Miss Everything

I've taken three knife blows and a bullet for Isabella Thornton. I'm one of the top bodyguards in the business. My younger brother always trails behind her, cracking jokes. He's nothing more than a tagalong. I've always believed my loyalty and scars are all she has to feel safe. Then, the unthinkable happens—the three of us are kidnapped, and the kidnappers say only two of us can walk free. Isabella doesn't hesitate. She looks me straight in the eye and says, "You stay. My dad will give your family double the compensation. But Jasper has to come with me." Jasper Meyer is my younger brother. That's when I realize that his daily little gestures and playful teasing have already won her heart. Now reborn, I find myself back on the day the Thornton family is selecting their bodyguards.

In the third year I've decided to support my girlfriend, Iris Fulton, by opening a flower shop, she has gone into bankruptcy once again. The first time she went bankrupt, I sold the house my grandma had left for me so that I could clear the debt of 700 thousand dollars. The second time she went bankrupt, I was able to locate the bank passbook Mom had left for me as a wedding gift. That was how I paid back one million and six hundred thousand dollars. The third time Iris has gone bankrupt, however, I can only grip the note with my filthy rich dad's phone number while staring at her lost and dazed expression. At that time, I'm debating whether or not I should call him. But that night, I accidentally notice the chat history on Iris' group chat that's displayed on her tablet. "Hey Iris, how many figures are you going to fill into the sum of the bankruptcy contract that's supposed to be cleared this time?" "Let's put ten million dollars. Otherwise, that flower-selling plaything will be able to clear the debt in one go. It'll make things very boring." "As expected of you, Iris! I heard that the plaything waters flowers in the morning and waters your flower garden at night. You're never tired of him, are you?" I put down Iris' tablet before calling my dad right away. "You want me to take over the family business and marry your student, right? Fine, I'll do it. Get your men to pick me up in three days."

As soon as Samantha found out that she is pregnant she decided to leave and stay with her Auntie Lorena in New York. After establishing a new life far away from home, with her aunt and her most beloved son, she thought everything will be all right. Until that one heart-breaking call that compelled her to go back to the Philippines where she came face to face once again with the man she swore never to see again. “Tell me, Sam! Why did you leave? Does it have something to do with what happened to us that momentous night? Was that the reason why you never want to see me again?” How could she give Marco San Sebastian all the answers he is asking for when she knew deep within her heart that he is going to hate her once he found out the truth? Would the love that they have but kept hidden in their hearts be strong enough to salvage their relationship once the truth about Makki has been unfolded? Or would they let personal issues and life's challenges forever impede their love?

Sa araw na nakipag divorce si Calista Everhart, ang divorce papers niya ay kumalas sa internet, at naging headline agad ito. Ang rason ng divorce ay nakahighlight ng pula. “Baog ang asawa, kaya hindi mabigay ang pangangailangan ng asawa.” Sa gabing yun, ang asawa niya, si Lucian Northwood, ay hinuli siya sa stairwell. Ang boses nito ay mababa habang sinabi sa kanya, “Papatunayan ko sayo na hindi ako baog…”

The day Calista Everhart gets divorced, her divorce papers end up splashed online, becoming hot news in seconds. The reason for divorce was highlighted in red: "Husband impotent, leading to an inability to fulfill wife's essential needs." That very night, her husband, Lucian Northwood, apprehends her in the stairwell. He voice was low as he told her, "Let me prove that I'm not at all impotent …"

Nate caught her hand as she turned away. “Say yes, Dahlia.” She didn’t look at him. “To what this time?” His smile was slow, dangerous. “To letting me eat you tonight” Her breath stilled. “You don’t take hints, do you?” “Only the ones that sound like maybe.” His thumb traced her palm, his voice low enough to make her heartbeat trip. She pulled back, just barely. “Goodnight, Nate.” He grinned, unbothered. “Night, wife. I’ll ask again tomorrow.” *********** When ruthless CEO Dahlia Reyes discovers her boyfriend and her best friend in bed together-and plotting to steal her inheritance—she does the most un-Dahlia thing imaginable. She drinks too much and wakes up married to a sex worker. Her “husband,” Nate, is charming, infuriating, and far too comfortable calling her wife. Dahlia’s ready to annul the whole disaster-until she learns she legally can’t for a year. Desperate to save face (and maybe twist fate in her favor), Dahlia decides to use the fake marriage to her advantage. What she doesn’t know is that Nate isn’t the broke drifter and he's watching her with equal parts amusement and admiration. Now, between public appearances, the plotting of the evil people ready to ruin their lives, staged affection, and the slow burn of something too real to fake, Dahlia’s carefully built walls begin to crack. And Nate? He’s determined to make sure she falls-for him, for real, and hard. A story of betrayal, accidental vows, and the slow, intoxicating fall between a woman who doesn’t believe in love and a man who plans to prove her wrong.

