Rocky High And Low

The first thing my fiance's childhood sweetheart—Eve Hodgson—does after returning from abroad is make me sign a bet. It states that if my fiance—Holden Lane—chooses her over me nine times, I'll have to step aside willingly and let her have him. I agree. On the ninth time, she calls him in tears. "If you don't marry me, Holden, I'll be forced to marry that notorious Croft heir from Jedburgh!" He ends the call in a frenzy and leaves me behind yet again. With his identification documents in hand, he rushes to marry her right away. They announce their marriage to the world on the same day. Elites of Jedburgh strain their necks, eager to see me and the Crofts humiliated. That's when Ryland Croft comes to me, smirking with that careless arrogance of his. "Since your fiance stole my bride, it seems only fair that you pay the debt. So, how about you marry me instead?" I nod and say, "Fair enough. When's the wedding?"

Memories have no remedy for Yorticia Fleurdelice Vigilante, who has no idea about her obscure past. She was an angel, and it was beyond her comprehension how the gust of wind had brought her to a lush Garden of Evil. Cosimo, with whom she lived, a man she was not familiar with, gives her one mission: "Kill me whenever you can." The evil is him. The De Rogatis successor to the fortune who've been concealing the truth that he's the De Rogatis empire's successor, asleep in Olimpio Sidonio Gagliardo's hands, has returned following a 13-year vengeance scheme of an age-old vendetta against the plot's ringleaders, one of whom are the Vigilantes, which risk further conflict resulted in the eradication of her clan. She did not know him well, but he caused a knot in her just thinking about his face. From this point on, Yorticia decides that she'll do this by choking him with feigned love and emotionally manipulating him into servitude. Promising him, like, a million tomorrows, she'll be like a wildflower, valiantly growing wild and free and nothing that burns. Yorticia, however, is thrown into confusion as what was supposed to be pure retaliation turns into lust... and conceivably true love as she begins to notice it was starting to consume her like a raptorous wildfire. Meanwhile, as Cosimo drops further lower while continuing to fight for the things that he holds dear and to forget the things he fears, he grapples with his own feelings for Yorticia. He wants Yorticia to know that when he found this newfound freedom through her... she became his religion, regardless of who he becomes or how low he descends. Can they ever truly learn to love one another, or are they doomed to suffocate in their destructive cycle of retaliation and violence?

He kissed me, then called me gross. Now I’m rich, famous… and desirable. Jace Weston shattered me in high school. Years later, he doesn’t even recognize me. But I remember everything, and I’m not here for closure. I’m here to make him fall...and break. Until one look… one touch… ruins everything. He ruined my life once, this time, I’ll ruin his, unless my heart betrays me first.

Nyssa finds herself knee-deep in debts she had no idea about. Her misfortunes climaxes when she is sold to a stranger. Roman, the ruthless and enigmatic mafia boss, bound her to a contract she couldn't escape. Though he was known for being cold and indifferent, he kept her by his side, making her his possession in both name and body. Many told Nyssa that her entire worth would be to warm the Mafia Don’s bed only to be tossed, but each day everyone sees that the ‘naive and simple’ Nyssa leaving Roman was never an option. When she’ vanished’ without a trace, he hunted her down, his obsession burning hotter than ever. "You belong to me," Roman growled, his icy blue eyes filled with rage. "You are the lover of a Mafia—you don’t get to leave." Now trapped between her thirst for revenge against those who wronged her and a man who refuses to let her go, Nyssa must decide: fight for her freedom or surrender to the dark, possessive love of the most dangerous mafia king she’s ever known.

My husband worked overtime in the studio and suffered from an explosion. His body was blown to pieces. When my bestie frantically told me the news, I just nodded calmly. She called and texted me nonstop. She urged me to go to the site to recognize my husband's body. I blacklisted her and bought a ticket to go abroad. In my previous life, when I heard the news, I stopped at nothing and rushed to my husband's studio. However, I only saw my husband's cold ashes. My bestie said that my husband had poured out his troubles to her once. My husband said that I had run up a mountainous debt for gambling. He wanted a divorce, but I threatened him that he would have a sky-high debt if he divorced me. Even my mother cried and accused me of often going to the casino and taking men home at midnight. But none of this was true. I treated my husband very well; just a few days ago, I gave him a million-dollar watch as a gift. And I had never done anything related to gambling. Facing their accusation, I chose to call the police to prove my innocence. However, the police discovered my diamond necklace at the explosion site, where forensic experts also found my fingerprints. I failed to prove my innocence and became the heinous murderer who killed my husband. My mother took me to court for justice and took over my business empire. In jail, I was retaliated and died. When I opened my eyes again, I regained my life on the day when my husband suffered from the explosion.

