Sasuke Smiling

In my previous life, my husband had suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage, leaving behind a massive mountain of debt. For the sake of my son, who was still in high school, I sold the house my parents had left me, gritted my teeth, and worked three jobs to pay off the debt. Overworked and exhausted, my health deteriorated, and I eventually collapsed in the hospital. From my bed, I could hear my son, now a graduate from a prestigious university, smiling as he spoke on the phone. "Hello? Dad, it's me. Yeah, she's about to die. I bought insurance for her, so we should get close to one million. You and Aunt Rena should come back home right away." The "Aunt Rena" he spoke of was none other than my husband's childhood friend and neighbor who had known him for years. It turned out that the debts were all part of a massive money-laundering scheme between my husband and his childhood sweetheart. They had fabricated false accounts to hide their crime, and he had faked his death to escape the law. My son, eager to become the heir to wealth, had stood by and watched me work myself to death. When I next opened my eyes, I was back in the moment of my husband's feigned brain hemorrhage, the day it had all begun.

Maya had never imagined one day she would be babysitting her ex-fiance's son- the very fiance she had begged to call off their wedding on the eve of their big day. After few years Maya finally escapes her abusive marriage only to collide with Dante. Dante Martinez is a man of few words. He is ravishingly handsome and is a top businessman. He doesn't talk much, he only has one friend and prefers to live alone. People dub him a cold CEO because no one has seen him smiling, not even a crack. He had a baby through surrogacy after his first love- Maya Diaz left him on their wedding eve. However, things begin to take an interesting turn when she returns all of a sudden. She asks him to let her stay with him until she finds a place to stay. Little does she know Dante has always been in love with her. He offers her to babysit his son and she takes up the offer. The more she stays with him, the more she realizes he is more than his cold exterior. There is a beautiful heart throbbing underneath his icy facade. The attraction between them intensifies, leading to the inevitable question: How long can two people who are immensely attracted to each other can resist the pull?

Those beautiful love stories happened in our youth.The boy in the next classroom wore white sneakers today. The ponytail of the smiling pretty girl swayed when she walked. The boy next door passed by the window after playing basketball...This is a story about youngsters having a crush, meeting their first love, and falling in passionate love.“Please Confess Your Love to Me”Maverick Xenos was my senior at the university.Before I knew him, he looked unapproachable to me. He even spoke with an air of mesmerizing aloofness.Then I found that this man was not what he seemed at all. I was fooled by his facade before ending up as his girlfriend.“I Got Three Boyfriends After My Amnesia”I lost my memory after a car accident, and then three men appeared who claimed to be my boyfriends.I looked at the reserved brainiac who was organizing my notes, the rebellious campus star who was peeling an apple for me, and the pure-hearted pretty boy who was giving me a massage.I was deep in thought.Couldn't I just live with the three of them?“Copper Heart”I spent nearly 1,000 dollars asking a policeman for his WhatsApp number.But he sternly refused. He even asked me if I was flirting with him to get back at my ex-boyfriend.He got me!Worse, my ex-boyfriend came to borrow money again.Before I could answer, the policeman stretched his wrists...

After so many years of searching for a job, I finally got one, but it came with a lot of twists and unexpected desires—I ended up falling for my broken CEO. ******** "My heart is no longer capable of love, Jessy; you are wasting your time by preaching that to me." He snapped, making me take a sharp intake of breath. "Sir, just because your ex left you broken and shattered doesn't mean all love is meant to be like that," I said with confidence. "Sir, true love is a beautiful thing; it's a thing that recognizes no barriers; the best love is one that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, "I add, smiling dreamingly as I pictured him in my mind. "Miss Jessy, are you indirectly professing your love to your boss?" I snapped back to my senses, meeting his confused glance at me; I gasped, realizing how stupid I was. "Hmm... Sorry... sorry sir, I will go work on the document." I rushed to pack the piece of document, aiming quickly for the door; I was just too embarrassed to spend even a single minute here. "Miss Jessy, do you have feelings for me in any way?" I was about to exit the door when he caught me by the arm, his question making me root on the spot. "What should I do? geez!"

In New York’s Upper East Side, there were two heirs. One was a speed-obsessed daredevil dominating the racetracks, the other was a brilliant actuary who controlled the flow of capital. Born into powerful families and polar opposites in temperament, yet they grew up side by side as each other’s only best friend. They had fought over girls and bickered endlessly over racing bets. However, at fifteen, there was one thing they did in perfect unison. They each put on the same roughly carved bronze badge. They were trinkets Mia had idly made during a craft class, marked only by a faint “M” scratched on the back. Back then, Mia was seated in the last row of the classroom. Her background was a complete mystery to everyone. Yet they wore that badge for ten whole years. Whether standing on the F1 podium or locking in billion-dollar trades at the exchange, the cheap little badge on their chests never changed. Until Ella showed up. She was the cherished daughter of a rising conglomerate family. She hand-stitched two gold-thread fabric patches and gifted them to them. The patches looked so ordinary they looked like the kind of trinket you would find three for a dollar at a flea market. And yet, they both replaced their bronze badges with her plain patches. Mia did not say anything. She simply folded away an old newspaper clipping with a photo of the three of them smiling together. That night, she called her father in Sicily. Her voice was emotionless. “Papa, I accept the marriage arrangement.”

