Once A Year

Aria Lin was once the perfect socialite... Obedient, elegant and married to the city's most powerful CEO. But on the night of their 5th year anniversary, he made her signed over her company to him and then killed her. But fate? It gave her a second chance at life and she had decided to make him pay for every single betrayal. Right at the moment of his grand proposal, Aria did the unthinkable. She walked right up to her brooding assistant and kissed him right on the lips. Cameras flashed and the crowd gasps, but Aria? Didn't mind them at all. This right here? Was her statement. And her quest for freedom and revenge has begun with an impromptu kiss and a contract. Or has it? When her supposedly brooding assistant turned husband ended up being more possessive than her ex?.

(Cont. Of The CEO and a High-Schooler) Isabella Garcia signs a five year agreement with Alexander Martinez, CEO of Sky land corporation. During her academy life, she had a hard time surveying since business school wasn't lenient on her. After graduating from university, Isabella sees how the world really works when she tries to open a restaurant business. After encountering many battles, she opens and runs the restaurant successfully, but it was never a bed of roses for her. Her fate plays well with her. Her father returns, Alexander's grandfather sets him up with a blind date, Noah Johnson avoids talking to Isabella, her friends turning back on her. Once again, she was left all alone. Who's going to stand beside her this time?

I never imagined my life would take this turn. Fresh out of high school, I thought college was my next step—until my parents' gambling debts destroyed my savings, leaving me stranded in a gap year I never planned. Now, I spend my days checking in high-profile guests at an elite country club in San Antonio, trying to rebuild my future dollar by dollar. Then he walked in. Pierce White—a man nearly three times my age, newly divorced, dangerous in the way only experience can be. He was supposed to be just another wealthy member, another name in the system. But the way he looked at me, the raw heat in his gaze, ignited something I never expected. And once we cross the line...there's no going back.

*Mature Content* Once a year, he holds the greatest party known to man. He impresses the poor with his wealth and prosperity. He dangles tickets in front of the faces of poverty, making them wish that one day they could get invited. One day, I do. What I don't know, is that he is watching. The Alpha of Desire watches from afar, and for the next few years, he keeps inviting me back. And I keep coming back. My goal is to unmask the man who watches me in secret, who provides me with lavish favours I could never afford. Who treats me well, but for what reason? I will follow his string of deception until I get my answer. Until I find out who the Alpha of Desire really is.

I’d thought Christmas would end on a sad note. December 25th, which started with my husband’s fraud discovery, caught him with our supposed maid in the afternoon… I wasn’t expecting anything for the evening. “Take me anywhere. Somewhere loud, mad, anything just anywhere from these disgusting humans.” The driver really took my request seriously. He took me away from humans to the dangerous and lustful world of the shape-shifters. I’d doubted, thinking the fangs were for Halloween until THEY appeared. They offered me what my husband and I make in a year for a night. I thought I was painting December Detty for just one night by accetping thier offer. But they said no. "We're the Alphas of the Dynera pack, a woman once ours, is forever ours"

At the year-end company meeting, I was announcing the bonuses when a new employee suddenly raised her hand. "Over at the other company, they handed out two boxes of imported cherries at their annual party," she said, shaking her phone. "And we only get performance bonuses?" The video, maliciously edited, went viral online and hit the trending list the very next day. I had the finance department cancel all the year-end bonus transfers. "If cherries are what really count as a gesture of goodwill," I said, "then this year's year-end benefit will be cherries—fifty boxes per person." When they saw the mountain of cherries piling up before them, the employees who had once joined in mocking me panicked instantly. One by one, they cried and apologized, begging me to reconsider.

Year 992 - twenty years after the infamous Shadow Rune Wolf Pack had mysteriously perished, the vampires and werewolf clans continue with their lifelong feud, making the werewolf kingdom of Talandor one of the most dangerous places to live. Destined to be the next-in-line queen with her impeding engagement to the prince of Talandor, Lady Dahlia Hurst wanted to experience freedom and true love – two feats that seemed always out of her grasp. What will happen once she meets her real mate in the persona of the mysterious Tristan Dmitri Abell? Will they be able to overcome odds after she discovers that he plans to use her solely for his revenge, or will they find true love despite the dark histories of their pasts and the dangers of their present? Penned by: Ellie Love. IG: ellielove12. FB: Jan Camille Tongco (Author Ellie Love).

Every Christmas Eve, the heir of the Marco mafia family—Adrian Marco, must follow the family tradition: Draw a name to decide whether he’s allowed to marry me. Because I, Irene Cast, am not mafia-born. Unless he draws the slip with my name on it, he can’t take me as his wife. For four years, Adrian has drawn four times. And not once did he draw my name. I always thought he fought with his family because of me— that he was willing to risk losing his position as the Don, just to choose me. Every time he failed, he held me so tightly and whispered, “It’s okay. There’s always next year.” And I loved him so much it hurt. Hurt enough that I was willing to wait, year after year. This year, I told myself: If he still doesn’t draw my name… I’ll secretly switch the result. I sneaked to the door of Adrian’s study, and heard his younger brother ask: “Don… every year you do draw Irene's name. Why do you pretend you didn’t? Is it because you still can’t let Sera go?” But he simply said, in a flat voice, “Sera needs me for something urgent. Do what you always do: swap Irene’s name for a blank one.” He walked out without looking back. Instead of swapping, he tossed the blank slip into the trash, left the one with my name on the table, and hurried after Adrian. I went inside, picked up the blank slip from the trash, and replaced the one with my name. Watching my own name fall into the garbage. Adrian…I don’t want to wait and marry you anymore. I’ll grant you your choice.

The WHITES and the BLACKS are both races of VAMPIRES who have been fierce rivals for a long time, starting from the year Seven Hundred and Two (702). The white vampires are considered the good-hearted ones, whereas the black vampires are their complete opposites. The traitorous, greedy, and heartless, even to their kind. When the Thirteenth Prince of the black vampires was born, the whites were alerted because the oracle had foretold that their race would come to an end once that black vampire was born. However, they failed to prevent the birth brought forth by the Queen of the black vampires. As the youngest son of the black vampire's supreme grew, he became even more powerful, prompting the whites to take action to get ahead of the blacks’ planned extermination of them. They did not expect that they would be able to bring down the Prince of the blacks using a chemical that would put him into a long slumber. The whites found hope when the oracle revealed that a child would be born from their lineage who would ultimately defeat the Prince of the blacks. But unknown to them, there were still vampires from the black bloodline who were determined to awaken their long-dormant race once more. "Wait for the rise of the blacks, who will finally bring an end to your race." –a man dressed in black

I had once been the woman Theo Bennett would have risked his life to marry. For six years after our wedding, he treated me like his entire world. He even had a matching tattoo carved into his lower abdomen, identical to mine, as proof of his devotion. But in the seventh year, he coldly demanded that I make a full-body model for his kept woman. "Catherine," he said, his voice sharp with contempt, "this is the price you pay for lying to me about being my savior. You know my tastes better than anyone. Make sure you replicate Hannah's body temperature. She's pregnant. I don't want to hurt her." Hannah Moore lay limp in Theo's arms, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. "How pathetic, Catherine," she mocked. "I'm pregnant, so I can't be with Theo. And yet he'd rather order a model of me than lay a finger on you. Once this one wears out, I guess I'll have to trouble you to make a few more copies of me." Only then did I understand. Theo had mistaken Hannah for the woman who once saved his life. I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I didn't argue. I simply turned around and dialed Sebastian's number. "Sebastian," I said calmly, "Theo is having an affair. I want a divorce."