Like Wind On A Dry Branch

Mable Thorne is on her third life, and she’s done playing the victim. In Life One, she was betrayed. In Life Two, she was murdered. In Life Three, she’s coming for blood.She’s dating the pack’s most dangerous disaster—pro-hockey star Darin Salvator—to burn her ex’s reputation to the ground. Darin Salvator is on his fifth life, and he’s done playing the hero. He’s watched every version of his mate die across timelines he can’t escape. He’s numb, he’s scandalous, and he’s accepted that they are a doomed bloodline. Then Mable knocks on his door with a fake-dating contract and a scent that screams of a future he thought fate had stolen. But there’s a ghost between them—a memory of a child lost in a past life, and a lie that says Darin was the one who killed it. On the ice, they are a PR stunt. In the shadows, they are a war. And this time, fate is not just trying to kill them—it’s trying to erase them.

Some lessons aren't meant to be learned. They're meant to be survived. Ava Sterling thought her final year at Crestmore University would be simple: ace her classes, protect her scholarship, and stay out of trouble. But everything spirals when she walks into class and sees the man she slapped at a club the weekend before—now standing at the front of the room as her new professor. Dr. William Reid. Brilliant. Intense. Completely off-limits. Twice her age. And married. Worse? He hasn’t forgotten their first encounter… and he refuses her apology. Instead, he promises to make her fail. Desperate and reckless, Ava makes a bold offer—herself. And shockingly, he doesn’t refuse. What should have been a one-time mistake on his desk becomes a dark, consuming arrangement. Now, they’re entangled in a web of lust, lies, and obsession. Careers are on the line. Reputations. Lives. Because in the end, it’s not just Ava’s grades at risk— it’s her heart.

Alexandra, an independent introvert who, since losing her mother and sister consecutively due to illness, struggles to trust and rely on other people. That is until she met Jacob. Her cousin’s new tenants. With his etiquette and empathy, he sure gave her a lasting impression. But the insecurity of losing the women of her life is keeping her from relying to anyone. Will this be enough for Alexandra to finally take down her guards and open up?

Ava Reynolds is broke, desperate, and watching her little sister die slowly in a hospital bed. She’s out of options, until a cold, powerful billionaire offers her a lifeline: marry him for one year, and he’ll pay for everything. No love. No intimacy. Just a contract. Damian Kingsley needs a wife to save his empire. Ava is a nobody, and that’s exactly what he wants. What he doesn’t expect is the fire behind her quiet eyes or the way she makes his cold world start to crack. But Ava isn’t walking into this marriage blind. She knows she’s just a tool to him. And she swears she’ll never fall for a man who treats love like a business deal. Until one mistake rips her life apart. Betrayed. Humiliated. Thrown out like trash. She leaves, broken, but not defeated. And when Damian finally realizes the truth, it’s too late. The girl he once used is gone. In her place stands a woman he can’t control. A woman he can’t live without. Now he wants her back. But Ava doesn’t want an apology. She wants him to burn

First love is the best love, and the best love is the one that lasts forever. Melora Channing thought she would never see Chance Benson again. But of all the weddings in all the towns in all the world, he decided to be one of the guests at this particular one. Was it a coincidence? After so many years, her teenage dream, her first love, was hiding in the same broom closet, talking to her like he had just seen her the day before. The notorious billionaire, the same boy who used to hang out with her brother in high school, offers her the leading part in a ‘scandalous’ public affair… to help him distract the tabloids from a damaging scandal. ‘It would be fun,’ he said. ‘Just for a few days…’ But neither Melora nor Chance expected their public affair to become so real, so passionate away from the paparazzi, behind closed doors. Or to change their lives forever.

Quinn Parker has a system: keep her grades up, keep her feelings private, and absolutely never act like the kind of girl who screams over a boy band, no matter how many NEON ATLAS songs she has memorized. So when the group’s lead singer, Jace Wilder, is chased through the arena hallway before a sold out show, Quinn reacts on pure instinct: she yanks him behind a giant fake pot plant, yells his name, and points the stampede of fans in the wrong direction. Jace disappears with security. Quinn goes back to her life. End of story. Except a week later, Quinn lands an after school cleaning job at a luxury rental and opens the door to find Jace Wilder alone, exhausted, and nothing like his shining, onstage self. He tries to flip the charm back on when he realizes she’s the girl who saved him, but Quinn doesn’t buy it. She makes him a coffee, tells him to sit down, and treats him like a normal person for the first time in a long time. Quinn isn’t falling for a fantasy. She doesn’t even know him. But the more time she spends in his offstage world, between rehearsals, rumours, and the pressure to always smile, the harder it becomes to ignore the quiet, real boy behind the spotlight… and the fact that he’s starting to look at her like she’s the only place he can breathe.

