Media Manipulation

Di hari acara pernikahan, pacarku, Thomas Samono, tiba-tiba menghentikan upacara pernikahan. Hanya karena Yana Amerta mengunggah di media sosial bahwa dia telah kembali. Thomas membuang cincin pernikahan rancangannya sendiri dan meninggalkan tempat upacara pernikahan tanpa menoleh ke belakang. Aku terdiam di tempat dalam balutan gaun pengantinku, kakakku yang sedari tadi menopang melepaskanku, “Cindy Marissa, kamu selalu kuat, aku tahu kamu bisa menghadapi ini sendiri, sekarang Yana lebih membutuhkanku daripada kamu.” Setelah mengatakan itu, dia juga pergi. Mereka pergi demi wanita yang sama, meninggalkanku sendirian. Malam itu, setelah membereskan kekacauan acara pernikahan, Yana mengirimkan foto kepadaku. Dalam foto itu, Thomas dan kakakku berada di samping tempat tidurnya. Kalung buatan Thomas ada di leher Yana. Gaun pengantin rancangan kakakku dikenakan oleh Yana. Semua barang-barang ini seharusnya milikku. Akhirnya aku menyerah dan menelepon sambil menangis, “Ayah, ibu. Aku berubah pikiran, aku ingin pulang.”

Tiga tahun menikah, Indira dan Farhan hidup dalam kesederhanaan yang penuh cinta. Meski belum juga dikaruniai anak, Farhan tak pernah mengeluh maupun mendesak. Ia mencintai Indira dengan tulus, atau setidaknya itulah yang selalu Indira yakini. Hingga suatu hari, Indira membawa kabar yang selama ini mereka nantikan: ia hamil. Tapi kebahagiaan itu tak bertahan lama. Beberapa bulan setelah kabar bahagia itu, Farhan menghilang tanpa pesan, tanpa jejak, seolah ditelan bumi tanpa tanda ataupun firasat apapun sebeumnya. Semua nomor tak aktif, semua akun media sosial lenyap, dan tak ada satu pun orang yang tahu ke mana Farhan pergi. Dalam kondisi hamil, Indira harus menanggung beban kehilangan, kecemasan, dan tekanan batin yang nyaris meremukkan tubuh dan jiwanya. Ia menelusuri setiap kemungkinan, menggantungkan harapan pada setiap petunjuk yang samar, hingga tak ada lagi air mata yang tersisa. Sebenarnya kemana Farhan pergi? Apakah dia masih hidup ataukah ...

La boda es en media hora, y la asistente de mi prometido, esta mujer, acaba de entregarme este papel. Regla número uno: Nada de contacto físico con él en público, a menos que él lo permita explícitamente. Regla número dos: La intimidad solo ocurrirá cuando él la inicie. Ella está obligada a satisfacer sus deseos al menos una vez al mes. Regla número tres: Él puede exigir lo que le corresponde en cualquier momento, en cualquier lugar, y ella no puede negarse. … Cuando terminé de leer el contrato completo de dos páginas, tuve que esforzarme para que la sonrisa no se me rompiera. Tragándome el fuego que me ardía en el estómago, llamé a mi prometido: —Marcus, ¿qué demonios es esto? ¿Cómo que «si él engendra un hijo, ella debe criarlo, sin importar quién sea la madre»?

Demi Papa, itu saja. Karena di dunia ini aku hanya punya Papa. Baik sebelum Mama meninggal atau sesudahnya. Karena, ya, apa yang bisa kudapatkan dari seorang mama yang selalu mementingkan dirinya sendiri? Setiap hari, dunia ini terlalu sempit bagi Mama sehingga Papa dan aku nggak lebih berarti dari pada semua kegiatan arisan, shopping dan media sosialnya. Sekarang, sudah hampir lima tahun aku menjadi boneka---istri imitasi---Kenzy. Pria dewasa yang hampir separuh usianya habis untuk foya-foya dengan fatamorgana. Bukan hanya itu, dia juga nyaris meregang nyawa karena terlalu banyak mengkonsumsi obat-obatan terlarang. Apakah aku bahagia? Apakah aku tidak menyesal karena telah melewatkan dan mengorbankan indahnya masa remaja? Apakah aku tidak ingin pergi dari kehidupan Kenzy yang semakin parah? Entah, aku tidak tahu! Hanya satu yang aku ketahui, Papa bisa tersenyum bahagia di atas kursi putar empuknya. Itu saja.

Axel, an eleven-year-old boy, was robbed of his childhood after the brutal assassination of his parents by the Hawthornes - his family’s longtime rivals. His parents had discovered the dark secrets behind the Hawthornes’ wealth, and for that, they paid with their lives. To deceive the media, the Hawthornes took Axel in, pretending to care for him while secretly turning his life into a living nightmare behind their cold, gilded walls. Yet, in the midst of that darkness, there was Mia Hawthorne, a girl a year younger than Axel. She was the only one who cared. Every night, she would sneak into the dark room where Axel was locked away, bringing him food and comfort. She talked to him, shared her heart, but Axel always turned away - silent, haunted, his eyes fixed on the memory of his parents’ lifeless bodies. But then, by a twist of fate - through Mia’s mistake - Axel escaped, vanishing into the unknown. But he returned, hardened and driven by a single purpose: to destroy the entire Hawthorne bloodline. Will Axel succeed in wiping out the family that destroyed his life, including the one person who once showed him kindness? Stay tuned to find out. You don’t want to miss this.

