Kabanata 6 Florante At Laura

The last thing she saw as her sight got blurry, was the face of her husband with his arms around a strange woman. His gaze held disgust and so much hatred that she wondered how she never noticed it. "You brought this upon yourself. I don't ever want to see you again." She thought she died, but then she woke up. A stranger beside her told her. "I will protect you." But does she want his protection? Especially since the said man promises to give her a life again if she will marry him. Can she turn her life around with his offer, or is she just bound for loneliness?

Dengan berat hati, demi memenuhi keinginan papanya yang sakit parah dan tidak akan lama bertahan hidup, Clarabelle Aimee memutuskan mengikuti reality show At the First Time I Meet You di kota tempat dia tinggal, Sydney. Clarabelle yakin, dengan bantuan para ahli cinta, dia akan menemukan pria yang tepat, yang akan menjadi pendamping hidupnya. Jordan Gerald, nekat ikut acara At the First Time I Meet You karena ingin memenangkan taruhan dengan teman-temannya. Demi diterima oleh para ahli, Jordan bersandiwara tentang dirinya dalam reality tersebut. Bertemu kali pertama di altar, Clarabelle terpana dengan Jordan. Jordan pun terpesona dengan kecantikan Clarabelle. Sikap manis Jordan selama masa pengenalan dalam reality show yang mereka ikuti, membuat Clarabelle mulai jatuh hati pada Jordan. Sayangnya, usai acara, menjalani kehidupan nyata, kedok Jordan mulai terbongkar. Kejutan demi kejutan Clarabelle temui dan membuat hatinya kembali kecewa. Bertahan atau berpisah? Mana yang akan dipilih Clarabelle dan Jordan? Apakah memang pernikahan dalam At the First Time I Meet You hanya permainan belaka?

Three days before my wedding, I find out that my fiancee, Ivy Carlton, has changed the wedding venue from my grandfather's home—that's located up in the south—to Jonah Jennings, her childhood friend's favorite castle in Staravia. When I'm about to confront her, I overhear her complaining to her friend, "Thank goodness Jon's a man with taste! Otherwise, everyone's going to make fun of me for the rest of my life!" Her friend asks, "Didn't you agree that you'd hold the wedding ceremony in Theo's grandpa's house? Aren't you worried that he might not marry you out of fury when he finds out?" Ivy chortles in response. "The Sterlings are on the verge of bankruptcy. Marrying me is Theo's only ticket out of poverty. He can't risk losing me at all. "I've already arranged for the wedding planner to call him and inform him about the change. He's most likely rushing to change his flight." Rage and resentment swell in my heart. I clench my fists tightly, but in the end, I turn on my heel and leave. Three days later, the wedding is held in the castle, just as Ivy has planned. I never changed my flight, nor did I show up at the castle. Instead, I choose to exchange rings with another woman in my grandpa's courtyard. Till now, Ivy still doesn't understand that I want to marry her because we've been dating for ten long years, not because I view her as a ticket out of poverty. But now that I've woken up from my dream woven of fantasies, it's time for me to make choice.

I had my meal and was about to leave my sister's restaurant, but the manager stopped me. "Sorry, sir, but you haven't paid your tab." I never saw this guy before. He probably had no idea who I was. Kindly, I explained, "Put it on your boss' tab. She knows what to do." The manager instead gave me a look of derision. "Sir, we're a 3-star Michelin restaurant. We do not put anyone's bill on another person's tab." He handed me an itemized bill. The guy had it ready and printed. I went through the list. The meal alone cost 75 grand. The 'dining utensil gleam maintenance fee' ran up to 45 hundred. There was also an exclusive air purifier fee, which would cost 75 hundred. And there was a 'VIP calm headspace service fee' that ran up to 15 grand. Those were the ones that stood out, but they were far from the last. I had no idea my sister was running an extortion gig. Mirthlessly, I laughed. "I'm your boss' brother. Tell her she's talking to me when she comes home." The manager did not let me go. "Just say you can't afford it. You're not the first one to try and claim you know Ms. Grayheim. I know leeches like you well enough." I texted my secretary. 'Tell my sister she either fires this guy, or I pull my funds out.'

A fake heiress exposes her real identity so that I can be found—all because she wants me to marry the crippled man who's supposed to be her husband. She puts on an act before the whole family, wanting to drive a wedge between us. She has no idea we can all hear her thoughts. When she slashes her palm and frames me for it, she's cursing in her heart. "Hit her, you worthless man!" When she falls down the stairs and blames me for it, she's thinking, "Teach her a lesson, you silly old woman!" When she buries herself in my brother's arms and acts aggrieved, she's actually thinking, "He's such a loyal dog." My father, mother, and brother are stunned by what they hear. Then, they're infuriated. I merely laugh and turn away, acting like I don't see anything. I just want to complete this special mission as soon as possible.

