Social Reality

When Claire and Christian's lives collide on a cruise ship, their worlds are turned upside down. After a steamy night between them which leads to a misunderstanding, mistaken identities, and a leaked sextape, they're forced to pretend to be engaged to save their reputations. When the ship docked, they both go their separate ways, puting an end to the charade, until Claire turns up pregnant a month later with Christian's child. What starts as a fake engagement becomes a twisted, complicated reality as Claire and Christian find themselves trapped in a contract marriage, fighting against their past, the danger lurking in the present, and their growing forbidden feelings for each other.

In our five years of marriage, my husband, Derrick Wickham, bails on me 99 times for his childhood sweetheart, Jessica Harson. This time, after he stands me up, I find two plane tickets to Frantines in his office. "I was planning to surprise you for our anniversary. Since you've already seen them, we'll just meet at the airport," he says icily. I eagerly pack and get myself ready, arriving early at the airport. I wait from the wee hours of dawn till the late hours of night, but Derrick fails to show up. Then, I see a post on Jessica's social media. "It's my birthday today. Though he doesn't have the time to go on a trip with me to Frantines, I forgive him because he brought me to the amusement park instead!" In the past, I'd have called him, crying and demanding answers. But this time, I'm truly done.

When her mother was diagnosed with a serious illness, Hazel Gabriella found herself trapped in financial desperation. Her simple life took a drastic turn when Theo Filbert, a handsome yet cold-hearted billionaire, offered her a marriage contract. For Theo, this marriage was the only way to secure his inheritance and maintain his position as the primary heir of Filbert Corporation. For Hazel, it was the only way to ensure her mother received the proper care she needed. However, as the line between pretense and reality begins to blur, their feelings become the greatest risk. Can love truly blossom from an agreement that never involved the heart? Or will it only end in deeper wounds?

"The bride is welcome to enter the altar!" I smiled calmly as I took my father's hand, walking towards the altar where a man was waiting for me. A man in a black tuxedo wrapped around his athletic body. There's nothing wrong with him, the only thing wrong is that he's wearing a mask! But I really don't care! As long as that man can help me save Wendy, my half-sister who I should hate but in reality I really love. Besides, I only need to be in this marriage for one year, yup, let me call myself the 'one year bride'!

I sat at the table, watching the food grow cold, much like my heart. Today was my birthday. It was also Leslie Buck's birthday—Katherine White's childhood sweetheart. I unlocked my phone and opened Leslie's social media page. As expected, a new post awaited me. "Grateful to have you by my side for every birthday. Let's keep our promise to celebrate every one of them together in the future!" The photo showed two hands forming a heart in front of a cake. One of them was Katherine's. I could tell from the bracelet she wore. It was the one I had given her. I gave the post a like, then set my phone aside. Without hesitation, I dumped the dishes Katherine liked into the trash and went out to a restaurant to order the food I liked, celebrating my birthday alone. From now on, I would make sure to enjoy every birthday of mine.

On Children's Day, the most popular social media post is about me. The caption is: "Mr. Shane Norton spends his birthday with his son David Norton and his first love, Ruth Feynman. Has he finally decided to divorce Ayla Sanderson?" I quietly press the "like" button. When my phone rings, I'm in the midst of taking down the balloons I put up for our wedding anniversary. "Honey." My husband sounds anxious as he tries to explain himself. "David suddenly insisted that we go to a theme park, so I—" In the background, I hear David laughing. "Dad, Ruthie says that I can sleep with her tonight!" I look at the mess in the house. The balloons are drooping, and the cream on the cake is congealed. "You don't have to explain," I hear myself say. "I understand." It's just that this time, I don't want you or David any longer, Shane.

When Idrish is accused of killing an elven royalty, the female hunter is forced to join the winter arena in the king's favor. But as a commoner of Springgan, a country with a bloody history of slavery and hierarchy, can she protect the ones she loves...when she can barely protect herself? *** What happens when an elf is in possession of a power that's beyond one's social standing? Idrish Aeric is living at the bottom of Springgan's strict hierarchy, barely able to scrape a living for her younger siblings through hunting and foraging. Her simple life flips when she receives a legacy from a royal elf and she has to run to protect her family. In order to escape death, she's forced to enter the elven royal family through marriage and join the winter arena in the king's favor. But in a world ruled by power and slavery, is Idrish ready to step up her game to change the system--or will she wind up dead before the song of the winter solstice plays?

On my husband's birthday, I ask him for 100 dollars for groceries. Yet he ends up transferring 100 thousand dollars to me, saying that it's "to buy Shannon a bag". A moment later, he bombards me with texts, saying that he transferred the money wrongly and that he wants me to return it to him. "Hello? Why aren't you giving me back the money? Give it back to me, you shameless woman!" Just then, Shannon Lambert updates her social media. "It's his birthday, but he's given me a huge diamond ring. It's so weird, but I love it!" Only then do I realize he's been pretending to be poor all these years. He's spent all his money on Shannon, a student he's been sponsoring. I refuse to transfer the money back to him. Instead, I reply, "I'll give you back half of it once we're divorced."

The hermit Ryder Quin never thought that one day, her crush of three years now, the very handsome Aiden Caley, would suddenly want to be her friend. What's more, a stranger broke into her backyard one night, his face hidden underneath a hood, and ever since then he would show up at night and leave before midnight. The quiet and uninteresting life of hers unexpectedly was thrown into chaos. Having an introverted personality, Ryder struggles to keep up with the very energetic Aiden. However, because of the lack of her social skills, all of Aiden's flirty remarks and hints miss the mark, leading to Ryder accidentally friend-zoning her crush, all while trying to figure out who the stranger that meets her every night is. With the mystery of the stranger's identity and the awkward moments spent with Aiden pickling her mind and heart, Ryder realizes that she has been dragged into a whirl of feelings she has never experienced before.

"You aren't pure enough to carry my heir" Damian only needs one thing, an heir. Not love, not wife, just a child to secure his inheritance. Marriage? Off the table. Love? A distraction. And Vanessa, his friend with benefits is too impure in his eyes to be the mother of his child. Evelyn, beautiful, innocent, and desperate enough to sign a contract that says she’ll carry his child… the natural way. Everything is going according to plan, until Vanessa started attending social events and saying she's pregnant too. With Damian's child. Now two women are carrying his heir. One is fighting for love. The other is fighting to win. And Damian? He’s about to discover that some deals come with unexpected consequences. "The Billionaire's Virgin Surrogate" is a sizzling slow burn billionaire romance filled with passion, betrayal, and a dangerous game of hearts—where trust is fragile, and love cuts the deepest.