No Better Than Strangers

Every one thinks her life is perfect but inside her, she knows it's far from even good or she should say that it's more like a luxurious hell. She has everything that makes life fancy but no meaning. She never receives love from her own home Her heart is totally empty until her secret prayer came to life. That one night when she asks her mom who passed away long time ago, after giving birth to her for something she never thought possible. "I know it's impossible for me to be with you and I don't know kung hanggang kailan ko kayang mag-isa... well you could at least send me an angel." nakangusong wika niya sa kawalan habang nakatingin sa nakangiting larawan ng kanyang ina. Nasa ganoon siyang tagpo nang may biglang kumatok. Who could possibly that be?

As New Year's Day approaches, a new hire who has only been with the company for six months, who is a mama's girl, calls the police and tries to have me arrested. She suspects our company is some kind of a scam. But the truth is, the company exceeded its performance targets this year. That is why I prepared a million-dollar year-end bonus, a ten-day premium trip to Graceland, and equity grants for my employees. Yet, she waves around a video her mother sends her, claiming that high-paying jobs like the one I offered are all traps. Not only that, she slanders my company all over the internet. Netizens become outraged and call me a scammer disguised as an entrepreneur. Having become the target of public criticism, I simply issue a notice, saying, "The company will immediately begin transfer procedures, and all perks are canceled." As soon as the announcement comes out, my employees, who have just taken out loans to buy homes and just gotten their visas for the trip, are completely stunned.

Eu entrei no livro e virei a bela figurante sem importância. E o meu irmão é o único homem normal da história, porque o papel dele é o de primeiro amor frio, abstinente e inalcançável que a protagonista jamais consegue conquistar. Quando a protagonista chora e se declara para ele, ele está estudando. Quando a protagonista quer se entregar de corpo e alma, ele está empreendendo. Enquanto a protagonista se perde entre vários homens, ele já se tornou um magnata, com renda anual nas centenas de bilhões. Eu achava que ele viveria uma vida inteira de pureza e autocontrole. Até que, certa noite, vi ele segurando uma peça da minha roupa nas mãos, murmurando o meu nome em voz baixa...

One divorce. One hundred dollars. One hell of a mistake. Katherine West had it all, until her husband, George, dropped a bomb on their five-year anniversary: He’s gay, he’s in love, and she’s evicted. Left with a frozen bank account and a shattered heart, Katherine decides to go out with a bang. She spends her last hundred dollars on the most dangerous-looking man at The Gilded Lily, hoping for one night of friction to erase five years of lies. It worked. It was the best mistake of her life. Until the next morning, when a court order forces Katherine and George to live together for ninety days of marriage counseling. George has lost his fortune and moved them into his mysterious new lover’s penthouse to save face. The door opens, and Katherine meets her new landlord: Killian McLeroy. The man she hired last night. The man her husband calls the love of his life." Now, Katherine is trapped in a house of glass with the man who knows her body, the man who stole her husband, and a secret that could burn all of Manhattan down. Ninety days. Two enemies. One bed. Let the games begin.

Ariana Torrey has been Brian Lodge's simp for three years. She casts aside her dignity and principles for him. But to Brian, she's only a plan B or even a zero. She's someone he can cast aside at a moment's notice. The whole of Gleaston knows Evelyn Granger is the one Brian loves. Ariana is nothing but a cheap substitute. On the day of their wedding, Ariana is abducted and tormented for three days and nights. However, Brian refuses to pay the ransom, even marrying Evelyn at a wedding that's supposed to be his and another woman's. Only then does Ariana wake up to reality. When she's reborn on the day of her engagement to Brian, she experiences him leaving her behind to go to Evelyn, who's threatened suicide. Everyone waits to see Ariana make a fool of herself. To their dismay, she doesn't shed a tear or kick up a fuss. Instead, she calls off the engagement, claiming that Brian, the CEO of Lodge Co., can't get it up. The news of this spreads like wildfire, stunning everyone. Meanwhile, Brian turns and pins her to the wall. "Is it fun playing hard to get, Ariana?" "Has anyone ever told you you're full of it, Mr. Lodge?"

