Pocketbook International

Meet Ken Clarke - the ultimate cool girl who's not just above average in looks, but a drumming prodigy and a fashion icon who could give magazine models a run for their money. Unfortunately, Ken's trust in men was shattered long ago by her father, leaving her with a cynical outlook on love. Her world revolves around her best friend, Jennifer, whom she vows to protect at all costs. But when Nicholas Atkins, a devilishly handsome and smooth-talking alpha male, enters the scene, Jennifer is smitten. Ken, on the other hand, is not impressed, and makes it her mission to keep Jennifer away from him. But little does Ken know, Nick has his sights set on HER, and will stop at nothing to win her over. As Jennifer chases after Nick, Ken tries to protect her friend from heartbreak while dealing with her own unexpected feelings for Nick. From International Bestselling Author of Knight in Shining Suit, and Top-grossing interactive story games, All the Wrong Reasons, All the Wrong Places and A Deal With Mr. Right, comes another book with a rollercoaster ride of emotions. In this gripping tale of love and trust, Ken must confront her past and take a leap of faith if she wants to find true happiness. Will she choose love or friendship? Will she take a chance on love and trust again, or will her past continue to haunt her and keep her from the happiness she deserves?

Bagaimana jadinya bila seorang pria pendiam dan angkuh bertemu dengan model seksi yang memiliki sifat kekanakan? Dave Mose William, seorang pemuda mandiri yang memiliki hoby memotret beberapa objek indah, hingga menjadikan hobynya itu sebuah penghasilan yang menghidupi dirinya diusia yang terbilang muda untuk seorang pria. Kekayaan sang ayah -Marvin Williams- tak serta merta membuat Dave menggunakannya. Dia memilih hidup mandiri ke kota Manhattan, berniat hidup tenang tanpa ada yang mengganggunya. Namun, kehidupan tenang yang dia impikan hanya menjadi angannya semata. Dia mengalami jungkir balik dalam hidupnya setelah bertemu dengan model seksi bernama Clara Davonna Dawn. Wanita kekanakan yang begitu ceroboh itu, membuat seorang Dave terperangkap dalam kisah masa lalunya yang menyedihkan. Membuat hati seorang pria angkuh seperti Dave menciar dan bertekad akan melindungi Clara. Di saat perasaan cinta telah tumbuh, keadaan menjadi tampak kacau. Sebuah tragedi mengerikan terjadi dalam hidup Clara, menghancurkan kariernya sebagai model international, dan menghancurkan hati Dave yang baru saja merasakan cinta sejati. * “Aku akan menunggumu, sampai kau siap untuk menjadi milikku lagi.”_Mousie_ “Aku berjanji akan kembali setelah aku mampu menjaga diriku, untukmu.”_Cattie_ **

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian, kissing him deeply. My fingers fumbled in the pocket of my expensive silk dress, searching for the pregnancy test I'd hidden there. I wanted to save the news of my unexpected pregnancy for the end of the evening. Lucian's right-hand man, Marco, asked with a suggestive smile in Italian: "Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?" Lucian's mocking laughter vibrated through my chest, sending a chill down my spine. He replied, also in Italian: "Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender." His hand was still caressing my waist, but his gaze was distant. "Just keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man." His men chuckled knowingly, raising their glasses and swearing their silence. The warmth in my blood turned to ice, inch by inch. The one thing they didn’t know was that my grandmother was from Sicily, so I understood every word. I forced myself to remain calm, keeping the perfect smile of a Donna fixed in place, but the hand holding my champagne flute trembled. Instead of making a scene, I opened my phone, found the invitation I had received a few days ago for a private international medical research project, and tapped "Accept." In three days, I would disappear from Lucian's world completely.

