Playing Chess Artinya

Suasana meledak, semua orang maju. Aku segera bergerak cepat ke arah Salma yang langsung melayangkan kakinya ke selangkangan dua pria yang mengapitnya. Aku meraih tangan Salma. Sesuai arahku Ferdi dan tiga temannya mengikutiku. "Fer, bawa!" Aku melepas lengan Salma. Ferdi bergegas menariknya menjauhiku. "Keluar!" tegasku sambil menunjuk arah belakang yang memang kosong. "Nggak, Arka!" teriak Salma, terus menjulurkan tangan. Aku tersenyum. Salma perlahan hilang. Syukurlah mereka berhasil kabur. Hampir lima belas menit, aku masih bertahan. Banyak dari mereka yang langsung tumbang setelah kuhajar. Tapi beberapa serangan berhasil membuat sekujur badanku babak belur. Kini penglihatanku sudah mulai runyam. Aku segera meraih balok kayu yang tergeletak tak jauh, lalu menodongkannya ke segala arah. Tanpa terduga, ada yang menyerangku dari belakang, kepalaku terasa dihantam keras dengan benda tumpul. Kakiku tak kuat lagi menopang, tak lama tubuhku telah terjengkang. Pandanganku menggelap. Sayup-sayup, aku mendengar bunyi yang tak asing. Namun, seketika hening. (Maaf, ya, jika ada narasi maupun dialog yang memakai Bahasa Sunda. Kalau mau tahu artinya ke Mbah Google aja, ya, biar sambil belajar plus ada kerjaan. Ehehehe. Salam damai dari Author) Ikuti aku di cuiter dan kilogram @tadi_hujan, agar kita bisa saling kenal.

Sold to the most ruthless mafia boss to settle her father’s debts, she learned to survive by playing the perfect, obedient wife. But beneath her submissive facade, she waited for the right moment to escape—to reunite with the one she truly loved. The night finally came. With her husband drugged and asleep, freedom was within reach. Yet, just as she thought she had won, he found her. His touch was deceptively gentle, his grip unyielding. With a chilling whisper, he shattered her hopes: "Did you really think you could leave me?"

Kiara's perfect life shatters when she wakes up in a hotel room, stark naked with two strange men beside her. Before she could even try to understand what had happened to her, she's rejected, disowned, and betrayed in a twinkle of an eye. Left for dead, Kiara must rebuild her life, fueled by a burning desire for revenge. But fate has a funny way of playing games. When their paths cross again six years later, sparks still fly, and secrets unravel. Will either of them succumb to the flames of the past especially with a new thread tying them together?

In a world of runways and ruthless deals, nothing is as it seems. On the verge of global domination, THEO, one of the most popular investors, offers OLIVIA a rising fashion star, a deal she can’t reject. Popularity and a massive investment for 70% of her brand. What begins as a partnership, ignites into obsession, and an intimacy they never imagined was possible. But when buried truths come to light about her past, her mother and lies that shaped her. Olivia begins to question everything, including Theo's sudden interest in her and her company. Because the closer they get, the harder it is to tell who's playing who.

BLURB A latent wolf A reject An outcast of the pack My family doesn’t want me, well except my little brother My Alpha detests and hates me and my childhood friend and lover betrayed me So I've decided to leave Noire hills and start a new life away from all the pain, only to be forced back because my Alpha sold me to no one else but the Cruel Alpha. Little did I know I'd found my mate. What cruel game is fate playing with me. Is this the beginning of a nightmare or a beautiful dream?

My father died, leaving me a shattered empire and a death sentence. To save my family, I offered myself to the one man powerful enough to protect us. Luca Marino. The Mafia king everyone fears. Our marriage is a contract, not a love story. Power for him. Protection for me. But Luca doesn’t play fair. He kisses like a threat and touches like a promise. And every time I think I’ve figured him out, he ruins me all over again. I'm playing a dangerous game. And I’m falling for the most dangerous man alive.

