Stand-off

Synopsis Si Luigi Mondragon, isang multi-billionaire at matagumpay na negosyante, ay kilala sa pagiging mapaglaro sa pag-ibig at sa mga babae. Sa likod ng kanyang marangyang pamumuhay, maraming naiinggit at nagtatangkang pabagsakin siya dahil sa kanyang kasikatan at tagumpay sa iba't ibang bansa. Sa isang gabi ng kasiyahan na iniayos ng kaibigan niya sa isang sikat na bar, hindi inaasahan ni Luigi na magbabago ang takbo ng kanyang buhay. Doon niya nakilala si Leona Suarez, isang babaeng lasing at sugatan ang puso, nag-iisa habang naglalasing sa sakit ng pag-iwan sa kanya ng dating kasintahan—pinagpalit ito sa isang bakla. Kaya balis ito nasaktan dahil sa dina-daming pwede ipalit ay bakla pa. Habang umiiyak at sinisigaw ni Leona ang kanyang galit sa mga lalaki, hindi mapigilan ni Luigi ang mabighani sa kanyang tapang at pagiging totoo. Ngunit sa mundo ni Luigi na puno ng intriga, selos, at mga lihim, magagawa ba niyang makuha ang puso ng babaeng pilit iniiwasan ang pagmamahal? O magiging isa lamang si Leona sa mga nadamay sa mapanganib na laro ni Luigi? Isang kwentong puno ng pighati, galit, at pagmamahalan.

" I want you to act like my girlfriend" "What?!," When calm and controlled Charlotte loses her job after she smashes a customer's face with a tray, she's left jobless, a pile of bills to be paid, a nagging mom, who is always in need of money, and not to mention, she's two months due on her rent, she takes up an offer by the CEO of Nicotech, but she's shocked the offer is not what she thought it was. Daniel Lee never refuses his grandma, but a simple white lie to get out of her matchmaking and blind dates makes him to go in search of a fake girlfriend and to him Charlotte suits the Job.

“It’s still her.” Three words. That was all it took for the carefully constructed world of my last five years to shatter into dust at my feet. Zane didn’t even have the decency to look away as he said it. For twenty years, I had been the third wheel. The reliable shadow to Jovienne’s brilliant sun. I had buried my own feelings for Zane so deep I almost forgot they existed, only daring to dig them up and confess them after Jovi had left the country and broken his heart. We built a life. A marriage. I truly believed, in my foolish, hopeful heart, that it was my happy ending. Now Jovienne was back, and the illusion was gone. The love of my life saw me only as a consolation prize. As my world collapses, the last person I expect comfort from is her husband—a man as cold and polished as he is powerful. Vance sees the same betrayal in my eyes that he sees in his wife's. Leaning in, his voice a dangerous whisper, he proposed the unthinkable: "They are living in the past. Let's be each other's revenge. What do you say, Nerissa?" I should avoid at all costs. It was a game that could burn our broken worlds to the ground. But as I looked into his eyes and saw the same raw, humiliating betrayal reflected back at me, the answer poised on my lips wasn't "no." It was a terrifying, thrilling question. “What,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I felt, “did you have in mind?”

J'ai aimé Luc Dupont pendant dix ans, mais il a dit : « Elle ne m'intéresse pas. » Et puis il a passé ses jours et ses nuits avec une autre femme… En tant que son amie d'enfance pendant dix ans, lui et moi n'avons pas eu de bons résultats, alors je ne voulais plus être son second choix. Plus tard, j’étais sur le point de me marier avec une autre personne. Au milieu de la nuit, Luc a frappé à ma porte en disant : « Claire Moreau… » « M. Luc, puis-je vous aider ? » Ensuite, la voix sexy d'un homme est venue de la chambre à coucher : « Chérie, où as-tu mis mes sous-vêtements ? » En entendant cela, Luc a titubé et a craché une bouchée de sang devant moi… Peu de temps après, je suis tombée sur le blog de Luc : « Il y a des gens à qui l'on manque pour la vie. Ce n'est pas parce qu'elle t’aime maintenant qu'elle t’aimera toujours. Alors, chéris-la. »

He pressed him against the door, breath hot, voice ragged. “If you don’t want this… tell me to stop.” A pause. A heartbeat. “I can’t.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some obsessions aren’t meant to be touched. Some men aren’t meant to be loved. And some desires don’t care. This collection isn’t about perfect love. It’s about the one you weren’t supposed to want— Another man. Your brother’s best friend. Your enemy’s son. Your professor. Your fake fiancé. The man who shouldn’t look at you like that. The man you can’t stop wanting. Every story is a man falling for another man when he shouldn’t—and doing it anyway. Fast-paced, emotionally sharp, and dangerously seductive, every story in Burnt Offerings dives headfirst into the hunger we deny, the rules we break, and the lovers we were warned to stay away from. Some affairs stay in the dark. Others start wildfires. This isn't a love story. It's all the ones you swore you’d never tell. All of them about men who should have walked away from each other… but didn’t.