In the fifth year of being exiled to a deserted island in the international waters by Chelsea Herrera, I finally learn how to stay extremely humble. When Chelsea brings Derrick Carpenter, a university student she keeps, and a Doberman to the island just to pick me up, I get down on my knees as though it's the most natural thing to do in the world. Then, I wipe the sand off Derrick's shoes with my sleeve before bending over to use my back as their stepstool. "From now on, you're in charge of taking care of Ricky. He and Dobey are your family now." I nod with a small smile. After Chelsea has usurped my family's businesses and forced my parents to jump off a building, she chooses to abandon me on a deserted island so that I can learn to obey her commands. She has succeeded in everything she's done. By the time I finally get to return to the familiar villa, everything there has already changed. I wake up at 4:00 am every morning in order to prepare a nice breakfast for Dobey the Doberman. After that, I groom it properly. At 9:00 am, I've prepared the outfit Derrick will be wearing for the day. Then, I'll travel to a boxing gym so that I can serve as his human punching bag. At night, I prepare some alcohol and snacks while listening to Derrick and his friends laughing at me. They then proceed to discuss how to tame me, the formerly arrogant scion hailing from the ex-richest family in the elite society.

Synopsis Sa prestihiyosong St. Monteverde International University, kung saan nag-aaral ang mga anak ng pinakamayayamang pamilya, isang simpleng scholarship student ang patuloy na humahabol sa lalaking tila hindi kailanman lilingon pabalik. Si Luna Villareal ay isang clumsy ngunit masayahing dalaga na lumaki sa hirap. Sa kabila ng pagkakaiba ng kanilang mundo, matagal na niyang minamahal si Giovanni De Luca, ang kilalang campus billionaire at tagapagmana ng isang malaking kumpanya. Cold, distant, at tila walang puso, si Giovanni ay sanay na panatilihin ang distansya sa lahat, lalo na kay Luna na palaging sumusunod at nagpapakita ng pagmamahal. Ngunit sa likod ng malamig na imahe ni Giovanni ay isang lalaking may mabigat na responsibilidad at lihim na takot na masaktan. Habang patuloy na hinahabol ni Luna ang kanyang puso, unti-unting nababasag ang pader na matagal na nitong itinayo. Sa gitna ng inggit, social pressure, at mga taong gustong paghiwalayin sila, mapapatunayan kaya ni Luna na ang tunay na pagmamahal ay hindi nasusukat sa yaman o status? At handa ba si Giovanni na ipaglaban ang babaeng matagal na niyang piniling iwasan, pero hindi kailanman nakalimutan? Isang kwento ng paghahabol, pagtitiis, at pag-ibig na kayang baguhin kahit ang pinakamalamig na puso.

I put three hundred million dollars into building a business for my brother's first love. They were finally getting married. But two hours before the wedding, the maid of honor suddenly went AWOL. To keep the wedding on track, I dropped a major international deal, booked the next flight out, and flew back immediately. When I arrived, my brother hugged me gratefully and handed me the wedding ring along with a gift box — inside was a necklace, a token he'd promised Celeste. "Sis, I'm counting on you to take care of Celeste's side. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you step in as maid of honor today?" But the moment I walked into the bridal suite, my brother's bride slapped me across the face. "You've got some nerve showing up here, you homewrecking bitch." "You think you can steal my husband at my own wedding? Are you out of your mind?" "Celeste, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I’m Alexander’s sister…" I tried to explain. "Who the hell are you kidding?! My sister-in-law runs a billion-dollar empire. A tramp like you could never." "You want to steal my husband? Fine. Let's see how tough you really are." And just like that, I was tied up and thrown into a pen with a vicious dog. Celeste Davenport — if that's how you want to play it, then enjoy your one-way ticket to the hell.

The Space Station was their home. Now, it's their coffin... and the world's most expensive weapon. The International Space Station (ISS), a decades-long monument to human collaboration, has been given a death sentence. In just 60 days, it will be plunged into the deepest, loneliest part of the Pacific Ocean: Point Nemo. Aboard the aging station, Dr. Elara Vance and her crew desperately need 90 more days to complete their life-saving project—a revolutionary cure for the global water crisis. But their pleas are dismissed by the ruthless CEO, Director Cyrus Thorne. Elara discovers the terrifying truth: Thorne isn't just retiring the station; he's weaponizing it. The forced crash is a calculated act of sabotage, set at a catastrophically steep angle to guarantee the total destruction of all evidence, including their project and their crew. Worse, the crash is targeting an impossible, surgically precise coordinate at Point Nemo—the cover-up for a dark, unknown purpose. Faced with this betrayal, Elara and her crew initiate a mutiny, launching the Ghost Orbit protocol to hijack the station and boost its altitude. Thorne immediately retaliates, seizing control from Earth and accelerating the crash sequence to ensure the astronauts die on schedule. In a terrifying, high-stakes battle, the crew fights the forces of Earth while their habitat breaks apart. They fail to save the station, but in a final, harrowing sacrifice, they jettison a heavily reinforced escape pod, surviving the catastrophic plunge. Now stranded, silent, and presumed dead in the remotest corner of the world, these "ghosts" have only one mission left: expose Thorne’s conspiracy and deliver the truth before the secret of Point Nemo is buried forever.

