Rice By Manuel Arguilla

Adrianna Yvonne's world is turned upside down when she walks in on her husband and sister in a compromising position on her wedding night. The betrayal cuts deep, and she finds herself reeling from the shock. In a desperate attempt to escape the pain, she flees to a nearby club, where she drowns her sorrows in alcohol and loses herself in the music. In her vulnerable state, she meets a mysterious stranger and, fueled by pain and recklessness, they share a one-night stand. However, the consequences of her actions become even more complicated when Adrianna discovers that the stranger she had a one night stand with is her husband's elder brother.

The stench of silver dust filled the air, and every breath seared my lungs. My broken body lay twisted among the jagged rocks of the abandoned silver mine, where even the strongest werewolf would feel their strength waning. Beside me, my mate’s first love, Sophia, whimpered softly. A shallow scrape marked her knee. The tunnel was collapsing. Only two people could pass through the exit at a time. Lucas did not hesitate to scoop Sophia in his arms and abandon me. His golden eyes, once filled with unwavering loyalty toward me, now burned with something colder—indifference. I reached out, my fingers trembling as they grasped the hem of his clothing. My voice was hoarse with despair. "Lucas… please… don't leave me here." “I am your mate. I’m carrying your pups.” He glanced at me with a clenched jaw and broke free, shoving me back onto the silver-laced ground. Agony burned through my veins, consuming my soul like fire. “Are you serious, Ava?! After pushing Sophia into this damn abyss and getting her injured, you still dare to compare with her.” “You know what?! You deserve to be left here and reflect on your mistakes!” With that, he vanished into the light, and the tunnel collapsed behind him. His words cut deeper than silver ever could, and the last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me was the sound of their retreating footsteps.

Ann Willow is a human that does not know just how connected she is to a Supernatural world that she did not know to exist until three new students show up for class one day. Ann soon realizes that Vampires, Werewolves, and everything in between are real. What will become of Ann when she falls in love with the Supernaturals of this new world she finds herself in? (Heads up - English is not my first language but feel free to point out mistakes)

Tessa is the picture perfect student with good grades, flawless attendance and a charming smile. With one year left to graduate high school and a bucket list imposed by her best friend, her goal is pretty much the same with an extra addition—tick off every item on the cursed bucket list. But trouble comes knocking in the form of blue eyes, muscled body and an ego the size of her head. What happens when the school's badboy, Benjamin notices her in a boxing ring?

PART 2 - OWNED BY THE BULLY - IS OUT NOW! Alice only wanted to help her younger brother when she confronted his bully. She ends up agreeing to do whatever Adam wants in return for him leaving her brother alone. He goes one step further, befriending and protecting her brother, but only for as long as Alice agrees to follow his orders. Orders that become increasingly difficult for her to agree to.

Alethea, a young girl from a small village, accepts a tempting job offer to care for a sick employer in the capital city as a way to escape her mother. However, upon arriving at the employer's home, Alethea is shocked to discover that her patient is not the frail, elderly person she imagined, but Sebastian Tarcisio—a wealthy heir who is blind, arrogant, and stubborn. From their very first meeting, Sebastian is rude and constantly insults her, making her regret her decision to take the job. However, her mother has already taken the one-year advance payment, and if Alethea breaks the contract, not only will she face punishment, but her family will also suffer for spending the upfront salary. With no other choice, Alethea is forced to endure. In truth, Sebastian’s insults aren’t because he hates Alethea or doubts her abilities. It’s because he knows that his grandfather, Felix Tarcisio, intentionally placed Alethea in his life in the hopes that they would form a relationship and eventually give Felix a male heir to continue the Tarcisio family line. As time goes on, Alethea begins to realize that Sebastian isn’t as cruel as she initially thought. Beneath his hardened exterior, she sees his vulnerability. And in Alethea’s resilience, Sebastian starts to discover a gentleness within himself that he never knew existed. What will become of their story amidst the shadows of manipulation by Sebastian’s grandfather and the greed of Alethea’s mother? Will Alethea and Sebastian fight for their unexpected love, or will they end up parting ways?

"Now tell me, young lady, who wants you dead?" Nicholas asked as he stared intently at me. His words froze me in place. My eyes widened, and my heart raced uncontrollably in my chest. I looked at him, my eyes diverting to the blood trickling from his shoulder where he was hit by a bullet while trying to save me. "I... I don't know," I stammered, still bewildered by the events that had unfolded. Laura Dickson had endured an abusive relationship at the hands of her boyfriend Santos, to whom she felt indebted for assisting her in settling some debts. Eventually, she reaches the conclusion that she can no longer tolerate the relationship and flees, disregarding Santos' threats of ending her life should she ever leave him. At a charity ball event, she encounters Nicholas, a strikingly handsome and powerful billionaire, the head of Brandson mafia family, who saves her from a serial killer intent on shooting her. Nicholas takes it upon himself to provide her with protection at his covert hideout until the serial killer is captured. What will unfold when they discover that the serial killer was actually closer to them than they had presumed and was in fact not who they thought it was? How will Laura react when she uncovers a grave secret that will profoundly shake her foundations? And what will occur as Laura falls In love with Nicholas, a billionaire mafioso who only sees women as objects of sexual desires? Discover the answers within the gripping pages of the thrilling novel, "Bound by Passion."

The Empire rules on the wings of dragons. Riders are hand-selected for training from childhood, and Anzi is one of the rare few who wait to hatch theirs this year. Until she discovers the terrible truth that the dragon riders are not partners with their dragons: they're slavers. The dragons are bred in captivity and enslaved from within the egg, and they are nothing but mindless shadows of what their once-noble species used to be. After two hundred years, the surviving dragons in the wild are coming back to rescue their brethren. How they survived the Purge, no one knows, but they are angry and they are coming, in fire and in storm. And as she struggles to come to terms with the realization that the nation she loves so much that she would give her life for it may be nothing more than propaganda and illusion, she discovers something else: The dragons who survived the Purge are shifters, able to hide in human form. And Anzi has met one of them already. Her mate.

Rowan Priest is known by all feared by all. The mere frown on his face causes grown men to pee their pants. Grace Wilson a sweet, innocent twenty-one year old girl sold by her parents to pay for their debt. Rowan buys Grace from the Auction house. But what does he plan to do with her once he has her?

Lily was the little sister of my fiancé’s best friend. She was a mistress to a mafia Don—a sugar daddy—until his wife found out, and the clip of Lily getting beaten up ended up on the local news. Yet, somehow, everyone thought the woman getting dragged on TV was me. People at work who never liked me jumped at the chance to pile on. One of them even pointed right at my face and called me shameless. I tried to explain, “My fiancé is Sam Johnson, the CEO of Johnson Group. He’s handsome and ranked third on the Forbes list. Why would I become a mistress to a sugar daddy?” However, no one believed me. If anything, they looked at me like I was even more pathetic. One coworker sneered and pointed to the TV. “You’re not just morally bankrupt; you’re a liar. The CEO’s fiancée? That’s not you.” The TV was playing a breaking news segment titled: First Appearance of Johnson Group CEO’s Fiancée. And there Sam was, arm in arm with Lily, officially announcing their relationship.