Natalie Walker poured her heart and soul into loving Cedric Johnson for ten years, only to end up being burned to death by his lover.Cedric thought of that woman as nothing more than a housemaid. Even marriage wouldn't change her status. That was, until he received the news that she wanted a divorce..."Why do you want a divorce?" Cedric asked arrogantly, believing that this woman couldn't survive without him."Aren't you eager for me to die so you can be with your lover? I'm simply fulfilling your wish!" Natalie shot back as she laughed mockingly. "Cedric, I won't be blind again! Not in this lifetime!"Natalie, who had been reborn from the ashes, held the divorce papers and kicked the scumbag and his mistress to the curb.At a press conference for her company, the media asked, "We heard that you initiated the divorce. Could you tell us the reason?"Natalie responded calmly, "It was simply time to let go."That fire had consumed all her emotions.Looking back, it was nothing more than a long-planned trap set for her.

On the night of New Year's Eve, I wake up in a hospital ward with an IV drip connected to the back of my hand. A nurse passes me the hospital bill. "It's 300 dollars in total, including the emergency treatment fee and the cost for a bottle of glucose drips." When I turn on my phone, I feel my heart sinking. I only have 29.01 dollars left in my bank account. The wallpaper of my phone is a countdown of my family contract's app. Today is the date when I have to renew my family contract for the year. In order to accumulate enough money to go home, I've been working as a staff member in concert venues. Earlier, I had collapsed backstage, so I was quickly sent to the hospital. The dial tone keeps beeping for a long time. Finally, my mom answers my call in what seems to be a noisy background. "Mom, I'm at the hospital right now. I need 300 dollars to pay the hospital bill." "You're at the hospital?" Mom's voice turns shrill immediately. "Why did you visit the hospital during the holidays? You really are a jinx!" "I fainted earlier. I was working at a concert venue—" "What? So, you refused to do chores at home during the holidays! Instead, you decide to work at a concert venue?" Mom interrupts immediately. "I don't have 300 dollars on me! You'd better come up with a way to pay that bill of yours!" "Mom…" My hand tightens around my phone. "Today is the last day of my family contract's renewal period. I'll renew the contract once I pay the bill." "Renew the contract, huh?" Mom just sneers at me. "That's a part of your duties! How dare you use it against me! Helena Lambert, if you don't renew the contract today, you can forget about calling me 'Mom'!" After that, she ends the call. I can only grip my phone to the point that my fingers turn white. After that, I tap on a social media app in hopes that I can borrow money from my friends, only to see the latest post on the social media feed. My younger sister, Hannah Lambert, has posted a photo collage there. "I'm here with my parents to watch my favorite singer's concert! Snagging tickets to the first-row seats is definitely worth it!" The background of those photos is the same concert venue where I work part-time at. It's the most expensive venue in town. Apparently, tickets cost 2,900 dollars each.

Lilis disilaukan oleh kemewahan, semantara Hendra hanya seorang buruh pabrik yang tidak mampu memenuhi semua keinginan istrinya. "Aku gila karena hidup miskin, maka itu... kamu harus nikah dengan Juwita!" "Nggak, aku nggak bisa." Hendra menolak keras, hidupnya bukan seperti barang yang rela ditukar dengan harta. Meski selamanya hidup pas-pasan, Hendra tidak akan pernah mau menikah dengan wanita kaya yang menawarkan setengah dari hartanya. "Kalau gitu ceraikan aku sekarang juga, dan Alan ikut denganku!" ancam Lilis tak main-main. Alan adalah putra mereka satu-satunya. Alan lah alasan Hendra selalu bersemangat meski harus membanting tulang setiap hari. Dengan desakan seperti ini, apakah Hendra harus menerima tawaran wanita kaya itu, dan menggadaikan harga dirinya demi keinginan sang istri? ** Selamat datang di novel ke 4 aku, dan semoga kakak semua menyukainya. Jangan lupa masukkan ke rak dan tinggalkan komentar ya, kak. Ikuti juga media sosial author di F*B Butiran Debu, dan I*G @butiran_debugn

From the time I was ten until I turned eighteen, my parents made me write 299 IOUs. Every time I needed money, I had to borrow it and pay it back as an adult. Then I got into a car accident. I needed money for surgery but was still short by 3,000. With no other options, I went to my parents for help. But they just gave me cold smiles. “Clara, you’re eighteen now. We have no obligation to give you money anymore. If you need it, write another IOU.” While holding back tears, I wrote my 300th IOU. After my surgery, I saw my adopted sister’s social media post. In the pictures, she was celebrating her 18th birthday on a cruise. She was the center of attention, like a princess. My parents had given her a luxury apartment in the city and a Maserati as birthday gifts. Even my childhood friend was looking at her with love in his eyes. She said they were the ones she loved and thanked them for giving her the best of everything. I looked down at the crumpled IOU in my hand and suddenly laughed. Once I paid off my debt, I would no longer need such a family.

"What do you want from me?" he asks, staring at the woman who transforms from an exquisite, perplexing beauty into sexual temptation. "I want you to kill me." “You’re already dead, strigoi.” As he clutches the doorknob, her voice caresses his ears — “I want true death.” Her tone softens, too alluring to refuse. “And only you can give it to me, WOLF.” When an outcast vampiress meets the most desired Alpha CEO in the city, there should have been bloodshed. Fate, on the other hand, has different plans for them. Wolves, vampires, and the entire supernatural underworld will come between them. But those are simple to overcome in comparison with their own prejudices. For Paul, she's a tainted soul. In normal circumstances, he would give her what she wants, death. But the rules he loves so much compel him to protect her. For Laura, he's just a means to an end, someone who holds the key to what she desires. Love is just a stumbling block in a life she doesn't want to live. Join Discord: https://discord.gg/QNZtVmVWc5 All my social media accounts can be found on my website: https://helenbold.com