Social Temperature

Eight years into marriage, and Fabian's mom finally gave me and my son her stamp of approval. Invited us to spend Christmas in his hometown. My son—Luca--and I were hyped. We picked out a gift for her and hit the road with Fabian. Right as we pulled into the village, Fabian's old friend called—crying, claiming she'd crashed her car. Fabian panicked. Left me and Luca in some random snowy mountain town and sped off. It was pitch black. Snow dumping down. Then Luca screamed. He'd stepped on a trap and dropped into a pit. Blood everywhere. I called Fabian, totally panicked. He goes, "Stella, Roxana's in a wreck. I need to be with her. Stop making everything a competition." Then he hung up. Blocked me. No time to fall apart. I wiped my face, called an ambulance. Too far out. By the time they got there, Luca was already gone. Cold. Broken. Gone. I held him and screamed until my lungs gave out. Meanwhile, Roxana's posting in the social media. All smiles in Fabian's arms. His face soft. Loving. [Highway jam turned into truth or dare. One word—"accident"—and he came flying. So happy.] I exhaled. Tagged Fabian. [Let's get a divorce.] This joke of a marriage should've ended forever ago.

Belinda's adoptive family demanded that she marry as soon as possible because her half-sister and all her cousins ​​were already married, even though she was still in college. Furthermore, the main reason for this demand was that her adoptive family hated her and no longer wanted to care for her. On the first day of her fifth semester, Belinda caused trouble for the hot-tempered Brandon, which led to a rift between them on campus as professor and student. However, Brandon ultimately wanted to marry Belinda because his biological mother, who had been hidden for years in a remote hospital with access only to certain individuals, was in danger. Coincidentally, Belinda had volunteered to care for Brandon's mother. Recognizing that his own student, and the woman he hated most, was his mother's savior, Brandon decided to marry Belinda. Furthermore, his desire to marry Belinda was to avoid an arranged marriage he didn't want. Initially, Belinda didn't want to marry Brandon because of his excessive behavior, but now she was forced to do so to reap the benefits he offered her. However, Belinda didn't want their marriage to be widely publicized on campus or on social media. Both Belinda and Brandon were forced to stage a fake wedding. Their relationship has been filled with hatred since their first meeting, how did they fall in love? Who is the person who is after Brandon's mother's life?

In the past, I was Raymond Wright’s wife. Or rather, a prisoner kept in his gilded cage. I was an internationally renowned jewelry designer. Under the spotlight, I had the most dazzling presence. Raymond was the most influential business elite on Floor Street, and he had an extreme desire for control. He claimed to love me, but he never truly loved me for who I was. He was determined to shape me into the “perfect Mrs. Wright” that existed in his imagination. He disliked me having my own social circle and hated it when I appeared in public. I once naively believed that if I were obedient enough, he would eventually recognize my sacrifices. The turning point came at a banquet. Someone there publicly mocked me as “nothing but a canary kept by Mr. Wright.” I could bear it no longer and retorted. Raymond rushed over and coldly scolded me. He said, “Behave yourself. Don’t embarrass me.” At that moment, the surrounding snickers and the disgust in his gaze forced the truth upon me. Ultimately, I fell down the stairs in an “accident” orchestrated by my stepsister. When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by a warm-toned pendant lamp in the apartment I lived in before I married Raymond. On the desk calendar, a date was circled in red—there were only five days left until my wedding to Raymond. I had returned to the past. This time, I did not want to get involved with Raymond anymore.

Natash·Yael's teenage years were marked by academic neglect and a wasted life, primarily due to her mother's passing and her stepmother's jealousy. She even resorted to smoking and pretending to be tough at bars. However, the turning point in Natash·Yael's life came when she encountered Jaclyn·Dills by chance. Jaclyn·Dills' words of wisdom awakened her and inspired her to return to school. As time went on, Jaclyn·Dills was set up for an arranged marriage by her father, and Natash·Yael's father introduced her to Jaclyn·Dills in an attempt to gain favor with Jaclyn·Dills' social circle. However, this blind date led to an unexpected outcome because Jaclyn·Dills was deeply drawn to Natash·Yael. This set the stage for a love story filled with misunderstandings and turmoil. Natash·Yael mistakenly believed that Jaclyn·Dills didn't love her and continued her reckless lifestyle, eventually leading to her pregnancy. In turn, Jaclyn·Dills became cold and volatile due to these misunderstandings. A series of misunderstandings and conflicts eventually led to their separation, with Natash·Yael leaving with her child. However, once Jaclyn·Dills realized the truth of the situation, he was determined to win her back. But the story is far from over, as Jaclyn·Dills' business trip triggers a new round of misunderstandings, making this tumultuous love story even more intricate. Now, he is determined to reunite with his beloved at any cost.

Born a "Latent" into a lineage of apex Alphas, Emily is a ghost in her own home. To her parents, she is a failed investment. To her twin brother, Ryan, she is a social stain to be scrubbed away by the boots of his cruel pack. At the Lycan Academy of Runes and Warfare, she is "The Hollowed"—a girl without a wolf, a student with a brilliant mind trapped in a body the Moonlight Law deems worthless. She has learned to survive in the shadows, nursing her bruises and burying her heart in ancient scrolls. Until the shadows start looking back. First come the messages. Cryptic. Protective. Signed by The Watcher. Then come the gifts—a flask of hot chocolate to dull the pain, a mountain-runner to escape a beating. For the first time in nineteen winters, someone isn't looking at Emily’s lack of a scent. They are looking at her. But the Academy is a meat grinder, and the Alphas are getting hungry. When Lucas Montgomery, the lethally handsome high-tier Alpha, corners her in the campus infirmary, the air doesn't just turn cold—it ignites. He is everything she should fear: rich, ruthless, and radiating a dominant Essence-Aura that makes her knees weak. He claims he wants her for her mind, but the way his hands bruise her waist and his teeth graze her pulse points tells a much darker, hungrier story. Trapped between a secret protector who haunts her phone and a silver-eyed predator who wants to break her on his bed, Emily is caught in a jagged crossfire of ancient pack rivalries and forbidden heat.

