Social Intelligence

From the time I was ten until I turned eighteen, my parents made me write 299 IOUs. Every time I needed money, I had to borrow it and pay it back as an adult. Then I got into a car accident. I needed money for surgery but was still short by 3,000. With no other options, I went to my parents for help. But they just gave me cold smiles. “Clara, you’re eighteen now. We have no obligation to give you money anymore. If you need it, write another IOU.” While holding back tears, I wrote my 300th IOU. After my surgery, I saw my adopted sister’s social media post. In the pictures, she was celebrating her 18th birthday on a cruise. She was the center of attention, like a princess. My parents had given her a luxury apartment in the city and a Maserati as birthday gifts. Even my childhood friend was looking at her with love in his eyes. She said they were the ones she loved and thanked them for giving her the best of everything. I looked down at the crumpled IOU in my hand and suddenly laughed. Once I paid off my debt, I would no longer need such a family.

Three months before my wedding, my fiancé, Henry Siebert, decided it was the perfect time to drop a maternity photo shoot on social media—with my foster sister, Betty Foster. The caption? Oh, just this gem: [Legally welcoming our little one into the world.] Betty added a shy emoji. And my mom? She liked the post and wrote: [Once the baby is born, I'll help take care of it so you two can enjoy your time together as a couple.] I couldn't help myself. I replied with a single question mark. And then Henry's DMs came in hot: [She's just borrowing me for a year to get married. Once the baby's born, I'll come back to you.]

My husband's childhood friend says she wants her crystal beads to soak up some of the good luck in our home. Because of that, he scatters the beads on the floor, making me slip and miscarry. I'm in agony as I lie on the operating table. I call my husband incessantly, but all he does is block my number. I lie in the hospital ward after the operation. I see my husband's childhood friend's social media update—a photo of him worshipfully holding out a certificate while getting down on one knee. It's captioned, "He loves me so much! I said I'm interested in running a business and he actually set up a company for me!" On the day of the branch company's grand opening, my husband's childhood friend wears an expensive custom-made gown. Meanwhile, I wear her discarded goods. I'm barred from even entering the building. I suppress my bitterness and call my lawyer. "Are the divorce procedures done?"

My husband finally keeps his promise to take me on a trip abroad after I've given birth to his child. However, he disappears the moment we get off the plane. I roam the foreign land alone, unable to reach him. Two hours later, I stumble upon his childhood sweetheart's social media update. It's a photo of her and my husband sweetly feeding each other ice cream. It's captioned, "Someone who cares about you has you in their heart wherever they are." After a long silence, I comment, "Now you can live in his heart forever." I walk away after leaving nothing but a divorce agreement behind. That's when my husband, who's always been cold and aloof, panics.

It was my 30th birthday, and my husband said he had a surprise for me. However, on the day of my birthday, he was nowhere to be found. I called him countless times, but no one answered. Just as I was about to panic and consider calling the police, I happened to see a post on the social media feed of his female secretary. “A typhoon hit, and my boss was worried about my safety, so he personally took me home. How wonderful! I’ve got a guardian angel for myself!” My anxiety turned to cold calm in an instant. I commented on her post: “Traveling during a typhoon is dangerous. Tell him he doesn’t need to come back.” Not long after I posted the comment, my husband called. “Kelly, I was only concerned about the safety of my subordinate, and yet you’re thinking such vile thoughts. “Birthdays come every year. Missing one won’t kill you!” You were right. Birthdays came every year. But there was no way I would celebrate them with you.

“What is your proudest moment alive?” “That I hate my family.” Rosie Ellery hates her family. Her parents don’t even bother to hide the fact that they treat both children differently. Rosie never gets the proper life she deserves, while her step-disabled-sister, gets it all. Rosie knows she should get out of this fuck up house before her parents sell her to a stranger. Alex Angelo graduated from a good college and has a decent job as an editor in a magazine company. Mrs. Angelo is a single parent and rarely home because she travels a lot for work, which Alex and Ayle, his sister, are being grateful for. In conclusion, Alex Angelo has a stable life. Or at least that’s what he would like to believe. Rosie Ellery and Alex Angelo meet through a social experiment run by Your Daily Updates! Magazine. The blonde screams everything but his mom’s approval. After what Ayle has been through, Alex knows better than to try his luck. But damn... You only live once. ‘Let’s play with the fire. Better crying for the result than dying in curiosity.’ For the first time, the obedient puppy chooses to stop pleasing other souls, but a certain blonde. Growing up in a fuck up house, makes Rosie Ellery realize one thing. ‘I’ve had enough of people who doesn’t value my worth. Go fuck yourself if you don’t like me.’ “Let me teach you how to forgive people and move on with your life.” “And why would I do that?” “So you can start a new life with me, obviously?”