My husband, Chandler Goodwin, claims that he doesn't understand what the phrases "silent treatment" or "giving the cold shoulder" mean. Yet, in the three years we have been married, he has never once spoken to me sweetly. The first time we have a falling out, I remain proud and dignified. We end up ignoring each other for seven days straight. The seventh time we have a cold standoff, I start to panic a little. However, despite trying all sorts of methods, he doesn't back down. The 11th time it happens, I have already learned to work through my emotions myself. Chandler doesn't even need to say anything before I take the initiative to apologize first. I simply think that he's just a naturally indifferent person, that nobody can warm his stone-cold heart. Then, on the third year of our marriage, I accidentally ruin his dress shirt while ironing it. Chandler doesn't say a word, but that very night, he packs his things and moves into a hotel. On the third day of being blocked, I head to his company with a handwritten apology. While passing by his office, I spot him leaning over to shoot his angry assistant a doting smile. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you just now and upsetting you. It's been 57 minutes since you started ignoring me. Please stop giving me the cold shoulder, alright?" I freeze on the spot, the apology letter in my hand practically burning my fingers. As it turns out, it's not that he doesn't know what the silent treatment means—it's just that I've never been the person he wants to coax.

Fafa, Ome, Ocha, Naga dan Atha tak pernah menyangka akan mendapat hukuman aneh dari Silvianita. Bukannya dihukum biasa, mereka justru diarahkan masuk ke gua crystal yang ternyata menjadi gerbang menuju dunia lain bernama Crystalville. Crystalville dipenuhi penduduk dengan antena di kepala dan sayap di punggung, membuat kelima remaja itu merasa asing sekaligus takjub. Dalam kebingungan, mereka bertemu Marca, anak kecil berambut bob yang selalu setia dengan snack kentangnya. Kehadiran Marca membawa warna baru di tengah perjalanan mereka. Namun, ada pertanyaan besar yang belum terjawab : untuk apa Silvianita mengirim mereka ke sini? Apakah benar hanya hukuman atau ada misi tersembunyi yang harus mereka selesaikan?

"Five thousand dollars. I will pay you to have sex with me," I said to the handsome stranger. “Ten thousand dollars. I will pay you ten… No, fifteen,” At that moment, I just wanted to get laid. It was the only thing I could think of. “If you are still not fine with it... I will increase the money,” I whispered against his lips… ***** I caught my boyfriend of several years cheating on me with my own cousin. It already sounded bad, but ending up in bed with a hot stranger who turned out to be my ex-boyfriend's dad was even worse. Still, I'm not a woman who wallows in self-pity. I was going to use this to my advantage. I was planning to find my way into the handsome billionaire's life in order to get revenge on his cheating son, but the man beat me at my own game. Unexpectedly, he approached me first, asking me to marry him, upon our second meeting! The look in his eyes, his voice, everything about him screamed suspicious, but did his motivations matter? For now, not really. I was determined to make my ex-boyfriend pay for wasting my time all these years. I was going to make my cousin crawl at my feet and beg for my forgiveness...

Sa galit ni Althea sa lalaking nakabuntis sa pinsan niya, sinugod niya ito. Ngunit sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon, ang bilyonaryong si Samuel ang napagkamalan at nasugod niya noong araw na iyon, na siya namang ipinagdiriwang ang wedding engagement kasama ang fiancée at pamilya nito. Hindi niya alam na ito pala ang boss niya, at bilang kabayaran sa ginawa niyang pagsira sa wedding engagement nito, kailangan niyang tulungan itong muling ayusin ang nasirang wedding engagement nila ng dating fiancée. Pero paano kung sa kalagitnaan ng misyon niya na ayusin ang nasirang wedding engagement ng dalawa, siya namang pagkahulog nila sa isa’t isa ni Samuel?

Zackary and I had been married for seven years and finally had our first child. But seeing the pregnancy result, he suspected that the child was not his. Out of anger, I went to do a paternity test with him. On the day the result came out, Zackary, who was supposed to be in the hospital, appeared at my door. He was holding a photo. The photo showed that my underwear was at his friend's house. He kicked me so hard that I lost my baby. He shouted, "You bitch, you dare to cheat on me. I won't raise another man's child, you know. Go to hell!" Later he knew the truth and begged my dead child to come back.