Meru The Suburbs

Tentang kehampaan hati seorang wanita yang menikah tanpa berdasarkan cinta, tetapi hidup bergelimang harta dan suami yang sangat menyayanginya. Juga tentang perasaan lain yang hadir untuk lelaki lain di tengah pernikahan yang berusaha ia jaga dan pertahankan. Namun, godaan dan rasa cinta yang begitu kuat membuatnya jatuh terperosok dalam lobang dosa yang sangat dalam.

"Kemana bayiku!" Indah terhenyak saat ia mendapati perutnya yang sudah cukup membesar tiba-tiba mengempis. "Mas, bangun!" Indah yang menangis membangunkan lelaki yang tidur bersamanya. "Ada apa, Dek!" ucap Prapto mengusap lembut matanya yang masih mengantuk. "Bayiku hilang, Mas!" Indah menangis dengan tubuh bergetar dan wajah pucat. "Astaghfirullahaladzim!" Prapto melonjak hampir jatuh dari atas ranjang saat melihat Indah berubah menjadi seperti orang yang kesetanan. "Berikan bayi itu untukku!" ucap Indah dengan suara aneh, tubuhnya melayang di atas ranjang dengan tangan yang siap untuk mencekik leher Prapto. Cover by pixel Credits by Canva

When a vegan werewolf falls for a celebrity chef, will his appetite for her cause him to stray from his reformed ways? Santiago is a werewolf living in sunny Beverly Hills. Despite being an Alpha, he's abandoned his pack after a family betrayal. After years of sunning in the suburbs, he's bored and has given up all hope of ever finding his Luna. Only, after seeing celebrity chef, Gabrielle on a television cooking show, ancient feelings begin to stir inside him. Feelings he thought would never surface. Now, he must decide if he should pursue his mate--even if she is human--to quench the hunger that now stirs inside him. Take one hungry wolf, mix in one lonely chef, and sprinkle in some hot sex and you'll find a tasty treat that will keep you coming back for more.

After my financial reports were replaced with blank pages, the company was thrown into a legal and financial crisis. As the accountant, I was accused of falsifying records. I was charged, convicted, and sent to prison. Three years later, I was finally released. My CEO husband and our son came to pick me up in person. Just when I was touched by their loyalty, believing they had stood by me through it all, I overheard their conversation. "Dad, Winona wanted that villa in the suburbs, so you used company funds to buy it. But Mom was the one who got blamed for the falsified accounts. She spent three years behind bars, shunned by everyone. Even I got teased by my friends because of her." Hank took our son's hand, his tone grave. "We agreed never to bring this up again. Back then, Winona needed a place to live. I had no choice but to use the company's money, and your mom had to take the fall." That was the moment I realized—my years in prison, the public disgrace, the humiliation… had all been part of a plan. A plan crafted by the very man I trusted with my life.

The death of two powerful Mafia Dons. The birth of two innocent children. Brought up away from the brutal Mafia lifestyle but forever linked. Dante was spirited away by his father's best friends to be brought up in the rainy city of Manchester England. He longs for the sunshine of his boyhood and cannot wait to grow up and have his revenge on the man who brutally murdered his father and take his rightful place as Don. Gabriella, brought up in the leafy suburbs of rural England by her mother's sister, is a spoiled Princess who mixes with real royalty and knows only luxury. She is kept in a bubble of seclusion away from the horrors of the Mafia but it is her birthright too. Two lost Mafia children forever linked by that deadly organisation and destined by fate to meet. Can they survive the lies they have been told? Is their attraction to each other love or hate? Or will the Mafia destroy them both?

For five years, I was Carlos’s dirty little secret. In the light of day, I was his executive assistant, handling his legitimate businesses while he treated me with cold, professional detachment. In the shadows, I was the woman he claimed to love more than life itself, the one who warmed his bed while he whispered promises against my skin. That was until I found out I was pregnant. I was ready to tell him, to finally ask for a life in the light. But then, I discovered Carlos had purchased a secluded estate in the suburbs—a fortress meant for a wife. I followed him there, heart in my throat, only to watch through the window as his hand slid beneath a woman’s silk lingerie, his eyes burning with a raw desire I thought belonged only to me. "Sophie," he groaned, his voice rough with emotion. "I stayed unmarried all these years for one reason. I was waiting for you to come back to the States. Marry me." The sounds of their pleasure echoed from the room. The shock was a physical blow; my body revolted, and the stress induced a miscarriage right there in the cold. When I woke up in the hospital, empty and broken, I made a call I had been avoiding for years. I accepted the arranged marriage my family had set up for me—a political alliance with a rival syndicate. The next morning,I would vanish from Carlos’s life forever.