I've been in a three-year relationship with Antonio Bianco, the successor of the Bianco family. Everyone knows very well how much he loves me. But everything has changed the moment Antonio's older brother passes away, leaving behind his newly-widowed wife, Rosetta Serra, who's also pregnant. Antonio heeds Augusto Bianco's last wish by taking great care of Rosetta. He even ditches me at the altar numerous times for her sake. On our 51st wedding, Antonio still ends up leaving with Rosetta, who keeps crying her heart out. I just gaze at the way Antonio scrambles to come up with a new excuse. I notice how skillfully the wedding planning company is cleaning up the wedding venue in advance. I also spot the flash of a provocative smile Rosetta has shown to me behind Antonio's back as she links arms with him. Suddenly, I feel like a total joke for being with such a man over the past three years. When the hotel manager gives me the bill, he asks casually, "When will the 52nd wedding be held, Ms. Marino? We can make the preparations in advance." "There's no need for a wedding anymore," I respond with a smile. "Even if a wedding is to be held, the groom won't be the same person anyway." After leaving the hotel, I dial the number of the person in charge of the International Medical Organization. "Hello, I'm Cecilia Marino. I'd like to accept your invitation to join your organization, and I can leave anytime soon."

Joel Gleason, my childhood sweetheart and fiancé, promised he'd marry no one but me. But then, to help Jenny Swisher, my adoptive sister, get through her depression, he secretly married her. I didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing to marry Conrad Lennon, Jasselton's most untouchable heir, who'd been in love with me for years. After seven years of marriage, he still spoiled me rotten. He clung to me every night like he couldn't get enough. And there was nothing he wouldn't do for me. I really thought I'd found happiness at last. But one day, after we'd slept together, I heard him talking to his best friend. "Jenny's an international best actress now. When are you dumping Jean?" "It doesn't matter. I wouldn't end up with the person I love either way. Besides, I have to keep an eye on Jean. I can't let her ruin all the happiness Jenny worked so hard for." I booted up the computer in Conrad's study and stumbled upon a hidden folder. Inside were over 100,000 photos of Jenny, plus 100 unsent love letters. I'd been fooling myself long enough. It was time to wake up. I got myself a fake body and got ready to start a fire. That was it. Conrad and I were done for good.

On my birthday, I go out to eat with my family. I make a wish, hoping that we will always stay happily together. When I open my eyes, I see my son, Luigi Marino, holding up his tablet. On the screen, a line of text reads, "Dad, Maria says she's pregnant with your baby. Am I going to get a new mom?" Giovanni Marino is busy taking pictures of me with a Polaroid. He glances at the screen casually before writing a reply on the back of the photo. "No. I made a promise with your mom. If either of us betrays the other, we will have to disappear from the other's life forever. I can't live without your mom. So, you have to help me keep this from her. Even if Maria's baby is born, they will never appear in front of your mom." After writing that, he looks at me and asks in a gentle voice, "What's wrong, my love? Why are your eyes red? Did the smoke from the candles irritate them?" My tears are about to fall, but I force a smile and reply, "I'm fine. The birthday gift you all prepared for me is wonderful. I'm so touched that I can't help but cry." He doesn't know that my dyslexia was cured a week ago. It seems I no longer have to hesitate about the job offer from a well-known international nonprofit that teaches children with dyslexia how to read. The paperwork will be done in seven days. When that time comes, I will disappear from their world completely.