one piece reader

A week after I gave birth via C-section, Mark Whitman invited his friends over to celebrate the birth of our son. The crowd was boisterous—more than a dozen people. Not one of them bothered to remove their dirty shoes. The wooden floor was soon covered in muddy footprints. Mark came into the room and, without a hint of concern, ordered me out of bed. "Everyone's waiting outside. Don't just hide here and rest—you're embarrassing me in front of our guests." I had no choice but to push through the pain, forcing my body to prepare a huge meal for the large crowd, all on my own. When I carried the final bowl of steaming soup to the table, Lily Hoyte—whether intentionally or not—jabbed her hand against the wound on my abdomen. My hand trembled from the sudden pain, and the bowl slipped slightly, spilling the hot soup onto Lily's shoes. Mark's face darkened instantly. "What the heck did you do, Cammy? Lily rushed here right after her plane landed from overseas to see our son, and this is how you treat her?" The crowd quickly chimed in. "Come on, Cammy, no need to be so petty." "Mark and Lily grew up together. If there was really something between them, do you think you'd even be here now?" "Do you even know how much those shoes cost? They're limited edition—easily over ten thousand dollars. And you just ruined them." Lily stood up awkwardly, her eyes misting with tears. "If Cammy doesn't like me," she said softly, "then I'll leave. I don't want to be a bother." But Mark grabbed her hand in an exaggerated display of protection, his voice harsh as he turned to me. "Wipe Lily's shoes clean. Right now." His partiality for Lily made something sharp twist in my chest. My lips quivered as I fought back tears. "The wound on my stomach hasn't healed yet. I can't bend over." At that, his expression grew colder. "Don't use childbirth as an excuse. If you can't bend over, then kneel and wipe them. And if you won't, get out of my house!"

Jewel wants her mother to love her. She grants her request even though it leads her to certain doom. Her world seemed to fall apart when she found out about her mother's dark secret. Her sister is incapable of conceiving. And when Jewel gives birth, they will take the child from her. But this is not the only thing that shocked Jewel. Because the father of her future child is her sister's fiancé.

"Custom demanded that Prince Urban get a love mark tattooed to the side of his left eye as an infant, just like the rest of his people, but to him, the stupid things have only brought on the scorn of his father, the misery of his siblings, and caused his entire kingdom to go broke from fighting so many wars over the irritating ink stains. When Urban’s sister must travel to Donnelly, the kingdom within the sand, for her arranged marriage to align two realms, he goes with her. But he no sooner steps foot inside their castle than his mark starts itching like a son of a bitch, telling him his one true love is near. It just figures, though, that the woman meant for him is completely forbidden. Now he must decide if he should ignore the persistent mark, telling him she's the one, in order to avoid a possible war between kingdoms, or if he should discover whether she's worth risking everything for so they can be together. Either way, his life gets sucked into chaos with threats of beheadings, dark magic lurking, castle traitors scheming, and sword fights eminent. Who knew one little tattoo could cause so much trouble? (ONE TRUE LOVE is the author’s first attempt at a fantasy romance. Please forgive her; she might’ve read an overabundance of Cassandra Gannon, Sarah J. Maas, and Eve Langlais books, then gone off to watch too many episodes of Supernatural, Game of Thrones, and Outlander, because this was the outcome.)"

Si Rica ay isang masayahin, mabait, at mapagmahal na dalaga sa kanyang pamilya hanggang sa isang hindi inaasahang pangyayari ang naganap sa kanyang buhay na nagdulot sa kanya ng kalungkutan at pagkasira. Si Sage, ang kanyang kasintahan, ay tumulong sa kanya na mailigtas ang kanyang sarili at inalok siya ng pansamantalang tirahan sa condo unit nito kasama ang apat na lalaking kaibigan na sila Zian, Wenhan, Ran, at Yruma. Naganap ang pag-iibigan sa loob ng condo unit kung saan sila nakatira. Pagkatapos, isang hindi inaasahang lalaki ang pumasok sa kanyang buhay. Ang isang lalaki ay mag-aalaga sa kanya habang siya ay nasa gitna ng kaguluhan at problema, at ang isa namang lalaki ay bigla na lang lilitaw upang tulungan siyang maiangat ang kanyang sarili. Magkakaroon sila ng malalim na epekto sa kanyang puso, at bibigyan siya ng pag-aaruga at pagmamahal na magpaparamdam sa kanya ng kaligtasan at proteksiyon. Si Rica ay humiling lamang noon ng isang tunay na pag-ibig, ngunit bakit siya ay nagsimulang umibig sa limang lalaki na mas nagbigay ng kalinga at importansiya sa kanya kaysa kay Sage ukol sa tuntunin ng kahalagahan, pagmamahal, at seguridad?

“ Let's break up, Miranda. ” His words were likened to fiery knives, piercing through her already wounded heart. “ No, Joseph…. Please don't say this. I — ” Her words became cut up in her throat, seeing the look in his eyes. For a moment, she couldn't recognize the guy in front of her. Where was her caring and compassionate best friend, who never ceased to dote endlessly on her? “ Okay. ” She said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't miss the relief in his eyes. “ Goodbye, Miranda. ” He stared at her one more time, taking several steps backwards until he was out of her sight. Miranda broke down in tears when he was out of her sight, she found it completely difficult to believe what had just happened. “ When did we get here? ” she wondered as the pain in her heart intensified. …. Miranda and Joseph had been best friends since forever until Joseph fell in love with the Queen Bee. Their relationship deteriorated as a result. Despite how devastated she was by the news, Mira still felt happy for him, until she accidentally found out about the evil scheme the Queen Bee had against him. In the end, she became torn between taking a risk on their friendship by telling him about it, or keeping quiet and watching him get ruined. What will she do? Read this book to find out.

