Lab Gown

When Elara Hayes stepped into the Valcourt Foundation gala in a borrowed red gown, she expected to serve drinks and disappear into the background. She did not expect Adrian Valcourt, the cold and untouchable billionaire heir, to cross the room and ask her to waltz. One dance. One moment. One mistake she can’t take back. Because Adrian didn’t choose her by chance. After the gala, he pulls her into his world with an offer she can’t afford to refuse. But the closer Elara gets to him, the more she feels it the tension he’s trying to ignore, the secrets he refuses to speak, and the danger circling them both. Someone wants her gone. Someone knows what Adrian is hiding. And someone is willing to hurt her to keep the past buried. He should stay away from her. She should fear him. But betrayal hides behind the walls he commands, and the closer she gets to the truth, the deeper she falls into a forbidden love that could destroy them both. When the real enemy steps out of the shadows… Will he protect her, or sacrifice her to save the Valcourt legacy?

I noticed Stacy besides him and peering at her hand clutching his arm, it was plausible that she is his girlfriend. Leo already moved on? How could he and that quickly? We just got divorced three days ago and he's already dating someone? "Hi Margaret." He smiled at me. I was so startled I couldn't speak my lips faltered and my eye lashes shook. "Hello?" Stacy spanned her hand towards me. I peeked at her lips which were coated with crimson lipstick, her owl-like eyes, her flawless cheeks and her remarkable nose. She wore a dashing ruddy gown which disclosed her curvaceous hips. She shook my hand, "I am Stacy Leo's fiancée." She smiled with her mouth slightly opened I could plainly see her dazzling angel-white incisors. She's not just a girlfriend. Leo's engaged to her? Unbelievable! Little wonder why he always kept late nights while we were together. And the rumors about him having an affair, they were really true.

Three days before my wedding, Adrian canceled it for the fifty-second time. He came to the Palermo workshop to approve my gown’s crest embroidery, but the moment I stepped out from the fitting curtain, he snatched up his holster and radio. “Torino bastards smashed Bianca’s vineyard, surrounded the estate. Lia’s terrified, so I have to go. The wedding is off.” Once, I would have stopped him and demanded to know who mattered more to him, me or Bianca. This time, I simply let him go. Thirty minutes later, Bianca posted an Instagram Story: [You’re the only shelter for me and my daughter.] The photo showed Adrian holding Bianca close, with Lia in his arms, calling him Dad. They looked like a real family. My parents sighed. “Seraphina, is the wedding in Hawaii off again? We’ve already sent the invitations to every renowned Italian family. What will this do to the Bellini family’s honor?” I shook my head, tapping the backup invite. "The wedding goes on.  In three days, I’ll still be a bride. Just not Adrian’s."

On the day of my wedding gown fitting, a stranger burst into the VIP suite and stabbed me with a knife. “You think you deserve a dress this expensive after stealing someone else’s man?” She tore at the delicate fabric of my skirt. Then, with a twisted smile, she hurled a bottle of acid at me. The blade was buried in my lower abdomen. The pain drove me to my knees. She grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. “Gerald’s my husband! What are you? You’re nothing but a mistress who can’t even be seen with him in public!” Blood dripped down my fingers. That was when it finally sank in. The man I had been with for seven years had been keeping another woman by his side. “What’re you staring at? Even if I kill you, with my husband’s influence, no one will dare touch me!” Staring at her smug face, I pulled out my phone with hands slicked in blood and called my brother. “Matt…” My voice was unnervingly calm. “Come pick me up at the bridal shop. And please inform the Hoover family that the engagement is off.”

"Do you Aria Carter Stephenson take Dave Micheal Mendez to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and cherish in times of good health and bad health, rich and poor till death do you part?" My fingers tightened on my gown as I turned to the side, searching through the crowd. I locked eyes with my brother who had a blank expression. "Aria?" The priest called my attention. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to look at Dave. "No, I don't." Aria Stephenson is a small-town girl who got an opportunity to work as a fashion designer in a big clothing company with the hope of making a name for herself in the fashion industry. Dave Mendez is a who was forced to take over his father's company which happens to be the same company Aria got employed in. Instead of trying to impress his father, Dave got distracted by a certain hazel-eyed girl. They ended up falling in love like every other love story but what happens when a buried secret comes out and breaks them apart? Credits to Katherine, IG- @moonlightwriter100 for the book cover.

