Shoot Atau Shot

The night my husband, William Costello, was assassinated by his enemies was supposed to be a celebration—our wedding anniversary. I was dressed in his favorite red dress, waiting for him, when the phone rang. "Mr. Costello was shot at the harbor. The bullet went through the back of his head. He died on the spot." I collapsed to the floor. I clung to his belongings, mourning for a week straight. We even lost our unborn child during this time. Everyone said William and I were true love. Even the Don himself came to the funeral, resting a heavy hand on my shoulder with a sigh. He said, "All of Blackhaven knows you were the only woman he ever loved." Grief nearly destroyed me. I stood at the river's edge, ready to follow William into the afterlife. However, I overheard my sister-in-law, Emily Hawkins, leaning into my brother-in-law, Jones Costello, her voice dripping with a twisted affection. She purred, "William, I love you so much. Between Nina and me, who do you think is sexier?" "Of course it's you, babe!" came the husky reply. I stood frozen, my eyes wide and my body trembling. Why was Emily calling my brother-in-law by my husband's name?

My boyfriend Orion was the leading hunter of the Bright Moon Pack, who was sent on an S-class mission three years ago. Before he left, he told me to wait for his return, after which he would mark me. Holding him to his promise, I waited for over a thousand days, and he eventually did come back. I was delighted, but just ten days after I blissfully prepared for the marking ceremony, I overheard him speaking with his fellow hunters. "Are you sure you're going to mark Elara? What about Dahlia and Emery? Especially Emery—the pup's two years old and looks just like you. There's no hiding it at all." "Hell, the whole thing about a secret mission was a farce, to cover up for you hanging around for Emery's birth. If Elara knew the truth…" Orion shot his deputy a sharp glare right then. "Just tell Dahlia to keep her mouth shut and hide the pup. Elara's the only one for me." Dahlia? The pup? As it turned out, in those three years I was worried sick for him, he had a pup with another woman. My knuckles clenched, I returned to my room and called my father. "Dad, I want to go home."

"Whose child is this?" His voice was cold and icy, blood shot eyes drilling holes in her watery ones. Scared, she cowered back only for her back to met the wall. A sob of pure horror left her parched throat, her hands lifting up to shield her already bruised face. "I asked," He stepped dangerously closer to her, his hot breath fanning the back of her hands. His sandalwood scent which used to calm her nerves in past, today did nothing other than heightening her fear. "Whose." His rough hands yanked her soft ones from her face, before clasping her jaw tightly, his fingers digging in her bruised skin making her wince. "Child" He whispered deadly, leaning down till his stern lips were brushing over her quivering ones. Tears after tears dripped down her cheeks. "Is in your stomach?" His already tight hold had tightened in bruising manner, making her flinch hard. Her head began to spin in fright, darkness invading her vision. Her heart pleading for some miracle. That wasn't the first question, her husband was supposed to ask her on her wedding night.

May mga islang hindi mo mahahanap sa mapa. At may mga gabi na hindi kailanman pwedeng ikuwento. Siya—isang dalagang nangangarap ng katahimikan. Siya—isang lalaking matagal nang ginugupo ng mga alaala. Isang gabi. Isang kasunduan. Isang halik na hindi na mabubura. Akala nilang pareho, panandalian lang ang lahat. Hanggang sa lumitaw ang katotohanang kay tagal nang itinatago—at may isang pangalan na hindi dapat banggitin sa isla. Sa Euphoria, lahat may presyo. At ang ilang halik… may kapalit na buhay. This story involves themes of luxury companionship, sex work, and high-profile desire—served with a shot of fiction and a twist of imagination. Rated R18+ All characters, events, and situations in this story are purely fictional and stem from the author’s imagination. Any similarities to real people, stories, or existing works—published or unpublished—are entirely coincidental and unintentional. This story is a personal creation meant to explore unique emotional and psychological journeys. It is not intended to imitate, copy, or reflect the narrative or structure of any other existing work. Please respect the author’s creative freedom, and enjoy this story for what it is: a work of fiction born from heart, imagination, and curiosity.

