Pinkie Pie Scared

Nathania Smith.. Itu nama ku.. Thania, orang orang biasa memanggilku.. Seumur hidupku, tak pernah terbersit di kepalaku bahwa kakak kandungku sendiri akan mengkhianati ku.. Wajah inocent nya, seolah aku adalah seorang adik yang jahat. Hingga dia yang selalu dianakemaskan, akhirnya mendapatkan karmanyaa...

Karena perjanjian di masa lalu, Alea terpaksa menerima perjodohan yang dirancang oleh ayahnya. Namun ia sama sekali tak menduga jika lelaki yang harus dinikahinya itu adalah gurunya sendiri.  Pak Jonathan memang guru paling tampan di SMA Merah Putih. Tapi dia terkenal galak, bahkan Alea sendiri memberinya julukan “Simba”, karena lelaki itu sering kali menegurnya tanpa alasan. Bagaimana jika siswi se tengil Alea dipaksa untuk menikahi guru segalak Pak Jonathan? Bagaimana jika salah satu dari mereka akhirnya jatuh cinta?

After ten years away from his family, Marc Fairmonth returned home. But his homecoming was the beginning of his disaster. Ten years was enough to transform the spoiled little girl he once loved into a beautiful teenager. Cassandra Armeta has never forgotten the figure of Uncle Marc in her life. She always looked forward to Marc's return. For her, Marc was the first love of her life. A forbidden love story that never should have happened. Could their love be united?

"Setiap kali kamu bilang 'tidak', tubuhmu justru bergetar bilang 'iya'. Jangan bohongi aku, Renxia. Aku bisa rasakan detaknya di kulitmu …" Renxia menggigit bibir bawahnya, suaranya gemetar campuran marah dan terhanyut oleh hembusan napas Andre di telinganya. "Aku … aku nggak boleh … ini salah, Andre … tapi kenapa … kenapa sentuhanmu selalu bikin aku lemah …" Renxia merasakan sentuhan jemari itu di sepanjang lengannya, napas panas lelaki muda itu seakan membakar telinganya. Renxia tidak pernah bermimpi menikah dengan seorang dosen terhormat sekaligus pria dewasa yang terlalu sempurna dan … terlalu sibuk. Pernikahan mereka adalah hasil perjodohan yang dijalani dengan dingin, tanpa gairah, dan tanpa sentuhan. Tapi semua berubah ketika Andre masuk dalam kehidupan rumah tangga mereka. Andre, adik ipar Renxia yang muda, liar, dan tak tahu sopan santun. Lelaki itu masuk ke rumah mereka seperti badai, menantang batas, dan menyentuh luka-luka dalam jiwa Renxia yang bahkan tak pernah diakui keberadaannya. Satu tatapan. Satu sentuhan. Satu kalimat sarkastik dari mulut Andre cukup untuk mengacak-acak seluruh pertahanan Renxia. Saat kesepian makin tajam dan suaminya terus menghilang tanpa kabar, Renxia terjebak dalam permainan berbahaya antara menjadi istri yang setia … atau wanita yang jatuh ke dalam pelukan dosa.

Celia Johnson, my boss's sister-in-law, joined the company as the finance director and announced that all reimbursements must strictly follow the standards. I spent an entire week running around for the company and finally closed a five-hundred-thousand-dollar deal. Because the client had used two extra packs of paper towels, the per-person amount for their meal ended up eight dollars over the limit. Celia folded her arms, glanced at the reimbursement form on my desk, and sneered. "Five hundred and eight dollars?" "Yes. Last night at The Peak Restaurant, where we closed Richard's deal. Zack was there too," I explained patiently. "Eight dollars over the per-person limit. Not reimbursable," Celia said coldly. I tried to reason with her. "This was a special case. The client is high-level, and the deal amount is large, and Zack personally said it would be fully reimbursed last night." She returned the reimbursement form to me. "I don't care who said that. Don't think closing a five-hundred-thousand-dollar contract lets you ignore company rules. Reimbursements must all follow policies. Everyone will follow them to the letter." I took a deep breath. I knew arguing with her head-on would get me nowhere, so I called Zack directly. Zack said, "I did say it would be reimbursed, but I never said company rules could be ignored. It's just five hundred. And you still get commission from closing the deal. You young people need to have perspective." I stopped arguing. I turned around and refused the delivery containing the hard copy of the five-hundred-thousand-dollar cooperation contract, smiling as I explained, "Company rules say all cash on delivery packages must be refused. "Also, today is my last day here. Starting tomorrow, I work for Richard's company. As the client, I will be setting the rules this time."