What happens if the person you are chasing is also chasing someone else? Unique Aurella Ravenna Aglauros is a supermodel and a CEO that comes from the wealthiest family of Chicago. Finding true love for someone as busy, as famous, and as rich as Aurella is a very difficult task to accomplish. It might even be too impossible, so when her family arranged her to marry a CEO just like herself, hesitations were nowhere to be found. She agreed, and she eventually learned to be fond of him until she somehow fell in love. But when her long-awaited wedding day finally came, he changed his mind and left her standing at the altar with her expensive white gown stained with shame. Humiliated, she instead focused on becoming the best of her field just to forget that she let herself be fooled. Little did she know, there was someone else secretly yearning for her behind the competition between them in the business world. But how can a love story blossom in a toxic and chaotic environment? And how can he be capable of reaching her when she's chasing someone who's also busy running after someone else? Oh, how unlucky.

Aku dan suamiku, Samuel Yeris, bagaikan dua bintang di unit luka bakar, ketika terjadi kebakaran hutan di provinsi tetangga, dia yang baru saja menyelesaikan operasi beruntun dan aku tanpa ragu pergi menggantikan untuk menjadi sukarelawan. Namun, pada hari ketika aku kembali ke rumah sakit, gempa bumi terjadi, aku bergegas ke departemennya tanpa ragu, namun malah melihat adik seperguruanku meringkuk dalam pelukannya, hanya mengenakan jas lab putih. Aku berdiri di sana tertegun seperti tersambar petir, sementara dia menahan luka Clara Lindaw dan berteriak kepadaku, “Cepat kemari dan selamatkan dia! Apa kamu tidak akan menolongnya hanya karena masalah sepele seperti itu?” Tanganku gemetar tidak terkendali karena sakit hati, Clara menjerit kesakitan saat aku membalutnya. Tapi suamiku malah mengerutkan kening dan memarahiku, “Apa kamu jadi begitu tidak cekatan setelah menjalani kehidupan enak di provinsi tetangga selama enam bulan terakhir? Atau kamu sengaja melakukannya?” “Aku hanya bermain-main, untuk apa kamu berekspresi seperti ini?” Ibuku yang memiliki penyakit jantung masih sedang menungguku di rumah, aku tidak ingin berdebat. Namun, ketika aku akhirnya sampai di lantai 30, ibuku yang sangat aku rindukan sudah meninggal dunia.

When I became pregnant, my gravely ill mother mentioned that her final wish was to witness my wedding. My boyfriend, William Jones, finally agrees to marry me after I have been asking for 99 days. Yet, on the wedding day, he never shows up, even though I was waiting in my gown at the hotel the whole day. The truth only emerges when someone found his marriage certificate that he had posted a month earlier on social media. He married his childhood sweetheart, Caroline Ashton, during that time. When my mother learns this, the shock triggers a fatal attack. She passes away despite the doctors' efforts. William sends me a message. "I'm sorry, honey. Caroline twisted her ankle, so I had to take care of her. We'll have our wedding next month, okay? I promise I'll make it up to you this time." … A month later, William prepares a lavish, grand wedding just for me. Dressed in a custom-tailored suit, he waits at the hotel. Yet, all he receives is the report from my abortion procedure. There is only one sentence on the back—"William, this is goodbye forever."

On New Year's Eve, my husband, Max Davis, took me to a private dinner hosted by a big industry player. We had barely made our way around the room when a strange woman suddenly shoved me into the pool. When I insisted on checking the surveillance footage and calling the police, Max firmly held me back. He warned me to "remember my place" and not embarrass him in front of everyone. In the brief time I changed into another gown, I returned to find that same woman perched on my husband's lap, her red lipstick leaving traces on his collar. "Max, you're right! That nasty scar on her stomach really does look like a centipede. It's so hideous!" She giggled with mock innocence, adding, "It's been so fun messing with your wife. Next time, can I slap her when no one's looking?" Meanwhile, Max gazed at her like she was the only woman in the world, gently tracing his finger over her nose. "Of course, you can," he replied, eyes still locked on hers. "I'll even tie her hands behind her back for you."

Caspian Sanchez is looking for a woman to marry him. Many women have entered his office wearing wedding gowns pero wala pa rin siyang napipili sa kanilang lahat. He want to give up for this day until a woman entered his office. Humahangos ito, pinagmasdan ni Caspian ang babaeng nakasuot din ng wedding gown, sa tingin niya nahanap niya na ang babaeng hinahanap niya para maging pansamantalang asawa. Davina Flores, siya ay tumatakas sa sarili niyang kasal hanggang sa pasukin niya ang isang kwarto kung nasaan si Caspian. Tinakasan niya ang sarili niyang kasal pero hindi niya natakasan ang kasal sa isang estranghero. Hindi niya akalain na paglabas niya ng kwartong iyun ay isa na siyang ganap na Mrs. Sanchez. Will they marriage last or they both fall in love to each other? Ngunit, paano kung ang taong pinakasalan mo ay siya pala ang taong matagal mo nang hinahanap? What will you choose? Your mission or your partner? Are you willing to kill your partner for the sake of your mission?