As I was about to leave my brother’s restaurant, the female manager stopped me. "Miss, excuse me, but you haven’t paid your bill." I looked at the unfamiliar face and thought that she was probably new and didn’t recognize me, so I explained politely, "Just put it on the owner’s tab. He knows me." The manager shot me a disdainful look. "Miss, this is a Michelin three-star restaurant. We don’t let just anyone run up a tab." She handed me a printed bill. I glanced at it. Fifty thousand dollars for one meal. Three thousand for tableware maintenance, five thousand for exclusive air purification, ten thousand for a VIP mood-calming service fee, and a bunch of other ridiculous charges. I didn’t even know my brother’s place was such a scam. I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. "I’m the owner’s sister. If there’s a problem, tell him to talk to me at home." But she just wouldn’t drop it. "If you can’t afford it, stop acting like you can. And don’t act like you know Mr. White, either." I fired off a quick text to my secretary. 【Tell my brother to either fire this manager or I’m pulling my investment.】

Tuhan memang pengatur yang baik. Cinta, jodoh, dan rezeki yang telah di tetapkan-Nya. Tapi ... segalanya memang tak selalu seperti yang kita inginkan. Adakalanya kita tidak setuju dengan keputusan tuhan. Tapi, kita tidak bisa mengubah ketetapan mutlak itu. Aku tak tau harus bagaimana bersikap pada akhir cinta ini. Ntah harus bahagia atau justrus aku harus bersedih. Karena, semuanya hanya dusta yang tak kunjung diketahui oleh mereka yang terlena akan cinta. Lalu? Apa yang harus aku lakukan jika berada di posisi ini? Ntahlah, mungkin kamu tidak akan menyukai akhir cintanya. Kamu, aku, atau siapapun takkan pernah tau akhir dari kisah cinta ini.

Mudah Ayunda adalah seorang single mom. Dia terpaksa menjadi wanita malam untuk masa depan putrinya--Agni. Sang suami sudah lama meninggalkannya karena wanita lain. Sejak saat itu, Ayunda terjerumus ke dalam dunia malam. Karena pekerjaan itu pula, membuat Agni menjadi bahan bully-an di sekolah. Pertemuannya dengan Bramasata, seseorang dari masa lalunya membuat pertahanan hati Ayunda roboh. Lelaki itu menawarkan diri untuk menjadi suami Ayu. Hati wanita itu dilema. Apakah Bramasta tulus mencintainya atau sekadar ingin menyelamatkannya dari kubangan dosa? Selain itu, mantan suami Ayunda--Alby kembali hadir mengusik kedamaian hidupnya. Lantas, jalan mana yang akan Ayunda pilih? Menikah atau meneruskan lagi pekerjaannya?

Shawn dan Camilla, masing-masing memiliki ego yang sangat tinggi untuk saling membenci. Walau dalam lubuk hati mereka, mereka masih saling mencintai. Disisi lain Hailee telah lama menunggu Moment ini, Moment ketika Shawn dan Camilla tak baik-baik saja atau Moment ketika keduanya harus terpisah akan ego mereka yang tinggi. Masalah semakin pelik ketika Roosevelt high kedatangan siswa exchange dari Irlandia dan naas nya Camilla mendapatkan teman Exchange nya yang membuatnya nyaman dan perlahan melupakan si pria Canada itu. Akankah semua nya baik-baik saja? Atau ternyata Camilla lebih memilih untuk melupakan si Canada dan berlabuh dengan si Irlandia dan hailee pun bahagia dengan si Canada?

Putusnya hubungan Nia dan Ramon yang sudah terjalin beberapa tahun menyebabkan beberapa masalah dalam hidup Arrania Wilati.  Penghianatan yang dilakukan oleh Sarah--sahabat Nia-- dan Ramon yang merupakan kekasihnya menyebabkan ia tidak hanya rugi  perasaan tapi juga kenyamanan hidup.  Salah satunya adalah berurusan dengan CEO sebuah perusahaan tempat Ramon bekerja. Urusan akan dianggap selesai jika Nia mau menikah dengan sang CEO dari perusahaan tersebut dan menjadi istri kedua. Gila!  Hanya itu yang ada di dalam pikiran Nia kala pria dengan tiga orang anak menawarkan sebuah pernikahan padanya. Nia dilema untuk menerima tawaran tersebut atau menolaknya mengingat menerima atau menolak sama-sama memiliki risiko.

Sandara tidak menyangka niatnya untuk melarikan diri dari kejaran debt collector sehingga masuk ke dalam toilet pria justru malah akan berakhir dengan sebuah kesalahpahaman. Ia dituduh melakukan perbuatan mesum dengan Om-Om yang ternyata adalah seorang CEO yang terkenal dingin dan arogan bernama Bima Aryasena. Karena memikirkan reputasi perusahaan dan nama baiknya, Bima kemudian menawarkan 'pernikahan kontrak' pada Sandara yang memang membutuhkan uang untuk melunasi hutang ayahnya. Sayangnya setelah menikah, Sandara justru sering dianggap sebagai gadis kosong atau bodoh oleh Bima. Akankah benih cinta muncul di antara keduanya atau justru kesalahpahaman yang semakin besar hingga keduanya memutuskan untuk mengakhiri kontrak?