No Time For Romance

On the day of my wedding to James Jonas, his best friend, Mia Rodriguez, appeared in front of me, pregnant. She cried with tears in her eyes, “Ames, you have everything. Please, just give James to me. I’m having… his baby…” I ripped off my veil and threw it on the floor. Turning around, I saw James' panicked eyes. Perhaps he remembered our contract: If anything goes wrong with this wedding, his fortune will be mine.

Simpleng babae na may mataas na ambisyon, ang makapagtapos ng pag-aaral at maiahon ang sarili sa kahirapan. Para kay Charline Jaya, edukasyon ang maghahatid sa kan'ya sa tagumpay upang magkaroon ng magandang kinabukasan. Subalit napilitan s'yang magbenta ng katawan upang magkaroon ng pangtustos sa pag-aaral. Alexander Vergara, isang gwapong bilyonaryo na kilala sa pagiging playboy. Paano magiging malalim ang kaugnayan nila sa isa't isa? At bakit ba tila pinaglalaruan sila ng tadhana? Dahil makalipas ang ilang taon ay muli silang pinagtagpo. Ngunit sa maling panahon at pagkakataon. Kung kelan handa nang talikuran ni Charline ang kahapon at yakapin ang bukas na kapiling ang lalakeng nagmahal at tinanggap ang buo n'yang pagkatao.

It was almost New Year. I had just withdrawn money from the bank when I noticed that the amount on my passbook didn't match the cash in my hand. I counted carefully—my passbook showed a different figure than the five thousand dollars I was holding. Frustrated, I turned and went back to the counter to find the teller who had handled my transaction. Clutching the receipt, I tried to be polite. "Excuse me, I think there might be a mistake with this transaction." Instantly, she snapped, pointing her finger at my nose. "Don't you know that once you leave the counter, we are not responsible for any discrepancies?" I waved my hands, trying to explain. "No, wait, look again. I clearly withdrew five thousand dollars, but on my passbook, it shows…" She cut me off impatiently. "When you filled out the form, it was all right there. Once you leave the counter, it's not our problem. You signed the form yourself, confirming everything. Are we supposed to correct it every time someone claims a mistake after leaving the bank?" I froze. No wonder she kept repeating that the bank isn't responsible after leaving the counter. She thought I had come back to ask for more money. What I was really trying to explain was simple: I withdrew five thousand, yet my passbook showed that I deposited five thousand.

It was this desire for revenge that made a man named Sebastian Earl Sanders obsessed with Renata Cassaundra Wiratama. He tries to approach Renata solely to carry out his revenge. But uncontrollably, Sebastian began to obsess over this cheerful girl. He always wanted to be with Renata. And at the same time, he couldn't control his desire to be around her. Will Bastian be able to carry out his action to take revenge on the Wiratama family?

I had moved out of our house, but my boyfriend—the one I had given up everything to run away with—had no idea. Neither did his possessive younger brother, the one who used to knock on my door calling for me. My boyfriend's first love had taken up all their attention. They no longer listened when I played the piano. They even forgot about my cat fur allergy and brought that woman's cat home. My boyfriend, Ian Blake, had snapped, "If anyone's leaving, it's you. There's no way Eva's cat is going anywhere." His brother, Sebastian, had said, "Sienna, Eva is my girlfriend. How could I give up her cat for you?" When I woke up in the hospital after going into anaphylactic shock from my allergy, I decided to leave them. Back home, I made my first call to my mother. "Mom, I'm ready to accept the arranged marriage."