This is the story of how Kyliena struggles to get over her messy breakup with ex-player Blake, which left her heart shattered and fearful of love. Or maybe it's the story of how Kyliena and a strange wolf-like dog come together through a midnight bike accident, forgotten truths, dirty small-town secrets, pumpkin pie, and when mythical beings turn out to not be all so mythical after all. And did I mention pie? Go grab a slice and sink your eyes into this story, it's going to be a long ride.

After half a month of nonstop overtime, I secured a contract worth over ten million, pulling the company back from the brink of collapse. My boss, Richard Gray, was overjoyed. At the celebration party, he called me the pillar of the company and announced that he would reward me with a bonus. However, when the end of the month came, and I opened my payslip, I froze. Negative 250 dollars. A negative commission? I actually owed the company 250 dollars? I immediately called the finance department, asking if there was a mistake on my payslip. They replied, "No mistake. This is the cost calculation formula that Mr. Gray personally instructed us to use. He said you'd understand once you saw it." I went straight to Richard for an explanation. He laughed. "The contract that you signed, after factoring in the concessions, upfront resources, and hidden expenses, left the company with a net loss of 150 thousand. Since the loss was due to your personal decisions, you're responsible for five percent. That totals to 7500. "Considering how hard you worked, we deducted it from your base salary first. But your salary wasn't enough, so you still owe the company 250. Don't worry. The company treats its employees well. We'll write that off." Soon after, he awarded 100 thousand dollars to the newly arrived intern. I watched the newcomer, probably connected to Richard, cheerfully treat the entire company to dinner with her bonus, and something inside me just snapped. From that day onward, I did the bare minimum. I clocked in. I clocked out. Nothing more. Later, when a critical project went catastrophically wrong and the company faced a colossal compensation demand, Richard came begging me to fix it. I just smiled and said, "Sorry, Mr. Gray. I've already resigned. If there are any problems, you can ask the intern who got the 100 thousand dollar bonus to handle it."

Our Black Friday sales broke ten million. I allocated a budget of $100,000 and told my deputy to organize a celebration dinner for the team. However, after the party ended, everyone in the team looked at me in disdain. I only realized the reason when I heard their complaints in the break room one day. “Ms. Heaton is such a cheapskate. We made ten million in sales, and she treated us with a $3.99 budget takeout for the celebration.” “Seriously, I heard from Ms. Reiser that Ms. Heaton kept the money for herself! She just didn’t want to spend it on us.” My assistant even showed me a post circulating online, accusing me of exploiting employees and lining my own pockets. I summoned my deputy manager, Casey Reiser, to my office. She fell to her knees in tears and confessed everything. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Heaton! My daughter needed emergency heart surgery. In a moment of weakness, I misused the funds!” However, I had clearly seen her daughter sign up for a dance class just yesterday! Since everyone was so quick to judge without knowing the truth, I would retract the team’s monthly budget of one million then!

Zoey is hardly what you’d consider princess material. Born in flyover country, she never learned how to curtsy, let alone walk in high heels. And when she literally trips into the arms of a handsome stranger at her friend’s wedding, she thinks she’s finally found love. Freddie Prescott is a charming prankster. Despite his carefree attitude, he pursues Zoey with an intensity that shows he can be serious when he needs to be. And with those rock hard abs and rippling biceps, his pursuit of Zoey is a satisfying one. Without realizing it, Zoey finds herself falling in love. There’s only one problem: Freddie is a prince. Spending a week without Internet access or phone reception has left Zoey in a weird predicament. He certainly left enough hints that he was rich and famous, but he never outright said it. And when the time comes for him to leave their vacation getaway, he asks her to come with him to the kingdom of Paradisa. But Zoey can’t use the right fork, put her pinkie up for tea, or any of the things expected of a princess. Plus, there are those in the kingdom who don’t want an American close to the throne. How can she hope to keep Freddie’s love if she’s a stranger to his royal world? NYT Bestseller Krista Lakes brings you this brand new sweet-and-sexy royal romance. This standalone novel will have you cheering for an American princess’s happily ever after.

My husband, Ethan Parker, brought our daughter on a trip to the countryside with his first love, Mandy Sanchez. Halfway through, he abandoned our little girl and left with Mandy. When our daughter was surrounded by wolves, I could not reach him. By the time I arrived, the car was empty—the only thing left behind was a bloodstained piece of pumpkin pie. As I was dealing with my grief, Ethan finally answered his phone. "We're celebrating Thanksgiving. Why are you ruining the mood?" I internally scoffed at that man's audacity. Well, happy holidays indeed! Let me deliver a bloody pumpkin pie for you to really get into the spirit.