Lock-on Love

Vienna Carter’s life is a living hell and her home is Earth’s chapter of Tartarus. But when her husband goes on a month-long business trip, she seizes the opportunity to know something other than her world of pain. She joins the passengers on Queen Odette, a cruise ship that promises her the best month of her life. As she takes in the elegance of the ship and is pampered by their first-class services, she starts to believe that the promise will be fulfilled. But her hopes of a perfect vacation are thrown overboard when she finds out the man staying in the suite next to hers is none other than the love of her life,Ex-boyfriend and reason for all her suffering. Only a psychopath would choose to be hunched over a desk, working for hours on end over the deckchairs of a luxurious cruise ship, watching the sunset on the Atlantic Horizon. Hans Griffin is that psychopath. He craves his office’s cold glass walls and despises his luxurious suite aboard Queen Odette and is beginning to despise his best friend for convincing him to do this. Work helped him forget his demons but this ship is made to tear down the walls he spent the last two years rebuilding and after meeting the woman staying in the suite next to his, he fears those walls might be reduced to nothing but piles of rubble before the month is over. How will Hans endure one month with just a wall separating him and the woman who scarred him? How will Vienna keep her distance from the one man she’s forbidden to be with when she’s stuck on this cruise with him? But most importantly, what secrets will be revealed before the thirty days are over?

Clarkson Roberts is America's youngest shipping billionaire tycoon, ruling his empire with ruthless efficiency. The world views him as immovable, unstoppable—yet behind the button-down collars and billion-dollar deals lies a man tangled in secrets. Jonah Jones is a brilliant marine architect with intransigent principles and a wall of debt. Assigned to revamp Clarkson's private yacht fleet, Jonah sees trouble ahead with his impossible new boss—but not lust. What begins as a sparring over ship designs and price tags quickly ignites into a dangerous passion. But when corporate scandals, shareholder intimidation, and past treachery are thrown into the mix, Clarkson and Jonah must decide: can their love be strong enough to weather a storm that could consume them both?

On the six-year anniversary of my relationship with my girlfriend, Sheila Loom, I buy some groceries with the intention to surprise her with a home-cooked meal. After I'm done, I head over to Sheila's place right away. That's when the reel I was watching automatically skips to the next one. It's a live stream where people call in to discuss legal matters. A familiar feminine voice drifts to my ears at that moment. "My boyfriend shelled out 500 thousand dollars to put me through school. I've already paid ten thousand back to him. "At first, I wanted to clear the debt before breaking up with him, but I don't want to wait any longer. If he insists on taking me to court after the breakup, can I still pay the debt off slowly?" Almost immediately, comments flood into the comments section, chewing her out and calling her a heartless wench. But the voice replies calmly, "If I truly were heartless, I wouldn't have paid him back to begin with. I no longer have feelings for him. Are you saying that I should sacrifice the rest of my life just so I can pay 500 thousand dollars back to him?" My heart skips a beat at that moment. It's true that I've spent 500 thousand dollars putting Sheila through school over the years. But I feel that I'm overthinking it, seeing as she's never brought up the matter of wanting to pay me back before. After I call Sheila repeatedly for half an hour, she finally answers my latest phone call. At the same time, the woman's phone call that's connected to the live stream is cut off. "It's my birthday today, Sheila—" "Have you secretly come looking for me again? Didn't we agree that we'll only meet up after you've successfully gotten into college?" I don't get to finish the rest of my sentence. Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of the notebook sitting on the corner of Sheila's table. The first page shows "debt repayment ledger". Some of the details are as shown. "The SAT study materials I bought for him: 188 dollars." "The Uber fees I've paid for him: 35 dollars." "The cologne I've gifted him on his birthday: 380 dollars." "Total: ten thousand dollars now paid."

