Risen 2022

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

It was the tallest building in the world. A token of pride to whoever owned it. An industrial empire that stole selfishly in the name of success. A giant that overshadowed its competitors’ comparatively smaller establishments under the risen sun. And everyone knew whose devilish strategies it came from…From the topmost loft of the building stood a man with a glass of red wine in his hand. He was smirking; not at the taste of the fine wine but at the misery of his rivals. “Master Sean, everything happens at your will.” “I know. And that makes everything else boring.”

Julia and Evan were the perfect couple—or so she thought. But everything changed when Evan abruptly ended their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and unable to tell him she was carrying his child. Years later, Julia has built a life for herself and her son, Andy, while Evan has risen to unimaginable wealth and success. Their paths cross again at a chance meeting, but Julia soon discovers Evan has moved on with someone else. Julia is done with the pain. She’s fought battles alone, raising a son who deserves the truth about his father, even if Evan doesn’t deserve her forgiveness. When Julia told Evan years ago she had something to say, he didn’t listen. Now, it’s time for him to listen. But is it too late to reclaim what he lost? “We should break up,” he’d said, the words cutting through her like glass. The pregnancy test in her pocket stayed hidden, just like the child they would never share. Now, it’s Evan’s turn to hear the truth—and to face his deepest regret. [BOOK 1 COMPLETED]

Christian Knight was about to marry Andrea Donovan and start a fresh life. Andrea was a gorgeous and respectable woman. She liked Christian since her college days but couldn’t muster the courage to express her feelings to him, as she knew that Christian was interested in Diana Roger, the mute girl. Years later, destiny played cupid for Andrea and Christian, and their families fixed their marriage. Andrea was over the moon, and it was hard for her to believe that Christian was finally going to be her forever. *** To escape the haunting nightmares and hallucinations about one particular woman, whom he thinks he has never met before, Christian agreed to marry Andrea as she was beautiful, smart, and a generous woman, completely compatible with his status, but little did he know that meeting with a stranger at the Coffee House will change everything for him. *** What will happen when destiny plays its cards? Would Christian be able to accept that he had been married before? Will he choose his present over his past or follow his way back to his former wife? Would Mishka be willing to give another chance to Christian or she has already moved on in her life? Will their love pass the test of time and commitment to come out victorious or did their love story end long ago? Follow the other half of Christian and Mishka’s tale to witness if second chances really exist or if healing a broken heart is beyond repair. All Right Reserved © Author Anika 2022

After a tragic accident left Emily Yates without her memories, she fell in love with her savior, Justin Yates, unaware that he was hiding the truth and using her as a stand-in for his first love. For three long years, Emily poured everything into the relationship, hoping he would love her back. But on the day Justin proposed, he held his "one true love" in his arms and left Emily stranded on a foreign street, still expecting her to remain his secret mistress. Emily decided she would no longer be his stand-in. She ripped up the contract, kicked Justin out of her life, and hid her pregnancy before faking her death. When word of her death reached Justin, his world shattered. He fell gravely ill, barely clinging to life. Five years later, they crossed paths again. Emily had risen to fame as a renowned painter and jewelry designer, while Justin had swallowed his pride, now shamelessly chasing after her. “Emily, I know I messed up. Please, don’t leave me,” he begged, desperation in his voice. “Emily, can’t you just look at me, not other men? “Emily, I’ll be your model. Come over tonight and paint me, please? “Emily… Emily… My wife…” Emily’s fury boiled over. “Get lost! Who said I was your wife?” But Justin clung to her, refusing to let go, acting shamelessly. “I don’t care. You promised to marry me before, so that makes you my wife. “I don’t care! I don’t care!” he repeated.

