Playing Dumb

Paano mo nga ba matatanggap ang pagmamahal ng taong ang unang motibo nang paibigin ka ay gamitin ka sa masama? Alea De Vera dreamed to find a man like her father, but when destiny started playing with her, she found herself falling for the bad boy son of the man who abused her mother. When hatred consumes a fragile heart, will love be enough to heal the wounds caused by the past?

My parents were award-winning teachers, having nurtured countless outstanding students. However, I had always been the last in line, failing every single class. After yet another gentle warning from my homeroom teacher, my dad finally snapped. "How did I end up with a kid this dumb? You're deliberately trying to torture me, aren't you?" He disappeared for three days. When he returned, he had a boy with him. "From today on, Josh is the only true child of this family. You are no longer allowed to call us Mom and Dad. "Get out! You'll only earn the right to be my son once you can actually pass your exams." The next time I saw them was at the hospital during a check-up organized by their school for all the staff. The head of guidance recognized me immediately. "Yale? Isn't this Shane from your family? "He works here now. And Josh's condition, there's hope for him! You should have him contact the new Dr. Cunningham right away." Seeing me in my white coat, my dad's expression shifted again and again. "This kid… switched jobs and didn't even tell me." I subtly used my coat to cover the badge hanging on my chest. It read: Department Director: Asher Cunningham

"You’ve faded, Anna. No other man will ever want you."After six years of marriage, my husband didn't just ask for an open arrangement—he dismantled my soul. He thought I was trapped by my mother’s medical bills and my own shattered confidence. He thought I would stay quiet while he played with other women.He was wrong.One night of rebellion leads me to Anthony Jeffery—a man more dangerous and powerful than my husband could ever imagine. I thought it was a one-time escape. I didn't know Anthony was my husband’s billionaire boss. I didn't know he was the only man who could help me reclaim the jewelry designs my husband has been stealing from me for years.Now, I’m playing a double game. By day, I’m the genius designer taking over the industry. By night, I’m the CEO’s secret obsession.Jake wanted an open marriage? Fine. But by the time I’m done, he won’t just lose his wife—he’ll lose his career, his freedom, and his crown.The game is open. And I’m playing to win.

"I'm your husband now, Janice. Give me your hand, and don't do something stupid," Connor Hughes whispered those words that sent shivers down my spine, and I knew I was doomed for the rest of my life. I was supposed to get married to Carl Hughes, but his brother, the person I feared the most in life, showed up instead. Standing in front of the altar together, my heart pounded hard against my chest and the smirk that played on his lips made me regret ever playing a trick on this man. If only I could be given another chance to make things right, but it was too late. Just two weeks ago, I was happy, duping this man, thinking I was smart, little did I know that I would be tying the knot with him today as his wife. "You may exchange your rings now," My heart stopped beating as I watched him slid the diamond ring into my finger while having a deadly smirk playing at the corner of his lips. The ring felt like shackles of bondage, a promise of lifetime nightmares and miseries, something I wasn't sure I would ever be able to escape from. There were only two things involved. It was either I have a happy ending, or a sad one...

"I don't think it's a coincidence."Those words were not an opinion rather a point measured with assurance. She didn't look at our differences but focused on what's our strength. She began playing with a purpose and I was just her card by mistake. But everything she did make me who I am today and so are the others. That mysterious girl can be sometimes unreasonable but all I could do was to trust the process.

Anveshika Ferolinoz; an observant, serious and strong independent woman. She values everything she have but fate loves playing with her. One mystery incident happened together with her friends. A life-changing situation. Puzzle pieces have started to do with her after that. How those puzzle pieces will deal with her? To whom might it be? Unraveling the puzzle may lead her to a situation unexpectedly. Will she choose to be lost or will she unravel the mystery puzzle of reality?

When I report at Brookley College, I'm told that Deborah Larson has already completed the enrolment. She's also moved into the villa my father bought for me. She and my fiancé have already become a renowned loving couple on campus. I feel the calluses on my fingers from years of playing the guitar. This is so creepy. If she's Deborah Larson, then who am I? And is this contemptuous man before me really my fiancé?

Three days into the silent treatment, Derrick—my fiancé and CEO—greenlit his assistant's pitch for a self-driving road trip. He expected me to flip, like always. I didn't. A month later, he came back and saw it—I wasn't the same. He backed Molly, stole my project, and thought I'd explode. I didn't. I just helped her draft the proposal. He trashed everything I built, just so she could snag her year-end bonus. I didn't fight back. Took the blame, took the hit. Molly was all smug. "See? Told you. You can't go at Yara head-on. Give her the silent treatment—she folds. She's scared of losing you. That's why she's playing nice." Derrick ate it up. Called her smart. Then he pulled me aside—offered a raise, a promotion, even a fancy wedding. First time he'd ever brought it up. But he missed one detail: he'd already signed off on my resignation while he was off playing road trip king. And I'd already dumped him. That was it. Clean cut. Nothing left.

Thirty would be Alpha males determined to prove themselves and practically bursting with testosterone stuck on a mountain together. Oh, make that twenty-nine males and one stubborn female. All because Alpha Braden of Misty Glen has every confidence his daughter is just as good, if not the best that the werewolf world has to offer in terms of a leader. She’s been raised to believe she’s just as strong, smart and capable as any male. Dakota is convinced nothing could stand in the way of proving herself. Except of course, finding out that her partner at the alpha Blood Creek camp is none other than her fated mate. Dex has always been the strong silent type, but meeting Dakota forces him to see everything through new eyes. The eyes… of a mate. Excerpt: My wolf lets out a low growl to assert his dominance, and to let this creature know that we are not going to take the bait. It’s actually a brilliant idea. There’s literally no chance any males would expect this kind of trap. So dangling a sweet smelling and likely beautiful she-wolf in front of us makes sense. Only there’s nothing else out here. Nothing at all. Where the hell is the wildlife? And surely there are some camp people out here to witness this? Not that I think anyone would physically hurt a female but… They wouldn’t be dumb enough to throw her literally to the wolves would they?

When my husband, Louis Banks, was caught in a traffic accident, I was at an interview out of town. By the time I got to the hospital, he had already been declared dead, and was sent to the crematorium. Hearing the news, I fainted on the spot. When I woke up again, I was greeted by the court coming to enforce the auction of all our assets. The reason was that Louis' company had gone into financial troubles, leaving us in massive debt, and I was the only legal representative of the company. Many years later, I found myself begging in the snow with a cracked bowl, and I nearly got run over by a luxury car. To my surprise, the one in the driver's seat was none other than Louis, who was supposed to be dead ages ago! Dressed in designer brands and holding another woman in his arms, he jeered at my filthy stench and appearance, even kicking my bowl to pieces. "You're still alive, huh? I was worried that I couldn't trick someone who graduated from a bigshot university, but you were dumb enough to believe it without questioning it for a second!" He laughed, sneering as he continued, "Thanks for working so hard for us, hahaha!" His words filled me with so much anger that I died on the spot, my eyes glaring at him even in death. Little did I expect that when I came to, I found myself back on the day of his accident!