Zesa Russo commands the boardroom with the same precision and confidence she brings to every aspect of her life. At 28, she’s the fierce CEO of Techya, a company she’s built from the ground up. Driven, unrelenting, and unapologetically bold, she’s never been one to wait for a prince charming to come sweep her off her feet—instead, she’s the force that shapes her own destiny. And her destiny has always involved him. The man who had once eluded her grasp, the one she had silently craved for years. But Zesa isn’t the kind to let love slip through her fingers. No. She's determined to make him hers, no matter what. Slowly, inevitably, she knows he’ll surrender his heart to her—just like everything else she’s ever set her sights on. ____ Levi’s mischievous gaze locks onto mine, daring, seductive, his lips curving into a slow smirk as he steps closer. “Should I stop?” His voice is velvet, deep and teasing, laced with danger. But I don’t flinch. “No,” I breathe, my pulse quickening, every nerve in my body on edge. His smirk deepens, a dark promise in his eyes as his fingers slowly trace the hem of my dress, lifting it with agonizing precision. The whisper of fabric against my skin sends shivers down my spine. His lips—warm, soft, and skilled—graze the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. Levi’s hand slips beneath the fabric, fingertips brushing against my desire, teasing, drawing out a soft gasp from me. The heat between us is suffocating, yet intoxicating. “Levi…” My voice trembles as he nips gently at my thigh, his breath hot against my skin. “You’ll be the one begging me to stop,” he murmurs, the promise in his words thick, dripping with need.

Julian Fontaine came to Boston University with one goal: win the annual skating championship. He is a focused and disciplined figure skater with no time for distractions. Asher Beckett on the other hand is a loud golden-boy hockey jock, and the last person Julian wants anywhere near his ice. But when sharing a rink turns into stolen glances and unexpected late-night practices, Julian starts to wonder if falling for Asher might be the one risk worth taking. Because love, like skating, is best when you finally let yourself fall.

Hindi inasahan ng rakistang si Zein na uso pa pala ang pagiging "rebound girl" nang sabihin iyon ng panderong ex-boyfriend ng Ate Zelda niya na si Amos. Umeksena lang ang "bitter" na lalaki sa kasal ng kapatid niya, inaya na siya sa isang relasyong wala namang pag-ibig. Nasira ang plano niyang magkaroon ng magandang karanasan sa isang relasyon. Hindi niya alam kung anong masamang hangin ang umihip at pumayag siyang maging panakip-butas lamang. In short, band-aid lang siya para sa mga sugat na iniwan ng kapatid niya sa puso ng binata. Akala ni Zein ay naging maingat siya pero nahulog ang damdamin niya at umasang kaya siyang saluhin ni Amos subalit bumalik sa eksena ang Ate Zelda niyang una nitong minahal. Hindi na siya naghintay na saluhin ng binata. Umahon na agad siya kahit may naiwang marka ang lalaking tanging nagpalakas ng tibok ng puso niya. Ngunit saan siya dadalhin ng pagtakas niya sa isang pag-ibig na hindi sigurado? Paano niya pa ito makalilimutan kung may buhay na sa kaniyang sinapupunan?

Not everyone is lucky with a great love story, especially for Riley. Love did nothing but only scar her heart. It began when her family tore apart; she was just two, so all she could remember was her father leaving.  The first man she ever loved abandoned her, and she never saw him again.  Then a few years later, her mother abandoned her, leaving her older sister in charge. It didn’t stop there, though. Riley got hurt once again when her fiance cheated on her. She decided that love wasn’t meant for her and she should stay single forever, focusing on her life and career. One day she was surfing the internet and found a very great deal. It was a one-week vacation on an island, with a suite over-viewing the ocean, and the price was affordable. It was a sketchy offer, but who cares, she just wanted a week off. So, she took her chance with no hesitation, not realizing the surprise waiting for her on the island. Everything went just fine for her till she found out that she had to share the suite with a stranger, a very hot stranger. Not only will they share a room, but he will also make a deal with her. He made a bargain with her. He would mend her broken heart, showing her what real love is supposed to be in that one week. She agreed, knowing he will lose anyway. The funny part, her clueless self doesn’t even know that stranger was Zack Harrison, the CEO of Harrison’s real estate brokering, one of the top bachelors.