Cassidy North thought life was already a challenge—until she crashed into a catastrophe. A catastrophe named Johnny Miles. She didn’t realize her dignity had a price tag—until she took the deal. Half a million dollars to prove something to herself. Teach him a lesson. Make him fall. The problem? Johnny is a hard man to tame, too wild... and too damn irresistible. Now, the game is on. Can she outplay the billionaire at his own game, or will she end up falling for the man she was paid to play? But who’s really playing who?

When Tara Jackson lost her memories in a plane crash, her sworn sister, Lea, seizies the perfect chance to steal everything Tara onces had… her identity, her husband, and her life. Convinced that she’s nothing but a mere maid, Tara spends three years serving her enemy while Lea enjoys wealth and Alexander’s attention. But when Tara suddenly remembers her past, she vows to take her revenge and reclaim what belonged to her. Will Tara be able to keep playing her part as a maid, endure humiliation and pain, to get her perfect revenge?

Lima tahun setelah pernikahanku dengan Yovan Murdaya, seorang Bos Besar mafia, dia meninggalkanku dalam keadaan sekarat saat baku tembak untuk menyelamatkan selingkuhannya, Diana. Aku terbangun tiga hari kemudian di kamar VIP rumah sakit. Tanpa ada permintaan maaf. Yovan bersikap dingin. “Kau itu istriku, tentu saja sudah tahu resikonya. Jadi, jangan lebay.” Lalu, dia menambahkan, “Tapi, Diana berbeda. Dia itu rapuh dan membutuhkanku.” Setelah itu, selama tiga bulan aku diabaikan. Seperti biasa, dia berharap akulah yang akan menyerah dan kembali memohon maaf. Tiga bulan kemudian, aku menyerahkan kesepakatan dengan orang Irlanda kepada Diana begitu saja. Itu kesepakatan besar yang telah kubangun sendiri selama setengah tahun. Yovan mengira itu artinya aku sedang membujuknya. Dia tersenyum, sesuatu yang langka dan tulus akhir-akhir ini. “Sudah kuduga kau akan berubah pikiran. Sebagai hadiah, kita akan pergi ke Vergasi. Aku tahu kau selalu ingin pergi ke sana.” Keesokan harinya, Diana mengeluh bosan, dan Yovan kembali mengingkari janjinya. Dia malah membawa wanita itu ke Vergasi, dan mengatakan padaku bahwa itu karena ada urusan keluarga yang mendesak. Kali ini, aku tidak menangis, juga tidak membuat keributan. Yovan senang aku menjadi begitu pengertian. Tapi dia tidak tahu bahwa sebenarnya aku sudah memutuskan semua hubungan dengan Keluarga Murdaya. Dan, bahwa dia sudah menandatangani surat perjanjian cerai kami. Akhirnya, aku bebas.

Celeste was an abandoned princess, and a wolf-less she-wolf who held no value to her father. Horres was the ruthless Alpha of the Iron Fang Pack-a ticking time bomb. As a peace offering to a rival pack, Celeste Holmes knew her life would be difficult as the Luna to an Alpha who would give anything to wipe her pack from the surface of the earth. Even then, she felt it was her ticket to escape her father’s clutches, yet nothing prepared her for the horror awaiting her. People said Alpha Horres was scary, but to Celeste, he was a demon. Alpha Horres Thorne had everything planned out for the daughter of his nemesis. The humiliation, pain, torture, and everything that could break her was set the moment her father thought of offering her to him. Horres enjoyed watching her bleed. Relishing her despair, and seeing the helplessness on her face gave him the energy to plot more schemes against her evil father. Everything was supposed to move perfectly, but there was a flaw in his plan. After that fateful night, he experienced every single pain he inflicted on her, just the way she felt it. Even her subconscious fears and insecurities were felt by him. Didn’t they say Celeste Holmes had no wolf? How then did she do it, or did Alpha Holmes’ daughter succeed in bewitching Horres while he was enjoying his time torturing her? Did he lose in his own game of chess? How would he take revenge when he couldn’t even hurt her anymore? Was he supposed to just surrender and love her now? What about his grievances?