Shoe Illusion

“Are you trying to punish me? I…I don't know how many times I can apologize even if it wasn't my fault that I almost—” “I never asked you to. You do whatever you want, Niya, and I really don't care. Neither should you bother with what I do.” “You're hurt. You're hurt, Alex, and you're acting out. Don't worry we could talk this through. This isn't you.” I try to reach him again but he shoots me a deadly glare that pierces through my skin like a dagger. “Sure it is. You've just never seen me like this. You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you,” his brows grow together. “Now we’ve had enough of your drama. You'll find the papers and enjoy the party or use the fucking door.” He pulls away and my eyes cloud again. My ears and heart find it hard to process what is actually going on. The looks on their faces tell me it is awfully too late—I have already lost everything. “Niya, careful now,” my grandmother slowly tugs at my arm as if that will somehow make everything better. “We have guests. Don’t cause a scene.” A scene? I have literally just seen a whole movie, ma. ************* My name is Niya Kendrick. I’m 25, an author who once believed she had the perfect life. But how quickly can everything I love be stripped away in the blink of an eye? Or worse, what if the life, the family I’ve cherished has always been a blatant lie, a mere fragment of the truth? Now, I’m awake, and reality is far harsher than any dream.

I once thought that my and Sebastian Ford's love would last a lifetime. Yet, the man who claims to love me does everything possible to hurt me. He takes wedding photos with another woman and goes on vacation with her. They even sleep in the same room. When making love to me, he speaks to a friend in a foreign language. He tells the friend he will marry another woman but keep me bound to him with a fake marriage certificate.

The story follows a group of six terrified passengers trapped on a speeding train driven by a greedy Shinigami who make an offer in exchange for their lives. He gave us six different rings that represent their irrational fears as they faced their painful confrontation of the past. If they can succeed to overcome it, the Shinigami will set them free but if their fears swallow them up he will collect each of the souls and deliver it to hell. The passengers are headed by Senior Team Captain of Men’s Volleyball; William followed by a geek guy named Travis, Stefanie a fragile genius student, newly-hired fashion stylist Belinda, Brendan a college professor, and Paris an ambitious and perfectionist Architect. Without any choice, they are forced to make a deal with the Shinigami and wore those rings for the rest of their journey. Driven by monstrous intention, the Shinigami took advantage of their fears to control each one of them to fight their own battle as they experienced hallucinations through going back to their memories. Each memory and close encounter gave them a near-death experience that cost much of their lives. As their journey twisted in different events, it gave them a shocking revelation of finding oneself and turning back to God to repent for their sins.

They were the cause of murders in their place, their territory was known to be precarious. They are struggling to blend in, for the world is against them. Cases unsolved and lives at risk, who will survive at the end?

Pour pouvoir sortir avec son assistante le jour de Noël, mon mari a mis des somnifères dans le lait de notre enfant. Lorsque j'ai emmené ce petit pauvre, qui avait une forte fièvre, à l'hôpital, je l'ai vu là-bas, portant cette femme dans ses bras. « Manon s'est fait une entorse, je viens l'accompagner pour consulter. » Oui, c'était son explication. Notre enfant était en train de subir une opération d'urgence, mais il semblait n'en avoir rien à faire. J'ai serré dans ma poche le billet de loterie gagnant de dix millions d'euros, et je me suis dit que c'était peut-être le moment de mettre fin à ces sept années de mariage.

Napakarami na ng problema ng bayan ng Garapal dahil sa bilang ng mga krimeng nangyayari ngunit parang mas malaki pa yata ang problema ni Ruanne. Nais lang naman ni Ruanne na makalimot sa pangangaliwa ng nobyo niya na sa kaaway pa niya napiling makipaglandian. Ngunit ang taksil niyang puso ay hindi umaayon sa gusto ng kanyang isip. Sa gitna ng kanyang pagmomove-on ay nakilala niya si Pio, ang isa sa mga staff ng sikat na tindahang 'The Shoemaker'. Ang 'The Shoemaker' lang naman ang pinakasikat na tindahan ng sapatos na mayroon lamang isang branch na nakapuwesto pa sa tapat ng boutique ni Ruanne. Ito lang din naman ang magiging kalaban ni Ruanne kung sakaling simulan niya na ang kanyang shoe line. At ang tahimik na buhay ng binatang nag-aasikaso nito ay mabubulabog dahil sa alok ni Ruanne na maging pekeng kasintahan niya na siya namang tinanggap agad ng binata. Ngunit sa pagsunud-sunod ni Ruanne kay Pio, may malalaman siyang hindi dapat. At matatagpuan niya na lamang ang sarili niyang sinusunod ang lahat ng gusto ng binata, maging sa ibabaw ng kama. At hindi lang iyon, mapapasok niya pa ang delikadong mundo ng mafia.

