Long Shadows David Baldacci

Warning: SPG | R18+ Some chapters contain mature content that may not be suitable for young readers. Read at your own risk! "Hindi mo kailangang mahalin ako pabalik. Hayaan mo lang akong mahalin ka kahit sa paraang tahimik." Hindi inakala ni Lorraine Sarmiento na ang bagong trabaho niya bilang executive assistant ng isang multi-billionaire CEO ang magpapabago sa takbo ng buhay niya. Si Alessandro “Sandro” Navarro—isang seryoso, tahimik, at imposibleng basahin na bilyonaryo—ay isang lalaking bihirang magpakita ng emosyon. Pero sa bawat tingin nito sa kan’ya, may tila bumabalot na tensyon. Parang may bigat. Parang may alaala. Hanggang sa isang araw, inalok siya nito ng kasal na labis kinabigla ni Lorraine. Hindi niya inaakalang gano’n kadesperadong makasal ang boss niya. Walang ligawan na nangyari. Walang paliwanag. Isang kontrata lang na may halong emosyon at sikreto. Sa pagdaan ng mga araw, natuklasan ni Lorraine ang dahilan kung ba’t siya inalok ng kasal ng boss niya. Iyon ay dahil kamukhang-kamukha niya ang namatay na fiancée ni Sandro. At ngayon, hindi niya alam kung siya ba talaga ang gusto nito o ang multo ng babaeng minahal nito ng sobra na matagal nang wala. Pero paano kung kailan natutong tumibok ang puso ni Sandro para sa kan'ya… saka naman ito nadulas sa mga palad niya at inangkin ng iba?

Ayannah is an office employee heartbroken from a painful relationship with her boyfriend, struggling to trust and love again. Immanuel, a charismatic CEO and billionaire deeply in love with Ayannah from the start, steps into her life determined to teach her the true meaning of love and how to open her heart. As Ayannah slowly learns to heal and embrace love, she faces a difficult choice—will she forget Immanuel and the chance for a new love, or will her actions unknowingly threaten to ruin his future?

Clara, une jeune femme pleine d’ambition, vient d’être embauchée dans une entreprise de technologie en pleine croissance, dirigée par le séduisant mais réputé difficile Raphaël Salvador. Avec son charme indéniable et son intelligence acéré, Raphaël est l’homme que tout le monde admire. Toute fois, sa réputation de célibataire endurcie et de patron exigeant créé une atmosphère tendue au bureau. Quant à Clara, elle est déterminée à gravir les échelons et à démontrer son talent en marketing.

Grace has a secret—one that could shatter her family. She is in love with Hunter, her sister Helena’s husband, and the guilt is suffocating. So when their mother and Helena ask her to be Helena’s surrogate, Grace agrees, hoping this sacrifice will atone for her forbidden feelings. But carrying their baby might be the very thing that destroys her. If she is pregnant, once the baby is born, she knows she must leave—escape the torment of watching the man she loves build a life with someone else. But before she even finds out if she’s carrying their child, tragedy strikes, leaving Grace to pick up the broken pieces of their family. As grief and secrets collide, she is forced to navigate a path where love, loyalty, and betrayal blur, leading her toward an impossible choice.

Five years ago, Lana Roth’s world shattered when her fiancé left her at the altar; mocking her body, her worth, her love. From those ashes, she rose sharper, stronger, untouchable. Now the head of a thriving nonprofit, she’s living proof that survival can be beautiful, until Monroe Corp tries to take it away. Walking into Jace Monroe’s office felt like stepping into a storm. He’s cold, commanding, and maddeningly unreadable. Their partnership was meant to save her foundation, not awaken a dangerous pull that threatens the walls she’s built. But when buried secrets start to come to light, Lana learns that the man funding her dream was the stranger from her one night stand and her ex-fiancé’s best friend, her seemingly perfect life begins to crumble.

Nagulo ang tahimik na trabaho ng 22-year-old CEO secretary na si Avajell Marasigan nang pinalit ng Boss niya bilang CEO ang 36-year-old na panganay nitong anak na si Tristan Hayes Wilson. Daig pa ni Tristan ang babaeng laging dinadatnan ng monthly period sa pagsusungit nito kay Ava. Hanggang sa hindi inaasahang pangyayari na naisuko ni Ava ang vir gi*nity sa amo dahilan para mauwi sila sa kasalang pinilit ng Daddy ni Tristan. Hindi naman maitanggi ni Avajell na nahuhulog ang puso niya kay Tristan sa kabila ng malaking agwat nila sa edad at estado. Akala niya ay magiging masaya siya sa piling ng asawa, lalo na at naging sweet ang treatment nito sa kanya. Pero hindi man lang tumagal ang pagsasama nila bilang mag-asawa dahil sa isang pangyayari. Paano kung sa paglipas ng taon ay maging Boss muli ni Avajell si Tristan sa bagong trabahong pinasukan niya? Pipiliin ba ni Ava na umalis sa trabahong kinakailangan niya. O magtiis sa ex-husband niya na walang gustong gawin kundi ang pahirapan siya?

