More Under The Surface

Kehidupan yang bergelimangan harta, Keluarga yang hangat, Pertemanan yang menyenangkan, Pernikahan yang menjadi impian setiap orang, benar-benar seperti hidup di negeri dongeng. Namun bagaimana jika itu semua adalah hal yang dapat membuatmu mengalami kesedihan berkepanjangan? Kisah ini benar-benar dimulai dengan awal yang manis, lebih dari rasa manis itu sendiri, sampai-sampai membuatnya terasa seperti pemanis buatan. Kalian tahu pemanis buatan kan?, itu dapat terasa sangat manis. Tapi dampak yang dirasakan tak menjamin rasa manis itu sendiri.

My mom decides to implement an income-based rationing system. Everything at home is delegated to everyone based on their income. At a holiday dinner, I decide to grab myself an extra helping of pasta. As soon as I fill up my plate, my mom snatches it from my hands. "Hold on. Just look at the spread on the table. The sea bass is already worth 180 dollars. The scallops are worth 200, whereas the lobster goes for 300 dollars. "You only earn 3,000 dollars per month. If you want a second serving, you must pay up first. I'll charge you based on the family rate. It'll be three dollars, thank you very much." My mom sticks out three fingers while smiling at me.

“I can treat you better than my son, Eve.” —MAGNUS GULLIERMO Akala ni Eveline "Eve" Evazco ay magiging masaya na siya sa piling ni Eros Gulliermo matapos silang ikasal. Ilang taon rin silang naging magkasinatahan hanggang sa maikasal sila, ngunit sa loob lamang ng anim na buwan na pagsasama nila bilang mag-asawa ay doon lang nakita ni Eve ang tunay na ugali ni Eros, ni hindi siya nito tinatabihan sa pagtulog na labis na ikinaiinis ni Eve dahil may pagkakataon na gusto nito makipagséx sa asawa ngunit bigo siya. Hanggang sa biglang umuwi ang ama ni Eros, si Magnus Gulliermo, and father in-law ni Eve na magpaparanas sakaniya ng matagal na niyang gustong maranasan. Mapupuno ng pagnanasa si Eve at Magnus sa isa't isa matapos ang isang gabing pinagsaluhan nila, matatapos kaya iyon sa isang beses lang? o masusundan pa, hanggang sa hindi na nila kayang pigilan ang bugso ng damdamin nila.

Leah, Logan’s adopted sister, threw a tantrum at our first engagement party, an episode of her pup dependency anxiety. But after that night, I gave him an ultimatum: if he couldn’t bond me before I turned thirty, he’d have to choose—me or Leah. Logan believed I’d never walk away. After all, I was bonded by my dying mother’s last wish: to be bonded with the werewolf warrior who’d loved me for ten years. Ten years together. Twelve promises that he’d keep Leah in line. And then came my twenty-ninth birthday—our thirteenth engagement party. Leah locked me in a restroom, stole my gown, and stood beside Logan in my place. She was smiling, glowing, claiming everything that was mine. When I finally stepped out, my gown was tattered. I confronted Logan, but he only said, “Alison, forgive her. I promise, this is the last time.” I looked at the torn gown my mother had sewn through sickness and pain… and I laughed. Logan sighed in relief, thinking I’d let it slide again. But I didn’t. I turned and walked away without a word. After a decade together, he thought I belonged to him. Well, he was wrong. He didn’t know that there was someone else who could give me happiness and fulfill my mother’s wish.

Five years after Alpha Hunter Graham, ruler of Dark Wood Pack lost his mate to the cold hands of death, he was heartbroken, lonely, and lost in a veil of misery hoping to join his dead mate in the afterlife. He didn't want to leave his pack in a vulnerable state so he appointed his stepson Hades to take over the Alpha title Hades Graham, a ruthless, vicious, and cruel wolf, would stop at nothing to seize all the power in the werewolf clan. Out of sheer greediness, to take over the starlight pack he enters into an arranged mating alliance with Amelia Jones whom he loathes with every fiber of his being. He hated the thought of having a mate or even having pups because to him children are a bunch of messy and noisy tramps. But what happens when Amelia Jones finds Alpha Hunter captivating and the center of her fantasies, a desire she can’t control. An attraction that is so real, intriguing, and at the same time scandalous. Would she sacrifice the people she loved, and pursue this strong allure between her and Hades' stepdad? Or stick to the alliance and act like the trophy wife even though she felt nothing for her supposed husband. What happens after a night of passion with Alpha Hunter that left Amelia breathless, wild, insatiated, and alluring?

When Ingrid Stewart, the prettiest woman in the factory, got dragged into an abandoned warehouse by a hooligan named Edmund Holloway, I didn't rush after them with a brick in my hand, unlike my past self in the previous life. Instead, I went to the nearest police station right away. In my previous life, I sustained heavy injuries in order to save Ingrid from Edmund. The Stewarts decided to marry her to me so that they could repay my life debt. After our marriage, I treated Ingrid with utmost sincerity, but all I received in return was her resentment. On the night the rundown apartment we lived in was on fire, I rushed into the inferno to push Ingrid and our son out of danger. In return, a beam crashed down on me. When I raised my head, I saw Ingrid dragging our son toward Edmund. Then, she said to me icily, "This is all your fault, you stupid coward! You're the reason why Edmund and I weren't able to get together for so many years!" Edmund guffawed loudly as well. "Right, I forgot to tell you that your son, whom you've loved for 18 years, is actually my child!" In the end, I kept coughing up blood because I inhaled too much smoke. Just like that, I died a gruesome death in the fire. When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Ingrid gets harassed by Edmund. In this life, I choose to grant Ingrid and Edmund's wish of staying together.