Derek, a Beta werewolf, has a secret that is keeping the new Alpha of their pack from claiming his position as pack leader and it has nothing to do with power. Derek has been in love once... but being in love with a human has cost him. Especially when he learned that she had moved on. There was no way to find her. No way to know. His pack never knew why he continuously rejected every she-wolf that came to pass, and he had no reason to bring it up. He didn’t owe them anything. The trouble he faced began to build since being welcomed back in after his time splitting from the pack. There was nowhere else for him to go now that his heart had been absolutely broken. But even this connection has him concerned with his status among them. A rogue that returned was never respected. He knew that. They didn’t trust him. And why should they? Derek knew it would only be time before he left again, regardless of the implications going forward. All that mattered was finding his human mate, Aislyn, and salvaging the love she worked so hard to promise him.

"I own you!" He towers over me, trapping me against the wall. "I'm not yours to own," I reply. "But you are," He insists, he brings his hand to my neck and trails it down, only touching me with his fingertips. "Every single part of your body is mine." He trails his finger down the valley of my breasts, down my waist where he grabs me and pulls me to his chest. My eyes gazing deep into his, he says "And I can do whatever I want to do with it." *************************************** Bella Arthur is a twenty five -year-old omega, living with her younger sister who has cancer. As an orphan, Bella works two jobs to provide for her sister and pay for her medication. When she's offered a life-changing contract, she must decide whether to regret the contract and find her way through life or risk her life by spending 182 days in the Lycan's palace, known as hell on earth.

As a male Omega, stepping onto the ice was never supposed to be my dream. Hockey belonged to Alphas—strong, dominant, born to conquer both the rink and everyone on it. Omegas like me were meant to stay hidden, protected, controlled. But hiding had never been enough. The World Hockey Academy was the only place powerful enough to shield my identity, the only place my adoptive father—its Dean—believed I could survive. To the public, it was an elite sports academy. To those like me, it was a prison disguised as opportunity. To them… it was Alpha Academy. From the moment I arrived, I swallowed suppressants like oxygen. Every breath had to be measured. Every movement controlled. A single slip—one flare of Omega scent—and I would be exposed. I had to skate like an Alpha. Fight like an Alpha. Bleed like one. On the ice, weakness wasn’t forgiven. That was when I noticed him. The strongest Alpha in the academy. The storm everyone feared. His presence alone made my knees weaken, my instincts scream in panic and hunger all at once. His golden eyes tracked me every time I touched the puck, sharp and suspicious, as if he already sensed something was wrong. During practice, we crashed into each other. The impact sent us both sprawling across the ice—but it was his hand gripping my jersey, his scent crashing over me, that shattered my control. My suppressants burned uselessly in my veins. His lips curved slowly, dangerously, as he leaned close enough for his breath to brush my ear. “Funny,” he murmured, voice low and certain. “For an Alpha… you smell like prey.” My heart slammed against my ribs. If he figured it out, everything would end. And yet— my Omega instincts whispered something far worse. I wanted him closer.

Daniel and Stefany had been friends since childhood. They seemed inseparable, always spending time together, playing and having fun to create beautiful memories that they would remember in their adulthood. Especially when Christmas arrived, Daniel and Stefany always made appointments to meet at an old church in the village to spend Christmas Eve together by playing snowball fights, lighting fireworks and creating snowmen. As teenagers, they became more intimate and the seeds of romance began to emerge between them. However, because they were comfortable with a very close friendship. It made Daniel and Stefany deliberately keep their feelings of affection in their respective hearts. Until one day Daniel plucked up the courage to express his love for Stefany. But unfortunately the girl's family had moved to the city, and left the village where they had been living. Years passed, Daniel kept waiting for Stefany to return to the village. He always waited for the girl to come and meet him in front of the gate of a church every Christmas. But Stefany never came. What is Daniel's fate next? Will the man be able to forget his childhood love? Where has Stefany been all this time? Will they meet again? Curious about the continuation? Come on ... please read!

I was treating some friends to dinner at the private club my cousin owned. When we wrapped up, I waved over a server. "Just put it on Nick's tab." The server nodded, but a manager I'd never seen stepped in to block her. Wearing a smile that never reached her eyes, she said, "Sir, Bosco is a members-only establishment. We don't offer tabs." I felt a flicker of irritation. "I'm the owner's cousin. Just let him know." She let out a sharp, mocking laugh and slapped a bill onto the table. Eighty-eight thousand. Exclusive suite atmosphere maintenance fee, ten thousand. High‑end social network filtration fee, twenty thousand. Spontaneous entertainment ambience enhancement fee, fifteen thousand. And a mess of other miscellaneous charges. Since when did Nick's place dare to bleed customers dry like this? "What's wrong? Can't pay and now you're trying to name‑drop?" She looked me up and down with an arrogant tilt of her chin. "I've seen plenty of our boss's relatives. Not one of them is as broke, pretentious, and shameless as you." Right in front of her, I dialed Nick and put the call on speaker. "Ten minutes," I said. "Make sure she disappears from my sight. Otherwise, I'm revoking your authorization for this club."