Si Lara ay isang babae na may malungkot na nakaraan at buhay. Wala siyang sariling pamilya, wala siyang sariling ipon, at nagsusumikap siya sa araw-araw para lang mabuhay. Limang taon na siyang nagtatrabaho bilang janitress sa isang sikat at prestihiyosong kumpanya sa bansa, ang Etoile Cosmetics. Ang kanyang pang-araw-araw na gawain ay ang gumising ng maaga sa umaga, pumasok sa trabaho, umuwi sa tinitirhang apartment, at magpalipas ng malungkot na gabi nang mag-isa. Nais niyang maging katulad ni Amanda Montserrat, isang maganda, mayaman at isang makapangyarihang babae na nagmamay-ari ng kumpanya na Etoile Cosmetics. At mukhang nagkatotoo ang kanyang kahilingan. Nang dahil sa isang malaking aksidente ay nabubuhay siya ngayon bilang si Amanda Montserrat at kailangan niyang mamuhay sa mundo nito hanggang sa makabalik siya sa kanyang sariling katawan! Pero paano niya gagawin iyon?

Kelly Zyre Villanueva, she's just a simple woman who comes from a poor family. She was in trouble when her father died and their family fell into debt. Against her will, she married a man she did not love. Her life changed when she married one of the richest men in their city, from the Montemayor clan, Ashburn Montemayor. Ashburn Montemayor is the CEO of a famous shoe company in their city. He wanted nothing but to improve their company. But even though he is married to Kelly, he still doesn’t let go of his past. Ang pinasok na buhay ni Kelly ay hindi naging madali para sa kaniya. Ano ang mangyayari kapag unti-unti niyang malaman ang sikreto ng kaniyang asawa at ng pamilya nito? Isang simpleng babae at isang high-profile na lalake, how could fate test them? Will they fight for their love, or do they just want to rewrite their destiny?

Santa Maria Deogracia. Despite being given that name, she is not filled with grace, and she is far from holy.  She is feral, rebellious and arrogant. She felt unfortunate her whole life. Poor and born from an affair between her father and his mistress. A child that no one wanted. A bastard hated by the legal family.  But her life took an unexpected turn when she got entangled with a man called Hellion. Witnessing a gruesome crime and the next thing she knew, she was already under him, moaning, catching her breath while chanting his name—spending a hot night with an enigmatic drop dead gorgeous man with a dangerous allure and piercing stares that weakened her knees. Only to find out the next morning that he is actually that infamous ruthless billionaire, 15 years older than her at that; Lazarus Lombardi.  With her life filled with twists and turns, she never expected to get entangled with him even more when he offered her a job—to be his sex slave. Having a secret relationship, that is wrong yet it felt so right—he became her solace.  Desperate to escape in her toxic home, she married him eventually, thinking that it was the right decision.  Or so she thought. . .  Little does she know, her decision is merely an illusion, shattering her newfound happiness. As she delves deeper into the darkness lurking within him—Unveiling the truth, secrets and betrayals. . .  Leading her to escape from his suffocating grasp.  Santa Maria thought she had finally escaped his clutches, only to find herself entangled in his web once more, years later. And escaping him again is the furthest thing from his mind, not with the obsessive mafia boss; Lazarus Lombardi. Will she ever break free from his grip? or will she remain forever trapped in his twisted embrace?

Being the only heiress of the Philippines' largest group of companies, living in luxury is indeed a privilege for Autumn Davis. She may be raised to be resilient but behind her cold personality lies a heart of a woman, yearning for true love. At the night of an intimate family dinner to formally announce her engagement with the country's sought after bachelor, Elliot Carson, the wall she had built to protect her image crumbled to ground when she found out that the only man, Kristopher Ferrer, whom she have ever loved is now her half-sister’s most-prized possession. Aurora Williams on other hand believes that she's nothing but a fruit of an affair by her late mom, Selene and Autumn's father, Benedict. Although life has been tough on her, she still managed to create a name in the shoe industry with the help of her father. In a society where wealth matters more than true love… half sisters, Autumn and Aurora will go neck and neck to get the throne and be crowned as the lone victor. Four lives intertwined by a cruel fate. Will another lie be able to conceal the scar of their pasts?