Pretending Artinya

"I like her," I said as I sat across from my mother unable to keep the frustration from boiling over. "Like who?" "Callie," I admitted, my chest tightening as I said her name. Her expression froze for a moment before she set the papers aside and leaned forward. "You’re joking, right? Callie is your brother’s girlfriend." "I don’t care," I snapped. "I can’t stand seeing him with her. She should be mine, and I’m not going to just sit back and watch them together." "Well, well. This is interesting." She sat back, steepling her fingers. "You really want her all to yourself?" "More than anything," I confessed. A slow smile crept across her face, and it sent a chill down my spine. "Don’t worry. I have a plan.” Whatever she had in mind, I knew it wouldn’t be simple. But if it meant having Callie… I was willing to do whatever it took. **************** Callie was given a choice by her new boss: either lose her job or act as his escort for his family’s Christmas and New Year celebrations, pretending to be his girlfriend. Left with no other option, she reluctantly agrees to be his escort but what she doesn’t realize is that she’s walking straight into a trap. Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance, suspense, and a Christmas miracle. Second Chances Under the Tree is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Parting his lips, Jordan placed the burning cigarette on his mouth and stood up from his seat before walking towards his shelves containing all his important documents related business, but soon there a light tug on his arm stopped his actions. It was her, he knew it cause no one other than her had the audacity to enter and exit his cabin without his permission. His wife, Hattiea. Or maybe the woman pretending to be his wife? Jordan's dark eyes landed on the culprit immediately with darkness but as soon as he found her behind him close to him... He got lost for a moment or so... The proximity rose slight tension between them. Raising her fingers up, Hattiea pulled the burning cigarette out from his mouth which was still resting on his lips. Her delicate fingers brushed his chin and lips softly. Following by the smoke, he released his minty breath in slight awe, her breath taking face was so close to his face. They both never came so close to one another actually. Even though it had been quite of time getting married with one another, they minded their boundaries well. As it was not any marriage of love for them but a marriage full of compromises. Hattiea's eyes soon travelled up from his lips back to his eyes, which were still staring at her ditching their shame. "It's dangerous for your health." Hattiea exclaimed hinting his smoking habit, while looking right into his eyes. Her hazel eyes were blank yet they held millions of emotions. "So are you!" Jordan's smoky breath caressed her face. The deepness of his voice solely made Hattiea's heart race million times faster. It was true... she was dangerous for him. Way too dangerous to handle.

Used, insulted, tricked. I've been happily married to HIM for three years. Although his family has always been mistreating me and believes that I don't deserve him, I didn't care. The warmth of HIS LOVE and CARE is enough for me to stay — OR SO I THOUGHT. In our 3rd wedding anniversary, that hope is smashed as my heart have been teared into pieces. The gift that he gave me will forever be engraved in my memory— the sight of him on top of another woman in our own bedroom. And as if that wasn't enough, he even insulted and humiliated me in front of his mistress before throwing the divorce papers on my face. Turns out that he never loved me, not even once. I'm just a temporary replacement, and now that the woman he truly loves is back, he no longer need me thus he discarded me life piece of trash. Enraged and broken, I left with a heavy heart. I was cornered, with no other choice but to go back to the place where I truly belong. After so many years of hiding, running, and pretending, it turns out that I'll still come crawling back to the place that I once ran away from.

Heart Salvacion grew up in an orphanage and, despite not having her parents' guidance, she developed into a strong, and confident woman. She is unflappable in the face of adversity and doesn't know when to quit. She is so positive and good at pretending that you would never guess she is in pain. Heart's deceased fiance left a large debt under her name and to make things worst, he borrowed the money to use it on his lover. She recently discovered that he had cheated on her, and she has no alternative than to repay the bill, despite the fact that her dream restaurant was robbed from her before she could open it. She is so depressed and anxious that she has no idea what will become of her life now that she has lost everything. There was no love, no money, and no work for her, but all changed when she met him. Percival Reddson is a young business magnate who is a cold and serious man who only cares about his work. He's also known to be a woman-hater. That same man knelt down and requested Heart's hand in marriage. His unexpected proposal has shocked Heart, but that's not all because the wedding is today?! They aren't quite ready for marriage, but would a contractual relationship work for them? Will they be able to make it to the end of the story without falling in love? Can they control their emotions now that ready or not, here comes love?!

“You’re nothing but a gold digger and a lying piece of trash,” Aaron’s voice was icy, his newly healed eyes glaring at Sofia. “Get out of my life.” Forced to marry Aaron after her sister Chloe abandoned him, Sofia devoted herself to the blind heir, only to be betrayed when Chloe returned pretending to be his wife after Aaron’s surgery made him a billionaire CEO. Branded a liar, Sofia was thrown out with nothing but heartbreak—and a secret: she was carrying Aaron’s child. Years later, the timid woman Aaron cast aside is gone. Sofia returns as a fierce, confident woman with wealth, power, and a plan. She’s not here to beg for forgiveness—she’s here to take back the right that was stolen from her twins. The ex-wife everyone underestimated is back, and this time, she’s playing to win. But will revenge be enough, or will old flames spark in the heat of battle?