Lily at age fifteen wanted to be so many things, but a werewolf was never part of it. Actually, she never thought of it either, because this story isn't about Lily at fifteen, nor is it about any damn werewolves. This story is about 23-year-old Lily Hills, waking up to the dead body of her one-night stand in a motel. The same man, Damien Kalashnikov, was to tie the knot the next morning, and Lily was slated to handle the magazine publishing the glamorous wedding events. Lily who just wanted an adventurous night for once in her life, was now accused of murdering a ruthless Russian Mafia boss. Just as all hope seems lost, Dimitri, Damien's identical twin brother and infamous "Beekeeper," saves her, he proposes a shocking solution: a contract marriage, with conditions for both parties to meet. The wedding, initially intended for Damien and his bride, will proceed as planned – with Lily as the new bride. As Lily and Dimitri navigate their complicated relationship, he commissions her to write his biography. With each passing day, secrets unfold, and shocking truths surface. Their bond deepens, but danger lurks. With a surprise pregnancy raising stakes, it seemed Damien left a souvenir. A Russian Roulette began. Albeit, a typical Russian will say to you: Когда река молчит, шепчет ли она секреты рыбам? (When the river's voice is silent, does it whisper secrets to the fish?) Even in silence, hidden truths may be shared, and secrets can be revealed in unexpected ways. Will Lily, wife to the Omertà Mafia Don ‘The Beekeeper’ eventually find out what happened that night?

Six years ago, Cynthia left Lucien and divorced him while pregnant with their child. Lucien's words, "If I ever meet you again, you'll know WHAT HELL IS!" hung over her like a curse, lingering in the years like a nightmare. Six years later, an unexpected turn of events throws Cynthia into a thrilling one-night stand. And the man involved turns out to be none other than Lucien, the one who had once cursed her so cruelly! Once again, fate has cruelly bound them together. Lucien looks at Cynthia with eyes full of hatred, but beneath that fury, there seems to be something deeper—emotions too complex for him to even name. Is it love or hate? The line has long since blurred. Cynthia is a bundle of nerves, desperately trying to hide the existence of her child. But with Lucien's probing gaze fixed on her, how long can she keep up the charade? What twists and turns will their story take from here?

Dimas pria sukses diusianya yang terbilang cukup muda. Namun, ketampanan, kepopuleran, pun kekayaan tidak lantas membuatnya merasakan kebahagiaan. Terlebih tuntutan sang ibu yang selalu menjodohkannya dengan putri rekan bisnisnya membuat Dimas semakin tertekan. Lelah dengan semua tekanan membuatnya memilih menenangkan diri beberapa hari di rumah peristirahatan keluarganya, tapi saat akan kembali, Dimas mengalami kecelakaan dan ditolong serta dirawat oleh Andrea karena hilang ingatan. Tinggal dengan Andrea membuat Dimas merasa nyaman dan merasa mengenal Andrea di masa lalu hingga akhirnya ia menyadari siapa Andrea, tapi ia masih menyimpannya untuk sendiri karena Andrea yang ia kenal dulu dan sekarang berbeda. Ada sesuatu yang terjadi hingga Andrea tidak mengenalnya atau memang Andrea tidak menyadari kehadirannya dulu. Entahlah! Kejadian demi kejadian terjadi hingga sesuatu mengharuskan keduanya terikat dalam sebuah pernikahan dan seiring berjalannya waktu cinta tumbuh di antara mereka. Namun, semua tidak berjalan semudah yang mereka harapkan. Perpisahan keduanya harus terjadi karena Andrea dijemput paksa oleh sang kakak sebelum Dimas bisa mencegahnya. Bisakah Dimas menemukan dan membawa Andrea kembali padanya? Atau justru harus menerima keinginan ibunya untuk menikah dengan wanita pilihan ibunya tersebut? Saat keadaan tidak mendukung, jarak dan waktu memisahkan, bisakah Dimas dan Andrea mempertahankan ikatan di antara mereka? Sementara banyak orang yang menginginkan keduanya berpisah.

Si Kassandra Celestine Gomez o mas kilala bilang Cassie ay isang dalagang puno ng pangarap. Hindi man nila natitikman ang karangyaan ng buhay, busog na busog naman siya sa pagmamahal at magandang asal na itinuturo palagi sa kaniya ng kaniyang mga magulang. Walang ibang ginawa si Andra kundi ang mag-aral at magtrabaho upang makatulong sa kaniyang pamilya. Hanggang sa dumating ang araw na ha hindi inaasahan ni Cassie na magbabago sa buhay niya. Nakilala niya ang masungit na engineering student na si Jeremiah Nite Sanchez. Sa unang pagkakataon ay naranasan niyang umibig. Tila kampi pa sa kaniya ang tadhana at hinayaan nitong maranasan kung paano mahalin ng kaniyang minamahal. Ang kanilang mga araw ay napupuno ng mga bahaghari at mga paro-paru ngunit lahat ng ito’y natuldukan dahil sa isang pagkakamali. Ano nga ba ang sukatan ng totoong pagmahahal? Ano ang gagawin kung hindi pa nga nag-uumpisa ang laban ay talo ka na? Paano mo masasabing siya’y mahal mo talaga? Itatama pa ba o tama na?

Love is an overrated word, and just like a spell that brainwashes our system, people are bound to search for their true love -- but not in Marion’s case. Her adoptive family, together with her biological father, wants her to have a child of her own. And when the dazzling one hundred billion pesos inheritance is on the line, she will trample her beliefs and desperately search for a man that will give her outstanding genes for her ‘one hundred billion pesos baby.’