Rice By Manuel Arguilla

Sasha Hawkins gave her best to save her marriage but her husband, Roland, never considered her his wife and when his childhood crush returned after so many years, he didn’t think twice before divorcing Sasha. His childhood crush, Anastasia, framed Sasha for hurting her wrist with a small knife at the welcome party. The incident went viral and caused a fatal blow for Sasha and most of her big investors pulled out from her business. With no one to turn towards and no home to return to, Sasha had no option but to turn to her worst enemy, her ex-husband’s step-brother, Noah Beck. Using her vulnerability against her, he offered to help if she became his wife for a year. Given the opportunity to get back on her feet and face-slap all who had made mockery of her, will Sasha accept the offer? Or will she seek help somewhere else considering the fact that she can’t stand staying in a place with her Ex-husband’s step-brother?

Mabel was forced to marry a billionaire after her father's company hit the rock. Williams, a ruthless billionaire with a soft spot for Mabel. He married her with a cold desire for an heir. Along the line, Mabel became pregnant. Just as she was about to share the news with Williams, she catches him in bed with her best friend. Brokenhearted and resolute, Mabel runs away and finds solace in the hands of William's cousin, Lavia. Still, as Williams plots to reclaim what he feels is rightfully his, the web of lies gets increasingly intricate. Will Mabel succeed in escaping the shackles of her past, or will William's unrelenting pursuit force her to return to her painful circumstances? Find out in this intriguing story.

It is rumored that Mr King is ruthless,a murder and a King. Everyone kneels and bows when they see him! It is rumored that there is a snake den in Mr King’s house which is full of skeletons! Rumor has it that Mr King’s married little bride has run away! ! !Mr King was so furious that he want to destroy the world,and everyone was in danger... However, Seeing her again, Mr King smirked and handcuffed the little bride and held her in bridal style directly to the bed, "If you run away once more, I will broke your legs." The little bride trembled, her eyes wet. Then Mr King heart’s softened and he directly pressed a kiss on her lip!

Can you imagine having the world's worst bachelorette party in Vegas? Waking up the next morning with no memory of the night before, with three diamond rings on your fingers, in a penthouse full of strangers, with two of your friends missing, one pregnant by a stranger and suspected of the overdose death of another of your friends? It becomes a challenge to reveal the truth behind a blurred memory and illegal marriage records with three strangers, while you are about to get married. And a dangerous secret waited for me on the other side. How long could it take you to go from being an illegal wife to a killing machine? ─────── ✿ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ NOTE: COMMENTING outside, on the cover of the book, is important for the work to be more recognized. Leaving comments inside the book, between chapters, is great. However, the reviews, already as I pointed out, will be weighty for the growth of the story. Please comment outside on the cover.

Isabella Marino has spent her life toeing the line between duty and desire, torn between her family’s expectations and her dream of freedom. When her father arranges her marriage to Leonard Ricci, the most powerful and ruthless mafia boss in Italy, she’s thrust into a world of power, violence, and deception. She knows Leonard’s reputation—a man feared by his enemies, respected by his allies, and untouchable in the criminal underworld. But as their marriage forces them into each other’s lives, Isabella soon discovers the man behind the ruthless façade—a man scarred by betrayal, driven by loyalty, and desperate to protect the empire he’s built. In the shadowy world of mafia politics, where trust is a rare commodity and enemies lurk at every corner, Isabella and Leonard must navigate a dangerous game of power and survival. As secrets unravel and bloodlines are tested, Isabella faces an impossible choice: follow her heart and risk everything, or remain loyal to a family that sees her as a pawn in their game. But Leonard has his own battles to fight, and in a world where love is a dangerous weakness, the only thing more treacherous than their enemies is the growing connection between them. Power. Betrayal. Love. When the stakes are life or death, can two souls caught in the crossfire find a way to save each other, or will they be torn apart by the very forces that brought them together?

"In the world of shadows, loyalty is bought, love is a weapon, and once the mafia claims you, you're ruined—body, soul, and everything you once believed in." Enzo Mezzesalma was cold, aggressive, ruthless, and grim. He had no weakness until he met her and once he got a taste of her, she became his new addiction, now he couldn't let go and she became his only weakness and now, they all wanted her just so they could ruin that perfect facade he had built over the years but only if they knew he was worst than the monster they had never heard of, he was just too good at hiding it. There had to be a reason for Rule Number 3, right? *~* It was summer and Anastasia thought the rest of her days would be sunny but she was dead as she stepped into her home for the first in two years after moving to the university campus to be exchanged for her parent's debts and just like that, Anastasia was thrown into the Mafia world, working as a maid to pay off her parents debts and then she met Enzo Mezzesalma and rule number 3 said: Stay Away From Enzo Mezzesalma. Anastasia didn't know when she started breaking that rule and got herself buried in a hole she wouldn't be able to pull herself out. "My own death does not frighten me, but yours? Oh, that's my greatest and deepest fear," - Enzo Mezzesalma "Being his slut and being a slut are two entirely different things," - Anastasia Martin

Beatrice Pagett has always deeply loved Edward Maddock, even though they married by contract. After a year of passionless marriage, she decides to seek a divorce, longing for a life away from the pain of unrequited love with Edward. Edward realizes too late the grave mistake he made and decides to fight with determination. He wants to undo the past and win back Beatrice's love. He strives to regain her affection and rebuild the lost time. Now, the question is whether Beatrice will give a new chance to the man who rejected her. In this story of second chances, their fate is shaped by the desire to start anew and the caution that comes from the scars of the past.

When I was younger, I loved to dress in pink colors and high heels. I was born as a man, but I always felt like a woman. And after many nights of thinking, I decided to tell Logan, my crush and best friend, my secret. I poured my heart out; I even confessed that I'm in love with him—big mistake. He laughed into my face and said it was disgusting to see me wearing a dress. According to him, I would never be a real woman. Those words broke me, and years later, even after I've gone through with my operation, my self-confidence is still in pieces. Logan broke me, and when fate puts him back into my life, I only have one goal in mind—revenge. He is the unknowing CEO, chasing the woman he can no longer recognize, and I will break his heart this time.

“Your body is made to carry my pup! Do that without objection and leave after giving birth to him,” Travis husked, his voice causing vibrations on earth. Rhea Duncan stared at him unblinkingly and scoffed, “I didn’t want to stay here anymore either. I’m still enduring your annoying nature because I have no choice.” • Rhea Duncan was inseminated by her best friend, Phoebe Barton, so that she could snatch her boyfriend from her. Her scheme was successful, but what Phoebe didn’t know was that she had just made her best friend a surrogate mother to the most eligible and enigmatic man in the country, and the alpha of his pack. What happens when a random human invades Alpha Travis’s world unexpectedly? What happens when Rhea Duncan realizes that the world she assumed was fiction is actually real, and she has just become a surrogate mother for the leader of that world? Will they accept that it is fate or just an accident?

Leo Garcia is a cute guy who are dream being of having a dad. He is excited when he heard that his mother was getting married. But what if someday, a dad he was dreaming to be good to him will make him his slave? Will he accept it or he will turn it down?