Bakit kaya hindi pantay ang mundo? Bakit hindi na lang kaya mayaman ang lahat ng tao para wala ng mahirap? Para wala ng nagugutom? Para wala ng gumagawa ng masama para lang may mauwing pagkain sa hapag? Bakit kaya may mga mahihirap na katulad ko? Bata pa lang ako. Iyon na palagi ang tinatanong ko sa sarili ko. Kung bakit may mga mahirap na kagaya ko. Masama ba akong tao sa nakaraan kong buhay at pinaparuhasan Niya ako't ang pamilya ko ng ganito? Ewan ko. Basta ang alam ko lang na tinatak ko sa isip ko ng magdalaga ako- hindi titigil ang mundo sa 'yo kung patuloy at patuloy mo lang iisipin kung gaano kahirap ang buhay. Hindi uulan ng pera kapag hiniling mo. At mas lalong hindi magiging magaan ang buhay mo kung puro hiling ka lang sa Kanya at walang kasamang pagbabanat ng buto. Natuto ako sa mahirap na paraan. At iyon ang ginagamit ko ngayon na sandata araw-araw sa malupit at madilim na mundo na ginagalawan ko ngayon. "KEISHA! Ikaw na ang sasalang sa stage! Bilisan mo na! Marami ng mga guest ang naghihintay sa 'yo!" A novel by: TheGuyWithTheGlasses STATUS: COMPLETED Date started: June 18, 2022 Date finished: September 19, 2022

Celine and Franco had been married for a year, but Celine was completely unaware of the true reason behind Franco's decision to marry her. Following the passing of Franco's grandfather, he became more distant and cold towards her. Until one day, Franco shockingly filed for divorce and revealed that he had only married her to secure his inheritance from his grandfather. He even went as far as accusing her of being a gold digger and introduced another woman to her. Driven by anger, pain, and resentment, Celine signed the divorce papers and left without taking a single penny from Franco. She wanted to prove that she was not after his money. Just at that time, she discovered she was pregnant, and she made a promise to herself to protect her child from her ex-husband. After dedicating five years of hard work to building her own business, Celine turn up as a successful CEO, a powerful and influential woman known worldwide. She had risen to power and independently raised her son. However, one day, Franco expressed his desire to win her back and be a father to their son. The question remained: would she allow him to enter her life again?, or would she make him suffer for causing her pain?

“There will be no escape for you, Regina. You belong to me now; heart, body and soul. Mine to do with as I please.” Draco’s eyes were ablaze with deadly desire. I smirked in the face of death. “Good luck with that.” ** Regina Milanesi has never backed down from a challenge no matter who stood in her way. She’s risen from her ashes and is now on her way to becoming the most ruthless woman to take the criminal underworld by surprise. But in doing so, she’s garnered the attention of Leonardo Draconis D’Angelo, the Capo dei Capi, the most ruthless and heartless man in the underworld. She loathes him with a vehemence that can only be matched with her desire to claim and be claimed by him. But her addiction to Draco just might be the beginning of her downfall, like a moth drawn to the flames…or the start of a love story written in blood.

"You died four days ago. You were buried yesterday. That's fast healing, even for us," Clara explained. "Us?" Clara smiled. "You have risen from the dead and have healed all your wounds. You have no pulse. You do not breathe, and we've been giving you blood so that you can survive. And the last thing you can remember is a tingling in your neck before you died." She clasped her hands together. "I've read your personnel file, Shamira. I know you're not stupid, even if your former bosses thought you were. You can figure this --" "Vampire? You're kidding, right? You have to --" "Wanna go ahead and say 'But there's no such thing as vampires' so we can get that out of the way?" "There's no such thing as vampires!"

(GORGEOUS MEN SERIES 39: Michael "Mavi" Villahermosa) Tinakwil siya ng kanyang ama dahil sa biglaang pagbubuntis. Kalaunan, iniwan naman siya ng kanyang kasintahan dahil sa maling akala. Naging mapagbiro man ang tadhana, hindi 'yon naging hadlang para buhayin ni Vesper ang anak niyang si Myla. Makalipas ang walong taon, nagpasya si Vesper na ipagpatuloy ang pag-aaral niya sa kolehiyo alang-alang sa future nilang mag-ina. Sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon ay muling nagkrus ang landas nila ni Mavi Villahermosa—ang ex-boyfriend niya na ngayo'y isa nang ganap na propesor sa paaralan! Naalarma si Vesper gayong maliit na ang mundong ginagalawan nila. Isa lang ang nakatatak sa isip niya noong mga oras na 'yon. Hindi niya hahayaang makita ni Mavi ang kanilang anak! Ngunit isang araw, natunton ng lalaki ang tinitirahan niya at nasurpresa siya sa kanyang naabutan... "Bakit mo yakap-yakap ang anak ko?!" *** Started: May 25, 2022 Finished: February 18, 2023