Bain and Gia met in Sizzling Strip, a pub along Times Square where Gia works. Bain is hunting for the perfect woman to propose a deal to—be his girlfriend and convince his mother he is in love with another woman so she will help extricate him from an arranged engagement with a socialite he wanted to back out of. Gia can’t believe the exorbitant fee she is going to get paid with, until he informed her there will be—possibly—a marriage contract should it come to it. And the reason she was qualified for the job? Not only did he like her, he feels she is attracted to him, too. But Gia has important reasons to accept the proposal--her mother has cancer and needed money for treatment, they're going to lose their house and her nanny, and she is a semester away from graduating college. It isn't like it’s going to be hard pretending to be the girlfriend of a wealthy, hot and sexy businessman. So the contract is signed and all and she is set to follow her boyfriend to Texas to start the game and meet with his mother. Whatever else could go wrong?

After falling into the trap set by her step mom and sister,Natasha White ends up having a one night stand with a stranger losing her Fiance overnight to her stepsister,Kassidy. Natasha White, strong willed,beautiful and smart lady ,potential heir to the company loses her chance of getting married to her sweetheart Keith as he ended up with her step sister Kassidy. she was rejected by Keith who deemed her a whore ,struggling to keep her family inheritance from her step mom who would not hesitate to kill her,she ends up capturing the fancy of Italy's biggest Mafia leader Luca Marchetti. Luca Marchetti,That name was a threat to the Underground world,he's heartless,a possessive freak ,His Cold aura sent fears in the heart of people,who were even afraid to speak of him, He wouldn't hesitate to spill the blood of his enemies. He built a wall around his heart vowing not to fall for a woman ,he believed falling in love meant been weak and vulnerable for his enemies but not until he met Natasha White who captured his cold heart ,making him believe in love. After discovering that she was the woman who he had a one night stand with,He could not let her go for the second time. Fighting off the monster inside of him who wouldn't hesitate to kill Natasha because she was destroying the other him. Can Natasha fall for Luca?who's whole existence was a danger to her,She wasn't a fan of men who were possessive of their women,but Luca was something else. Can she be able to fight for her inheritance without breaking down? Would she able to forgive Keith who was pretending to be a nice guy but had secrets lurking in the shadows?

Elaine May Velordi was born in United States but she was originally a Filipino. She was raised like a princess by her billionaire parents. One day, she asked for them to let her go back to the Philippines and continue her studies there for at least two years. In the Philippines, Elaine pretended as a poor girl. She enrolled in Vida Elegante Akademya. There, she met Kyle David Vida Mejer. Kyle and Elaine fell in love with each other but it seems like the world is going against them. Everyone thought that they were mismatched, Kyle was rich and Elaine was known as the poorest girl in the campus. Will Elaine expose her true identity and shake off all those bitches who keeps on flirting to Kyle? Or she will remain pretending like a poor girl and make Kyle prove that he really loves her despite of their situation?

Gosh! Those eyes! They were screaming cute! His masculine beauty was out of this world and he is the kind of man I’d love. The only problem I saw in him was the big tattoo on his arm that extended to his wrists. Being a typical church girl, I couldn’t end up with such a man unless I wanted to be disowned by my father. “I’d have a glass of martini, extra dirty and tacos.” He said in a dreamy gusty voice. “Coming right up” I said taking the menu list and flashed a timid smile at him. I felt my cheeks burning and if there was a mirror around here, I’d have checked how embarrassing I must be looking. My face must have definitely turned pink. I watched him as he ate gracefully without looking elsewhere, his eyes were fixed on his phone. His short brown hair was to die for, I instantly wished I could run my fingers through them. Too bad, I might not be the kind of woman he wants; it wouldn't hurt to have sinful fantasies. He suddenly looked towards me, maybe he must have noticed I had my eyes on him all along. Immediately he locked eyes with mine, I looked elsewhere pretending to looking for something that wasn’t missing. I could tell he gave a faint smile but kept sipping his drink slowly, as he was gazing at his phone. He gave a signal to come and get his bill and I walked gracefully to him. God! I wish he could just take me to bed. Oops! I’m a church girl and shouldn’t be thinking of things like that. “You should take a picture of me, it will last longer.” He said in a baritone voice.

"You think you know hate, Avery?" His voice a dangerous rumble that seemed to roll straight through me. "Hate is easy. It’s the love that complicates everything." "Love? Don't talk to me about love. You wouldn't recognize it if it clawed its way into your heart." Liam's expression darkened, "And whose fault is that, remind me? You destroyed every ounce of it." My eyes filled with tears instantly, my voice so thick, it hurt my throat as the words came out. "And you made me pay for it, in the most horrible way. A person who loved a girl with his whole heart would never be able to do what you've done, what you've allowed to happen. That's why I hate you, because you never loved me, or else you couldn't do all this to me." His eyes sparked with anger "You have no idea what you're talking about." "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," I shot back bitterly, "But it seems like the only thing you're good at is pretending. Pretending to care, pretending to love—" "That's enough!" his voice boomed. "You want to see how real my feelings are? I should teach you a lesson on underestimating them." I tilted my chin up in defiance "Go on then, teach me." The next moment was a blur of motion as he closed the distance between us. His hands gripped my face, not gentle but not cruel—a fervent, desperate hold. His lips met mine in an intense, raw kiss, fueled by anger and deep, relentless desire. The kiss was punishing, his mouth moving against mine with a fierce urgency that left no room for doubts or second thoughts. As he pulled back, his eyes bore into mine, challenging, questioning, daring me to deny what lay between us.