Daniella Thornhill, a hybrid and orphan has endured seven years of silent torment as the loyal assistant—and secret lover—to Liam Garvalle, the cold and calculating Alpha of the hollow pack. Trapped by love, duty, and her own frail humanity, Daniella has silently borne the pain of a one-sided mate bond, a cruel twist of fate that Liam himself remains oblivious to. When Matilda, a perfect purebred re-enters Liam’s life claiming to be his true mate, Daniella’s world begins to unravel. Lies, betrayal, and cruel manipulation follow Daniella at every turn as Matilda's schemes tighten the noose around her. What Liam sees as loyalty to his pack and legacy, Daniella feels as suffocating control. With her unborn child at stake and no one to trust, Daniella faces a devastating decision that could break her completely—or awaken a long-dormant strength within her. Unknown to them all, secrets lie buried: a father searching for his lost daughter, a wolf waiting to emerge, and a bond more powerful than any deception. As Daniella’s carefully maintained composure begins to crack, the cost of love, vengeance, and survival looms large. Who will emerge unscathed when fate turns its merciless wheel?

Aurora Kingston has everything—money, beauty, and a habit of ruining her father’s reputation. Her latest scandal pushes him too far. Her punishment? Become the personal assistant to Damian Blackwood—her father’s ruthless, impossibly controlled best friend. Damian is the last man she should want. Forty-two. Divorced. Dominant. A billionaire who turns obedience into an art and mistakes into consequences. He thinks she’s a spoiled brat. She thinks he’s an emotionally unavailable tyrant. But when he discovers she’s untouched, curiosity turns into obsession… And her smart mouth turns into an invitation he can’t ignore. Now Damian wants to teach her discipline. Submission. Pleasure that borders on pain. Rules she’ll kneel to obey. He swears he won’t touch her. She swears she’ll make him break. And when he finally does… Daddy’s little spoiled princess becomes a very, very bad girl. But their secret burns too brightly—and when it explodes, it could cost them her father, his empire, and the one thing neither of them expected: Each other.

Anim na taon nang tapat sekretarya si Samantha Hernandez ng CEO – pinagkakatiwalaan, iginagalang at itinuturing na rin na parang isang pamilya. Ngunit isang gabing puno ng kapusukan ang siyang nagbago ng lahat. Sa kanyang paglalasing matapos ang hiwalayan sa pagitan ng kanyang nobyo, natagpuan niya ang sarili sa bisig ni Theo Buendia – ang arogante, mapusok at black sheep na kapatid ng CEO. Ang isang pagkakamaling gustong kalimutan ni Samantha ay naging simula ng pagkahumaling ni Theo sa dalaga. Ngayon ay nagbalik na siya…hindi lamang sa buhay ni Samantha kundi pati na rin sa opisinang pinagtatrabahuhan niya, bilang kanyang temporary boss. Gusto niyang kalimutan ang binata ngunit lubos naman ang paghahangad nito sa kanya. At sa kagustuhan niyang takasan ito ay mas lalong nagiging malinaw na ayaw siya nitong pakawalan pa.

Pagpasok ng unit Bigla niya kong isinandal sa pader at sinunggaban ng halik. Di ko namalayan na nasa malulusog ko ng dibdib ang kamay nya. Himas himas nya ito. Mali ito pero di ko magawang tumutol. "Igalaw mo ang mga labi mo Xam." Sabi niya ng huminto siya. "Hmm." Hindi ako marunong. Pano ba to snong gagawin ko? "Sundan mo lang ang labi ko. Gayahin mo." Sabi ni sir habang himas himas na ang dalawang dibdib ko. Hindi nagtagal nakuha ko na din ang ritmo. Naghalikan lang kami. Ipinatong ko na ang mga kamay ko sa leeg nya. Napadpad naman ang kamay nya sa pagitan ng hita ko. "Hmm. You're wet my dear secretary" "Wet for you."