***Warning: Mature Audience Only*** No Safe Word is a sinful collection of short stories where control is the ultimate game, and surrender is inevitable. From ruthless CEOs to dangerous strangers and forbidden rivals, every short stories teases the edge of pleasure. Each story pulses with obsession, domination and a passion that burns through every rule… just when you think you’ve had enough, it pulls you deeper into a world where there is no safe word. Dare to play? There’s no turning back once you say yes.

“If you leave here now, consider this marriage over!” “Anna.” Davy gasped, his eyes searching mine, but I folded my arms, my resolve unwavering. “You don’t mean this. Look, I will only spend a day, and I will be back to you.” “If you walk out that door, you might as well call a lawyer, because the next time you see me will be in court.” I repeated slowly, firmly, staring straight into his eyes so he knew I wasn’t bluffing. “It’s your choice.” The air between us was thick, almost suffocating and I held my breath, waiting for him to choose. But I should have known this was Davy. There was no hesitation in his eyes as he turned his back on me and walked away. *** There was one thing Anna Sinclair hated more than the color yellow: her husband’s profession. And there was one thing Davy Hale Walton loved more than his wife: that same profession. But how will they coexist?

Grace White, a weak werewolf with cowardly alpha blood that runs through her veins, is an obedient daughter that strives to stay out of her father’s way and pay her stepmom's hospital fees. Though living with an abusive father, Gracey always finds the time to stop and appreciate life and the joy of being alive. However, when her stepmom’s hospital fees begin to triple, her stresses begin to consume every ounce of joy she has left. Being a girl who lives a life grounded on morals, the thought of selling herself as a house maiden/servant, as her father suggested, to earn enough money, sounds absurd at first. Yet when there seems to be no other option, and her mom’s life hangs in the balance, she decides to sell herself in the largest and most esteemed auction that El Salvador hoists every year. Her mixed feelings towards the auction become subdued, as the moon Goddess gifts her the person she has always dreamt of having. But will he accept her, or hurt her much more than life itself? …but whatever he chooses to do, he needs to remember that: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

Ava Kane is seventeen, unshifted, and unwanted. In a pack, failing to shift at seventeen brands you as weak—a disgrace. To her guardian pack, Ava is a stain, disposable and easily forgotten. Terrified of being cast out, she accepts a reckless dare from one of the pack’s strongest among her peers, desperate to prove she isn’t worthless. The dare changes everything, putting her on the path to an encounter that will change the entire trajectory of her life. Nathan Cross is the Alpha of Crescent Ridge—powerful, feared, and under relentless pressure to claim a Luna. One night of escape from his responsibilities as Alpha leads him straight into the path of a trembling girl with no wolf... and a scent that shakes his instincts to the core. She has no wolf within her, which should make her either too young or defective. Yet his wolf has decided on her. As Ava’s 18th birthday draws near and long-buried secrets about her past come to light, she begins to realize she may be more than anyone ever believed—including herself. When the balance between the packs begin to fall apart with her right in the center, being chosen by an Alpha wolf may not be enough to keep her safe.

My best friend has always been stingy to the bone, so the moment she volunteers to buy a bottle of water for the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family, who collapsed from heatstroke, I know she has been reborn, too. In my previous life, she and I sat for the college entrance exam together, and when the results were announced, we both got the same high score. Both of us had our eyes on Kingsley University, yet the admissions quota was limited, and neither of us wanted to jeopardize our friendship, so we kept delaying our application. In the blink of an eye, it was the last day to file our applications, and as I was about to start on mine, I stumbled upon the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family, who happened to be suffering from heatstroke. I not only bought him a bottle of water, but I also held an umbrella over him until he came to. By the time he regained consciousness, I had already missed the submission deadline. My best friend submitted hers just in time and got accepted into Kingsley University. Because I never submitted mine, the opportunity to attend university slipped past me. However, the heir apparent was touched by my act of kindness, and he asked for my hand in marriage. In the end, I married him and became a socialite, whereas my best friend, despite getting into Kingsley University, was overwhelmed by the demanding curriculum. Watching me live with more money than I could spend, she was fueled with jealousy until one day, she snapped and stabbed me. The moment I open my eyes again, my best friend and I are back on the day the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family passes out from the heat.