In San Francisco, a piece of news occupied the headlines today. "The engagement was made in the early years, and the Smith couple will choose one of the five young masters to be her fiancé!" Everyone was shocked. Soon, the media found the woman"s photo. The woman in the photo was ugly and chubby, wearing outdated clothes. Everyone complained that she was not worthy! However, after the news came out, it was such a slap in the face. The chairman behind the scenes was her! The most popular female singer, Kate, was also her! The mysterious racer was still her! ...... One by one, her disguise was revealed. No one dared to say that she was not worthy of the five sons of the Smith"s. It is them who didn"t deserve her!

My husband was working over the holidays, again. He’d been sent out of town to oversee one of the Family’s dock operations and a string of gambling houses.. I decided to buy a ticket and surprise him. Only business class was left. Staring at the five-figure price, I gritted my teeth and spent a year’s worth of savings. Then I couldn’t even figure out how to pull down the damn tray table. The socialite seated next to me let out a cold laugh. “Never flown business class before?” I forced an awkward smile. “My apologies. You must be… important. You have that aura.” “Oh, me? No. The man who keeps me is important. He’d charter a private jet if I asked. Business class is practically slumming it.” I blinked. “A… keeper? That’s rare.” “Not really. I’m his secretary. I mess up a lot. Cost him a fortune. He yells at me until I cry. And then, well… crying leads to other things.” She winked. “You know how it is.” “Funny,” I said, my voice tight. “My husband has an assistant who helps him manage accounts for the docks. She’s always messing things up too.” “You’re married?” She looked me over, head to toe. “My man has a wife about your age. Says he’s sick of her. That touching her is boring. Says I’m more exciting just brushing my hair out of my face.” She leaned closer. “I told him I wanted to see him for New Year’s. So he told the wife he had to work.” The diamond on her finger caught the light. It was identical to the wedding band I’d lost. My body went cold. No. Matteo was just a low-level enforcer. A foot soldier the Family occasionally trusted with small operations—dock shipments, backroom gambling, nothing more. When did he become a Don?

“Is this what you wanted?” He sneers, eyes cold and unforgiving. It was as if I was looking into the eyes of a stranger. He looks down on me due to his tall stature. “To be the ‘pathetic’ whiny burden you have always been?” I flinch at his words. No, this cannot be, this cannot be happening. This is not my Nate, my Nathaniel. I struggle to maintain my composure. My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, each one a painful reminder of the betrayal that had brought me to this breaking point.  ********* At just five years old, she was abducted and replaced to protect her family’s reputation, as it would have been scandalous for her influential father to have a kidnapped child. Returning home, she felt like a stranger in a place where her parents had long forgotten their love for her. Nate her husband, was her knight in shining armor… or so she thought. Betrayed and left to die by the people she trusted. What happens when life gives her and her unborn child a second chance?

For three years, I’d used my family’s connections to bring the company hundreds of millions in revenue. But at the quarterly meeting, the new intern stood before everyone, displaying my attendance and expense reports, and accused me of “unexcused absences” and “squandering company funds.” “These high-end clubs, these restaurants…” she declared, her voice ringing with self-righteousness. “She spends thousands of dollars every time! These are completely unnecessary expenses.” “I strongly advise the CEO to fire her immediately and save the company’s cash flow.” I glanced at Claude, the CEO. My old classmate. He knew exactly how much revenue each of those meetings generated. He also knew that when I wasn't in the office, I was at some bar, negotiating with investors, sometimes drinking until my stomach turned. But he just stared at me coldly. “Caroline, what’s your explanation for the absences and expenses Lia has presented?” I smiled. “I have nothing to explain.” They would all learn, very soon, the consequences of this little stunt.