak terduga pun terjadi. Surat terakhir yang ditulis Richie—ayah Anna yang ternyata mengungkapkan jika kematiannya disebabkan oleh seseorang. Semua yang terjadi membingungkan Anna. Hanya dalam sekejap mata, Anna merasakan kebebasannya dirampas secara paksa. Mampukah Anna memecahkan semua misteri yang sedang dialaminya? Sementara tanpa Anna sadari, sudah ada bayangan hitam yang datang mengincar nyawanya dari kejauhan.

Kekurangan yang di miliki gadis berusia 20 tahun, Bernama Ayana Salsabila tidak membuatnya menyerah pada hidup. Ia masih bisa menjalani kehidupannya dengan baik, meskipun kadang ada saja orang lain yang memandangnya sebelah mata. Setelah kepergian orang tuanya akibat kecelakaan beberapa tahun lalu, ia masih sanggup menjadi gadis ceria dan penuh semangat. Namun semuanya berubah setelah ia menikah dengan pria arogan nan kejam, hari-harinya hanya bisa menangis karena pria tersebut menyiksa fisik dan batinnya.

The dark matter had come to claim her soul. "Don't go. Do as he says," grandmother said. Suzanne blinked and looked into her grandmother's face. "Grandmama?” Grandmother's eyes were no longer glazed, and she had spoken with such clarity when usually, her speech was slurred. At that very moment, Suzanne had no doubt that her grandmother’s mind was crystal clear. Grandmother held onto Suzanne's hand and gently pried open her palm, revealing the black mark. Grandmother's eyes narrowed as she traced her bony finger on Suzanne's palm before staring back at Suzanne. "This," she pointed at Suzanne's palm, "This is the mark of the beast.”