Rhett’s father is making him go to dinner because his father’s best friend is arriving and will be staying with the family while his new home is finished being renovated. All Rhett knows is the guy is a stiff. He runs some big company and is moving his headquarters here. He remembers meeting him once and thought he was boring and as annoying as his father. What Rhett didn’t remember is how attractive this older man is despite his stiff posture and suit, the much shorter and much older man has serious sex appeal. Despite his short stature and social awkwardness, Gabriel bests Rhett when he tries talking to him on the terrace and promises to “whip” the younger man into shape in a rather heated moment. The sexual tension is high, but their personalities clash. Meanwhile, Rhett is forced to move home and declare his major and Gabriel is having a hard time convincing the shareholders, firstly that his move to the East Coast was for the best of the company seeing as the most successful branches are in the region and that his spinoff idea which really connects with the essence of who he is will bring the company more success. He must find a solution and that solution might just save both his and Rhett’s asses, if he can get the younger man to comply. Trigger warning: This book contains mature materials and homosexual content including domination and kinks, betrayals, attempted suicide, depression, attempted murder, homophobia and mental health issues. There may not be content warnings on chapters within.

I found a cure for a rare brain tumor a year ago, but in my own home, I am still just the embarrassment who wears rags instead of silk. While my mother and stepsister obsess over guest lists and social standing, I spend my nights in a quiet lab, trying to save lives. I thought my future was set: more research, more bullying from my family, and eventually, a forced marriage. But Lyon came along. His mother is dying of the same tumor I had found a cure for, and he wouldn't leave my lab until I go with him. He is an Alpha shifter, a man with money and power that makes my family look like amateurs, and he didn't care about my protests before he carried me away. “Name your price, Doctor Christie Graves. I can give you anything you want as long as you save my mother.” But it's not ANYTHING I want. I want every inch of him. I want to know what making love would feel like. And with a man like Lyon. I should be ashamed of that. My job is supposed to be my only pleasure. Yet, when he tells me that there's a bond between us and that he can't let me go, I'm ready to go on my knees and ask him to make love to me.

The day my husband, Ethan Hart, posted wedding photos in a bridal gown with the college girl he was sponsoring on his social media, I didn't fly into hysterics like I usually did. Instead, I gave them a like. I even left a comment: [Such a perfect match. Let's all wish the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.] People in our circle said I was the most pathetic wife alive, letting the mistress walk all over me without resistance. A week later, he came home and explained, "It was just an act. Her grandfather is sick. Before he dies, he wants to see her get married." I nodded calmly. "I didn't take it seriously. I believe you." In my previous life, I had stormed into their wedding ceremony that very day and caused a scene, ruining their wedding. To punish me, Ethan went after my parents' company. He drove them into bankruptcy and forced them to jump to their deaths. And I was sent to a mental hospital by that woman, tortured until I truly went insane. So in this life, reborn with everything laid bare, I no longer crave his love. All I want is his money. Every time he cheats, I transfer a portion of the assets under his name. Three chances remain. After that, he will have nothing left.

SIS (Social Issue Series) #4: Bullying They say that beauty is a luxury. That good looks is the only privilege that matters. That the world is only in favor of those who were born pretty.Sa panahon nga raw ngayon, parang kasalanan na ang pagiging less attractive. You're unappealing? Emotionally weak? Naive? How pathetic. Now you gotta deal with the consequences, loser. Sounds like bullshit? Yup. The truth may be harsh but it is what it is. Once you failed to reach the very high standards set by the society, you're doomed. Yara Isabelle got the deadliest combination of being unattractive, soft-hearted and innocent. But she used to get by and survive the bullying just fine. Because she got her knight-in-shining armor. Her childhood sweetheart. Not until he stopped saving her. Not until he stopped caring. Not until he got fed up of everything.Sky Edison used to be full of compassion. But that was before something terrible happened within their family. His perception had changed. He now finds it ridiculous that people let themselves get treated badly.However, the downside is that for some significant circumstances, these two have to share a condo as they enter senior high school. What could possibly happen given their situation?How would it feel like living under the same roof not with your bully but your former superhero who's now just a witness of your despair? How would it feel like going home to a place with a person who gets to see you getting bullied everyday at school?

"Are you really willing to pay someone $100,000 to act as your wife?" Selena asked, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "Yes, I'm considering tripling the offer," I said, my voice betraying a hint of pride. She looked at me with surprise, and I couldn't help but feel insulted by her reaction. It was clear that her experience with poverty had made her skeptical of anyone with wealth. Selena Gardner had no choice but to accept Fred Leonard's offer to be his contracted wife. Although she was a staunch feminist who believed in female empowerment and a fairy tale kind of love,she had no other option. Her sister's life was at stake, and she needed money for her medical treatment. But little did she know that her social media love interest, George, was actually Fred's cousin and rival for the CEO position. This contract marriage and love triangle story will have you on the edge of your seat as you follow Selena's journey as she navigates her chaotic love life while living under the same roof as Fred and George. As the days went by, Selena found herself being drawn deeper and deeper into the Leonard family drama. The more time she spent with them, the more she found herself questioning her own beliefs and values. Would she be able to hold on to who she was, or would she be changed forever by this experience? Will she choose one of them after all the charade was over or will she manage to stay true to herself?