There's an unspoken rule in the high-end society—married couples who are bound by marriage alliances are allowed to branch out romantically. But if they ever buy anything for their side piece, they must buy the same gift for their legal spouse. Raymond Johnson is a very particular person. That's why he continues sticking to the rule and gives Melanie Strickland the respect she deserves by showering her with gifts that are 100 times more than his mistress', even after the Stricklands have gone into bankruptcy. If his mistress gets 100 thousand dollars' worth of allowances every month, Melanie's bank account must receive ten million dollars in return. When Raymond gifts his mistress jewelry that's worth a million dollars, he'll go for the main highlight of the auction. After that, Melanie will receive an antique emerald ring worth 100 million dollars. The rich wives, who are too used to seeing wealthy men immersing themselves in booze and beautiful women, can only sigh wistfully whenever they witness Raymond and Melanie's lovey-dovey relationship. But at the same time, they can't resist dropping Melanie words of advice—mainly to tell her to appreciate what she has now. Appreciate, huh? Of course Melanie appreciates everything she has right now. That's why on the day Raymond gives a house of very little value that's located in the suburbs to his mistress, Melanie decides to ask him a question while receiving the land deed of Villa No. 1 that's located in Northshore. "I've grown tired of this marriage. Can we get a divorce?"

While waiting for my husband to pick me up at the parking lot, I came across a trending topic in my city. "How do I deal with an overly-clingy wife?" Amidst a flurry of boastful, lovey-dovey comments, one female username caught my attention. "Just pretend to be incompetent! My childhood friend was forced to marry someone he didn’t love. I gave him the idea to pretend to be directionally-challenged, which he has done for five years now. "When his wife got pregnant, he secretly mixed lubricant into the shower gel, causing her to slip. Then, on the way to the hospital, he pretended to get lost. He deliberately circled the suburbs several times, which led to her miscarriage and now she can't have children anymore." "Coincidentally, today is supposed to be the selection day for her promotion to professor. He offered to drive her to work, but he actually plans to pretend to get lost to make her late so that I can get promoted instead. "When she fails the selection, he’ll use that as a chance to convince her to quit her job, turn her into a useless housewife, and then kick her out!" Reading this suspiciously familiar experience sent a chill down my spine. Before I could ponder further, I heard my husband’s apologetic voice. "Sorry, honey, I got lost. I hope this won't affect your selection."

Luke Mason, an average teenager who just turned 18, who lived with her mother, Angela, in the suburbs of Cebu City. He acquired his scholarship to study in a prestigious school, the University of San Carlos. A school unaffordable for low-class families like him. The scholarship made it possible for Luke to study in that school for free. His father, Erik Mason, left them four years ago for matters that he did not yet understand. Before his leaving, his father promised Luke to give him a gift if he turned 18. Luke met Maria Cruz at school and fell in love in secret. Maria was mysteriously beautiful, rich, and popular. But Luke sensed something peculiar about Maria and in one incident, Luke found out that Maria is a witch. The secret stayed between them and they eventually became friends. Months after Luke's birthday, his father Erik, visits them back home. Erik explained to his ex-wife, Angela, the purpose of his visit, to give Luke the long-time promised gift. Erik handed him an attache case. In it was a Moonstone Pendant and a dagger, weapons in killing witches. Luke then knew that his father is a witch hunter that came from a long lineage of witch hunters, called the Keepers. The Founders of the Keepers held a tradition to pass down their legacy to their children when they reached 18 yrs of age. The events now twisted as Luke tried to weigh his options, to kill Maria and her family of witches or leave them be, imposing danger to society.

A year ago, when Bailey Knight's side girl, Lucy Day, showed up in front of me, causing a scene, he had his people beat her until she lost the baby and tossed her out. Then he groveled before me for three straight hours, begging me to forgive him. Looking at the man I'd loved for ten years, looking so pitiful and broken, I eventually caved. Later, I caught Lucy sneaking around Bailey's villa in the suburbs, so I had her thrown out again. Three days before our wedding, Bailey grabbed me by the neck and shoved me up against the railing on the second-floor balcony, yelling so hard that his voice broke. "We already took Lucy's baby once! She can't handle it happening again. She's fragile. You're a woman—how can you not understand that? "I've given you the title of Mrs. Knight. I'd give you my life. Isn't that enough? Why can't you just accept her?" The next second, his secretary ran up to say they'd found Lucy. He shoved me down the stairs. The pain when my arm snapped made me feel like my whole body was being torn apart. But he didn't even look back. Staring at the cold, heartless man in front of me, I felt something inside me go completely dead. I picked up my phone and called Arnold Greenwood. "I don't wanna marry him anymore. Come get me."