"Merciless and driven, billionaire Anthony Bertram built his company from the ground-up, dedicating every waking moment to creating one of the most powerful corporations in the world. The last thing he has time for is romance. He almost lost everything when his first marriage fell apart. Disillusioned from his divorce, Anthony knows from experience that love only makes you weak. When a mix-up results in a woman showing up at his supposedly private cabin during his vacation, all of his plans are completely upended. This woman is just what he doesn’t need: beautiful, spirited, and so maddening that suddenly all Anthony wants is to make her his. A free-spirited artist and activist, Thea Younger wants to leave the world a better place. When she arrives at the cabin she’s booked for a much-needed vacation and finds Anthony Bertram there—a man who represents everything she’s against—she refuses to let him intimidate her into leaving. When bad weather forces the pair to stay in the cabin together for a week, though, Thea soon discovers that the man behind the mask is no heartless monster. Anthony is all flesh-and-blood man, and one whose kisses she can’t resist. Desire flames between them until they both surrender to exquisite temptation. But as secrets loom over Thea, she must look inside her heart and find the courage to take a chance on love."

Pertamakali melihatnya aku terpesona. Kedua kali aku menatap bola mata indah itu aku tahu aku jatuh cinta. Pada dia yang menarik aku dari pusat tempat ku berpijak. Namun sayang aku tidak berani mengatakan kepada gadis pemilik senyum manis itu. Kenapa ? Karena aku lumpuh. Aku memang kaya, dari keluarga terpandang, namun mampukah aku memiliki tulus cintanya ? Dengan kondisi diriku yang cacat ini.

Je regardai le téléphone cherchant à comprendre ce qui n’a pas marché. On s’entendait tellement Yama et moi. C'était ma meilleure amie et maintenant c’est limite si on peut se parler quelques minutes sans que ça vire à la dispute. Je l’ai encouragée quand elle sortait avec son mari alors elle pourrait en faire de même pour moi. J’ai quand même le droit de passer du temps avec Salif autant qu’elle en passe avec son mari. Pourquoi les gens ne peuvent pas comprendre que j'aime cet homme et que j'ai besoin de lui ? »

Iris escapes a stifling marriage, finding refuge in a chance encounter with Ian at a resort. Shared confessions spark a connection, leading to Ian's frequent visits to Iris's life. As their friendship deepens, external pressures and family complexities threaten their budding relationship. Will they overcome the challenges that seek to unravel their newfound connection?

For billionaire lawyer Cynthia, the courtroom is her domain. She's a fierce advocate for women's rights and has won countless battles against injustice. But when her own marriage implodes, she finds herself in the unfamiliar role of defendant. Can she navigate the treacherous waters of her own divorce and emerge with her rights intact?

On my wedding day, my fiancé showed up with another woman, flashing a marriage license. He announced, "She's my true love. Don't even think about taking her place." My doting brother sided with her too. "You've had a cushy life for over 20 years. Let her have this." I left quietly. My brother and my fiancé breathed a sigh of relief. They paraded the new girl around town, my brother even calling her his adopted sister to boost her status. They didn't know I'd gone to the border until someone mentioned me. I was done with them, but they started to regret it.

Minsan sa buhay may mga bagay tayo na kailangan pag daanan. Mga bagay na kailangan nating gampanan dahil ito 'lang ang paraan upang makalaya tayo sa matirik na dinaraanan. ----- Raelynn Mona Hayami is a typical girl, a shy woman who has the innocent face of an angel in disguise. She is concealing something behind her soft-spoken face. Raelynn had been diagnosed with PTSD. Those she thought she could trust have abused, played with, and hurt her, as the people perceived her as a tyrant in their lives. At the end, trust is no longer there. It no longer holds any significance in her life. For her, many people can shatter trust, whether they're family, close friends, or strangers. Pero sa mundo na puno ng mapang husga may isang tao na aangat sa lahat. He climbed the mountain solely to reach her. He obtains her heart, mind, soul, and body, but most importantly, he obtains her trust. However, everything is prone to breaking and falling. You have stopped to hold on. (•On-going)