***EXCERPT*** "I could burn the world to ashes, and you would still be the only thing worth destroying," he whispered, his lips just close enough to feel my desperate, trembling breath, tears leaking down my eyes. "Your pain is beautiful, Tera," he whispered with a chilling smile. "It shows you're still trying to fight what you know you've already lost." *** Dr. Tera Williams thought her life couldn't sink any lower after signing the divorce papers her husband's mistress threw in her face. But when a twist of fate puts her in a prison cell, stripping her of her career and reputation, she realizes she hasn't even begun to fall. After spending three years in prison, she struggles to get her life back on track again by starting from her lowest. Despite all the hurdles she had to endure from her current boss, she finds love again with Ryan, a single father, who is madly in love with her. But just as she's about to marry him, her worst nightmare resurfaces: She finds out that she is still legally married to her obsessive ex-husband, Logan, who has been doing everything possible to win her back. How does she navigate her life when she is now trapped between two possessive men who are not willing to give her up for the other? Trigger Warning: This is a dark, intense romance with a few scenes of psychological manipulation, violence, and non-con. Recommended for mature readers.

“In every enchanting story, there's a beast that will beat you up. At ikaw 'yong beast na binabanggit ko.” I have a boss who is always telling about how slow-witted I am. He's sharp-tongued with a rough attitude and unyielding standards. “Parang lahat na yata ng masamang pag-uugali ay nasa iyo na.” I thought there's no romantic between us that blooms amidst the chaos. Our relationship has not been good, but we prove that hates and opposites truly attract. — Helliry Chrysopeleia Flieyh Dizon. His Slow-witted Maid

“Marry me!” The man whispered in my ears. He leaned closer, his lips inches away from mine. I tried to avoid his gaze but the warmth of his breath on my skin caused tremors down my spine. How could I be attracted to the devil? __________________________ Mariella reconnects with her worse nightmare, Leonardo Ricci, her former bully who happened to be her student's father. He came with a proposal, which she instantly rejected. But when her mother needed surgery, and her brother was about to be life sentenced, Mariella decides to have a deal with Leonardo– A marriage of convenience. She had brought the idea and he accepted, but Mariella's heart seems to have other plans. Everyday with the enemy was starting to look beautiful. Will he fall for her, or would Mariella feel betrayed and serve him what he feared more than anything, DIVORCE!!!

My name is Ivy Lawson. At 3:00 am, I get a call from Christina McSpire, a parent of one of my students. "Hello, Ms. Lawson, I noticed Zoe only spent five dollars on her meal yesterday. Did she not eat any meat?" she asks. Pushing through my exhaustion, I reply, "Don't worry, Mrs. Street. I'll check on it tomorrow." Another half hour goes by, and she calls again. "It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Can you remind Zoe to bring an umbrella?" I can hardly keep my eyes open. "Got it," I reply absentmindedly. A few minutes later, my phone rings once more. "Please make sure Zoe brushes her teeth for three minutes. It's also important that she scrubs each side of her face at least three times." Suppressing my frustration, I calmly respond, "Zoe is in her senior year of high school. I'm sure she's capable of taking care of herself." I expect that to be the end of it, but when I wake up, my silenced phone shows over a hundred missed calls.

This is the story of a young teen called Thomas. He is a junior in high school. Every full moon some powerfully ascient warrior will come to him and force him to follow them into their world. He makes severe destructions while trying to run away from them. Nobody believes him, some people say he is mentally ill. A night arrives which happens to be a Halloween party night. The night was a full moon night, he followed those ascient warrior into their world and everything changed to him