Smiling Flower Seventeen

Sophia was seventeen when her mother died of cancer, nineteen when her only surviving bloodline Bernard Moore died of heartache. Now she's forced to live with her stepmother and aunt Monica. They're not your usual wicked stepmother and an apple. But they sure made Sophia's life difficult until she found herself in the streets on a cold rainy day. There her life makes a twisted turn, she knew she would never be the same again. Jason partied had with his friend Sean and overbearing high maintenance girlfriend Charlotte. Being rich was his problem because he loved nothing else than his noisy social lifestyle and the girls around. Forced to finish school, Jason finds himself in a situation where he would have to become responsible for two heads and he's torn between right and wrong.

When Lana Gray's marriage to Donovan Craig falls apart, she discovers a shocking secret that changes everything. When she seeks a fresh start, she finds love again, but her past comes back to haunt her. As she navigates the truth about her son's adoption, Lana must confront the lies and deceit that have destroyed her trust. Will she find the courage to forgive and embrace a new beginning, or will the secrets of her past tear her family apart forever?

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Because of her father's brain cancer, Karen Goodwill became Gordon Williams' concubine to earn money for her father's hospital bills and treatment. She dropped out of school at the age of eighteen. After five years with Gordon Williams, Karen Goodwill has accumulated a large amount of money. After the deal ended, Karen Goodwill gave up her life as a concubine. She runs her own flower shop for a living. Meanwhile, Mr. Williams asked Gordon Williams to get married so that Williams Gems Group could receive a huge investment from the Joyner family. Unexpectedly, two years later, his wife betrayed him, the Williams family made a loss. While going to a bar to relax, he met Karen Goodwill again. They meet each other again, no longer have a relationship to exchange money and sex, falling in love with each other and together revive the Williams family estate, build their own empire and avenge the Joyner family.

My fiancé, Owen Lockhart, came from old money. He kept a canary in a gilded cage, spoiling her rotten. Just as I was about to break off the engagement with him, a barrage of comments suddenly popped up in my mind. [What did Owen do wrong? He just wanted to get your attention.] [Don't break up with him. All you need to do is shed a few tears, and he'll give you everything.] I turned my head, and through the window, I saw the canary in her high-end jewelry, smiling brightly as she hooked her arm around Owen's. He lazily lowered his eyes, yet his expression held a hint of indifference mixed with a subtle affection. I smiled bitterly, replying to the lawyer's message: [Go on with drafting the engagement annulment agreement.]

Transported abruptly to a strange and faraway, yet wonderful land was an unforeseen circumstance in Krysta's life. Engaging on a mission to rescue an unknown world, will she ever figure out her true purpose in life? --- Up until she turns seventeen, Krysta Delvana continues soaring and searching for the beauty of life when in fact, it totally gives her the opposite. Growing up as an orphan and residing under a cruel and grievous woman, she couldn't stop questioning life on what is her main role in this world. Until a tragic event happens that bounds to be the reason of her death, she's brought to Aerydone—a whole new world where she gains whole new friends and experiences she never thinks that she'll ever witness in her existence. Finding herself battling to save an unfamiliar world, it dawns upon her that Aerydone isn't just a fantastical dream to begin with, but a place where she can truly see and feel that she 'belongs'.

The mafia princess Sloane Carlisle's life is thrown into disarray when she finds out she was getting married to her arch enemy. The one man she swore to destroy even if she dies trying. Even worse, the hatred between them is mutual. Both mafia families have been rivals even before she was born and when she was seventeen she was abducted by his elder son, he took her and some of her friends because they were witnesses. It was the first time she had killed someone and it had been his brother. Chase despised her with passion and when he saw an opportunity to make her suffer, he agreed to go along with the marriage. In a game of survival only the strongest wins. What happens when hatred turns into a burning obsession? When they find out they have a common enemy and are forced to work together, will they put aside their differences and act as a power couple? Or will they kill each other first?

BLURB/DESCRIPTION I never meant to witness the murder. At seventeen, seeing my uncle kill my parents should have gotten me killed too. Instead, he framed me for their deaths and made me a prisoner in my own pack. Five years of beatings, starvation, and slavery taught me to keep my head down and my mouth shut. Then Alpha Ryker arrived—a man with ice-blue eyes and a reputation for crushing anyone who crosses him. He didn't come for me. He came for a treaty with my uncle. But something about my broken scent caught his attention, and he refused to leave without me. Now I'm in his territory, and he's claiming I'm his contracted mate. But my uncle's lies run deeper than anyone knows, and the truth about my parents' death could destroy everything. If I can survive long enough to uncover it.

"I was told I was a monster. My father told me I was a pawn. He didn't realize I was a Queen." For seventeen years, Kaia has been locked in a gilded cage, hidden from the world and her own reflection. As the Kentrikos Territory’s best-kept secret, she is the White Wolf—a myth, a legend, and a target. Now, her father is selling her to the highest bidder to secure his legacy. The rules were simple: Choose a mate. Secure the alliance. Don't ask questions. But as Kaia is paraded through the four territories to meet her potential Alphas, her sheltered existence begins to unravel. Her wolf, Selah, isn't looking for a mate—she’s looking for blood. From the frozen wastes of the north to the high-tech laboratories of the west, Kaia uncovers a trail of secrets. In a world of Alphas, the rarest wolf of all is done playing nice. Kaia must decide: will she be the submissive mate they expect, or the Alpha they should have feared?

Ang sabi nila, ang pinakamasayang tao ang pinakamalungkot sa lahat. That they are faking their happiness. That even they are alive, they are dying deep inside. All I can see is my pain. My anger towards her. She's the cause of my loneliness. I lost the love of my life because of her. Why should I care? She deserves it anyway. But little did I know, she's dying deep within. I've hurt her. All I did was give her pain. Ipinamukha ko sa kanya na kailanman ay hindi ko siya mamahalin. Little by little, I am killing her. I took out her shine. Her bright smile. Her own life. I've crushed her heart. Michelle is like a flower, slowly withering without my notice. Melting my heartless heart is her only option.