Kasey always found herself outside the social order; her only friend being a ghost. A friend who has a dark and dangerous secret, one that threatens to kill her. After being forced into the realm of hell and attacked by a demonic creature, Kasey has to adapt as she fights with herself and the demons she found herself surrounded with. The powers that are awakening within her have the potential to make her all-powerful but can also render her insane. The question now lies within which side is stronger: Her will to keep her humanity or the will of her inner-darkness to dominate the battlefield...

Mengisahkan watak Monika yang merupakan seorang artis rakaman. Dia berasal dari sebuah keluarga ternama, kaya dan berpengaruh. Namun dia berusaha merahsiakan identitinya dari diketahui umum untuk keselamatan dirinya yang menjadi buruan pembunuh upahan setelah kesemua ahli keluarganya mati dalam satu kejadian yang tragis. "Polis ada tunjukkan satu fail sulit dekat aku. Dalam fail tu ada gambar-gambar mayat ahli keluarga aku. Yang menarik perhatian ialaha tanda yang sama ditinggalkan di beberapa bahagian tubuh mereka." Kehidupannya semakin teruk. Dia tidak tahu kemana arah patut dituju. Dia tergelincir di dalam lembah penuh kegelapan. "Aku mengaku ketika aku berumur belasan tahun, aku pernah ambil benda-benda macam tu. Dengan harapan ia dapat menolong aku keluar dari dunia realiti walaupun untuk seketika." Tepat pada masanya, Haliene hadir dalam hidupnya. Haliene merupakan pemilik studio rakaman yang menjadi naungan Monika juga selaku sahabatnya. Dialah yang bertanggungjawab membantu Monika keluar dari dunia gelap setelah pelbagai dugaan dilaluinya. Dia menjaga Monika seperti adik perempuan kandungnya sendiri. "Umm... aku tertanya-tanya apa akan terjadi kalau kita tak pernah berjumpa? Aku tentunya dah mati." Haliene juga menyimpan rahsia yang Monika tidak tahu mengenai pembunuhan keluarganya juga kemalangan yang hampir meragut nyawanya. "Sampai bila kau nak kita semua terus berlakon? Bila ingatan dia dah pulih nanti, dia akan tahu juga siapa dia. Kau tak boleh nak rahsiakannya lagi. Aku kawan dia, aku kenal dia dahulu dari kau." Credit Cover Book (pink colour): via Monika Santucci's social media post

Three months after fleeing my wedding, I unexpectedly ran into my ex-fiancé at a high-society gathering in the capital. Out of the blue, someone asked me, "Teresa, I saw on social media that you're getting married again?" "Ms. Carter, when can we celebrate your big day?" Smiling confidently, I replied, "Next month." In an instant, everyone began congratulating me and Daniel. After all, everyone knew he had been my fiancé. After the party, Daniel cornered me, his tone sharp. "You're the one who ran away from the wedding, and now you're the one rushing to get married? Do you think this is funny?" I found his reaction amusing. Fixing him with an icy stare, I said with a faint smirk: "Who said my new groom is you?"

On Benedict Bradford’s birthday, he posted a link on social media with a taunting offer: [$1.99 buys you a prank—target: Sansa Stormcloud.] So when I arrived at his party, the guests drenched me in water, hurled glasses, smashed cake in my face, and shoved me down the stairs. Benedict sneered as he stood over me, arm slung around Lina Kipling. “You think you’re fit to marry into the Bradfords? Pathetic. “You’re not even in Lina’s league. You’re worth nothing more than a couple of dollars!” I picked myself up, dusted off my dress, and handed him an invitation. “You know, Benedict, the Bradfords have another heir. “And shortly afterwards, you’ll address me respectfully as your sister-in-law.”