"I'm so angry right now, seeing you smiling and flirting with other man makes my blood boil. If anyone thinks they can touch you, I'll kill him. You don't get it, do you? You were mine. You always were...." Matapos iligtas ni Katrina ang isang misteryosong lalaki sa isang aksidente na nagpawala sa alaala nito, aksidente din niyang naibigay ang sarili dito. That hot night with him made her fall in love with the man, the very first man who made her heart beat so fast. At kahit pa walang maalala ang lalaki sa nakaraan nito, nagawa pa rin niyang ipagkatiwala ang puso dito, sinuklian naman ng lalaki iyon subalit isang araw ay bigla na lamang itong nawala at kasabay ng pagkawala nito sa buhay niya ay nawala din ang mga ebidensyang nakalap niya sa taong pumatay sa lolo niya. Nag uumpisa nang bumangon si Katrina subalit saka naman muling nagkrus ang landas nila ng lalaki, ano ang mangyayari kapag nalaman niya ang tunay na pagkakakilanlan ng lalaking mahal niya? Magiging hadlang ba ito sa kanyang paghahanap ng katarungan, o magiging daan ito sa tunay na pag ibig?

I was staring at Leion. He was kneeling in front of me, begging like he would lose half of his life when I left him. "This is what you want, from the very beginning, right?" I said, while smiling from ear to ear, before I sipped on my red wine. I didn't know that red wine taste so sweet, when I feel the victory, I know I will win this one, because loathe makes me stronger, I will feel nothing, if not anger, resentment and pain. I am numb, and the day Leion hurt my feelings, over and over again. But now, look at him, acting like he loves me and he cares for me, that if his feelings are true, why couldn't he do it then? "Aubrey, I am begging you, please—" "Do you remember the day I begged you to stay, because I am weak and tired from all of your bullshits, I gave you patience and all the understanding, and now, do you think all of the so called kindness that you show me lately is enough to forgive all the things you've done to me?" "Why are you so heartless?" Leion said while his tears running down to his cheeks, a crocodile tears, I will never be taken away again. "My love, you're the reason, now deal with it."

I am a pureblood succubus. Every seven days, desire consumes me. Stuart Newlin always complained that I clung to him too much, that I distracted him from his grand ambitions. Then, at the peak of my heat, when I needed him most, he blew me off. He chose to go to his female friend's prenatal appointment instead. The thing is, a succubus can't survive without being fed. Without that energy, that devotion… I wither. Unfortunate as it was to fall into the hands of a neglectful master, I had no choice but to seek another. My new keeper bore the bloodline of the Black Serpent. He had double the virility. Night and day, he poured himself into me. He worked tirelessly; I was more than satisfied. So when Stuart showed up with a massive bouquet of red roses, hoping to coax me back, what greeted him was the sight of me, flushed and glowing, curled up in another man's arms. His eyes burned with rage as he went mad, smashing everything in the house, raging that I was unfaithful, that I dared take another man to my bed. Smiling, I leaned into my new master's embrace and introduced them. "Let me make the introductions. You two have more in common than you think. After all, I've slept with both of you."

“All this time, I was just a mere substitute to you? A replacement for someone you lost?” “It’s not that simple, Sheila. I—” “Don’t! I trusted you. Every embrace, every word, the heartfelt feelings—it was all for her, wasn’t it? Did you ever love me, Andrew? Did you ever feel something for me? Tell me!”  “Sheila, I……Sorry……” ********************* Sheila found out her boyfriend cheated on her and then lost her . Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, she realizes how naive she still was. Her father and stepmother, her so-called family, forced her to marry a stranger, and treated her like a bargain item at a mall sale. On the other hand, Andrew's father tried to pressure him into an engagement by threatening his inheritance. Andrew felt a sense of powerlessness as well as amusement, as he didn't care about the inheritance; he had already made a name for himself as a successful and feared business magnate. But when he saw Sheila's smiling face, Andrew's blood froze for a moment, and his eyes were filled with shock, doubt, nostalgia, and a hint of tenderness that he hadn't even noticed. He thought that maybe this was a chance given to him by fate, and this time he had to grab it no matter what, but he didn't know how the decision he made at this moment would change his life.

Leah, Logan’s adopted sister, threw a tantrum at our first engagement party, an episode of her pup dependency anxiety. But after that night, I gave him an ultimatum: if he couldn’t bond me before I turned thirty, he’d have to choose—me or Leah. Logan believed I’d never walk away. After all, I was bonded by my dying mother’s last wish: to be bonded with the werewolf warrior who’d loved me for ten years. Ten years together. Twelve promises that he’d keep Leah in line. And then came my twenty-ninth birthday—our thirteenth engagement party. Leah locked me in a restroom, stole my gown, and stood beside Logan in my place. She was smiling, glowing, claiming everything that was mine. When I finally stepped out, my gown was tattered. I confronted Logan, but he only said, “Alison, forgive her. I promise, this is the last time.” I looked at the torn gown my mother had sewn through sickness and pain… and I laughed. Logan sighed in relief, thinking I’d let it slide again. But I didn’t. I turned and walked away without a word. After a decade together, he thought I belonged to him. Well, he was wrong. He didn’t know that there was someone else who could give me happiness and fulfill my mother’s wish.