On my birthday, I personally prepare 16 dishes. After setting up the candlelight, I open a bottle of red wine. I take a photo and send it to my husband, Eric Sinclair. "I'm working late tonight. Don't wait for me," he replies. I choose to believe him. But after midnight, I notice an Instagram story posted by Shirley Huxley, his secretary. Eric was there with her, dressed in the trench coat I once gave him. They sat side by side in the VIP seat of football stadium where my favorite Super Bowl take place. Entwined in a passionate embrace, they kissed beneath a sea of shimmering lights and the roar of thousands of fans. That game is the one I have always longed to experience with him. I look down at the cold food on the table. Eric's words keep ringing in my head. "I hate kissing." "Marriage is a partnership, not about love and kisses." Though we've been married for ten years, we've never shared a single kiss. Meanwhile, he's out there, kissing Shirley openly and passionately. Despite it all, not a single tear falls from my eyes. The next day, Eric settles into his chair, completely unfazed. "Return the gallery to Shelly," he commands. I nod quietly, saying nothing. Suddenly, Layla Sinclair, my daughter, comes running down the stairs and throws herself into Shirley's arms. "Aunt Shirley, you're my favorite. I don't like Mom!" In that instant, it hits me—the home I devoted my heart and soul to means nothing anymore. It doesn't matter that I've been married to Eric for a decade. Now, all I want is to find myself again. I decide to accept an invitation from the Parisoir School of Fashion Design. From this moment on, I won't wait for them to come home, and I won't look back.

I've been married to Salvatore Falcone for seven years. He's a mafia Don who drills raw terror into everyone's minds. While I'm the Donna whom he has announced to the world, in truth, I'm just a mistress who serves as his human shield that can warm his bed on the side. Salvatore has betrayed me countless times over the past seven years. The first betrayal occurred when he took my ring off on our first wedding anniversary and gave it to one of the escorts in the clubhouse on a whim. The second betrayal occurred when I collapsed in the kitchen out of exhaustion. Instead of saving me, Salvatore blamed me for not preparing the hangover tonic for him in time, so he had someone dump iced water onto me to wake me up. The third betrayal occurred when I suffered from massive bleeding when I was five months pregnant. When I begged Salvatore to go to the hospital with me, he told me that he was keeping Valentina Caruso, his childhood sweetheart, company while her cat was getting fixed. For 2500 days, I swallowed all of my grievances, agony, and tears. Last night, at the banquet of our seventh wedding anniversary, Salvatore had taken Valentina's hand and sat her down on the Donna's throne that was meant to be mine. At that moment, everyone looked forward to seeing me humiliate myself. This was the 101st time he betrayed me. After the banquet was over, Salvatore didn't even bother looking me in the eye. He just said icily, "Don't forget that you're only a mistress to me despite our marriage." At the crack of dawn, Salvatore wakes up with a hangover. He tosses his soiled shirt at me out of habit. "Wash this shirt immediately. I'm going to wear it tonight." As I gaze at him, I caress my belly, which is slightly swollen. "Sorry, Mr. Falcone. This is no longer my duty." Salvatore most likely has forgotten that we've signed a contract when we first got married. The clause states that we will get divorced seven years later. Today is the third day before our contract comes to an end. I toss the marriage certificate and the pregnancy report into the shredder on the spot. In three days, my unborn baby and I will disappear from Salvatore's world permanently. This time, I will never look back.

THIS TIME SERIES : BOOK 1 It was then she knew a bullet pierced her heart. When she looked, it was Francis; the one who killed her was the man of her dreams. Kianna, who came back to time for some reason, decided to never give her love to anyone this time. Especially him-- but fate seems to be playing her life. Why did he suddenly give motives to Kianna? Will she ever forget him and give him what he deserves?

Five years ago, Sera Blackwood walked away from the only man she ever loved—and the pack that wanted her dead. Now she's back in Crimson Hollow, and Dante Silverclaw, the alpha who let her go, isn't the same broken wolf she left behind. He's harder. Colder. And he has exactly thirty days to find a mate before the pack council forces him to marry someone else. Someone who isn't his true mate. When a series of brutal murders rocks the supernatural community, Sera finds herself working alongside the man who still owns her heart. But the killer isn't just targeting random victims—they're hunting wolves who know the truth about why Sera really ran. As the blood moon rises, Sera must choose between protecting the secret that could destroy Dante's pack or claiming the second chance at love that might cost them both their lives.

After witnessing a gangland murder, Jasmine is given an ultimatum. To die for being a witness… or to work undercover for Adrian Romano, by retrieving a chip with top secret data hidden on it from a high-profile criminal. Adrian Romano is the definition of everything that Jasmine should be avoiding. He’s intimidating, he’s mystifying… And he’s the Capo of the Italian Mafia.