Rice By Manuel Arguilla

The betrayal of her lover left Stella destitute. She thought it was the end of her life as a widow. But Mr. Marvin comes like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, making her strong so she can take revenge on the parasitic lover who drained her of all her wealth. Who is Mr. Marvin? Stella thought he was just an angel who came down from heaven to help. As she finds out the reason behind it, she's stunned.

No, please do not do this, please leave us in peace. She cries out her helplessness. Why are you behind us? Please leave him, please. I plead you. She finally joined her hands in front this heartless monster, who not deserve her plead but she is helpless here to do that as she can’t see her love getting beaten by this monster and she can’t do anything other than pleading him. He has her caged in his arms and his men beating her life there. Yes her life, her love and she was crying continuously in his arms to see her love in this condition because of her. He was holding her close to him, as he will not let anyone touch his sweetheart. Nor he would give pain or bruises on soft hands of her by tying her to something. Which are only to love him but she did not and she does not love him, Love can't be caged, can it? still she was caged by his Love. It was forceful, yet innocent.. It was painful yet it was only to heal her.. She was in the cage of his Love, longing for her freedom. While denying her the only thing that makes her free. She was caged by the Billionaire. "If I can't have you Darling, No one can have, what is belongs to me!"

Grace was a sweet and simple human whose world revolves around her family and their happiness. Everything was perfect in her life until he arrived in her town in search of his enemy. And then nothing remained PERFECT in her life from the moment his eyes landed on her. He wanted her. All of her. Either by hook or by crook.

“You’re mine, Aria.” He sounded possessive while pulling me by the waist and crashing his lips fiercely against mine. “All mine.” ****** Aria's life turned into a nightmare when she got kidnapped by a man who claimed her to be his mate. Before bumping into him, Aria was just an ordinary girl from New York City, knowing nothing about the werewolf world. Neon Kendrick, leader of a werewolf pack, was not only assertive and arrogant, but the most powerful beast. However, he hadn't met his mate until thirty. He feared that he may never find his mate. But fate had something in store for him. Torn between love, war, and duty, will Aria survive the world that she has been thrown into? Or will Neon give up on everything just to protect his mate?

“I, Marcus Steele, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Luna Blackwood, as my mate and Luna.” Luna Blackwood’s wedding day becomes her nightmare when her Alpha publicly rejects her, declaring her too weak to bear his children. As her former best friend steps forward as his chosen replacement, Luna’s world crumbles. But what Marcus doesn’t know could destroy them all. Luna carries the last royal werewolf bloodline, a secret that makes her the most powerful supernatural being alive. Hidden from those who hunted her kind to extinction, she possesses abilities that could reshape their world forever. When mysterious Alpha Kai Nightshade reveals the conspiracy behind her rejection, Luna faces an impossible choice: remain broken and hidden, or embrace her destiny as the prophesied Lycan Queen who will unite all supernatural beings. From public humiliation to ultimate power, Luna’s transformation will prove that being rejected was the best thing that ever happened to her. But first, she has a war to win.

Serena Lancaster’s life is in pieces. After a painful divorce, she’s trying to put herself back together. But when a blind date set up by her parents leads her to Myles Voss, her ex-husband’s boss, things take an unexpected turn. Myles is a powerful lawyer by day and a dangerous biker gang leader by night. He’s used to getting what he wants, and right now, he wants Serena. With a past that’s hard to forget, he sees her as the key to gaining everything he’s been after. But as their fake relationship grows, Serena finds herself torn between trust and the fear of being used.

~"I will not touch you until you beg me to" he whispered the words heatedly in my ears. ~ I never wanted to marry him, he was a stranger, a handsome stranger with looks to rival a Greek god, and a smile that could make angels weep with envy. But it was the wish of my dying father. Marry Ian Quinn, the new owner and a notorious businessman, and ensure our blood continues to be a part of the company. I would be giving up my life, my future. Still, I signed my name on the dotted line. And then I said the two words. I do.

Vincenzo doesn't forgive. He doesn't forget. And he never, ever loses. When you spill Mancini blood, payment comes due—with interest. Stacy Salvatore should have been an easy target. The daughter of the man who slaughtered his mother and tried to burn his family empire to ash. His perfect revenge, gift-wrapped and delivered to his doorstep. He had it all planned out: take everything from her, break her spirit, and kill her. What he didn't plan for was her backbone of steel and eyes that burn with the same ruthless determination as his own. She's no cowering captive. She's a storm wrapped in human skin, fighting him with every breath, challenging the code he's lived by since childhood. With each clash between them, the lines blur. Enemy. Obsession. Addiction. Her defiance becomes the only thing that makes him feel alive, and the vengeance he's chased for years might just start tasting like ash in his mouth. But blood debt must be paid. In full.

Rafael DeLuca is a man forged in blood and betrayal. Once the rightful heir to a powerful mafia empire, he lost everything when his family was slaughtered in an act of treachery. For years, he rebuilt his power from the shadows, rising as the most feared mafia strategist in the underworld. Now, the time for vengeance has come, and his enemy’s greatest weakness is within his grasp—Sophia Romano. Sophia has spent her life in a gilded cage, unaware of the sins that stain her last name. Sheltered and untouched by the violent world her father commands, she believes she is destined for an ordinary life. But when she is kidnapped by a man as dangerous as he is captivating, her world shatters. Rafael is her captor, her tormentor, and her only protector in a world far darker than she ever imagined. What begins as a calculated act of revenge soon turns into something Rafael never anticipated—obsession. Sophia’s innocence should make her easy to break, yet her quiet defiance ignites something primal within him. He tells himself she is only a pawn, a means to an end, but with every glance, every forbidden touch, she threatens to unravel his carefully crafted plans. As hidden truths come to light and past betrayals resurface, Rafael is forced to make an impossible choice: will he sacrifice the one woman who has become his greatest weakness, or will he forsake his vengeance for a love that could destroy them both? In a world where love is as deadly as betrayal, Rafael and Sophia will have to decide—will their obsession ruin them, or will it be the only thing that saves them?

In my previous life, my brother took his sugarbaby to see a meteor shower because she said she wanted to. He drove to the countryside with all his bodyguards to create a perfect stargazing night for her. Unfortunately, business rivals whom my brother had bankrupted saw this opportunity and broke into our estate seeking revenge. My mother fought desperately to protect me, suffering severe injuries that left her fighting for her life. I called my brother repeatedly, begging him to return quickly and help us. He finally had to come back with his security team. The intruders were captured, but then terrible news came from the countryside. His sugarbaby had left a suicide note, her fate unknown. In her letter, she accused me of deliberately drawing my brother away, causing her to be tortured by his enemies before she took her own life. My brother coldly burned her letter and told me not to worry about it. Afterward, my brother was blamed for what happened, and my father promised to put me in charge of the company. However, after the celebration dinner ended, my brother brutally murdered me in my bedroom. His face showed no emotion as he coldly said, "Someone as treacherous as you should have died long ago. "You should have been the one to die, and the family inheritance should have been mine!" I died with my eyes wide open in disbelief, and when I opened them again, I could hear our enemies breaking down the front door of our mansion.