Juliana has everything that money could buy, at hindi kasama doon ang pagmamahal ng isang magulang. Her mother made sure of that the day she married her stepfather, a man twice her age, in exchange for wealth and status. Kaya naman nang mabalitaan niyang nasawi ang mga ito sa isang aksidente, wala siyang naramdaman na kahit ano. Ni isang patak ng luha ay walang tumulo mula sa kanya. She already lost to money the only family she had, kaya hindi na bago sa kanya 'to. For sure, after going through their burial, she would be back at the all-girls boarding school they sent her away to, and everything would stay the same. But just when she thought that nothing would ever change, nalaman niya ang laman ng last will ng kanyang ina. To claim her inheritance, kailangan niyang tumira sa iisang bubong kasama ang kanyang stepbrother, her stepfather’s only child from his first wife, until she turns 21 years old. Ang problema? She just turned nineteen a week ago before their accident! Dalawang taon niyang kailangang magtiis sa poder ng taong pinaka-ayaw niya sa lahat. At ang mas malaking problema? Their state, the mansion where her stepbrother currently resides, is far from the city and the life that she’s used to! It’s in a secluded area in a remote province! What would her life be like from now on? Hindi puwede ‘to! Mamamatay muna siya bago siya tumira kasama ang lalaking ‘yon na masahol pa sa demonyo ang ugali! But between hatred, lies, and the forbidden tension she couldn’t name, matutuklasan ni Juliana na may mga bagay na hindi kanyang diktahan, lalo na ang puso. — THIS BOOK CONTAINS MATURE THEMES, EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT, AND SCENES THAT MAY BE DISTURBING OR TRIGGERING TO SOME READERS.

In the heart of Chicago, the story No More Regrets is a true story based on two best friends, Sade and Isla, whose bond started in kindergarten and grows stronger through all of life’s twists and turns. They’ve been through everything together, from school dances to teenage heartbreaks and even the loss of a mother during high school. Their friendship is unshakable, so they thought. As they get older, life seems to fall into place. Sade marries her charming childhood, sweetheart, and Isla finds love with her steady and supportive partner. Their lives become so intertwined it’s hard to imagine one without the other, but just when everything seems perfect, one Halloween night changes everything. Sade’s world comes crashing down when she discovers a betrayal of the largest magnitude. Her husband and her best friend are they really having an affair? The betrayal cuts deep. Deeper than she ever thought possible, leaving her feeling broken and lost. She struggles to hold herself together, and the pain is overwhelming. When her perfect marriage falls apart, her friendship crumbles, and she’s left wondering if she’ll ever feel whole again. At her lowest point, Sade allows someone unexpectedly to begin breaking down her walls of dispare. He doesn’t try to fix her or make grand promises. Instead, he gives her the space to find her own strength and reminds her of who she really is.. No More Regrets is a heartfelt story about love, loss, and finding yourself after everything falls apart. It’s about realizing ones worth and picking up the broken pieces life gives you by proving to yourself that no matter how broken you feel, you can always come back stronger.

My son is dead. He dies in a cramped toilet cubicle after having his skull smashed in. My husband, the school principal, arrives on the scene. The first thing he does is carry his true love's son, the one who killed my son, into an ambulance. They hurriedly leave. Before his death, my son tells me, "Don't cry, Mom. I'm not sad that Dad doesn't believe me. It's enough that you do…" I call Joshua Tucker during my son's funeral. He roars angrily, "Kenny had to get two stitches on his arm because of your son! If you keep pestering me like this, I'll beat him up when I get home!" My son? I look at the gaping hole in my son's head, the one that won't ever bleed anymore. I shut my eyes. Yes, he's my son. My son is dead, Joshua. From now on, there's nothing between us.

“I'm so sorry, Leo,” I rasped, my voice barely a whisper. Tears of guilt and self-blame streamed down my cheeks as I stood before him, eyes cast downward. Despite the fact that I was his prisoner and he was my warden, I couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening to him. I told him, “It's my fault. I shouldn't have let you go-” “Damn it, Alessandra. I don't want your apology,” Leonardo snapped, lifting my chin with a firm finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. His voice was hard as steel as he continued, “I want you to write a fucking essay about how much you think about me. How you crave my touch. I want to hear you say you love me, because I swear it in this life, mia principessa, there won't be anyone else but me.” ----------------------------------------------------- When Alessandra Scavelli is forced into marrying Leonardo De Castello, her childhood sweetheart turned feared mafia kingpin, her world is thrown into chaos. Leonardo, still madly in love with her, sees this as a chance to reclaim their lost romance. Alessandra, however, is torn by a secret mission handed to her by her family: infiltrate Leonardo's syndicate and bring it down from within. As she delves into Leonardo's dangerous world, Alessandra finds herself conflicted between her family’s demands and the undeniable pull of her own heart. The once clear lines between loyalty and love blur, and she must navigate a treacherous path where betrayal lurks at every corner. Will Alessandra follow through with her family's plan, or will she surrender to the passion that threatens to consume her?